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A California-based nonprofit research institute has
come up with a practica! and commonsense approach
to the energy crisis which complete/y short-circuits the
traditional methods requiring high technology and
massive capital investment. Involved was the
transforma/ion of a dilapidated frame building into
an energy-saving and resource-efficient environment.
I
nformed peopJe now agree that the average family's house and life–
style, espccia lly in the more urbanized and industrialized nations. will
have to undergo fundamental changes towards being more environ–
mentally sound based on reduced energy and resource consumpt ion.
But how should this be done? Where is there a modeL a tota lly integrated
example of energy- a nd resource-efficient living in a typical house? Suppose
an average urban fami ly of four. motivated to change the ir li ves. but forccd
to live wi thin the normal urban const raints of limited time. space. and light.
asked: How can we achicve e nvironmentally sound living? Can you show us
a "ditferent" rather than a "lower' ' standard of living?
An answer is now available: The Integral Urban House. 1516 Fifth St..
Berkeley. California 94710. In 1974 a California-based environmental orga–
nization. the Farallones lnstitute. decided to commit its resources to devclop
a practica! working model of such a house and life-style. T hey bought and
retrofitted an aging Victorian on a 6.000-square-foot lot. By thoroughly
redesigning the house and grounds they aimed to illustrate exactly what a
motivated urban family could
accomplish. By 1978 they had
completed the prototype, which
is open to the public. "A family
in this house creates only 10-35
percent of the environmental
impact of a family in a typical
American house." said Tom Ja–
vits. director of the house.
Wha t makes the family living
in thi s house different? In brief.
they:
• Raise all their own vege ta–
bies. most of thei r own fruit.
plus honey.
• Produce their own meat
from chickens. eggs from chick–
ens. and fish from a fishpond.
• Recycle all vegetable. ani–
mal and human wastes. calling
the materials "resources."
• Use solar energy to heat their space. water. and food.
• Use wind energy to aerate their food-fish pond.
• Control all insect pests with physical and biological controb rather than
with poisons.
• Reuse household water. which is recycled to the garden through a ··gray
water" system.
• Generally make the best possible use of the resou rces available.
To learn how a ll this worked.
l
watched Tom Javits and three other house
residen ts do their weekend c ho res. "Remember that when a ll the
systems of the house are set up." sa id Javits. " they can be maintaincd in
about eight hours of work per week. or two hours per person. The house
16
A BETTER
ENERGY-SAVING
IDEA
THE
INTEGRAL
URBAN
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