To Dump or Not to Dump

A debate has arisen in my dormitory suite over one of my suitemates not flushing the toilet. Yes, we have a mad pooper. Not really, there are seemingly legitamate reasons for not flushing the toilet linked to water conservation, but from the stand point of basic sanitation principles, the whole idea of hovering over someone else's festering bacteria just creeps me out. I caught shigella once in a middle school pandemic from using door and fountains that other people used who didn't wash their hands. So I tend to side with those who think that whoever came up with this method of water conservation should be slapped. I could see if it was a private home with a toilet tank that could be treated with environmentally friendly enzymes to make it safer, but not in a dorm. I don't even want mono from my suitemates, so you know I don't want to share butt germs.

There are so many other ways to offset this usage of water, like putting buckets there for the showers in the morning that usually take 5 minutes to make the conversion from icy to tolerable. That water could be poured down to flush and reduce waste. There's also a group on campus, HEAL, through the CELTS program, who has been going around campus installing low flow aerators in the sinks and showerheads. I know we're going to need someone to help us get grants and people to aid us if we approve the idea of installing low flow toilets. I personally would love to see us get something similar to what the eco village has like those dual flow toilets. I know this semester we are still trying to work toward installing this particular dorm with aerators for the shower heads. There are a variety of ways to be more sustainable without getting people sick or having to blindside everyone. There are 16 girls in here and we shouldn't have to reserve a toilet to serve the needs of one person unless that person has a legitimate disability. Perhaps the person hasn't heard both sides of the argument. But I'm pretty sure based upon what I've seen that the toilet issue is less of that of sustainability one and more of an issue of her not being hygenic. But at least she's showering more now that she's engaged. That's none of my business. I suppose we'll find out either way after we put this issue to a vote tomorrow.