Environmental impacts of embedded bathroom practices

1
Environmental impacts of embedded bathroom
practices

• Maj-Britt Quitzau
• National Environmental Research Institute
• Department of Policy Analysis

2
Structure of the presentation

• Motivations, aim, approach and empirical sources
• Exploring two themes
• The substance of present bathroom normalities
• Comparing specific bathroom practices toilet
  use and bathing
• Environmental impacts and challenges
• Conclusion

3
Environmental impacts of normal bathroom
development

• Motivation and inspiration from Elizabeth Shove
• Noticing the unnoticed
• Environmental impacts of changing normalities
• Based on my PhD project Culture in the bathroom
• Social and cultural conditions for change of
  toilet practices
• Twofold interest stability of toilet, general
  changes in bathroom
• Research questions
• What is seen as normal today and what has driven
  this?
• What are the differences between normalities of
  toilet use and bathing?
• What are the environmental impacts?

4
Empirical sources

• Historical studies by others
• Archives Bo Bedre (Live Better),
  advertisements and articles through the last 40
  years
• The present coverage and advertisements in
  newspapers, magazines, tv-programmes, exhibitions
  and shops
• Qualitative interviews with Danes about their
  bathrooms

5
A typical Danish bathroom
6
Observations of typical changes in Danish
bathrooms

• Arrangement
• Cold/white to warm/colourful
• Sterile/functional to cosy/accessorised
• Composition of functions
• Baths to showers
• Introduction of new functions like storage and
  washing machines
• Status
• Remote to more of a integrated room
• Leisure activities in addition to functional use

7
Characteristics for present time use in the
bathroom

• Effective time use
• Get it over with, basic functions (Mette and
  Henrik)
• Give yourself time
• Pleasure, relaxation, withdrawal (Betina and
  Katrine)
• Quality time
• Being together, make use of time (Henrik)
• Extended time consumption
• Demanding body care, self-pampering (Susanne and
  Katrine)
• Handling of time
• Bottle-necks, co-ordination

8
What drives the shifts?

• Shifts in conventions and standards
• E.g. more demanding body care, showers in stead
  of baths
• Reaction to everyday life conditions
• The hectic life (dream of comfort and quality
  time)
• Social setting
• Individualisation and status symbols
• New possibilities
• Economical surplus, new technologies and greater
  selection

9
Comparing toilet use and bathing (I)

• Stability and change are knitted together
• Toilet use
• Stabilised practice without recent changes
• The powerful water-flushing toilet Setting the
  scene
• Bathing
• Stabilised practice with recent changes
• The variable bathing practice Changing according
  to needs

10
Comparing toilet use and bathing (II)

• Exploring new potentials
• Varying practices
• bath/shower, spa
• Connected practice
• general experience, reflected in surroundings,
  connected
• New values arise
• relaxing bath, self-pampering, intensified body
  care
• Shifting norms

• Doing as usual
• Uniform practices
• water-flush as norm
• Isolated practice
• distinction and separation from other
  functions/practices
• Old values stick
• hygiene, functionality and privacy
• Stabilised norms

11
Environmental impacts and challenges

• Changes in normalisation (bathroom in general)
• Escalating demands (more resource-intensive)
• Spreading of demands (e.g. room comfort)
• Challenge bridle rising demands and
  resource-intensive practices
• Differences between toilet use and bathing
• Bathing practices could change back
• Difficult to change back our toilet use
  (irreversibility)
• Another challenge for toilet use provide a
  breeding ground for alternative toilet practices

12
Conclusion

• What is seen as normal today and what has driven
  this?
• More integrated room and more extensive time use
• Different social, cultural, technical and
  economic factors
• What are the differences between normalities of
  toilet use and bathing?
• Old values stick to the toilet, while
  bathing/showering is renewed
• Different degrees of embedding in the room
  (weak/strong link)
• Different environmental challenges
• What are the environmental impacts of the normal
  bathroom?
• Escalating demands (room comfort and personal
  well-being)
• Stickiness and irreversibility of practices (e.g.
  toilet use)