The Black Sheep Inn: Composting toilets and sustainable water projects

The Black Sheep Inn, located in Chugchilan, Ecuador is a water nerd´s It is a true eco-lodge in every way you can imagine. Tea bags are reused as scratch paper, water from the sink is used to irrigate a bathroom garden and even human poo is composted and used as a fertilizer.

When you go to the bathroom at the Black Sheep Inn, you walk into a greenhouse like room with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. You then open the lid to a normal looking toilet and do your business. When you are done you wipe with recycled, biodegradable toilet paper and then dump a scoop full of wood shavings in when you are done. With careful temperature control and rotation the result is what they called “humanure” that is then used on the fruit trees and gardens.

After you close the lid to the composting toilet your eco-poo experience is only halfway done.
When you wash your hands with biodegradable soap you can watch the water drain from the sink onto the garden INSIDE the bathroom! No water is wasted and a useful byproduct is created. I have never thought of peeing and washing my hands as a potentially eco-helpful experience.

In addition to composting toilets, the Black Sheep Inn has several water projects used to supply the Inn and the surrounding community with water. These projects include pumping ground water, solar energy run irrigation systems and rain water harvesting. However, I am on the Galapagos Islands and my boat is about to depart on a several day exploration. I hope to post again when I am back on the mainland of Ecuador. Today I had the chance to visit two island desalination plants and can´t wait to write about it. Desalination is the next big thing in water… I am sure of it!

See more pictures here!