By: Samantha Magnus

Composting toilets may be the flush of the future

Ashlie Ferguson appreciates poo. One Monday night in February, the UVic student hosted a poo party in her James Bay home, complete with turd cookies (okay, macaroons) and chunky chocolate-dipped bananas. The celebration was for Ferguson’s new self-built composting toilet, so the treats had the secondary function of, uh, fuelling the endeavour.

The guests’ reaction was a mix of fascination and disgust. “The initial concept was a little off-putting, but all aspects of queasiness have been subdued,” says fellow student Brendan Anderson. Since he lives close by, Anderson jokes that he now comes over just to contribute to the project.

But for Ferguson , recycling her refuse is the next step in living an environmentally conscious life. “It’s a whole new way to walk the talk,” she says. She is simply extending green eating to the follow-up; that is, what to do with food ex post facto. Continue Reading →

Great news! The public composting toilet in the little cob building was approved by the District of Highlands at Monday nights council meeting.

Construction will begin in the next couple weeks. The site chosen is on a small rock near the lake. This insures an excellent dry cob friendly location, minimal habitat impact, and minimal concrete. The small number of plants and organic material that will be impacted will be saved for relocation on to the living roof. Continue Reading →