I will start off in:
The Bathroom
Act 1: The Toilet
There are many ways to cut down on toilet excess. Some of these are only for the hardcore eco-warrior who is not afraid of their bodily functions.
Something basic: fill an empty water bottle/condiment bottle/something similar with water and screw the lid on tight. place this in the toilet tank to displace water. you could also use a brick. this is an easy way to make your toilet 'low flow'.
Something easy: follow the golden rule- if it's yellow, be mellow; if it's brown, flush it down. it's up to your own discretion how many times you use the toilet before you flush it. it is NOT necessary to flush every time you urinate, but it is wasteful. you'll also cut down on your water bill.
Something challenging: cut up an old towel into smallish squares- maybe 4x4 inches. use these instead of toilet paper. keep a bag by the toilet to throw the used squares in. come laundry day, simply throw the towel squares into the wash. again, it's up to your own discretion how far you're willing to go with this. it may only be good for "#1". this will cut back on your toilet paper consumption- meaning it saves trees, fossil fuels, and your money.
Something hardcore: the pee bucket. instead of using the toilet to urinate in, have a designated bucket/tupperware container/jar/etc that you use to collect your urine. you may be asking -"um, WHY!?!". well, for your garden. either pour it in the compost and cover with leaves or dilute the urine (about 10:1 water to urine) with water and use it to water your garden with. Your plants will love the extra nitrogen, however- DO NOT get this nitro fix mix directly on your plants. it can burn the leaves, and it is not advisable to pee on your food for health reasons. but carefully watering the ROOTS of your plants can provide them with the nitrogen they need, and the plant is able to filter out harmful stuff, if any. if you live in an apartment, this may not be an option for you. i understand.
Something alternative: a hand-held bidet. these nifty little sprayers attach to your toilet and eliminate the need for toilet paper altogether. now whether it's better to use water or paper depends on the extent of your local watershed. (WHAT?!? basically, the water features/water availability in your area- like annual rainfall, springs, aquifers, etc.) so this option might not be ideal for areas suseptible to drought.
here are some links to sites that specialize in all kinds hand-held sprayers: www.sanicare-hand-bidets.com
www.bidet.com
www.bidetspray.com
