Min-Use
Min-Use (n.) Min-Use is a concept Buckminster Fuller developed for submarines. Basically, it decreased the water usage for bathing in submarines to a minimum.1 When Amory Lovins started the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in 1982, he adopted this idea and applied it to showers. RMI was considered as a test bed for efficient and sustainable living in the harsh climate of Snowmass, Colorado, which conventionally requires a higher level of energy than normal to maintain a comfortable living condition. The “Min-Use” showers propel the water with a blast of compressed air, and thus provide a wet and tingly shower, while each using only half a gallon per minute – 5 times less than a low-flow showerhead and eight to fifteen times less than a standard one2. However, the Min-Use shower was one of the passive design strategies installed in RMI. Through all the passive strategies, Lovins was able to achieve astounding energy and monetary savings3. To me, unlike other ecological designers, Lovins was not interested in fitting an artificial ecology into a building, but designing and considering all facets of the project in a much more subtle way, which is, however, a much more reliable way.