Hearth & Field · Track 7
Waste and putting it together: worksheet
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________
Lesson 40: Composting toilets and septic compared
By the end you can:
- Explain how a septic system and a composting toilet each handle waste.
- Compare their cost, space, upkeep and legal limits.
- Diagnose a common composting toilet problem.
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You install a composting toilet. What still needs a plan?
Key: Greywater from sinks, showers and laundry, plus where finished material and urine go
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Diagnose it: “Our composting toilet smells strongly of ammonia and sewage, and the bin looks wet and sticky.” What is the most likely cause, and what clue tells you?
Key: The chamber is too wet, from urine getting in and too little cover material
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Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?
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Which parts of this topic need a licensed professional or a permit, and what would you ask them?
Lesson 41: Compost and the nutrient loop
By the end you can:
- Explain the nutrient loop on a homestead.
- Balance greens and browns in a compost pile.
- Sort what belongs in a home compost pile and what does not.
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Your compost pile is wet, slimy and smells rotten. What should you add?
Key: Dry browns like leaves, straw or shredded cardboard, then turn the pile
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Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?
Lesson 42: Trash, recycling and buying less
By the end you can:
- Put the waste hierarchy in order, from best to last resort.
- Sort homestead waste to the right place.
- Plan for hazardous items that need special handling.
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Which is the best way to deal with plastic packaging from bought supplies?
Key: Buy in bulk or choose products with less packaging, so less comes home
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Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?
Lesson 43: Year-one plan and budget
By the end you can:
- Put homestead systems in a sensible order for year one.
- Time projects to the seasons in your climate.
- Build a year-one budget with ranges and a contingency.
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Your budget for a project is 18,000 to 26,000 dollars. You plan a 15% contingency on the high case. How much should you set aside in total?
Key: About 30,000 dollars
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Diagnose it: “We ran out of money in August, and the well and septic are still not done.” What is the most likely cause, and what clue tells you?
Key: Extras came before basics, and the budget had no ranges or contingency
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Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?
Lesson 44: Capstone: my homestead plan
By the end you can:
- Combine your project outputs into one homestead plan.
- Stress-test the plan against the hardest month for each system.
- Know who to take each part of the plan to, and what to ask.
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Your plan's solar system covers your loads in an average month, but falls short in December. What is the best response?
Key: Change the plan for December: cut winter loads, add panels or storage, or plan a backup
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Name one trade-off from this lesson. What do you gain, and what does it cost (money, time, space, upkeep or risk)?
Questions come from the lessons' checks. The course is in draft; check answers against the current lesson text.