Rethink Your Life! Finance, health, lifestyle, environment, philosophy |
The Work of Art and The Art of Work Kiko Denzer on Art |
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Cob: Re: Please Help, listers please read thisSojourner sojournr at missouri.orgThu Jul 1 13:52:45 CDT 1999
RE: The complaint that Trina reposted the message to the list. Well, since this list is set up to AUTOMATICALLY respond to individuals instead of to the list, it can be hard to tell when you're getting something privately that may have been intended for the list. I have this happen every single time I post - I get stuff sent privately to me that was intended for the list all the time. It can be tough to tell the difference. In any case, on to the message that WAS posted to the list: Mary Zan Warren wrote: > I do however, question your decision to not install plumbing > when you do have money in the bank to do so. Where did you come up with that idea? From the same source that tells you outhouses explode at the drop of a hat? What Trina ACTUALLY said: > it would cost a great deal of money which we do not have to > get the plumbing situation solved. And from that you conclude that she has money in the bank and is just be stubborn and recalcitrant about hooking up the existing septic system? > I've received all kinds of mail from people who agree with me > about the dangers of pooping on the ground for a permanent solution LOL! So if enough people post that they believe in Santa Claus, it becomes "fact", and they all become right due to a common consensus of belief? To start with nobody said they were just relieving themselves any old place. In the second place, flush toilets are much more dangerous, unhealthful, and expensive to maintain than an outhouse or sawdust composting toilet. In the third place, why is people poop any worse than animal poop, if properly deposited away from water sources (of which she has none anyway) and habitations, and properly composted? It's not, your squeamishness aside. > am confused by the fact that NOW you want me to forget you. > This is confusing. I don't know why it should be. You said: > I work for the child protective services here in Texas and I > can't imagine exposing my child to conditions as unhealthy > as that for an exptended period of time. Clear implication being that you know what is best for children, she doesn't, and you have the right and authority to enforce YOUR beliefs on her and her family. Nothing confusing about it. I saw the same implied threat. > I think you probably ought to do more reasearch from reliable > sources about your choice and be open to change Coming from somebody who thinks outhouses explode, this is pretty laughable. Maybe you should do ANY research. With an open mind. If it doesn't hurt too much to pry it open. > Did I mention that once my husband and 3 kids lived in a > terrible old tin house with only a woodstove to warm us? > WE enjoyed the lifestyle. WE had a septic tank. We noticed > the grass grew so well over it, we planted a garden there > on top of it, all in ignorance of course, Yup, that's pretty ignorant. So what? No one proposes using raw human waste to fertilize food crops. Personally, I'm too squeamish to even use the composted stuff. But I know people who do. A septic system doesn't compost. It collects. It concentrates. It doesn't allow for much in the way of breakdown at all, not when improperly used as nearly everyone I have ever met who had one does. Improperly installed, used, and maintained, they can be a real health hazard. Just because you failed to educate yourself about proper septic system maintenance and usage doesn't prove that outhouses and other alternatives are bad. Any waste disposal mechanism that relies on first concentrating the material in huge amounts (septic tanks are usually around 500 gallons, as opposed to a 5 gallon sawdust bucket or outhouse) is equally dangerous - that's why sewage treatment plants are such a menace. A properly maintained outhouse, by contrast, with a clean out, collects waste in small amounts, allows it to compost, composted material may be safely removed. (You need a 2-holer to do it right, switching from one to the other as the material composts on one side you use the other). Sawdust toilets work the same way - collect, remove for composting. Do it this way and disease organisms don't get a chance to gather together and breed. Concentrated, uncomposting waste is sewage. Collected, properly composting waste - human OR animal - is clean, safe fertilizer. If you're squeamish or uncertain of the efficacy of your composting process, don't use composted human waste on food crops. I don't myself, but I do know people who do. I acknowledge this squeamishness on my part. I strongly recommend Gene Logsdon's book, "Practical Skills", copyright 1985, published by Rodale Press, ISBN 0-87857-577-4. This book is VERY hard to come by, I just got my copy after having it on my want list on Advanced Book Exchange (http://www.abebooks.com) for over 2 years, but you can undoubtedly get a copy through interlibrary loan. In it he thoroughly discusses how to properly build a composting privy, and how to properly use and maintain a septic system so it allows the waste to safely break down as opposed to turning into a sewage puddle. If anybody's interested, I'll be happy to post the guidelines for proper handling and composting of human waste. > Since I know you will probably put this one on the entire cob > list too, Hyperbole. You posted it yourself. > Trina, I wish you the best of luck but in my state, the > building code inspectors can't inspect something outside > the city limits. Septic issues are often a county responsibility. In my state, if you own enough acreage you don't have to worry about it. > Be careful about decisions affecting your children. THey're > only here one time around. God bless you and help you. Maybe you don't MEAN to sound so sanctimonious, but you sure do! There is NO REASON on 40 acres to have to have flush toilets. There is no reason to have a septic system as long as you properly handle your greywater and other waste. Check out some of the links I posted previously about safe and proper ways to handle these issues without having to resort to wasteful and dangerous mechanisms like the flush toilet and septic systems. Holly ;-D
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