MetaEfficient Reviews » Greywater & Sewage

Chicago’s Green Alley Initiative

benjamin — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:30:36 +0000

Chicago's Green Alley Initiative (photo: Chicago DOT)

Urban alleyways. Grubby places that only scrappy cats or cop-show perps could love, right? Not in Chicago, where the Department of Transportation is giving them some serious TLC with its recently implemented Green Alley Program. This city-wide renovation initiative will offer some surprising environmental benefits and improve quality of life for residents.
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Update: Bank Of America Tower, Greenest Skyscraper In The U.S.

benjamin — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:50:02 +0000

Bank of America Tower, Greenest Skyscraper In The U.S. (photo: BoA)

A while back, MetaEfficient profiled what could be the greenest skyscraper in America, the Bank of America Tower in New York City. Located in midtown Manhattan at One Bryant Park, the 945-foot tall, 55-story structure is scheduled to open later this year. Here’s a closer look at some of the groundbreaking features that should help the building earn a coveted LEED Platinum designation.
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Sewage In, Clean Water Out: “Living Machines”

Justin — Tue, 03 Aug 2004 21:22:27 +0000

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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Hyper-Optimal: Create an Oasis with Greywater

Justin — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 00:26:58 +0000

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.