A $70,000 Toilet?!?

"Sleeping Giant" courtesy of Seattlest Flickr contributor Bob Scoverski

Mount Rainier National Park is preparing for a big celebration on Monday, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony and everything. At the center of the celebration: A new trail? No. A new naturalist program? No. New campground? Nope. A brand-new toilet? Ding-ding! And this toilet must be something pretty amazing--this is its second official celebration, and it cost a truly jaw-dropping $70,000. For a toilet...singular.

This isn't even one of those full-service toilets that sprays, bidets, and has its own special flushing music. It is, however, a so-called bio-toilet. The toilet uses cedar chips and composts the waste naturally, with "very little water or odor" according to every single report on the new toilet. The toilet is at the Cougar Rock Campground and was donated by a Japanese non-profit. We all know the real important person at the ceremony isn't whoever cuts the ribbon, but whoever inaugurates the toilet. If you ever thought the "green revolution" wasn't about money, this greenest of toilets should give you pause.