Going Green with Greywater

People are finding more and more ways to recycle the waste water that is used in the bathroom and the kitchen (known as greywater) in order to get more than one use out of it. Designer Jang Woo-seok has developed an idea to have a more sustainable bathroom system where the water used from the sink goes directly to the toilet’s tank to cut down on using fresh water for flushing.

Designer Jun Yasumoto conceptualized the Phyto-purification bathroom which uses the greywater from the shower to create a mini eco-system that recycles and regenerates the water. The water is filtered through hyacinths, reeds, rushes, lemnas, and a carbon filter resulting in a symbiotic system where the water feeds the plants to create a beautiful bathroom landscape which purifies and cleanses the water.

These two bathroom systems are only concepts and not presently available for purchase or installation. However, similar greywater re-use systems are on the rise as using greywater to flush the toilet, irrigate the lawn and garden, and wash the car is becoming a very popular and wise trend. Hyphae, an ecological engineering firm in Oakland, is actually making great strides at putting some of these ideas to good use. As Ecologist Brent Bucknam puts it, “One of the things that amazes me is that we take potable water and put that into a toilet.” But with this new engineering… waste not, want not.

Not only does using greywater conserve our dwindling water supply and release less pollution into our waterways, it also saves you money. But be forewarned, if you’re going to use your greywater in your vegetable garden, make sure you switch to some organic, chemical free soaps and shampoos. Our Beauty Chick Shayna has plenty of alternatives for you.

If you’d like to look into installing a greywater system in your house, here are a few resources to start with…

The AQUS System by WaterSaver Technologies works very much like the concept designed by Jang Woo-seok, but you can use it on your existing fixtures and install it yourself.

The Aqua2Use system by Greywater Systems not only recycles the sink water, but also the water from the bath and washing machine. However, it’s a little pricy at $770.

Grey is Green can teach you how to install your own greywater re-use system for about $350.

Don’t want to do it yourself? In addition to Hyphae, ReWater Systems will set up your whole irrigation system for you, collecting your greywater and giving you a healthy lawn and garden.

Water Cache can do it for you or teach you to do it yourself.

These are just a few possibilities, but rest assured, there’s more than one way to re-use water.

Steve McAllister

Steve McAllister is an acclaimed author, filmmaker, actor, and musician. In addition to contributing to Modern Hippie Mag, he also writes InkenSoul, a blog focused on literature and information that promotes commerce, charity, creativity, spirituality, and environmental sustainability. Purchase his most recent novel, The McAllister Code as an e-book at www.themcallistercode.com. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.