5 Reasons You Should Definitely Shower Together

Skiing and showering together? What could they have in common?

So you find yourself driving to the ski slopes, riding the 8-person gondola, and skiing over man-made snow thinking "Damn, I sure do feel bad about how much enjoying the mountains contributes to global warming; I wish there was something I could do to curb my impact!!" 

Well worry no more! By simply sharing a shower with a loved one, you can keep nature clean and help preserve some of that snow you love! Not to mention, boost your immune system. Here are some pretty neat facts that might change how you think about your everyday showers forever.

#1: Only 1% of the worlds freshwater is accessible to us

 Just look how stoked this lady is on her solar shower, savoring every drop of hot water. Coleman photo.

As of today,  4 billion people are affected by water shortages globally. We suffer droughts, floods, and a dwindling snow supply. In order to compensate, we try to make our own snow, but unless you're Candide Thovex and need to film a sweet commercial for Audi, that just exacerbates the problem.

What can we do? Turn the water off when you’re soaping up! Share a shower!

We romanticize about living the outdoor lifestyle all the time, so here's your chance! Think of showering like you're on a wild, 10-day, no-cities-for-miles camping trip. When you have just that one solar bag filled with warm water, you damn will use it efficiently.

#2: During sexy shower time your body releases hormones that help improve your immune system

A happy couple getting super healthy. Photo from Dai Manuel.

During this world-saving, relationship boosting, hygiene improving activity a lot goes down in your physiology. You release a natural pain reducer and stress reliever, boost your immunity, improve your heart health and even preserve your youth! This isn't made up – just ask WebMD.

Endorphins released stimulate your immune system to produce antibodies (Immunoglobulin A) that protect you from viruses and infections! Science. Cool stuff. So you two, go get healthy! Share a shower.

#3: Long showers contribute to the overloading of water treatment plants, which means raw sewage gets dumped into rivers, lakes and oceans. 

Poo-poo water overload is an issue here in the U.S. Every year over 850 million gallons of untreated sewage gushes into lakes, rivers and oceans, like into the Atlantic as you see in the Florida drainpipe. This waste water overload can be caused by giant rainstorm in a cities like L.A., but can also result from everyday water overuse like, yes, long showers.

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Saving water results in less waste water and will lighten the load on these treatment facilities. Do nature a solid and commit to shorter shower! Nobody wants to scuba dive in poo.

#4: Almost 20% of your total home energy use goes to heating your water

 No snow in Tahoe last March. Photo from business insider.

It's the end of a big ski day – boots are off, beer's in the belly, we hop in the shower and turn on that hot water faucet from heaven. Without a doubt, it's one of the best things in life: a long, hot, uninterrupted shower, especially after a cold day at the hill.

 Alas, heating all that water takes about 18% of your total home energy, which you've inadvertently burned a ton of fossil fuels to get. That releases tons of carbon pollution, a major contributor to global warming, which melts snow. And not just in Tahoe.

#5: The United States consumes over twice as much water per capita than the world average

 Got enough water there? This crazy shower head system from Moen is probably not the greatest for reducing water usage. Photo from Moen company.

Despite increasing efforts to restrict and reduce water consumption, we still use blow through water like Tanner Hall blows through ankles. While industrial uses like irrigation, snow machines and agriculture soak up a very large percentage of our water, we use a lot at home, too. 

If we save even just a little shower water, we can make a real difference. In the '90s, Oregon initiated a water efficiency program that replaced shower heads and toilets with more efficient models. They reduced their water consumption by 16%! That's a monster difference without having to do a ton more than change out some cheap appliances – an energy efficient shower head will rarely even cost $30! 

When it comes to $800 skis and $5,000 mountain bikes, a $30 shower head is pittance for doing your small part as a consumer to keep this country's gorgeous lakes, rivers, and oceans topped up and sewage-free. Still too much dough? The same effect can be achieved by simply turning off the water intermittently, which costs a whopping zero dollars.

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With all the outdoor activities we love and the epic landscapes we do them in, a water-saving shower is a small sacrifice we can make to keep the good times rolling. It's easy, keeps money in your pocket, and is great for your health! 

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