how green is my loo?

Yawn! Good morning! Brush, brush. Flush, flush. Shower, shower. Rush, rush. Stop! Take a look at the room that is the most resource-intensive room in your house. Check it out: One washing machine, one geyser, at least four taps, one shower head, one bathtub (optional), one pot with a flushing cistern, marble tiles, 500 kinds of shampoos, conditioners, soaps, toothpastes, shaving equipment. Do you have them all? Good. You are a normal city dweller with all the basic amenities required in a modern loo. Oh oh! Do you suddenly feel your conscience?
Try these out as a conscience calmer.

Light up your life
A normal incandescent bulb lasts 750 hours but a fluorescent tube giving off the same amount of light lasts for 7,500 to 10,000 hours using just one-fourth the energy. Within a fluorescent light bulb's life time it will stop 454 kg of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere as against a normal bulb. It is assumed here that the best lighting and ventilation for a bathroom is a window or two that opens to sunny outdoors.

Walled in
Cannot do without sparkling marble tiles? Take a look at recycled glass tiles, clay and ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles can be reused for other construction work when broken. Doesn’t leave behind empty quarries.

Soap Opera
Try reducing numbers. For instance, get one kind of soap for everyone in the house instead of each one’s favourite brand. Go in for products with less packaging. Look around stores, you will come across interesting local brands. Try Khadi Gram Udyog. There are many natural shampoos and soaps too. As for detergents, read ingredients. Go in for those with less phosphaste.

A-tissue!
Surely we can reduce use of this? If you cannot do without it, use single layer thicker paper, instead of double-layered thinner paper.

You can replace the familiar ‘Odomos’ with neem or mint bunches or pots. Use citranella or eucalyptus oil as well for a beautiful fresh smell and as an ‘anti-microbe’.