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Clivus Multrum, Inc. Inside this issue:
Stroud's LEED® Platinum Building includes Clivus
Conserving precious resources at Presidio
Tradeshows/Conferences July 23, 2013| Vol. 7, Issue 2

National Association of State Park Directors Conference, Dubuque, IA

September 3-6, 2013

Come visit us and discuss how your park can benefit from composting toilets.

Golf Industry Show, Orlando, FL

February 5- February 6, 2014

Visit us and see our M54 trailhead in person!

GSA

Clivus Multrum on GSA

We've signed a contract with the General Services Administration to sell our M54 Trailhead series at a discounted rate to customers in the federal government. Visit us at www.GSAAdvantage.gov to see how easy it is!

Clivus Multrum on GSA Advantage

Maintenance

Did you know that Clivus can arrange to provide your facility with composting system maintenance services? Clivus offers a variety of maintenance options to meet your needs. No matter where your facility is located, we'll come to you or work with local subcontractors to ensure that the job is done right. Call us at 800-425-4887 for more information.

Greetings from Clivus Multrum!

This issue of the Natural Solution News features two recent projects. The Stroud Water Research Center, a leader in fresh water research and education, installed two M18 composting toilet systems in its LEED® Platinum Moorhead Environmental Complex. The Presidio Trust utilized the M54 Double Trailhead to provide visitors, volunteers and staff with a restroom at the El Polín site.

Stroud Center's LEED® Platinum Building includes Clivus

Stroud Center's LEED® Platinum Moorhead Environmental Complex.*

The mission of the Stroud Water Research Center, located in Avondale, Pennsylvania, is to advance our global knowledge and stewardship of fresh water systems through research and education. Since 1966, the Stroud Center has accomplished this through applied scientific research involving rivers and streams and also through educational programming for children and adults.

The Stroud Center's facilities reflect its water resource stewardship mission. In 2012 a new education building was commissioned which achieved LEED® Platinum on April 22, 2013. The green design features of the Moorhead Environmental Complex include locally sourced and recycled materials, natural ventilation and light, solar power, high efficiency windows as well as many water conserving technologies. In addition to the two Clivus Multrum M18 composting toilet systems with three waterless toilets and two waterless urinals, the Center utilizes rainwater for flushing dual-flush toilets. A green roof and rain gardens capture and slow the rate of stormwater runoff. Also, a constructed wetland treats the wastewater from the Center by moving it through a sub-surface gravel and sand substrate on which plants are rooted, pumping it into a drip irrigation system, and then returning the water to the ground.
The design team selected the Clivus...because it fits with the water-focused mission of the organization and prevents nitrogen and phosphorus from polluting the on-site White Clay Creek.

According to David Funk, Entomologist and Director of Facilities, the design team selected the Clivus composting toilet system because it fits with the water-focused mission of the organization and prevents nitrogen and phosphorus from polluting the on-site White Clay Creek. According to Funk, the Center is addressing concepts around water-resource use from a variety of angles including the composting toilet system and constructed wetlands. Further, as an environmental and scientific research organization, he says the Center is interested in seeing green technologies work. Students visiting the center for education programs use the composting toilets and are taught about the water conserving features at the Center.

Restroom with waterless toilet and urinals.*
Funk was confident that the Clivus composting toilet system would be a better fit for the commercial-scale installation than the residential model installed in a previously constructed building on site. His conversations with the Clivus team and a visit to another site with a Clivus composting toilet system added to his confidence prior to installation. Unfortunately, the contractors did not follow the specifications for the ventilation system: the finely-screened vent caps that were installed began to clog soon after occupancy and impeded air flow. Since the screens were removed, the toilet rooms have been odorless.

The Stroud Center maintenance crew performs all compost system maintenance. After six months of operation, red wiggler worms were introduced and Funk reports that they are adapting well. He is so pleased with the system that he says the Clivus would definitely be considered as an option for another construction project at the Center.

*Images courtesy of David H. Funk.


Conserving precious resources at the Presidio

Clivus Multrum 2-stall Trailhead
Presidio Trust's M54 Double Trailhead.**

A former military post with a history dating to 1776, the Presidio has been transformed into a vibrant public park including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, California. The Presidio Trust is a federal agency created by Congress to serve a dual purpose: to rehabilitate and repurpose the Presidio's historic buildings and environmental resources, and operate the site as a public park independent of annual taxpayer funds as of the end of 2012. The Trust continues to manage 80% of the interior land of the park while the National Park Service manages the coastal areas.

The Trust offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation, including the newly revitalized El Polín spring located on the Ecology Trail. The revitalization project comprised of restoring the spring, planting native plant species and opening to the sun a section of creek once buried in a storm drain. The spring is used as an outdoor classroom for school groups and the public enjoys the wildlife and history that the site offers. Birds and other wildlife congregate at this freshwater site which is part of the park's largest watershed, the Tennessee Hollow, and in 2005 archeologists began excavating artifacts from Native Ohlone, Mexican, Spanish-colonial and Army-era settlements at El Polín.

The Clivus Multrum M54 Double Trailhead was selected as the restroom solution for the El Polín site because it provides the necessary capacity of up to 44,000 uses per year while accommodating the sensitive nature of the site. Because of the ongoing archeological research at the spring, traditional trenching for utilities was not possible. The Clivus Trailhead was also an attractive option because it fit with the historical and environmental significance of the site. As the project involved revitalization of the spring, creek and watershed, responsible usage of water resources was determined to be an important element so the waterless toilet fixture was selected.

Clivus Multrum Trailhead
El Polín spring.**
Amy Deck, project manager, identified additional benefits in working with the Clivus team. "Having the opportunity to visit another site, Crystal Springs Golf Club, helped me to understand how composting toilet systems function by seeing it firsthand." According to Deck, the resources and information provided by Clivus helped her understand the technology and determine that it was the best restroom solution for the site. She noted that installation was straightforward and "having Clivus support on site during installation was especially useful."

The Clivus Trailhead at El Polín was initially used only by Presidio volunteers and program attendees in order to decrease the risk of vandalism. Based on feedback from park visitors including residents of the adjacent neighborhood, the Trust installed a timed lock so that hikers, picnickers and other visitors would have access to a restroom during the day. Many of the visitors and program attendees have reported to the project manager and staff that they appreciate having access to the restroom and are pleasantly surprised that the restroom has no odor.

Maintenance is currently managed by a Clivus Multrum sub-contractor, and involves raking the unit and adding bulking material at regular intervals. The sub-contractor has trained the Presidio Trust staff and the organization plans to transition maintenance responsibilities to their staff for 2013. According to Deck, the maintenance arrangements are working out well and are essential for maintaining the odorless environment. She is so pleased with the Clivus Trailhead that she says the technology will be an option at the park when there is an appropriate opportunity.

**Images courtesy of Presidio Trust.

 

Contact Clivus Multrum to see if a Clivus composting toilet system is right for your next project.