The entire premise of the
yurt is to leave a small environmental footprint, and it goes
hand-in-hand with the values of Red Wolf Retreat.
Feel free to ask us more about our Small Footprint here. Bill and
Nancy have backgrounds in ecology and biology and are available
to you during your stay. |
|
Windmills are usually thought
to produce electricity but we use them for pumping air over a
distance of 150 meters to aerate the water in our lake. As the
air is released into the water, it passes through an airstone,
which breaks the air in many tiny bubbles for a greater transfer
of oxygen into the water. This provides adequate amounts of oxygen
for the frogs, fish, invertebrates and other water dwelling creatures.
These windmills inject oxygen into the water ensuring that higher
levels of oxygen are maintained throughout the year. Phew! Even
the frogs are smiling now.
The gravity-fed water system provides hot and cold running water
for showers and sinks with the minimum amount of electricity. Solar
energy provides lights in the central bathroom. Pressurized water
is created through the use of an elevated tank in the ceiling of
the bathroom. This makes the exterior of the building appear somewhat
like a grain elevator with the tower-like end containing the tank.
We do use an electric pump to fill the tank but it is only necessary
every 2 or 3 days. Electric water pumps consume most energy on
their start up and this pressure system has eliminated those startups
by 95%.
|
|
