Power Heat and Water Even in the Winter
Power Heat and Water Even in the Winter
I’m really excited about power heat and water even in the winter at Mezzacello. Especially as I enter my third season of summer camps. Why am I excited about winter for the summer?
I’m so glad you asked! The reason is these systems are integral to all four of the camps that I focus on at Mezzacello. Bio technology, bio engineering bio renewables and energy, and bio chemistry.
I have found that my summer camp kids love the fact that Mezzacello is a living machine. It seems magical to them and they really love problem-solving to help all the various animals plants ecosystems micro biomes and systems live together in a fun way. This applied stem playfulness is at the very heart of the success of Mezzacello.
Why sustainability is cost-effective
As a farmer and a scientist I am intensely Interested in how all four of these systems integrate throughout my farm. The energy components, the bio chemistry components, the animal safety, and the natural resources are all very important. Also, they are impossible to replicate and financially difficult to replace by hand.
Let’s look just that water. If I were to pay for all the water that I regularly use on my farm annually my water bill would be OVER $1000 US dollars - I’ve included a currency calculator here. That is not affordable.
Nor is this sustainable. But my systems for storing and using water cost me under $1000 to implement and they re-integrate rain and snow back into my water table. That costs me zero dollars.
What’s the catch?
The one caveat to water is that it needs one further treatment before I can use it to grow food or water animals. So do I buy an expensive water treatment system? Or do I use gravity and natural filtration systems to clean the water on demand?
if you guessed option number two congratulations you were right. What are the benefits of the Bioreactor tower is that it pulls water from rain barrels. But only water from the top of the rain barrel. All of the heavy elements and dangerous elements sink to the bottom and baffles where they can be cleaned in the spring.
Interoperability and integrated sustainability
This interoperable and integrated sustainability method is a life changer. But it did require an initial capital investment three years ago. Since then the system has run entirely through wind and solar power including in the winter when I need it most.
I recently gave a lecture on the 17 UN sustainable development goals to a group of high school kids here in Columbus. I’m very pleased that all of my integrated systems at Mezzacello touch on almost all 17 of those UN SDG. It is a point of pride for me.
in 2023 I plan on talking more about these integrated systems and what they have to do with the UN 17 SDG to avoid climate reality and ensure sustainability is an easy option for anyone. I don’t have a title for the series yet, maybe you could help me out with that. I’ll probably be work shopping it in my summer camps.
After all, who is better suited at coming up with clever ideas for sustainability than the very people who will inherit this world well after I’m gone. I hope you’ll join me. And of course you’re welcome to give options in the comments and I hope you do.