The people in the photo above are walking through the coils of a “Living Machine” in Emmen Zoo, Netherlands. It is a machine that filters and cleans 260,000 gallons of wastewater per day using nothing but plants. The water that comes out is drinkable.

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The book "Create an Oasis with Greywater" by Art Ludwig is packed with information about how to reuse greywater by diverting it into your garden. What is greywater? It’s all the "waste" water produced in a house besides sewage — e.g. water from showers, sinks and washing machines.

This is a key meta-efficient technique because, when done correctly, and combined with composting toilets, it eliminates the need for municipal sewage services. It also provides your garden with water and nutrients.

The author’s own "Branched Drain to Mulch Basins or Mini-Leachfields" technique is intriguing, as are many other methods of greywater percolation explained in the book.