I figured I'd start this blog out with a bang and talk about why have have chosen to move to a place where we would have to "poop in a bucket". The whole no-indoor-plumbing thing was not what initially attracted me to living in an ecovillage (surprised?). As I started to learn more about Earthaven and permaculture design (the practice of designing sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns is one definition) I came across the notion of "humanure". Human manure that is.
(the picture on the right is Liefke running toward "our" outhouse)
This is how people take responsibility for the wastes here at Earthaven. By far most toilets here are of the composting or mouldering type. Some of these are located indoors and typically consist of two buckets with lids and seats. Two buckets because we separate urine and feces. Urine, as it turns out it a very rich source of minerals and other nutrients that garden plants really love. Urine is used directly (after diluting)as a fertilizer. Apparently the urine one person puts out in a year is enough to fertilize the amount of vegetables that person would eat in that time. One of the neighborhoods has an ingenious pressurized system that dilutes and distributes the collected urine from its members to its vegetable gardens.
(Pic on the left is another view of our neighborhood's "pooper")
Members and visitors of Earthaven are encouraged to "pee here now" and to "not be modest", and many of the members (especially the children and the men, but it is not terribly unusual to see a woman squatting in the bushes somewhere either) happily pee in the woods. Outhouses and composting toilets are only used for number 2.
Speaking of which, the number two's here at Earthaven are captured in buckets or barrels or other storage places. Its actually a bit of an precious commodity. One person built a human waste methane producing thingy but the biggest issue was to get enough poop! Indoors people usually use a bucket, right next to the pee bucket (covered with a lid when not in use and fitted with a regular toilet seat). After using the facilities one would drop a cupful or so of sawdust over the evidence and that's that. When the bucket is full it is taken to a special compost heap or dumped into a large, covered container teaming with earthworms. One way or the other, over time and with the help of microbes and animals this human waste is turned into rich dark soil. Several of the outhouses are situated over large dug out holes and meant to be used until the hole is full and then relocated.
(On the right is the entrace to the Benchmark neighborhood's out house. This one even has a name: The Eye of the Rabbit Lounge)
Some toilets in the village use a great design feature eliminating the need for two "toilets" and the accompanying need to choose between number 1 and number 2 at any given moment. Built into the seat is a funnel of sorts, situated in the front part of the opening of the toilet. When a woman sits on the toilet, her pee will effortlessly land in this area and get carried away so as not to mess with the mouldering poop below. Men have to aim their pee toward this area, but I think most men welcome a peeing challenge once in a while and most of them pee outside anyway.
(here is one of the simpler structures; a little wooden shelter with fabric hung for privacy)
Okay, so frequently asked questions:
Eeeeew, gross!(people, that's not really a question...)
Not really. Unlike an outhouse that you may have experienced at a campsite, in a mouldering toilet the poop is completely covered with sawdust and that pretty much eliminates the odor. The mouldering toilet our family uses is the Hut Hamlet's toilet. It is used by something like 12-20 people or so and it smells like saw dust. No flies either, but I hear the occasional mouse likes to set up shop in one of the toilets. Our neighborhood has Midnight, who is a fantastic mouser nad who has his own door to get into the outhouse.
What do you do at night?
Well, many composting toilets are located within homes. Our house does not have one so at night our children use a chamber pot. I, personally, have actually really started enjoying my early morning trip to the outhouse. The dew still fresh on the plants, the rooster crowing in the distance, I get to have a small early morning forest walk I would not otherwise take.
Is it safe to use humanure on food crops?
Theoretically, yes. The poop goes through a composting process using thermophilic bacteria and high temperatures. These temperatures should be high enough to kill any pathogens. As far I know however, most people use humanure to fertilize orchards and other plants that are higher off the ground.
Now let stalk about the benefits.
It does not use any water
It does not require plumbing
It produces a useful material out of our wastes
Most of the outhouses have a lovely view
It is simple and completely ecologically sustainable
It inspires creativity; many people make a work of art from their outhouse and one business in the village ( Three Women and a Toolbox) started out building toilets. (see the pictures)
I am thoroughly committed to composting toilets. They are the perfect solution to the human waste problem and I look forward to one of these days building the coolest outhouse around...
love from the boonies
Tanya
Remember: Close The Lid
Posts
