When I read Debra Lynn Dadd’s’ article on her chlorine free swimming pool, I thought, what a brilliant idea! With the summer holidays coming, I just know the entire family is going to be swimming a lot, especially the kids. And when one thinks of the huge amounts of chemicals in a regular pool – chlorine, muriatic acid, bromine and so on, and how it so easily gets absorbed into the system, it makes sense to look to other alternatives.

Debra uses an above-ground pool (good for the environment!) and incorporates a pretty amazing technique invented by Winston Kao, who really knows about “living” water and organic growing among other things. But more posts on this very interesting man later. Anyway, Debra bought a water system from Winston Kao, which now makes the water in her swimming pool not just naturally clean, but also good for you! And with no chemicals at all. Chlorine, if you didn’t know, is linked to asthma and cancer in kids.

There are a number of companies and products offering chlorine-free alternatives, like Ecosmarte pools, and of course the salt water option, which are becoming more common, yet I wouldn’t choose it mainly because my son is one of those kids whose eyes really sting in sea water. Be wary though of some products, which although are non-chlorinated, are STILL made from chemicals. Try and look for the most natural options you can and treat your family to healthier fun this summer.

A Waterless Composting Toilet

Delicious organic produce for lunch, soft sustainable cotton in our bed sheets, color coordinated recycling bins in the garage – going green seems to be all lovely jubbly, until we get to the place that decidedly is not – the toilet.

I recently read an article in the UK Guardian on this, under Ethical Dilemmas. The facts are ugly indeed and are a real dilemma we should be aware of:

” …4,000 litres of water to wash away the 13 gallons of faeces and 130 gallons of urine we each produce annually (plus, huge amounts of energy are required to run sewage works)…

Each year more than 200m tonnes of human waste and vast quantities of waste water and solid waste go untreated around the world….”

It also rightly points out that ours is a “flush and forget” society, which is bad enough as it is, but whats worse is that 41% percent of the worlds population have no access to sanitation at all. And all this waste, which when not disposed of properly has some pretty devastating effects, affecting the health of millions in the developing world, mostly children.

So what can be done? Well, at the very least, you should have one of those toilets that uses the least amount of water possible, with a dual-flush system. Teaching members of your household to flush only when absolutely necessary is also good and easy to execute (for instance, with children and #1, to just please shut the lid, # 2 may be flushed).

More drastic measures are as follows:

Buy an Eco Toilet: The interesting-looking toilet in the photo above, is a composting toilet from Envirolet which basically turns your waste into useful compost!

Building an Eco-Toilet For Outdoors: If the above product inside your home is just a bit too advanced (and costly) for a beginner greenie like yourself, you could attempt to purchase a kit to build one in your garden or yard. Ecovit has an aptly-named “Privy Kit” which converts any outdoor toilet into a modern urine-separating toilet for only about $100.

Hire A Green Plumbing Company – These people help with finding green solutions for home and commercial waste requirements. Companies who provide this service can also help with the right fixtures, pipes and heaters which save water, energy and promote better sanitation. Try Green Plumbing USA or Green Plumbers in Australia.

Welcome to Yurto, the blog about eco-friendly living in the home. Inspired by the yurt, an ancient circular dwelling place built in tune with nature, we hope to explore the ways we can all make a change for the better in the world that we live in – beginning from our homes.

Why is it so important to go green? Al Gore, who woke up the world with his now-famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, puts it succinctly:

“…Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it’s much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future…”

10 years??? Now that’s a scary thought.  If you have children like me, that’s enough reason to stop procrastinating and do something about NOW.

So from plastic to canvas, wasting to conserving,  lets find ways to care for the earth while we can and live healthier, happier lives.