A description

In our local garden complex I designed and installed a bilogical water filter. We pump the water into the bottom of a 1000 liter IBC container filled with seashells. The feed comes from the bottom so that water has to travel up. In the process of traveling up, the shells give off their calcium to the water and this makes it more basic (lower PH). Because we are also filtering for heavy metals this is important because water can only carry heavy metals at certain PH ranges. It travels up so that as the PH drops the heavy metals sink down. After it comes to the top the water flows onto another 1000 liter tank which is rough sand going down smaller in grainsize each layer until it exits at the bottom. From there the water flows through a big reed bed. We used two long perferated pipes ( about 100m each). One on the top and one on the bottom of a dug out trench of about 1.50 deep. The pipes are surrounded by very smooth sand. The idea is that the water is given to the plants from the top and because of gravity flows down into the bottom pipes. The plants are specifically chosen for this job (Juncus and Scirpus). They have associations with micro organisms that bind nitrogen and other such fertilizers in the water and give it to the plant. They also attack and absorb things like e-coli! The plant gives sugar to the bacteria in return for the nitrogen. The bottom pipes are then catching the clean water and let it go out onto a nicelooking waterfeature. I have hopes to establish some sweetwater mussles as well to take up the excess potassium but that might have to be later.

To test myself I made this strawbale tiny home.
After traveling the world for about 2.5 years I decided it was time for me to test myself by building something. Having just aquired an allotmment garden I decided that perhaps a strawbale house would work. The building process was quite straightforward and I could build quickly, using the mega-lego blocks to quickly raise the walls. I estimated the total build to last about 4 months. 3 years later I finially finished it. It was a great learning process, I learned more from this process than I could have studying all the books in the world.