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Inside this issue:
LSC Design: Walking the Talk
Lee County Finds the Solution
Tradeshows/Conferences March 4, 2014 | Vol. 8, Issue 1

Golf Industry Show, Orlando, FL

February 5 - February 6, 2014

The tradeshow was a huge success and many attendees had the opportunity to see the Clivus M54 Trailhead.

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 Services

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. LSC Design, a Pennsylvania-based architecture and design firm, installed two Clivus M35 composting toilet systems in its urban office, which also serves as a demonstration project for clients. In Florida, the Lee County Parks department has found that Clivus systems work well in many of their parks that are not located near water or electric utilities.

LSC Design: Walking the Talk

Clivus Multrum Trailhead
LSC Design office building exterior in York, PA.*

LSC Design, an architecture and design firm located in York, Pennsylvania, opened their newly renovated office space in early January 2014. The company’s wide-ranging portfolio includes healthcare and education, mixed-use development and sustainable design. Based on their own sustainability goals, the company selected the Clivus Multrum M35 composting toilet system for their recent 43,340 sq ft. renovation, which is aiming for LEED Platinum.

The Clivus system is used by the company’s staff of 65 plus clients attending daily building tours. These tours give LSC Design the opportunity to provide their clients with a direct experience of the functionality of composting toilet systems in urban applications.  And, in order to show the range of fixture options with the compost toilet, LSC chose to have the Clivus waterless toilet, waterless urinal and foam-flush toilet.  The foam-flush toilet uses only 3-6oz of water to create a foam blanket that carries toilet waste through a conventional 4” drain pipe to the compost unit.  As the building is slab-on-grade construction, the composting tank was installed on the first floor with the Foam-flush, waterless toilet and waterless urinal fixtures available in the restrooms on the second floor. The first floor features low-flow, dual-flush toilets connected to the city sewer system.

Clivus Multrum Trailhead
LSC Design office building interior.*

According to Rob Kinsley, President of LSC Design, the Clivus Multrum system was selected based on market research and his experience working on a task force at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Phillipp Merrell Environmental Center, which includes Clivus systems and is the first LEED Platinum building in the US. While other models were considered, their research showed that Clivus remains the go-to name for expertise in the field of composting toilets.

LSC Design worked with Clivus and their mechanical contractor, a design-build firm, to size a system that would accommodate the usage of a projected 100 visitors each day. The two M35 composting tanks accommodate 65,000 annual visits per tank so it will be several years before dry compost will have to be removed.

Kinsley performed the first monthly maintenance routine at the end of January 2014. As he was the one to bring the Clivus to LSC Design, he felt he should be the one to take the lead on maintenance and noted that it surprises people that it is not at all intensive.  Monthly maintenance entails mixing pine shavings into the new waste input to create the proper texture for aerobic decomposition of feces.  At LSC, this job takes about 20 minutes for both compost units. The company will continue to maintain their Clivus system, with support from Clivus as needed.

With the installation of the Clivus system, LSC Design projects a 60% savings of their typical water use per year, which represents significant cost savings as well. The incorporation of these waterless and low-flow plumbing fixtures contributed toward five points in the Water Efficiency category on their submitted LEED Platinum application. Kinsley emphasized that “these systems just make sense” and that both the company’s staff and clients have had a “positive and curious” response to the Clivus. We applaud Kinsley’s commitment to the environmental advantages of compost toilets and his turning the LSC workspace into a showcase of sustainability.

*Images courtesy of LSC Design.


Lee County Finds the Solution

M54 Trailhead at Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve. Photo by Don Mills.

For the parks of Lee County, Florida, Clivus Multrum composting toilet systems are a great restroom solution for locations where no water or sewer is available. This southwestern Gulf coast county, which includes Fort Myers, has installed four M54W Trailhead systems and three M35 Composting toilet systems with additional projects planned.

According to Cathy Olson, Lee County conservation lands manager, “We have elected to use the Clivus in some locations where we don’t have access to water and sewer. It’s too expensive to install and maintain a traditional septic system. We went with the Clivus because it is cost-effective and fits with what we’re trying to do at our parks.” Because Clivus systems don’t require expensive sewer or septic, they help the Parks Department to focus on its mission “to enhance the quality of life in Lee County by providing a broad variety of accessible leisure, recreation, and cultural activities and services.”

The Lee County parks provide a wide variety of recreational resources to the public. From hiking trails to baseball fields, the County’s parks, preserves and beaches are beloved by visitors. The first Clivus composting toilet system in Lee County was installed at the Caloosahatchee Regional Park in 2007. This 768 acre park offers more than 20 miles of hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails as well as fishing and primitive camping. To accommodate the number of visitors, two M54W Trailhead systems were installed. The Trailhead, an ADA accessible composter-building package, accommodates 22,000 uses per fixture per year. The following year, another M54W was installed at Charleston Park, a 2-1/2 acre park with a playground, pavilion, an open basketball court, a large covered basketball pavilion and a multi-use field.

In 2009, three M35 Composting toilet systems were installed in the newly constructed Outdoor Activity Center at Bunche Beach, which has two kayak/canoe launches, two wildlife viewing/fishing piers and boardwalks. Bunche Beach, a unique location with sandy beaches, mangrove forests and salt flats, has no running water or electric service so the Clivus composting toilet system was a great solution for the park’s remote location. Bunche Beach hosts a significant number of visitors each year so three M35 systems were installed, each accommodating 65,000 visits per year.

The latest Clivus installation in Lee County was another M54W Trailhead at the 3,138 acre Wild Turkey Strand Preserve, installed in 2012. ADA accessible, the Wild Turkey Strand preserve offers bird watching, geocaching, hiking, a picnic area as well as an interpretive display for Buckingham Air Field, a World War II training ground. Wild Turkey Strand is one of the county’s Conservation 20/20 preserves. The 20/20 program is the county’s land management program for environmentally sensitive locations. The county has purchased or acquired over forty 20/20 preserves that it manages for natural conditions, which includes removing invasive species and conducting prescribed burnings, as well as opening up the spaces to the public. Ms. Olson oversees the development of the 20/20 preserves and has selected the Clivus M54W for additional upcoming projects.

While there was an initial learning curve with the installation of the Clivus by the original contractor, Olson says that they now have the installation down-pat. County staff maintains the units and both the staff and public alike are happy with the facilities. Olson also commented that the ongoing support provided by Clivus Multrum has helped ensure that the units function optimally.

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