i'm reading "the self sufficient life and how to live it: the complete back to basics guide" by John Seymour and in it he has a poem about his composting toilet which was just too hilarious. all joking aside this is a really great book!
Our Marvelous Thunderbox "Loo"
now the human being is a very strange beast with capabilities good and bad
not frightened of nature, no not in the least our follies are often quite mad
the toilet that flushes fills our souls with glee
a brainwave by Thomas Crapper
mixes shit with clean water and pours out to sea
as if the dirt did not matter
out of sight, out of mind, much shoots down the pipes
an incredible fabric of magic
squandering food for the soil as the water we spoil
it's a tale that is terribly tragic
but all is not lost for at a marginal cost
another solution comes easy
the composting loo; yes that's our riposte
and your tummy need not feel to queasy
the vent goes up high, sending gas to the skies
and the lid fits snug so no entry to flies
two years it will take, our compost to make
and our river's not sorry the flush to forsake
no water, no tricks--it's all built with bricks
the shit and the kitchen waste too
all go together making food for the soil
in our marvelous Thunderbox loo
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
this blog follows the life of one woman and her road to a self sufficient, eco-friendly life. follow her triumphs, defeats, and ramblings about how to get from the suburbs to the simple life.
Salad Days
The name of my blog, Salad Days was coined by Shakespere in the play Antony and Cleopatra. It refers to the idealism of youth. It has evolved to also mean the time in ones life when they are at the peak of their abilities. I am idealistic, passionate and at a critital time in my life where the decisions I make now will shape the rest of my life. I am truly living out my Salad Days.
C'est Moi
Quote of the Moment
"Everything in the world can be explained by science...but it can also be explained by art"-Gavin Dandy, Everdale Farm Manager
My Favourite Blogs/Sites
Blog Archive
Labels
- animal rights (1)
- blogs (1)
- bread (1)
- chickens (1)
- composing (1)
- cooking (1)
- cool folks (1)
- crafting (1)
- CSA (1)
- diy (3)
- environment (2)
- everdale (2)
- farming (5)
- food (4)
- frugal (1)
- funny (1)
- gardening (1)
- goats (1)
- grass-fed (1)
- introduction (1)
- knitting (1)
- links (1)
- local (1)
- meat (3)
- planning (1)
- produce (1)
- raw milk (1)
- recipes (2)
- reflections (2)
- seeds (1)
- soup (1)
- sustainable (2)
- vegetables (1)
- vegetarianism (1)
7 comments:
I like the idea of a composting toilet, but unfortunately it would be hard to implement in most of the homes in urban environments. Except perhaps apartments and condos. I'd like to put one in if I live rural or have a cottage some day. Much better than a septic field which can contaminate your garden with improperly processed wastes!
That being said, improved sewage treatment technologies are doing much better than before to reclaim some or even most of the waste. In a manner similar to the green bin program in the GTA, better plants can be built that effectively separate solids, oils/fats, and sludge, which when allowed to anaerobically decompose can produce methane to be burned for energy to power and heat the plants. The separated oils can be processed into biodiesel and used for fuel as well. The remaining solid waste can then be processed aerobically to make a safe compost for use, or again be burnt as biomass fuel, while the waste water is passed through constructed wetlands and becomes safe for use again.
However the main problem of high water consumption remains an issue. If the properly processed wastewater is returned to its source (e.g. lake Ontario), this ameliorates a lot of wasted water. Proper plant treatment and contructed wetlands can definitely take care of this. This is not always the case. But much of this water can be reused as grey-water for industry etc (although it can probably even be used for drinking water, people just don't like the idea).
Another problem that remains is elevated levels of heavy metals in the solid waste. This is more difficult to deal with, although when burnt for energy they can be reclaimed and properly disposed of.
Living in Toronto again, it's great to be using the greenbin program. I was home-composting in PEterborough during the summer, which cut down on the garbage volume immensely, along with washing out take-out trays etc and recycling everything possible. Plus it keeps the stink in the house down during those hot summer months!
you can buy indoor urban composting toilets (it goes into a holding tank underneath with a tray that only needs to be emptied a few times a year and its sufficiently composted by then) but they are rediculously expenisve.
also, i'm kindof obsessed with methane digesters latley...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digester
Here is a suprisingly good wiki article on the matter. I've been trying to make some headway on the biodiesel article, but it is dominated by people who seem to have little expertise and lots of opinion on the matter. I want proper citations dammit! ;)
Love that poem.
Composting toilets are a real possibility. My dad is a sanitation expert in the third world and says this is the future!
by the way, I will try to keep posting on my blog... been kinda lazy what with school and shit
viagra facts buy generic viagra suppliers of viagra viagra canada viagra and cannabis buy viagra soft online how does viagra work super viagra pro viagra blood pressure cheap viagra walmart cheap viagra nz generic viagra india india viagra cialis vicodin viagra benefits
sites hynb
[url=http://audcoinformati.blogspot.com]audio coat information[/url]
[url=http://fleecfinformatio.blogspot.com]fleece for information[/url]
[url=http://tripod-head.blogspot.com/2009/10/bogen-manfrotto-tripod-heads-234rc-in.html]bogen manfrotto tripod heads[/url]
[url=http://tothosadida.blogspot.com]tote hose adidas[/url]
[url=http://cordle-shak-organ.blogspot.com]cordless shaker organic[/url]
sites ywwzv
very well information you write it very
clean. I'm very lucky to get this information from you.
Post a Comment