Synopses & Reviews
Written by a humanure composting practitioner and organic gardener with over 20 years experience, this third edition provides detailed scientific information on how humanure can be hygienically recycled, without fancy technological do-dads, a large bank account, toxic chemicals, or environmental pollution. This unique handbook provides information on composting, soil fertility and microorganisms, alternative graywater systems and much more. It also gives detailed instructions on how you can build your own sawdust toilet and compost bins for only a few dollars.
The Humanure Handbook lists sources of composting toilets worldwide, includes a review of U.S. state regulations, is richly illustrated with both technical drawings as well as humorous cartoons, and is full of reader feedback from the first edition.
Defecating in our drinking water is perhaps one of our culture's most curious, but least talked about, habits. This book gives compelling and detailed testimony as to why humanure should be constructively recycled:
- to prevent water pollution (almost 4 trillion gallons of sewage effluent are dumped into our coastal waterways each year);
- to fertilize the soil (rich in soil nutrients, humanure can be safely recycled by thermophilic composting);
- to protect our dwindling drinking water supplies (nearly 1/3 of all household drinking water is used to flush toilets); and
- to enhance our health. Fertile soil not only grows great veggies, but nourishes our health and community's well-being.
Review
"A history of various composting methods, science, and problems is accompanied by a healthy dose of humor plus a solid foundation of science into pathogens, pros and cons of competing systems, and more. If you're an avid composter, there's nothing like this on the market." Midwest Book Review
Review
"Finally we have a comprehensive book on recycling human excrement without chemicals, high technology or pollution. Well written, practical, and thoroughly researched, this self-published book is built on nearly twenty years of experience by the author, who tells us about every aspect of dealing with excrement on the home-scale level." Whole Earth Review
Review
"Jenkins provides a convincing case that human waste can and should be a safe composting material." Mother Earth News
Review
"This is a fundamentally radical book....[An] eco-Luddite anarchist's potty training manual." Earth First! Journal
Review
"The Humanure Handbook is the perfect self-published book, filling a niche that a big publisher wouldn't touch with a ten foot shovel....[It] tells us the who, what, where, when, and why of human poop." Green Living
Synopsis
Humanure: waste or resource? Joseph Jenkins boldly steps where no author has gone before. The Humanure Handbook will surprise you with its timely relevance, delight you with its humor, and impress you with its thorough research. Brilliantly simple, profoundly mundane, this is one book you will never forget. Full of "eye-candy" illustrations, practical information, history, philosophy, and science, it addresses an issue relevant to each and every human being on Planet Earth.
Synopsis
There are almost seven billion defecating people on planet Earth, but few who have any clue about how to constructively handle the burgeoning mountain of human crap. The Humanure Handbook, third edition, will amuse you, educate you, and possibly offend you, but it will certainly pertain to you--unless, of course, your bowels never move.
This new edition of The Humanure Handbook is:
The Tenth Anniversary Edition
Richly illustrated with eye-candy artwork
Perfect for reading while sitting on the "throne"
Revised, improved, and updated
256 pages of crapAbout the Author
Joseph Jenkins has composted humanure at his home in Pennsylvania for 26 years, while raising a family. During that time he has developed an extraordinary depth of insight into the processes involved. His easy writing style, thorough research and execrable humor have caused his self-published books to be published on three continents and circulated around the world. Jenkins has received three national awards for his books and has been a finalist in seven other book award competitions. More information can be found on his web site at joseph-jenkins.com.