Visit Other Web
Forums
FUTURE SELF-SUFFICIENT HOMES
by Mel Moench
© 2003
| NOTICE: Essays and comments
posted on World Future Society Web Forums are the intellectual property of the authors,
who retain full responsibility for and rights to their content. For permission to publish,
distribute copies, use excerpts, etc., please contact the author. |
It is not if self-sufficient homes will become
much more popular—it is when. Today, society doesn’t want
self-sufficient homes, but I believe that they are desperately needed by humanity.
The terms "self-sufficient" and "independent" may be the similar,
but they conjure up entirely different images for most people. Independent homes
are typically designed to provide most or all power needs in off-the-grid applications.
Some of these homeowners go even further and invest in specialized equipment in order to
sell electricity back to the "grid".
Modern Self-Sufficient Home Definition
Self-sufficient homes are also known loosely as autonomous homes, bioshelters, or
independent living systems. I define a modern self-sufficient home as a specially
constructed and equipped house that has the ability to generate all power and raise
all food for a family in and around the house.
View looking northwest
(northern Hemisphere location) showing carport, upper deck, and greenhouse east door.
|
 |
Modern self-sufficient homes can utilize an immense number of appropriate
technologies such as passive solar, wind generators, photovoltaic panels, battery
electrical storage, direct current controls, renewable energy, high-efficiency lighting,
energy-efficient appliances, green or alternative construction, super-insulation,
intensive organic agriculture, undersoil irrigation, aquaculture, composting, low-water
toilets, wastewater treatment, water conservation/reuse, recycling, greywater systems,
greenhouse food production, natural lighting, passive ventilation, thermal mass, heat
recovery ventilation, pollution avoidance, high efficiency woodstoves, smoke scrubbers,
and many more.
The late comedian George Burns, nearing his 100th birthday, once quipped,
"I don’t date women my age...because there aren’t any women my
age!" Basically there aren’t any modern completely self-sufficient homes...yet.
The fact is that a completely self-sufficient home system maintaining 20th
century lifestyles has never been built and tested. If all goes according to plan, the
second prototype of the Earth Home will become the first modern home in history to sustain
human occupants indefinitely using concepts, technology, products, diets, and systems from
all over the world.
Complete Self-Sufficient Technologies
The term "self-sufficient" means to stand alone without outside assistance. If
you wanted both food production and energy-independence in a limited space, space
program research is probably where complete self-sustaining technology was sought after
first. NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) early "CELSS"
system (Closed Environmental Life Support System) looked into intensive plant growing,
carbon dioxide enrichment, soap filtering, and extreme water conservation for extended
space travel and/or space colonization.
The Russians have also researched closed systems, and at one time may have been the
world leader in this technology. At the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow,
Yevgeny Shepelev became the first human being to live with biological life support. In
1961 he spent twenty-four hours in a chamber where chlorella algae regenerated his air and
purified his water. At the Institute of Biophysics in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, these
algae-based systems were further developed with the Bios-3 experiments in the 1970’s
and 1980’s, where they achieved six-month closures with about a dozen food crops
supplying half the food and providing nearly all the air and water regeneration for crews
of two and three people.
In the U.S., John Todd and his group at the New Alchemy Institute did pioneering work
with their experimental self-sufficient home "The Ark". This group was one of
the first to emphasize aquaculture in self-sufficient home designs.
Many periodicals and books have been published on how to adapt or retrofit existing
homes for some degree of power and/or food independence such as. Mother Earth News,
Home Power, Encyclopedia of Country Living, and How to Be Food Self-Sufficient.
Probably the earliest significant documentation of concepts on complete home system
designs which would generate all of the family's needs within or near the home was the
book, Autonomous House by Robert and Brenda Vales. Many individuals have built new
homes with plant growing abilities on the inside or added greenhouses onto their existing
home. Some more elaborate "bio-shelters" use more self-sufficient home
technology such as water conservation/filtration, wastewater treatment, and energy
efficiency for more of a "system" approach.
Probably the most well-known self-sustaining project was the huge Biosphere II
structure in Arizona that completely sealed 8 people for 2 years. It cost millions of
dollars to enclose approximately 3 acres under glass—of which there was about
one-half acre of food production using some 156 edible plant species. Life under Glass
by Abigail Alling and Mark Nelson with Sally Silverstone included most of the significant
food issues involved in the experiment. It is this experiment that forms the most in-depth
documentation on efficient food self-sufficiency in a confined space.
Earth Home System History
The oil embargo of the mid-70’s started many projects dealing with energy efficiency
and conservation. The Earth Home System project began in 1975 and attempted to develop the
technology to be able to mass produce food and energy-independent living
shelters for any location on the planet and be ecologically compatible. By
definition, an Earth Home was also designed to be a functional, efficient,
ecologically-balanced, need-oriented, simple, durable, non-polluting, single family,
universal, minimal existence living system. Nature was emphasized as a model using a
complete "system" approach. This ultimate self-sufficient home design used
cultural information from around the world to implement ideas, materials, foods, and
methods that have stood the test of time.
 |
View looking north (northern
Hemisphere location) showing southern glass, greenhouse, skylights, and compost doors.
|
It was planned that the technology and development of mass-producible
self-sufficient homes would happen first and be followed by plans, kits, and
components for the owner-builder. It was important to maintain an average 20th
century lifestyle with modern conveniences and comforts. This necessitated that the home
must essentially become a living, sensing, and reacting mechanism--without significant
human intervention except planting, harvesting, food preparation, and maintenance (a kind
of automatic "mini-farm".) This 29-year project has culminated in the book, Planet
Earth Home, now in its 5th printing. This book documents the entire project
and totally encompasses the field of complete self-sufficient home technologies.
Even though the goal was to make this "mini-farm" completely self-sufficient,
100% self-sufficiency is technically unattainable. Everything will break at some point
because the sun, water, friction, heat, and other forces are constantly at work. Routine
component replacement and maintenance requires some materials that may not be locally
available as yet. Also, dietary salt and yeast/enzymes for alcohol/vinegar production
would be much easier to purchase than to make or recycle.
View looking Southeast
(northern Hemisphere location) showing passive ventilation, wind and air generators, west
aquaculture/plant area, and screenporch.
|
 |
The basic design of an Earth Home to be built in any climatic region would remain
the same—except it would be adjusted or modified slightly for a specific locality.
Some of the identified "locality adjustments" include soil conditions,
solar/wind ratio for power generation, altitude, tropical/cold climate species potential
(trees, oil plants, and other species), reduced rainfall, increased temperature averages
(solar hydronic, solar cookers, and thermal mass ratios), decreased temperature averages
(frost modifications and night coolers), heating/cooling load ratio, high humidity/wet
environments, underfloor/in-floor heating potential, roof coloration schemes, latitude,
and inclusion within the "Southwest Hot Zone" increased solar insulation area of
the United States.
 |
View looking southwest
(northern Hemisphere location) showing carport/garage, east upper balcony, main and
screenporch entrances.
|
It is presumed that each Earth Home owner would develop specialized skills,
equipment, tools, and/or knowledge (cottage industry) that would form the basis for a
collective or group where products could be obtained from each other. In this way, the
technologies for Earth Home proliferation would become more Earth-friendly and
sustainable.
In order to communicate the uniqueness and differences between a normal home and a
modern self-sufficient home, I have written the following fictional description of an
average day for an Earth Home homeowner.
An Average Day in a Future Earth Home
I woke up and instinctively glanced at the master bedroom control screen and was assured
that all sensors were normal and power use within acceptable range. A tap of the screen
transfers control to the main kitchen/living room viewing panel and starts to increase the
water temperature in the hot beverage module. On my way to the exercise area, I notice
that the woodstove has automatically loaded a new piece of wood and is beginning another
burn cycle. As I begin to ride, I hear the grain mixture fall into the grinder hopper.
After about 15 minutes, the flour is ready and a quick touch on the control screen
switches the exercise machine back to generating electricity.
After a quick shower and a hot cup of herbal tea and biscuit, I decide to make today an
outside harvest day because the weather is beautiful with a slight breeze from the north.
I decide to postpone my computer work and get some fresh air. The master control also
reminds us that a certain portion of the greenhouse soil medium should be remixed before
replanting, but I will put that off until later when the temperature rises.
As the day passes, I notice the wind has slightly changed direction, causing the
greenhouse ventilation doors to change position. After a lunch of a salad with croutons
and soup, I notice that the main control is showing a wind increase and predicting high
winds for the rest of the day. From experience we know that high wind days are good for
running high draw appliances like the central vacuum, washer/dryer, and some of the pumps
and motors used to maintain the greenhouse and mini-farm. I opt for the central vacuum
cleaner as my wife puts a load into the washer and fills the overhead dryer. I happen to
notice an egg rolling from the chicken cages in the animal area into the refrigerator. It
is nice to see them still laying well this late in the season.
Sometime in the late afternoon, I hear the passive ventilation doors close, as it
begins to rain. I always like to hear water flowing into the storage tanks. It has been a
drier summer than usual. I recall that only once in the last 5 years have we had to
recharge our water storage.
I am a little tired from the morning’s activities and go into my office to put in
a couple hours before dinner. I like to listen to the shortwave radio when I work. I can
actually get caught up on current events while I work.
Tonight, dinner consists of sweet potatoes, fish soup, broccoli, and grapes for
dessert. We discuss the upcoming commodity exchange event and our garlic crop that we
intend to barter with. We hope that the Nelson’s will save some of their Italian
spices so that we have first chance at them.
We go to bed early, as both of us enjoy the sound of rain on the roof. I check the
master bedroom control screen and notice that one of the kids has left a light on in the
pantry, and I turn it off before I go to sleep.
Benefits of Modern Self-Sufficient Home Proliferation
I believe the world should offer another choice for sustainability and development. The
modern self-sufficient home model could be for single families, extended family units,
villages, or even larger populations. I feel mankind as a whole may want to choose an
independent lifestyle as opposed to the readily-available dependent lifestyle that
civilization has evolved into—once a choice is offered. I believe there are
significant, attractive short-term benefits that will assist modern self-sufficient home
development such as security from severe weather, more security from climate-change issues
and/or natural disasters, more security from infectious diseases, eating a fresh and
nutritious diet, having a dependable food supply, more security from disease-related
problems, and more security from global uncertainties.
It should be no secret that the planet is experiencing unusual weather and climate
abnormalities that many believe to be permanent. Small global climate temperature changes
may have been first evident during 1816 when the average global temperature was less than
1°C below today's average. There were frosts in June as far south as New England and
disastrous crop failures. Since about that time, the earth’s climate seems to be
changing and has become noticeably warmer.
The 10 hottest years in recorded history have all been in the last 15 years and the
1990’s were the hottest decade on record! The Midwestern heat wave of 1995 killed 669
people in Chicago. In 1996 we had a season of record heat spells and 1997 was the single
warmest year on record—until 1998 shattered global temperature records. With those
record-high temperatures throughout the South during the summer of 1998, Disney World had
to shut down its water parks because of the threat of a viral encephalitis outbreak. The
United Nations and insurers blame unusual weather for thousands of deaths and billions of
dollars in damage. As the costs of weather-related disasters rise, unease about climate
change rises also. Many people are starting to realize that we live in a changing world
and that these changes may not be cyclical as many have believed.
After reading the book, Global Warming: the Greenpeace Report, by Jeremy
Leggert, former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, "We have an authoritative
early warning system, an agreed assessment of some 300 of the world's leading scientists
of what is happening to the world's climate. A report of historic significance, what it
predicts will affect our daily lives."
The book goes on to say that "many scientists agree that the emissions resulting
from human activities are substantially increasing the atmospheric concentration of the
greenhouse gasses. These increases will enhance the greenhouse effect, resulting in
warming of the Earth's surface." In 1990, the scientists predicted that, if
greenhouse gas emissions are not sharply decreased, we might experience a 1°C to 3°C
rise in global temperatures. The author/scientists suggest(s) that we, as a species, must
reduce our emissions of greenhouse gasses by basically cutting in half our use of
coal, oil, and gas to maintain the concentration of greenhouse gasses at today's level.
The Earth’s oceans are particularly important because of the tremendous effect on
global climate. Support for warming includes a decrease in the amount of snow that covers
the northern hemisphere, a simultaneous decrease in Arctic Sea ice, continued melting of
alpine glaciers, and a rise in sea level. Rain has even been reported for the first time
in Antarctica and an ice-free patch of ocean about a mile wide has recently opened near
the North Pole! The continued ice melt may make the Northwest Passage a reality. El Nino
and Caribbean hurricanes are good examples of changing ocean conditions.
Besides temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone are also indications of
climatic change. Studies have shown that the carbon dioxide concentration in our
atmosphere has been steadily increasing since 1958. Even though the rate of emissions from
fossil fuels has been reduced, there is a consistent rise in CO2 concentration.
Over the last 200 years or so, levels of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere
have risen from about 280 parts per million to 360 parts per million.
The ozone hole in Antarctica doubled in size in 1995 to the size of Europe! For the
first time, the hole stretched over populated areas, exposing residents in southern Chile
and Argentina to very high levels of UV radiation. NASA has also measured 40% ozone
depletion over the Arctic in March-April of 1987. Studies have shown that a 1% decrease in
ozone in the stratosphere produces a 2% increase in ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching
the ground. Studies on the effects of increased UV radiation on plants have only been
tested as high as 25% above normal. In the U.S., between a third and a half of all cancers
are skin cancers. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with
estimates that two out of three people will get at least one skin cancer in their
lifetime. They routinely suggest covering up exposed skin and even to wear gloves when
working outside.
Add to this scenario the possibility of natural disasters such as volcanic activity,
comets, solar winds, sunspot activity or earthquakes that could drastically affect world
security. How long is the stability of the planet going to be immune from these types of
significant occurrences? Winter storms and random weather extremes such as record-breaking
extreme hot, cold, and winds are signals that we should act on the results of climate
change.
An increase in the numbers of modern self-sufficient homes would also offer more
security from infectious diseases because of less air travel and interactions with other
people. Many "old diseases" such as malaria, Dengue fever, Hantavirus, and viral
encephalitis are recently seeing resurgence. Malaria, once thought of as a strictly
tropical disease, has been reported as far north as New York, New Jersey, and Michigan and
now kills over 2 million people worldwide each year. More mosquito-borne tropical diseases
are occurring in the northern United States. In the summer of 2000, West Nile fever, a
rare and encephalitic virus that is endemic in parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa,
was linked to the encephalitic deaths of four people in the state of New York and has been
increasing in many other states.
History also shows an increase in the number of "new ailments" that have
surfaced, such as Reyes syndrome, Lyme disease, Legionnaire's disease, AIDS, herpes
genitalis, Marburg, Ebola filovirus, PDV-2, Machupo, Lassa, swine flu, SARS, and the
flesh-eating virus. This is primarily due to the quick transportation of infected persons
and/or animals throughout the world. Many infected persons, animals and insects can be
transported and infect others—days before they are determined to be sick.
We are seeing outbreaks of new diseases all over the world and diseases that were under
control rebounding with strains that are biocide-resistant. These outbreaks are
troublesome as more and more medicines seem to be ineffective. The underlying fear is that
we will experience an epidemic of a size and virulence that was previously unknown. Many
believe the global warming effect is also creating a breeding ground for diseases.
Disease and diet are interrelated issues as evidenced by a huge number of scientific
studies that deal with diet-related health problems in the U.S. To sum up, it has been
said that cardiovascular disease (heart disease and strokes) has now reached epidemic
proportions—killing over 40% of all Americans who die each year. Cancer takes one
third, and arthritis plagues 97% of all adults. 32 million Americans are overweight and a
majority has defective vision and decayed teeth. Americans spend the most money on health
care, yet ranks 16th in the world in life expectancy.
Many nutritionists agree that disease and health-related problems can be reduced or
deterred if fresh food is eaten. Many books expound the virtues of fresh fruits,
vegetables, and juices as "medicine" for the body. Most nutritionists would
agree that food raised and eaten as close to fresh as possible is the best source of
nutrition for human beings. However, studies have shown that vegetables and fruits start
losing vitamins and minerals from the very moment they are picked, even though methods of
cooking are used to ensure that they remain nutritious. Many of the foods we purchase
today differ significantly in vitamin/mineral value from the same ones a generation
or two ago.
Of the sixteen or more elements that are essential for plant growth, only three are
commonly put back into the soil (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium or NPK). The soil is
depleted of selenium in most parts of the country, and many areas offer only marginal
levels of zinc, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals. The Earth Summit Report in 1992
said that the levels of soil-based minerals in North America have dropped 85% in
the last 100 years. Plants that are grown on the same soil over the last 30 or more years
have experienced a drop in the mineral level. This depletion can take as little as 10
years and be significant enough to cause errors in the Composition of Foods Chart.
The simple availability of food is also an issue that should be a concern to
anyone. Of the 160 or so nations of the entire world, 140 of these are dependent on North
American grain exports. There are only four food grain exporters in the world—United
States, Canada, Argentina, and Australia. Even in the U.S. there is only about three
weeks' supply of food in supermarkets and food stores. Grain stocks have been down to an
amount approximating 62 days of consumption. If long-term disruptions in central services
ever occur, a stored supply of food and the ability to produce more food will be of utmost
importance.
Plant diseases are another danger to the availability of food. The vast majority of the
foods that human beings consume come from only 11 plant sources and 7 animal sources. We
rely heavily on mass production of this small number of plants and animals for the world's
food supply. This reliance on a small number of species of plants and animals has a
potentially catastrophic effect, as was experienced in the Potato Famine of 1847. The
potato blight completely destroyed Ireland's potato crop with the results that of the 3
million people living in Ireland at the time, 1 million died and 1 million more moved to
America. They had lost their diversity of plants and had no back-up systems to feed
themselves. This is further evidenced by the blight throughout the single-variety coffee
plantations in Britain’s Asian and African colonies that transformed the British into
a nation of tea drinkers. We are seeing another example in Africa where a new bacterial
wilt is wreaking havoc with banana production. Earth Home plant production technology uses
open-pollinated, disease-resistant varieties and does not require the purchase of hybrid
seeds.
It is also estimated that an approximate 4°C rise in the ocean temperature would
virtually eliminate commercial fishing, because of the dependence of the fish on
the lower forms of life, which cannot exist in a warmer ocean. Some authors have suggested
that the effect on the aquatic food chain, fish production—especially in the southern
oceans, and oxygen output from the ocean could dwarf any risks to human health.
Increased levels of UV can affect important world crops including soybeans, cotton, peas,
cabbages, and many species of trees and grasses.
The Homo sapiens species is adding to the uncertain future of the planet with global
political instability. There are approximately 20 wars going on at any one time around the
world. I believe that because of this volatile situation, the entire Earth is at risk,
especially due to the nature of the weapons that we human beings have developed. The
theory that "human beings have never built a weapon that we have not used against
another human being" is not far from the mark. We are the only species that kills our
own members for reasons other than to obtain food, territory, the opportunity to
reproduce, or to protect offspring.
In 1975 we experienced an oil shortage that was potentially severe enough to cause a
departure from the status quo in the United States. I feel that another such oil shortage
could easily happen as a result of international political conflicts. Some people think
that many other issues are also a threat to their survival: financial collapse, food chain
distribution collapse (Foot and Mouth disease), and terrorism (including chemical,
biological, and nuclear threats). I believe that the ecological and political balance of
the world is much more fragile than most people think, and I believe humans are capable of
tipping that balance very easily. It can be argued that the only real security for
people is self-sufficiency. I believe modern self-sufficient homes such as the Earth Home
will offer such security.
Long-Term Global Benefits
A gradual transition to self-sufficient home technologies will also have significant
world-wide long term benefits as well such as helping to prevent malnutrition by
increasing food production, reduce the energy needs for agriculture and housing, slow the
advance of global soil problems, reduce the burden on world water supplies, slowing down
environmental and climate changes, and even a slowing or reversal of the two-income family
trend.
It has been said that there is only one major disease, and that is malnutrition.
Some have speculated that all ailments and afflictions that we inherit are directly
traceable to this major disease. More than half the world’s present 6 billion people
live in perpetual hunger! Some 40,000 children starve to death each and every day and 60
million people will starve to death this year. Eight hundred million people do not have
enough food to eat. If we were suddenly to join the less fortunate human beings, our next
meal would be a small bowl of rice and perhaps a piece of fish an inch square the day
after tomorrow. An ability to grow, forage and hunt for one’s own food may become
increasingly important as we add another few billion people over the next 30 years.
Self-sufficient home technology would increase the food supply by making each family
capable of growing organic food, rather than having a single American farmer produce food
for some 400 people.
Currently, we are spending 20 calories in petroleum energy to produce 1 calorie of
food. In addition to U.S. agricultural energy outputs, approximately 20-30% of all energy
is consumed in the home. Space heating and hot water is around 14% alone. If you add food
processing, clothing industries, house maintenance, and construction energy, the figure
climbs to around 60% of all energy use. Even though Americans make up only 4.5% of
the world population, we consume five times the world’s average per capita in energy.
As oil supplies begin to lag behind demand, how much longer can we afford to use energy in
this way?
Besides soil depletion mentioned previously, other significant soil problems in the
world include desertification, soil compaction, erosion, increased salinity, hydrated lime
use, and a reduction in irrigated land. It is estimated that the annual global loss
to desertification is an area about the size of the state of Maine. Our planet is drying
up and the soil quality is deteriorating. Roughly a third of the original topsoil in the
United States is now gone. It is estimated that the world has from 50 to 100 years of
farmable soil, using current farming practices. Irrigated land comprises only about 16% of
the world’s cropland, but contributes about 40% of the world’s food production.
In the 1980’s, as major rivers began to run dry for parts of the year and most of the
best sites for dams and reservoirs were already developed, the per capita net world
irrigated area began to shrink for the first time in modern times.
Virtually all of the world's aquifers (underground water supplies) are being depleted
rapidly. The aquifers are also being polluted by chemical waste dumps and toxic
contaminants of various kinds. Africa is a good example of drought conditions and a
lowering of the water table. Over 45% of the African continent is now affected by
desertification that affects over 50 million people. Some eighty countries have
experienced water shortages enough to threaten agriculture, such as northern China,
southern India, Pakistan, and Mexico. California's water supply is also critically low.
Earth Home self-sufficient technology recycles most of the wastes and water for further
use, so the drain upon the existing water supply would be much less.
Excess use of fertilizers and pesticides has almost destroyed our environment. The
Chesapeake Bay is almost dead due to infestation with fisteria. The Mississippi River has
been declared dead due to excessive fertilizer and animal waste runoff and many more lakes
and rivers are endangered for the same reason. It is estimated that approximately 200
species of plants and animals become extinct each year, never to be seen again.
The trend in the United States has been toward a two-income family, which was a gradual
departure from the one-income family of the 60's and early 70's. I feel it is possible
that the two-income trend can be slowed and reversed. I believe that modern
self-sufficient home technology will begin to reverse that trend, so that a smaller amount
of household income will be necessary to maintain a home and a family. I believe the
initial cost of a modern self-sufficient home will also begin to reduce due to continuous
technology development and increased volumes of products used in these new homes.
New Technologies
In the last decade or so, there have been significant products and development efforts
that have reached the marketplace that fit well into self-sufficient home development
needs. Battery and energy demand research, DC (direct current) circulating pumps, hydrogen
production and storage technologies, CHP (combined heat and power) units, and the popular
healthy food trend are some of the identified areas may speed the evolution of modern
self-sufficient home development.
Since completely self-sufficient homes must (presently) store electricity in batteries,
higher power densities and lower cost is very important. The electronics and automotive
industry are primarily driving research into small, light, and power-dense batteries. The
issues of automotive fuel economy and emissions are also demanding that the load on the
alternator be reduced. Many scientists and engineers are looking at conserving power and
efficiently managing energy drains.
The average home in the U.S. contains approximately 60 different electric
motors—virtually all of which are inefficient. A large portion of electricity is used
in the motors that circulate hot and cold air inside the home to maintain comfortable
temperatures. Much research effort on electric motors has resulted in ECM (electronically
commutated motor) technology that draws an amazingly small amount of electricity—when
it needs it. This motor technology has been applied to liquid circulating pumps in the
solar heating industry. Laing and Wilo in Denmark have recently introduced continuous duty
DC circulating pumps that draw less than 10 watts of electricity.
A home could utilize hydrogen technologies in a number of places. Gaseous hydrogen is
similar to natural gas or propane with less heating value per cubic foot. However, when
gaseous hydrogen burns, pure water is the result. This makes it a unique non-polluting
technology that can be generated by electricity and stored for later use. The National
Hydrogen Association is in its 15th year of conferences and the last decade has
brought increasing research into all aspects of hydrogen technology. As this generation
and storage technology comes of age, hydrogen will be useful as a clean fuel source for
cooking, hot water heating, and many other uses.
Hydrogen can also be used for combined heat and power units (CHP) that are
chest-freezer-sized units that can be used in residential applications. When electricity
is needed, a gaseous fuel is pumped directly into the fuel cell to produce both DC
electricity and heat. There are about 5 companies in the world developing residential CHP
units.
Not all of the technologies helping to evolve self-sufficient homes involve energy.
There is a great interest and industry in the U.S. built on maintaining one’s health.
This field of products and services is a significant share of the gross national product.
A significant portion of the industry is dedicated to how the body naturally maintains
health, stamina, and weight. Commonly accepted principles involve nutritious eating, fresh
air, exercise, and adequate vitamin/mineral intake. These qualities are very easy to
implement into a self-sufficient home lifestyle, as all foods are raised
on-site—controlling all soil, plant, and animal inputs.
Conclusion
I believe that we human beings are stewards of the Earth, and that it is our
responsibility to give this Earth to future generations in the same or better condition
than we received it. I think we also have a moral obligation to help those less fortunate
than ourselves. Approximately one-half of the world's 3 billion people have no fresh water
to drink, and another one-third have no adequate food or housing. Even though the poor
will be with us forever, I believe that the developed nations of the world need to take a
leadership role in ensuring that all people's basic needs are met. I think sustainable
development should include a choice of living in a modern self-sufficient home. Confucius
once said that "The strength of a nation is derived from the integrity of its
homes."
Max Planck once said that "an important scientific innovation rarely makes its way
by gradually winning over and converting its opponents; it rarely happens that Saul
becomes Paul. What does happen is that its opponents gradually die out and that the
growing generation is familiarized with the idea from the beginning."
I do not dwell on Biblical, Hopi, Mayan, and pyramid prophesies—nor people such as
Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and Richard Noone. I rather try to concentrate on existing
technologies and choices we still have available. Over half my life has been dedicated to
the cause of modern self-sufficient homes. My wish is that this technology will mature
while resources and conditions are favorable to its development—if not for
single-family use, then extended family or village use. This technology may stay on the
back burner and simmer in the minds of many creative independent thinkers on the planet,
but I believe it will become forefront in time—I hope not too late for the human
species.
Louis. Pasteur once said "CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPARED MIND". Thanks for
listening............................Mel
About
the Author:
Mel Moench has a Bachelors in
Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, University of Minnesota Institute of Technology - 1972.
He obtained a Masters in Business Administration, St. Cloud State University - 1974.
Registered Professional Engineer in Manufacturing Engineering - State of Minnesota. Past
memberships include ASME, Consulting Engineering Council, Medical Alley. Over thirty years
engineering experience in Industrial/Mechanical/Manufacturing/Project/Design /Research and
Developmet. E-mail: mmoench@charter.net
Publishing Credits:
Planet Earth Home
Encyclopedia of Self-Sufficient Homes
Choosing Natural Foods by Looking through History: Traditional Diets from around the World
that have Maintained Health, Weight Loss, and Nutrition.....for Centuries!
For more information on Mel or to see examples of his writing, visit:
www.planetearthhome.com.
COPYRIGHT © 2004 WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
Tel. 301-656-8274. E-mail info@wfs.org. Web site http://www.wfs.org.
All rights reserved.
