ALivingSewageTreatmentPlant?

ThesePeopleGrewOne
Everyflushofastandardtoiletcreatesaseveralgallonproblem.Insteadofwastingwater,plantsand
animalscantransformhumanwasteintowaterratedpureenoughtodrink.

PhotofromYLINPHOTO/iStock.

ClaudiaRowe postedJan03,2013

InalargegreenhousetwohoursnorthofNewYorkCity,bananatrees,flowers,andothertropicalplantsgrowamid
frogs,fish,andburblingwaters.Outside,bullrushesandcattailswaveintheHudsonValleybreeze.Eachyear,more
than20,000peopletraveltotheOmegaInstituteforHolisticStudiesforyogaretreats,wellnessworkshops,and
conferencesonhowtolivesimpler,cleaner,better.

Andeachyear,theystopintheirtracks,stunnedtolearnthatthoselushgardensareactuallysewagetreatment
plantsatwork.AtOmega,plants,animals,andmicroorganismsannuallytransform5milliongallonsofhuman
feces,urine,andotherwasteintowaterratedpureenoughtodrink(thoughOmegausesitforirrigation).

Itlookslikeitcameoutofyourkitchenfaucettheresnoodor,itsperfectlyclear,saysOmegasCEOSkip
Backus.Itsreallysortofalifechangerforpeople.

Since2009,whenOmegasleadersdiscoveredthattheir50yearoldsepticsystemwasfallingapart,theforward
thinkinginstitutehasbeenattheforefrontofaslowlygrowinginternationalmovementbuiltontheideathat
conventionalsewagetreatmentdependentonwaterandenergywastingtechnologyisunsustainable.Tobe
blunt,therearebetterwaystohandleourshit.

AtOmega,theresultisa4,500squarefootsolarpoweredgreenhousefedbyasystemoftanks,lagoons,andsand
filtersthatprocessupto52,000gallonsofhumanwasteaday.WhenitenterstheEcoMachineTMthestuffisasrank
andnastyasyoudimagine.
Wegivepeopletourswewantthemtoseethestinkybrownstartoftheprocess,andthentheconstructed
wetlands,thereeds,brush,cattails,saysBackus.Attheend,theresthissenseofaweandwonder.Theysay,
Really,thisismywastefromlastnight?Andwetellthem,yeah.

IncommunitiesfromupstateNewYorktoOhio,MinnesotatoHawaii,anetworkof
scientists,architects,andengineershasbeenrethinkingthewayweprocessourwaste
becausetheneedisextreme.JasonMcLennan,anarchitect,chiefexecutiveofthe
CascadiaGreenBuildingCouncil,andoneofYES!MagazinesBreakthrough
15,pointsoutthatinsteadoftakingourcuesfromnaturewhichprocesseswasteon
thespotandrecyclesthenutrientseveryflushofastandardtoilettakesaseveralounce
problemandturnsitintoaseveralgallonproblembyaddingcleanwatertofecesand
transportingthewholemesstotreatmentfacilitiesviaaByzantinenetworkofaging
Clickheretosubscribe sewers.
toYES!Magazine.
Thissystemisnothinglessthaninsane,McLennanwritesinFlushingOutdated
Thinking,hismanifestoforchange.

Meanwhile,untreatedeffluent,pharmaceuticaldrugs,andwhateverelseweflushleachesfromour600,000mile
mazeofpipesintorivers,farmfields,and,yes,tapwater.AnAssociatedPressstudyfrom2008foundtracesof
prescriptiondrugsincludingantibiotics,anticonvulsants,moodstabilizers,andsexhormonesinthedrinking
waterof41millionAmericans.TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyestimatesthat,withinthenexteightyears,
Americasdeterioratingsewagesystemcouldcost$82.6billiontofix.

Finally,ourtreatedwasteisdumped,renderinguselesssuchelementswithinitasnitrogenandphosphorus,which
couldbevaluableasfertilizers.

PerhapsthemostintriguingcharacteristicofananswerlikeOmegasisitsrudimentarytechnologyifyoucan
evencallitthat.Inlivingmachines,bugs,plants,andbacteriabreakdownexcrementsimilartothewaynature
handlesanimaldroppingsinthewild.Compostingtoilets,too,mimicnaturalprocessesbycoveringthefeceswith
sawdustandlettingmicrobesdigestthemixture,producingenoughheattoneutralizepathogens.

Butcombinethewordfeceswithcompostingandeventhemostprogressivethinkersarelikelytoblanch.
DescribethekindofecomachineinuseatOmega,andriskbeingtarredasastinky,starryeyeddreamer.

Thisisaculturalthing.Peoplehavebeentaughtthattheirfecesaresomethingevilanddreadful,sighsGene
Logsdon,authorofHolyShit,abookonrethinkingourhandlingofwaste,bothhumanandanimal.Foryears,shit
hasbeenseenassomethingsorepugnantthattheworditselfwasscrubbedfrompoliteconversation.

Logsdon,aplainspokenOhioanwhospentmostofhislifeasafarmer,insists,however,thatthereisgoldinfeces,
andheisnotonetomincewords.Citiesandvillageshavebeenputtinghumanwastenotevenallthatwell
treatedonfarmlandforcenturies,hesaid.Youdonthearanyonetalkaboutitorsuburbaniteswouldlosetheir
minds.Butitscommonlydone.Theytakeitoutintrucksitsaliquidandspreaditonfarmsoilthatsgoingto
beplantedwithcornorwheat.
InCalifornia,Logsdonwrites,halfofthestatesannualhaulofdriedsludgesome375,000tonsisappliedtothe
land.Forhim,practicalitytrumpsall,andthesoaringcostofchemicalfertilizermakesitsownargumentfor
composting.

Togetasenseofscale,considerthattheaveragehouseholdflushesabout160gallonsofwatertohandlethree
poundsofpoopandagallonofurineeachday.Anequationthatimbalancedstrikeseventhemostconventional
thinkersashopelesslyinefficient.

ItsabsolutelyinsanetheamountofwaterweusetoflushtoiletsintheU.S.,saysformerNavalofficerTodd
Foret,whoisworkingwiththeU.S.DepartmentofAgriculturetoreclaimwastewaterforirrigation.Itssad.We
comminglesupercontaminatedstuffwithgreywaterfromyourdishwasherandshowerthatseasytotreat.Itsjust
crazy.

Likewhatyourereading?YES!isnonprofitandreliesonreadersupport.
Clickheretochipin$5ormoretohelpuskeeptheinspirationcoming.

MarkBuehrer,acivilengineerbasedinBellingham,Wash.,issodeepintothefieldthathedoesntevenliketouse
thewordwaste.Thereisnosuchthing,hesays.Ilookathumanwasteas,really,aresource.Wecantjust
keepflushingournutrientsintotheoceansandrivers.
Truebelieverscantalkeventhemostsqueamishpasttheirmisgivings.Therealbattlegroundispolitics,wherea
tangleofregulationsdesignedtokeepushealthythwarteventhemostingeniousinventors.

Still,theremayberoomfornewthinking.WashingtonstateRepresentativeKevinRanker(DOrcasIsland)asked
Buehrertohelpdraftlegislationthatwouldloosencompostingregulations.AhousingdevelopmentinVancouver,
B.C.,usessewagetogenerateheatfor26,000homes.ANorwegianfirmhasinventedacompostingtoiletthat
capturesmethaneforcooking.

PhotoEssay:InsidetheOmegaInstitute

Allwellandgoodasanexperiment,perhaps,oroutinthecountry.Buthowpracticaliscompostingforcity
dwellers?

ThatquestionledSeattlesBertschiSchooltoinstallavacuumpoweredcompostingtoiletinitsnewsciencewing.
Similartoanairplanecommode,theEnviroletwhiskswasteintoaheatedchamberwherebacteriaattackthefeces.

Someparentswereintrigued,saidStanRichardson,directoroftechnologyandcampusplanningattheprivate
school.Othersthoughtwewerecrazy.

Resultsafterthefirstyearhavebeenmixed.Thetoiletdemandsregularmaintenance,ispronetoclogging,and
requires1,100wattsofenergytorun.Butwhengreenertoiletsdoshrinkcosts,conservewater,andsafelyreplenish
soil,soonerorlaterotherargumentsfallaway.
Mainstreamdeveloperscomeintoouroffice,andIknowtheyrenotheretosavetheenvironment,saysBuehrer
inhissoftspokenway.Thatsfine.Nowthatweveshownthatwecandothesedesignsbetter,atlowercost,they
canraisetheirgreenflagforthat.

Interested?

Canaboatbedesignedtocleanthewater?Howdoesaspidermanufactureresilientfiber?Weneedproducts
thatdontharmusortheenvironment,andnaturesalreadydonetheresearch.

Leftalone,naturalsystemskeepnitrogen,carbon,andotherkeyingredientsoflifebalanced.

Today,atatimeofmultiplecrises,weneedtomoveawayfromthinkingofnatureasdeadmattertovaluing
herbiodiversity,cleanwater,andseeds.Forthis,natureherselfisthebestteacher.