People
Yogiversity goes green
Maharishi University plans greenest ever educational facility in Iowa
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
August 6, 2008
No Comments
Maharishi University plans greenest ever educational facility in Iowa
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
A big worry today is what to do with all the waste that is disposed of in our everyday lives. Where is all the wrappers, napkins, uneaten food, worn clothing, broken furniture, etc that needs to be disposed of going? and how do we make trash a positive effect for our environment. Recycling and reuse are great options but what about the pizza box that can’t be recycled or the torn pants that can’t be repaired, they should be able to make a difference too.
So while prowling the forum over at TreeHugger a discussion of if it was an energy source was found. Which reminded us of two options for small or large scale renewable power can come from garbage. Methane harvesting and incineration of that which can’t get a second life as usable product.
Methane harvesting is a viable option especially in todays calling for alternative fuel options. Methane can be harvested and sold as is or could be piped to an electric plant to produce electricity, which then can be sold. Back in 2000 NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center awarded a contract to the Toro Energy to use landfill gas. According to the release at the time of the contract:
Goddard plans to purchase no less than $900,000 of landfill gas annually. The unit gas cost includes the costs of building facilities to accommodate the delivery of gas. The Center also intends to expand use of the gas to alternate-fueled vehicles, and possibly to become a centralized government fueling station. Other possible applications for using the landfill gas may be powering chillers in the power plant, or even electrical generation.
So the idea to do this has already been implemented in large scale projects and seven years in to this contract there has not been a large outcry (nor that we’ve heard small) about this not being a working option. No outcrying of harmful side effects from employees of the base, landfill or residents living between the two of health concerns. Considering the skepticism and some downright disapproval in the public at the time it was implemented that is almost a miracle in itself.
Burning trash is another option that is possible. In Baltimore City there is a plant, one of only 16 in the country, that has been doing it since 1984. Considering that at that time most plants of this type were still the dirty, polluting ones in our nightmares, it’s amazing that it is actually a source of pride to our city (at least the ones who realize it’s there and what it does). There is no haze that hangs around or odors that can be smelled miles away. The plant. Wheelabrator Baltimore Inc., has actually worked to help clean up the area and become a symbol of the ideal waste burning plant.
Their first step is to remove metal that can be …
A simple and effective way to conserve water and save money on water bills is to change your toilet to a dual flush one. This can be done as simply as buying a new dual flush toilet, just a dual flush tank, or using a conversion kit for a conventional toilet.
Since a dual flush toilet is designed to only use the water needed to flush the waste you save and you don’t have to use the practice of only flushing on number 2 as has been advised to me before. If you live in a house full of people, did I mention that 6 people live in my home and during the summer/fall months 7, that can leave an unpleasant odor lingering in your bathroom. Since composting toilets are also not an option, we’ve looked into other avenues.
Dual flushing toilets sound like a great idea for those who aren’t ready to change bathroom habits, but want to stop wasting galleons of water daily. If you want a complete toilt you can look into purchasing one at a local hardware retailer. Or you can check out Aquanotion, a company out of Canada, to see some of their solutions that aren’t as expensive as replacing a complete toilet. They offer a two flush solution that will work with an existing toilet by using a kit to replace the inner workings of your tank. This kit once installed, and can usually be done by someone themselves, will give you the option of a low flow flush or a regular flush, depending on the need.
If you don’t wish to fiddle with the tank they also offer a tank designed to fit most toilet bowls sold in North America that already comes complete you just need to fit it onto your bowl. This would save time but still would require some minor installation to be done.
Of course know that we started to research toilets we saw electric composting toilets that mix everything for you, and can last up to a year before needing to be emptied. Then to top it off they don’t use harmful chemicals so the waste can then be introduced to your compost pile. We were almost in love till we saw the price tag the cheapest being $1,799 with a non electric coming in slightly cheaper at $1,399 (and no we didn’t put the comma in the wrong place). Still if you can afford it why not. We’ll be waiting for the price to come down or just admire it from a far.
So options have greatly increased in everyday appliances to make changes for positive in both our pocketbooks and our world. We just have to notice them that’s all.
This site and subject was suggested on the forum and we would like to thank seafury for the idea and letting us know about the …
There are a number of options for your waste water, the water that has been used in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry. Some options would mean keeping this waste separate and dispose of in different ways, but the one stop solution and most common is a septic system. As this option is the common for those who cannot get city water or in older homes this is an option that is not unknown to the common person. Though if you are considering this you need to make sure that it is an option in some suburban and urban (not practical in most cases) areas. In our area it is hard if not impossible to get approved for a new septic system as our county wants everyone connected to our city water. Since it has one of the best treatment plants in the country it’s not as big an issues for us right now. They have made this push to get and keep our waterways cleaner.
There are four main components to a typical septic system:
The pipe carrys all the used (grey and black) water out of your home and into the working parts of the septic system.
A buried watertight container is the typical septic tank. These tanks can be made of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. The purpose of the tank is to hold the waste water long enough to allow solids to settle out (sludge) and oil and grease to float to the surface (scum). This allows for partial decomposition of the solid materials. To prevent the sludge and scum from leaving the tank and entering the drainfield, it is compartmentalized and has a T-shape outlet. Additional screens are recommended to make sure the solids do not make it into the drain field. On newer tanks risers with lids for easy location, inspection, and pumping of the tank.
When the wastewater has been process by the tank it exits the septic tank into a drainfield to complete it’s treatment by the soil. This wastewater is continually pushed into the drainfield every time new wastewater is introduced into the tank. Since drainfields can overload with too much liquid , flooding, and can cause sewage to come to the ground surface or create backups in your plumbing and prevent complete treatment of all watsewater. To prevent this having a reserve drainfield, as required by many states, also on your property is a good idea. This area should be cared for as well as you care for your primary drainfield.
The last part of your septic system is your soil. Soil is essential to removing contaminants from your wateswater before …
2023 © Off-Grid.net
9b Audrey St. London E2 8QH
email news@off-grid.net
call US office: toll-free 1-877-706-7423
OR
UK: +44 207 729 2749
How to register – Coming Soon
How to Manage your off-grid account
How to use the off-grid map – Coming Soon
Coming Soon
