Get Green and Save Some Greens with Urinals
With the rise of utility expenses and the need to save our natural resources, many companies and institutions have taken the jump into the eco-friendly bandwagon made efforts to save mother earth in their own way.
Take the Student Learning Center at the University of Georgia, an institution which decided that they could save some money by installing waterless urinals in the toilet. Now this center, the Taj Mahal, and the Dolphin stadium have something in common.
This is not the University’s first attempt at going green. In fact, this idea came about when they were looking for ways to conserve energy resources. Other attempts at being more eco-friendly include installing energy-efficient lighting and incorporating recycled building materials.
While there is not much difference between the cost of a normal and a water-free urinal (325$), the SLC would be able to save about 40,000 gallons of water anually per urinal, saving themselves 200$ per urinal anually. Besides, University Architectural Designer Aaron Britton said.”water toilets have a flush valve that can break after high- volume usage,” says University Architectural Designer Aaron Britton.
The SLC was picked as testing ground for these seemingly groundbreaking urinals as it is one of the most high-traffic areas in the University. Above the urinals is a plaque that mentions how much water each urinal saves.
The students also don’t mind shouldering the cost of the University being more eco-friendly. However, there are some drawbacks to these water-free urinals. Where these urinals save money and water, they need a little more effort on the upkeep. For one, thse urinals employ a 40$ cartridge made out of biodegradable fatty alcohol that is supposed to minimize odors, and these cartridges need to be replaced only after 7,000 uses. However, there have been several complaints about the smell.
via Red and Black
