Join the new world

Water - the liquid life force.



It covers 70% of the Earth’s surface.

If compressed into a sphere, as depicted above on the left, the total water on earth would amass a sphere 1390 kilometres across with a volume of 1.4 billion cubic kilometres!

However, having said that, 97.5% of Earth’s water is salt water. Of the 2.5% left for freshwater, 70% of that is encased in the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps. Therefore, in the end, about 0.007% of all water on Earth is accessible for direct human consumption.

Though fresh, this 0.007% of water, found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and wells (shallow enough to be reached), is still contaminated with microbes, chemicals, and other undesirables.

In the United States, a typical person uses about 99 gallons of water a day. 2000 data shows that an average of $105 was spent on water purification a year per person. Inflation ($1 from 2000 equals $1.33 in 2012) and general price increases must also be considered. Calculating the cost of supplying clean water to New York City with 2011 population counts with the inflated year 2000 average cost: $(105*1.33) * 8,244,910ppl, would mean the city spends at least $1,151,401,681.50 a year!

And so, it is no surprise that water is a main point of concern and debate for environmentalists.

Despite water being a renewable resource, it is actually more fragile than people may think. Aquifers are not evenly spread across the globe, so not everyone gets a fair share in the first place. Now due to unstabling global conditions, some are drying up due usage over powering the pace at which they are refilled, creating more of a scarce.



If naturally fresh resources are depleted, society will have to resort to treating and using non-naturally-fresh water sources. This would require more work to make it drinkable, and so the cost demand and energy consumption would climb greatly.

Attempting to tackle this issue, a council official from the Drenthe municipality of Aa en Hunze, Netherland is recommending that people pee while taking a shower to save water.



This idea was proposed for the council’s 2013 project to increase sustainability.

“[Peeing while showering] saves lots of clean water and is good for the environment. If you combine showers and peeing, you save a lot of water and money, so why not?” - Bert Wassink

The average Dutch resident consumes 39 liters of water showering a day and 36 litres of water flushing a day (about 13 liters per flush). So, by combining the two actions, one could save at least 13 liters of water a day. And every little bit counts.

But this official’s suggestion has kicked up a storm...

“And in a month or two your bathroom will stink of pee. No thanks.” - Jason Buttle

“Next it will be, ‘shower under your pee’. Thank heavens he hasn’t come up with a clever idea for recycling the solids.” - Highlander

“Sorry, but I really can't see the issue here. I don't he is saying also pee into a shower, he's saying while you're in the shower and the water is running you could pee to save water on flushing (if you flush every time of course) hygiene is really not an issue here, don't pee on your flannel or into your shower gel and I think you will survive....in fact even if you did you would survive.” - Dave

“I'd hate to use the same shower as that guy. This is disgusting, pigish behavior that isn't appropriate in a civilized society with knowledge of the importance of hygiene. Certainly, there must be other ways to save water that are cleaner and more considerate of others.” - Sam

“Whoever came up with this idea should be fired!” - Richard

“What about hygiene? Urine is basically sterile salt water with a bit of urea and other metabolites. It's cleaner than that you are washing off of your body--dead skin, dirt, grease, bacteria, etc. When you pee into a toilet, you are not only wasting water, but increasing the load on sewage treatment plants, which [is] more energy intensive than treating grey water from shower drains.” - R.C.

“This isn't a matter of hygiene or "civilized" behavior. what is it you do in the shower? you wash filth from your disgusting body. and urine is...oh, that's right, is sterile. and, for the most part, little more than water. so, what is adding more to your shower's accumulation of filth? your dead skin cells, residual fecal material from your perineum, shed hair, bacteria from your dermis and anything washed from your body? or, half a litre of sterile urine, washed down the same bloody pipes as the adjacent water closet, followed by 39 litres of fresh water?” -Mudd

“Thats going to save you a few pennies...” - Roger

(Water costs which civilians notice is usually only their own personal water bill. Where flushing a toilet is only a few pennies. What they don’t notice is the amount from their tax money which goes to purifying the water which they buy to use. Also, the later picture, not a selfish central-view, must be used.)

(Note: The chemical composition of urine does depend on diet.)

If one does a little research into the matter, peeing in the shower in not in any way a new idea. It is a common idea and practice in Brazil, which people will agree is a civilized country, as demonstrated in this television ad which circulated the country’s airwaves: http://youtu.be/XZ_DNc1zbxI

Resources, as demonstrated in eRepublik itself, can start wars. Water, essential for living things, would, when scares, start severe struggles for survival.

In order to do your part in conserving water, how far will you go? Will you now start relieving yourself while freshening up in the mornings?

Wassink, part of the Dutch left-wing green party, GroenLinks, has told a paper that he already practices what he preaches.

Ginny Tory
SFHerald Owner