The Ego Vs The Eco
There are numerous theoretical reasons why we humans have strayed so far from a benign symbiotic relationship with the planet, and have instead taken on the visage, if not the behavior, of planetary pathogens. Human beings, like all living things on this planet, are inextricably intertwined with the elements of nature. We are threads in the tapestry of life. We constantly breathe the atmosphere that envelopes the planet we drink the fluids that flow over the planet's surface we eat the...
The End Is Near 1
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to a new and revolutionary literary device known as the self-interview Applause heard in background. Someone whoops. Today I'll be interviewing myself. In fact, here I am now. Myself walks in. Me Good morning, sir. Haven't I seen you somewhere before Myself Cut the crap. It's too early in the morning for this. You see me every time you look in the mirror, which isn't very often, thank God. What, for crying out loud, would possess you to interview...
Commercial Composting Toilets
Commercial composting toilets have been popular in Scandinavia for some time at least twenty-one different composting toilets were on the market in Norway alone in 1975.9 One of the most popular types of commercially available composting toilets in the United States today is the multrum toilet, invented by a Swedish engineer and first put into production in 1964. Fecal material and urine are deposited together into a single chamber with a double bottom. The decomposition takes place over a...
Thermal Death Points For Common Parasites And Pathogens
Ascaris lumbricoides eggs Within 1 hour at temps over 500C Brucella abortus or B. suis Within 1 hour at 550C Corynebacterium diptheriae Within 45 minutes at 550C Entamoeba histolytica cysts Within a few minutes at 450C Escherichia coli One hr at 550C or 15-20 min. at 600C Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus Within 10 minutes at 500C Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. hominis . Within 15 to 20 minutes at 660C Necator americanus Within 50 minutes at 450C Salmonella spp Within 1 hr at 55C 15-20 min. at...
Compost Biodiversity
Compost is normally populated by three general categories of microorganisms bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi see Figure 3.3 and Table 3.6 . It is primarily the bacteria, and specifically the ther-mophilic bacteria, that create the heat of the compost pile. Although considered bacteria, actinomycetes are effectively intermediates between bacteria and fungi because they look similar to fungi and have similar nutritional preferences and growth habits. They tend to be more commonly found in the...
Fertilizers Once Marketed
Sources Rodale, J. I. et al. Eds. . 1960 . The Complete Book of Composting. Rodale Books Inc. Emmaus, PA. pp. 789, 790. 1955 . Commercial Fertilizers - Their Sources and Use, Fifth Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York into and concentrate in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment facilities. One study indicated that roundworm eggs could be recovered from sludge at all stages of the wastewater treatment process, and that two-thirds of the samples examined had viable eggs.45 Agricultural use of...
Four Stages Of Compost
There is a huge difference between a backyard humanure composter and a municipal composter. Municipal composters handle large batches of organic materials all at once, while backyard com-posters continuously produce a small amount of organic material every day. Municipal composters, therefore, are batch composters, while backyard composters tend to be continuous composters. When organic material is composted in a batch, four distinct stages of the composting process are apparent. Although the...
The Ceaseless Cycle Of Compost Making
Allow to age. j Fill second side, let first Empty aged compost. Allow second side to age Start filling first side again. Let second side age and shrink. If you want your compost to age for two years instead of one, add a fourth bin to the system. Turning the compost is not necessary read Chapter 3 . A roof over the center bin will keep the cover material dry and unfrozen in the winter months in cold climates see figure 8.4 . attract flies should be dug into the top center of the pile. Keep a...
Builtin Sawdust Toilet With Hinged Seat 1
The above diagram and photos below show a simple sawdust toilet permanently built into a toilet room. The compost receptacle bucket sits directly on the floor. A standard toilet seat is attached to an 18 square piece of plywood, which lifts on hinges to allow easy access when removing the compost material. Bucket setback from the front edge of the plywood is 1 amp 1 2. Top surface of plywood is 1 2 lower than top of bucket rim allowing bucket to protrude through cabinet to contact bottom of...
Compost Miracles
Compost microorganisms not only convert organic material into humus, but they also degrade toxic chemicals into simpler, benign, organic molecules. These chemicals include gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, oil, grease, wood preservatives, PCBs, coal gasification wastes, refinery wastes, insecticides, herbicides, TNT, and other explosives.59 In one experiment in which compost piles were laced with insecticides and herbicides, the insecticide carbofuran was completely degraded, and the herbicide...
Two Cell Constructed Subsurface Flow Wetland For Graywater Or Blackwater
Adapted from Pennsylvania DEP 1998 . Working With Nature - New Wastewater Technologies for Pennsylvania - Onlot and Small Flow Systems. Most biological recycling of organic nutrients occurs in the upper layers of the soil, called the bio-active zone. Typical wastewater systems, such as septic systems and leach fields, are placed below the bio-active zone allowing little nutrient recycling to take place. A constructed wetland allows the nutrients in wastewater effluent to be beneficially used by...
Waste Stabilization Ponds
Perhaps one of the most ancient wastewater treatment methods known to humans are waste stabilization ponds, also known as oxidation ponds or lagoons. They're often found in small rural areas where land is available and cheap. Such ponds tend to be only a meter to a meter and a half deep, but vary in size and depth and can be three or more meters deep.14 They utilize natural processes to treat waste materials, relying on algae, bacteria and zooplankton to reduce the organic content of the...
A Simple Urinal
Want to collect urine only Maybe you want a urinal in a private office, bedroom or shop. Simply fill a five-gallon bucket with rotted sawdust or other suitable material, and put a tight lid on it. A bucket full of sawdust will still have enough air space in it to hold about a week's worth of urine from one adult. Urinate into the bucket, and replace the lid when not in use. For a fancy urinal, place the sawdust bucket in a toilet cabinet with a regular toilet seat. When the bucket is full,...
