The Living Machine

The Living Machine; What exactly is it? The Living Machine have been defined as a "decentralized waste water treatment system that mimics processes found in wetland environments" and provides tertiary sewage treatment to allow dirty water to be used for irrigation, bathing and toilets. It is a remarkably innovative technology that seeks to lessen the usage of water as well as the energy put into water treatment. It breaks away from centralized sewage treatment by using natural, biological principles to treat water.

The machine itself is backed by mechanical operations and computer systems, which allow a self regulating pseudo-environment. The machine works in succession. First a series of tanks are meticulously arranged by design. Each tank "contains an ecosystem built up with materials gathered from the wild or other Living Machines" (Bang 165). The components of the ecosystem consist of microorganisms, invertebrates, fish, plankton, shrubs, flowers and mollusks. All of them provide a critical role in the overall purification process of the water treatment.

The machine is responsible for organizing and developing its own ecosystem. Then each organism is carefully assigned its tank or specific area, depending upon which biological function it will perform and carry out. The organisms literally "live off pollutants" and as the sewage enters each tank, it gradually becomes cleaner and cleaner until the end (Bang 167).

The end is when the organisms known as the "scrubbers" process and clean the water one last time to prepare it for irrigation and sometimes drinking. Living Machines can process anywhere from 2,500 - 200,000 gallons of water! It also conserves water. A zoo in the Netherlands cut its water production by 84% (Worrell 3). This helped to lower water bills and increase revenue for separate usages.

The Living Machine is a highly researched, relatively new approach towards sewage treatment, but it's popularity and development are increasing. Not only is it a more environmentally friendly approach to confronting the impediment of sewage, but it is aesthetically appealing to people of all ages. In fact it may be hard to tell you are in one! Only time will reveal the succession of this spawning, technologically innovative achievement. More posts to come!

Sources:

Bang, Jan Martin. Ecovillages A Practical Guide to Sustainable Communities. New York: New Society, 2005.

Worrell. "Living Machine Systems: Treating Wastewater Nature's Way." The Living Machine. 2008. Worrell Water Technologies LLC. 23 Mar. 2009.

Sewage, Water and Waste

There are many attributes that contribute to the overall synergistic success of an ecovillage. In dealing with issues like sewage, water and waste one is left with the question of how to deal with these matters in a sustainable fashion. Many rural ecovillages are connected to the local towns sewer main or have a biological means of breaking down wastes via microorganisms , obtain and collect water from local sources or rain and deal with waste by recycling, reducing, reusing and composting. In an urban setting, things are a bit more difficult. For example a city like Philadelphia has thousands of row homes interconnected throughout the city. If a particular community were to establish sustainable systems of the aforementioned aspects, how would they go about doing so? What are the boundaries from one community to the next? Who can implement, regulate and maintain such systems?

These and many of questions will be addressed throughout this blog in posts to come. But first it is important to mention the what kind of technologies exist and how to apply them to an urban setting in a practical way.

Many ecovillages have self-sustaining systems which break down sewage and excess water. There are two types of waste water; Black water and gray water. Black water is waste water that contains fecal matter (sewage). It is very difficult for it to break down in a natural setting however, much thought has been put into how to develop a sustainable means of dealing with it. With all the energy/materials cost put into sewage transport and purification processes, it would be more logical to have the sewage system local. Technologies such as "reed-bed technology" or sewage gardens are a sustainable, autonomous solution to the problem. Reed bed systems work as followed

"Reed beds use common reed plants (phragnmites communis, a second cousin of the common marsh plant) to dewater solids in a confined area. The beds can be any shape to accommodate existing land conditions and areas. Specially designed ponds with underdrains covered by a sand and gravel mixture are constructed and filled with reed plants. Modified sludge drying beds also work well and are an ideal retrofit. They already have side walls, layers of sand and gravel, an underdrain system which collects and carries away filtrate, and an impervious membrane liner. Solids are pumped into the reed beds. Dewatering occurs through evaporation, plant transpiration, and decantation. Decanted water seeps through the bottom of the bed and through the layers of sand and gravel into the underdrains, traveling back to the wastewater treatment plant for secondary treatment. During dewatering the solids change from liquid to "cake." Six inches of solids and water will compress to a half inch of solid cake. The cake is left in the bed and the process is repeated. Sludge reed beds are a significant improvement over existing drying beds. Sludge can be dewatered and converted into biomass and a low-grade compost without chemical addition or energy. They have lengthy turnover time and are capable of reducing sludge volumes by up to 95% over time."

The technology is innovative, however in an urban setting spacial issues would present an indefinable challenge. Also it may be difficult to implement based on zoning laws, income levels, social participation and willingness to accept.

The second, more feasible type of water treatment is with gray water. Gray water is the water left over after showering, doing laundry and dish washing. It is ideal for houses to be equipped with two sets of drainage pipes: one for black water and one for gray so each can travel separately for further treatment without unnecessary mixing. A filtration system would be needed to filter out soaps, shampoos, etc... The benefits of collecting grey water are beneficial and less energy intensive. It can be used to water plants, to clean, brush teeth, etc... The hardest part of implementing such a system would be financing, design, maintenance, and government approval.

The technology is there but many hurdles keep it's implementation small scale. It is slowly catching on. More posts to come.....

Sources:
http://www.lagoonsonline.com/reedbeds.htm

Barton, Hugh. Sustainable Communities The Potential for Eco-neighbourhoods. Minneapolis: Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2000.

Walker, Liz. Ecovillage At Ithaca Pioneering A Sustainable Culture. New York: New Society, 2005.

"Ecovillage Style Living" in the Rich Coast

Studying abroad at the School for Field Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica during the spring semester of 2008 allowed me an early glimpse into the frontiers of "ecovillage style living," without knowing anything about it at the time. Although the campus I was a part of is not recognized as an official Ecovillage, there were many daily rituals and practices related to certain fundamentals encompassing the essential concept. First off the property was previously an old farm. So all of the orange and mango groves were left intact and are still maintained. The fruit is used to eat, make orange juice and is also sold to the local community at a low, affordable price. It is maintained by using an all natural herbicide made from molasses. It is 100% environmentally friendly! We used this herbicide as well as planted and maintained the organic garden which provided food for our own personal consumption. It was also interesting to note that many people in the neighborhood grew there own food or raised there own livestock for personal consumption as well. The electricity was from hydroelectric sources and mostly used at night because of all the sunlight Costa Rica gets during the day. Fluorescent light bulbs were used to promote energy efficiency when electricity ws being used. The center decided to forgo hot water heating systems so consequently the showers, where we cleaned ourselves with organic/environmentally safe products, were always cold. The centers location at the top of the hill allowed for breezes to pass through consistently, a sort of 'passive cooling system'. The professors and workers mostly lived either on campus or in the neighborhood. So there was no need for a car to get there. To leave one would take the bus or call the cab, both of which are common means of transportation because many Costa Ricans in Atenas either own one car or don't have a car. Students all lived in one house with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, a common area, classroom and an outside patio with chairs and hammocks. Recycling was huge. Everything like glass, paper, cardboard, tin foil, containers, plastic, batteries and more were all collected for reuse. Food was eaten in the main house. Wasted food was composted and later used as fertilizer. Dishes were cleaned by a "Pandilla" system where a different group each week would do the washing by hand, while another group cleaned the bathroom, and another grouped planned a community event. It was structured so that each week a group would do a different task. Meetings and other classes were held in the outdoor classroom. The campus itself is full of various plants that attract multiple forms of wildlife. Butterflies, monkeys, snakes, tarantulas, bats, birds and even a sloth were seen throughout my stay at this campus. Many of these critters were common place.

Living here taught me the value of team work and group cooperation. It shows that with structured, well planned systems, sustainable concepts can be initiated and can work. It requires work but with the help of the group, its gets accomplished quickly. There was surprisingly minimal conflict between members of the group (30 of us) despite everyone being very unique. Although there is much room for improvement to make the SFS center even more efficient and environmentally sound, it has done a relatively good job so far and continues to strive in doing so on its current budget. Although it is not in an urban setting it still provides an example of how ecovillage dynamics can work. It would be interesting to see how it all pans out 10 years from now......
http://www.fieldstudies.org/pages/147_center_for_sustainable_development_costa_rica.cfm

An Artist's Innovative Conception on Ecovillages

The artist Roger Dean, made famous for doing many album covers (amongst other achievements) in the 60's and 70's for bands such as Yes, Boston and Pink Floyd is now pushing his artistic abilities even further to enhance the present conceptions of sustainable design by inventing it through his unique vision. Truly remarkable. Check it out!

http://www.rogerdean.com/architecture/willowater.htm

About Ecovillages

Eco-villages are a relatively new idea that some say has Archaic roots. The goal of ecovillages, in the words of Hildur Jackson, is to "honour the cycles of nature and to live as beautifully and in as dignified a way as possible with them; respect the soil, the plants, the animals and our fellow human beings in an earth centered world view to follow the pulse of life." Current economic institutions are set up for egocentric exploitation among many competitors, which has now reached a global scale.
What does this mean for planet earth? This means further environmental degradation, resource exploitation, increased consumption and many many more environmentally related dilemmas. The current balance of earth has been severely disrupted and it must reach or strive towards a sustainable equilibrium. This balance will require a shift in consciousness on how we view our world, a break from egocentric, materialistic consumption and massive social participation. This also goes hand in hand with how we live our daily lives and what must change in order to reach the desired goal.
Eco-villages offer the possibility of a newly found conscious understanding of planet earth, helping to direct our actions and the choices we make. Members of the communities all do their part to contribute to the group collectively. All the members are free to think, exchange ideas, share items and live in a communal manner. The ecovillage's daily functioning will be based off ideas related to sustainability. For example food will be grown in an organic matter, energy will be renewable, waste and consumption kept at a standard, etc... The purpose of this blog is to elaborate on the potentials of ecovillages in rural and urban settings, how they can be implemented, the trade-offs, the positives and negatives and much more. The overall goal is to accurately describe to the public this relatively new idea.

Source: Jackson, Hildur. Creating Harmony: Conflict Resolution in Community Gaia Trust/ Permanent Publications. 1999