energy use:

a flush to many: my washroom

comparison between us and them.
to light:
most restrooms and hallways in the US remain lit
continuously day and night, not to mention during
non-business hours.

lighting in european bathrooms as well

as hallways and most other places op-
erate on a timer system which keeps
the electricity consumption minimal.
to flush:
I have yet to see a toilet in the US that has any sort
of water saving feature on it. the average US home
uses on average 350 gallons of water per day and
the toilet consume more of it than any other amenity

most european toilets come standard

with two options when flushing in or-
der to save water when at all possible.
to wash:
many of the automatic faucets in the US are dif-
ficult to operate due to the touchy sensory, water
that is not the right temperature, and pressure that
is often way to intense.

This european sink allows one to select

the water temperature, pressure, and
has a regular water stream. The weight
on the end slowly shuts the handle off,
ensuring the water is not left running.
to dry:
electric paper towel dispensers unnecessarily con-
sumer electricity in the US, and often uncontrolla-
bly dispense towels that are not necessary

the paper towel dispensers in europe

are not battery powered thus saving
energy. also paper towels are a decom-
posable and renewable product
a start:
this was just one small example pointing to a much
larger problem; a problem which I feel may have
much deeper roots than are apparent at first glance.

this study has not given me an answer to a specific problem, but a reinforced
mind set towards all design problems. also I have been reminded to not sim-
ply accept what we have, but to question and be constantly improving.
these are a few areas I feel contribute to the wasteful american mind set:

* to much available land

* an absence of proper government oversight
* stringent code regulations
this has been the start to my research on how countries utilizes the resources
and energy they have, and also what can be done to improve their usage in
the future.

andrew berggren