Monday, 18 July 2011
Honouring the Water Indigenous Water Forum
This week the Green Plan students are at the 4-day water conference being held in Sault Ste. Marie. It is a great chance to learn about our most important resource that is quickly becoming endangered. You can view a live feed of it every day from 8:30 to around 5pm here: Nation Talk
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Why Everyone Should Grow Something
Everyone should grow some of their own vegetables because:
It's cheaper
It's healthier for you and your family because its pesticide free. Most of us today have lost someone before their time. Disease is no longer a rarity.
You don't have to leave your yard (or house- if you grow indoors) to get it.
You know exactly where it came from.
Your vegetables will be more nutrient rich because they didn't sit in a truck or store for weeks before you ate them.
They will taste better.
Gardening is proven to be therapeutic and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
It is educational for your kids.
You can share with family and friends.
It's not as complicated or time consuming as you think.
It's cheaper
It's healthier for you and your family because its pesticide free. Most of us today have lost someone before their time. Disease is no longer a rarity.
You don't have to leave your yard (or house- if you grow indoors) to get it.
You know exactly where it came from.
Your vegetables will be more nutrient rich because they didn't sit in a truck or store for weeks before you ate them.
They will taste better.
Gardening is proven to be therapeutic and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
It is educational for your kids.
You can share with family and friends.
It's not as complicated or time consuming as you think.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Composting:UPDATED: A useful way to recycle and reduce your waste output
"Composting" is nature's way of recycling organic materials that many people harness to reduce their output of waste and make their own nutrient rich soil for gardening, thus saving money and helping the environment.
Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi found outside on the ground feed on organic materials such as dead plants and process them through digestion into premium quality soil components. The best part is, they do it for free!
It is estimated that about 50% of what ends up in plastic bags at the landfill could have been composted! That's a lot of plastic bags!
How to Compost:
1.Pick a sunny spot in your yard.
2.Turn the soil there with a rake or shovel.
This I didn't do, and opted to add a bag of $1.99 soil instead.
3. Make or buy a compost bin. ( Wooden box, pallets wired together, old fencing, chicken wire and wooden posts, or plastic and metal bins found in stores).
We used 4 free pallets we got from my uncle's work (there are many places in town that just throw them away), some rope for 5 dollars, and a bag of soil to get the process started.
4. Place the bin on top of your turned soil in your sunny spot.
5. Place a layer of small branches in the bottom - this will allow for air movement and drainage
6. If you want, add a bag of bought soil to help the process along faster (not absolutely necessary)
We added grass clippings from after mowing my lawn:
7. For the best and speediest process, alternate between wet and dry layers of material, such as a layer of fruit cores and scraps on top of a layer of leaf litter or newspaper.
We added some old fruit from my house and a peeling from a freshly eaten banana.
What can and can't be composted?
Do compost:
It can take between 2 months and 2 years to break down materials, depending on temperature and what is added.
This post will be updated with images from my own first time composting efforts.
Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi found outside on the ground feed on organic materials such as dead plants and process them through digestion into premium quality soil components. The best part is, they do it for free!
It is estimated that about 50% of what ends up in plastic bags at the landfill could have been composted! That's a lot of plastic bags!
How to Compost:
1.Pick a sunny spot in your yard.
2.Turn the soil there with a rake or shovel.
This I didn't do, and opted to add a bag of $1.99 soil instead.
3. Make or buy a compost bin. ( Wooden box, pallets wired together, old fencing, chicken wire and wooden posts, or plastic and metal bins found in stores).
We used 4 free pallets we got from my uncle's work (there are many places in town that just throw them away), some rope for 5 dollars, and a bag of soil to get the process started.
4. Place the bin on top of your turned soil in your sunny spot.
5. Place a layer of small branches in the bottom - this will allow for air movement and drainage
6. If you want, add a bag of bought soil to help the process along faster (not absolutely necessary)
We added grass clippings from after mowing my lawn:
7. For the best and speediest process, alternate between wet and dry layers of material, such as a layer of fruit cores and scraps on top of a layer of leaf litter or newspaper.
We added some old fruit from my house and a peeling from a freshly eaten banana.
What can and can't be composted?
Do compost:
- Fruit and vegetable scraps (even rotten)
- Egg shells
- Fresh grass clippings
- Fresh weed clippings
- Dry leaves
- Straw/hay
- Sawdust
- Coffee grounds
(including filters) - Tea leaves (including bags)
- Napkins
- Paper
(recycling is recommended) - Pasta
- Bread
- Rice
- Peanut shells
- Fruit pits
- Natural fibres (cotton, linen, wool, untreated leather…
- Meat and Fish
- Oil (fat)
- Bones
- Dairy products
- Rhubarb leaves (some sources say it is ok because the oxalic acid, which is toxic to kidneys, is neutralized as it decomposes)
- Weeds that have gone to seed or with persistent root systems
- Treated grass
- Diseased plants or leaves
- Wood ashes (highly alkaline, will make soil useless for growing plants)
- BBQ briquettes
- Animal or human excrements(can contain pathogens)
- Vacuum dust (unless your home uses all natural cleaning products)
- Materials contaminated by pesticides or other dangerous products (ex. : treated wood)
- Large quantities of waterlogged material
It can take between 2 months and 2 years to break down materials, depending on temperature and what is added.
This post will be updated with images from my own first time composting efforts.
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Green Plan Students Water Sampling
This year we are testing for E. coli at the most common swimming sites including Engine Point, Ojibway Park, Big Bend, Charles Point, and Bell's Point. So far the water is still quite cold and the E. coli levels are very very low!
Happy swimming!
Here is Daeson at Big Bend
Here is Cole and Deb at Big Bend
What is E. coli and why do we test for it?
E. coli is a naturally occurring bacteria that lives in the digestive tract of warm blooded animals, including humans, and as such, serves as an indicator of possible bacteria pathogen contamination. It could indicate pollution from sewage and waste water, and the potential that other pathogens may also be present. Only some strains of E. coli are actually dangerous.
What can high levels of E. coli cause if ingested?:
Gastrointestinal infection symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, exhaustion.
Urinary tract infections
Sources of E. coli in swimming water:
Illegal waste dumping, septic systems that have overflowed, storms can cause waste water treatment plants to overflow into surrounding water systems, animal waste (such as watefowl) and agricultural runoff.
After a rainfall, E. coli levels will be elevated because of water runoff and the fact that E.coli is a natural bacteria. E. coli levels will only become dangerously high if there is an excess due to the above sources.
For example: So far our levels have been under 30 MPN, and in order to be able to cause illness, levels have to be above 200 MPN. In 3 years of water sampling, the highest number the Green Plan has found was 60, and this was after a heavy rainfall.
Happy swimming!
Here is Daeson at Big Bend
Here is Cole and Deb at Big Bend
What is E. coli and why do we test for it?
E. coli is a naturally occurring bacteria that lives in the digestive tract of warm blooded animals, including humans, and as such, serves as an indicator of possible bacteria pathogen contamination. It could indicate pollution from sewage and waste water, and the potential that other pathogens may also be present. Only some strains of E. coli are actually dangerous.
What can high levels of E. coli cause if ingested?:
Gastrointestinal infection symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, exhaustion.
Urinary tract infections
Sources of E. coli in swimming water:
Illegal waste dumping, septic systems that have overflowed, storms can cause waste water treatment plants to overflow into surrounding water systems, animal waste (such as watefowl) and agricultural runoff.
After a rainfall, E. coli levels will be elevated because of water runoff and the fact that E.coli is a natural bacteria. E. coli levels will only become dangerously high if there is an excess due to the above sources.
For example: So far our levels have been under 30 MPN, and in order to be able to cause illness, levels have to be above 200 MPN. In 3 years of water sampling, the highest number the Green Plan has found was 60, and this was after a heavy rainfall.
Monday, 4 July 2011
What I Did on Aboriginal Day
On June 21, I had the extreme pleasure to go up to Pic Mobert reserve to see a man I have looked up to since I can remember.
My dad used to call to me when I was playing and say "Come and watch this with me, it's interesting." And it was The Nature of Things.
Since then I have wanted a job in the Natural Environment field, especially when it comes to protecting the environment, and thus, protecting people and animals. I thank my father, and David Suzuki for inspiring me. I recorded his entire speech.
I highly recommend you check it out, as it is a reminder of many things we Aboriginal people have known for thousands of years, and something David Suzuki is very thankful our people have taught him.
This post is dedicated to Christopher Belleau, who told me a great story about meeting David Suzuki that I will always cherish
Shopping Can Help: Composting Toilet
What is a composting toilet?
Some of you may already know what these are, or considered buying one for your camp.
Others may find this idea a little unsettling, as the thought of composting your own sewage sounds, well...gross!
Composting toilets help the environment by effectively converting human waste into helpful and clean soil.
They use little or no water, are not connected to expensive sewage systems, cause no environmental damage and produce a valuable resource for gardening.
By now you may be asking, "What's so wrong with the toilet I have now?" Well, there are a few things.
The many benefits of using a composting toilet include:
1.Water Use Reduction (20-50%)
.
2.Odour Problems Reduced
The suction air flow in most composting toilets takes toilet and bathroom odor out of the room and acts like a constant extraction fan.
3.Lower Household Maintenance Costs
Draining (around $100) and eventual renewal (in the thousands) of septic tanks is not necessary..
4.End Product Recycled
While only small in amount, the solid end product is a valuable fertilizer that can be utilised around trees and gardens.
Recycling
The composting toilet possesses the ability to recycle much of your household waste. Food scraps, paper, lawn clippings and grease from you grease traps can be composted back through the toilet.
Unusual Sites
Composting toilets can be installed in many different situations which would not accommodate other systems. Rocky sites, high water table, no water storage, environmentally sensitive, close to running watercourses, and swampy ground. All these difficult site situations can be accommodated with a small amount of alteration to the basic system design.
Water Use
A reduction in water use allows the large capital costs of dams and reservoirs to be spread over a greater population. It also enables decentralised water sources to be used.
Reduced Marine Pollution
Nutrient load on streams and rivers is almost negligible. This results in more oxygen being available in the water and a return to improved activity of marine life.
Pollution Detected Quickly
Without sewage systems to flush away wastes, It would be easier to ascertain where toxic wastes are being leaked into watercourses. Industry would be more willing to rectify these problems if it were easier to identify the sources.
Damage Limited
Miscalculation in individual composting systems has a much smaller impact than the same mistake in a large centralised system. It is also easier to rectify and return to normal operation.
Less Environmental Impact
Compared to sewage systems, on-site composting treatment has less impact on the environment:
• Large effluent releases into watercourses and oceans are avoided.
• Disruption to soils systems through pipeline installation is eliminated.
• Leakage of raw sewage into groundwater through pipe deterioration and breakage is eliminated.
How do they work?
There are 2 types of composting toilet systems:
BATCH SYSTEMS
With the batch systems, a container is filled and then replaced with an empty container. The composting process is completed inside the sealed container. The system may have a single, replaceable container. Or it may be a carousel system where 3 or 4 containers are mounted on a carousel and a new container is spun into the toilet area when the other is full. After a full cycle is complete, the first container is fully composted and ready for emptying.
An example of one sold at Home Depot for $1449:
All Sun-Mar composting toilets incorporate a patented Bio-drum™ which ensures fast and odourless decomposition. Saves thousands of gallons of water, while recycling waste into safe, usable soil. The unit is shipped fully assembled. To install, simply plug into a regular 110V outlet and connect the supplied 2 inch vent stack. Seasonal capacity: 3 adults or families of 4. Residential use: 1 adult or family of 2 (there are larger capacity toilets)
Installation
The installation of a composting toilet requires a venting pipe to be installed that connects to the outside to eliminate odours, and for most older models, you will need a liquid (urine) overflow drain that connects to a tank or goes outside into the ground.
The remainder, dried solids and toilet paper, is easily lifted out and stored outdoors for 6 months inside the container. This process inactivates human pathogens, so that it can harmlessly be composted or buried, in order to decompose fully. The end product is an organic fertilizer in your flower garden.
Composting toilets are well suited for cabins and camps with a lake nearby that you fish in, as using a composting toilet there will eliminate contamination to the fish you eat and water you use at the camp.
Home installation would require a little more work and dedication, as it is used more often.
There is also a new type of composting toilet becoming available that separates urine and feces and makes a more efficient system. Here is the link: Separatt toilets
Here is a video that shows the finished product soil from a composting toilet and the lady explains a bit about them as well:
Some of you may already know what these are, or considered buying one for your camp.
Others may find this idea a little unsettling, as the thought of composting your own sewage sounds, well...gross!
Composting toilets help the environment by effectively converting human waste into helpful and clean soil.
They use little or no water, are not connected to expensive sewage systems, cause no environmental damage and produce a valuable resource for gardening.
By now you may be asking, "What's so wrong with the toilet I have now?" Well, there are a few things.
Besides pit toilets, present toilet systems are either “sewered systems” or on-site “septic or mini-treatment systems.”
Both are based on the principle of using water to transfer the “wastes” to a treatment system. Whether this is a septic tank just outside the house, or a sewage treatment plant 10 miles away, both must treat a large volume of raw effluent.
This historical use of water to “cleanse” away the toilet wastes is where the first problem occurs.
Raw sewage starts to break down by a process that utilises oxygen within the water.
Once this oxygen has been used up, the breakdown of sewage is changed to microorganisms that perform anaerobic (non-oxygen) respiration.
The byproducts of anaerobic respiration are nutrient-rich effluent and flammable methane and other foul smelling gases. This is the traditional smell associated with septic tanks and sewage treatment plants.
In many cases around the world, untreated effluent is left to run down natural streams and rivers into lakes and oceans. The high nutrient value of the effluent causes algal blooms in these waterways, which as they die and are decomposed by microbes which use up the dissolved oxygen in the water. This in turn reduces dissolved oxygen levels which kills marine animals.
The effects can be quite devastating up the marine food chain.
The waste of another natural resource, clean water, is another problem.
Building expensive dams, piping water hundreds of miles, treating it with expensive processes, and then using 40% of this treated water to flush away a small quantity of human byproducts is utter madness.
Overall, the present system of treating “humanure” is a wasteful and expensive burden on our communities and the environment. To reverse this system, and build a sustainable systems of “waste” re-utilisation is possible using systems such as composting toilets.
Both are based on the principle of using water to transfer the “wastes” to a treatment system. Whether this is a septic tank just outside the house, or a sewage treatment plant 10 miles away, both must treat a large volume of raw effluent.
This historical use of water to “cleanse” away the toilet wastes is where the first problem occurs.
Raw sewage starts to break down by a process that utilises oxygen within the water.
Once this oxygen has been used up, the breakdown of sewage is changed to microorganisms that perform anaerobic (non-oxygen) respiration.
The byproducts of anaerobic respiration are nutrient-rich effluent and flammable methane and other foul smelling gases. This is the traditional smell associated with septic tanks and sewage treatment plants.
In many cases around the world, untreated effluent is left to run down natural streams and rivers into lakes and oceans. The high nutrient value of the effluent causes algal blooms in these waterways, which as they die and are decomposed by microbes which use up the dissolved oxygen in the water. This in turn reduces dissolved oxygen levels which kills marine animals.
The effects can be quite devastating up the marine food chain.
The waste of another natural resource, clean water, is another problem.
Building expensive dams, piping water hundreds of miles, treating it with expensive processes, and then using 40% of this treated water to flush away a small quantity of human byproducts is utter madness.
Overall, the present system of treating “humanure” is a wasteful and expensive burden on our communities and the environment. To reverse this system, and build a sustainable systems of “waste” re-utilisation is possible using systems such as composting toilets.
The many benefits of using a composting toilet include:
1.Water Use Reduction (20-50%)
.
2.Odour Problems Reduced
The suction air flow in most composting toilets takes toilet and bathroom odor out of the room and acts like a constant extraction fan.
3.Lower Household Maintenance Costs
Draining (around $100) and eventual renewal (in the thousands) of septic tanks is not necessary..
4.End Product Recycled
While only small in amount, the solid end product is a valuable fertilizer that can be utilised around trees and gardens.
Recycling
The composting toilet possesses the ability to recycle much of your household waste. Food scraps, paper, lawn clippings and grease from you grease traps can be composted back through the toilet.
Unusual Sites
Composting toilets can be installed in many different situations which would not accommodate other systems. Rocky sites, high water table, no water storage, environmentally sensitive, close to running watercourses, and swampy ground. All these difficult site situations can be accommodated with a small amount of alteration to the basic system design.
Benefits to the Community & the Environment
Together with the personal benefits of the composting toilet there are overall benefits to the society and the environment.Water Use
A reduction in water use allows the large capital costs of dams and reservoirs to be spread over a greater population. It also enables decentralised water sources to be used.
Reduced Marine Pollution
Nutrient load on streams and rivers is almost negligible. This results in more oxygen being available in the water and a return to improved activity of marine life.
Pollution Detected Quickly
Without sewage systems to flush away wastes, It would be easier to ascertain where toxic wastes are being leaked into watercourses. Industry would be more willing to rectify these problems if it were easier to identify the sources.
Damage Limited
Miscalculation in individual composting systems has a much smaller impact than the same mistake in a large centralised system. It is also easier to rectify and return to normal operation.
Less Environmental Impact
Compared to sewage systems, on-site composting treatment has less impact on the environment:
• Large effluent releases into watercourses and oceans are avoided.
• Disruption to soils systems through pipeline installation is eliminated.
• Leakage of raw sewage into groundwater through pipe deterioration and breakage is eliminated.
How do they work?
There are 2 types of composting toilet systems:
BATCH SYSTEMS
With the batch systems, a container is filled and then replaced with an empty container. The composting process is completed inside the sealed container. The system may have a single, replaceable container. Or it may be a carousel system where 3 or 4 containers are mounted on a carousel and a new container is spun into the toilet area when the other is full. After a full cycle is complete, the first container is fully composted and ready for emptying.CONTINUAL PROCESS SYSTEMS
These systems are in a constant state of composting. Waste enters the system, composting reduces the volume and moves it downward where it is harvested after 6-12 months as fully composted material.
An example of one sold at Home Depot for $1449:
Installation
The installation of a composting toilet requires a venting pipe to be installed that connects to the outside to eliminate odours, and for most older models, you will need a liquid (urine) overflow drain that connects to a tank or goes outside into the ground.
The remainder, dried solids and toilet paper, is easily lifted out and stored outdoors for 6 months inside the container. This process inactivates human pathogens, so that it can harmlessly be composted or buried, in order to decompose fully. The end product is an organic fertilizer in your flower garden.
Composting toilets are well suited for cabins and camps with a lake nearby that you fish in, as using a composting toilet there will eliminate contamination to the fish you eat and water you use at the camp.
Home installation would require a little more work and dedication, as it is used more often.
There is also a new type of composting toilet becoming available that separates urine and feces and makes a more efficient system. Here is the link: Separatt toilets
Here is a video that shows the finished product soil from a composting toilet and the lady explains a bit about them as well:
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