Overview
Governments and societies have to take the initiative to protect our soil, air and water, but we as
individuals and communities can make the greatest impact at the local, grassroots level.
Over the years we have been able to conserve in many minor ways at our house: - Fluorescent
lights (CFLs) and appliances on power strips and turned off when not in use,
- Using less water
for showers and washing,
- Drip irrigation, combined with low water-use landscaping, trees and
shrubs, wood chips and no grass lawns ( the "forest floor" look ),
- Energy-efficient
appliances, such as ultra low-flow (ULF) toilets, refrigerators, washers,
- Lowered, set-back
thermostats and insulation,
- Low-flow faucets and showerheads, etc.
Now, with greater agreement and a broader consensus on the imminence of global warming, climate change
we have an incentive to conserve even more efficiently at home: through solar electricity and
rainwater harvesting and filtration.
Even at the dojo we've converted from purchased bottled water to city tap water after
becoming more conscious of some
serious drawbacks to water privatization not only in the U.S. but worldwide, especially in the
poorer, developing countries.
This site documents our most active, primary activities. Each section title is a link to an
overview of
what has been accomplished to date. The accompanying pictures, data sheets, links and analyses
illustrate
some aspects of the respective projects. The Contents column on the right lists links and
pages with more detailed information or images. This documentation is essentially duplicated in a
binder of the same data for browsing at our Mountain View dojo.
As you browse this site or the binder we hope that you'll find some interesting ideas and
possibilities suitable for yourselves. Not everyone can do all of the same things, but everyone
can do something! If you or your family want to explore any or all of these
conservation areas or topics, we'd be delighted to share the results of our experiments. We
also welcome your feedback.
Solar Electrical Power Generation
By now everyone knows that the sun daily delivers clean energy free of pollutants, and solar
panels in a range of sizes and configurations have been installed throughout the world in sunny
regions to generate electricity for cities, towns and households. The technology has become
cost-effective and improved enough to have solar arrays (an array is a group of solar panels)
of photovoltaic (PV) cells on roofs generate enough electricity to power a home. In our case,
an array of twelve ( 12 ) panels,
roughly 400 feet square, produces nearly our entire annual consumption of 4,000 kilowatt hours (KWh),
virtually turning us into a
(very) small electrical utility and power company. As of Spring 2012 all fossil fuels
have been excluded from the house, and 1 1/2 vehicles. Energy produced beyond our needs is fed
into the public utility's electrical grid, triggering a corresponding reduction of our utility bills.
We are saving tons of fossil fuel that would otherwise spew into the atmosphere, and also on our
water heating bills.
Rainwater Harvesting & Use Inside and Out
We've saved much water over the years with low-flow restrictors and aerators on all faucets, showers
and baths, and
by installing ultra-low flow (ULF) toilets. A new HET ( High-Efficiency Toilet ) toilet now uses
merely 1.3 gallons per
flush, compared with 1.9 gallons per flush for a ULF or 3 or more for a standard toilet. Turning
water off when not in use is
another way to use less water. Replacing grass with wood chips, and planting trees and shrubs,
changes the landscape to a forest or woodsy look and feel. Replacing sprinklers with drip
irrigation conserved even more water.
Still, irrigation on average represents up to 40% of a typical home's water use. Harvesting
rainwater (RWH), collected on the roof, captures water from the sky and returns it to the soil,
replicating the natural water cycle ( Supposedly every drop of water on earth has existed since the
earth was formed, and no new water was ever added: ocean water evaporates to the sky, rains on
earth and returns to the sea through the ground! ).
Our 3,500 square-foot roof captures approximately 30,000 gallons of water per year. Six
drainspouts pour the water into four (4) underground cisterns with a total capacity of 7,000 gallons.
The harvested rainwater irrigates the yard. Further water treatment filtration in the house purifies
the water to potable quality levels for clothes and dish washing,
showers and toilet flushing inside the house, and covers between 80 to 90% of our total water use.
Testing Potable Water Quality: Before using domestic water in the house, it should
be tested periodically for contaminants, to ensure family safety and health.
Water testing and test laboratories are discussed in detail
in the Potable Water section.
The Carbon Cycle & Our Carbon Footprint
Landscaping: Technology contributes less to reducing our carbon footprint than
planting trees and shrubs, replacing grass lawns, composting and recycling.
A wood chip "forest floor" not only looks attractive, but regenerates the soil and
absorbs rain runoff. Honeybees forage in a 2-to-5 mile radius for nectar and pollen from
drought-resistant, flowering plants and shrubs native to California, and pollinate
fruit trees and vegetable gardens.
Removing concrete "tarmac" and creating permeable spaces between stepping stones and
driveway slabs also helps reduce runoff into storm drains. Simply removing the wood separators
between the concrete slabs in driveways and terraces allows the rain to seep back into the soil,
instead of contributing to city waste water and stressing storm drains. Trees and shrubs provide
oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, and the vegetation supplies a canopy for shade and cooling
during the summer.
Combatting Honeybee Colony Collapse: Healthy bee populations are critical for
cross-pollinating 60% of our food supply: Many of our vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and
cattle feed. Mysteriously, since around 2005 up to 30% of honeybee colonies worldwide have
been dying or disappearing for only partly known reasons.
Hosting beehives is a small way to contribute to countering or even reversing Colony Collapse
Disorder ( CCD ), but bees take a lot of work to support. Some enterprising small beekeepers
nationwide, including the SF Bay Area, are now providing not only guest, say 1 to 6, beehives and
their colonies, but also
regular honey harvesting, "housekeeping" support and maintenance, in exchange for an
annual fee, 80-90% of the bees' production, or other, individual, arrangement.
Roofing & Insulation
An off-white PVC "membrane" replaced the original tar-and-gravel roof. The pale color
reflects the sunlight, thereby helping to cooling the interiors. R-22 fiberglass between the roof
and the
cover further reduces heat exchange: cooling during the summer, retaining home heat during the
winter. The PVC roof also complements rainwater harvesting by improving the flow of rainwater
over the roof to the drainspouts. Although we haven't, green roofs, i.e. plants and planter
boxes on the roof, are another way to conserve energy.
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Contents
The Carbon Cycle
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