GOOD

The GOOD 100: Humble Pile

Eric Smillie
10.14.09

Crap Caper: Chicago's illegal cache of human waste is tomorrow's gardening gold.

In an undisclosed storage area in Chicago, Nance Klehm has a hidden stockpile of human excrement. When the 1,500-gallon stash finishes its two-year composting cycle next summer, it will be soil as rich as any you could buy at the store-a gardener's black gold. If it's discovered by the authorities before then, it'll be deemed hazardous and removed. The hoard belongs to Humble Pile Chicago, a conspiracy of 22 people Klehm has rallied to help.Credit her childhood on a farm in northwest Illinois: Klehm is a self-made food and soil consultant who thinks we need to close the nutrient loop when it comes to a sustainable source of fertilizer. "It's hard to find safe soil for planting in the city," she says. "Most of what you get is stripped from someplace else; we're stealing it from one place and trying to enrich another with it. It's nuts."

She decided years ago to collect more than kitchen scraps, and built herself a dry toilet to catch her "humanure." "My bucket is front and center in the bathroom at this point, while my flushie is just a book stand," she says. She started Chicago's Humble Pile to increase her yield. Participants had simple orders: Do your business in buckets, cover with sawdust, and fill large garbage cans for Klehm to cart away (while avoiding landlords).For Nicole Garneau, 39, a performance artist and teacher, taking part was easy. "I could do it without ever leaving the comfort of my home," she says. When her full barrel was ready for pickup, she'd boldly leave it out in front of her co-op building with a sign that read, "Nicole's shit, do not open." No one did.She's now eagerly awaiting the return of her portion of the pile, which she plans to nonchalantly fold into her co-op's box garden. By then it will bear no evidence of her dastardly deed-it will look, in fact, like any old humble pile of soil.NOW WHAT? To join the Chicago Humble Pile, visit spontaneousvegetation.net. Photos by Nance Klehm

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A new PSA smartly reveals just how dangerous tackle football is for kids

When former Pittsburgh Steelers' center Mike Webster committed suicide in 2002, his death began to raise awareness of the brain damage experienced by NFL football players. A 2017 study found that 99% of deceased NFL players had a degenerative brain disease known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Only one out of 111 former football players had no sign of CTE. It turns out, some of the risks of traumatic brain injury experienced by heavily padded adults playing at a professional level also exist for kids with developing brains playing at a recreational level. The dangers might not be as intense as what the adults go through, but it can have some major life-long consequences.

A new PSA put out by the Concussion Legacy Foundation raises awareness of the dangers of tackle football on developing brains, comparing it to smoking. "Tackle football is like smoking. The younger I start, the longer I am exposed to danger. You wouldn't let me smoke. When should I start tackling?" a child's voice can be heard saying in the PSA as a mother lights up a cigarette for her young son.

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Trump just asked to be impeached on Twitter. So what are we waiting for?

via Gage Skidmore / Flickr

On Tuesday morning, President Trump tweeted about some favorable economic numbers, claiming that annual household income is up, unemployment is low, and housing prices are high.

Now, just imagine how much better those numbers would be if the country wasn't mired in an economy-killing trade war with China, bleeding out trillion-dollar-a-year debts, and didn't suffer from chaotic leadership in the Oval Office?

At the end of tweet, came an odd sentence, "Impeach the Pres."

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Politics

Domestic abuse shelter in Indiana expands services to include male survivors

October is domestic violence awareness month and when most people think of domestic violence, they imagine mostly female victims. However, abuse of men happens as well – in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. But some are taking it upon themselves to change all that.

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These 20 companies are personally responsible for the majority of carbon waste hurting our planet

At this point most reasonable people agree that climate change is a serious problem. And while a lot of good people are working on solutions, and we're all chipping in by using fewer plastic bags, it's also helpful to understand where the leading causes of the issue stem from. The list of 20 leading emitters of carbon dioxide by The Guardian newspaper does just that.

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The Planet

5 of the most powerful quotes from Michael Moore’s viral Facebook post about Joker

via International Labour Organization / Flickr and Michael Moore / Facebook

Before the release of "The Joker" there was a glut of stories in the media about the film's potential to incite violence.

The FBI issued a warning, saying the film may inspire violence from a group known as the Clowncels, a subgroup of the involuntarily celibate or Incel community.

Incels an online subculture who believe they are unable to attract a sexual partner. The American nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center describes them as "part of the online male supremacist ecosystem" that is included in its list of hate groups.

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