Homes are designed (as are the Sustainable Village structures at Kirkwood) with thick insulation and passive solar:
Homes do not have air conditioning. Many have radiant in-floor heating and also have "earth tubes." The earth tubes are tubes dug deep in the ground in the area around the home's foundation. In summer, a fan draws fresh, outside air into the tubes, which remove heat and humidity providing cooler air for the home. In winter, fans draw the air through the warmer earth providing a warmer source of air to refresh and help reduce the amount of heat the furnace needs to provide to heat the home.
Additionally, the entire community is meant to be off-grid by utilizing solar, wind (they have a wind turbine), and propane reserves. Stacey shared, however, that the car batteries used to store the solar energy are becoming a bit cumbersome, so the community is currently on a buy-back program for back-up energy with a local energy cooperative.
As is popular in Hawaii, solar hot water heaters provide hot water in the home:
Water use is also meant to be completely self-sustaining even in periods of drought. The community uses septic systems to treat solid waste, but gray water is treated through a natural set of wetlands:
Ponds in the community as well as catchment systems provide the rest of the water needed for human consumption, permaculture, and recreation:
Speaking of permaculture, residents have small lots on which to grow food, but the community also maintains a greenhouse (with CSA shares) as well as asian pear and mulberry trees:
I hope to share insights from Stacey's tour with Kirkwood faculty at the Sustainability Village as well as Social Science faculty, other staff, and students in each of my classes upon my return.
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