Meadow Farm Community Land Trust was grateful to bring our community together on October 16, 2026 for two events exploring the future of human waste and the possibilities for more sustainable, resilient sanitation systems.
The afternoon began with a book reception and signing at The Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino with anthropologist Nick Kawa, author of After the Flush: Rethinking the Future of Human Waste. Nick’s research takes us behind the scenes of conventional wastewater systems, examining what happens after we flush and introducing alternative approaches such as composting toilets, container-based sanitation, and ecological methods of managing human waste.
That evening, the conversation continued at the Redwood Forest Foundation Building in Fort Bragg, where community members, local experts, practitioners, and representatives from the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors gathered to explore the challenges facing our current sanitation systems and consider what the future might look like.
With contributions from Alisa Keesey of the Santa Cruz community sanitation project, Nick Kawa, Ted Williams, Bernie Norvell, and others, the discussion explored dry sanitation, composting toilets, ecological approaches, disaster preparedness, and opportunities for practical community projects and partnerships.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who came out, participated, asked questions, shared ideas, and helped make these gatherings such meaningful opportunities for connection and learning. We also appreciate the support and engagement of our Board of Supervisors and the experts and community leaders who contributed their knowledge and experience.
We see this conversation as just the beginning. There is so much more to explore, and we are excited about the possibilities ahead for building more sustainable, ecological, and resilient sanitation systems here in our community. We look forward to continuing the conversation, developing ideas, and finding ways to turn shared interest into meaningful local action.
