Get on ‘tinternet
Making sensible “green” choices often present something of a dilemma. Take drying your hands after a comfort break, What is better for the environment, using an electric hand dryer or paper towels? The answer appears to depend on what your vested interests are!
The reality is that generally it takes several paper towels to dry your hands properly, or longer than you are prepared to stand in front of a hot air hand dryer. As Ben Elton commented back in the 80s, “they should just hang up a pair of jeans on a nail” whilst wiping his hands on his bum.
When Karen rang up over the weekend, she told me about these remarkable hand dryers she had seen in the toilets at Toddington Motorway Services. “Get on ‘tinternet and look them up” she said, so I did. Made by James Dyson of Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaner fame, the Dyson Airblade is a three year engineering rethink of a proper solution to the problem. A 400 MPH narrow jet of cold air totally dries your hands in ten seconds. They also look very futuristic as well! (Wikipedia suggests there may be some controversy though).
The Press section of the Dyson site has very restrictive use of their images, fortunately there is a public domain one at Wikipedia, often a great source for useful legitimate images.
(They don’t have them at Toddington North, she checked on the way back!)
October 29th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Well the site looks great. I am not sure it is worth worrying about the carbon footprint of hand driers personally. I know I have not and shall not be doing so in the future…
October 29th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Funny carbon footprint for a hand dryer.
October 29th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
I don’t think the new digital motors use carbon in the brushes so that helps (slightly). Mutley: I thought you just licked your genitals clean?
October 30th, 2007 at 2:44 am
If I have my choice I go for paper because usually the driers are too slow for us type A personalities. Sounds like a great machine there.
October 30th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I’m with jmb. Paper towels for speedy thoroughness. That dryer does look very impressive though.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I look forward to trying it out in a few weeks.