Most of us are at least a little familiar with green energy, be it the use wind farms, or solar panels on a roof top to charge electricity, or a small wind turbine attached to a generator for an individual house. However it is still a rarity to find a house hold that has a completely independent look out on life to the extent that they get their water, electricity and even gas from facilities on their own front yard.
In parts of America, in states that have a lot of wide open space (Texas, Alabama, and Kentucky for example) there are many families and small collections of houses doing just that, and it’s working brilliantly.
An example of the set up one family has is as so:
- the large house has solar panels on almost all of the roof
- Rain water is collected in a large basin in the back garden, and then filtered into a cleaning facility. A portion is made drinkable and placed in to a specific basin for the family to use. The rest is cleaned well enough for bathing, and pumped into the pipes.
- After being used to bath, shower or wash the dishes the water is drained into a sub department that waters the family’s garden and large greenhouse where vegetables are grown. It is also used to flush the toilets and heat radiators. Once the water has been used as far as it can before being dirty, it is returned to the cleaning system where it began.
- Gas is taken from a small source in the ground and is shared by several homes and farms in the nearby area.
- Food is grown on the premises and the family keep chickens and some small farm animals.
This system was not cheap to set up, as there are currently no businesses offering this kind of home due to lack of demand. To save money, these households use “trash” to help expand their homes, which is bought cheaply and used effectively. Walls made of white concrete and empty soda can insulation work incredibly well.
Although this kind of independent living is still a long way away from the mainstream, it does go to show that it’s possible, clean, convenient and above all kind to the environment!
