- Beyond Sustainability - The Case for Regenerative Design
- Understanding Place - Climate, Site, and Solar Geometry
- The Six Integrated Systems - An Overview
- Building with the Earth—Natural Materials
- Passive Solar Design - Heating and Cooling Without Machines
- Off-Grid Energy Systems - Power from the Sun
- Water - Catching, Storing, and Cycling
- Liquid Waste Treatment - Botanical Systems
- Food Systems—Buildings That Feed
- Community Design - Scaling Up
- The Integrated Design Process
- Appendix A: Glossary of Key Terms
- Appendix B: The Pangea Textbook Series
- Appendix C: Key Design Principles at a Glance
- The Regenerative Community Vision
- Site Assessment and Land Reading
- Land Use Law and Legal Frameworks
- Master Planning for Regenerative Communities
- Infrastructure Systems Integration
- Housing Typologies and Density Design
- Community Governance Structures
- Economic Models for Community Development
- Phased Development Strategy
- Community Resilience and Long-Term Stewardship
- Appendix A: Legal Entity Comparison Chart
- Appendix B: Community Design Checklist
- Appendix C: Glossary of Community Development Terms
Composting is the biological decomposition of organic matter — food scraps, garden waste, paper, and in some designs, solid toilet waste from composting toilets — into a stable, nutrient-rich soil amendment. A well-managed compost system transforms waste that would otherwise go to a landfill or municipal composting facility into a resource that fertilizes the building’s food production systems and restores organic matter to the soil.
Every regenerative building should have a composting system appropriately sized for its occupancy and food production output. This can range from a simple three-bin outdoor composter for kitchen and garden waste to an integrated system that handles all organic waste streams including food scraps, botanical cell prunings, paper waste, and wood ash. The compost produced feeds the botanical cells, the greenhouse growing beds, and exterior garden areas, closing the nutrient loop between food consumption and food production.
Review Questions
1. What is the difference between greywater and blackwater? Give examples of sources for each.
2. Describe the interior botanical cell: its physical structure, how greywater moves through it, what biological processes occur within it, and what happens to the treated water.
3. How does the exterior botanical cell fit into the four-cycle water system? What role does the septic tank play in the sequence?
4. Why is composting described as part of the liquid waste and food systems simultaneously? What inputs does it accept and what does it produce?
5. What are the code considerations for a botanical treatment system? How does the Pangea approach address code compliance while maintaining the full treatment system as the primary pathway?