Vermont Rest Stop Features a "Living Machine"
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 09. 1.05
On a rest stop on Interstate 89, the State of Vermont has installed a sophisticated system that uses plants and organisms to clean wastewater, and then pumps the treated water back to the toilets for reuse. This type of installation is called a "Living Machine", because aquatic plants are used to filter sewage, and ingest the nutrients in it. The plants are South Asian natives and their roots are well suited to host the organisms that eat the waste, converting it into plant food. In a wing of the building, in the glass greenhouse, visitors look down on the vegetation from a grated ledge. The room smells like a combination of mulch and chlorine. :: NYTimes
What a cool system! Why was the VT DOT (or whatever) so far ahead of the curve on this, and who makes these? (as the article seems to strongly indicate they're not one-offs but are coming out of a specific firm / consultant /manufacturer/ community or movement?)
Well, that took about a decade and a half. John Todd built one of these for the Sugarbush ski resort back in the early 1990s.
There are composting toilets in a variety of national parks now too.
But I don't think we have the luxury of this molasses pace any more.
John Todd (who was a student of Bucky Fuller) now teaches at University of Vermont and therefore the State has been really really into his living machines... these are not one-offs there are now many living machines around (here in Toronto there are 2 one in the BodyShop factory) Todd's site is at www.oceanarks.org
...And the company that makes them-- should you wish to set one up at your home or factory is here ...and i haven't heard much about this (John Laumer would know) that there's people in Philly who are woklring on a living machine barge to go up & down cleaning the schuylkill (john?)