○Bio-Gas Toilets
For the treatment of toilet waste, a bio-gas toilet with a biomass generator is utilized, producing gas, electricity, or hydrogen. Rainwater tanks are installed in residences for use in flushing toilets, bathing, hot water, and laundry. With the looming issue of dwindling water resources, this practice also aims to reduce the use of water from rivers and lakes.
Moreover, using toilet paper made from natural plant materials like bamboo that decompose naturally is recommended.
It's essential to note that concerning bio-gas toilets, care should be taken regarding the positioning and facilities to prevent methane gas from the purification tank leaking into indoor spaces. There have been incidents of methane causing fires or explosions due to sparks from electrical circuits.
During disasters such as earthquakes, the availability of toilets becomes critical. While flush toilets can function without electricity, water supply disruptions can prevent flushing. Therefore, ensuring the manual transfer of waste to a septic tank can resolve toilet shortages during disasters.
If bio-gas toilets aren't feasible, considering bio-toilets is an option. These toilets use a container filled with bamboo powder or sawdust, promoting decomposition and composting of waste. Bio-toilets operate without water and don't require flushing. The internal bamboo powder needs periodic replenishment or replacement. Bio-toilets adopt a system of separating solid and liquid waste. This is because excessive moisture hampers fermentation and results in odorous urine. Additionally, the toilet container is heated using solar energy to facilitate decomposition.
Infant and caregiving disposable diapers are made by harvesting forests. Incinerating used wet diapers requires higher heat, resulting in increased carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, cloth diapers become the primary choice. Natural materials are preferred to avoid potential itching caused by synthetic fibers. Given that residences accommodate infants, seniors, or individuals requiring care, every household is equipped with a small washing machine and washing area for cloth diapers. The wastewater from this process also follows the natural percolation drainage method.
Regarding waste management, in a self-sufficient community like Prout Village, supermarkets and convenience stores are absent, reducing non-biodegradable waste like plastic bags, bottles, cans, and non-biodegradable containers or packaging. Consequently, only organic waste and biodegradable containers remain. Primarily, this waste is processed through bio-gas toilets, where it's broken down and converted into energy. If this isn't feasible, composting is employed, following the same principle as bio-toilets, mixing with bamboo powder or sawdust to decompose with the aid of microorganisms.
Thus, household wastewater, excreta, and food remnants are processed within each residence. Treating wastewater through self-processing returns it to the land, maintaining rivers and seas in a clear, drinkable state, allowing aquatic life to thrive in their natural abundance.
○3D Printing
A 3D printer, when using PLA filament made from starch sources like sugarcane, corn, or potatoes, can biodegrade in natural environments.
In Prout Village homes, residents use 3D printers to manufacture essential items from local resources, free of charge.
With a 3D printer, designers can directly transform 3D images drawn on a computer screen into three-dimensional objects. Hence, data designed by designers are shared online, allowing residents to select their preferred designs or create their own. The design rules for 3D printers and manufactured products are as follows:
- The primary priority for materials used in household items is to utilize raw materials accessible worldwide.
- Materials such as PLA filament made from starch or plant resources like bamboo, which can be naturally returned, stable, and renewable, are the top candidates for materials.
- Use reusable materials.
- Ensure no environmental pollution occurs.
- Avoid materials derived from animals, such as leather.
- Design products that can be produced by one 3D printer from another. This facilitates swift construction in other areas or speedy disaster recovery support for different regions.
Adhering to these rules, the manufacturing facility also undertakes repairing products and recycling discarded electronics as raw materials.
○Electric Furnace, Melting Furnace
Metals are used as materials for public infrastructure, residences, and household appliances. A melting furnace is necessary for making metals and glass from mineral resources. This typically involves small to medium-sized melting furnaces or bloomeries. Bloomeries are low, angular furnaces made of clay, and they represent a primitive method that has been passed down since ancient times. The priority order for ignition materials is bamboo charcoal first, followed by wood charcoal.
The number of products manufactured by municipalities decreases compared to a monetary society, but since wood charcoal is still used, carbon dioxide is emitted. The total amount emitted depends on how much is used when carried out in various places. Therefore, consideration is given to small to medium-sized electric furnaces as well. If electric furnaces can be operated solely with renewable energy sources in municipalities, they take priority.
In this way, iron, copper, aluminum, glass, and other materials are produced. Residents produce only what they need, and metal recycling is also carried out here. Due to the handling of high temperatures, if feasible as a facility, the heat released into the atmosphere can be stored in sand batteries or used for tasks such as bamboo oil extraction.
○Small-Scale Semiconductor Factory
Most household appliances and electronic devices around us use semiconductors. Semiconductors are small components necessary for transmitting radio waves for communication, increasing the volume of speakers, controlling motors, and setting calculations and timers.
Semiconductors are often produced in factories costing tens of billions or trillions of yen. However, in a society that strives for self-sufficiency in all things, municipalities also produce and consume the necessary amount, following a local production for local consumption model. Therefore, these factories are small-scale facilities that have been miniaturized, similar to 3D printers.
In addition to semiconductors, printed circuit boards containing components such as resistors, capacitors, transformers, diodes, and transistors must be manufactured using 3D printers.
This process involves obtaining metal materials from minerals and incorporating semiconductors and printed circuit boards produced in small-scale factories into products. Instead of large-scale factories, these are done in small-scale factories using local resources as much as possible. This approach realizes manufacturing with the minimum necessary production quantity and minimal environmental impact. It also ensures that major components can be used without being monopolized by anyone. These factories are also established in municipal manufacturing facilities.
○Limited Use of Concrete
In monetary societies worldwide, roads are commonly paved with either asphalt or concrete. Some areas strive for aesthetic enhancement using cobblestone roads, where concrete might also be utilized. Additionally, concrete is used in the walls of tunnels and underground subways.
Asphalt, derived from crude oil, emits carbon dioxide during its manufacturing process. Concerning concrete, the cement material that solidifies substances like soil contains limestone. When burned at temperatures exceeding 900°C, it transforms into quicklime, releasing carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels like petroleum or coal are used for this burning process, resulting in a dual emission of carbon dioxide. Some statistics suggest that carbon dioxide emissions from cement production constitute 8% globally and 4% in Japan.
Reasons for concrete usage include the need for strength on roads to withstand heavy vehicles and to reduce energy consumption on the vehicle side by enabling smoother travel. Similarly, for large structures like buildings or apartments, strength is necessary, and concrete has become affordable and accessible.
Concrete is extensively used in various everyday settings, leading to a depletion of suitable sand and gravel globally. Nations are engaged in battles over sand, leading to restrictions on sand mining. While limestone, a key component of cement, is considered abundant, it's also a finite resource and could deplete with excessive use.
The root cause of this overuse lies in the pursuit of profit, a motive shared by countries, corporations, and individuals alike. Concrete has become indispensable, but its usage needs moderation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and address climate change. Therefore, it's crucial to limit where concrete is used in daily life and reduce overall consumption.
For instance, in Prout Village, buildings like skyscrapers or apartments made entirely of concrete are not constructed, significantly reducing concrete usage. Foundations for homes prioritize stone building, minimizing concrete usage. Pillars are made from bamboo, wood, while walls are crafted from straw or mycelium bricks, eliminating the need for concrete.
Residents' modes of transportation within the community involve traveling at speeds of up to 20 km/h in automobiles, and for mid to long-distance travel between communities, trains are used. Consequently, the need for highways constructed with concrete is eliminated.
However, concrete remains necessary for train tracks and structures requiring strength, such as tunnels or bridges. Within the community, roads are constructed with concrete minimally and prioritize cobblestones, reducing concrete usage. This approach not only reduces concrete usage but also enhances the community's aesthetics. Any remaining concrete usage would be directed towards embankments or potentially dams, if needed.
During Japan's Meiji era when large construction machinery wasn't available, an artificial stone was developed. This material was used in large-scale projects such as harbor construction and irrigation channels. The artificial stone was a mixture of decomposed granite (10 parts) and lime (1 part). In areas without decomposed granite, suitable clays or volcanic ash soils were occasionally used.
This artificial stone had the property of solidifying in water. It was used to form a thick protective layer on the outer side of structures like embankments and sluice gates by combining mixed soil with natural stones. In this process, about 10cm of mixed soil was placed between natural stones, preventing direct contact between them. Then, it was compressed from above using pounding tools like a pounding rod, requiring significant manual labor.
This artificial stone is also appreciated for its ability to return to nature. Hence, if suitable for road construction in terms of strength, it could be considered as an option.
Furthermore, there's a development where a mixture of 100 parts soil, 40 parts sand, 30 parts hydrated lime, and water are used to form walls in houses.
Depending on the soil type, different hardening agents are used. Cement is used for soils with more sand content, while hydrated lime (produced by adding water to quicklime) is used for clayey soils. The materials and proportions mixed vary based on the soil's characteristics, altering the way the soil solidifies.
In the future, if methods emerge to solidify soil without using limestone similar to concrete, it might become an alternative. However, presently, by limiting the use of concrete and transitioning away from a monetary-based society, there is potential to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
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