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Rather than buying some new components or replacing my toilet to save water, I slightly modified it.
On a typical toilet, the handle pulls the chain, which lifts the flapper. The flapper pivots up past 90 degrees, so it stays open when you let go of the handle.
I shortened the chain on mine so that the flap doesn't stay open.
This makes the toilet handle into a "momentary on" switch.
If you just want a little flush, press the handle down for a moment. Want a bigger one? Just hold it down longer.
This modification costs nothing, takes just a pliers and a couple of minutes to do, and is a great way to save water.
I've already got the front-loading clothes washer and water-saving showerhead.
The only other thing that I thought would be really cool is foot-pedals for my kitchen sink.
In grade schools and factories, they sometimes have these big hand-washing sinks that are activated by foot pedal. I thought it would be neat to rig up the kitchen sink the same way. Often, when washing hands or dishes, both hands are occupied, making it harder to turn the water on and off as needed. Because of that, the water ends up running more than it needs to. If I could turn the faucet on by pressing a foot pedal, and back off, just by letting off the pedal, it would free up my hands and save water.
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