RECYCLE much? (or, the GREAT TRASH ISLAND)

(image from lastnightsgarbage.com a blog about garbage found on NYC streets... )


Soooo... who here recycles? OOHH OOOOH PICK ME! OOOH MEEEE! I RECYCLE!! YAAAAA!

well... CONGRATS, me too. it might not be working out so hot though. i learned by being a construction worker and bringing loads of garbage to the dump DIRECTLY that all garbage in san francisco is sorted once it arrives there (and they take out all the interesting figurines and sculptures and put them on display on a giant hill behind the dump. its really quite impressive, and im not kidding.)

but the reason they go through it is to SORT OUT RECYCLABLES. thats why we don't have to sort paper from plastic from glass in SF (yes, the planning department is also high) because its all gonna be sorted again when it gets there. now i know your all thinking THIS IS GRRRRREAT! but wait. i have confirmation from an inside source that almost all municiple recyclables on the west coast are SHIPPED TO CHINA for processing.
now think about this for a second:


(image from theferrisfiles.com apparently dude worked out with BARACK OBAMA)

this is an image of the location of the "GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE ISLAND" oh its there, all right. just check out this popular science article: HERE and read all about it. The GIANT TRASH ISLAND IS 80% PLASTIC and occurs where ocean currents converge to create a spot where debris builds up. so here i ask again:

WHO HERE RECYCLES? hmmm. its kinda hard to tell now, isnt it? 2nd question: WHICH PART OF YOUR RECYCLING FLOATS?

this is all very sad. sorry.

more on the TOILET

yeah i can't stop thinking about the toilet... it just seems like there is definitely something wrong with how they are designed, and it may not be solely water efficiency related. first, of course, there is of course the NON PEE FLUSHING BY ACTIVISTS AND EDGY HAIRYTARIANS. neither looking at pee in the toilet, nor using hundreds of extra gallons of water is a great idea, so that makes problemo numero uno. also, there is kind of a cleanliness issue for men. as a guy, living with guys, there is pee that makes is SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE the toilet bowl more often than i would like to admit. blame it on booze or sleepiness, but nobody wants to clean the toilet every few days, abd this ought to be avoidable. (and i cant imagine it gets any easier as you get older) now i know an easy solution many have suggested already:




but really, with sustainable design, the goal (at least for some of us) is to only force behavioral changed where necessary. standing up to pee is NOT the problem, the design of the toilets is. (i would add, transversely, that using massive amounts of toilet paper after peeing also seems like a waste, but the necessity of THAT is unfortunately something i don't have the experience to argue)
the toilets we are used to are the convention in most industrialized nations. i wonder if its really the best, or just what we have?

ever have one of those funny tablets in the tank that makes the water come out blue, and then peed in it? what's the color it ends up again? oh yeah, aquamarine.