Is self-sufficiency really under attack?

Is self-sufficiency under attack? I have asked this question time and time again. Like others, we have all read about those stories of people living off grid being attacked by the political machine, governments and even neighbors. Of course more people are leaning more to an eco-friendly lifestyle not only out of environmental concerns but with major financial benefit it can have in the long run.

I have heard many different sides to this tale and the sides against are often weak.  I mention this to some in urban areas and often the comments are the same, “You live in the city and the services are there, and why not use them?”  Why not use them?  That does not change the burden on the infrastructure, the environment or our wallet.  Most municipalities, including Troy, NY are antiquated infrastructures.  In Troy you can often find wooden water and sewer lines dating back 175 years or more.  The rate of failure is high and while safe drinking water is a must whether on or off the grid we have seen recently a number of surrounding areas that are testing positive for known carcinogens in their public water as well as well water.  We have seen water supply mains fail causing disruption in services, property damage and a loss of millions of gallons of water.  Property owners pay for water and sewer as a combined service to our municipality and proceeds are to go for upkeep of that infrastructure, of which less than 6% is used just for that, hence the continued failure of the system.  Another fine example is cost, and I am focusing on water and sewer because that is where most of the arguments seem to be coming from.  Recently in budget planning it was noted the manager of the Sewer and Water Department wanted to raise the water and sewer rates 100%.  His argument was because residents are conserving more water therefore the department is not bringing in enough revenue………..I give long pause so you can digest that statement.  Residents are conserving more water.  What would be next?  Raise the trash rates because residents are recycling more or now home composting?

Honestly if money was of no concern, I would introduce a composting toilet system, grey water recycler, methane digester to fuel, cistern and water filtration system as well as full solar and get the heck off the city grid.  Arguments have been out there that you have to use the municipal sewer.  Why?  Because it is the law.  Where?  It is a health law.  How is a composting toilet unhealthy?  The arguments are weak and short sighted.  The truth is it cuts into revenue for the municipality.  Power companies are doing the same thing, pushing for localized taxing for those on full solar and off the electric grid.

Some say if you want to be off the grid you need to move to the backwoods and to that I say bull.  Technologies out there now can get everyone off the grid partially if not fully in any area, urban or rural.  Zoning laws are the tools municipalities like to use to control residents, but remember this, almost everyone serving on a zoning board is a political appointee to help carry an agenda, or know nothing about zoning in the first place or both.  They base a lot of decision on popular belief, not fundamental modern practices.

Relying on your municipality to provide sewer and water service is expected, especially if you’re paying for it, but should not be your only option as restoration of services is at a best effort, not a guarantee.  Rain collection, generator, human waste recycling, grey water recycling are all affordable items that can be installed in your home, usually cheaper than solar for all of them.  Add into that producing your own food, storage of root vegetables, chickens and other micro-livestock like fish and you should be able to weather most situations just fine and put yourself on the path of self-sufficiency and living off the grid, even in an urban environment on a 120x25 single family lot.

7 Tips for Greywater Use

7 Tips for Greywater Use

At its simplest, a greywater system takes water that has been used in household cleaning tasks and diverts it for use on the permaculture garden. When the toilet is flushed, the bath emptied or the washing machine used, a greywater system prevents the wastewater from simply going down the drain and into the sewer system; instead pipes take it out to the garden where it is used for irrigation. Particularly if it is utilized in combination with a rainwater harvesting method, a greywater system could go a long way to providing all the irrigation needs a permaculture garden has. It has the additional benefits of limiting wastewater (and so lightening the load on the municipal system of pipes and treatment plants) and of reducing your water bills.

However, harvesting and using greywater is not quite as simple as just piping the water from the bathroom and laundry out onto the garden; there are several variables to consider before installing a greywater system.

Regulations
Different states in countries like the U.S. and Australia may have different zoning laws and regulations related to greywater systems, as may local authorities These could be related to the relative proximity of public bodies of water, the degree to which locations are prone to flooding, areas of environmental protection, and other local considerations. In reality, instituting a greywater system on your property is unlikely to cause the authorities to investigate you.

If you ensure that your greywater is adequately stored and judiciously used, you should be fine to make use of it, but it is certainly worth checking local regulation. Even if you are prohibited from diverting bathroom and laundry water onto your plot, you can still use other forms of greywater, such as utilizing bath water and water used in the sink to clean vegetables to irrigate your garden, as opposed to letting the liquid drain away. Indeed, as long as precautions are taken about the chemical load in products used in such water, these methods of saving water should be a regular part of your permaculture practice.

Application
It is not advisable to apply greywater to edible plants if the liquid has not been filtered. The potential for human waste, such as fecal matter and skin particles, to contaminate the food should not be risked. If you want to use the greywater on edible plants, you need to divert it through a natural filter, such as a wetland. This will take out all the waste matter, and it can safely be used on all types of plant, including those producing food crops.

Chemical
What you put in to a greywater system will invariably, to some extent, come out. So you need to be aware of what is in the products that go into the washing machine, toilet and shower. Some chemicals that are commonly found in detergents can damage your plants. Boron, for instance, may be an essential element for plants, but on in very small amounts. An excess of the chemical (more that that which is naturally provided in a well-composted soil) can damage plants. Chlorine is another chemical often used in household cleaning products. If it gets into the soil in large concentrations, chlorine can inhibit plants’ ability to take up nutrients, and limit the activity of microorganisms in the soil.

Alkaline
Even detergents that do not contain these harmful chemicals can still be detrimental to plants, because they tend to make the water more alkaline. Most plants prefer a soil that is slightly acidic, so may not thrive if the greywater cause the pH level of the soil to increase. You could divert the greywater to an area planted with some of the species that are tolerant of alkaline conditions – such as chickweed, goosefoot and chicory – or you could combat the alkalinity of the greywater by adding material that ups the acidity; animal manure and compost that includes coffee grounds are good options.

Use
Greywater should be used on the garden within two days of leaving the house, and ideally within 24 hours. This is to prevent potentially harmful bacteria (pathogens), such as those found in fecal matter, from multiplying, which is more likely to occur if the water is left to sit. These bacteria are the same reason why permaculturists do not use human waste as compost on edible crops. If you are routing your greywater through a wetland for filtration purposes, this will help eliminate any bacteria that may be present.

Temperature
If you are in a location that experiences cold winters, with the ground frozen to a depth of several inches, it can be impractical to use a tips for greywater usegreywater system. The frozen ground would mean that the water is not able to percolate into the soil, and if applied to the garden could runoff and pollute local water bodies. And as noted above, you should not collect the greywater over the winter for use in the spring, as this can lead to high levels of harmful bacteria. For permaculture gardeners using greywater systems in areas with such climatic conditions, it may be best to divert the greywater into the municipal drainage system or a septic tank during the winter.

Drip Irrigation
If you want to use greywater in a drip irrigation system, you will need to ensure that it is filtered well before entering the pipes. You will need to install a very fine mesh filter on the pipe connecting your greywater system to the drip irrigation mechanism. This filtration is necessary to prevent material that could clog up the tiny holes in the drip system from getting in. Lint from clothes, hair from the shower or from the laundry, even things like paper that may have been inadvertently left in the pocket of clothes going through the machine can block up the irrigation system, preventing correct water flow and depriving plants of moisture. And given that many drip irrigation systems are installed below ground, it can be difficult to tell when or where a nozzle gets blocked until a plant begins to show signs of water deficiency.

Reprinted from www.openpermaculture.com