Breaking
New Ground at the Omega Center for Sustainable Living
by
Lauren YanksPeter
Aaron
“As
Omega moves forward we will continue to create programs that speak
to personal development and cultural transformation through the
lens of interdependence,” said Backus.
At
the heart of Omega’s new center will be the 4,500-square-
foot greenhouse containing a water filtration system called the
Eco Machine. Unlike chemical-based systems, the Eco Machine is a
living system that uses bacteria, plants, fungi, snails and algae
to recycle approximately 5 million gallons of wastewater a year.
It is a simple and efficient approach to the transformation of industrial
wastewater.
“Walking through an Eco Machine is an exhilarating experience
filled with plants and the smell of a fresh April rain,” said
Backus. “It will not be possible to walk through the completed
project without coming away with a gut-level understanding of what
interdependence means.”
Omega plans to use the Eco Machine’s recycled water to irrigate
their campus grounds and gardens, and the staff looks forward to
its use as an educational tool. “The center is a metaphor
for holism,” said Carla Goldstein, Omega’s Director
of External Affairs. “It demonstrates and teaches how everything
is interconnected.”
The
Eco Machine is the brain child of the ecological architect, Dr.
John Todd, currently a Research Professor & Distinguished Lecturer
at The Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources
at The University of Vermont... Continue...
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