Water Conservation Extremes

Water conservation taken to an extreme with the fish-traumatizing faucet.

You know those frustrating water faucets in public restrooms? You know those ones that trickle out a teeny tiny stream of water, and shut off before you can finish washing your hands, leaving you aggravated and soapy...well, here are two of the weirdest most frustrating faucets that I can find.

This elegant limit faucet encourages, and even enforces, water conservation by giving you less water to use. The design relies on the simple principle of "what you see is what you get." The faucet fills the attached glass tube with exactly one liter of water for washing hands, and it needs to be turned off again before it will recharge. The brainchild of designers Yonggu Do, Dohyung Kim and Sewon Oh, the faucet is a clever bit of stingy design.

A more extreme water conserving faucet, designed by Yan Lu, creates a very direct incentive to minimize water usage. When you turn the faucet on, the water level in the fishbowl decreases. It reminds us how precious this resource is, and how our everyday actions can affect the creatures around us. It also reminds us of our childhood pet goldfish, awww. 

In case you were worried, the water sources for the fish bowl and the faucet are separate. You wouldn't be washing your hands in fish excrement or sending soapy water back into the bowl. The fish's "aquarium" is simply designed to lower its water level until you stop washing your hands, although it never drains completely. Still, we can't help but feel that this rapidly changing environment must be tough for the little guy. Poor little fish indeed. 

And now for some random water facts to make you feel smarter:

*Even though 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, less than 1 percent is available for human use.

*At least 36 states are projecting water shortages.

*Each American uses and average of 100 gallons of water a day at home.

Let's all make an effort to conserve water and preserve our oceans.