- Water tank: Filtered water is kept in the tank and slowly released into the breadbaskets below
- Vegetables growing in breadbasket: Breadbaskets filled with porous lava stoned are used to grow vegetables. The stones and vegetables roots trap the nutrients and filter the water which then flows into the fish tank below.
- Fish droppings enrich the water with nutrients for growing vegetables
- A variety of small vegetables can be grown such as swiss chard, cows peas, eggplants, sweet peppers, etc.
- Pump: A solar powered or had pump recycles the water to the top tank, ready for the cycle to start again.
- Chickens provide meat and eggs for consumption and/or for sale. Their droppings are captured and used to feed the fish.
Aquaponics
This unique system integrates fish, poultry and vegetable farming using recycled water. It is designed to maximise the yield of each component, whilst minimising the amount of water required. Our research has shown that Haller’s aquaponics system uses only 2% of the water conventionally needed for the same vegetable production. This is particularly important in drought-prone areas in Africa. Haller’s aquaponics system is also affordable, it is made with low cost materials that can be found locally.
We have made several changes to this initial design – in particular to the fish tanks. A revised illustration is currently being worked on.
Video here
sustainable
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“Magic windows. Morning sun turns window frost to water which runs down the glass, drains across the 90# roofing into gutters, then into the pail. The water is then put back into the plant bed and the bucket awaits another cold night.”
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Greenwashing Manual by Valentina Karga Not only are the illustrations gorgeous, but this project is incredibly insightful in proposing for a ‘make it yourself’ solution to making your house ‘self-sufficient’ by creating a closed loop within an existing structure through the modification of existing elements.
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The World’s Most Beautiful Wastewater Treatment Plant
by Chris Tackett
Let this wastewater treatment plant show you how to live.
This may sound crazy, but it is exactly why the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York constructed their Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), also known as the Eco Machine. We can learn some valuable lessons from this building.
The Omega Center for Sustainable Living may be the most beautiful wastewater treatment plant in the world. It is powered by solar and geothermal power, so it requires no additional power to operate. Unlike other wastewater treatment plants, the OCSL does not use chemicals to treat the water, but rather mimics the processes of the nature world, such as using a combination of microorganisms, algae, plants and gravel and sand filtration to clean sewage water and return clean drinkable water back to the aquifer.
In addition to doing all of this, the OCSL also functions as a classroom, to help educate and inspire people about the power of nature to provide solutions…
(read more: TreeHugger)
photograph by Omega Center for Sustainable Living
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VertiCrop Processes 10,000 Plants Every 3 Days Using Vertical Hydroponic Farming
forget outdoor farming people, this is the future!!! skyscraper farms is the way to go…controlled environments, no heat, no cold, no bugs, no sprays!!!
Vertical farming is one of the most innovative solutions for lowering the amount of energy, space, and water needed to grow food, but Valcent Products has taken the practice to a whole new level with their revolutionary VertiCrop technology. By applying Henry Ford’s super-efficient assembly line concept to vertical hydroponic farming, the Vancouver-based firm can produce the same amount of produce on a standard sized residential lot that most farmers would be able to grow on a 16-acre plot. Their stacked, mechanized, produce-laden plastic trays are already a hot commodity, with orders coming in from every corner of the globe. Step in for a closer look at how this technology is completely changing the way we grow food.
The VertiCrop system consists of a series of mechanical 123 plastic trays stacked 8 high that can be placed on urban rooftops and other tight spaces. They contain vegetables and herbs that are grown hydroponically with just 8% of the water and 5% of the space required by standard farms. Energy efficient LED lights are on standby to supplement waning natural light when necessary.
VertiCrops are climate controlled and use absolutely no harmful herbicides or pesticides. What’s more, they are incredibly easy to manage. A staff of just 3 people can handle 4,000 square feet of plants and 2,000 square feet of germinating, harvesting, and packing space, and they can process as many as 10,000 plants every 3 days! Valcent’s COO Christopher Ng told the Global Commodities Report, “this is what farming has to develop into.”
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Paul Spudis’ plan for a sustainable and affordable lunar base
It’s long been a dream to have a human settlement on the Moon, but in this age of budget cuts and indecisive plans for NASA’s future, a Moon base may seem too costly and beyond our reach. However, noted lunar scientist Dr. Paul Spudis from the Lunar and Planetary Institute and a colleague, Tony Lavoie from the Marshall Space Flight Center, have come up with a plan for building a lunar settlement that is not only affordable but sustainable. It creates a Moon base along with a type of ‘transcontinental railroad’ in space which opens up cislunar space – the area between Earth and the Moon – for development.
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As lavish birthday gifts go, it’s hard to top this one: Naomi Campbell received an island vacation home for her 41st birthday from her Russian billionaire boyfriend Vladislav Doronin, according to numerous online reports. It’s shaped like the Egyptian Eye of Horus on a location known as Cleopatra Island in Turkey’s Gulf of Gökova
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See Mumbai’s take on urban gardening and sustainability in this great short.
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Infographic: ‘Samso: The Energy Self-Sufficient Island’
It took ten years and $80 million, but the Danish island of Samsoe now produces enough energy to satisfy all its needs and still export 40 percent of its energy to the mainland. Going 100 percent renewable wasn’t easy, but the results have paid off handsomely. Farmers on the island who are powering their facilities with wind turbines are seeing a 6 to 7 year payback on those investments. And of course it’s remarkable that wind, unlike other energy technologies, is entirely compatible with agriculture.
(Source: SmartPlanet)
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One meal a day keeps the doctor away. That said you may need something else to stop world hunger, but it’s worth trying! Malthus is a one pit stop for fish and vegetables that one can cultivate fish as well as grow vegetables in a perfect symbiosis.
Malthus, by Conceptual Devices via lifeattractslife
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worth the reblog…
I like that there is a diversity of habitats. Rooftop gardening, trees and shrubs, low plant life, and plants in and around water features. -AK
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LATimes -
“Could this be the most water-wise house in Los Angeles? Architect Frank Pasker and designer Grit Leipert call their new Mount Washington experiment Nob Hill Haus, and though the name may sound vaguely German or San Franciscan, the home’s design is firmly centered on the needs and environmental concerns of modern L.A.
A cistern buried underground can store 1,500 gallons of rainwater funneled from the roof. A gray-water system – the first to be permitted by the city since California adopted new gray-water rules in 2009 – draws the discharge from the washing machine, shower and sink into pipes that irrigate the newly planted landscape. The house’s exterior panels are made of recycled CDs, its insulation is made of recycled glass, and other green elements abound – but it’s the water systems that truly set the house apart. Build It Green, a California nonprofit focused on driving governmental policy and stimulating consumer demand for green housing, recently gave Nob Hill Haus one of the organization’s highest water-conservation scores in the Los Angeles region. Nob Hill Haus is "a leading example in residential water conservation,” Built It Green project manager Chris Becker said.“
Sustainable agriculture trailblazers discuss 'The Future of Food' at Georgetown University conference /
always nice to see intelligent things happening at my alma mater
From the Washington Post:
This conference brought together many of the world’s leading experts on food, including The Prince of Wales, a lifelong environmentalist and organic farmer, Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation,” and Wendell Berry, winner of The National Humanities Medal. Experts from some of world’s biggest food companies, academia and nonprofits discussed trends in agriculture and consumer behavior that is shaping the future of food.
You can check out some of the panel discussions and presentations here and the transcript of The Prince of Wales’ speech here.
