“When Nature Calls” = Public Urinal + Planter
Eddie Gandelman, an undergraduate industrial design student at the University of Cincinnati has come up with a conceptual urinal pod system that also functions as a planter. Called ‘When Nature Calls’, the urinal filters urine to water the plants, turning the waste generating process of peeing into a nurturing one.
In designer’s own words:
The goal of “When Nature Calls” is to make people think about the environment and ourselves in a radical way: that our “waste” can actually be a positive, nurturing thing. Urine has incredible potential to function as plant fertilizer and other things, and recycling it is something I hope is second-nature in the future. My design tries to get us going in that direction. The “yuck” factor of recycling urine is less of an issue in the design, as the whole process happens inside the walls, out of sight, so using it is like using an ordinary urinal, but you get the bonus of knowing you helped sustain the plants. Additionally, the idea targets those with pee- anxiety, or pee-shyness, at public urinals, and is an attempt to give them more privacy and personal space, to provide a pleasant visual distraction, and to plant a more positive thought in their minds as they approach the urinal; so that instead of thinking “I’m going to go use the urinal,” they might think “I’m going to go water the plants.” This small change in thinking could make a big difference in how we feel at urinals!
Designer - Eddie Gandelman Coroflot Profile (Thank You Eddie!)
Filed under: Toilets & Bath