Living Off the Grid - Survival Techniques

[john.d]

Posted by MargueriteBee (here)
Anyone have links to a composting toilet or have you used one on a steady basis?

A friend of mine had a small buiseness making these which were really good . Basicly you rotated the drums once a week to help speed things up .

http://www.xandika.com/products/mobi...st-toilet.aspx

[Vidya Moksha]

http://b1b2.org/EcoSan/Images/CompostToiletDraw.jpg
heres a simple design. I design and build compost toilets and have used one for many years.. what do you need to know? I can probably describe how to build and use them its very simple.....
For years I just used a bucket, above which i had a plank of wood with a hole cut in then when it was full I would dig a 1m deep hole, empty the bucket, add soil, then plant a tree on top very simple, very good for the tree, by the time the roots were deep enough the compost was well under way...

If theres one trick to compost toilets : its WOOD ASH . Use wood ash to spinkle on top after each use.... it removes all smells and provides potassium....

you can separate urine in the toilet design, you can build a separate urinal, or you can add urine to your toilet, if its correctly designed, and you use enough material as a soak... the latter is not ideal but not impossible....

let me know what you are looking for specifically and I can detail what I know..

[MargueriteBee]

Thank you john.d and Vidya - great link. The holes look small Vidya. I was reading elsewhere on the forum about urine and woodash making a great fertilizer. I am researching, preparing.... Actually I like the bucket.

[xbusymom]

lets see if this works this time...

the Super Simple Loom instruction sheet....

[xbusymom]

I came across this DIY Dental Care website-

http://mizar5.com/toothpst.htm

with a hand-held Oral Irrigator
http://mizar5.com/perioflex.html

and other products to include in your Self-Sufficiency Kit
http://mizar5.com/products.html

AND there is a radio interview here... http://www.oneradionetwork.com/dr._r...lf_sufficient/
where Dr. Nara states that toothpaste is ALL marketing... all you need is salt-water (brush for 20 minutes, use as a rinse, etc.)

[Swanny]

Good post here about teeth.
http://projectavalon.net/forum/showt...798#post128798

All you need to clean them with is soap

4. Teeth reenamalize when clean. TO MAKE TEETH CLEAN ONE BRUSHES WITH ANY BAR SOAP. Soap washes off in just 2 rinses. What about toothpastes? Glycerine in all tooth pastes is so sticky that it takes 27 washes to get it off. Teeth brushed with any toothpaste are coated with a film and CANNOT PROPERLY REENAMELIZE.

[annemirri]

Posted by yiolas (here)
I can respect that Swanny, but what about your supply of PeePoo bags ! lol

But if you really want to use PeePoo bags

"A Swedish entrepreneur is trying to market and sell a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world.

Once used, the bag can be knotted and buried, and a layer of urea crystals breaks down the waste into fertilizer, killing off disease-producing pathogens found in feces. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/sc...%20bags&st=cse
a.

[Vidya Moksha]

Posted by annemirri (here)
But if you really want to use PeePoo bags

"A Swedish entrepreneur is trying to market and sell a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world.

Once used, the bag can be knotted and buried, and a layer of urea crystals breaks down the waste into fertilizer, killing off disease-producing pathogens found in feces. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/sc...%20bags&st=cse
a.

this seems a little absurd in so many ways. Why not just dig a hole and cr ap in it? cover it with soil and let it decompose. Plastic anything makes me shudder. It may (or not) be biodegradable, IT certainly mimics oestrogen in its molten stage. bbrrrr , horrible idea

[yiolas]

"Self Sufficiency = Freedom"

[Gita]

Have washed teeth before with soap - by accident - thought it was toothpaste in a tube but it was travel soap in the tube - couldn't eat all day as the taste of soap lingered on and on and on... maybe that's a good thing in times to come as will keep the food supplies up!

[Swanny]

I tried the soap it's not nice but not too bad

[xbusymom]

Posted by Gita (here)
Have washed teeth before with soap - by accident - thought it was toothpaste in a tube but it was travel soap in the tube - couldn't eat all day as the taste of soap lingered on and on and on... maybe that's a good thing in times to come as will keep the food supplies up!

yeah, I just can't get through the 'yuck' feeling - just thinking about using regular soap... so I started using baking soda last week.. just opened the box and dip the wet toothbrush in and do it... it left a salty taste for a couple of hours, but I can live with that... its really not too bad

[xbusymom]

pot gardens... a not-so-new idea (to us)?? how about upside down??
this is catching on pretty fast... now shown in mainstream media...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/ga...o_interstitial

[kudzy]

Posted by MargueriteBee (here)
Anyone have links to a composting toilet or have you used one on a steady basis?

Everything you need to know can be found in the book;
The Humanure Handbook - A Guide to Composting Human Manure by J.C.Jenkins
I've been composting my excrement for the past 14 years using his technique.
In Summary;
Poop is high in Nitrogen. Straw, sawdust etc are high in Carbon.
The optimum ratio is 30:1 (Carbon to Nitrogen) for thermophilic composting.
This means the temperature gets up high enough (above 120deg F) to kill all pathogens.

I use a double chamber design on the surface of the ground with a roof over head to avoid runoff from rain.
It takes about a year to fill one side. Then it sits for a year while I fill the other side.
I use unbleached TP and cover with sawdust after each use. It never smells bad.

That's a very, very brief summary. There's more to it. Get the book, it's funny and informative.

I find it absurd that we purify Our Sacred Water, crap in it then flush it to a treatment plant (with all sorts of toxins) to be purified again.
Grow food=>Eat=>Defecate=>Compost=>Grow more food
May the circle be unbroken.
Good luck, have fun.
Just talkin' ****.

[xbusymom]

I know I havent posted on any of the progress of the projects ... but I have been very busy DOING...

this is my last day in the city... I have been able to join an Intentional Co-operative community...

the progress reports and plans are on our new website http://www.stoneagescooperative.com - our plan is to DO it and then write up step-by-step for others to follow in our footsteps...

I will have some short computer access sessions for website updates and will try to post on here to let everyone know how things are shaping up, but for the most part- I will be spending the majority of my time developing the farmstead (I have to build my own shelter before winter comes) **anyone for a MUD (cobbing) HOUSE???

'Create your reality' does work! LOL

Come join us!! (we are gonna need lots of help to do this right)

[yiolas]

Hi XbusyMom, How wonderful for you !! You are a great example for all of us.
I wish you the best and will keep you in my prayers. What a great example.
Thank-you and keep us updated.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Composting Toilets

Many styles of composting toilets are available from SunMar. Two of us used the Excell NE ($1495, Apr 2009) full time for several months with great success. There was very little odor and no overflow. If odor or overflow become a problem, use more peat moss. Cover all deposits with peat moss (works best), sawdust or other material. The original factory directions suggested that one pretend there is a rabbit living in the toilet and feed it.

Another very simple and inexpensive composting toilet option is the Sawdust toilet or “The $25 (or less) Hinged-Top Humanure Toilet” used all over the world. This system has three necessary components: the sawdust toilet, cover material (peat moss, sawdust, etc.) and the compost bins. Two compost bins are needed because composted waste must sit for at least one year without fresh manure being added before it is safe to use on your garden. If the compost pile is too small to get hot then wait two years. The entire award winning Humanure Handbook is available as free download online. Hard copies can also be purchased in several languages. No one should be without an inexpensive simple composting Sawdust toilet during periods when potable water is scarce.

One user of a sawdust toilet reported that he had found a way to bypass the need to construct and maintain the composting bin specified by Jenkins. Instead, black trash bags intended for use in a trash compactor (much tougher than garbage bags) were used as a bucket liner. When full, the black bags were removed and put in a sunny spot next to the garden. After an unspecified length of time the contents were completely decomposed and the finished product was without odor. Once the compost had cooked the trash compactor bags could be emptied in the garden and recycled as a fresh liner in the collection container.

Compost temperature is important. In chapter “Monitoring Compost Temperature” of the Humanure Handbook it is said that a temperature of 120 degrees F for a few hours would eliminate pathogenic organisms completely.

more ....

[Arrowwind]

When it comes to canning there is the bath method but if you want to can a wide variety of foods you really really need a pressure canner.
I looked into this extensively before my purchase and I think I got about the top of the line for home canning. I made a point on purchasing it before we dumped the city because its so expensive... I wanted to make sure I had it. Its called the All American Pressure canner, stainless steel and no gasket that can go bad on you. The one I got holds 7 quart jars, I think.. haven't used it yet.

When the harvest come in at my friends house short distance from me, they are running three canners all day! 200 cans of corn they did this year

http://www.allamericancanner.com/all...surecanner.htm

and a pressure cooker is so valuable for saving energy. A smaller model is good for cooking beans particulary in about 25% of the time which may be essential if you are reduced to cooking with wood

[Hybrid5226]

Posted by MargueriteBee (here)
Horizons, thanks for this thread. I went from living the pampered life in the city to living on our family land. We have cows, chickens, etc. Tomorrow I start planting the garden. Of course I am learning as I go. Today we seperated the mama cows from the calfs and they are still mooing!

I'm thinking of buying the latest in solar and keeping in a faraday cage until needed.

I have fresh water and lots of firewood. I will be doing a ton of canning this year.

I canned lots of butter last summer when it was below 2.00 a lb an canned meat just to see how it turned out after finding good prices on meats .
also had a epic season for chantrelle mushrooms so we canned an dehydrated those .
Peace

[Hybrid5226]

Posted by Vidya Moksha (here)
great post Ross, he is so right eh? mmmm Ive been toying with going bush for a while now, why dont I?

I have a friend who is 72 years old (looks 40) . Black belt in Martial arts . Makes his own bow an arrows. Kills only what he can eat .
When he goes out an lives for months at a time on his own with a sleeping bag an his bow an arrows . Then comes back he looks so refreshed . His eyes are clear his skin looks so healthy .
He is the reason I spend more time today then I have ever in the past out doors . Hunting for mushrooms an berrys ,hiking , walking to work instead of driving etc.
Peace