Knothead Posted March 21, 2010 Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Thus the moniker. Though I can be a little dense from time to time. :doh: I am known as Knothead on a number of sailing sites and Joe Jenkins humanure forum.I hope that doesn't cause everyone to run away screaming but it's true. I compost my own bodily byproducts. I hope that's not TMI for an introduction but I believe in full disclosure.:shrug: I am a lifelong sailor and cruiser. I am in the marine repair business in Florida. The path that led me here is long and winding. It started years ago when I realized how much I despise the way marine sanitation systems operate. They are finicky and temperamental and on their best days they still stink. I hate em. I once sailed across the Atlantic on a 34' sailboat and only used the head once. I preferred to just hang over the side. Anyway, I was interested in a composting head for my boat and thus began the journey that led me here. I read Joseph Jenkins "Humanure Handbook" and started with a simple bucket and jug system in the garage. Since then I have built twin toilets. One for the garage and one for the boat. I compost the material in a thermophilic pile in my back yard. I also have a worm bin and a couple of other regular piles for leaves and such. I watched a National Geographic show on Terra Preta last year and became very interested in ways to improve our soil which is very poor and sandy. I am very concerned about conserving water and when I learned that the average household uses over 30% of it's water to flush their toilets, I knew that I needed to change that in my own life. So I built a 500 gallon rainwater collection system and stopped polluting clean drinking water with excrement. I am enjoying how one thing seems to tie into another. Like the way biochar needs to be inoculated with nutrients to be most effective. So I've been experimenting with using it for a cover material for the solids as well as a way to control odors in the Kitty litter jug urinal that I made. Both experiments are producing good results. I love the way I can burn stuff in my biochar stove without producing clouds of smoke and can actually be doing something good instead of just zoning out and playing with fire. Which I love to do. I have really been enjoying reading and experimenting and am looking forward to asking questions and taking advantage of the good nature and abundantly apparent wisdom of the members here. This is turning into a boring introduction post so I will try to wrap it up. I have been married for thirty years and my wife doesn't really share my new found zeal for all things environmental. Actually, I think I embarrass her sometimes. But I have hope. I have a dog and two fur covered heating pads (cats). I have played the guitar for most of my life but rather badly. I am politically rather conservative but am becoming less and less interested in such matters as I get older. I am a Christian who has lost his faith in religion and my relationship with my Savior has evolved to a place where I am finally comfortable with it. The key was to stop letting other men interpret God for me. Baseball is the only religion for me. (GO RAYS!) I could have just said Hi, but you said to be thorough. :) Sincerely,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REASON Posted March 21, 2010 Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Great introduction, Knothead. Welcome to hypography! I believe you will find numerous members here that will be eager to discuss your experiments with you. Turtle is someone I know right off the top of my head that I think you will enjoy conversing with. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Why don't you start a thread on Humanure? I don't think the scientifically oriented folks here are likely to be repulsed by any topics or practices that are conservation oriented. Especially when they are approached with the kind of zeal you seem to have. I hope you have an enjoyable time here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctus Posted March 21, 2010 Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Wow! I usually don't read carefully introductions, but yours I did! Welcome to the forums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamela Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Hello Steve, Welcome to Hypography!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knothead Posted March 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Thank you all for the welcome. I have been searching and reading and I have to confess that I am a little intimidated by the level of braininess here. I want to be reasonably sure that any stupid questions I have haven't already been answered so that I might spare myself some humiliation. But there is just soooo much interesting stuff here and I keep getting sidetracked. Oh well, I may just have to ask away and take my chances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 You never know if you never take the chance. But, "never" is really just a subset of nothing. Gotcha. Why don't you people just say 'ice funnel of death'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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