Joel's plan takes care of that part of the community hooked to a central
sewage system. I would add a pilot program for rural residents in the
same county or township.
1. Citizen action groups will work to change laws so as to encourage
composting toilets, rather than discourage them as is now usually the
case.
2. Township or county will provide incentives for the construction of
same, either commercially available interior ones, or extremely
inexpensive but comfortable exterior ones using 55 gal. cap-able drums
(in my experience a family of four uses only two drums per year, which
they can replace themselves. Full drums left in the sun have no odor and
will finish composting, with occasional turning/rolling in 6-12 months).
3. County will collect composted biosolids not used on residential
lanscapes and gardens and distribute to farmers. County will recycle used
drums from local industry and distribute to proud home biosolids
composters.
4. A community-wide promotional/educational program will make composting
outhouses (or in-houses) a source of pride, not stigma, as is now the
case. The relatively low cost of these systems compared to many septic
systems will be widely publicized to new rural home builders and buyers.
Leaflets will instruct in composting toilet design and use, including C/N
balancing procedures and sanitary seals and precautions.
Any comments, ideas, takers?
Karl North
Northland Sheep Dairy
"Mother Nature never tries to farm without livestock" --Albert Howard
"Pueblo que canta no morira" --Cuban saying
On Thu, 12 Nov 1998 21:35:52 -0500 (EST) joel b gruver
<jgruv@wam.umd.edu> writes:
>Hello to all...
>I think what we need is a few pilot community/farm linkages to start
>solving this biosolids connundrum...
>An entire community would make a public commitment to supplying a
>specific local group of farms with clean biosolids. All the children
>in
>the community would discuss the partnership in their school biology
>classes... and return home
>proudly with bright colored stickers to adorn each toilet and sink in
>their homes ... "farm friendly nutrients only"...
>The partnership would be championed by the town mayor or some other
>charismatic bigshot and the citizens would approve it with a
>referendum...
>There would be public tours of the farms that
>received the biosolids... large visible signs would be installed
>so that passers by could read "Conservation farm - public partnership
>to
>improve nutrient cycling"...
>Ofcourse there would also be hefty penalties for any one found
>guilty of polluting the community nutrient cycling system...
>
>Any takers ?
>
>JoelGruver
>Soil Quality Research
>U of MD
>
>
>
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