[Cob] [Article] Homesteading: authority vs. sustainability

[joe r dupont]

Why not just get a big canning pressure cooker and sterilize the human
manure and kill all the pathogens
end of story. there has to be a cycle to make it totally  safe for even
human handling.
will someone chime in?
On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:27:06 -0400 David Elfstrom <listbox at elfstrom.com>
writes:
> [An example of the laws, by-laws and zoning that interfere with 
> people
> practicing sustainable living.]
> 
> [picture in original article, link below]
> 
> http://www.haywardwis.com/record/?section_id=34&story_id=233810
> 
> Homestead runs afoul of county zoning rules
> Terrell Boettcher / News Editor
> Last updated: Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 09:38:07 AM
> 
> A “humanure” bin stands near a house constructed of clay and straw 
> in
> the town of Draper. The owners of the structures face potential
> county/state sanctions for building these without permits.
> 
> Two women who live in a mud-and-straw-bale structure northeast of 
> Winter
> and have what they call a “humanure” compost crib for human waste
> disposal face potential sanctions for not obtaining Sawyer County
> sanitary and building permits.
> 
> Michelle Piper (previously known as Michelle Murray) and Febe 
> Dancier
> live on a five-acre wooded parcel near Black Dan Lake in the town 
> of
> Draper. In addition to a 6 X 8-foot “humanure” crib, the property 
> has a
> “cob” house 27 feet in circumference, a firewood and sawdust shed, 
> a
> root cellar and a well with a hand pump. The site has no 
> electricity.
> The house is 45 feet from a wetland and groundwater lies two feet
> beneath the ground surface.
> 
> During a July 19 trial in Sawyer County Circuit Court, Dancier wore 
> a
> pair of jeans which displayed large letters with the epithet “f . . 
> .
> war.” The judge and other parties in the court proceeding did not 
> raise
> that as an issue.
> 
> Piper, 31, and Dancier, 28, appeared without an attorney. Dancier, 
> who
> is deaf, and Piper communicated via sign language. The county was
> represented by Zoning Administrator Bill Christman and Attorney 
> Mike
> Kelsey and the state by Carl Lippert, a wastewater specialist for 
> the
> Department of Commerce Division of Safety and Buildings.
> 
> On June 29, Judge Norman Yackel issued an order that the women 
> allow
> county officials to inspect their property and take photos. On July 
> 10,
> Christman along with sanitation technician Eric Wellauer and 
> Lippert
> visited the property and took measurements and photos.
> 
> The zoning office issued four citations, two to each woman, for
> allegedly not obtaining a soil test or sanitary permit for the 
> humanure
> compost pile and not obtaining a building permit for the residence. 
> Upon
> conviction, each citation carries a forfeiture of $438.
> 
> In court last Thursday, Christman testified that the zoning office 
> last
> October received “numerous inquiries” about a “mud house” on the 
> property.
> 
> A walk-through inspection revealed a residential structure and a
> “humanure” system intended for disposal of human waste (an open-top 
> box
> with timbered sides), Christman said.
> 
> On July 10, county officials did a second walk-through inspection; 
> they
> noticed that a second compost box had been built. A compost box is 
> not
> an approved human waste disposal system in Wisconsin, Christman 
> said.
> 
> The owners had not had the required soil test done, and had not 
> applied
> for permits for either structure. Also, the cob house did not meet 
> the
> county’s minimum requirement of 500 square feet for a one-bedroom
> dwelling, Christman said.
> 
> “We need assurance that there is some kind of septic system for the
> proper disposal of human or animal waste, with a soil test and 
> sanitary
> permit,” Christman said. A privy/outhouse over a pit dug in the soil 
> is
> acceptable in certain situations, or alternatively over a sealed 
> vault,
> he indicated. An open-pit privy would require a soil boring done by 
> a
> certified contractor to ascertain whether there is sustainable soil 
> to
> receive the waste, he said. The soil test is paid for by the 
> property owner.
> 
> Christman said that on July 10, Murray and Dancier “welcomed us 
> onto
> their property” and told the county officials ‘We gotta do what we 
> gotta
> do.’”
> 
> “We are not interested in taking $1,700 (in forfeitures) from” the
> owners, Christman added. “There should be an opportunity for 
> resolution
> or approval here.”
> 
> Lippert testified that “We don’t approve compost systems. They have 
> to
> meet national standards, and to my knowledge they (Murray and 
> Dancier)
> have not met any of these standards.”
> 
> The estimated five to 10 gallons of water per day that comes from 
> the
> “humanure” pile would have to be treated through a private on-site 
> waste
> treatment system (POWTS) such as a drain field, seepage cells, or 
> mound
> system, Lippert indicated.
> 
> He added that he does not believe an open-pit privy would pass
> inspection at that location, but that a water-tight vault privy of 
> 200
> gallons or more would be acceptable. It would have to be pumped out
> every three to four months by a licensed hauler.
> 
> The “humanure” system eventually will pollute groundwater, Lippert 
> said.
> It is “very close” to a wetland, he said.
> 
> Yackel found the owners guilty, but stayed the forfeitures provided 
> that
> they obtain a sanitary permit for an open-pit privy or vault no 
> later
> than Sept. 28 and a land use/building permit no later than Oct. 12. 
> If
> they do apply for these permits, he will take another look at the
> forfeitures, he said.
> 
> He said if the owners don’t get permits, then they will have to pay 
> the
> fines and the county can apply for a writ of assistance to take 
> further
> action that it deems necessary.
> 
> The problem with the defendants’ actions is they “set a precedent 
> for
> others for development or their own use,” the judge said.
> 
> Murray responded that “We wash our hands of this; we reject the 
> judgment
> on us and we don’t wish to comply with the (county’s) letter.”
> 
> Yackel responded that “The county and state have certain rules and 
> they
> have to enforce those rules. Zoning is probably the most unusual
> enforcement the county does because it affects what people can do 
> with
> their property. It’s not you personally but a matter of law. The 
> county
> can’t let you exist that way.”
> 
> Back to nature
> 
> On Friday, July 20, Piper and Dancier were cordial when a reporter
> visited them at their property. Their van was parked just off North
> Clover Road. Dozens of bumper stickers were plastered on the van 
> and
> attached trailer, many expressing anti-war or feminist slogans. On 
> the
> windshield was a peace emblem and the word “Anarchy.”
> 
> Along the footpath leading from the van to the residential site were 
> two
> boards attached to birch trees, each inscribed with writing. A mask 
> and
> dreamcatcher was attached to another tree. Netting hung over the 
> footpath.
> 
> Piper and Dancier asked that their picture not be taken but agreed 
> to
> allow pictures of their buildings. As they spoke, a few kittens 
> walked
> near Dancier’s feet.
> 
> Piper said they bought the property in December 2005 and moved 
> there
> from Elkhart Lake, Wis. in May 2006. “Several things happened to 
> kind of
> lead to this,” she said. “We searched for land and bought this 
> parcel
> because it was the cheapest. We lived in the van for six months.”
> 
> Their residence is a “cob” structure made of clay and straw; “we 
> built
> it all by hand,” Piper said. “It cost us under $1,000 to build.”
> 
> The “humanure” system consists of a five-gallon pail plus the crib.
> “Every time you go to the bathroom, you put in an equal amount of
> sawdust,” Piper said. “You put that into the compost bin and put hay 
> or
> traw atop that. Then you wash out your bucket. All the soap we use 
> is
> biodegradable.”
> 
> The house is heated with a 100-year-old wood stove donated by a
> neighbor. Piper and Dancier stayed there last winter and “we managed 
> to
> survive pretty well,” she said. “We’re actually pretty thriving. 
> It’s
> kind of like living in a rock. The sun heats it during the day and 
> if
> you also have interior heating, it soaks up the heat and radiates 
> heat
> during the night. So we didn’t have to stoke the fire. When it was 
> 30
> below zero we just hung out in the loft.”
> 
> Inside the house, there are numerous jars of herbs for medicine and
> teas, a bookshelf, and cloth banners with goddess images hanging 
> from a
> string that stretches across the room. An aluminum keg with a tap
> contains water.
> 
> “We came here because we wanted to live a simple, quiet, peaceful 
> life
> and not be harassed by anyone, to be self-sufficient, sustainable 
> and
> not be sued (by government),” Piper said.
> 
> “We don’t want to make any trouble either,” Piper added. “We feel 
> things
> have gotten out of hand. We’re not going to run. We’re not selling 
> drugs.”
> 
> She said that some area residents “have been really nice to us. 
> They’ve
> given us wood. Some people let us to take showers at their place for 
> a
> few months. A woman at the laundromat said if our fireplace doesn’t 
> work
> or if something ever happens with us, we can always stay there when 
> it
> gets cold.
> 
> “Zoning and all the requirements may be part of the homeless 
> problem,”
> she added. “It’s kind of a sticky situation. I think they (the 
> county)
> are having a hard time deciding what to do with this because it’s so 
> out
> of realm of what they’re used to dealing with. Five hundred square 
> feet
> is an enormous space for us to build; we can only construct in the
> summer. We used recyclable materials, glass bottles in the house.
> 
> “It’s not finished yet; we want to do a living room as well with 
> clay or
> rubber on the top, with soil and flowers,” Pilper added. “We want 
> to
> plaster the outside and hopefully the inside next year if we’re 
> still here.”
> 
> Asked what her goal is, Piper said “Our goal was to eventually 
> write
> children’s books. We’ll see how that goes. Febe became deaf about 1 
> 1/2
> years ago, so it’s been a journey. We do art, we write . . . .
> 
> She and Dancier “are very good friends; we consider ourselves 
> sisters.
> We don’t have family other than each other,” Piper added.
> 
> “We basically won’t do anything” in response to the court action 
> last
> week, Piper said.
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Coblist mailing list
> Coblist at deatech.com
> http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
> 
>