Peeing where?!?

"Now before you think this is going to be tawdry or 'potty talk', please stay with me."

During my fishing days in Wisconsin, I would fish with a buddy who had a very nice "A" frame cabin with a nice deck out in front. Many trees kept it hidden from view, except from the fish and humming birds. Many years ago, my biddy found out his septic tank was on its last legs. To minimize flushing, in the morning when we first got up and during cocktail hour (when the need hit), we would pee off the deck. Over the years, we saved a whole bunch of flushes. Now before you think this is going to be tawdry or "potty talk", please stay with me.

I have been seeing more and more articles as of late (not written by kooks) which advocate peeing in the shower. For example, if you take a shower every morning and pee in the shower, you will save over 1,000 gallons of fresh, potable water every year (assuming you have a non-water saving toilet). With the water saving toilets, water saved by peeing in the shower would be about 600 gallons a year.

Why is that a big deal? I just addressed this issue earlier in the week. Our ability to have adequate fresh and potable water is starting to run out. 600 to 1,000 gallons of potable water going down the drain every year is a big deal.

One of the articles I read noted that currently 61% of all Americans pee in the shower, with that number going up all the time. Before you think this is too gross to mention, think of it this way. Experts say it is more hygienic, and the waste water from the shower as well as the waste water from the toilet end up in the same pipe anyway.

One more thing I should mention. Not too long ago, President Trump was talking to a female astronaut aboard the ISS. He asked her what kinds of things she was doing up there. She was very frank in her answer. They are trying to figure better ways to recycle pee to safely drink it as water. The President (I don't believe) was expecting that answer. "Better you than me", he joked. But this is a serious matter.

Unless we can come up with a space vehicle which can travel at a good portion of the speed of light, our journey to Mars will take many months. We can't take that much water in a space craft. It would weigh too much as well as take up too much room. So recycling is the name of the game. Since humans are mostly water, we give up moisture every time we exhale, when we sweat, cry, or pee. On a long space flight, as much of that water as possible needs to be reclaimed, processed and then re-used.

So the next you are in the woods, have a very large and concealed yard, or in the shower and feel the need to go - go ahead. However, please don't go on a street corner or in a public swimming pool - we can save water and still hold on to our decency.