Look through history and it is clear: inspiration comes in the loo. The low-flow showerhead, the waterless urinal, integrated sink/toilet, and group bathing are no doubt the product of inspired water closet thinking. A man named Joe Molho had such a moment of clarity while using his brothers dual-flush in Israel. Dual-flush toilets are a brilliant concept, and Europe and Asia have had them in effect for some time.

They have not made a whole lot of headway in the States, however. For those of us not ready to spring for a whole new system, a Canadian company called Aquanotion is offering the TwoFlush, a retrofit kit for your existing toilet. This $50 system replaces the inner mechanism of the tank but not the tank itself, and the installation (they claim) is a simple DIY job. Aquanotion also offers a replacement tank system for $115. The eco-cleverness of the dual-flush design, of course, is that the user is given the option of a partial flush for liquid waste or the standard full flush for solid.

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