 |
|
BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters skip the airplane bathroom, we'll avert the CO2 caused by one Biter flying roundtrip between LA and NYC about 15 times.
COCKTAIL FACT
In an attempt to cut fuel costs, a Chinese airline is encouraging travelers to go before they go (in their words, "spend their pennies before boarding the aircraft").
| SAVE TO MY BITES |  |
FORWARD TO A FRIEND:
RATE THIS TIP:
How useful is this tip to you?
(5 is the highest)
home › tip library › Efficient Traveling
Should you "go" before you go?
The Bite
If you wanna save a little CO2, use the airport lavatory, not the one on the plane, since the fuel used for every mile-high flush could run a car for 6 miles.The Benefits
- Clearer skies. Each lavatory visit emits 5.6 lbs of CO2 due to energy used flushing the toilet (airplanes use powered vacuums, not gravity like toilets at home).
- Hold it right there - go earlier, and skip cramped, nasty-smelling airplane bathrooms.
- Avoid asking the aisle-seated, irritable, red-eyed, lap-topped "suit" if you can get by to use the loo.
Personally Speaking
When we gotta go, we gotta go, but we certainly don’t mind one more reason to abstain from using bathrooms built for contortionists.Wanna Try?
On short trips, flush before you fly, simple as that.Mar 30,2007
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
This Might Be My Favorite Tip of All Time
OK, so when Biter Evelyn Chen sent this tip submission in, I gotta admit, I laughed out loud. It seemed ridiculous. But I loved the idea so much, we put it in the queue to research. If it panned out, we figured we'd tip it.
Lo and behold, a little research paid off, and fact is... it IS better to "go before you go."
Of course, don't be stupid - bladder infections... all pain and antibiotics - aren't so great for the environment either. So don't hold it unnecessarily. But on that DC to NYC or LA to SF run...
Spend your pennies before you fly.
-Heather... off to buy a plane ticket...
Lo and behold, a little research paid off, and fact is... it IS better to "go before you go."
Of course, don't be stupid - bladder infections... all pain and antibiotics - aren't so great for the environment either. So don't hold it unnecessarily. But on that DC to NYC or LA to SF run...
Spend your pennies before you fly.
-Heather... off to buy a plane ticket...
Biter Comments...
That is very interesting but fortunetly not true for almost all aircraft flown. Modern commercial airliners, like the one my boyfriend flies, use an energy efficient and eco-friendly system in flight. The vacuum you hear and see when you flush in-flight is provided by utilizing the differential pressure between the cabin altitude which is approximately 8000 feet and the outside environment which at cruise is somewhere around 35,000 feet. The difference is about 7-9 psi depending on the design of the pressurization system.
When you are on the ground and there is no pressure differential is when the vacuum pump is used. It is only active when there is no air to produce vacuum from either the engines or the auxiliary power unit, such as when you are shut down at the gate. Further, on most of the airplanes he flies, the pump is not even installed on the airplane because the cost of maintaining it and the fuel spent carrying its weight is not worth the very little use it gets during the boarding process.
If you really want to save CO2 while in flight pack light! It cost a lot of fuel to carry weight, the heavier the plane is the more fuel it burns to fly. So pack light and happy high altitude peeing!!!
Love these kind of facts. Thanks
Kara Phelps,
What about my comment about reducing the takeoff weight of the aircraft by not carrying the half liter of pee on board? I think that one is still relevant.
Also, if what you say is true, how does the airplane lavatory work when it is on the ground or at very low altitude where the pressure gradient is low?
I really am just genuinely curious, not being argumentative.
yeah, okay for short domestic trips. but who's gonna hold their pee on an 6 or 7-hour international flight. even if you go beforehand, we ladies are copious tinklers.
arousiak,
I think this is just a recommendation to minimize one's use of the airplane lavs, not to make one's bladder explode. As for men vs. women in this regard, I think the difference is greater between those who stay properly hydrated and those who do not.
So, I'm wondering how to research this tip. Can an ideal-biter (or anyone else) tell me where the tip was validated? I'd like to poke around about this on my own to see what I turn up.
After all, sounds like there is some disagreement about its validity.
Cheers.
Eco-Travel Girl,
I'm not an engineer, and don't work on aircraft. But, I am a geek and you piqued my interest. I did a bunch of searching and found that there are references to "lavatory flush motors" in numerous places. However, I was unable to find a design drawing to see what one actually looks like. But, even the 777, a fairly new and high technology plane, has a flush motor. This means that it is not done by pressure differential.
So, I'd say, yes, go before you go.
It seems best from the standpoint of the lavatory. In addition, as I pointed out in one of my prior posts, it will also slightly reduce takeoff weight.
Airlines are claiming a tremendous increase in costs in recent years due to the increasing weight of passengers. So, reducing takeoff weight will also reduce fuel use.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Misanthropic Scott | March 30, 2007 at 07:39 AM