We are going to be open for business

[possum]

http://www.poranuibeach.co.nz

Not open yet, (and yes the website aint finished yet either), but we are going to be opening a campsite.

I would like ideas on how to make it environmentally friendly.
We will ask the campers to divide their rubbish, the green waste will be composted on site and put back onto the land.
We have yet to decide between composting toilets and a septic tank (please give us more information on the best environmental alternative, and what will be best for the land)
We have put in 100 trees so far and plan on continuing the planting, but can we do more?

[Jack]

Gidday

Good onya mate. It looks good.

I wish you a very successful business ahead of you.

[SueSteve]

Possum,
Good luck!
Sorry I can't help with advice on the compost toilet/septic tank.
And at the moment I can't think of anything to add to your plan,
But wanted to say that I hope everything goes well for you.

(My daughter (12)wants to live in NZ when older!! Inspired by Lord of the Rings!! She wants to be a dentist and live by the River Hutt! Wherever that is!!)

[ina]

We have yet to decide between composting toilets and a septic tank (please give us more information on the best environmental alternative, and what will be best for the land)

No idea about NZ, but here this kind of question would be decided by what you get planning permission for! I know of somebody here in Scotland who has some very successful self catering places, and now isn't allowed to build a couple more, because it's all on septic tank... And being a bit far out, it's difficult to get connected to mains sewerage.

[the.fee.fairy]

At BGG, there were thunderboxes - composting toilet shed type affairs. There was the toilet, and some sawdust, and some loo roll. The toilets have urine separators (if you're really hardcore into self sufficiency, you could harvest the urine for felting wool, and setting dye and stuff, but i only saw this on TV, so i don't know how it works exactly). They look like they were temporary things, but i reckon you could use them permanently.

Download a copy of the Humanure Handbook - there are some great designs for composting loos in it, and it tells you how human compost works, and how to keep it safely.

The campsite sounds great! Good luck!

[ina]

They look like they were temporary things, but i reckon you could use them permanently.

The question is whether you'd get permission to use them permanently, especially if you are open for the public. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it - only I've heard enough of planning authorities not to be too enthusiastic about anything out of the ordinary...

[the.fee.fairy]

Ah, yeah, i didn't think of the permanent/planning permission angle.

[Magpie]

And this is NZ, at least 10 years behind everyone else!!

We have opted for a good septic system in our build, as we want to actually get building permission sometime this decade... composting toilets can use quite a bit of power (for fans etc) if you don't have a year-round temperate climate - the composting process slows or stops in cold weather. Septics don't mind what the weather is doing.

Maybe you could offer the service of ordering organic fruit/veg boxes for visitors? Unless you grow enough to supply then from your own garden, of course!

Or adding solar/wind to your set-up, to power the sites?

[possum]

They look like they were temporary things, but i reckon you could use them permanently.

The question is whether you'd get permission to use them permanently, especially if you are open for the public. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it - only I've heard enough of planning authorities not to be too enthusiastic about anything out of the ordinary...

I have been in touch with ECAN (Environment Canterbury) and we would need resource consent for which ever option we choose.
Composting toilets from what I can gather are more common in NZ than the UK as there are loads of places away from mains sewerage.

[possum]

Download a copy of the Humanure Handbook - there are some great designs for composting loos in it, and it tells you how human compost works, and how to keep it safely.

do you have a link for that? cheers

[possum]

Just found it here for anyone else interested http://jenkinspublishing.com/humanure_contents.html