Talks and Workshops

John is currently working together with US and Chinese experts on a model sustainable village in Sichuan, China. The design of Longju Sustainable Village in Guanghan makes maximum use of village resources and relies on renewable energy. The result of this is a healthier environment for residents. Replicating this village on a larger scale will contribute significantly to healthier air and water throughout China.

Longju village presently has a rice farming based economy with poor sanitation and pollution due to villagers burning rice straw for cooking. In order to improve the villager°Øs quality of life, ICSD has sought to make maximum use of village resources: the sun and biomass for energy, villager time and energy, and a nearby temple bringing tourists. This village design uses available resources to maximum advantage in order to reduce pollution and boost the economy. This sustainable village will serve as a model not only for villages in Sichuan, but throughout the developing world in agricultural based regions. Passive solar design, solar water heating, and rainwater collection all make use of natural resources. And a solar powered community center provides a community focus with internet, daycare, health clinic and other services.

Longju Sustainable Village contributes in many ways to a healthy environment. Chief among these are, first, the reduction in energy demands that would otherwise be met by the combustion of coal and, second, the efficient use of village resources (including the "waste" stream) thus avoiding polluting the ground and water of the village and river.

Coal combustion is the main source of power and heating in China, as well as the main source of pollution. Particles in the air (TSP), SOx and NOx contribute to smog, acid rain, respiratory problems, and acid damage to vegetation and buildings.1 The village biogas energy system effectively eliminates the harmful pollutants. Not only that, the net CO2 emission to the atmosphere is zero. Usually, animal manure is left outside to compost aerobically, releasing CO2 directly to the atmosphere (and polluting water run-off). With the anaerobic digester, the same carbon is used to produce methane before burning and release of CO2 to the atmosphere. Since the original source of carbon was CO2 from the air taken up by the crops used to feed the animals, there is no net carbon gain for the atmosphere. Coal remains in the ground.

River and ground water in China is polluted in many places due to the release of industrial, agricultural, and residential waste water directly into the environment. The sustainable village design makes maximum use and re-use of water resources, and the biogas digester and composting toilets prevent untreated water from being released to the environment. Compost from the digester also serves as a natural fertilizer that eliminates non-organic fertilizers from polluting field run-off water.

The contributions of the Sustainable Village toward cleaner air and water can be seen in the different elements of the village design—from that of the homes and community center to the sustainable agriculture system which includes the biogas plant, and including the renewable energy technology.