The Eco Machine

Written by Lauren Bell | 01 July 2010

While we have heard about water wars, we did not anticipate the added pressure of dealing with the worst environmental disaster in human history decimating our most precious resource: water. We cannot do much to help the situation in the Gulf. Oil is a whole different animal than our wastewater. Let me offer a particular technology as a sparkle of light, not to clean up the oil mess, but to be more efficient at cleaning up our own mess.

The estuarine ecosystem around the Gulf contributes billions of dollars to our national GDP.  What if we could use a natural process that purified human waste better and cheaper than any other technology and grow native plants to rehabilitate the estuaries besmirched by this destructive catastrophe? John Todd, currently a professor at the School of Natural Resources in Massachusetts, invented and perfected the Eco Machine to do just that.

This evolutionary system is designed to speed up nature’s purifying systems. In creating beauty from waste, the Eco Machine decomposes human wastes to make the bioavailability of nutrients available to plants. With ingenious utility, native wetland plants can be raised, a higher quality of water would seep into ground water aquifers and oxygen levels in the air would increase. These systems can be used by municipalities for the double benefit of an eco-friendly wastewater treatment facility and a money making opportunity for communities. Imagine how much Louisiana could make by selling wetland plants to BP for mitigation and the thousands of dollars that could be saved in annual sludge treatment costs? Didn’t I tell you the future of the Economy is Green?

The engineering marvel, along with John Todd’s ecological philosophy, has been adopted in eleven countries around the world, including China and Honduras. Even Coca Cola has discovered the visionary phenomenon of the Eco Machine. In Fuzhou, China, 750,000 gallons of raw untreated sewage was pouring into the Baima Canal every day; floating solids would make their way down the canal to join a river. The water was muddy and thick, the air in the city of six million was foul with their own stench. In collaboration with Ocean Arks International, Todd Ecological designed a system within the canal itself to treat the sewage before it reached the river.  After many years of monitoring, the system has become a lush colorful boardwalk; the water is clear several feet down, and children in the nearby elementary school enjoy a pleasant environment.

Recently, I spoke with Jonathan Todd about small residential applications of this technology. As of this writing, there has been only one example of a single house EcoMachine. With a little foresight and community participation and commitment to Green Living, these can be strategically placed throughout a neighborhood. The new program of LEED Neighborhood Design is looking at this option. These systems reverse the anaerobic processes causing odors and purify the air releasing oxygen. Native plants would be raised and planted throughout the community and the overall total carbon footprint lowered. The neighborhood equity would increase because it would be a Green Neighborhood; thus the home equity would increase by 15 to 30%. Working together, communities can become more solid in character improving the quality of life for everyone.

Lauren Bell is a Green Consultant and the founder of GLOBellConsulting.com. From a Geographical perspective, Lauren uses organization community outreach to map plans for neighborhood renovations.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, www.bea.gov, 2010
Karen Matusic. Oil, natural gas supports 9 million American jobs, 7.5 percent of GDP. ApiEnergy (api.org) September 2009
Todd, Jonathan Toddecological.com  Fuzhou, China Case Study Executive Bios 2009
USGS Where is Earth’s Water Located? ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater 2010