Monthly Archive for February, 2011

Page 3 of 3

What Should Our Next Time Capsule Contain?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 3, 2011 in General News. 18 Comments

Here’s what’s (ostensibly) in the time capsule from 49 years ago, buried on the 200th anniversary of Charlottesville:

  • The Daily Progress and Wall Street Journal
  • A letter from Mayor Lewis Scribner to the mayor of 2012
  • The Daily Progress’ ceremonial edition on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the city
  • Chamber of Commerce publications
  • Maps and pictures
  • A letter from the fire chief to the fire chief of 2012

Now, that ain’t bad, but it doesn’t show any particular imagination on the part of the people who buried the thing in 1962. Since it’s a foregone conclusion that there’s going to be another time capsule buried next year, to be opened on the occasion of some future anniversary, what should be in that one? What is our message to the people of the future—or, if it’s fifty years from now, ourselves in the future (for some of us)?

Human Feces Being Spread Across Albemarle Farmland

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 1, 2011 in Agriculture. 18 Comments

Human feces is being sprayed on a field near the South Fork of the Rivanna Reservoir, Sean Tubbs reports for Charlottesville Tomorrow, and it’s perfectly legal. The neighbors, understandably, aren’t thrilled. Recyc Systems, of Culpeper, has a permit to spread the waste—aka “biosolids”—on a total of ten square miles of the county, which they haul down here from Washington D.C.’s wastewater sewage plant. It’s all done for free because—would you believe it?—apparently people won’t pay to have human feces spread all over their property, but they will have it done for nothing. A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that biosolids are full of all the horrible things that your body has the good sense to excrete, including steroids, hormones, flame retardants, and heavy metals. There are some legal restrictions that help, like that livestock can’t graze on the land for thirty days after application, and a plan has to be submitted that explains how phosphorous and nitrogen will be kept out of the watershed.

Even if the county wanted to limit this, there’s no reason to think that they could—it’s regulated by the state, and the county isn’t given the power to regulate it.

Sideblog