This is a badge bit (
BB) that is part of the
PEM curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the
straw badge in
Waste Streams.
Are you ready for a sticky subject? You guessed it, it's
poop. Instead of wasting fresh
water to send those turds to a septic or sewer, let's
compost them in a
humanure composting system that's optimized for a really cold location!
This BB and a few adjacent to it fully influenced by Joseph Jenkens'
The Humanure Handbook edition 4. Joseph is a wonderful man who posted the book on his website for any who can't buy it. I'd highly recommend it and, if you're short on time, look at chapter 14 The Tao of Compost.
Joseph lives in a USDA zone 6 area and keeps his compost cooking through the winter. Let's prove it can be done in zone 4b or colder! Sorry if you don't live in a cold
enough place. Maybe the warmth is some solace?
There aren't any videos of how to do this so this is a chance to be creative and show others how to do it.
Minimum requirements:
- Operate a humanure composting system outside in a frigid climate
- Can be inside a dedicated composting building that isn't heated by fossil fuels
- Can be in a hoophouse or
greenhouse as long as people don't spend much time in there
- Zone 4b or colder (annual extreme minimum temp of -20F or -29C)
- Bin core temp stays above 80F all winter
- Two or more bins so one can rest a year while filling the other
- Must follow the Humanure Handbook philosophy
Provide proof of the following as pictures or
video (<2 min):
- Humanure composting bins in use
- Photo of compost thermometer next to phone with the date showing
- One pic per month for Jan, Feb, Mar and Apr