6 reasons to use a biodigester as a low tech, off the grid, renewable energy source for cooking

6 reasons to use a biodigester as a low tech, off the grid, renewable energy source for cooking

By Nico, Apprentice 2020

“Agricultural, industrial, and human digestion processes create an ongoing (and growing) stream of organic refuse. Without thoughtful management, organic wastes can emit fugitive methane gases as they decompose. Methane creates a warming effect 34 times stronger than carbon dioxide over one hundred years.” - Project Drawdown

Renewable Energy for Cooking

For almost two decades now, Rancho Mastatal has been working on creating a more sustainable lifestyle by researching, developing, and teaching about more efficient ways to build, grow food, cook, and live as a community while reducing the impact these activities have on our environment.

As cooking is one of the most energy-consuming activities within a house, we find it relevant to implement an alternative renewable energy source to satisfy one of our guests’ favorite moments of the day: meals. With that perspective, we built a biodigestor 8 years ago.

What is a Biodigestor?

Our biodigestor

A biodigestor is basically a system that allows us to produce methane out of human and animal manure (see more info on last year’s article). Here at the Ranch we decided to go for a low tech, polyethylene tubular biodigester technology, also known as the sausage system here in Costa Rica, because of the shape of the chamber. We chose this because it is a cheap and simple way to produce methane for small-scale farmers. It is appealing to rural people, firstly because of the low cost of the installation and therefore of the gas, and also for the improvement in the environment that the installation allows. It can be applied in rural or urban areas and in both low and hilly lands, creating a low tech system able to produce a renewable energy source as well as a fertilizer for your land.  

A glance at our system

6 Reasons to Build a Biodigestor

But besides the awesome concept of being able to transform waste into energy, there are many other advantages to having a biodigestor. Here are 6 reasons on why you should build one:  

1. Biodigestors can be Low Tech

A common misconception about biodigestors is that they should be these high tech, expensive systems made out of a lot of different components. Like people, biodigestors come in many shapes and sizes: from continuously fed to batch fed, made out of metal or polyethylene, vertical or horizontal, using cow manure or human waste (or both), there is probably a biodigestor out there waiting for you. If you decide to go for a simple system like ours, there aren’t many components and you would be surprised by their simplicity. With the help of a couple people and some skills, you can set your system up within two days. The maintenance is pretty simple as well, and again, depending on the system you choose, you can decide to either dedicate a bit of time for maintenance every day, or choose a batch fed system, which takes more time to put in place but is then autonomous for a couple weeks

2. Biodigestors can be cheap

Again, this depends on a lot of variables: which system you choose, whether you have to excavate soil, if you are willing to do it yourself or prefer hiring people, whether you are able to use reused materials, etc. For instance, the main component of our system, which acts as a fermentation chamber and a gas reservoir, cost us $700.

3. It can be used off-grid

Here at the Ranch, the amount of people coming through doesn’t allow us to be completely off the grid; we cook over 23,000 meals a year! We still decided to implement this system in an effort to reduce our dependence upon fossil fuels such as propane and take a step toward ecological self-sufficiency. For smaller communities, like a small scale farm, or by increasing the size of the system, it is totally possible to implement an off the grid cooking system.

The methane stove that we cook meals on

4. It creates a nutrient rich organic fertilizer

This low tech system houses a wide variety of bacteria, each one with a specific task. Some break the matter into simpler molecules of sugars and acids. Other microbes, which find oxygen toxic, are able to break down the simple organic matter to form gases. The ultimate end result of this process is both the natural gas for heat and electricity as well as valuable soil amendments which we disperse throughout our gardens.

5. It reduces the greenhouse effect

Methane, CH4, which makes up 70% of the biogas produced by our biodigester, creates a warming effect 34 times stronger than carbon dioxide. By burning this gas, not only do we create a renewable energy source that allows us to produce energy, we decompose the methane into a less potent greenhouse gas.

6. It’s comfortable

Some people are apprehensive about the idea of having to use a composting toilet ( even though they shouldn’t be, see article by Moanna on Composting Toilets to discover all the wonders of using a composting toilet, a wonderful low tech and off the grid system). By connecting your greywater system to a biodigestor, you will keep the comfort of doing your doodies in a water system while doing your duties for our wonderful Earth. As a matter of fact, our biodigster’s toilet was voted the Best Compost Loo In The World Award in 2012 by the readers of Permaculture Magazine, Inspiration for Sustainable Living.

Why else are Biodigestors Great!

The list doesn’t stop here. A biodigester helps reduce landfill and water-polluting effluents, and eradicates odors and pathogens. It allows small scale farming to create a renewable energy source while allowing them to better control the breaking down of their animal manure into fertilizer, being more self-sufficient and less dependent upon other chemicals. In a world where it has become increasingly urgent to find simple solutions to step towards sustainability, implementing low tech and easy to manage solutions like this one seems more relevant than ever.

The Project Drawdown, a comprehensive plan to combating climate change, puts Biodigestors in the top 100 things we can do.

Hope you feel inspired to think about and make changes to the current system of waste management.

Check out Moanna’s latest article on why composting toilets are another great way to make a sustainable change in the system.

Transforming Human-waste into Fertilizer: Compost Toilets

Transforming Human-waste into Fertilizer: Compost Toilets

by Moanna , 2020 Apprentice

"Carelessly dumping waste out into the world is a self-centered act of arrogance. Humanure composters can stand under the stars at night gazing at the heavens, and know that, when nature calls, their excretions will not foul the planet. Instead, those excretions are humbly collected, fed to microorganisms, and returned to the Earth as a healing medicine for the soil" -

Joseph Jenkins, author of the Humanure Handbook

Zero Waste?

You likely grew up with flushing toilets, seeing your poop as something to dispose of, but you might also be one of those who agree that humans can only thrive once we live in harmony with nature. The zero-waste movement is in a sense, a yearning to imitate nature where there is no such thing as waste; one organism's excrement is another's food. Compost toilets turn human "waste" (discarded feces and urine) into soil fertility as humanure (food for micro-organisms and fruit trees) - the actual human waste is everything that cannot decompose: cigarette butts, plastic-sixpack rings, deodorant cans, batteries, the five billion gallons of polluted drinking water we flush down our toilets everyday, and the millions of tons of organic material dumped into the natural environment year after year.

Two thirds of the world have no toilet, and don't have a choice, and must live intimately with their shit. Some of us have the opportunity to use it as fuel and fertilizer, instead of turning it into poison. It can feed us, heat us and cure us. There are so many ways to shit properly.

Composting Toilets

Pooping at any of the Rancho's outdoor compost toilets is a pleasing experience; they are made of beautiful natural materials and you are likely to observe all kinds of butterflies or birds. What has nourished your body and instead of being disposed, will feed and sustain millions of other lifeforms. Pooping and urinating becomes a contribution rather than a disposal; instead of waste that gets dumped somewhere, it's a useful resource that gets valued.

From the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins

The human nutrient cycle goes like this 1) grow food 2) eat it 3) collect and process organic residues (feces, urine, food scraps) 4) return the processed organic matter to the soil, thereby enriching the soil and enabling more food to grow!

Why Composting Toilets?

"If you want to be free, learn to live simply. Use what you have and be content where you are." - Joseph Jenkins, author of the Humanure Handbook

It is not only for those with gardens and fruit trees who should be excited by humanure but all of us who value clean water and air. Compost toilets align with the permaculture ethics of care for Earth and people, and a fair distribution of resources. Here are a few aspects on why and how.

Protect and save water

Each toilet flush launches five to six gallons of polluted water - All life depends on water, and although Earth is mostly water only 3% is without salt and of that 2/3's are locked up in ice - this means that humans pollute the less than 1% of drinking water we have. If a household switches to waterless toilets it would save 40 thousand gallons of water per year. Each flush usually goes somewhere to be "treated", where despite the massive amount of energy and chemical input, pollutants such as nitrates, chlorine, pharmaceutical drugs, industrial chemicals and many more are let out into our living planet, which affects us since we are apart of and one with this living world.

Pumps up resilience

We will be facing all kinds of disruption due to the speed and frequency of natural disasters and their consequences. Flushing toilets rely heavily on well-established infrastructure, and loads of energy, water and chemicals. With the growing number of natural disasters, this system is super vulnerable as storms, floods, and fires can cause disruption many parts of that system. Urban and suburban areas globally are experiencing storm events causing flooding and overflowing the basins in sewage systems. This can go on for days or weeks, and human excrement along with all the other waste that goes down the drains ends up in the streets, and we're back to the middle ages where diseases and pathogens get to have a big party. So if you know how to compost and make humanure, you can stop relying on this fragile and eco-cidic system and help others in the same direction, and when disruption occurs in your surrounding community you can continue to recycle your brown gold!

Compost can degrade toxic chemicals

An Austrian farmer could feed his community with the produce from his fields that were sprayed with compost-type microorganisms, whereas the produce from surrounding farms were banned due to radioactive cesium contamination from the Chernobyl disaster. Micro-organisms in compost are able to digest these toxic compounds because many produce antibiotics. If this excites you, check out Mycilium Running by Paul Stamets.

SCARY FACTS About the current waste system

There is an exceptional degree of agreement within the scientific community that natural systems can no longer absorb the burden of current human practices

• The use of antibiotics is so widespread that many people are now breeding antibiotic resistant bacteria in their intestinal systems. These bacteria are excreted into toilets and make their way to wastewater treatment plants where the antibiotic resistance can be transferred to other bacteria, and the water containing and breeding these bacteria is led out into our living planet. The chlorine used to supposedly clean water seems to increase bacterial resistance to some antibiotics. (Waste water microbiology p.86 Humanure Handbook)

• Chlorine is used to disinfect much of the world's drinking water and wastewater before its released out to our environment. The most harm comes from the by-products such as chloroform and dioxin, that cause all sorts of awful stuff such as death in snapping turtles, death in lake trout, reproductive problems in otters and minks, and cancer in humans - to name a few.

• 50-90% of pharmaceutical drugs humans consume end up in waterways - chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, hormones and much more are found in tap water, lakes, rivers and drinking water aquifers.

• Too often waste is being dumped into water bodies, which the treatment plants are not prepared to deal properly with. Sadly governments and private co-operations are too busy to let consumers know - in review of twenty water systems in six states, out 157 drinking water quality violations, the public were notified on time in only 17 of the cases (humanure book pg 112).

Humanure Fun Facts

• Human excrement is in many south east asian countries known as "night soil", and was never wasted. Quite the opposite it was a valuable resource! On the island Tainan in Taiwan it was sold on blackmarkets to fertilize fishfarms.

• Fecal transplant saves lifes: A dose of healthy poop, with its 35,000 families of bacteria, can replenish the gut's flora and settle it back to normal. With our massive use of antibiotics we wipe out the good bacteria along with the bad. Transplanting a healthy gut flora into a one suffering from Clostridium diificile (which kills 100,000 each year in america and europe) has been shown in studies to heal 91% of patients in certain cases. (Colours magazine, Shit: a survival guide)

• Squating while pooping is the most healthy posture, as it straightens the canal to the desirable 132 degrees. In a study it took squatters 51 seconds to move their bowels, while it took 131 seconds for those who sat. (Colours magazine, Shit: a survival guide)

How do Composting Toilets Work?

"Composting is easier to do than to describe, and like lovemaking, magic when you do it well" -

Sim Van der Ryn

Is it safe? Will it eliminate pathogens and diseases? Does it get stinky? Will it attract flies and rats? Is it hard work? All these question will depend on how the system is designed. There are loads of different systems, and ways of composting humanure. You can buy all sorts of commercial composting toilets, and your climate, local regulations and way of living will guide you to the most appropriate way to turn your "waste" into resource. * This also means that the decomposition process depends on and varies according to each system, place and environment. *

Here at Rancho Mastatal we have 11 composting toilets in 2 sizes (large scale capacity and single family capacity). We size these based on their location and projected use. All of them are designed to be passive systems with little to no management or maintenance. The Ranch's compost toilet system is simple; there are two chambers, when one is filled it gets left to decompose, and by the time the second is filled, the first has transformed into brown gold/rich fertilizer!

The ones in the pictures are the large size composting toilets (each chamber about 2m x 1m x 1m), these are used on average over the year by 7-10 people. They have been sized to take about one year for one side of the chambers to fill up, and the decomposition process is also one year, the same amount of time for the other side to get filled up.

Emptying a composted side of humanure into reusable bags to spread on our orchards

The 2 chamber system that we use here

Composting requires 4 neccesities: Oxygen, moisture, appropriate temperature and a balanced diet, which is the right carbon/nitrogen ratio. When these conditions are right bacteria will start to get active and heat up the compost, creating temperatures over 120 degrees fahrenheit. This rapidly kills pathogens, and just like Mother Nature intended, humanure is a treat for the soil.

A cozy seat

When one chamber is filled the toilet-seat is moved on top of the next chamber, the first is left to decompose with a lid on, and in between is a box for sawdust. For each 'contribution' 2-3 scoops of sawdust is applied to balance the carbon/nitrogen ratio (Sawdust is the carbon sucking up all the nitrogen rich human contributions). Before starting a new chamber it is filled with bigger bulky carbon materials, generally a lattice of bamboo or sticks. This helps create an aerobic environment for the composting organisms to do their work and we avoid having an anaerobic environment, which means no air for the good bacteria to do their job resulting in a stinky toilet.

The design of this system is based on the diverse flow of people on the Ranch; when we have all kinds of people in different quantities for many different periods of time that use our compost toilets, the design is simple for low maintenance. All that needs to be managed is to make sure there is sawdust available and adding the finished soil fertilizer around our orchards once a year. Our main food production is in agro-forestry so we feed the humanure to the trees, by using the natural biological filter of the trees nutrient absorption system we get as an extra layer of safety from any potential pathogens or chemicals in the humanure.

The Composting Stages

Stage 1:

Mesophilic bacteria, (100 million - 1 billion per g of compost), eats, reproduce and create heat until it reaches around 44-52*C (111-125*F) which is the transition to

Stage 2:

Thermophilic bacteria thrives in the higher temperatures, takes over and continue to create heat, sometimes reaching up to 70*C . This heating stage can take place over days, weeks or months. As it cools down again we reach

Stage 3:

Where more diverse organisms such as fungi and earthworms moves in, and digest bigger and more coarse material.

Stage 4:

Is the curing/maturing phase, a long and important one. A long curing period (e.g., half a year in the tropics or a whole year in the temperate, after the thermophilic stage) adds a safety net for pathogen destruction. The longer they are subjected to the microbiological competition of the compost pile, the more likely they will die a swift death. All of this is linked to the soil food web.

Humanure is harmless to handle once fully decomposed and aged

Thanks to the bacteria, fungi and bugs, thriving with good moisture, air and a mix of human excrement and sawdust, the poop from 2018 has gone through a curing process through 2019, and last month the 2020 apprentice team could empty out the beautifully smelling and textured humanure.

Before you begin on this journey towards saving water, decreasing the the extraction and pollution of limited clean freshwater, protecting planetary health and enhancing soil fertility, further exploration and information is necessary. Some simple tips would also be to explore the possibilities to phase out flush toilets in your local community and check out what other people in similar situations to you are doing to stop pooping in drinking water. "The Humanure Handbook" is possibly the best and most enjoyable source of information, Joseph Jenkins shares his 20+years of compost toilet experience and knowledge, and the way he writes has made many crack out in laughter.

This simple low-tech composting system has a positive impact on the Earths ecosystems, making us closer to a harmonious relationship with this living planet. It aligns you with permaculture principles such as catching and storing energy, creating zero-waste, obtain a yield, and makes use of the permaculture attitude where "the problem is the solution". We don't need more science or bigger technology or complexity to meet the crazy complicated crisis that we're facing, but some humility and respect for all that is simple; deal with our own excretions, by making humanure that enhance soil fertility!

Legal issues in Costa Rica

Yes! They are Legal!!

In Costa Rica the legal principles guiding black water disposal are based on the possible contamination of fresh water resources. Composting toilets fall into the category of a safe alternative to blackwater disposal as they don't even create the blackwater in the first place as they are dry (use no flush system). In this document published by the ministry of health, you can see in annex 5 (scroll all the way to the bottom) that composting toilets are legally allowed as a viable alternative to a conventional septic system if the stipulations as outlined in the document are met. This is exciting news for people based in Costa Rica and hopefully can act as a catalyst for other places in the world including them in the building and health codes.

Humanure into Food?

Methane from a Biodigestor

Here at The Ranch our compost toilets feeds the soil, and our Bio-D toilet makes gas for cooking breakfast, it is more attractive option for those who are more comfortable with a flushing toilet, and it is another way of turning "waste" into a valuable resource.

Our biodigester

Black soldier flies

They eat everything, create rich fertilizer and both insects and flies can be a rich protein source for chickens!

A beautiful scoop of humanure

One of our outdoor compost toilets

Hope you feel inspired to, if you can, stop contributing to the modern waste cycle and start creating closed loop systems! Don’t know what closed loop systems are? Join us for our annual Permaculture Design Course to learn about the ethics and principles of permaculture design.

We have been using compost toilets here on the farm for 19 years and always had successful turnouts.

Stay tuned for our next blog on our biodigestor.

Gardening and Permaculture practices at the Ranch

by Diana Dagash

2019 Apprentice

our front gardens

Here at the Ranch the year long apprentices have various roles and functions that support the Ranch community. By taking on responsibilities and managing certain areas we the chance to learn and experience those areas on a deeper level . Part of the educational model created by the ranch team is a monthly rotation of these so called life skills. Each apprentice transitions their life skill to the next apprentice, passing on all of the relevant information to their colleague in order to complete the various tasks associated with each life skill.

One of the life skills is currently called the Garden Gnome. I would like to share some of my experience and reflections from doing this task every morning for a month. The garden gnome is in charge of maintaining the front gardens. This is referred to as our zone 1 garden using permaculture lingo. It is the area that is in closest in proximity to the most frequently used space- the main house. In the Zone 1 gardens we grow herbs, annual and perennial crops such as mustard greens, katuk, Haitian basket vine, hibiscus, cucumbers, squash, yard long beans,wing beans, radishes, sweet potato, moringa, basil, oregano, mint, parsley and curry leaf and other amazing tropical goodies which we use in our kitchen everyday. Having these crops growing in close proximity to where we spend most of our time allows us to easily provide the daily maintenance of this space such as watering, harvesting and weeding.

In Rancho Mastatal we approach gardening through a permaculture lens. By mimicking the patterns in nature we are able to create micro climates in which our crops thrive. We create systems that have many functions and support other systems in their functions, allowing them to thrive in harmony with nature. We apply a range of those practices at the ranch and we continue learning and experimenting with new possibilities.

Given that we live in the tropics we have two opposite seasons, about half the year its is dry and the other half rainy. Although the dry season has its own challenges I can only speak from my own experience taking care of the garden in the rainy season, for instance i believe that in the rainy season there is a lot of weeding whereas in the dry season there is a lot of watering!

As the rains increase in volume and frequency it is a time when everything begins to grow rapidly. The jungle fills up with even more green vegetation, popping out of every space available. It rains consistently every afternoon , sometimes all day and night. The soil is saturated . It is a happy time for ALL living things to thrive, including some of the more challenging species like mold, fungus and insects. Some of our crops were over taken by fungus or eaten by insects, others became over saturated with water as they were lacking sun and/or air flow. As with every challenge, i found an opportunity to research and experiment with natural recipes for pest and fungus control.

with the onset of the rains, mushrooms started popping up everywhere

My days started early in the mornings with a walk through the garden, observing the plants and checking the soil moisture levels. As I walked I noticed plants that seem to be struggling and tried to identify what might be affecting them. This is then communicated with the garden manager so we could discuss further ideas and solutions. We researched potential natural insecticides and fungicides that could help solve these issues.

Here is some of what we have learned and the practices we apply here at the ranch.

We are surrounded by amazing medicinal plants growing all around us, thriving under the jungle canopy or occupying disturbed pockets. These plants contain medicinal properties that can benefit humans as well as plants.

For example turmeric contains  anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties beneficial to humans and when planted among the roots of a tree, benefits the tree with those same properties This is referred to as companion planting. By planting diverse species next to each other they are able to support, protect and ultimately benefit one another. This can be as simple as providing shade or wind protection. Not only can companion planting by a useful tool in our belt to fight against disease and pest pressure but we can also use the properties of some local herbs. Here are some examples of what we have been doing.

1. Jackass bitter - the most bitter herb known, contains antifungal and antiparasitic properties. Spraying this tea onto diseased plants can repel insects and prevent fungal issues.

2. Inter cropping aromatic herbs like oregano, lemon grass and basil with certain food crops can confuse and  repel insects with their scent and prevent disease with their antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

3. Using the shade of the cucumber trellis to help shade and shelter more delicate herbs underneath them.

4. Using peanut grass as a living mulch to crowd out weeds and provide nitrogen to the soil underneath some of our taller perennial crops such as Katuk and Cranberry hibiscus.

5. Planting Marigolds everywhere to reduce nematode populations, there is controversy about the effectiveness of this though.

Working in the front gardens has also made me reflect on the ideas of closed loop systems. As i am partially responsible for management of the kitchen compost. I really like the idea that there is no such thing as waste. Everything can be transformed into something useful. All of our food scraps are composted creating a finished compost that can then be added back to the soil to enrich it, closing the loop. 

Another big part of the practices we apply when it comes to the food forests is observation of the environment and meeting the land's needs by mimicking patterns in nature.  Thanks to all the researches and life long practices in the agro forestry and gardening world, a network of knowledge has been created for us to share our experience and knowledge. We are continuously learning and working towards improvement of our systems.

 With each piece of land we carry the responsibility  for the history, present and future of it.  It is up to us to create a relationship with our land, to observe it's  needs and potentials.To be stewards of the land and assist it to become a healthy ecosystem in which we can humbly live and feed ourselves.

This experience, of being an apprentice at Rancho Mastatal, has opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities, inspiring ideas, regenerative solutions, discovering new ways  to live lighter on the planet and in harmony with nature .

 I am inspired by the movement towards an ecological , sustainable lifestyle and feel grateful to be a part of a project that focuses on sustainability, permanent culture and agriculture.

 I invite you to share your experience and discoveries with growing food in the lowland tropics.

What interesting practices have you learn about recently?

 Which annual crops did well for you in the tropical rainy season of Costa  Rica?  

 What kind of companion planting worked well for you?

 Would love to hear from you!

Blessings,

Diana D.

For more information about Permaculture consider joining us for our Permaculture Design Certification. For info about being an apprentice please go to the apprentice page. Here you will find in depth descriptions of what life is like in Mastatal.

Poop: The Secret to Sustainable Solutions

By Tim O'Hara

Poop. Shit. Mierda. Caca. Crap. Boñiga. Excrement. Feces. Dung. There are countless ways to say what comes out of an animal’s body as solid waste. As most visitors to the Ranch realize soon after their arrival to Mastatal, we talk about poop more than the average learning center or household, and it’s not uncommon for it to be the center of a meal conversation.

Human beings’ evolution towards “fecophobia”, or a fear of fecal matter, has been steady and consistent over the past few decades. The reasons behind this observation have at times been warranted, but not always. One of our goals as an organization is to initiate honest and open conversations about controversial topics related to sustainability, including how best to manage animal waste. As a child, I was taught to avoid poop at all costs. Poop was meant to be flushed away to some unknown, unasked about destination far from my house. Pull the lever on the porcelain throne and think no more about it. My closest encounters with poop growing up mostly consisted of scraping dog shit from the bottom of my sneaker with a stick after a game in the yard. This type of experience only increased any justification for not being endeared to this smelly, dangerous, and sticky substance. Nevertheless, most of us spend part of the first years of our life walking around with a load of it in our diapers, which may help to explain why my relationship with poop has oftentimes been defined by confusion. Everybody poops. That’s also the title of a book that a friend gave to our daughter Soledad when she turned 1. This wonderful little read is the author’s effort to encourage listeners and readers to start to develop a more comfortable association with an undertaking that we all partake in every day.

Since the years of my youth, I’ve grown more comfortable with the process of defecating. I have come to see what I used to see as waste and gross as not only a normal part of nature but a potentially valuable resource. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Uruguay in the early nineties working with organic farmers, I saw how animal manures made up an important part of the soil fertility building techniques employed by the food growers that I worked with on a daily basis. Years later upon arriving to Mastatal I was convinced that one of our first projects should be to construct a composting toilet that would turn our and our guests' body waste into usable fertilizer for our orchards. We thought that this would be a good alternative to the infrastructure that I grew up with in New York State that utilized drinking water to transport my family’s poop to some unseen (but not unsmelled) place to be treated with chemicals.

Fifteen years later we have eight composting toilets scattered around our campus. From our forays into natural building we successfully experimented with using manures in the plasters that now protect and beautify our buildings. Around 2005 we learned from a Costa Rican friend, an organic coffee farmer outside of Puriscal, about using animal waste to produce cooking gas. Shortly after hearing about this possibility the Ranch built its first methane digester that has helped us reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuel based cooking fuels. We also learned from a Ranch guest that you could raise a child without diapers and soon before Sole’s birth Robin and I decided to give that “radical” idea a try. Humans today that spend their first years in diapers contribute an average of 2 tons of feces filled diaper garbage to their local dumps. Diapers reportedly make up about 4% of landfill volume. When I read these figures for the first time I had to take a step back and think whether it could possibly make sense to contribute to this reality while allowing my child to walk around with a pile of crap in her drawers. The more I thought about it, and the more I researched the alternatives, the more I decided that diapers were yet another co-opted, environmentally destructive, profit driven invention that has been forced down the throats of almost every developed and many developing world families as the only civil and rational way to raise your baby. The vast majority of diapers are expensive, non-biodegradable, and in many cases, unnecessary. I concede that raising your child diaper free is not for everyone, but I am convinced that it could be an option for many more families if they understood the process and the benefits of this mode of child rearing.

Animal feces, if handled irresponsibly, can and does make people sick. Millions of children in Africa and other parts of the developing world die each year from diarrhea caused by poor sanitation and water contaminated by animal waste. These are serious issues that need to be addressed in responsible ways so that children do not die avoidable deaths. I am not condoning that we we live in a world where crap runs down sidewalks and flows untreated into our rivers. What I’m hoping for is that humans can develop a healthier understanding about both the benefits and shortcomings of animal waste and as a result promote rational and sustainable techniques, policies and ideas that allow us to relate with poop in ways that maximize its advantages and minimize its risks.

At Rancho Mastatal we think and talk a lot about our impact. We look for ways to build using local and natural resources, produce our own energy, improve our community’s health, save money and ameliorate the fertility of our soils. The sustainable solutions to all of these goals are in part hidden in the dark, rich world of animal poop, and when handled responsibly and intelligently provide answers to how humans can start shifting, and shitting, towards a more healthy relationship with our bodies and our planet.

NEWS AND NOTES

The busy season has come to an end, the last of our groups for the fiscal year have come and gone. Our Apprentice Crew has all but taken over running the Ranch. It is a time for projects, practice, rest, reflection, and beginning to prepare for 2017.

One of our favorite ways to reflect is looking back over old photos. Want to explore the Ranch's past with us? Check us out on Flickr and let us know your favorite pics!

Abrazos

The Ranch Crew