AUSTIN – The Texas Oral Rabies Vaccination Program is continuing this year throughout south and west Texas in an effort to control
the disease in wildlife populations.
Dr. Ken Waldrup of El Paso told Terrell County Commissioners Court Monday air drops are under
way with vaccine-laced bait for gray foxes over a wide area of West Central Texas, including Brewster and Terrell Counties.
ORVP Director
Skip Oerti, said the drop in Brewster County will be from the eastern county line west for 25 miles. This would take it almost to
Marathon.
Waldrup said the baits contain dog food with vanilla and molasses to attract the foxes. Inside is a cachet of vaccine, which
should inoculate the animal against rabies.
“We get two questions about the bait,” he said. “First they ask if the baits are poisonous
and, when we say no, the second question is, ‘Why not?’”
The 2008 aerial distribution involves about 250 flights by five Raytheon Beech
King Air aircraft from Dynamic Aviation Group of Bridgewater, VA.
Two rabies “epizootics,” the word for epidemics in animals, began
in Texas in 1988 involving dogs and coyotes in South Texas and gray foxes in West Central Texas.
The government effort to control the
disease began in February, 1995, when the Texas Department of State Health Services initiated the ORVP.
Waldrup said 3.2 million baits
were dropped last year over 25,000 square miles.
Each year, the distribution of vaccine results in a total flight distance equal to four times around the world, TDSHS said.
TDSHS said
the gray fox ORVP has resulted in a decrease in rabies in the animals from 244 cases reported in 1995 to 22 cases in 2004, eight in
2005, 45 in 2006 and 61 through November of last year.
“The Texas ORVP has achieved a level of success that could not have been anticipated
during the early development work done in 1993 and 1994,” the agency said in a prepared statement. “All available resources for the
West-Central Texas ORVP will be applied in such a manner as to achieve the most effective and efficient outcome for the control of
the rabies epizootic in gray fixes and the protection of the public health.”
Waldrup said the affect of rabies on humans is serious
and “usually deadly.” Human contact with the disease “is not to be laughed at at all.”
He said if a person encounters a rabid animal, it is important that it be killed and sent off for testing. Testing can be done in
the TDSHS lab in El Paso or Austin.
“If there has been exposure to a human or animal, it needs to be tested right away,” he said. “If
it’s just acting funny, you can freeze it” for testing later.
Waldrup said trappers have freezers for that purpose and the frozen animal
can last six months or more.
He cautioned people not to shoot the animal in the head so as to preserve the specimen.
MARATHON – Residents of Marathon will soon have the opportunity to take a “first responder course.”
The course will be from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. January 26 and 27 at the Community building with an hour break for lunch, which is not provided.
Greg Henington will come
from Terlingua to teach the class.
Henington is a paramedic who has been teaching first responder courses for a long time.
Before instructing
the “wilderness” course, he taught courses for the American Red Cross for 20 years.
As it is, no one is “certified” to be a first responder
in Marathon.
A first responder ideally is the first person on the scene in a medical emergency.
With Alpine being the closest EMS service
and hospital, County Commissioner Ruben Ortega sought and received a grant for the classes, which will be free of charge to all interested
in learning.
Ortega said candidates do not have to be in the medical field.
“The more people with first response knowledge, the better,”
he said.
There are some ranchers interested in taking the course along with Justice of the Peace, Susanna Gonzales.
Ortega also plans
to have an EMT course in the near future.
“This is the first step,” he said.
He has a previous commitment for this course but plans
to take the EMT course when the time comes.
Ortega said he hopes at least 15 residents turn out.
MARATHON – It’s official. The Marathon Independent School is a recognized school district in Texas.
The district received its annual
report card this month for the 2006-2007 academic school year from the Texas Education Agency.
In addition to “recognized” status,
the district received gold performance acknowledgements from the Academic Excellence Indicator System in five areas.
Elementary Language
Arts was awarded the Texas Success Initiative and was also commended for reading, which means that at least 25 per cent of all students
taking the TAKS test score at or above the “Commended Performance” standard on the reading exam.
Grades one through 12 were commended
on writing and Comparable Improvement Acknowledgement was given for Reading/ELA & Math.
“It’s positive,” Superintendent Conrad
Arriola said. “It’s a mirror image of our earlier success.”
Overall student attendance was very near 100 percent and the dropout rate
at the high school was zero.
The TEA will begin testing the district again early this year for the 2007-2008 school year.
ALPINE – The Best of Show award at the Big Bend Livestock Show Association Food Show Friday went to Ashleigh Pasqua of Jeff Davis
County for her Crazy Jalapeño Cheese Bread.
Pasqua also won first place for bread and cookies at the fair at the Alpine Civic
Center.
Youth entries were received in three categories, cakes, cookies and breads. Prize ribbons were awarded in each category.
Other
winners included Paige Mathes of Jeff Davis County, first place in the cake division, second place Tyler Wright of Jeff Davis County
and third place Kristin Wright, also of Jeff Davis County.
Second place in the cookies division went to Mattie Dunshee of Brewster
County.
In second place in the bread category was Timothy Roberts of Brewster County.
First place entries were sold in the BBLSA Silent
Auction during the evening social Saturday at the Alpine Civic Center.
MARATHON – The “Mystery Photo” in the Marathon News Leader, Jan. 4, was “mis-identified,” former Dos Zeta columnist Zach Zniewski
said last week.
The Dos Zeta burro column was a regular contribution to the News Leader for several months.
“The building is not a smokehouse
but the vault of a bank that formerly stood in Marathon,” he said. “In about 1922, the bank was burned along with a number of other
buildings on the main drag and it was believed that a bank clerk did it to cover his embezzling.”
He said no one was ever charged in
the arson.
“Bank fraud, as everyone knows, was endemic during the corrupt Republican administrations of the 1920s when the greed and
financial mismanagement of that party infected the entire USA, as now,” Zniewski said.
“Luckily, Franklin Roosevelt came to the rescue
shortly after and there were no bank arsons in Marathon during his enlightened administration,” he said.
He suggested we donate his
$5 prize for correctly identifying the picture to the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign.
MARATHON – Under a program with the acronym of GOAL, for grow your own librarians, a volunteer program is underway at the Marathon
Public Library.
Thanks to a grant from the El Paso Library System and the Library Leadership Development Institute, GOAL hopes to
increase the ranks of librarians in the area.
“We may never need to go outside of Marathon to find qualified staff for our library,”
said Carol Townsend, branch manager of Marathon Public Library.
“We have three volunteers in training now, Arlene Griffis, Carol Henthorne
and my son, Sky,” she said.
After 150 hours of library duty, each volunteer will be certified as entry-level assistant librarians.
For
more information contact Townsend at the library.
MARATHON – Every January is School Board Recognition Month and Marathon ISD Superintendent Conrad D. Arriola said he is joining other
districts across the state to thank these community volunteers for their commitment and contributions to our public schools.
“School
board members serve countless hours working to make public education the best it can be for every child,” he said.
“Preparing today’s
students to be productive citizens and the leaders of tomorrow is a tremendous task,” Arriola said. “As elected officials, school
board members are the voice of their communities, serving first and foremost in the best interest of our schoolchildren.”
The Marathon
ISD has an annual budget of $1.3 million, 52 students in grades K-12 and 18 employees at two campuses.
The men and women now serving
on the board are President Don Fuéntez, Jesse Roberts, Jesus Grano, Sammy Salmon, Rhonda Garlick, Dan Daily and Sixto Aguilar, Jr.
“We proudly join educators and community members in saluting these education advocates as they provide vision and leadership for student
achievement, academic programs, district funding and school facilities,” Arriola said. “These dedicated individuals deserve recognition
and thanks for their unfailing commitment to the continuing success of our students now and in the future.”
ALPINE – A casting call for “spirited, interesting, rural boys,” ages 9 to 14, to be considered for leading roles in an upcoming major
Hollywood family movie to be filmed in Texas has moved to Alpine.
The same company had auditions in Ozona Jan. 5.
Francine Maisler
Casting is conducting a statewide casting search for a film by Primrose Pictures.
“For story reasons, we are only looking for Caucasian
boys at this time,” Primrose said.
There will be an open casting call from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 19, at the Foxworth Conference
Center at 204 E. Holland Ave.
For driving directions, lodging and dining information, call the Alpine Chamber of Commerce 432/837-2326 or
visit their website at visitalpline@alpinetexas.com.
The casting call will consist of a brief talk with a member of the casting team
and possibly an interview on camera. All participants should bring a non-returnable photo.
No appointment is necessary but interested
parties may call the Primrose information line at 512/ 637-9782 or email PrimrosePictures@gmail.com.
While acting experience is not
necessary, the production will provide compensation on the scale of professional actors.
Filmmakers are specifically looking for children
with old-fashioned qualities in small town environments.
“This story is set in Texas and the Primrose team is determined to cast this
part in Texas,” Texas Film Commission Director Bob Hudgins said. “This could be a rare opportunity for a young Texan to land a lead
role in a major film and I appreciate Primrose’s dedication to making that happen.”
While details of the project are being
kept confidential during the casting process, the filmmakers have been nominated for Academy Awards and have produced numerous films
that are critically acclaimed around the world.
“The filmmakers are known to us and are well-respected both nationally and internationally,”
Hudgins said. “I assure you that this is a professional, legitimate film project and one that I expect we’ll all be proud of.”
The
role calls for a boy who is confident, lively and thoughtful.
The statewide search has been ongoing since September of 2006 and will
be completed by February. Filming will begin in March.
Francine Maisler Casting has cast films such as “Spider-Man,” “Miami Vice”
and “As Good As It Gets.”
SANDERSON – The Marathon Junior High School Colts defeated the Lady Eagles of Sanderson here this week.
The Colts scored first and
never looked back, defeating their hosts 29-14.
At the end of the first period the score was 6-2. By halftime the Colts had doubled
the Eagles, leading 16-8.
After three, the Colts were up 24-10 and the final tally was 29-14.
Two players for the Colts made all their
points.
Krystal Aguilar and Julia Ramirez battled it out for top scorer. Krystal had 15 while Julia bagged 14.
In earlier action, the
Lady Mustangs lost to the Lady Eagles high school team 70-31 last week.
Scoring double digits was Lady Mustang Marisol Aguilar with
10 points.
Crystal Ibarra and Cel Garcia scored eight points apiece and Prissy Hernandez scored five for the Mustangs.
MARATHON – The Marathon School District has announced the honor roll for the third six weeks of the first semester.
Students making
the All-A honor roll were Loryn Garlick, Krystal Aguilar, Christopher Stephens and Irene Ureste.
There were several who made the AB
honor roll including Colee Charlesworth, Tristyn Galindo, Alyssa Olvera, MacKenzie Pineda, Emilio Briones, Cameden Lujan, Zane Roberts
and Jesse Lopez.
Also included were Jeremy Ramirez, Sarah Arenas, Alexis Bowers, Audrey Galindo, Capri Garlick, Oscar Ureste, Micella
Grano, Zach Gonzales and Omar Ureste.
A few more on the honor roll were Crystal Ybarra, Celestine Garcia, Marisol Aguilar and Devin
Kolesar.
There were 21 students who had perfect attendance for the third six-weeks, 13 of which have been on campus every day of this
semester, earning them $25 apiece.
For the six-weeks it was Josh Guzman, Monique Perez, Noah Lopez, Emilio Briones and Jesse Lopez.
The
six-week tally also included Kenny Plane and Memi Lara.
Students having perfect attendance for the whole semester were Dominic Paredez,
Isaac Briones, Tristyn Galindo and Loryn Garlick.
Also pocketing $25 was Cameden Lujan, Sarah Arenas, Audrey Galindo and Capri Garlick.
And
Micella Grano, Elizabeth Hernandez, Christopher Stevens, Colten Johnson and Jerek Lara.
By R.M. GLOVER
MARATHON – “People come as strangers and leave as friends,” Marian Huber, manager of the Marathon Café said.
“We like to think of it as the ‘Cheers’ place in Marathon. Nobody knows your name when you come in but everybody knows it when you
leave.”
Marian has been running the café since October, 2005. It is open for breakfast five days a week and for special events.
“My
husband Chuck and I sold our house in Connecticut four years ago and hit the road in our RV,” she said. “We were camping in San Marcos
and read Danny’s ad in the Work Camper News.
Danny Self is the owner of the Marathon Motel where the café is located. He bought the
motel in 2000.
“Its an evolutionary process,” he said. “I never know what’s going to happen next. The café used to be a run-down laundry
room.”
He nodded toward the café.
The patio area is perfectly bricked and shaded booths line the perimeter.
The earth tone adobe walls
of the kitchen blend with a burst of plantings including Mexican Sage, Salvia and a Golden Leadball tree.
“I’m lucky to have someone
like Marian to run the café,” Self said. “She’s also the special events coordinator for the motel.”
It was a cold day with an east
wind and Self shivered in a t-shirt. Marian zipped up her jacket. She glanced out at the Glass Mountains.
“That’s why Chuck and I
are here,” she said. “There’s so many interesting things to see and its always different.”
Marian has closed the café since Jan. 2
because of a bout with pneumonia but she is much better and they plan to re-open the café with a new menu tomorrow, Jan. 19.
“Oh,
yeah, Marian’s back. Back with a vengeance,” Self said.
They stood shoulder to shoulder under the arched entrance to the café for a
photo.
“Come on,” Self said. “Act like we get along.”
MARATHON – Susanna Córdova Fuéntez penned this poem in 1963. She is now a Spanish teacher in the Marathon Independent School District.
From
time to time we will feature poems written by local people in the Marathon News Leader.
REALITY
By SUSANNA CÓRDOVA
Written
in 1963
I see the wings of a feathered dove,
Pasted on the clear blue sky.
Like the chastity of a rainbow, whose
Beams, so clear,
so majestically designed,
Brings forth its radiant and luminous beams
As if trying to correct a wrong deed.
Oh, if only it would
last, so that through some magic, it
Might establish peace in this beautiful,
Yet disconsolate world of ours.
But it isn’t the world
that must change,
But the people themselves.
A world is what we make it to be.
But alas, its dubious glance upon us,
Sees the greediness
and the hate in
Our eyes. We are like one great foul
Water, collected in one great place;
And ‘though some of us tend to think
Otherwise:
NO one is higher, no one
Is lower than the next.
Suddenly, its beams bring forth no more
And like the dove, it goes away into the
Commodious
beauty of the Heavens.
I envy its freedom; its ignorance. It
Knows no trouble, no worry.
Leave us not, let us go with thee
into
Thy glorious world where, certain are
We—that Thy crown of Felicity—until
Eternity, reigns.
By JASON HENNINGTON
Sul Ross News Writer
ALPINE – Jim Bob Salazar literally “fused” a pair of popular jewelry-making courses during the recent mid-winter session.
Salazar,
associate professor of Art and Ceramics Gallery director, taught a fused glass jewelry class, which blended slump glass and jewelry
making courses previously taught during separate semesters.
“It stems from the slump glass class and is perfect for the mid-winter
session,” Salazar said.
During slump glass, students created small pieces of fused glass that could be made into jewelry and
the question was brought up about possibly creating a class based around the concept.
“Questions came up about making a jewelry class,”
Salazar said. “I said to myself, ‘that would be cool.’”
Like slump glass, there is a technical aspect to the class but it becomes simpler
after learning the techniques.
The first project is basically getting familiar with the glass and how to use the tools.
The projects in slump glass are technical and have more variety while fused glass jewelry uses more creativity.
The biggest differences
in the classes are the scale on which the work is produced and programs used for the kilns.
“This class hits the artsy folks and the
folks looking for something artsy to do,” Salazar said.
Since the success of the slump glass class, Salazar’s idea for a fused glass
jewelry class was well received.
“It’s been really cool and put me back on my game,” Salazar said. “I’ve had
to do more research and I’ve learned new things to teach, new techniques and processes.”
Slump glass will be offered during the first
summer session, while jewelry making is offered every other summer.
“After this group shows their friends and colleagues, people
will be waiting for it,” Salazar said.
Fused glass jewelry is in a trial period but, if it is successful, then it will be offered again
during the mid-winter session.
“It’s the greatest class in the world. I swear it is,” Cody Kemmerling of Hitchcock said.
“Everyone should take this class.”
At first, students were skeptical about their ability to create artistic pieces but soon found they
were wrong.
“I think the class is going well,” Salazar said. “On syllabus night, people were nervous and thought they could not
do it.”
Students who have never taken a glass class enjoyed the experience.
“I’ve never taken a glass class before,” said
Jacob Sanchez of Pecos. “It’s interesting, and something I would enjoy continuing outside the class.”
“I really enjoy it. I’m having
fun,” said Danie Nunnelee of Fort Davis.
After realizing their capabilities, students became more comfortable with the glass and are
more relaxed during class time.
“It’s a lot of fun but doesn’t have the stress of some of the other studio [art] classes,” said Angie
Fritz of Alpine. “Glass is fun.”
Since then, students have produced beautiful pieces and are enjoying the class.
“I’m excited
to teach it again,” Salazar said. “I really appreciate everybody’s patience with me. Everybody is sticking it out and doing
some really awesome work.”
By JASON HENNINGTON
ALPINE – All the entries are in and judges are working to determine a winner for the Sul
Ross State University student television pilot contest.
The production of the pilot has been moved to the first summer session
of 2008.
Until then, students will participate in the video production class offered during the present semester.
Associate Professor
of Communication Dr. Michelle Selk will instruct the class, which will consist of students working in groups to create their own five-minute
videos.
Seniors working on their senior capstone projects will produce 10-minute videos.
Students will write original
scripts, film and edit their work.
“I’m looking for any and everything,” Selk said. “This class will take them from pre-production
to post-production. It will be fast and furious.”
The projects will air during finals week on the campus television station and hopefully
will be available online with iTunes and Vodcast.
Since Sul Ross has the ability to stream radio broadcasts, Selk also wants
to provide video as well.
Instead of having to use video tapes, she hopes to have internet links ready for people to refer to
such as youtube and iTunes links.
“Media is changing,” Selk said. “People will watch television and listen to the radio
but people want media on demand.”
In addition to the video production class, the winner of the pilot contest will begin working on
their project in the summer.
During that time, there will be more focus on production because the script is already written.
“We
will focus on the pilot in the summer,” Selk said. “It’s mostly production and post-production.”
Selk hopes that students from
the video production class will stick around for the summer class, not only for help in the class but because the experience is a
resume builder.
Along with producers, Selk wants to get actors involved with both classes and possibly offer coursework credit to them.
“It would look nice for their reels as well,” Selk said.
For the pilot contest there were two scripts and three treatments – ideas,
but not full scripts – submitted.
If judges cannot agree on a winner then other options will be pursued, but Selk hopes a winner
can be chosen from the entries.
Students will have control of their projects but Selk will serve as executive producer for all of the
projects in both the spring and summer.
“I’m excited,” she said. “I love being on set. It’s like a rush to me. I hope
this class makes it and we get to shoot something good.”
By JASON HENNINGTON
ALPINE – Stage fright may be a mere memory as Sul Ross State University will offer a speech
class online during the spring semester this year.
Introduction to Speech Communication will offer an alternative to students, including
those with speech anxiety or who are uncomfortable speaking in front of large groups.
Associate Professor of Communication Dr. Michelle
Selk will instruct the experimental class.
She taught an online speech class previously at a different university.
“I
have the students tape their speeches and I give them feedback,” she said. “For students with speech anxiety, this can be helpful.”
The
curriculum of the class is identical to that of the on campus class and does require a one-time campus visit for each student.
Instead
of actually presenting written speeches to a class, the online students will videotape their informative or persuasive speech and
mail them to Selk.
“I think there are students who can benefit from this,” Selk said. “This can help with branch campuses and
commuters.”
Like the on campus class, Introduction to Speech online is a full semester class and covers the entire book.
Selk
said two-thirds of the class is still communication. Online students can receive more individual attention because of fewer students
enrolled.
In a classroom setting, Selk said she has normally about 30 students while online the number decreases to around 20.
“Online
learning is for more disciplined students,” Selk said. “If you are not disciplined and procrastinate, then this is not for you.
“It’s
just like any other online class, if you can keep up then you won’t have any problems,” she said. “But if you fall behind, it will
be hard to catch up.”
Drawing from experiences of teaching an online speech class, Selk suggested trying this format at Sul Ross.
“I talked to Dr. [Esther] Rumsey [department chair] and she thought it would work,” Selk said. “We saw a need and thought this would
fill that need.
“I like online learning,” she said. “I think it is the wave of the future in terms of education. People want family
and career advancement and this is it.”
MARFA – US Border Patrol agents here and Sierra Blanca seized more than a ton of marijuana in separate instances Friday and Saturday.
Sierra
Blanca agents found $632,800 in marijuana in the trailer of an 18-wheeler as it came through the Interstate 10 checkpoint about 1
a.m. Friday.
The 791 pounds was hidden in 15 cardboard boxes among the freight in the trailer.
During the immigration inspection, a
Border Patrol K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics.
The driver of the truck, a US citizen from Florida, and his passenger, a US
citizen from El Paso, were arrested.
Saturday evening, Marfa agents noticed a pickup coming up FM 2810 from the south and turning
west on Highway 90 in Marfa.
Agents, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, followed the vehicle about 25 miles
west of Marfa when DPS attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation.
The vehicle turned around and headed back to Marfa.
About ten miles from the city, officers tried to stop the vehicle with tire deflation devices.
The truck was able to continue into
town on its rims before it was stopped with assistance from the Presidio County Sheriff’s office and the Marfa Police Department.
The
pickup contained 1,249 cellophane tape wrapped bundles of marijuana weighing 1,466 pounds with a street value of $1,173,040.
The driver
is a US Citizen from Odessa, accompanied by an undocumented alien from Mexico.
The men, the marijuana and the vehicles were turned
over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
ALPINE – The Texas Mountain Trail Writers have invited all new and published writers for a weekend of battery re-charging in the scenic
mountains of West Texas.
The Alpine and Big Bend writers will host the 17th Annual Spring Retreat at Camp Mitre Peak Girl Scout Camp
halfway between Alpine and Fort Davis March 28, 29 and 30.
Writers will learn how to hone writing skills, sell works and publish in
several venues while relaxing in the rugged Davis Mountains.
Dubbed a “Writing Round-Up,” the conference will offer western flair,
professional speakers, relaxing activities and western “grub.”
The roster includes Ross McSwain of San Angelo, who for many years wrote
the popular “Out Yonder” column in the San Angelo Standard Times.
McSwain focuses on historical research, separating fact from myth
and folklore and writing for pleasure and profit.
Another conference highlight is the duo of Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne, who will
give presentations on song writing and poetry connections, mixing their writing expertise with homegrown musical performances.
They
categorize themselves as writers and singers of “a spiritual blend of folk-country blues-grass.”
The fourth professional author will
be Dr. Laura Payne Butler, assistant professor of writing at Sul Ross State University, fiction writer and editor of New Texas: A
Journal of Literature and Culture.
Dr. Butler will share tips on getting published in literary markets and creating fiction to sell.
The
workshop promises to aid writers in gaining motivation, knowledge and expertise in many genres of writing and publishing.
All the
speakers have multiple years of experience and look forward to sharing in the rustic atmosphere of the Davis Mountains.
The cost of
this fun and fact-filled weekend, including all meals from Friday night reception to Sunday brunch, is $100 for members before February
29 and $110 for non-members before February 29.
For more information or conference overview and registration form, contact Reba Cross
Seals at 432/837-2919 or e-mail rcrossseals@wildblue.net, Jackie Siglin at 432/364-2399 or bakedalaska1@bigbend.net or Kip Piper at kip@mtcia.com or call 432/386-6646
For snail mail information packet write Texas Mountain Trail Writers, Word Wright Business Park,
46561 State Highway 118, Alpine, TX 79830.
By CHUCK HALL
Culture Artist
If you’ve ever thought about building a home using natural materials such as cob, straw bales or earth
bags, you’ve probably realized that building such a home would be better accomplished in a rural area.
Let’s face it, zoning restrictions
in urban areas are generally far too rigid to accommodate alternative building styles and green building methods are the new kid on
the block in most industrialized nations (even though people have been building with natural materials elsewhere for thousands of
years.)
One of the issues in building a home in a rural area is waste management.
Currently, the preferred method of dealing with human
waste is to install a septic tank.
While this may be the easiest way to get a building permit, it is not the most environmentally
sound way to go for a number of reasons.
If you have a building site with a lot of trees that you wish to keep, a septic tank might
not be an option.
This is because septic tanks require leach fields and these fields can be up to a half-acre in size depending on
the underlying soil.
So if you don’t want to bulldoze that grove, you’ll have to look at other options.
Another consideration is that
flush toilets use large amounts of water and, as droughts continue in many places throughout the world, water conservation will become
more and more of a necessity.
Any waste management system that can conserve water will have the advantage.
A composting toilet provides
such an advantage.
Composting toilets are basically toilets that are self-contained and use little or no water.
There is a composting
compartment attached either below or behind the “bowl” to catch waste material.
This human waste naturally decomposes, or composts,
into odorless humus, which can then be used for organic fertilizer for home gardening projects.
While the composting chamber does
have to be emptied on occasion, this only has to be done about once every three to six months and is not nearly as messy and unpleasant
as you might think.
Composted humus from human waste is virtually indistinguishable from commercial peat in texture and odor.
Commercial
composting toilets are odor-free and at least as sanitary as a septic tank.
Some studies would indicate that composting toilets are
even more sanitary because waste from a composting toilet isn’t released into the ground water system, whereas germs in a flush toilet
are mixed with water in a septic tank, which then flows out into the leach field to be absorbed into the ground.
Commercial composting
toilets are a bit expensive, ranging in price from $1,500 to $3,500 or more, depending on the model.
This still makes them cheaper
than the average septic tank installation.
If you’re a hands-on type of person, you may be able to build your own for far less.
If
you’re considering building your own green home, a composting toilet could be an integral part of your home design.
For general information
on composting toilets, visit Dean and Andi Hazelwood’s website at www.deandi.com.
You may also download a free 114-page book on composting
toilets from the EcoSanRes Organization’s website at www.ecosanres.org
Chuck Hall is a cob builder and author. His latest book, “Green
Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave,” is now available at his website at www.cultureartist.org. You may contact
Chuck by email at chuck@cultureartist.org.