A unique memorial - the z composting toilet

Z Memorial Toilet

I doubt many people have had a toilet built in their honor.

Doug's boss had approached me shortly after Doug died. She told me that his friends at the CT Department of Energy & Environment (CT DEEP) wanted to do something special to recognize Doug. The ideas they tossed around were a shelter, a lean-to or a composting toilet. For me, it was a no-brainer. I figured Doug would think a toilet was a hilarious tribute.

So Doug's colleagues and friends built a Clivus composting outhouse. On May 1, 2012, it was installed in Bigelow Hollow State Park. Bigelow Hollow was a great choice, since it was the first place Doug went camping as a boy with his father. Plus Doug and I went on many fun day hikes there.

Most outhouses at parks are stinky, or use chemicals. This toilet is a Clivus. They are odor-free. A solar panel provides ventilation. They are low maintenance, and can be placed in remote locations, since they don't need electricity. They do not cause pollution. They don't use water, and only need to be pumped out once a year.

As DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty noted,

"Doug would have appreciated the environmental benefits of the Clivus unit and the fact that the convenience of it enhances the park experience for the public. [A] group, accompanied by Bet and Doug’s parents, worked with the State Parks staff to assemble the Clivus over the past year and on this “May Day” it was installed with a large letter ‘Z’ adorning it. Somewhere Doug is smiling about the completion of this project and the presence of the new composting toilet at Bigelow Hollow."

05/01/2012

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