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shows how urban people can do this
in spite of the usual commcnt:
'1
don't have the space. the time. and
thc sunlight.'"
When 1 arrived at the house. 1
noticed sorne clues to its uniqueness
even before 1 entered. Thc front
"lawn" in the parking strip was al–
falfa rathcr than the usual grass. "A
square meter of alfalfa produces the
feed for us to grow one pound of
meat per year." said Javits.
The "sidewalks'' were wood-chip
rather than concrete. Severa( strate–
gies were involved in this choice. The
wood chips were a recycled commu–
nity waste generated from tree clip–
pings. Microorganisms in the soi l
could be nurtured by wood chips. but
would be killed by concrete. Concrete
would also compact the soil more
than the chips. Rainwater could be
absorbed by the wood chips rather
than run off the property, creating
storm-sewer problems. as is the case
with concrete.
When l entered the gate 1 found a
young lady named Joyce Liska gath–
ering strawberries. "We grow all of
our vegetables and as much of our
fruit as possible," she said. "Thc
strawberries are delicious in
spring and early summer. but the
red leaves are also an attractive
groundcover in the autumn.
Most of the 'produce' from
America's 16 million acres of
lawn, the grass clippings. are
thrown away. creating another
waste management problem."
A subtle blend of utility and
aesthetics controlled the choice
of all the plant materials that 1
saw on the property. Chry–
santhemums yielded an attrac–
tive flower and a green for tea.
New Zealand spinach. which is
edible, served as a grcen
groundcover.
When 1entered the front door.
passing under an attractive squash
vine, I picked up a
Se!f-Guided Tour
Book,
which explains the house's sys–
tems in detail. Any member of the
public can visit the house weckdays.
using the self-guided tour, or on Sat–
urday afternoons. when house resi–
dents offer guided tours. The infor–
mative book can also be ordered by
mail for $2.50(address noted carlier).
As I looked through thc descrip–
tion of the many individual strate-
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gies used in the house and the way
in which they were interrelated.
they seemed to defy a celebrated
mathematical axiom: The whole
was greater than thc sum of the
parts. For cxample. the fish in the
food -fishpond in the backyard liked
to gobble up weeds tossed to them
from the garden.
Besides being the director of the
bouse and an energetic young envi–
ronmentalist. Tom Javits also serves
as technical adviser to the City of
Berkeley's innovative program to
compost its trec clippings. Javits has
written several informative mono–
graphs. especially in one of his arcas
of expertise. chicken raising in ur–
ban areas.
As we talked, 1 looked out the
window and noticcd an odd-shaped
screen contraption that looked like a
triangular cage. What was that? "A
fiy trap that uses no poisons," Javits
replied. "We put a plate of dog
dung under the cage. Flies land on
it. Then they tly upwards to the
light, as is their nature. In the screen
at the bottom of the trap are severa!
holes, which lel through the most
light. The tlics enter the trap, then
can't get out because the holes.
wben viewed from above, are now
dark. They buzz around for a couple
of days. then dic. and are fed to the
chickens." So even flies are a "re–
source' ' rather than a pest at the
lntegral Urban House!
Later that morning I saw Joyce
Liska feeding a garden snail lo the
chickens. Chickens are handy waste
disposers. but the house residents
also prize their manure as a nitro–
gen-rich ingredient in the compost
pi le.
Javits left me free to wander
through the house and grounds.
later returning to answer my ques–
tions.
1 found Suzie Sayer in the buck–
yard on an unusual adaptation of a
bicyclc. called an Energy-cycle. " l 'm
grinding grain," she said. "using my
own legpower. Besides grinding
MORE ENERGY-SAVING FEATURES
found in the Integral Urban House:
Flow restrictor on shower-an easy
way to cut freshwater consumption.
Air convection closet in the kitchen
provides natural cooling for vegeta–
bies, reducing the need for refrig–
eration space.
3
Energy-cycle uses pedal power for
such varied tasks as grinding grain,
centrifuging honey, and sharpening
knives.
Boiling water for afternoon tea, so–
lar style.
Swedish-made dry composting toi–
let produces dramatic savings in
freshwater consumption.