8 – The SOLVIVA Poolhouse/Lab

 (PLEASE NOTE:  All Pages may be frequently updated and improved.)

FIRST – let’s get oriented and reminded about our current state of affairs, our current reality, locally and globally:

After my Father died, in 2007, at the age of 96, I was stunned to find that I had inherited some money. I immediately decided to fulfill a dream I held dear for long: to build a small house with the best of  the Solviva designs I could imagine –  for the purpose of recording and documenting it’s achievable performance. I installed 10 strategically placed thermometers, and kept extensive temperature records, including the pool. And recorded readings of humidity (surprisingly low, very comfortable). Also tested for nitrogen reduction performed by the Greenfilter (96-99%!) 

Because I now have it all well enough documented, I can dare to stand up and say what I do – – to declare that We now have the technologies and know-how to be able to transform the way we live, and thereby possibly have a chance to avert the worsening calamities toward which we are currently headed – that have really just begun”.                          What makes me so sure that we really can do and live in the ways I describe? Here is why –     This little SOLVIVA Poolhouse/Lab + my Home + the big Solviva Winter Garden greenhouse, have proven the following:                                                                                                                                           1. A comprehensive solar roof can generate nearly-all the heat, hot water and electricity that is required for the house, including a swimming pool.                                                                       2.  A household can produce all it’s veggies, herbs and flowers in an indoor garden (with deep soaking tub – Heaven on Earth!), and eggs, meat, heat and compost from the lucky chickens who live in luxury in the insulating attached ChickenPalace.                                               3. All wastewater can be filtered by natural ecosystems set in shallow garden beds consisting of wood chips, plants, earthworms and myriads of mini, micro and electron-micro critters, and thereby reduce pollution by some 75-99% compared with septic systems required by State regulations –  and reduce cost by 50-90%!                                                AND – 4.   This is not something that I have created, but it sure is something that I now know about, and that surely gives me hope and pure joy: a Nissan LEAF-SL car and Photovoltaics –   500 sq.ft. of PV fitted on a 2-car garage can produce enough power for 2 Nissan LEAFs, each driving 10,000 miles annually –  that’s 500 sq.ft.PV to drive a total of 20,000 miles annually in a 4.4miles/kWh all electric car –   and the real cost of driving is roughly 90% less than with gas.  To me, this is still really hard to believe, even though I know it from my own personal, direct experience, week after week after week, with perfect predictability and reliability.