On October 20th fifteen Rotarians and one guest met over a chicken dinner with all the trimmings at the American Legion. Nicole garnered the attention of President Tony and
offered two dollars: one self-fine for forgetting her badge at home and another for her design and production of the Rotary After Dark banner which was on display on a table behind her. Caroline was next with three Happy Dollars: one for our guest speaker Rebecca being here; another in recognition of Nicole’s successful clothing swap at Norwich; and a third for the joy of seeing the Rotary mural sparkling in the sun. Bertil threw five dollars in the basket in commemoration of his thirty years as a Rotarian. Doug followed suit with two Happy Dollars: one for the joy of serving at Meal-on-Wheels and one for his upcoming visit to Virginia. Eddie added two
more: one for mural appreciation and the other for Doug’s helping out at M-O-W. Tony tossed in another HD in joyfulness of the prospect of visiting his son in California. Karl proposed one-and-nine on Joe for wearing his hat at the table. After a brief discussion of indoors hat wearing etiquette, the fine passed. Joe proposed that a fine be leveled on those not wearing a mask. Bruce claimed that he was so vaccinated that he could dispense kisses. Loren opined that wearing a mask was not necessary since food was being served and the CDC does not recommend it. Eddie noted that the ceiling height would not be considered low, part of the criteria of a confined indoor space. Fine did not pass.
Announcements
Caroline reminded us to keep in mind the World Christmas Wrap which will occur on December 11th at the Granite Museum.
Nicole and Bruce announced a Rotary After Dark event at Twin City Family Center on November 18th. Teams of four will be formed to engage in friendly competition at the lanes. Bring family, friends and prospective members. Cost is $14.00 per person.
Club Assembly for October has been postponed so that key members can attend at a future date.
The election of Nicole as a candidate for President Elect will take place on November 10th.
Tiny Homes & Compostable Toilets Caroline introduced today’s speaker, Rebekah Owens, owner of Tiny Homes Helper, Inc. Rebekah's mission is to help people who want to live with a smaller footprint on the earth. Tiny homes and compostable toilets are an affordable housing option that present rare opportunities for our state and its citizens to live sustainably.
Rebekah began her presentation with a discussion of waste water and human waste, noting the differences and the nutrients found in each of them. The two most common nutrients
are phosphorus and nitrogen. She then went on to talk about poop. “What about poop? Poop is mostly bacteria, not old food. 50 to 80 percent of your poop (excluding water) is actually bacteria that had been living in your intestines and was then ejected as food passed through. Many of the bacteria in poop are still alive, but some are dead ,carcasses of species that bloomed as they fed on the indigestible plant matter you consumed, then died shortly afterward. But it's not all bacteria. Your poop also includes some of this indigestible plant matter, like the cellulose in vegetables, with the exact proportions dependent on your diet. Your poop also contains small amounts of your own tissue: intestinal lining cells that were sloughed off during digestion. And, of course, there's water."
She continued with a description of two kinds of toilets: water and waterless. Her business will focus on picking up and disposing of solid waste. She explained a sustainable model of reclamation which would return nutrients to the soil as fertilizer. She hopes to launch her business soon and make a valuable contribution to recycling.