Urgh! it stank 🙁
We have an eco sewer with urin separating toilets. During the two-week permaculture course the toilets started to smell. Before this they had been smell free for over a year. So we have been busy solving this problem. We plunged ourselves into the world of eco plumbing – filtration coal, lime, pipes, ventilation etc. We dug up and uncovered the installation leading to the two 1000 litre tanks (which didn’t smell at all). We had a brainstorm about the problem at hand and decided to take one step at a time. It turned out the ground supporting the pipes had collapsed and led to a backfall, so that urin had been trapped in the pipe. There was also urin left in the distributor (divider?) to the flow that we had turned off since we only wanted to fill one tank at the time. After we lifted the pipes to the right angle and opened both distributors so the urin can flow freely into both tanks, the problem seems to be solved. But just in case we have also extended the ventilation system. Only thing left to do is to take the pipe through the ceiling. Old urin stinks but feces don’t smell at all. That’s what we’ve learned in this journey.
According to the happiness researcher Bengt Brülde, only people working for a better society can have truly meaningful lives. I agree! As a social entrepreneur I have been working for a better society since 1980. I am currently working on the concept for the Future Workshop and the first courses ”Collapse – and a new beginning!” with David Jonstad and ”Vision building – Live your life and realise your dreams”. Actually, this is the most fun thing I’ve done so far at Ecotopia. It even puts the eco sewer in second place 🙂 This Sunday we saw the film In Transition 2.0, shown by Jan Forsmark at Transition Sweden. So now we are planning community vegetable growing as well as a seed bank at Ecotopia. We are also very happy to have been nominated for ”Newthinker of the year” by the foundation ”Sparbankens Syds stiftelse”!
We have put Glava slates on the stable but still have many left. Last week we participated in the community’s senior festival. We invited people for a free stay in our wheelchair accessible cottage and a guided tour. It was lovely to meet local ex-farmers who enjoyed seeing the chickens, tasting the tomatoes, have coffee with fresh buns and conversations about stable litter, how to mix clay and build an oven. It felt like we were speaking the same language. Surely the seniors who had moved to the city missed the countryside. Suddenly a woman said: ”I have made up my mind.” ”About what?” I asked. ”My house is up for sale but I will not sell. I will stay in my home.” A very wise decision I thought. The seniors were partly struggling with the inaccessible doorstep to the mechanics room and the backside of the Future workshop. Because of this, we are now laying the stones there!
Last weekend we planted garlic and covered the ground with straw. In the greenhouse we have planted winter salad. I picked a juicy soft tasting watermelon and ate it with the Indian vegetable stew.
Last but not least – our cat Åke, 17 years, has got a back ache. The poor guy is now lying on a soft down cover. Warmth is the most important thing. I’ll fill the hot water bottle for him at lunch 🙂