Using fresh water to dispose of excrement, is this a wise use of this valuable resource?
A fresh water supply is essential for the continuation of life on Earth.
All the water that we can ever expect to have on earth, is here we have it already, it has continually been recycled since its inception,
through the dinosaurs age, Egyptian royalty and Crusaders alike supplying life on Earth for many centuries, and then we get to the
20th and 21st century, where pollution has increased on a grander scale.
It is shocking that we do not take more care of it with so much of it intentionally contaminated, many countries in the world rely on
annual rainfall for their fresh water supply, with many lands turning to desert, little or no rivers for irrigation, unable to grow crops
resulting in starvation.
2 to 4 gallons of water contaminated per gallon of oil
Industrial activity has resulted in much water becoming polluted from China to India and Turkey, but perhaps the most shocking
and detrimental is the oil Sands project in Alberta Canada, it uses roughly 175m L of water a day, then the contaminated water
leftover fills the many toxic waste ponds that absolutely denying life.
Is this a good way to use up our fresh water supply? It is not possible to buy more fresh water once it’s gone that it, considering the
environmental destruction, high carbon emissions can agree for oil wealth be justified? There are many alternatives being discovered,
water has even been used as an alternative fuel then there is ethanol made from corn that is not such a good alternative considering the amount of land, water and machinery needed to produce it. Solar power has been used in the propulsion of vehicles and a personal favorite it seems to make the most sense algae grown in the vertical bags at Vertigro that can be processed to produce special types of fuel that can power airplanes and large trucks.

the sustainability of Alberta’s water is in question with a growing social infrastructure increasing agricultural demands and the industrial impact are a concern on Alberta’s water sustainability.

According to a report done in 1991 on Alberta’s water sustainability it stated that industrial uses of fresh water out run in demand by 50% of the supply.

The quality of fresh water has been affected by industry many miles from point of source. Coal burning industry has contributed significantly to the concentrations of PAH in lake sediment. Due to to high heat mercury can become airborne carried on the wind it dissolves in water’s all over the world these and other substances are lodged in the sediment, which get carried in to the plants that grow there and in turn to the larger fish.

China’s two major rivers the yellow and Yantze, are the fresh water supply (fed by shrinking glaciers in the Tibetan mountains) for China, China faces irrigation problems in its flatlands as well’s are running dry. India is also facing fresh water supply shortages, wells are being drilled deeper as precipitation cannot keep up with the surface water demand. As demand for fresh water increases for domestic use so does the amount left for irrigation of crops decrease.
Canada is putting and increase on demand for fresh water supply only 7% of the worlds renewable water is available for Canada, 84% of the population lives in the southern belt, whilst 60% of the available water is in the North.

The Athabasca River starts in the Colombian ice fields fed by melting glaciers and snow, it cuts diagonally across Alberta and then runs parallel on the East side of the Rockies on its way through the province it it is used by several industries pulp mills coal and limestone quarries oil and gas developments also assisting hard and soft lumber removal, it ends its journey of over 1200 km in the lake Athabasca.

The oil Sands Project it uses around 175,000,000 L of water a day this water is contaminated with many chemicals and is not reusable it is then stored in huge toxic waste ponds, the bitumen that is being extracted lies under the boreal forest in the eyes of the industrialist this ecosystem is viewed as something in the way and many kilometers have already been destroyed.

When building a new home, adding on an extension or even just a simple remodel within your home, you should always consider your local environment to maximize the efficiency of every aspect of your project.

There are four main areas that need to be focused on when planning your building project. They include:

-  Water

- Energy

- Building materials

Each of these areas contain specific products and methods that can really benefit your home lifestyle and increase the capital on your house to.

The first area to cover is water, which may or may not be relevant to your project. However, where ever there is plumbing or an outside wall where gutters can be fixed the optimal water conservation methods should be utilized where possible. There are many interior products that can really help to reduce water wastage and improve efficiency which include:

- water saving taps

- water efficient shower heads

-  composting toilets

- water diverters (diverters which hold the water while the hot water reaches your tap to save wasting all that water whilst waiting for the hot water to arrive)

Furthermore, by installing a Greywater system you can use all the water that usually runs down your drain, on your garden or lawn.

For the exterior, high quality gutters and water storage devices such as water tanks are ideal for harvesting hundreds of litres of water that can be used for a variety of applications.

A strong water budget mixed with an overall highly efficient water system can save you heaps of money on water bills and reduce the impact on your local catchment system.

The second part of this article focuses on energy. Most people immediately think solar and then think ‘I can’t afford it!’ but there is much more that can be done to improve the efficiency of the energy usage in your home.

If you are doing large scale renovations, the position of your home / room in regards to sun direction is vitally important. A north-south facing house is much more energy efficient in terms of temperature control as the sun has less direct focus on the rooms.

Many different products exist to generate energy or improve the energy usage and overall efficiency of your home. Some of these include:

- a solar panel system, either stand alone, grid connect or hybrid with wind turbines to generate electricity

- high quality insulation, including batts and foil boards

- solar hot water systems

- ventilation and extraction fans

- energy efficient appliances and white goods

- lighting, including CFL’s (compact fluorescent lamp)

- hydronic heating

- air conditioners with inverter technology

All of these products will either generate free electricity, use much less energy than other products on the market, or control the temperature of your home to save on running costs to maintain comfort.

Building materials is another important consideration when starting your project. Many materials have good qualities, while others can contain harmful chemicals which can be dangerous for your health. Knowing all these risks is almost impossible, but there are certain things to look for when making these decisions.

- Use as much untreated materials as possible. Most treated materials use very harsh chemicals which contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and formaldehyde. Over time, these compounds break down and become part of your indoor breathing space.

- These VOC’s can also be found in conventional paints and finishes. Always ask your supplier for brands which use little or no VOC’s in their products.

- Concrete that contains high levels of flyash are much better for the environment and lower the use of the toxic concrete powder in construction

- Conventional termite control utilizes the harshest of all chemicals and can be extremely carcinogenic. However, there are many new products that can remove termite problems without the use of harmful chemicals. Always ask your provider about their environmental policy and research the chemical they use

- Many insulation companies still use the resin based fiberglass insulation which contains high levels of formaldehyde and are damaging to your health. Look for insulation that is glass wool or made from cellulose fibre is your best bet for your families health and the environments.

- Double glazed windows and the utilization of roller shutters and blinds is the best way to reduce heat build up within your home.

- Strawbale and compressed earth homes are becoming more and more popular due to their constant interior comfort levels, and no they don’t look like ‘mud huts’, in fact, they are fast becoming a distinguished and stylish home design

- Finally, cabinets and draws often use the cheap particle board over the solid wood varieties to save money. However, the particle board contains formaldehyde to bind the particles together.

Building and home improvement can be very satisfying when the job is complete. However, it becomes even better if taking into consideration these factors mentioned above to make your home comfortable all year round for you and your family.

The Art of Compost Toilets + Green Roofs « Another World

For his show this month at Carnegie Mellon, he’s building a massive compost toilet in the university art gallery. It’s his masters thesis project – tying together Pittsburgh’s massive sewage problem, artistic design, innovations

Green House Ideas: Composting Toilets

Without getting too graphic, there is a wonderful company located in Massachusetts that installs and maintains composting toilets - and apparently, it’sa breeze. They look ‘almost’ like regular toilets and can be found in multi-million

Composting Toilets: All You Ever Wanted To Know | The Greenest Dollar

9 Responses to “Composting Toilets: All You Ever Wanted To Know”. Aya @ Thrive February 18th, 2009 at 2:34 pm. That’s pretty cool, but I’m assuming this only works if you live in a house and not an apartment?  It’s so hard to go green

COMPOSTING TOILET | Building Green TV

On September 8th, 2008 Green Modern K… says: I actually gave my husband the Envirolet composting toilet for Christmas last year (to go in our zero energy house we’re building)… and ironically was just measuring it this weekend

Earning a degree in green | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Contractors have already broken ground on a $4.6 million dorm that will have composting toilets, solar panels, state-of-the-art insulation, and wood-pellet heating. When completed in fall of 2008, it will be one of the most sustainable dorms in the … Harvard’s Green Campus Initiative office employs 14 staff members who ensure that the university uses state-of-the-art green building practices. Yale’s new engineering research building was awarded LEED Gold

Green Building and Home Improvement

composting toilets. - water diverters (diverters which hold the water while the hot water reaches your tap to save wasting all that water whilst waiting for the hot water to arrive). Furthermore, by installing a Greywater system you can …

Green Cleaning Alternatives

We have a septic tank on the property, but the nearby neighbors just completed building their home and they have composting toilets. When they first told us about them, I thought the process was going to be really yucky, but

Plumbing the Earthship - the Toilets

Sandra surprised me by telling me that she was considering a composting toilet. Not willing to be left off of the green bandwagon (I am the family composter after all … and the kids know what sheep manure means to me)

Yellow is the New Green : TreeHugger

We still don’t get it right, building huge networks of pipes that dump everthing together into one pipe, when both bodily waste products are considerably more useful if kept separate. Rose George does an op-ed in the New York …. Alternatives like stand alone compost or these separation toilets would be denied on legal grounds. Then you need to convince people collecting and emptying a storage tank of their own pee is better than just flushing and not worrying.

Author: J Barton

Environmental Scientist, Rob Barton author of “The Sustainable Path” showcases sustainable products and services at http://www.onlife.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Barton

Technorati Tags: building a green home, environmentally friendly green building, green building technology, solar composting toilets

If you have been searching for a way to exercise your ‘green’ thumb jump into this fun and unique world of ‘vermiculture.’ or ‘vermicompost’ is an organic gardening process of natural composting using earthworms, known as the Red Wriggler (Eisenia fetida). The Wrigglers transform food scraps into rich compost and liquid fertilizer. It is the perfect hobby to support the ‘cradle-to-cradle’ return of organic matter to its origin, mother earth.

It is also perfect for small spaces. The worms only need about 1 square foot of surface area to digest each pound of waste material generated per week. Supply your worms with a container, some bedding material, food scraps, and the worms do the rest.

They consume food scraps, hair, and dust reducing organic waste by 25% in about 60 days; and produce worm castings, which contain the richest form of fertilizer known to man. Concentrated worm castings are very potent fertilizers and must be mixed with potting soil or water to dilute the concentration. Worm castings promote higher than average growth in plants and are rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, and trace minerals.

To start your new worm venture you will need the following supplies:
Compost Bin (DIY or commercially available)
Compost Scrap Keeper (Holds food scraps, ceramic or stainless steel)
Bedding Materials
Food Scraps
Worms (Red Wrigglers or Nigh Crawlers)
Compost Bins

You could make your own DIY worm compost bins but to keep things, clean, easy and well-organized, I would suggest investing in a commercially produced vermin-culture compost bin. They are well worth the money spent.

Vermiculture Compost Bins automatically separate food scraps from finished compost, and most-importantly, does not need to be emptied or restarted like some DIY bins. Some recommended vermin-culture compost bins include:

The Expandable Worm Tower
Worm Condo
Worm Bungalow
Down Under Farm Worm Compost Bin
Pet Poo Converter and Worm Compost Bin
Friendly Habitat Worm Compost Bin
Advanced Biosafe BioSystem

Other helpful accessories to look for are worm bedding (good if you are new vermiculture), a compost scrap keeper (ceramic or stainless steel), soil moisture & pH meter, compressed coir fiber bricks (bedding) and the ‘Compost and Worm Reference Wheel’

Worms

Oh and of course, don’t forget the worms, Red Wrigglers or Red Worms (tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions) and/or Night Crawlers (feed on deeper parts of the bin) will do the job. A mixture of the two will create rich and abundant worm castings.

Bedding

After you have made or purchased a compost bin, you can fill it with bedding. The worms prefer a cool, moist, but well-ventilated, dark environment between 50 and 80 degrees. Worms shun light and are photophobicthey shun both sun and artificial light, burrowing as deep as they can to flee the light. Heat and sunlight will dehydrate the little Wrigglers and all you’ll end up are ‘fried’ worms.

The bedding material can be peat moss, aged manure, sawdust, dried grass clippings, hay, garden loam, coir (coconut fiber), straw, damp newspaper, Hessian, cotton rags, aged horse/cow manure (fresh manure heats up) shredded cardboard, newspaper, grocery bags, and most types of shredded leaves. Oak and other highly acidic leaves are not recommended since these worms don’t like an acidic environment. Stay clear of inked and glossy papers, since they contain toxic substances which can exterminate your Wrigglers.

Keep in mind the worms have a hearty appetite and will eat whatever is put in front of them, including the bedding.

Feeding

Worms will eat their weight of food each day. Be careful to not overfeed your worms. Like you feed your family, only feed them once they have partly eaten their previous food. This means no desert before dinner. Worms lack teeth and prefer their food mashed, chopped or pureed.

Worms need a variety of foods, and greatly appreciate a well-rounded diet. Worms will happily consume fruit and vegetable scraps/peels (except citrus fruit, onion, garlic and chilies), tea bags/tea leaves, coffee grounds and filters, crushed eggshells, newspaper, cardboard, egg cartons and shredded/soaked pizza boxes, old flowers and small amounts of garden waste, pasta, rice, wet bread & cereal, hair and small amounts of dust from vacuum cleaner. Avoid onions, garlic, citrus, dairy products, seafood, meat, oil, and pet droppings, or the wrigglers will run for the hills.

Worms

The Red Wrigglers are the hardiest, fastest reproducers of the vermin culture world they efficiently gobble up waste and create worm castings. Well-fed worms reproduce even faster, at an alarming rate. They double there population in 3-4 months. Young red worms are a shade of white but turn red at maturity.

Harvesting Worm Castings

Harvesting the compost is easy, just push the bedding and worms to one end of the box and fill the other end with fresh bedding and table scraps. Within a few weeks, the worms will munch their way over to the fresh food and you can scoop out the compost from the deserted side of the bin.

With commercial vermi culture compost bins, the work is done for you; just collect worm casts from the bottom trays, and fill the top trays with food.

If you find that cultivating worms and worm castings are not your thing, you could always take the day off and hang a sign on the worm bin that says ‘Gone Fishin!’

Garden Rant: Worm composting in New York City: 

In today’s New York Times you’ll find the most unlikely of articles - about worm composting right there in the Big Apple - and that quote refers to the practice of keeping a vermicomposting bin under one’s bed. 

GardenDesk: I’m ready for the worms!

12 years ago I wrote a newspaper article about raising worms as part of my Master Gardener certification. I had the privilege of interviewing a local expert on worm composting who taught me that the proper term is vermicomposting.  

What Is Worm Composting?

A solution has been found to a serious problem, and the lack of nutrition in soil. This technique has undergone exhaustive testing in science labs and has been shown to be extremely useful.   

Does Vermicompost Go Bad?

Quick question about the use of vermicompost - does it go bad, and if so, how do I know not to use it? I harvested my worm bin for the first time back in October, which was just before the rain started here. The compost was pretty wet.

The Facts About Worm Composting 

Finally, a solution has been uncovered to one of the environmental problems and the lack of nutrition in soil. The technique has been thoroughly tested in laboratories and has been demonstrated to be very useful.   

Keeping Red Worms Outside

Be sure to check out my winter worm composting series to learn more about my outdoor (cold weather) system. Red Worms (Eisenia fetida) are a very cold-hardy worm. When I was transferring material (and worms) from my previous winter .

Worm Feeding Schedule

1) I always recommend “letting the worms be your guide” when it comes to feeding. You definitely don’ fef t need to wait until all the food is gone (better if you DON’T do this in fact), but you also don’t want it to start piling up.

Worm composting: apparently idiotproof.

My first step in this zero waste thing was (finally) to start worm composting, something I had contemplated numerous times in the past. Erika generously offered to send me some of her worms, and after having accepted her offer.

Really Happy Worms! My Easy Winter Worm-Composting 

I started my worm composter last summer with 2ooo worms and you can see from below they got “really busy”! I must have tens of thousands now….maybe more. I have a Can-O-Worms and you can see I am up to my 3rd .

Worm Composting

In honor of the full Worm Moon today, check out this video on vermicomposting. My thanks to Jason for sharing this video.   

BakerHillFarm.com: Worm Composting With Improvements

The "Circle of Life" is truly represented in this remarkable composting system that can be done in any apartment. Using red worms to digest household organic waste is not a new concept. Worms silently and voraciously devour kitchen waste

Worm Farming History

Worm farming or the worm composting went back to its track. This process became a commercial one in 1975. Currently, there are worm farmers who sell worms and organic wastes to organic farmers and gardeners. 

How Many Worms Do I Need?

new way of composting our kitchen leftovers. We easily have 1+ pounds of scraps a day……what size rubbermaid bins would be good to start with and how many pounds of worms……will the colony of worms grow fast….and need to be moved.

By: Tiffany Rose Composers.com for information regarding compost bin, rain barrel, vermiculture, worm bin, red worms, raised garden beds, reel and electric lawn mowers, etc.

Technorati Tags: vermicomposting, Vermiculture, worm composting, worm composting kits

Most people in Western Society would be surprised to find out that there are a variety of composting toilets on the mainstream market. I am pretty sure most people have never even heard of composting toilets however that may soon change. Composting toilets have the potential to save North Americans up to 100,000 gallons of toilet flush water per year and if you live in an area where you have to pay for your water by the gallon or cubic foot, you’ll be saving a lot of money by using composting toilets.

You may have guessed it already, composting toilets compost human waste. You may be a little disgusted by that, but keep in mind that before the very recent invention of sewer treatment plants every human on earth composted their waste one way or another; either by leaving it in the woods so that nature could compost it or by composting it on their property so that their gardens could benefit. A properly functioning composting toilet is very hygienic and it will destroy all pathogenic microbes in the human waste during the composting process.

Composting toilets have four main components:

1. To minimize the release of water vapour, odor and carbon dioxide there is a screened exhaust system
2. To let the excess liquid (leachate) drain out of the compost there is a drainage system
3. A composting reactor is where the composting takes place
4. To remove the finished product (or humus) there is an access door

There are usually two composting reactors. One is used until it is full and then the second is used while the first one is allowed to compost. After the first one is emptied it can be used again while the second one composts.

If there are regulations in your area which do not allow you to use the humus from composting toilets in your garden then you will have to call a licensed seepage hauler to empty your composting toilet. It is a small price to pay for enormous water savings. We all have to do our part.

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How To Use Composting Toilets 

Composting toilets are becoming more popular and easier to use. They’re commonplace in cabins, outlying areas away from running water, and even as an extra toilet in the basement.  

What’s new in composting toilets?

Molded in toilet seat for safety and ease of cleaning. Completely self contained and portable. Fully supported liquid tank for applications where it extends beyond mounting pedestal.

Composting toilet outhouse | Tiny Farm Blog

Organic gardening: vegetable gardening with two acres and some tools. A photo blog about growing organic food.

A Word On Composting Toilets

One of the things that we did with our new home that many people thought we were crazy, is a composting toilet. I can’t even remember where we bought it from, but it was a total unit.

Author: Henry Allpas If you want to learn more about composting toilets or just composting general visit my website and join the movement to reduce, reuse and compost! http://www.bigsteamypile.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Allpas

Technorati Tags: best composting toilets, cost for composting toilets, self composting toilets

Septic Tank and Septic System Problems

Septic tank, also known as septic systems is form of sewage system which acts on the principle of anaerobic decomposition. If not maintained properly, it can pose various serious problems like overflowing, chocking, clogging, emitting toxic gases and causing odor problem…

Since ancient times, Anaerobic Bacteria are used for sewage treatment and managing cattle waste.  Anaerobic bacteria work on any kind of organic material to decompose it. It is a simple mechanism which reduces the quantity of organic debris by processing it. Organic substances include any biological waste, leftover food, sewage and animal waste etc. The septic tanks do perform on the very same function of these microbes.  However with a composting  toilet these principals of anaerobic breakdown of organic waste do apply, but the final result is usable and does not require a septic tank maintance truck to empty it.

The term septic denotes the environment of anaerobic bacteria. Septic Tank is a form of sewage system which is based on the activities of anaerobic bacteria. This sewage system is actually a very small module of sewage system which usually operates at the individual houses, very small units. It is also known as Septic System. This comes under on site sewage facility systems. The anaerobic bacteria, present in the closed tank decomposes the waste discharged in the tank.

Septic Tank
Septic Tank is a rectangular or circular tank made up of concrete, fiber or plastic having varying capacity ranging from 1000 to 2000 gallons. Generally, it is inserted or buried in the ground with its top surface in level of ground.

It has two openings, one each at either end. While one end is attached to inlet pipe carrying wastewater, other end is secured to outlet pipe also known as drainage pipe, carrying the water towards drain field. T connector is used to connect with its outlets.
It incorporates two or three vertical chambers, separated by walls which have an opening at its middle.

Mechanism of Septic Tank
Once the wastewater enters the first chamber, solid waste gets settled in it allowing the scum to flow. The fluid part flows through opening to enter the next chamber and if solid waste is still present then it gets settled there. The settled organic waste is then decomposed by the micro-organisms present through anaerobic process.

Decomposition reduces volume of solid waste, while excess water which is relatively clear in appearance is carried out to drain field or seepage field via outlet. With percolation process, this excess water travels downward with its remaining impurities getting decomposed in the soil and water is either added to ground water or absorbed by roots of trees.

There is a piping network present in the drain field meant for distribution of excess of excretory water. This stone field trench construction scatters this water through out the seepage field with help of their perforation. The size of drain field depends upon the average amount of water to be drained every day.

There are some two stage septic sewage systems available like Imhoff system. The basic difference between normal standard septic tank and such system is sewage is carried out in different, isolated chamber which does not allow the settled solid waste with liquid part.

The solid waste which remains undecomposed gets accumulated and eventually results in filling of septic Tank. If the septic tank gets filled then naturally all the waste including water will flow over and reach to drain field. This will create real menace. Thus, it is important to empty the tank over the certain period. The frequency of emptying the tank depends upon the comparative ratio of capacity of septic tank to the intake amount of waste.

The septic tank needs periodic inspection, regular maintenance, and requirement to follow certain norms. Otherwise, problems will soon start arise and it will be great headache.
                  
Problems
1. As cooking oil and grease floats on water, dumping of such substances can fill up the upper part of the septic tank which can cause the inlet pipes to chock. Moreover, these substances are very difficult to decompose and can pose odor problems.
2. Induction of non-biodegradable products like cotton buds, sanitary towels etc. will clog and rapidly fill a septic tank. Hence, these materials should not be flushed in this manner.
3. Certain chemicals may hamper the working of a septic tank due to their chemical reactions with septic tank itself, especially pesticides, herbicides, highly concentrated materials with bleach or caustic soda (lye) or any other inorganic materials such as paints, solvents etc.
4. The waste macerators or grinders for disposal of waste food should be avoided as these materials will cause a speedy overload of the system which can result in early failure.
5. Roots from trees and shrubbery growing above the tank or the drain field may clog and or rupture them.
6. Pouring excessive water in the system through inlet pipe can overload it and may become the reason for its failure. Periodic checking for plumbing leaks and practicing water conservation will help the system’s operation.
7. Playgrounds and storage buildings may cause damage to a tank because of its ongoing impacts. In addition, covering the drainage field or the seepage field with an impervious surface, such as a driveway or parking area will seriously hamper its efficiency and may prove fatal to the septic tank and its absorption system.

If the system is damaged or started malfunctioning, it is your duty to contact your local health or environmental authority before attempting any repairs, as improper repairs can lead to potential health hazards.

Environmental Problems
Under the anaerobic conditions of septic tanks, some pollutants, in particular sulfates are transformed into hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a pungent and toxic gas. Likewise, nitrates and organic nitrogen compounds are decomposed to release ammonia (NH3). As there is an activation of fermentation process due to anaerobic conditions, carbon dioxide and methane formation takes place, both of which are known greenhouse gases.

By Jayashree Pakhare

Septic Ejector pump problems - DoItYourself.com Community Forums
Well, I found my problem. The liquid in the septic tank is frozen. The tank is a deep one - burried about 8 feet into the ground. I stuck a long piece of lumber into the tank

Technorati Tags: composting toilet, emptying, overflowing, problems, septic tank