Green Cottage Guide from Cottage Life
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 2.07
If you are going to have a second home, at least it should be as green and sustainable as can be. Cottage Life Magazine has produced a useful green cottaging guide, much of which is available online. Susan Nerberg's article "The Conserving Cottage" is full of very good points. “The greenest thing you can do for nature is to leave it alone,” says Trevor McIvor, an architect with a keen interest in sustainable design. “When this is not an option – as in building a cottage – minimize the disruption.” Making the cottage fit the topography – not the other way around – saves the -parcel from blasting and extensive grading and landscaping. It also spares existing trees and other vegetation, which provide habitat for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.
Tips on heating and cooling (stressing the passive) are useful, as is the discussion about septic systems and renewable energy, pointing out that A well-designed structure can eliminate many of the problems cottagers try to overcome with technology (think air conditioning or space heating), and minimize the electricity need in the first place. Graham Smith of Altius Architects concludes: "“The bottom line,is that conservation by design is still the first and best option to consider.” Great drawings by Greg Latimer and Amanda Reed, of Levitt Goodman Architects. ::Cottage Life
I was annoyed at the lack of any truly green look at sanitation (as I manufacture and market compost toilets) in this guide, especially the story by Susan Nerberg. She essentially dismisses compost toilets as an alternative only when septic is not possible or when you need a second toilet. She actually suggest using a "low flush toilet" at the cottage that uses 6 litres per flush or to go all out and get a dual-flush 3L/6L flush model! Umm... a composting toilet uses 0 - 1L per flush depending on the type. Evne if you wanted to stick with septic you can use a gravity flush model that uses about 1or less litres per flush. And, she ends that an outhouse is a good tried and true option. Too bad that in any new structure/cottage in Ontario an outhouse is not allowed. Read The Humanure Handbook by Joe Jenkins to see the damage an outhouse can do to your lake or well system.
I of course am always looking for composting toilet mentions (again) ... and again it was missing in the "30 Take-Action Tips" described as a "How to cottage more lightly, starting now." Composting toilets, not boating with gas guzzling boats, not having a dishwasher at the cottage, etc. we all absent. Instead pressing cottage issues like sending your old sneakers to Nike (with Nike address included!) and scooping your dog poop are all there!
As a contributor the article by Susan Norberg I can assure you that the topic of composting toilets was raised. Although it was not clear, the original intent of the story was to help people retrofit existing cottages rather than designing new ones. Our belief is that the worst environmental concern in cottage country are old and poorly constructed septic systems. In addition to adding treatment systems like ecoflow and biofilters the most economical and practical retrofit is to move to a 3l/6l dual flush toilet. This can reduce the amount of effluent to the septic bed by more than 50% which is particularly important during peak weekend use when most tile beds are undersized for the flow generated by beer swilling cottagers.
Composting toilets are generally difficult to retrofit into an existing bathroom, certainly moreso than simply replacing the fixture for a few hundred dollars and 1/2 hour of labour.
We agree that composting toilets are an excellent option and that the designs continue to improve. However the problem we consistantly run into on new projects is that as soon as there is a shower, kitchen sink, dishwasher and/or laundry machine we are forced by the municipality to install a full septic bed to handle that effluent and most clients then decide to go with a conventional toilet.
If any one knows of a CSA approved grey water system that can handle a kitchen sink, dishwasher or other source of black water I would be anxious to here about it. But as long as cottagers are forced to install septic beds to handle these loads then I think composting toilets will continue to face consumer resistance.