living machines...

i learned about this during our PDC. it was to be incorporated into our final project. most of what follows was picked up from their website. http://www.livingmachines.com

Worrell Water Technologies' Living Machine® system uses living plants and beneficial microorganisms to turn wastewater into clean water. They say their patented technologies produce water that is cleaner and greener than conventional water treatment methods — and with huge savings in energy and infrastructure costs.

[waste water goes directly from the system into this machine - with no interaction with the municipal water or sewage systems!! and it comes out clean!!]

Indoor Living Machine, Norder Zoo, Emmen, The Netherlands

Living Machines® require only a small amount of space. They work indoors or outdoors, and each is tailored to the needs of the client. We build them to conform to the demands of the location and of the local climate. As a result, each Living Machine® installation is different. But most share a number of common features.

■Settling Tank: Before the water can enter the system, it must be gathered in a tank where the flow is equalized and solids are allowed to settle. Larger installations will use a filter for the same purpose.

■Control System: The flow of water through the system is managed by a central control system, which also monitors system performance. Our control system is the best in the industry, and it uses a web-based interface to track water levels and control flow rates through the system. At the same time it monitors water quality and can send alerts to remote locations if it senses a problem with the system.

■Wetlands Installations: At the heart of the Living Machine® are the wetland beds which contain gravel aggregate, specially engineered films of beneficial microorganisms, and plants working together in a living, highly complex, ecosystem. The newest generation of Living Machine® uses three patented wetland designs. Depending on the needs of the project, one or all of these wetlands types can be used in a Living Machine.
--Tidal Flow Wetland: This proprietary design developed by Worrell Water Technologies has a smaller footprint than other conventional constructed wetlands. It also provides superior removal of nitrogen, a key step in treating wastewater. The system consists of a series of tidal cells which drain and flood many times per day. The tidal cycles bring oxygen to the beneficial microorganisms that do most of the work.
--Horizontal Subsurface Flow Wetland: This simple, extremely low energy, wetland provides good initial treatment and equalizes the flow of water entering a Tidal Flow Wetland. The presence of this initial treatment stage allows for greater flow rates, energy efficiency, and capacity for the entire system.
--Vertical Flow Wetland: This wetland design provides the ideal final, or "polishing," stage of water treatment. Water enters near the surface of the wetland, and passes through two zones containing beneficial microorganisms as it trickles down through the system. If the wastewater has been previously treated by another wetland type, the Vertical Flow Wetland is extremely efficient at final removal of nitrogen and solids.

■Disinfection System: This optional step can use ozone, ultraviolet, or chlorine (alone or in combination) to kill any pathogens that are left in the water. Depending on the types of wastewater being treated, disinfection systems may be required before water can be reused or discharged into the environment.

■Reuse System: Clean, treated water is gathered in a storage tank, and distributed for reuse. Uses for water recycled by the Living Machine® can include: toilet flushing, animal and pen cleaning, irrigation, decorative surface features such as ponds or waterfalls, or return directly to the environment.

community self-reliance is the key...

in the modern western world there's no such thing as independence. people talk about the idea of being independent or self-sustaining, but this is impossible. who actually grows/collects ALL their own food, including their grains? who grows/collects all the materials for creating clothing? heck, who in the modern western world even fixes their own car, boat, bicycle, and computer? because if you're reading this, you're using a computer!

interdependence or community self-reliance is necessary and, as luck would bless us, it builds community. we know we can depend on the people around us: family, friends, or neighbours. sometimes the situations are very specific, for example there is a man on my tiny rural island who i know will be here within the hour if i am trapped by snow and can't get my car out, but i don't know if he'll help with anything else.

community self-reliance means that i can depend on my community and they can rely on me. this can be in times of disaster or simply everyday happenings. so i can grow vegetables but ralph is raising cows and don is raising laying hens. i need to find someone who makes cheese. so i can trade or buy/sell products from my neighbours.

this summer 3 deer got into my garden for two days while we were away. i had turnips left, which is good, but i had no other vegetables until my friends dropped off some and invited me into their gardens. now the beans, peas, cabbages, corn, beets, carrots, and parsnips are unrecoverable, but my mizuna, chard and kale are coming back!!! and i planted some fall/winter crops!!!

i can depend on people, not corporations. will wal-mart come and dig out my driveway or send over beets? NO!!

Freedom Ahead - the trailer

this movie looks absolutely inspiring!!!

how to sheet mulch...

i love sheet mulching. i sheet mulched my whole garden this summer and will keep doing so until all of everything is growing food!!! i'll tell you about how i would do it next time, because i messed up a bit. so... if i were you i would start by identifying ALL the area you want to mulch and cover all of that (including the paths) with 2 layers of cardboard. if it ends up with some 3 or even 4 layer areas that is ok.



and then you basically go green, brown, green, brown, etc. you want to have approximately 1:3 ratio of green/nitrogen : brown/carbon. so i used twice rinsed seaweed (green), fluffed hay or straw (brown) [if you use hay, you MUST cover it all with the future layers or you'll end up with grains growing like grass in your garden.] grass cuttings (green, if dried out - they still count as green), i used peat moss but i wouldn't again - expensive environmental impact. chicken or other manure counts as green because it's so high in nitrogen. slashed vegetation from that spot or another counts as green of course. dried leaves are brown. etc. sometimes i would have two layers of hay seperated by seaweed for example - you just keep going because you want it to be at 12 - 24 inches thick for good root space for root veg. Please note that root vegetables do NOT grow in this the first year - the roots hit a nitrogen layer and stop growing - you end up with great tops but no carrots for example!

Be sure to SOAK each layer as you go with water - it needs the water to break down - and it will save water later. if you have top soil or finished compost from previous years, use that for the top layer.



some people then use straw on top of that for mulch (keep weeds down and moisture up) but i like a living mulch like clover, which traditionally we've been taught to keep out of our gardens. it maintains a nice moist ground and you just pull out a clump for a seedling to replace the clump or pull out small strips for planting seeds and then the dutch white clover (perennial) is there to keep everything moist. now my land is quite dry so from june through september i am worried about water - you may be in a wetter situation, even if it has been too wet - you now basically have raised beds so they will be dryer than your normal.

one thing i forgot to tell you - imagine your paths as really wide - like plan for 2 foot wide paths if you want 12 inch paths - because the rate of fall for the ingredients will create an angle that falls into the pathway.

i cardboard everything now for a few reasons: 1. the elements of the layers will fall onto the path - so if there's no cardboard on the path but there is a growing medium - there will be grass and weeds coming up. 2. you may change the design/pattern at some point and it's a hassel to have to move the layers to re-cardboard an area - this way you can just push it over to a cardboarded area - the cardboard will break down under whatever you cover the path with. 3. it's easier to ensure full coverage - especially with rhizome plants like grass - they sneak underground to start new plants. it may still happen because the layer ingredients may have grass seeds in them but if you pull the grass out throughout the first year, you'll have very little problem later - because the grass deals with root fatigue (the roots need the nutrients and energy harvested by their leaves - no leaves no energy!)

groundcover and a living mulch are the same thing except that usually people think of groundcover as temporary like through the winter, which is good too. however using it as a living mulch is cool because that plant (i'm using white clover (4-6 inches high) so it's a perennial and nitrogen fixing like beans) will shade the ground (keeping it moist), will nourish the ground year-round, the flowers attract beneficial insects, and it suppresses weeds! all good - a no weed garden, a japanese man, masanobu fukuoka, called it a do-nothing garden!!

if you're looking at doing this in the fall - that would be great - you don't have to water so much because it'll be raining/snowing and then in our neck of the woods, you can plant garlic right away for next september and an annual ground cover so you have time to plan what you want to do: like perennial live mulch vs. annual?, what plants where?

remember to allow space for permanent plants like rhubarb or asparagus or artichokes for example. also remember other plants should all be rotated to avoid bug problems.

The Food and Climate Connection