We all do our best to be live in harmony with nature. Or at least we try – some don’t, but let’s not waste time with them right now. As technology advances, we now have more ways to reduce our ecological footprint, hoping to leave more of the world as it is today to the generations to come. The most exciting project of them all is the “Zero Waste Sapioponic House” initiated by Adam Kokesh, activist, youtuber and self-published author.
What does “sapioponic” mean?
Sapioponic is a term that I think has much more right to be included in dictionaries like “selfie”. It covers the complete recycling of all waste material resulting from human activity – like the everyday organic waste turned into nutrients for the gardening system, and all energy needs generated using self-sustaining sources. Basically it covers the complete re-use of every waste generated by every human activity within the house.
Zero waste living off the grid
Kokesh’s objective is to build a homestead that can completely cover every need of four people, living completely off the grid. And by “completely”, he means that he won’t rely on outside sources for anything except an internet connection. He will need that if he wants to continue to post YouTube videos or play online slots from time to time.
The house is planned to rely on solar radiation as its source of electricity, and rainwater as its only source of water. All water collected will be used and recycled, except for what evaporates – that is the only waste produced by the house. Heating, if needed, will be realized through passive solar energy and an occasional fire, while cooling will be made with cooling tubes and transom windows.
The water collected will first get into a water organizing module, which will handle its filtering to drinking water quality. The wastewater will be used in a way similar to aquaponic systems, providing nutrients to the planters with live cultures of red worms. The plan is to turn any solid waste into plant food, which in turn becomes human food and leads to the creation of more solid waste. That closes the circuit.
The project is massive, and will take quite some time to complete – up to 9 months, according to The Homestead Guru website. But once completed, it is planned to offer a completely independent way of life for a family of four. Those interested in his progress can follow Kokesh on Twitter, YouTube and various other social media outlets.