James:
I was looking over some of my old Mars proposals and wanted you to give a spin
off to try in your colder area. This is an idea that popped into my head during
my 105 minute bus ride as I thought about how most survivalists have no idea
how to feed themselves or where they will live once they bug out.
The idea is a double wall UV-transparent
greenhouse with spacers between to make for good airspace insulation. Hydroponic
tubing of a larger diameter would be connected to a curtained off outhouse
toilet (and a runoff gutter rain barrel) returning nutrients to the loop under
the black plastic ground sheet feeding the plants. A black cover could be added
during snow (melt it away) or at night for more insulation. A small domicile
could be located at one end and curtained off. The attractive feature to this
(it could be a kit) is that a landless survivalist or a poor farmer could set
up a real food producing system and home in 1-2 days in any place with water
supply
and even poor soil, sand is best.
The real problem is clogging the tubing with feces... and toilet paper could
not be used in this system. Sludge from the compost pile would be dumped occasionally
into
the toilet.
X-meters of UV plastic
x-meters black UV plastic
x-feet of PVC tube (frame)
x-feet PVC hose perforated (large enough to stay clear)
1-composter toilet (plumbed into system, crank mixer/pump)
x-sandbags (ballistic protection)
1-runoff rain barrel (plug/valve near bottom to plumb into system)
1-hand pump kit
x-assorted vegetable starters
x-bamboo starters
1-Tyvek instruction manual on how to setup and heat shelter, germinate and
grow seeds and cuttings.
A hand pump, pipe, and a sand spike would be a nice addition for the kit buyer.
including sand bags in a kit would allow making of a "meklat" shelter
partially dug in for those who want ballistic protection. This would likely
last a maximum of 1-to-2 years but this would allow a permanent settlement
to be
built.
JWR Adds: I have one point of disagreement: "Night
soil" (composted human waste) should not be used as fertilizer for growing
vegetables. The
risks far outweigh the benefits! I suggest only using waste from cattle
or other herbivorous livestock for such a scheme.