Video: Should You Pee in the Shower?

by flickr user watz used under creative commons license

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There’s a lot of things the Golden State will do to save water (including declaring a State of Emergency and virtually closing the water supply to the Central Valley) but pushing Californians to pee in the shower is NOT one of them. 

“That’s not something we’ve advocated, no,” said Water Department spokesman Matt Knotley, who seemed shocked by the suggestion, apparently all the rage in Brazil, that folks should pee in the shower to save water. “If that’s what they want to do in their country, fine. There are plenty of other ways that are very easy to save water.” 

Unfortunately, none of those have a cute Portugese PA video. 

 In case you’re totally grossed out, you should know that this is not the first time we’ve approached water conservation through toilet humor. In the late 80s, when I was potty training, you could sum California’s drought policy in a simple rhyme: If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.  

According to xixinobahno.org, we could save thousands of gallons of water a year if we quit flushing so much. But, since this is America, you can just Cash-for-Clunkers your water-wasting throne and call it a day. 

If that’s too much of a hassle, there are even less difficult ways to save. Knotley suggested boring solutions like turning off the tap while you brush your teeth (8 gallons a day) or taking shorter showers (up to 10 gallons a minute). You can even call the local water district and have them check your place for leaks. In short, there’s really no need to save your pee.

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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