Septic

LO REview, Aug 2018

It’s outrageous that our city leaders, in this summer of extreme heat, in this decade of drought and conflagration, in this new millennium marked by mass human migrations and accelerated extinctions, in this era of heightened awareness that monster buildings on small pieces of land surrounded by concrete contribute to global warming - it’s outrageous that these educated, forward-thinking, conscientious leaders would propose the elimination of a time-tested, environmentally-beneficial practice that adds not one iota to any of these problems. And what’s even more exasperating - and dismaying – and let me add truly frightening – is that our so-called leaders want to punish the practitioners of this life-enhancing activity, not only by making them stop, but also by charging them tens of thousands of dollars to do so. I’m talking poop, here, folks. I’m talking septic systems. I’m talking about the 2,200 households in Lake Oswego who consistently and safely enhance their soils by organically converting food into nourishment for shade trees. I’m talking about carbon sequestration. I’m talking about less energy needed for air conditioning. I’m talking about thousands of small but meaningful acts that occur automatically and naturally. Energy-neutral acts that keep our city on a path to sustainability. And at the same time, I’m talking about the city’s aim to go after entire neighborhoods of these right-living people, to force them to join the march to irresponsibility and greed.

If the city wants our poop so badly then, damn it, they can pay us for it.