I think the serious environmentalist should start questioning some basic assumptions in our society. Is there any real need for people to bathe every single day? If you are not working out- chances are- you can go a few days without smelling too bad. If your hair starts to smell- a hat can cover up a good bit of that. Especially in temperature climates. Ovbiously- if you live in Florida you'd have good reason to shower every day.

For the vast, vast majority of human existence (or the vast majority of human civilization even), people never bathed everyday. What happens in this society is that people wash more often than is good for them. After they are squeeky clean, they now have to use moisturizer to replenish the natural oils that they've just washed off. It's a self defeating routine.

Likewise there is no need to wash our clothes every day or 2 days. If you hang your clothes out in the sun the smell will dissipate on its own.

Some cleaning activities- like brushing your teeth, or washing your dishes, are in fact necessary for proper hygiene. But this daily ritual of bathing and laundry is just that- a ritual, and a wasteful one at that.

There's probably a bit of leeway here for people to make their own choices, but we should probably keep in mind that there was quite a range in terms of how often it was culturally expected to bathe, and how.

Personally, if your hair smells to the point of having to cover it up, it's past time to wash it :-)

My head itches if I don't wash my hair every day or at least every other day. I feel much, much better after a shower every day and tend to break out if I don't get my face nice and clean. So it's not *just* a ritual - but if someone wanted to make the argument that I'm only uncomfortable with not washing because I'm so used to stripping away natural oils, then I'd have to say that if it were just a ritual, I'd still see it as a highly worthwhile one!

Besides, I am not going to climb into bed with all those pollutants and particulates clinging to my skin that I've been walking around in all day.

Laundry - seriously, who really washes everything (besides maybe some underwear and some socks) after only one wearing? But it isn't all as simple as just not washing so often: sunshine (and air drying) won't be much help to most of us until this country makes peace with clotheslines and balconies and has cleaner city air, and often, sweat still has has to be rinsed out of clothes (i.e. a mini-wash) before being hung up to air if stains are to be prevented.

Anyway, showering less is definitely not at the top of my environmental goals list, not while people are still pouring ridiculous amounts of water on their lawns or cars.

Gee everyone, Icemilk decided to stick his or her nose into your life. If Icemilk smells like hell, so should you. If Icemilk can't get a date or significant other because he/she stinks, too bad. If Icemilk can't get a job because employers find him/her personally offensive, Mom's basement is always there.

YOU LEFTY WACK JOBS NEED TO GET A LIFE!!!

If I don't shower & shave in the morning, I just feel greasy, dirty, and itchy.

When I was in the military, the longest I ever went was about 6 weeks without showering (while deployed), but we'd regularly go several weeks at a time without showering when we were in the field. I really didn't enjoy it but it wasn't all that bad, since we had shaved heads and generally tried to wash our faces each day (to shave), always had ample amounts of talc, and had zero expectations in terms of cleanliness.

KB:

Yes, when deployed to a desert environment, we did not shower for weeks. Althought the BDU's were white with salt and dirty with sand and dirt, there was no odor. However, the hot and humid field conditions got pretty grungy in short order.

DvB

Of course people do not NEED to bath each and every day.  In the middle ages it was even considered unsanitary. However, we need to consider whether de-lousing is a sign of good hygene or not.  For instance, canope beds were invented to keep critters in the thatch above from inturding upon the unwashed or unlaundered environs bellow.

I am of the humble opinion the very stench of midieval towns would discourage any time travelor from investigation.  Have any of you actually experienced the presence of a chamber pot? Let alone its discharge into the street below. Again and again, house after house.

People can get used to anything.  The question here is how long it  might take for someone who was not raised on such stench.

litespeed:

Of course people do not NEED to bath each and every day. In the middle ages it was even considered unsanitary. However, we need to consider whether de-lousing is a sign of good hygene or not. For instance, canope beds were invented to keep critters in the thatch above from inturding upon the unwashed or unlaundered environs bellow.

I am of the humble opinion the very stench of midieval towns would discourage any time travelor from investigation. Have any of you actually experienced the presence of a chamber pot? Let alone its discharge into the street below. Again and again, house after house.

People can get used to anything. The question here is how long it might take for someone who was not raised on such stench.

This whole thread is just way too funny. Even removing the term dirty hippy from the conversation, I still laugh. There is not a single event in the history of mankind that has had a more pronounced effect on the human lifespan than basic sanitation and personal hygeine. The only event that even comes close is the discovery of vaccinations. Let's all stop bathing and maybe start flushing our toilets after every 4th or 5th bowel movement. All for the environment.... genius. Of course if all of mankind were dead that would be great for the environment too.... sigh.

P.S. I probably could get away without bathing every day too.... if I didn't have a job.

Canexican:

...There is not a single event in the history of mankind that has had a more pronounced effect on the human lifespan than basic sanitation and personal hygeine....

Canexican:

...P.S. I probably could get away without bathing every day too.... if I didn't have a job.

Body odor is an issue of sensitisation anyways. You don't smell your own usual BO or that of the people around you who eat a similar diet. But when you travel to a different place with a very different diet- you will notice other people's body odor (and vice versa).

The list of things we don't *need* is vast if survival of the species is your only goal. We survived just fine for hundreds of thousands of years without agriculture. Sure, life was short and nasty, but our impact on the world was oh so low!

We don't need airplanes, cars, television, bicycles, soccer balls, clothes (in many places), spices, couches, any furniture really, heck, here in sunny California, we don't even *need* a roof over our heads. Do we need paper? Books? Stickers (a HUGE source of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, BTW)? We don't need the internet, newspapers, computers, phones. There is absolutely no need for electric lighting since the sun shines for free. Shoes? Who needs shoes? Do we need children? The environmental impact of children is huge, of course. The list of things we don't need goes on and on and on.

We can't have everything. And if our planet groans under our burden we may have to make additional choices about which things we will have and which we will not. The key question is, who decides which of all of these things we don't need you will get to have? Suppose the planet can afford for everyone to have two of these things we don't need? Who gets to decide which two? God, I hope it's me and not the city council.

Kolmogorov

kolmogorov:

...We can't have everything. And if our planet groans under our burden we may have to make additional choices about which things we will have and which we will not. The key question is, who decides which of all of these things we don't need you will get to have? Suppose the planet can afford for everyone to have two of these things we don't need? Who gets to decide which two? God, I hope it's me and not the city council. ...

Who gets to decide? Well, ideally people should just be pursuaded to do these things without anyone forcing them to do it. A lot of the things we take for granted as 'necessities' are just cultural artifacts. If enough people in the society stand up and say 'we're not doing it anyore'- then it becomes socially acceptable for everyone else to stop doing it.

Just like a few prominent movie stars started carrying around those cavas shopping bags- lo and behold- within 2 years- you see people using these shopping bas in every supermarket throughout the land. Men used to wear ties to work. The west coast corporations started to dress down, and nowadays- except for a few 'uptight' industries- most people go to work in casual clothes.

icemilkcoffee:

kolmogorov:

...We can't have everything. And if our planet groans under our burden we may have to make additional choices about which things we will have and which we will not. The key question is, who decides which of all of these things we don't need you will get to have? Suppose the planet can afford for everyone to have two of these things we don't need? Who gets to decide which two? God, I hope it's me and not the city council. ...

Who gets to decide? Well, ideally people should just be pursuaded to do these things without anyone forcing them to do it. A lot of the things we take for granted as 'necessities' are just cultural artifacts. If enough people in the society stand up and say 'we're not doing it anyore'- then it becomes socially acceptable for everyone else to stop doing it.

Just like a few prominent movie stars started carrying around those cavas shopping bags- lo and behold- within 2 years- you see people using these shopping bas in every supermarket throughout the land. Men used to wear ties to work. The west coast corporations started to dress down, and nowadays- except for a few 'uptight' industries- most people go to work in casual clothes.

Sure, society could decide that it's better to wipe your hands on your pants instead of using napkins, and decided that urinating in the alleys instead of looking for a restroom is the cat's meow (saves water), and decide that not showering at all is top notch. -- But I'd rather have that be the society you live in than the one I live in.