CCAT: Pioneers of Urban Sustainable Living Amanda Potter & Chris Greacen In 1978 the building was not remarkably different than any of hundreds of thousands of American houses. Like most houses built in the early 1900s, it wasn't energy efficient Ä gas and electricity were cheap. It dumped its waste directly into the city's sewer system. The food that its occupants consumed was purchased from distant markets. Perhaps the only thing that distinguished this house on 16th Street and Cluster Lane in Arcata, California, was that it was scheduled to be demolished as part of an expansion of Humboldt State University (HSU). The history of the miraculous transformation of this house is beyond this article, but the results are clear. The house is now CCAT, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology. CCAT is a thriving student-run demonstration center for appropriate technology and self-sufficient urban living. Reliance on outside resources is minimized. Most of the electricity, home heating, and food consumed at CCAT are produced using the sun, wind, and rain that fall on the small city lot. Nutrients such as kitchen and bathroom wastes are recycled to be re-used by the house's gardens. The transformation has been the work of students and community volunteers. HSU's introductory appropriate technology engineering classes include, as part of their curriculum, student projects at CCAT. Three student co- directors live full time at CCAT, and oversee projects, give tours, and run the day-to-day business of managing the demonstration house. They are appointed by a steering committee of faculty, community members, and past directors. This year CCAT has received enough funding to hire a few additional people to manage the increasing flow of activity. Lots of other folks come in, leading and participating in weekly workshops on everything from beer brewing to hydrogen energy to organic gardening. Last year over 1,200 toured CCAT, and nearly 800 participated in workshops. Others come to use CCAT's library. Their well-organized collection of books, magazines, and newsletters on gardening, renewable energy, and appropriate technology make our files here at Home Power look like a joke. This information is often difficult to track down, and it is good to see it organized in one place. There should be a library like this in every town. Material can be borrowed by anyone in the community, or you can recline on the couch and browse at will. The library is also the source of a self-guided tour which you can take anytime the place is open. Pullin' the Plug In spring of '91, CCAT asked Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to disconnect the power lines. Most of the home's electricity now comes from 22 photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on CCAT's roof. All the panels were made by Solec, and were part of a test facility at Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL). The panels put out 30 Amperes at 15 Volts on a sunny day. A Sencebaugh wind turbine on a 40 foot tower supplements the pvs on windy days. During wind gusts it has supplied as much as 25 Amperes. Unfortunately it requires 15 mph winds to start generating power, which, at 40 ft, it doesn't often receive. Arcata is on the coast of far northern California. For weeks on end, especially in winter, the town is fogged in. In the renewable energy world, these are "low energy days". For these times, CCAT uses a three horsepower Honda engine, modified to run on natural gas, which drives an 80 Ampere automotive alternator. This 12 Volt DC engine generator uses a student- made Mark VI electronic field controller to control output current. Former co-director Mike Nelson was careful to explain that CCAT has disconnected from the "E" of PG&E, but utility natural gas is still used for back-up electricity generation, and for cooking and some water heating. Fortunately, natural gas is the cleanest burning of fossil fuels. Batteries Included Electricity is stored in six 350 Ampere-hour Trojan L-16 lead- acid batteries. To prevent over charging, a 50 Ampere Enermaxer voltage regulator shunts away any excess current to an air heating element. The pv, wind turbine, and shunt regulator circuits are protected with 50 Ampere Square-D circuit breakers. The engine generator circuit gets a 60 Ampere breaker. DC loads to the house are protected with a 50 Ampere breaker. All the electricity flowing into or out of the batteries must pass thorough two 500 Ampere 50 mV shunts. A Cruising Equipment Amp-Hour+, and a SCI Mark III monitor use the voltage drop across the shunts to keep track of the current flowing in and out of the battery. A Trace 2012 inverter, protected with a 500 Ampere ANL fuse, powers ac loads. The inverter feeds directly into the ac circuit breaker box which formerly received PG&E power. Where the Energy Goes CCAT's electrical system provides power for household needs of three resident co-directors and people who come in and out, power for office equipment during business hours, and power for weekly workshops (power tools). Power use is detailed in the chart below. The house is wired for both ac and DC. Efficient compact fluorescent lights provide the bulk of lighting, supplemented by 60 Watt DC halogens. Regular ac incandescents are used for intermittent lighting such as closets. The refrigerator is a sixteen cubic foot 12 Volt DC Sun Frost, one of the first ever built. It uses 200 kilowatt hours per year on average, compared to the 1300 kilowatt-hours per year for a typical refrigerator of the same capacity. Sun Frosts are made in a small factory in Arcata, and Larry Schlussler, the founder of the company, donated this unit to CCAT. INSERT CCATpowerChartPICT With today's cheap power, it is impossible to justify CCAT's solar and wind electrical system on money alone. The electrical system serves as an engineering political statement, as an education tool, and as a center for ecological R&D. On the other hand, CCAT's solar water heating and space heating systems are cost effective, even in today's energy glut. Solar Water Heating During sunny periods, water is heated by an active solar thermal system. One of CCAT's first projects was construction of two flat plate collectors. They heat propylene glycol, a non- toxic antifreeze, which is pumped through a heat exchanger in an 80 gallon hot water tank. The pump is powered by an 18 Watt Solec pv panel, and a differential thermostat turns off the pump when the collectors are colder than the tank, or when the tank is too hot. An Aqua Star natural gas flash heater further heats the water if necessary. In order to reduce consumption of hot water, showers are equipped with low-flow shower heads which draw only 1.7 gallons per minute, compared with regular shower heads which draw between 3 and 5 gpm. Urban Passive Solar Retrofit The house is an excellent example of a passive solar renovation. A large greenhouse spans the entire south side of the house. Besides growing food and nurturing springtime "starts", the greenhouse heats the house. Inside the greenhouse a thick rock wall stores radiant heat trapped during the day. On the main floor of the house, windows open directly into the greenhouse. When it is cold these windows are opened allowing heat to rise into the living space. For summer cooling, the upper part of these same windows open to the outside above the greenhouse. The greenhouse can also vent hot air to the skies if it gets too hot for the plants. The walls, floors, and ceiling are insulated with fiberglass batting, loose cellulose, and bubblepack Reflectixtm. Part of the interior of the library wall of CCAT has a plexiglass covering so you can visually compare insulation types. Cellulose is shredded recycled newspaper, treated with boric acid to make it fire resistant. It is generally less expensive and has a slightly higher R value than fiberglass. It is particularly good for retrofits and attics because it can be blown into existing wall spaces. For this reason, it is also much easier to insulate around conduit and junction boxes. Reflectix is a 5/16 inch thick reflective insulation which is made up of five layers. Two outer layers of aluminized polyethylene reflect radiant heat. Two inner layers of bubblepack resist convective heat flow and an inner layer of polyethylene gives the Reflectix additional strength. The R values for a single sheet of Reflectix range from 8 to 14 depending on orientation. Thanks to a large donation by the manufacturer, CCAT uses Reflectix in many of their solar thermal projects. Currently, all the windows in the house are single-paned glass. Thermal curtains keep the warmth in the house at night. The thermal curtains are made out of blankets filled with fiberfill or Reflectix. Magnetic strips in the curtains and on the window frames hold the curtains against the window frame. In the morning, pull a drawstring and the thermal curtains fold up like an accordion above the window. Hot Boxes and Cold Boxes The kitchen has several home-made, inexpensive, energy conserving appliances. They have a home-made solar oven and try to use it whenever possible. In addition, there is an insulated hot box in the kitchen that keeps pots of food hot. Food will even continue to cook in one. Rice, for example, that has been cooked for 25 minutes on the stove will finish cooking in 15 minutes once placed in the hot box. Their hot box is simply a drawer that has been very well insulated. The hot box at CCAT was insulated with rigid foam and Reflectix. Rigid foam, however, probably isn't the best choice because it will out-gas (give off toxic fumes) when directly exposed to cooking temperatures. A cold box is an insulated cabinet that has a north facing vent which allows cool outside air to flow into the cupboard. Warm air rises up a flue through the roof to the outside, creating a constant flow of air. Cold boxes were common at the turn of the century Ä in fact the CCAT house originally had one Ä but they went out of fashion with the advent of freon. Even though it's efficient, the Sun Frost refrigerator uses a large portion of CCAT's electricity. CCAT students reduce the opening and closing of the refrigerator by storing fruits and vegetables in a home-made cold box. Natural and non-toxic products are used wherever possible in the kitchen. The walls are painted with Safecoat, a waterbased, non-toxic enamel. The liner of the floor is made out of Naturelich, a linoleum made out of powdered cork, jute, tree resins, and linseed oil. All the cleaning products are biodegradable and safe for grey water system. Nutrient Cycling The electrical system and thermal systems try to make appropriate use of locally available energy sources, but CCAT is just as concerned with recycling of organic matter. CCAT's Bill Lydgate and Michael Nelson explain the philosophy behind this: "CCAT is dedicated to promoting independence and self reliance. This basic challenge has led us to try to complete nutrient cycles at home instead of importing and exporting vast quantities of nutrients in the form of food, fertilizer, and sewage at the expense of energy, money, and pollution. Furthermore, it would be hypocritical of us to produce our own power while still using petrochemical based fertilizers to grow our own food. In nature, nothing is wasted. Waste is a very human concept created as we break the natural cycles in life, and end up with by-products that are out of place because our lifestyles are out of balance. We have set for ourself the challenge to reincorporate our "waste" materials back into the cycle instead of throwing them away. There are three main nutrient cycling programs at CCAT: human excrement composting and reuse; household greywater treatment and reuse; and kitchen, garden and yard composting." Composting Toilet The composting toilet is used by the three residents as well as workers, volunteers, and guests. Even with this high use, the toilet is only emptied once a year. The composting toilet is in the bathroom in the house between two bedrooms. This is an indication that the odor is not a problem. One of the most important factors of successfully living with a composting toilet is to keep the decomposition aerobic. This will keep the pile healthy and prevent bad odors. To do this, urine is separated from solid bodily waste by a funnel (and poured on the outside compost piles weekly to add nitrogen) and the pile is turned weekly with a shovel. Ninety percent of human manure is water, most of which evaporates. Instead of flushing with 6 gallons of precious water, the toilet is flushed with a coffee can of fresh sawdust. This helps to provide the correct habitat for the organisms that break down the pile by balancing the carbon to nitrogen ratio. The temperature is recorded weekly in a log, and the health of the pile is monitored. After a year of collecting fresh manure, the full pile is turned into a holding chamber where it is stored for another year. The extra year should exceed the life cycle of any potential pathogen that may have entered the system. The pile is turned weekly while it is in the holding chamber, and the composting temperatures are monitored. To help the composting process, the pile is warmed from below by a coil of 1/2 inch copper tubing containing pumped, solar-heated propylene glycol. An 18 Watt Solec pv panel powers pump whenever the sun shines. Once a year, the two year old human manure compost is dug into the soil around the fruit trees as a fertilizer. Guess who has the healthiest and best tasting fruit in the county! For guests who are squeamish about the composting toilet, the CCAT bathroom also boasts a low flush toilet which uses 2.2 gallons per flush compared to conventional toilets which use up to 7 gals/flush. Greywater to Not-So-Grey Water The greywater treatment and reuse system is extremely simple and practical. The concept is to catch and treat all the household sink and shower water Ä all household water except from the toilet. This enables CCAT to be less dependant upon centralized wastewater treatment facilities with their big expenses and polluting habits. Actually Arcata City's swamp wastewater treatment system is one of the best in the nation but it is still best to deal with waste locally. The sink, shower, and laundry water is diverted to a filter made from a trash can and mosquito netting. The sediment collected (sink spewge!) is knocked into the compost piles, and the water enters into a series of marshes and gravel filters. Aquatic plants take up the nutrients from the marsh while providing habitat for bacteria and other micro organisms that play a role in the biological treatment of the water. The marsh is habitat for dragonflies, crickets, frogs, songbirds, and lots of other critters. Mosquitos are held at bay with the use of Bacillus Therenginus (B.t.), a bacteria that attacks the mosquito larvae. Essentially, a living ecosystem has been created that has the capability to clean water and capture nutrients. The whole flow of water is gravity fed, from the sinks through the filters, into and through the marsh, and into a 100 gallon holding tank. A 12 Volt solar powered pump is used for irrigating with the treated water. Obviously, chemicals and bleach have to be avoided, but who needs to have poisons lying around the house anyway? All soaps and shampoos used are phosphate free and biodegradable. The users quickly learn that they are connected to the environment and have to be responsible for their waste. CCAT also catches and filters and stores all the water which falls on the building's roof. This water is used for watering the greenhouse and garden. Vermi-culture, Wormy-culture The kitchen, garden, and yard composting program is just your everyday compost pile. All kitchen scraps and organic material is composted and the compost is the mainstay of the extensive organic gardens at CCAT. Without returning nutrients to the soil through compost, we would quickly deplete the nutrients in the soil, and be dependent upon petrochemical companies to provide chemical fertilizers at the expense of environmental degradation. Sunshine provides the net input of energy into the system, allowing the production of organic matter through photosynthesis. Compost crops are also grown for the purpose of being returned to the soil. Visit CCAT Arcata is a hot-bed of renewable energy enthusiasm Ä CCAT is one of many organizations doing great renewable energy and sustainable living work in this small Northern California city. Check out the Schatz Hydrogen Project and the fuel cell laboratory. See the Redwood Alliance, and the Sun Frost factory. Visit in April during the Renewable Energy & Efficiency Fair (REEF) on Earth Day. Visit CCAT. See this stuff for yourself. Take notes. Leave inspired. Access: Authors: Chris Greacen and Amanda Potter at Home Power Magazine, POB 520 Ashland, OR 97520 ù 916-475-3179; Bill Lydgate & Michael Nelson, CCAT CCAT: Buck House #97, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521 ù 707-826-3551 Sun Frost: PO 1101 Arcata, CA 95521 ù 707-822-9095 Possible Sidebar Appropriate Technology Appropriate technology describes a way of providing for human needs while making the best use of the Earth's finite resources. AT reaps the benefits of both modern scientific advances and effective traditional practices to create solutions that allow people to live comfortably without threatening other peoples or the environment. Appropriate technologies maximize the use of renewable resources through conservation, recycling, and precycling (avoiding packaging). They are designed to be environmentally benign through the understanding of local conditions. The form of an appropriate system is determined by local climate, geology, hydrology, and ecologies as well as by financial, material, and social constraints. This sense of place gives us a deeper understanding of "home". Appropriate technologies are built for human beings to use, fix, and maintain. As E.F. Schumacher said, it is "technology with a human face", technology which encourages people to rely on themselves for what they need. Small-scale systems such as those in operation at the Buck House help lessen our ties to such impersonal entities as the supermarket or the power company, and make us realize that we are in charge and have the power to guide our future. At CCAT we seek to celebrate the resourcefulness and creativity of humanity, to find solutions to human problems, and to live a good life through self-reliance and respect for the natural world.