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2012 Spring | Business & Sustainability, Policy & Regulation, Sustainability

A Modest Proposal for Bathroom Sustainability

Student(s):

Ian Philip

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Eli Wheat

Partner(s):

  • The UW Farm

Faculty advisor(s):

Steve Badanes, Department of Architecture, University of Washington

During the winter of 2012, I was commissioned by the University of Washington Student Farm to assess the material and financial requirements for constructing a composting toilet system. I was also delegated the task of visioning and blueprinting three distinct toilet systems that would best accommodate the needs of UW student farmers. I compiled these three designs in a report that included a cost-benefit analysis of each system and an itemized financial breakdown for each outhouse. Finally, I synthesized my research into a paper that uses variant societal relation- ships to human waste as a lens through which I identify a fundamental disconnect between civilization and nature.