!!!!!!!!! Willow Feeder movie

Coydon Wallham wrote:Sharp!

But I thought I heard Paul mention at some point that the bin should only be allowed to get about 1/4 to 1/3 [edit: uups, meant 3/4 to 2/3- early morning post...] full. Would that have referred to before filling the rest with saw dust?

the stuff that andres has in this image is correct

3D model for the outdoor willow feeder aka WilloWonka is taking shape!

The indoor willow feeder 3D model, the Cooper Pooper!

At the $1 level we will have an ebook about willow feeders.  Liv and andres have been helping me get an outline together, and I've even written a couple of chapters.  After the kickstarter, we will probably offer the book for $15.

All part of trying to have a super successful kickstarter AND giving the best deal to kickstarter backers  --   people who trusted us to eventually come through.

Are you going to have Early Bird offerings this time?  For folks who support the kickstarter in the first few hours?

We gotta feed some willows! They hungry :)

Samantha Lewis wrote:Are you going to have Early Bird offerings this time?  For folks who support the kickstarter in the first few hours?

Yes!  Maybe three or four things instead of the 30+ things we have done in the past.

Leigh Tate and Kate Downham have offered some possible goodies!

A quick tour of four willow feeders at Wheaton Labs:

Where can I sign up for a special kickback link to share on my blog?

Kate Downham wrote:Where can I sign up for a special kickback link to share on my blog?

Hello Kate!
We can make you an affiliate link for the Willow Feeder Movie kickstarter!   I think we need to make a page for the project on kickstarter first.   Usually the affiliate links go directly to kickstarter so when someone uses your link to make a pledge, you get credit for that pledge.  

Samantha Lewis wrote:

Kate Downham wrote:Where can I sign up for a special kickback link to share on my blog?

Hello Kate!
We can make you an affiliate link for the Willow Feeder Movie kickstarter!   I think we need to make a page for the project on kickstarter first.   Usually the affiliate links go directly to kickstarter so when someone uses your link to make a pledge, you get credit for that pledge.  

Samantha,

could you make a new thread a lot like the old thread?

https://permies.com/w/kickback

Only this time, we are going to set the terms to a simple "30% for $300 or more".

A segment from the Building a Better World audiobook that compares different poop systems:

Andrés Bernal wrote:We gotta feed some willows! They hungry :)

That tree is so cute!

Andrés Bernal wrote:We gotta feed some willows! They hungry :)

Minor tweak suggestion- I'd redraw the tip of the knife to be as round as possible to emphasize it's function as a spreader. Most trees I know aren't big fans of sharp metal things...

I recorded some voiceover for a kickststarter video.  I feel like the video comes first, then the rewards, then a "primary image" plus the title and "blurb".

What will be the text that appears on the primary image?

What will be the title and blurb?

Image, title and blurb are for the muggles that happen to be cruising kickstarter looking for something to back.  So what are the magic words to draw them to our community?

Hello Andrés!

I have really been enjoying the youtube videos you all have been putting out!

Can you tell us some of the things you want to cover in the final movie?

Thanks!

Samantha Lewis wrote:Hello Andrés!

I have really been enjoying the youtube videos you all have been putting out!

Can you tell us some of the things you want to cover in the final movie?

Thanks!

Hi Samantha!

Thank you, I’m really glad you’ve been enjoying the videos!

For the final movie, our main goal is to showcase the willow feeders to the world, this is the result of over a decade of experimentation at the Labs. One of the core principles of permaculture is closing the loop: turning what would normally become pollution into a valuable resource. The problem is always the solution!

The project will highlight the key challenges, present this system as a viable and proven alternative, and hopefully spark a shift in how we think about human poop management. We also want it to feel inspiring and practical, offering backers real tools to replicate what’s already working and making life not just more sustainable, but also more luxurious.

Does anyone have any statistics handy about how much water would be conserved and/or how much water would not be polluted if say 10% of Americans switched from flush toilets to willow feeders?

Kate Downham wrote:Does anyone have any statistics handy about how much water would be conserved and/or how much water would not be polluted if say 10% of Americans switched from flush toilets to willow feeders?

The average American flushes 5 times per day, with an average of 2.6 gal per flush, this amounts to about 13 gallons per person per day

Annually, that totals ≈ 4,745 gallons per person (13 × 365).

   US population ~ 334 million → 10% ≈ 33.4 million people.

   33.4 M × 4,745 gal ≈ 158 billion gallons saved annually.

Andres and I talked about what video we have now, and what might be the general layout of a movie ...


Introduction
      20 seconds on the general design
      3 minutes on septic tanks and sewage treatment plants
      2 minutes on composting toilets and humanure
Goals
      poop koolaid, flies and pathogens
      ultimate gardening design
              a different view on composting
      the goals of the willow feeder
Designs
      urine diverters
      mulch pits
      poop beasts
      sawdust vs wood ash
      fans vs. trombe wall
Instructions
      prepping a can for use
      taking a can to the willow candy warehouse
      emptying a can
      shark week
willow wonka build
cooper pooper build
dry outhouse

Here are some willow trees that have just receive a fresh mulch of nutrients from the aged willow feeder cans.




Here is my friend Austin, with the willow feeder set up all washed out and ready to be re-installed to collect more poop and sawdust.

trying my hand at writing a script for a kickstarter video

I'm paul wheaton and this is my 15th kickstarter!


For more than a decade we have been optimizing the designs for what we call "a willow feeder".

When contemplating solutions for river and ocean pollution, I am taking a good, hard look at sewage treatments plants.  


A lot of the alternatives are pretty good, but have been outlawed in several states and counties.

I want to come up with something so good, that it is clearly better than a sewage treatment plant AND better than any of the alternatives.  So good that lawmakers will not only make willow feeders legal, but will reward willow feeders.


The "conventional" approach mixes everything together, and relies on sewage treatment plants to sort it out - poorly. The most toxic stuff gets dumped in the river.  Most of this stuff has great value if we don't mix it with toxic gick. Let's start with a strategy to un-mix it.  

Garbage gets screened out at the sewage treatment plant and hauled to the dump.  Only now, that garbage has been made super gross by all the sewage.  If we just put that same stuff into a garbage can at home, it won't be nearly as gross.

Pee and water can go immediately to gardens.  And a mulch pit can take up these nutrients year round.

Harsh cleaners can be replaced with greywater friendly options - so now most plumbing could, possibly be redirected to the same mulch pit that the pee and water go to.

All that is left now is poop.  And that is where the willow feeder turns out to be a glorious super hero!  Our tests have shown it takes us about four months to fill a can with quite a few people.   We cover the contents with sawdust and store it for two years to eliminate pathogens.  In the spring, we feed it to a willow tree.


River and ocean pollution is replaced with giant willow trees!

14 years of design optimizations has created something clearly better than conventional solutions, or the alternatives. While there is room for further optimization, it is now time to share what we learned!

We have enough video bits and bobs to make a cohesive movie about willow feeders. And THAT is the big kickstarter question:  is there enough interest in willow feeders to make a movie?  

for the kickstarter vid ....

where it says "the most toxic stuff gets dumped in the river" we are about to add this text on the screen

Even after treatment, a wide variety of pollutants make it through sewage plants and are released into rivers. These include:

 nitrogen and phosphorus (from urine, poop and certain cleaners)
 pharmaceuticals and supplements (95% pass through the human body)
 personal care products (soap, shampoo, sunscreen, fragrances, skin care, toothpaste, mouthwash ...)
 microplastics (clothing fibers, hygiene products, and packaging bits are too small to filter out)
 PFAS (certain cleaners, teflon pans shedding, washing rain wear, some makeup, ...)
 industrial wastes (solvents, surfactants, flame retardants, ...)
 kitchen scraps, oil, grease, ...
 motor oil and other automotive products
 paint, paint thinner, varnishes, sealants ...
 herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, ...
 fire fighting foams
 pathogens from sick people
 so much more I could list but it would make you barf

An excerpt from the building a better world book that talks about poop jerky:

The willow feeder poop beast is aliveee!

Andrés Bernal wrote:The willow feeder poop beast is aliveee!

I'm seeing some sort of static/snow on the green and brown backgrounds, is that expected?

(I've never heard of aphids on willows, but not my area of expertise either...)

Coydon Wallham wrote:
I'm seeing some sort of static/snow on the green and brown backgrounds, is that expected?
(I've never heard of aphids on willows, but not my area of expertise either...)

Its noise from the gif, that doesnt happen when exported to video :)

for stuff that gets fished out of sewage and sent to the dump:

"flushable" wipes, feminine hygiene products, dental floss, cotton balls, condoms, Q-tips, face cleaning pads, cigarette butts, kitty litter, hair ties, gum, medication and supplement packaging, disposable razors, rubber gloves, contact lenses, receipts, bottle caps, vape pens, bits of clothing or fabric, food scraps, coins and jewelry, stickers, nails and screws, glitter, syringes, broken glass, Children's toys going on a magical adventure, unwanted "legal evidence", and heaps more brikabrak that somehow made it to the drain

Andrés Bernal wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:Next step is to get some vague idea of rewards.  Do you want a $1 level?

I think a $1 dollar level is very helpful to attract people who may be on the fence

It looks like for the $1 level, a willow feeder ebook.

So here is what I am thinking right now for rewards:

$1   ebook
$10 +movie streaming
$20 +tiny download
$30 +jumbo download
$45 +plans
$65 +name in the movie

I like the idea that the movie is $10 for kickstarter backers, and then when the movie comes out, it is $25 for the people that did not support the kickstarter.  And then we follow the hollywood model for droping the price.  In six months it will be something like $20.  In a couple of years it will be something in the $12 to $15 range.  Eventually settling on $10.

Kate Downham wrote:Where can I sign up for a special kickback link to share on my blog?

I made the new kickback thread here

https://permies.com/w/kickback


I think we will need to update it a bit still, but there is enough there so you can start.

Right next to the willow feeder at Wheaton Labs,  they built this beautiful wood fired shower.  The used shower water flows out to give extra moisture to the willow trees.