Wednesday, August 19, 2009

That's an interesting way to go green...

This comes via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
The spots urge citizens there to save water — by urinating in the shower.

The group, SOS Mata Atlantica, estimates that each household in Brazil could conserve 1,157 gallons of water annually by avoiding one flush a day.

The humorous spots, which are narrated by children, feature cartoon drawings of people from all walks of life — a basketball player, trapeze artist and even an alien — urinating in the shower.

The ads wrap with: "Pee in the shower! Save the Atlantic rainforest!"

No word yet on whether the flush-reducing movement is heading north to the United States.

But if it does, and if you see someone "going green" in the shower at your local gym, here's a fact worth knowing.

While peeing in the shower may sound sickening, experts maintain that from a health and safety standpoint, it's not.

"It's fine because urine is sterile. We have no bacteria or viruses in our urine, which is why if patients aren't feeling well, we can culture it," says Donna Duberg, assistant professor of clinical laboratory science at St. Louis University. "Plus, water from the shower and toilet end up in the same sewer line."

For years, people have used urine in unusual ways. Holistic experts swear that urinating on the feet will cure athlete's foot — a fungal infection. And Duberg points out that if urine is safe to drink — which a number of websites recommend for healthfulness — it's certainly safe to have squirting near your legs while the water is running in a shower.
I wonder if this will catch on in the states...

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