Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park 3/25/11

Highlights from our trip to Marjorie Rawlings State Park:

-Dr. Wilkie and 3 of our group members took a tour of Marjorie Rawlings home in Cross Creek
-Marjorie Rawlings spent most of her time in her home writing many of her famous novels, including Cross Creek and The Yearling
-Marjorie hosted a "toilet party" for the first flush of the toilet installed her house
-The most important highlight of the tour (at least for our team) was the outhouse
-The outhouse (which is the background to our blog)

• Constructed from pieces of wood
• Inner seating area consisted of 3 planks of wood with a carved hole in the middle
• The 3 planks were removable
• The system is that all the excretion is collected in a pot or some vessel which is kept beneath the planks and the planks can be removed to remove the vessel in order to empty or maybe throw it.
• There is a red flag on the outside suggested by Marjorie Rawlings for privacy
• The top of the outhouse was angled for ventilation

-After the tour, Dr. Wilkie treated us to some dinner at The Yearling Restaurant
-The Restaurant featured historical photos of Majorie Rawling's home
-We noticed there was another outhouse located on the side of the Restaurant
-This outhouse had two holes, "His" and "Her's"
-The outer structure was similar to the outhouse in Marjorie Rawlings house

-Dr. Wilkie suggested that shrubbery can be put to absorb the urine and thus the feces can decompose to manure efficiently

-Dr. Wilkie suggested the back of the outhouse have an opening in order to shovel out the build-up

-She also suggested there may also be a metal rod beneath, to mix up the sludge

Notes from 3/22/2011

Today we reviewed the REB-VIP Latrine drawing and information that Jon put together. We discussed what documents to send to Soknay. In addition to the REB-VIP Latrine drawing, we are sending a list of materials for REB and squatting plates to get information on availability and cost, and Laureen's EarthBag presentation.

Don't forget: Trip to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Park with Dr. Wilkie this Friday March 25th @ 3:15 pm

Notes from 3/20/2011: Skype with Soknay

Highlights from our conversation with Soknay:

• Latrines should not only be raised (flooding ~0.5-1 meter), but also fenced to protect from animals.
• Thatching (bamboo, palm fronds, etc) is readily available. Local families generally have some access to and knowledge of how to construct thatched structures. Thatched structures have ~2 years durability but can be easily fixed due to widespread availability of the materials. This means that our model can exclude the surrounding structure and cost can be saved by having families build their own.
• Soknay asked us to send him drawings of our potential design along with lists of materials.

Next meeting: Tuesday March 22nd @ 9:30 am in Library West

We will be brainstorming the drawings and material information to send to Soknay. Also, David will be sharing important information that he learned at a recent social entrepreneur seminar.

Notes from 3/15/2011

Today's meeting was a skype session with a new guide, Mr. Ronald Mierau. Here's what we learned:

• During the 1960s and '70s, Mr. Mierau worked as a civil engineer with a humanitarian group in Vietnam.
• Projects that he assisted with: (1) constructing a 26 mile irrigation system of canals for water distribution and (2) refugee housing. Houses were built simplistically to maximize the number that could be built with the group's funding.
• One lesson learned from the irrigation project was that it did not carry water to families farther away, partly because of social constraints.
• Mr. Mierau gave the team helpful information about outhouses and also mentioned how he encountered toilets built over fishponds. As for the outhouses, Mr. Mierau emphasized the importance of including a screened smoke stack painted black; wood is not a suitable material to build with in Cambodia; 1-3 years for 6 people to fill latrine pit.
• Confirmed that he is able to help the team with working in an Asian culture. (Can be a social adviser)
• Suggested that the team look for latrine information from the WHO, Peace Corps, and IVS

The team also discussed upcoming events:

• Skype with Soknay on Sunday March 20th
• REB demonstration Friday March 18th @ 2:00-3:00 pm
• Meeting. Sunday March 20th @ 2:30 pm
• Farm trip with Dr. Wilkie: Dudley Farm and/or Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
• Remember to watch the video of the $35 latrine that Richard sent us. Here's the link.