Tour 3: Giant bountiful garden with solar powered yurt
Main heating system
- Heat pump
PV panels
- Simple, self-installed PV system. Powers the yurt & outdoor appliances (e.g. water pump, lights, some electric tools).
Reused materials
- cabinets, doors, and windows from BRING.
Other indoor features
- Large south-facing window to grow seedlings inside, and can regulate the indoor temperature simply by opening or closing the curtains.
- Second-hand, energy efficient, front load washer/dryer (also from Don's Maytag).
Energy efficiency
- White, metal roofing for longevity of the roof, energy efficiency of cooling systems in summer, and high reflectivity. Installed by River Roofing. (See also: https://www.inverse.com/science/white-roof)
- Had insulation blown into the attic and walls.
Bikes
- Two cargo bikes and a heavy duty (600lb capacity) bike trailer. The heavy duty trailer was built by Center for Appropriate Transportation, although they're out of business now.
Water catchment
- ~4000 gal rain catchment system (in multiple barrels), used for watering plants, filling the duck pond, and miscellaneous water use by our kids.
- Barrels come from Grady Barrels, Jerry's, and second-hand via Craigslist.
Other outside features
- Landscaping focused on soil health, water conservation, edible plants (including "weeds" like dandelions), and both native and perennial plants.
- Reused materials from BRING to make gates and trellises
- Homeowners and their landscaper (Lucas Dixon, Solar Landscaping Services, 541-600-9628), use exclusively electric tools.
- Large annual vegetable garden. Two (small) orchards of fruit & nut trees.
- Flock of 11 ducks for egg production. They swim in a reused canoe and sandbox, with the sandbox lid covering their food in the rain.
- Duck food comes from Union Point via Eugene Backyard Farmer.
- Low-maintenance Warré beehives (aka "The People's Hive") for pollinator habitat & honey and wax production. Hives & bees were purchased through Eugene Backyard Farmer. We use the honey produced ourselves, and source the wax to Red Wolf Apothecary (in Corvallis) for their lip balm and other products.