Grow your own food and make your own fuel in your backyard
A company that makes mini ethanol refineries has a plan to help everyone with a backyard (sorry apartment dwellers) raise fish, grow food and make ethanol on their property. Self-sufficiency is something this company is promoting.
Allard Research and Development makes a variety of automated and manual mini ethanol refineries that are primarily intended for farms and small businesses that want or need to make their own fuel. The mini refineries fit into the larger philosophy of the company.
The company has a very lengthy description of its philosophy that explains how its refineries actually fit into a bigger picture. According to Allard Research this is just one step in achieving self-sufficiency. Since it takes 300 square feet to produce enough food for one person it would take 1200 square feet to produce enough for a family of four. A nice sized back yard should do it.
For a complete system you need to have several smaller systems in place. First, you need to have an a rather large green house that will hold an in ground fish tank, an above ground trough garden, a hydroponic garden, a deck and, of course, an ethanol distillation system.
The fish tank is for growing Tilapia or Catfish, both to eat and to use their waste water for hydroponics. According to Allard, the fish tank should be translucent plastic with a lid. The translucent lid will let light in and provide floor space. Aeration of the fish tank would be provided by an external filter/pump. The tank would be in the ground to control the temperature for the fish in the winter and to let debris out.
The garden would be multi-tiered with the trough garden used for non-hydroponic friendly foods like tubers and carrots. The rest of the vegetables and fruit would be grown hydroponically. The hydroponic food would use the waste fish water. The ethanol distillation plant will release large amounts of CO2 that will help the plants thrive while making fuel.
Of course, this greenhouse would utilize green features like a second in ground tank for rain water capture, solar powered pumps, solar powered fans, and a wood stove (CO2 emissions also for the plants) for heating in the winter. The greenhouse is an enclosed ecosystem that provides protein from the fish, and vegetables from the garden. The ethanol distillation provides fuel for your transportation or for a home generator.
The entire concept is a little daunting and definitely for the the do-it-yourselfer/gardener who prefers to spend time working around the house rather than grocery shopping. All others should approach constructing this system with caution or hired hands to build and care for it.
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