Blair

Have you ever heard the saying “it takes a village to raise a child?” Well, where I live, most people do not know the name of their next door neighbor.

This isolation can cause loneliness, but it is more than that. Having a community is helping people do jobs they can’t, it's lending tools, it's teaching someone something their parents never taught them, and more.

Luckily, there is a solution that is becoming common in both co-housing and eco-villages around the world. They utilize common areas or community centers, as well as outdoor spaces(such as courtyards or rooftop gardens). While you still have your private home with your own kitchen, you also have these spaces which are open to everyone.

Here are some ideas you might see in these common spaces:

• Indoor play area. In some, the retired senior citizens who like to keep busy volunteer to watch children in these areas while parents are at work.
• Dining room big enough to fit every person who lives there and guests.
• Community Kitchen. People take turns cooking, or they have occasional dinners together.
• Private office spaces (for work-from-home workers who still want to be around people).
• Tiny libraries.
• Outdoor play area.
• Outdoor sitting spaces.
• Community gardens and/or a greenhouse.

More Ideas:

• Window awnings which utilize passive solar, so the sun is blocked in the summer but not the winter
• A central courtyard for passive cooling. Examples: Skywells (China), Tsubo-niwa (Japan). Thevenin @beehaw.org adds that a retractable cover of some kind might be important to protect from wind pressure.
• Better insulation for better temperature control, and sound proofing.
• Bird-safe windows
• Rainwater collection for watering plants (or, the more expensive option: for piping into toilets)
• White roofs for cooling in hot climates, dark roofs for warming in cold climates

Recommended Video:

• https://youtu.be/mguvTfAw4wk

What else would improve apartment buildings?

This one isn't for balconies, but it is for apartments, so I hope it makes sense that I am posting this here.

With window hydroponics, you take:

• used water bottles
• a pump kit (with tubing and joints)
• a bucket of water
• growing substrate
• a hanging anchor kit
• silicone steel tube
• chain (for hanging)
• tools (electric drill, plier, hole punch)

... and convert them into a tiny food garden that hangs by your window. This gives food options for those who live in apartment’s that might not have had the choice before.

You'll of course need plants that do not get too big (such as dwarf tomato plants instead of full-sized). If your window does not get enough sunlight, you may also have to supplement that with grow lights and a plug timer.

You do not need to buy an expensive kit. There are DIY sources everywhere, including this video explaining to use a pool noodle to create a growing substrate(an option to save an old pool noodle from the trash) instead of rockwool or pebbles.

I have not tried this myself, but thought I would share it in case it helps someone.

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/igWJ_8uq_y4
• https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Vertical-Window-Garden/

I understand that not everyone will have access to a stream/river with fish, but I thought people might find this interesting anyways.

Do you have videos that stick with you? "Through the Kitchen Window: A Town Living with Water [Harie, Shiga] " is one that occasionally pops back in my mind.

In Harie, Shiga(Japan), water canals run through much of the town, and the people there use it to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with fish. 🐟

Imagine a pool of water that people use for washing fruits, vegetables, and dishes. That same pool has carp that call it home, and the carp eat the scraps and keep the water crystal clear. This could be inside the home or outside, but it is constantly added to by natural spring water, and the water exits in to a canal. This system is called “Kabata,” and has been used for over 300 years.

(Both images above are from this website)

That running water then heads to rice flats, which benefit from the natural fertilizers the fish provide. That water then heads to wetland area, where the water is cleaned by reeds and other vegetation before entering a lake.

More Info:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rwxsjzjDhs
• https://youtu.be/THcKJpXwqVM

Within Arizona(USA) is a beautiful cliff-dwelling built by the Sinagua people in 1100-1425 AD. Montezuma Castle (renamed to this by colonizers) has around 20 rooms, and is built using a method that today people call “passive solar building.”

“In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, reflect, and distribute solar energy, in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design because, unlike active solar heating systems, it does not involve the use of mechanical and electrical devices.” Wikipedia

For the cliff dwelling, that included a design that ensured the buildings were hit with the heat of the low-winter sun, but protected from the high-summer sun by overhang. It also made use of ventilation, small windows and doors (to reduce temperature loss), and more.

This ancient knowledge is making a comeback in houses, but is really helping for greenhouses. Even in colder climates where temperatures can reach -40c(-40f), passive solar designs are enabling greenhouses to run all-year.

(Image source)

(Image Source)

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/F2Pg3gY7wQ4
• https://youtu.be/8qtQgH7DQF0

I know very few people in the world have access to hot springs, but I just thought people here might find this information as interesting as I do.

Japan:

Cooking Eggs:

In some other places, hot-spring pools can become a neighborhood egg-cooking spot. In Japan, these eggs are called Onsen Tamago (温泉卵), and are slow-cooked in the natural spring water.

The result is a unique custard-like texture in the yoke, while the whites are soft.

“It is said to have originated in Onsen Towns in Beppu, Oita prefecture. It is said that the first Onsen Tamago was made over 300 years ago when a traveler left his eggs in a hot spring by accident and found them cooked when he returned." MyFormosaFood

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/PBDNjOLPnkg

Steam Cooking

“It is a cooking method using high-temperature steam heat gushing from hot springs, and it has been used in Beppu since the Edo period. Just put the ingredients in a basket, put them in a pot where steam of about 100 degrees called “Hell Steaming Kettle” and cover it.” | Jigoku Mushi

At tables equipped with timers and hot-spring powered steam cookers, you can steam your own food.

Heating Greenhouses:

“Hot springs are used to heat greenhouses for different types of fruit and vegetables. At Atagawa Spa on the Izu Peninsula, the Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden cultivates tropical plants like banana trees and bougainvillea.” | Nipponia

By piping the heat into radiators, they can heat and humidify the greenhouses with no electricity.

Iceland:

Volcano Bread

Cooking rye bread with the help of a volcano has a long history in Iceland. All you had to do was dig a hole near a hot-spring, place the dough (which is in a container) in the hole, and burry it.

The boiling water will steam the dough to a dense but soft texture.

Hopefully you remember to mark where the hole is, but if you did, you will have freshly cooked bread with no need of an oven. As an extra bonus, you can also cook some eggs when you are there.

More info:

• https://youtu.be/NXwuJlY3uy0

(Image Source)

While it might look like those grapes are in weirdly-shaped bread, they are really in clay. A pair of clay bowls are made, and left to bake in the sun. When they are dried, they are ready to use.

“When each pair of rustic “earthenware bowls” is completely dried, around 1kg of ripe unbruised fruit are put inside, and then sealed with another serving of mud to form a single closed, air-tight vessel.” Farmizen

This is called a “Kangina” and is an ancient preservation technique still used in Afghanistan to this day.

The kangina are put somewhere cool (sometimes buried) and will remain fresh for up to 6 months. They are both eco-friendly, and effective.

Crafted by a potter named M Sivasamy, this clay pot was designed to help keep produce cool for days.

He made a cylindrical pot made out of clay with a tap on one side and an outlet to pour water on the other side. A smaller pot fits inside the bigger one where you can place your vegetables which is then covered with a lid. The technology is simple — the water in the pot remains cool keeping the vegetables fresh and cool. - BetterIndia

For places with no or limited electricity, this could help immensely. Especially considering terracotta(earthenware) clay is almost used worldwide.

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/Pr-FxgNTXtA

I just thought people would find this interesting:

Within the Ukraine lives the Hutsul people. They are masters of a specific type of wool blanket technique called “lizhnyk,” which is made from Carpathian sheep wool.

Creating the blankets is a long and difficult craft, but the results are beautiful.

One of the most ingenious parts of their craft involves help from the river. A valylo is a river-powered wooden washing machine; which will beat the blankets until they are soft and lose their sheep-smell.

More info:

• https://youtu.be/pMinqwDy40c

Thought to be a system over 100 years old, the valtoare/vâltori (whirlpool) in Romania works by channeling water into a large wooden funnel-like barrel. The funnel has gaps wide enough for water to flow out, but not wide enough for the cloth to slip through.

The force and angle of the water hitting the wood creates a spiral of water, which tumbles the clothes thrown inside.

Historically, people would rent the usage of these from the owner, with money, grain, or by working the land for however long it took the clothes to wash. Today, they are free.

“Today, whirlpools remain popular, especially among people from rural areas. They are used for washing wool fabrics free of charge, but people still like to contribute a small fee to the budget for repair and maintenance.” Peasant Art Craft

More Info:

• https://youtu.be/L26U35Rkl54
• https://youtu.be/qjK2GwSJUbM

Prior to when electricity became common place, people were looking for other ways to make life easier. One of these inventions, the solar water heater, came in 1760, and boomed with popularity in the 1900’s for warm areas.

“In 1891, Clarence Kemp released the first ‘Climax’ solar water heater in Baltimore. He placed several water-filled iron elliptical tubes inside the box in series with cold water entering one side and warm water exiting from the other end. Multiple tubes avoided warm and cold-water being in close proximity, thus avoiding adverse heat exchanges.” PassiveHousePlus

These early models did have faults (such as heat lost, and poor resistance to frost, but continued to improve and build with popularity over time.

Eventually, for a complex number of reasons, solar water heaters disappeared and gas and electric took the show.

Today, this tech is making a comeback, though with modern touches.

Videos with More Info:

• https://youtu.be/YdM9TgzRc9A
• https://youtu.be/fAyY0kGmgmc

"To help feed the country’s population, an inventor, Toufic Hamdan, created a commercial bakery to bake bread in solar ovens. The startup “Partners With Sun” has installed a solar convection oven on the bakery’s roof. The Solar Oven uses large silver mirrors to capture and magnify the sun’s rays to build heat. The heat is transported by a transfer fluid which is then used to help operate a convection oven, allowing it to reach a baking temperature of between 300 and 400 Celsius. The heat is used directly in food and beverage production. " Baking Bread in a Solar Oven | Happy Eco News

According to the company website, “The Solar Oven cuts up to 80% of the bakery’s fuel bill.”

Images Source

I just thought I would share some different solar projects I think are interesting.

Terracotta Solar:

"Designed to be indistinguishable by the naked eye from regular terracotta roof tiles, “Invisible Solar” tiles are made to improve the energy efficiency of heritage buildings without compromising their historic appearance. They make each tile out of a non-toxic and recyclable polymeric compound they themselves developed, and the tiles allow for sunlight to pass into a hidden bank of photovoltaic cells without the human eye being able to tell they are translusent." | Good News Network

Apartment Balcony DIY Solar

If you have a sunny apartment balcony and have ever been interested in solar, there are many options; including some designed to look like privacy walls. It is supposed to be as easy as strapping on and connecting the panels, then plugging the system into your outdoor wall socket.

“In the best case scenario, a 600 W balcony panel pays for itself after just a few years,” said Hermann Dinkler, an energy expert at the German technical inspection association TÜV. With a shade-free southern orientation, an optimal inclination angle of 35 degrees without shade and 2,000 kWh of electricity consumption per year, a typical 600 W system pays for itself after about five years, according to German institute HTW Berlin. - PV Magazine

To find out if solar would work for your apartment balcony, make sure to do the calculations(such as with a solar panel calculator), ensure you have an outdoor socket, and check the rules of your building.

(Image Source)

Solar Glass Bricks

These ones (amusingly) do remind me of the 1980s glass brick wall fad, but these are made to used to replace windows or other glass in office blocks, buildings and even bus stops. The inventors at Build Solar think they look better than solar panels and take up less space, so could be an eco-friendly alternative to current building materials.

Adding Solar to More Devices

The company Ambient Photonics showcased a bifacial solar cell. It can harvest from both the front and back simultaneously, and aims to charge small electronic devices; such as remote controls. It is supposed to work even in low-light, including indoors.

Its flexible and thin design means it could work in many different device types.

Funnily, the tech is reminding a surprising amount of people of the solar-powered calculators that used to be everywhere.

One of the easiest ways to help the planet might come from...human waste. 💩

Natural gas is a commonly used fossil fuel. The secret? Natural gas is mostly just methane; the same gas created from human waste.

In fact, toilets exploding can absolutely happen, which is why bringing a candle into an outhouse is a very bad idea. Some places even put this to use, such as using sewers to fuel street lamps(called sewer gas destructor lamps), which have the duel-purpose cutting down on smells and dangerous gas buildups

(Image Source)

There’s also more 💩 can do for us. For example…

• ⚡️Generate power (use the methane to replace natural gas).
• 🚗 Create fuel for vehicles
• 🔥 Create fuel for gas burners
• 🌱 Create compost (biosolids from the sewage treatment/methane plants) to help with phosphorus mining shortages

These options could greatly help with the transition from fossil fuels, and provide incentives for all cities to stop dumping raw sewage(yes, many places still do this).

Videos for more learning:

• https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NZA5aEEIzhQ?feature=share
• https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg