Cohousing-L Mailing List: D.I.Y's Eco Neighborhood (2/2)

[Harry Pasternak (Harry_Pasternak]

- Properly seal wells--75% of wells in North America arent.
- Have all water tested at an a lab (see Consumer Reports).
- Treat all water, as required (especially city water) (see Consumer
Reports).
- Use water saving fixtures (see Consumer Reports).
- Probably use polybutyl piping with short runs with no buried joints.
- Heat water with a chimney-less Polaris gas or propane hot water heater.
- Of course play with passive hot water solar heaters; but, make sure your
heating bills dont go up--see Heating below first!

* Waste-urine is now considered sterile in Canada-it is treated like grey
water--so urine, bath water, kitchen water all go,into a dry-well (class one
privy?)--the poop goes into a composting toilet-dont use the compost in food
production, feed it to the Russian Ivy. Of course compost your waste food.

* Heating and Ventilation--no furnace required, the stuff I have listed here
are the elements that make up the Advanced House-one of these furnace-less
house built and operated in Ottawa (it's very cold here) only cost $150 per
year for heat, hot water and lighting-total. Ontario has the highest
electricity rates in North AMerica--use a Honeywell Heat Exchanger/Ventilator
with an auxiliary heating coil (heated by the same Polaris unit that heats
your hot water)--2 diameter flexible ducts carry the incoming fresh to the
bedrooms. As well shade all windows with trellises trees etc. so that direct
sunlight doesnt come in during the summer.
 
* Plant more hardy trees-- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

More later..................

Harry Pasternak
Unpaid Volunteer For D.I.Y.'s Who Need Info On Designing and Building 
Affordable,Frugal Supportive Neighborhoods, Who Works At:
Thousand Islands Institute
The Independent Centre For Housing Research & Education
(Harry_Pasternak [at] tvo.org)


 


- sent via an evaluation copy of BulkRate (unregistered).