Journal Entry Week 11

Poop can be a good thing for many different reasons. Poop can be used for fertile soil, thus good for growing crops, and can lay the groundwork for a business market, whether that’s for selling these crops, selling poop itself, or for growing food for livestock. Either way I believe that this market can be highly profitable. It is also great for using poop within a bio digester system, for powering household items like gas for cooking, electricity, and heat.

On the other hand, poop can be extremely harmful. Open defecation is still a major problem everywhere in the world not just developing countries, and can harbor lots of bacteria including E. coli, salmonella, and giardia. In addition, our current methods to dispose to water that we use to flush down our waste is also extremely wasteful. When we do this, we flush away our waste, then that water has to be treated with heavy chemicals in order for it to be clean enough for our tap and to drink, and then the cycle repeats itself. This process is extremely expensive and time consuming, and can be halted if we just implement more efficient systems that are sustainable.

Human poop if not reused in some sort of sustainable way, can also add to the harmful air and water pollution problem. This is due to people dumping waste in rivers and other bodies of water.

What is also downright disgusting about poop is that most of what we consume (harmful materials that we are usually not aware of) including micro plastics, that cannot be broken down, end up in our poop. Therefore, if we are dumping this waste into the environment, we are also harming other living things, such as fish who will mistake micro plastics for food, and then die because of our stupid mistakes.

Journal Entry 13 Ind 14

I think for the future of the toilet, we will have to revert to a composting toilet, because water will be limited if not gone altogether. The composting toilets will work on a place like Mars, where there it is known to be mostly all dry land. We can have multiple purposes for the poop we exude, including using it for soil in order to plant crops in order to survive. The movie “Martian” exemplifies this situation, although I do not know the exact scientific evidence behind it to know if it would actually work. We can also implement a bio digester in order to generate gas for cooking and electric. I think this would work, especially for a community that definitely doesn’t already have an installed toilet system. I also think smell can be a problem on Mars, because there aren’t a lot of natural resources already around to cover up the stench.

It’s extremely scary to think about a world without water, so as for the future of toilets on earth, if we can conserve water as much as possible, whether that is using a greywater system, a double flush option, or even composting, it can slow down the water scarcity problem.

Journal Entry Week 12 Ind 13

During the lab on Tuesday, we became microbiologists and used simulated poop (nutella) to determine what bacteria grows in our samples with either selective or differential media. We discussed the differences between selective and differential media, and came to a conclusion that selective media is media that we are choosing in order to create a certain microbiome, and differential meaning to distinguish two different microbiomes, used almost like a control variable. The yellow/clear Petri dish was our differential, drawing only a small dime-shaped circle on the dish, without any streaks. The two other samples, had selective media, in which we drew multiple streaks in order to see what bacteria growth would appear. We plan to later compare the three samples, to see what our selective samples have grown in relation to the differential.

We also tested (for fun) prebiotic/probiotic chocolates that are sold at Free People for $40. I took a sterilized cotton swab and rubbed it all over the chocolate, and then streaked it on the two selective media Petri dishes, along with the differential. I’m excited to see the growths that pop up on these samples, and to determine if these chocolates are actually worth the money!!

Questions about Toilet Access

What state has the highest rate of toilet access?

-Connecticut

What is the medium income of those with and without toilets?

-With toilets: $54,800

-Without toilets: $27,000

Which state has the lowest rate of toilet access?

-Alaska

What portion uses food stamps?

-22.7% of households (regions in orange) use food stamps

What region has the highest rate of toilet access?

-The Northeast region had many blue hexagons (households with toilet access) and also the West, if excluding Alaska.

What region has the lowest rate of toilet access?

-The South had many orange hexagons (regions with limited access to toilets)

Journal Entry Week 9 Ind 10

In the novel “Ladies and Gents,” David and I read about Jews and the Loo and discovered some very interesting facts. I read about Jews in pop culture in relation to the toilet, and also the history of toilets during the dark times of the Holocaust. The toilet could be viewed by Jews in two different ways: a grim place with poor conditions, or a sacred place of resistance against Nazi’s dehumanization; a place for social relief and communication with other fellow Jews. However, some male Jews, even in modern day time, feel embarrassed to use the bathroom because they don’t want to be outed as a minority, (having a clear distinction of being a Jew due to circumcision). We also delved into learning about “Niddah” which is when any menstruating woman cannot have any contact with her husband. This period is marked by psychological and physical separation. I learned about this slightly in Israel, and being exposed again to this practice of the Jewish religion, makes it more clear about the limitations women had when dealing with a normal, human occurrence.

This topic also makes me frustrated about another issue, of the capitalist market that sells sanitation products for women. If every women has it, then why are we being charged, sometimes even more than $10 for these products. It’s just like water, for example. It is a basic human need, and getting a cup of water at a restaurant or concession is for the most part, free. So why is that women have to be charged high prices for a basic necessity?

Journal Entry Week 7

This week we reviewed the toilet on a bigger scale, learning about the water sewage system connected to toilets, and our water quality in New York Overall. I thought it was interesting, especially in relation to The New School, how we recycle grey water for our toilets, and the process this water has to undergo everyday, in order for us to use with not only toilets, but for sink, shower, and drinking water. We think of toilets as these mundane things, but really we don’t realize this complex process that happens with the water we use inside the toilet. I also did not know before this week that most of New York’s fresh water comes from the Catskill aqueduct in Delaware, along with other aqueducts in upstate New York. I never thought about where this freshwater is coming from, which made me realize how much we need to value these things before water runs out. Yes, I do think it will be a long time from now, but I do think if we continue on the path of wasting this water by overconsumption, or overuse, we won’t have any water left. Then, that poses more questions about toilets in our future. Will toilets be usable, or can a toilet be designed to be used without water?

Journal Entry Week 4

Our group ended up with a well- functioning biodigester, however we had some bumps along the road while making it. The first mistake I made was the step of putting special water (without chlorine) into the soda bottle using a contaminated water bottle (used with normal water). This would effect the results of the biodigester, so Davida gave us a new soda bottle filled with manure to put the special water into, using an uncontaminated beaker this time around. We then proceeded with the experiment, putting banana slices (80g) in the cow manure. Our group chose banana because they release a chemical called ethylene, which speeds of the ripening. So, we expected our biodigester to have the most  visible reaction to the gas being produced, because it is being mixed with the other chemical that is trapped without oxygen.

 

Towards the end of the experiment, after glueing the bottle cap and tub together, we had realized that the tub inside the water bottle was touching the water inside the soda bottle. It is supposed to be only gas that is being produced and transferred to the water bottle not water, so if water was transferred to the other bottle, our results would definitely differ from the original plan. Thus, Davida helped move the tubing out of the water, so that the natural gas being produced was not altered.

 

Davida set up a control experiment, which consisted of cow manure and water, just like the other experiments, with tubing that connected the two bottles, though without any food put into it. This is so that we have something to compare the other results to, and to see the differences in amount of natural gas being produced in other bottles due to the type of food each group picked.

Journal Entry Week #6

I never realized how many differences there are in toilets around the world- differences in culture sensitivity, economy, and aesthetics. This first experience thinking about these differences, was going to the bathroom in the Oslo Airport of Gardermoen. I had to pay 10 kroner to get into a public toilet, and I was in amazement. The idea of me paying to do something that is a commonality between all humans was so alien to me. However, Norway’s economy is in great standing, and for the most part, people can afford to pay to go to the bathroom there. But in developing countries  its certainly not sustainable. In countries like Bangledesh, people’s average income a month can be as low as $30. So paying to go to the bathroom, isn’t really an option. Toilets that are not culturally sensitive can end in a non-sanitary environment, or worse. A place like India is known for open defecation, which can unfortunately lead to rape and disease, which is why having a toilet design that is sustainable and usable for all different cultures, genders, and the disabled is most important when creating a toilet design.

Journal Entry Week 5

My toilet design team and I have been very successful with coming up with new ideas for our ideal toilet. The group consists of myself, Maya Luna, and Denny. After viewing the slide deck of the different types and styles of toilets, we first decided that the S bend of the toilet should not be exposed, so that we have a clean and sleek aesthetic. We than began looking up different design ideas in order to conserve water. Denny found a great design, in which the sink is actually attached to back of the toilet. After going to the bathroom, you wash your hands with fresh clean water. That same water is then stored in the tank as grey water, so that next time the toilet flushes it recycles the water you just used. We all agreed that this would be very effective in saving the environment, and would also promote sanitation a great deal. Because the toilet and sink are one entity, I would also think that it would be cheaper to make this one product, instead of producing the two separately. We are also trying to determine what is the cheapest and most sustainable material to make this toilet with. And of course, coming up with ways to make the design culture sensitive.

 

Our goal is to make a design that is aesthetically pleasing, conserves water, saves money, and is culture sensitive. As of right now, we did not assign specific rules/duties for each person. We are altogether contributing ideas for our toilet. I think once we get a concrete design down, we will then assign roles for each person to fufill. Overall, it’s been fun and I think we will learn a lot through the makings of our design.

Week #3 Journal Entry

The first toilet I stumbled upon it accidentally, and it seemed pretty gruesome. I got locked out of my apartment one day, so I had to keep myself busy outside. I visited the nearby park right outside my apartment, Carl Schurz Park. I really had to go to the bathroom, and saw a public restroom within the park, so without hesitation, I went inside. As soon as I stepped into the restroom, I realized that the floor was submerged with water. I went into the stall, to see that the floor tile was also completely covered in water, the toilet seat covered with urine from the last person who was in there, and damp toilet paper to my side. It was, to say the least, very enjoyable to go to the bathroom in this stall, as you can probably see from the pictures. I would rate it a 2 for aesthetic, it is neither an attractive nor ugly design. I give it a 3 for economical purposes, because it does seem like an affordable design- it isn’t too fancy, but it also might be too expensive for underprivileged people. I rate it a 3 for culturally sensitive, and a 2 for sustainability. Obviously the overflowing water in the place proved it to be possibly harmful to people who come in contact with this water. I can even go as far as to say that cholera might be a potential danger in this situation.

As for the good toilet I came across, I would have to say the New School toilet in the 11th Street Eugene Lang building on the 4th floor, is the best toilet I’ve come across recently. It is a sensor activated flush, which is a lot more sanitary than the average toilet. And for the stall itself, it was extremely clean. The area seemed spotless. I would give this toilet a 3 for aesthetic. It is aesthetically pleasing, but I wouldn’t quite say it is a “work of art.” Keeping in mind the economy, I would rate this toilet a 2.5, its production would not be affordable to the  majority of the public, but also still more affordable than something extremely luxurious, like a Japanese Toto, for example. I would give it a 3 for sustainability, because it seems like it fully protects people from pollution/damage. However, I was in class this morning and overheard that a toilet from the fifth floor started leaking, so much so that it flooded the elevator. So, I wouldn’t say this toilet is full proof, but it is definitely the most sanitary and sustainable I’ve seen so far. And for culturally sensitive, I would rate the toilet a 2.5/3. I believe that almost all people no matter what gender can use it. However, I’m not sure if people with disabilities would be able to use it easily.