Sustainability and Ecology at the ZEGG Community; by Achim Ecker

Sustainability and Ecologyat the ZEGG Community

Achim Ecker 5,0

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2 Sustainability and Ecology at the ZEGG Community

“Peaceand survi-val of life on earth as we

know it are threatened byhuman activities that lacka commitment to human

values. Destruction ofnature and natural resourcesis the result of ignorance, greed,

and lack of respect for theearth’s living things. This lack of re-spect extends even to the earth’s hu-

man descendants, the futuregenerations who will in-herit a vastly degraded

plane if world peace does notbecome a reality and if destructi-

on of the natural environ-ment continues at thepresent rate”. (Dalai

Lama)

Content:3 Introduction: Life within a Living

Organism

5 Energy Use and Sustainability

6 A short History of Fossil FuelConsumption

7 The Protection, Conservation andRestoration of Soil

9 The Forest as the Matrix of Life

12 Permaculture

13 Spiritual Ecology and Geomancy

14 Cooperation with Animals

15 The ZEGG Vegetable Garden

17 Awareness in the Kitchen and whileShopping

18 The Greening of Roofs and Façades

19 Water – a Living Substance

21 Waste Water Cleaning andComposter

23 Natural Pond Clarification

24 Compost Toilets

25 Energy Generation fromRenewable Resources

26 Cars run on Vegetable Oil

27 Building and Insulating withPlant Fibres

28 Building with Earth

29 Living Buildings with Willows andOther Trees

30 Mandala Pavilions

32 Triangular Huts

33 Epilogue: There is no Timeto Waste

35 What is ZEGG?

36 Literature

Imprint:

Publisher and V.i.S.D.P.: Achim EckerRosa-Luxemburg-Str. 89D-14806 BelzigE-mail: [email protected]

Texts: Achim Ecker(Geomancy: Hermann Haring),

Photographs: Achim Ecker, Georg Loh-mann, ZEGG-Archive; Cover Photo-graph: A. Ecker

Layout and typesetting: HermannHaring, Burkhard Alexander Pranke

English translation: Stefani Ross, NiallGlynn

Print: Joost, D-Kronshagen

1. Edition 2004

Reprint of excerpts with indication ofsource is permitted and welcomed. Pleasesend specimen copy.

Sustainability and Ecology at the ZEGG Community 3

Life within a LivingOrganism

For millions of years, life onEarth has existed in biological

balance: all species co-exist, andall substances are returned in a cy-cle back to nature. There is no was-te. The energy of the sun is the onlysource of energy which is availablenearly without limitations. The sunconstantly feeds this cycle on theEarth, thereby making it possiblefor life to exist.

The ever more obvious climaticchanges with all of their accompa-nying “natural” catastrophes showus that this balance is now serious-ly threatened by us humans: if wewant to survive, we have to changeour ways of thinking, and we haveto re-learn to live in harmony withnature. This does not mean a simp-le movement `back to nature´, but abalanced approach both to oursel-ves, and to whatever surrounds us.

Our planet Earth is a living organ-ism. Animals, plants and humansand the so-called “a-biotic” matter,such as water, winds and rocks, areinterconnected. This connected-ness between us humans and the bi-osphere, which was seen as a mat-ter of fact in early cultures, has to-day been neglected and disrupted.Humankind has lost touch with na-ture, and can therefore bear to ex-ploit her by violently disrupting na-tural cycles and relationships. Pro-fit-oriented globalisation, subjectevery life-process to the laws of themarket, signifies a new apex in hu-manity’s insanity. The so-calledwars against terrorism are one ex-pression of this disease. They un-mask the underlying mechanismsof capitalism, always on the moveto secure natural resources and

new markets. Terrorism would bestbe fought by the implementation ofglobal justice and by fighting po-verty and illiteracy.

Sustainable development andworldwide justice require, first ofall, a new orientation of our lifesty-les in the industrialized countriesas we already consume much morethan our share. If the entire world’spopulation wanted to achieve ourstandards of living, we would needseveral planets just like the Earth inorder to supply us with the necessa-ry raw materials, such as energy,food and natural resources. Politicsneeds to provide a supportive fra-mework for this change of attitudeand thinking; but most of all it isnecessary for each and every one ofus to fundamentally change his orher attitude towards the way we useour shared resources and the pro-ducts of this one world.

Let me quote from the preamble ofthe Earth-Charta of the B.U.N.D.(a big German environmental or-ganization), dated March 24th,2000: “We now stand at a criticalpoint in the history of the Earth, atwhich humanity needs to choosethe way to take into the future. Asthe world more and more interla-ced and ecologically fragile, the fu-ture holds immense dangers and in-credible opportunities. If we wantto advance, we need to acknowled-ge that, despite or even due to ourmany differences in culture and li-festyles, we are one big family, aglobal community tied together bya shared fate (…)

Humanity is part of a constantlyevolving Universe. Our home, the

Earth, offers the opportunity for aunique and diverse community ofbeings, (…)

The prevailing patterns of produc-tion and consumption cause deva-station of the environment, exploi-tation of natural resources andmassive extinction of species. Theproceeds of the economic develop-ment are not spread equally, andthe chasm between rich and poor isgetting deeper and deeper. Injusti-ce, poverty, ignorance and violentconflicts are spreading and arecausing incredible suffering. (…)

We now have a choice: we eitherform a global partnership, in orderto care for the Earth and for eachother, or we run the risk of destroy-ing ourselves and the entire diver-sity of life. Some very decisivechanges in our value system, ourinstitutions and our way of life arenecessary. We have the knowledgeand the technology to provide forourselves, and to reduce negativeimpacts on the environment. Weneed to focus on the fact that if ba-sic human needs are provided for,human development is centredaround “being” instead of “ha-ving”.

ZEGG (see page 35) has made acommitment to develop a way oflife which does not cause any furt-her damage to this planet andwhich contributes to its healing. Acommunal way of life and joint useof consumer goods are steps in thisdirection. Within the past years,the ecological work done at ZEGGhas undergone some changes: star-ting out with a more classical ap-proach towards ecology, it has mo-


ved towards a holistic social ecolo-gy. Social ecology connects the ou-ter, visible nature of the biospherewith the inner nature of humanbeings. Ecology in this sense of theword encompasses the healing ofhumans as well as healing the pla-net. And healing processes takeplace whenever human activitiesbegin to harmonize again with the`ways´ of life. Any person incapa-ble of loving himself, will likewisebe incapable of loving his human,plant or animal environment. Whe-rever the natural functions of life,such as vibration, flow, pulsationand rhythm are inhibited by eithertechnological or ideological force,disruptions or diseases will arise.

As years went by, more and morepeople were attracted to the regionof Hoher Fläming, the area sur-rounding ZEGG. Meanwhile, therealization of a “Hoher FlämingSustainable Region”, with local re-cycling of materials has turned intothe connecting vision for manypeople who live here. Many of thethings we need in order to liveshould come from this region; andthis region is beginning to change.Since 1991, more than 300 peoplehave settled here, in addition to the70 odd ZEGG inhabitants, all ofthem searching for more commu-nal lifestyles and a more sustaina-ble economy. They form a looselywoven network. Knowledge, cul-ture and goods are exchanged, andin their wake friendship and manyloving relationships have been ge-nerated.

Community members, newcomersand original residents work toget-her in a variety of projects, projectswhich in hindsight may turn out tohave been the germ cells of a regi-on `fit for the future´. There is abartering network, a `Free School´,organic farming, an Info-Café as ameeting-place for asylum seekersand local residents, an alternativeHealth Center, an alternative to of-ficial Health insurances based on asolidarity principle, etc. There areplans also for an encompassingconcept for sustainable economy

for the entire region, and muchmore. As more people decide tosettle here and to contribute theirenergy, the more attractive the re-gion seems to become.

This booklet intends to provide anoverview of the most importantecological projects at ZEGG. The-re is still much to do, but we are onour way. My wish is that, with thisbooklet and its practical examples,ZEGG may serve as a model for ot-her developments, far beyond thisregion.

The following contributions provi-de substantial background infor-mation on the topic of sustainabili-

ty. Many thoughts are inspiredfrom the work of the Austrian rese-archer Viktor Schauberger, whosework during the first half of the20th century was far ahead of time.In his opinion, too, the state of theworld and of nature today is the di-rect and unavoidable consequenceof the ideological and spiritual con-victions of humanity.

Schauberger was forester, hydrau-lic engineer and inventor who, du-ring the 1920’s, developed his viewof water as the “Basis of all life”.As a bio-technician he put his as-tounding insights into practice and

was acknowledged as one of Euro-pe’s foremost experts on hydraulicengineering. His inventions on theimprovement of water quality re-ceived international recognition.

Viktor Schauberger was one of thefirst natural scientists who warnedof the possible results of an intensi-ve exploitation of water and fo-rests. Together with his son, WalterSchauberger, he founded the firstAustrian ecology-movement, the“Grüne Front”. From the very be-ginning he was an outspoken oppo-nent of energy generation from nu-clear fission. River restoration, forwhich he was at the time the onlyproponent, is now being done all

over the world. His maxim of ob-serving and emulating nature nowseems to express a wide range ofwhat is currently done in the realmsof technology and natural sciences.Many of the impulses Schaubergerset still reverberate today, and thereis still a wealth of work to examine.After many years of obscurity, neg-ligence and suppression, Schauber-ger´s work is finally starting to re-ceive the recognition it deserves.

May you enjoy reading this bookletand draw inspiration from it!

Achim Ecker

5

Energy Use andSustainability

During the past fifty years, theEarth has lost one quarter of

its arable farm land and one third ofits forests. At the present rate of de-struction, we will live to see theloss of 70% of all coral reefs, ma-king up the habitat of 25% of themarine flora and fauna.” (Hawken2000;22)

We all consist of sunlight and wa-ter. Radiant heat, visible light andultraviolet light are the sources ofmost of the life on this planet.Everything we need for nourish-ment, heating, building and for oursustenance can be traced back totrees and other plants. With theirability to synthesize matter fromsunlight, air and water, by absor-bing CO2 and transforming it intocarbon and oxygen, they generous-ly provide us with all of our basicrequirements. Without this photo-synthesis, we would not be able tosurvive. Our future onthis planet totally de-pends on oxygen. If wecontinue to cut downtrees, we diminish thequantity of the water andoxygen available to us.

In everything we do, orrefrain from doing today,we need to be aware thatnature operates with abuilt-in time-lag. It cantake 30 to 50 years beforewe are able to witness theeffects of our present daybehaviour. Many of the`natural’ disasters we seetoday, some of which aredevastating, were causedby human behaviour 30to 50 years ago. What

kind of world will our children in-herit, who will experience the re-sults of our present day activities?

In the course of one year, the cur-rent annual consumption of crudeoil is 3.5 million tonnes worldwide(numbers from 2001!); an amountthe Earth took one million years toproduce. We drill, mine, dig andchop as if there was no limit. Theinhabitants of the wealthy coun-tries, – 20% of humanity – consu-me 80% of the natural resources.While Europe is currently slowingdown its consumption and polluti-on, the U.S.A. for example, is not.It is evident that we cannot go on inthis way. To live sustainably inclu-des awareness of the fact that on aglobal level we simply cannot usemore energy than what we cancatch from the sunlight daily hit-ting the earth. Here at ZEGG, thisis a main consideration in ever-

ything we do; in the cultivation offruits and vegetables, the generati-on of energy, the selection of buil-ding and insulation materials, andof consumer goods.

Another cluster of problems wehave so far been unable to handlesuccessfully here, concerns trans-port. The calculated permissibleemission of CO2 per person,worldwide, is maximally 1.2 me-tric tonnes. Every delegate whoflew from Germany to the Sum-mit-Conference on climate controlin Johannesburg in 2002, was al-ready causing 7t of CO2 emissions,much more than reasonably justifi-able. It is clear that rigid rules willnot be of any service, but we needto become aware of the effects wecause by choosing to spend our ho-lidays on low-budget trips to fara-way places.

The regionalization of the materialcycles will go hand in hand with aregionalization of production, andtherefore of work. Forestry andagriculture represent two of themost vital activities in rural areas.The objective is to produce, consu-me, share and recycle as much aspossible on a regional level. Thiscreates the basis for a partial exitfrom the systems destroying theEarth and its inhabitants. Thus we

can develop models forchange, which can be fol-lowed by others. Thesenew models may also in-clude regionally focussedservices, leisure and cul-tural programmes. Thispromotes diversity and in-terest in each other, inste-ad of global uniformity.

Under no circumstancesshould these visions leadto closing off of the regi-on. “Nothing natural oralive may ever keep itsqualities in a closed-offsystem, as all natural pro-cesses are open and needto be able to interact withtheir environment” (Cal-lum Coats)


Before the discovery of fossilfuel, the energy available to

humans was simply what the sungave us every day. For a longtime, the planet’s human popula-tion was relatively stable; in 1000AD it amounted to 500 millionpeople. At that time, a forest wasan important source of energy andbuilding materials, and was pro-tected and cared for.

Around 900 AD, coal was disco-vered and was soon widely used.For the first time humans had asource of stored solar energywhich had reached the Earthsome 900 million years earlier.The population rose to 1 billion in1800.

In 1850, crude oil was discoveredin Rumania, and in 1859 the firstNorth American oil well wentinto operation. Now there waseven more energy available, andhumans learned to use it: for ma-chines, for the production of syn-thetic materials, artificial fertili-sers, and many other applications.The forests, which had hithertoprovided energy, food and buil-ding materials, began to dwindle,until it was possible to believethat they were nothing but plea-sant recreational areas, nice tolook at, but otherwise useless. In1930, there were 2 billion people;in 1960, 3 billion; in 1974, 4; in1987, 5; and in 1999, there were 6billion inhabitants of this planet.

In 1933 Viktor Schauberger, inhis book “Unserer sinnlos Arbeit”(Our Senseless Toil), wrote: “Thetemperature on earth is a productof balancing processes involvingcarbonaceous matter in the earth(note: Schauberger used “carbo-naceous matter” to mean all or-ganic and mineral matter likecoal, crude oil, natural gas, mine-rals etc. excluding oxygen andhydrogen) and the oxygen thatpenetrates the earth dissolved inrainwater. When all this highlyorganised carbonaceous mater is

extracted from the earth by hu-mans, these balanced processeswill be interrupted. As a result theouter layer of the earth will cooldown and the atmosphere will be-come colder.

If these essential oxidation pro-cesses within the earth cease, lar-ge amounts of water will amass,first in the atmosphere and later inthe earth itself, because the waterthen can not be rebuilt and refinedany more.

The water that will sink into theearth or evaporate into the atmo-sphere will be overloaded withoxygen. Without the carbonace-ous matter with which it could in-teract, it will change its freezingpoint. This will completely chan-ge the general climatic condi-

tions. Finally the single pole,charged groundwater, once it haslost its surface tension due to thelack of carbonaceous materialnear the surface, will sink deepinto the earth where carbonaceousmatter will still be found. There itwill change its boiling point,oxidize early and cause powerfuleruptions. After great catastro-phes that will come in the form ofearthquakes, thunderstorms, hur-ricanes, floods etc. all of the vege-tation of the earth will recede as

the ground water sinks deeper andthe vegetation layer freezes againin permanent ice.”

During the past 24 hours, morethan 70,000 hectares of rain forestwere destroyed on this planet. 13tonnes of toxic chemicals were re-

leased into theenvironment.More than45,000 peoplestarved to de-ath, 38,000 ofthem children.More than 130plant and ani-mal specieswere extingu-ished by hu-mans (num-bers publishedin 2001!). Andthe trend is up-ward.

Source: http://www.grida.no/db/maps/prod/level3/id_1250.htm

A short Historyof Fossil FuelConsumption

7

Worldwide, 24 billion tonnesof fertile soil annually are

washed or blown away, or are sim-ply destroyed. This huge mass ofmaterial would suffice to cover theentire agricultural surface of theUnited States. The vast areas threa-tened by desolation are estimatedto encompass 3,6 billion hectaresof land by the UNEP, an expanseequivalent to one quarter of the en-tire global land mass. In Africa alo-ne, 900 million hectares areendangered. The root causes areecological (climatic) as well as so-cial (Impoverishment)” (see: DerSpiegel, No 15/2000).

Soil is our only source for healthyfood/nutrition. In addition to airand water, it is one of the essentialenvironmental systems, which to-gether make up the basis of life forus humans, for the flora and thefauna. Only due to them is it possi-ble to sustain biodiversity, geneticand natural resources. Soil is indis-pensable for the production offood, for the storage of water andenergy, as a filter for pollutants andas a regulator for globalbio-chemical material cycles. Theimprovement and the protection ofthe soil layer therefore are very im-portant concerns of the ecologicalwork done at the ZEGG.

The Hoher Fläming region is cha-racterised by pure, light coloured,

The Protection,Conservation and

Restoration ofHealthy Soil

Mulching old straw.

and deep sand soils, interspersedby narrow layers of loam severalhundred metres apart. In the fo-rests, the humus layer is no morethan 2 centimetres deep. In openterrain a thin grassy sod coverspure sand. The soil is poor in or-ganisms and in vitality, and only li-mited nutrients are available.

One key problem is the lowamount of rainfall, amounting toonly 500mm per year, togetherwith the sandy soils and their poorcapacity to store water. One or twodays after a summer rain, there isno trace of water to be seen in theground, and there is serious dangerof forest fires. The meadows arewithered and dry, and the smallest

spark can cause a large-scale fire.The prevalent dry eastern windsand the pine monocultures are alsocontributing to the dryness.

n order to improve the water stoingcapacity and the fertility of the san-dy soils on our property, we havesteadily increased the humus layerby mulching with old straw, leavesand hay from the parks and publicgardens of the Belzig municipality,and with cardboard. Mulchingcreates a habitat for a multitude oforganisms and fungi, which,among other things , make nu-trients available to other plantsthrough their symbiotic relations-hip with trees. When you mulchyou initially draw nutrients, such


as nitrogen, from thesoil: the mulch layerneeds them for its owndecomposition. But la-ter, the amount of nu-trients set free is muchgreater than what wasthere originally. In or-der to remedy this initi-al burden on the soil,one can concurrentlyspread a small amountof compost.

Leaf mulch is particu-larly beneficial in a fo-rest, as in addition toimproving the soil itsuppresses the dreadedRoth (woodsmall-reed) (Calama-grostis epigejos) . Leafmulch also containsseeds from a host of ot-her trees, shrubs andflowers, which all con-tribute to transform aforest into a mixed fo-rest, combining a varie-ty of fructiferous treeswith the typical forestplants. Leaf mulch pro-vides these seeds with perfect con-ditions for germination and growth(cool/damp stratification).

Another valuable means of soil res-toration is green manure. This isthe sowing of plants, which, due tothe nodule bacteria living withintheir root systems, are capable ofbonding atmospheric nitrogen, the-reby making it available to ecologi-cal cycles. These so-called legumi-nous plants include peas, beans,lentils, clover, alfalfa (Medicagosativa), lupins (Lupinus polyphyl-los), broom and black locust (Ro-binia pseudoacacia) - all membersof the pea family (fabaceae).

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is able toextend its root system down to anastounding depth of more than 10metres, enabling it to remain lushand green even during the driest ofsummers. In this way it makes wa-ter and minerals from deep levelsof the ground available to many ot-

her plants, and permeates the soilwith veins of humus. We use amulch mower for cutting, and sub-sequently leave the plant materialon the ground, in order to create anatural layer of humus. Over a peri-od of several years we have sown alarge variety of green manureplants, which now propagate them-selves.

In addition to mulching, we haveconstructed several raised beds, inwhich we incorporated entire trees,wood scraps and cardboard. After adownpour, the decomposing mate-rial is water-saturated like a spon-ge. These raised beds also introdu-ce welcome contours into an other-wise extremely flat landscape.Their various microclimatic zonesoffer habitats to many plants, in-sects and animals, all within verysmall space. These raised bedswere partially planted, and are stillmulched every year.

On some of the mulchedareas we also spread thecompost from our drytoilets, as the nitrogen,phosphorus, the innu-merable mi-cro-organisms, fungiand compost wormspromote decompositionof the organic materialinto humus. Initially wescattered clay dust,which forms a mineralcompound with humus,therefore improving itsability to retain nutrientsand water, preventingtheir loss by leachinginto the groundwater.

In the forests on ourgrounds we built upso-called Benjes hedgesfrom brush-wood, pro-viding habitats for hed-gehogs, snakes, toads,amphibians and birds.The slow decompositionof organic material byand by improves thesoil. These hedges retainwater and slow down

winds. Birds settle on them anddrop seeds, which can then sproutand grow protected from game.

Since we began our soil restorationwork, vitality has already beenconsiderably improved and a largevariety of micro-organisms, insectsand fungi may be observed. A veryparticular healing dynamic hasbeen initiated, which is especiallyobvious during dry spells. We wereable to reduce watering to an abso-lute minimum, while the vegetati-on remains vibrantly green for amuch longer period.

While we strive to improve the soilin large parts of our land, other are-as are left untouched as rough pa-sture, forest biotope, etc. We veryrarely enter these enclaves, leavingthem to themselves as much as pos-sible, so that they remain sanctua-ries for animals on our terrain,which is sometimes heavily used.

Mulching with leaves.

9

The Forest as Matrix of Life

“Without forest, there is no water.Without water, there is no bread.Without bread, there is no life.”(Viktor Schauberger)

“Don’t you know that the forestsare the life of the land?” (Babyloni-an inscription)

Trees form a forest. The life historyof a tree is also the life history ofwater. Trees are the highest and no-blest plant form, whose giving isuniversal and unconditional.

Whatever their colour, shape andspecies, there is one trait they sha-re: they play a crucial role in the bi-osphere of planet Earth. They regu-late the climate by raising the hu-midity of the air; they slow downwind and mitigate the extremes ofheat, frost, drought, floods andstorms. They filter the air, store andpurify water, conserve soil fertilityand inhibit erosion. Trees create amagnetic field around them. Awhole forest with its many billiontrees has an integral part in buil-ding and maintaining the Earth’sfield of gravity.

The life of a forest is – just like allLife – a unique harmony of conti-nuity and change joined together inone beautiful organism. In a natu-rally mixed forest, nearly everyspecies has its place without anyneed to struggle. Contrary to acommonly held doctrine, Natureinvolves much more cooperationthan competition. Without symbio-sis, there would be no life in any fo-rest. There would be no forest atall.

By dropping their leaves and need-les, trees share nutrients with smal-ler plants. Trees make salts, mine-rals and water from deep in the soilaccessible not only to themselves,but also to other plants, animals,and even agricultural areas. Theroots of a tree permeate the soil to amuch greater depth than those ofany other plant, thereby providingwith water all plants in and aroundthe forest. But by drawing up largeamounts of water, the tree alsodraws warmth from the soil. In ac-cordance with the laws of physics,this cooling of the upper soil levelsdraws warmer water from greater

depths up to the surface. The levelof the groundwater is raised andspring water may form. A balancedgroundwater level is the result ofwell-adjusted ground temperatu-res, a process safeguarded by trees.

Without trees, life on Earth wouldbe inconceivable. And still, everyday vast areas are deforested.About 120,000 to 150,000 squarekilometres of virgin forest (an areathree times as large as Switzerland)is cut down every year. In order toprotect the remaining primeval fo-rest on the planet, the world’s de-mand for wood needs to be met byplantation forests only. These plan-tations would need to be managedin accordance with ecological prin-ciples.

Due to a more favourable legal re-gime, European forests are againgrowing. Worldwide, though, Eu-ropean demands play a crucial rolein the process of forest destruction.The German market is the maincustomer for wood and cellulosefrom countries such as Indonesia,Brazil, and the Cameroon. Europe-


an consumers are responsible forthe annual destruction of at least150 square kilometres of primevalforest in the European Russia. YetEurope is not the worst in terms ofglobal forest destruction. This pla-ce is held by the US.

Industrialised, modern forestry re-gards old, gnarly trees and deadtrunks as undesirable breeding pla-ces for pests, such as the bark beet-le. But their removal and destructi-on destroys the habitat and foodsupply for a whole range of organ-isms. One dead oak tree, for exam-ple, hosts 500 different insects andmicro-organisms, all of which areimportant for speeding up its de-composition. In Germany, from1,350 to 6,000 native beetles breedin dead wood; 60% of these insectsare to be found on the so-calledRed List, as they are threatened byextinction. Moreover, of the fungithat propagate on dead wood, 25%are considered endangered.

The concentration by Germanagroforestry on a few,profit-yielding species of tree hasled to the near-extinction of fir(abies alba), black poplar (Populus

nigra L.), elm (Ulmus glabraHudson), yew (Taxus bacata L.),whitty pear (Sorbusdomestica), wildservice-tree (Sorbatorminalis) alongwith various wildspecies offruit-tree.

At ZEGG, we aimto foster mixed fo-rest rich in speciesand habitats, withvenerable grandfat-her-trees neighbou-ring fresh youngsaplings, and withmoss-covered deadtrunks being swiftlyreturned into therich, healthy humusby the insects andmushrooms thatlive on them: A fo-rest providing pro-tection and food toa wide range of in-habitants, andwhich at the sametime depends onthese tenants. Froma living organism

such as this, wood can be harvestedon a sound, ecological basis.

In 1991, we took on about 4 hecta-res of monocultured forest, mainlypine and birch. It surrounds ourproperty and its outskirts seamless-ly blend with the park-like vegeta-tion on the remaining 10 hectares.On each parcel of land, the pinetrees were of nearly the same age.In some places new growth, mainlyof oak (Quercus robur) and blacklocust (Robinia pseudoacacia), hadarisen. There was also a vibrant un-der storey, - even some old fruittrees (apples, pears and sweet cher-ries), mostly hollow. Over the last50 years, pine (Pinus sylvestris),birch (Betula pendula) and oakhave moved into the fruit orchard,and have forced the fruit trees togrow higher and higher in the com-petition for light.

Since 1993, we have been busycreating a forest rich in species.There will be little separation bet-

What is the value of a tree?

During the course of its life, a 100 year-old tree:

• has lifted about 2500 t of water from its roots to its crown –against gravity – and evaporated it;

• has processed some 18 million cubic metres of air, extractingfrom the carbon-dioxide therein about 2500kg of pure carbon(C);

• has photo-chemically converted 9,100kg of CO2 and 3,700 litresof H2O;

• has stored up some 23 million kilocalories (equivalent to 3,500kg of hard pit coal) and has supplied 6,600 kg of oxygen (O2) forthe respiration of human and beast, ensuring enough air for onehuman being for at least 20 years;

• has fixed a mechanical equivalent of heat equal to the calorificvalue of 2,500 tons of coal;

The combustion of 100 litres of petrol consumes 230 kg of O2. That isto say, if a person chooses to breathe for 3 years, or to burn 400 litresof petrol or heating oil or 400 kg of coal, then the production throughphotosynthesis of 1 tonne of oxygen is required (Viktor Schauber-ger).


ween orchard and forest, as we aretrying to build up a natural, vibrantsanctuary where humans can visit,harvest and enjoy. We would liketo show that there is no conflict bet-ween a Nature worth protectingand the human settlement and useof its resources, as long as we takeon the responsibility of living inclose harmony with natural cycles.

In the beginning, we extensivelyinterfered with the existent, unna-tural forest. Pine and birch were cutdown in order to create clearingsfor the seedlings of other trees andplants. Layers of leaves werebrought in as mulch and Benjeshedges were laid. Dead wood wasleft to rot and more brought in. Webelieve such interference will nolonger be necessary in about tenyears. Some areas were left for na-tural succession to take place.

Since 2002, we have two splendidwork horses, which help us to pulltrees from the forest. This is themost natural way of harvestingwood.

If we include young growth, theZEGG forest now includes pine(Pinus sylvestris L.), birch (Betulapendula), oak (Quercus robur L.),black locust (Robinia pseudoaca-cia), field maple (Acer pseudopla-tanus L.), aspen (Populus tremula),cherry (Prunus avium), pear (Pyruscommunis), apple (Malus domesti-ca and sylvestris), prune (Prunusdomestica), lime tree(Tilia platy-phyllos and cordata), fir (Abiesalba), Canadian oak (Querkus ro-bur C.), walnut (Juglans nigra),chestnut (Castanea vesca), beech(Betula pendula), larch (Pinus la-rix), whitty pear (Sorbus domesticaL.), wild service-tree (sorbus ter-minalis), ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

and yew (Taxus baccata). The un-der storey has hazel (Corylus avel-lana), european mountain ash (Sor-bus aucuparia and intermedia),hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha),blackberry (Rubus fruticosa ),raspberry (Rubus Idaeus), red andblack elder (Sambucus racemosaL. and nigra), currants (Ribes),Oregon grape(Mahonia aquifoli-um), European birdcherry (Prunuspadus), hips dog rose (rosa canina,budleia (Budleia davidii), lilac (Sy-ringa vulgaris), Dwarf Garden Ser-viceberry (Amelanchier ovalis)and even, at some sunny outskirtsof the forest, sea buckthorn (Hip-pophae rhamnoides).

Through discussion with the pro-prietors of the surrounding forests,we seek to foster support for ecolo-gically sound forestry, and to crea-te a network of producers and con-sumers of regionally grown timber.

It seems that mankind has

never learnt that to take

away the trees is to take away

the water. It is the forest co-

ver that is responsible for

fine-tuning the content of wa-

ter vapour in the atmosphere

and for the creation of fresh

water itself. Once the forest

has been removed, the expo-

sed ground heats up rapidly.

As a result the ground tempe-

rature in general is hotter

than the falling rain. A hot,

dry ground-surface inhibits

infiltration of the soil with

rain water. Until a sufficient

number of trees have been

planted; not just a billion, but

several hundred billions, we

will be subjected to the unre-

lenting , merciless cycle of

drought, flood, drought,

flood, particularly in equato-

rial and warm temperate zo-

nes. There is only one

solution and that is to refo-

rest this planet on a massive

scale – now!

A further horrific consequen-

ce is that groundwater is no

longer recharged; the

groundwater table sinks and

the supply of nutrients to the

vegetation from below cea-

ses. At the same time, the in-

creased intensity of

thunderstorms and wind acti-

vity and the warming of the

ground due to massive defo-

restation, raises the water

vapour levels far higher than

normal, even to as much as

40 – 80 kilometres above the

planet’s surface Here it rea-

ches altitudes where it is ex-

posed to much stronger

ultra-violet and high-energy

gamma-radiation, which dis-

sociate the oxygen from the

hydrogen. Due to its lesser

specific weight the hydrogen

then rises into space, while

the oxygen sinks back down.

Worst of all, all that was once

water has effectively been re-

moved altogether. It has

gone, and gone for good.

This initiates a process, in

which the atmosphere is first

forced to get warmer due to

the overcharge of water va-

pour, but then, as the water

rises higher, it is dissociated

and disappears, and the at-

mosphere cools, because the

amount of heat-retaining wa-

ter vapour has diminished.

What follows is a new ice

age. All this was elaborated

in detail in Viktor Schauber-

ger’s writings some 70 years

ago.

Quoted from: Callum Coats,

“Living Energies”


Permaculture

Permaculture means sustainableagriculture and is a way to sup-

port, conceive and to construct du-rable habitats and systems. Theseare intended to secure our perma-nent and fundamental needs – eco-logically, socially andeconomically. As a central aspectbefore any new design, but also atintervals during later stages of anyproject, it is necessary to closelyobserve plants, animals and any ot-her elements involved, in all oftheir functions. We also need to in-clude traditional knowledge intoour work. This serves as a basis fornew models, of how living systemscan maintain themselves and rege-nerate. Instead of fighting disrup-tions, they are utilized as part of thesolution.

First of all, permaculture is a me-thod of planning, the aim of whichis to build functioning systems, andto take into consideration thewell-being of humanity and of na-ture. These systems could be gar-dens, or agricultural operations.But permaculture is also viable inurban situations, it may be appliedin architecture, in community plan-ning, urban planning and the struc-turing of organisations and socialinstitutions, – in short, whereverthere are complex contexts, nee-ding to be connected within anopen, multifaceted structure.

Permaculture uses modern techno-logies just as much as ancientknowledge: Feng-Shui or geoman-cy, bio-dynamic gardening or me-thods developed by Fukuoka, pas-sive houses and solar plants, barte-ring networks, car-sharing or vege-table boxes. A central role withinpermaculture is given to the closeobservation and use of natural cy-cles, and the recycling of all mate-rials, – locally wherever possible.

“An agriculture set up to feed hu-manity long-term needs to meet thefollowing criteria: it may not usemore energy than it creates. Itneeds to conserve the integrity ofhumans, nature and of landscapes,without simply transferring diffi-culties onto other essential realmsof life, and it needs to produce qua-litatively and quantitatively highyields. In all of this, it is also im-portant to set limits to the uncon-trolled explosion of the populationand of consumerism.” (Rohr, Ja-scha: Asking for the roots. Deepecology giving directions out of thecrisis. Hagia Chora, Nr.14, 2002)

This is where social experiments,such as communal lifestyles, maytake on an important role, as theyallow in-depth recognition and ear-ly realisation of basic needs, beforethey are channelled into a host ofsubstitute gratifications.

The aim of our ecological work isto build up stable systems in coope-ration and partnership with animals

and plants. This also includesso-called pests, the massive occur-rence of which always indicates alack of complexity. If examinedmore closely, these insects supportthe healing-processes of the Earth,as they serve to rectify human mis-takes, such as mono-cultures.

We would like to achieve a high le-vel of self-sufficiency in the area ofhealthy food. To walk through ablooming, green and fertile land-scape, is in itself already healing toheart, body and soul. It also gene-rates a space for children to growup in a variously environment,which leaves room for discoveries,and allows them to experience ani-mals as wild and free, not as depen-dent of humans. They profit fromnaturally experiencing diversityand start to understand the naturalcomplementary character of ever-ything around them.

Another important aspect of per-maculture is multifunctionality.Each element has severalfunctions, and each function is ta-ken on by a variety of elements.Grapevines, rambler roses and ki-wis, for example are trained aroundan arbour structure, providing sha-de during hot summers. During thewinter, they drop their leaves andallow sunlight to come through.

Mushrooms break down dead wood and keep the natural cycles alive.


During the fall, they provide uswith plenty of delicious fruit, andduring the summer we delight intheir blossoms. On south-facingwalls, climbing plants profit fromthe warmth of the sun, while theyshade the building beneath. Thispreserves the plaster and keeps thehouse pleasantly cool. On north-fa-cades, we planted evergreen ivy(Hedera helix), protecting the hou-se against heat-loss during the win-ter.

Fruit trees and bushes should growwherever people pass, so thateverybody can gather whatever heor she needs in passing. The num-ber of plants should be largeenough for humans and animalsalike to take their share. We do nothave to harvest everything we sow.We take what we need, the remain-der is left for animals, fungi, in-sects, all joining to maintain a he-althy biotope. We also plant fruitbearing plants specifically for fo-rest animals.

The ecological work at ZEGG isinspired by Sepp Holzer fromAustria, and by Masanobu Fukuo-ka from Japan. From this knowled-ge, complemented by our own ob-servations and intuition, and influ-enced by local conditions, we crea-ted our very own body of methodsand knowledge. In this approach,we also integrate plants, whichwere not originally native to theFläming-region. We do make sure,though, that no local species is ous-ted by our introduced species. Ourvision is a “multicultural” one, inwhich exotic plants may comple-ment and enrich the “natives”. Thisis why we decided to plant kiwi(Actinidia deliciosa), figs (Ficus)and medlars (Mespulus germanica)at appropriate sites. We do not tryto eradicate Japanese Bird Cherry(Prunus padus) and Black Locust(Robinia pseudoacacia), which areimports and have turned into quitea plague at some places. We try torestrain them within a certain limit,and otherwise enjoy their variousqualities and their beauty.

Spiritual Ecologyand Geomancy

The word `Geomancy is derivedfrom the Greek expression for

`seeing the Earth , or `perceiving theEarth’. To `see’, in this sense, me-ans much more than simply lookingat the surface. The geomancer may,for example, feel the vibrations of acertain location or an area, and mayattempt to translate these imagesinto definite statements or descrip-tions. While doing so, he or she is inclose contact with the Earth. Thistype of sensitivity is inherently pre-sent in each one of us, but does re-quire practice.

One research objective set by thegeomancy group established atZEGG in the spring of 2002 is to un-derstand the energetic structures ofZEGG and its natural environment,and to modify these wherever ne-cessary. What is required in the be-ginning is the willingness to takeevery inner or outer perception seri-ously, to take note of whatever ari-ses when looking at a piece of landor a building, even if your mind dis-cards a certain perception as ùns-cientific . After a short while, yourealise that there is indeed an inneranswer to the questions such aswhat kind of a feeling characterisesa certain place? Is it pleasant to behere, or does it have `holes in itsenergetic fabric, which might indi-cate that some detrimental eventtook place there, or that trees werecut down for no reason or veins ofwater were sealed off, so that part ofits vitality was inhibited. What isthe meaning of a landscape, and ofthe elements characterising it? Eachone of us knows the experience oftaking a walk in a vibrant mixed fo-rest, and feeling the healing effecton body and soul, or of feeling over-

joyed at the sight of a pristinelandscape.

Very early on, during the foundingyears of ZEGG we were twice vi-sited by the British geomancer,Peter Dawkins. His visits were afew years apart. He saw an entiresystem of chacras on our land,which again is part of a much grea-ter energetic system of energy cen-tres in the Fläming region. To ourgreat surprise, we had intuitivelyplaced the harmoniously corre-sponding facilities on many of the-se locations, such as ourrestaurant, the reception and thereed bed waste water treatment.During his second visit, Dawkinsperceived significant improve-ment in the total energetic conditi-on and revitalisation of thelocation.

Marko Pogagnik, whose visit du-ring our Summer Camp 2002 in-spired the foundation of ourGeomancy group, found a spotvery vital to ZEGG, which washighly charged with heart energy.He had noticed two trees in the di-rect vicinity, which had grownaround each other as if lost in anembrace. Coincidence? Placessuch as these need care and attenti-on in order to recharge and to mo-bilise their power, particularly iftheir meaning has for a long timebeen neglected. Progagnik, who isfrom Slovenia and who first beca-me known as a sculptor, has spentconsiderable time researching thisfield of knowledge; his healingwork is now well known to manypeople in Europe. Among otheractivities, he has been busy as an“energy converter”, reactivating


energy at sites where it has beenblocked, twisted or buried by hu-man interventions. For this kind ofwork he used to employ energeticsymbols sculpted in stone. Thesedays he prefers to use the healing,heart power of sounds produced bypeople singing together.

During the 2002 Summer Camp,Progagnik attempted to unblockand cleanse one particular locationon our grounds by the “sounding”of 100 people. He advised us to re-locate an important ceremonial siteto a place nearby, in order tostrengthen its vital-energetic ener-gies. The geomancy group atZEGG will continue to work onthese issues, in order to find outwhich sites are best suited to expe-rience inner peace, clear the mindor awaken joy. A natural flow ofthe energies of Earth, Water and

Air vitalises the encompassinglandscape. A river kept from vibra-ting naturally by modern river en-gineering, will cause irritation, notonly in the physical sphere. It willbe paralysing to look at, but also,the energies it radiates in other fre-quency ranges will be inhibiting.The human master, who would for-ce it into a crippling bed thereforebecomes a victim of is own deeds.A vibrant landscape with an unblo-cked “soul” or essence, willstrengthen all creatures living in it,and vice versa: if we humans re-spect the diversity of a landscapeand the characteristics of its “or-gans”, we will strengthen its sacredspaces which enable it to exist inphysical harmony.

Another interesting geomanticquestion is whether there are hea-ling powers hidden within the dee-

per structures of the land on whichZEGG has settled, and if so, howcan we strengthen them. In the im-mediate neighbourhood of ZEGG,there is a medical rehabilitationcentre with an adjoining thermalspa, tapping a thermal water re-source deep down in the Earth.Maybe the location at which we’vedecided to live, is particularly wellsuited to receive, to promote and tofoster new information on healingin the social and ecological realms.We still know so little about theconnections between “Heaven andEarth” - between the spiritual andthe material. This is why Geoman-cy is such an exciting field of re-search for some of us here at theZEGG.

Cooperation with Animals

We want to learn how to work to-gether with the plants and ani-mals around us, no matter how

small they are. If we include them inour thoughts and considerations, theywill cooperate with us in the greatchallenge of healing the Earth. Thefollowing are just a few examplesfrom our experience. Since we startedto promote a wider biodiversity onour grounds by taking down large sec-tions of the surrounding fences, moredeer (Capreolus capreolus) , wild boar(Sus scrofa) and hares (Lepus europe-ans) from the neighbouring monocul-ture forests have come to feed and liveon our grounds. As much as we enjoytheir trustful presence, they do have atendency to eat and damage the newlyplanted shrubs and trees. We therefo-re protect young trees and singleplants by surrounding them with fen-ces while they are too delicate to sur-vive game bite. Additionally, we haveplanted some of the animals favouriteforage plants in the forest. In ourthoughts, we try to communicate ourwelcome and our wishes regardingwhat we would like them to eat andnot eat.

European starlings love cherries. Wecould keep them from eating all thecherries by spreading large nets overthe trees. We prefer to invite a starlingfamily to nest in a cherry tree. Oneneeds only to put a nest box in thetree. The `resident family will thendefend the tree against all uninvitedguests, but will leave enough cherriesfor us to eat.

If, during a particular year, butterflycaterpillars had nibbled off the lea-ves of a plant, it very often turnedout to benefit this plant later, when itgot drier, as the plant suffered a lotless evaporation loss.

During guided tours through ourgardens, people very often deplorethe fact that they have too manyslugs in their vegetable patch, ex-pecting us to give a patent remedy.In our view, slugs serve as a regula-ting measure in nature. They “set thetable” for all kinds of other animals,such as toads (Bufo bufo), lizards,frogs, slow worms (Anguis fragilis),hedge hogs (Erinaceus europeus),birds and moles. When these ani-mals come to feed, we like to welco-me them by offering them a comfor-table place to settle down - nest bo-xes, piles of rocks or tree-cuttings,wild hedges, small ponds or wate-ring holes. We find that by taking acloser look, by observing naturalprocess and by re-examining ourhabitual mindsets we can find waysto support Nature in her work. Is itreally so important that a garden isso neat and tidy that there is noroom left for any other creature tolive there?

Butterfly caterpillar


The ZEGG Vegetable Garden

Nature doesn t make mistakes.If paradise does not become

reality in the garden, it’s humanswho’ve made the mistake“ (SeppHolzer)

Felix Matile, the ZEGG gardener,talks about his work in this way:“In our garden, we try to do asmuch as possible the way natureherself does it. For example, naturedoes not know compost heaps.Everything just drops wherever ithappened to grow. For crops withexceptionally high nutrition needslike potatoes (Solanum tubero-sum), pumpkin (cucurbita), corn

(Zea mays) or tomatoes (Solanumlycopersicum), we add some of ourown compost; otherwise we don tfertilize at all. All we do is feed theorganisms living in the soil, theworms and the bacteria. These willthen in turn feed the plants. We sowleguminous plants, such as beans(Vicia faba L.), peas (Pisum sati-vum L.), lupines (Lupinus poly-phyllos), clover (Trifolium ..),which draw nitrogen from the airinto the soil, via the bacteria livingwithin their root systems. We dobuy and introduce soil for seed-lings and stone meal, a by-productproduct of stone masonry. Just to

give you an example how natureproduces stone meal: in Egypt, theriver Nile used to flood the soilonce a year. The sludge depositedby these floods served as fertilizerto the Nile valley farmers, and asbuilding material. Now they ve gotthe Assuan Reservoir, and all ofthis stone meal is collected withinthe reservoir. The farmers have tobuy artificial fertilizers and theyare getting poorer and poorer. Forus, it s important to know theph-values of our soil. The soil herehas too little lime. I can balancethat by using wood ash, a by-pro-


duct of our wood-burning heatingplant.“

The ZEGG garden is not intendedas a commercial horticultural en-terprise, but as a place for learningabout organic gardening, for expe-rimenting, for regeneration and forgrowing vegetables for our ownconsumption. There are no“weeds“ at the ZEGG garden. The-re are wild herbs and indicatorplants. Neither are there any ùse-less pests or `beneficial creatures;there are only animals and all kindsof insects.

On ¾ of a hectare, we produceenough fresh vegetables and fruitto feed our community and ourmany seminar and conference par-ticipants and other guests duringnearly six months of the year, withstill plenty left over to preserve forthe winter. To provide valuable or-ganic produce for ourselves duringthe Summer and Fall means a lot tous: we know how to care for our ve-getable cultures, and we can besure that no herbicides, fungicides,pesticides or artificial fertilizersare used. Meanwhile, the fertilityof the soil and the yield have risenyear after year. We eat the vegetab-les which are grown here, and anyremains are again given back to theland as compost. This comparati-vely small and closed cycle hasgreat political significance to us: itstrengthens our connection to theland we live on. At the same time,we become aware of how depen-dent we are on nature. Any lossesdue to unfavourable weather con-ditions are painfully felt. We grate-fully accept the gifts nature pre-sents us with.

We sow and we harvest vegetableplants, but we also take note of anyother little shoot in our garden. Allwilds herbs are indicators of thesoil s needs and condition, tellingus what needs to be done in order tonourish it. Our garden teaches ushow we can improve the soil, andhow we can live off and on the landwithout depleting it. Our willing-ness to get out of the way, as Para-

dise emerges, is rewarded by lesswork for more bountiful cropsevery year!

In 2004 we started to use coppergardening tools following the ideasof V. Schauberger and we are curi-ous to see the results

In addition to the vegetable garden,the ZEGG gardeners also care for a

beautiful flower garden. These flo-wers are given as gifts and are usedto beautify our seminar spaces, ren-dering us independent of the flowerproducing industry. Most flowersbought at the florist s have not onlytravelled considerable distances,from Africa or Latin-America, buthave been produced under inhu-man conditions, often involvingmassive exploitation and destructi-on of natural resources. Cut flo-wers are treated with even morechemicals than food crops! Flo-

wers from our own garden are the-refore not only a visual delight anda `soul food , but also an expressionof our political concerns.

The gardeners also take on the taskof passing on their experiencethrough guided tours and consulta-tions, i.e. for gardens planned el-sewhere. Preschool children regu-larly join the gardeners to partici-

pate and to help. In this way theysoak up a lot of knowledge on plantgrowth and how to cultivate seed-lings and vegetables. We like to of-fer them an opportunity to feel theirconnection with the land we liveon, and to take responsibility earlyon for our own nourishment andthe nourishment of the soil.

We are also committed to suppor-ting `fledgeling gardeners. Forschool classes or groups of at leastten visitors, we offer guided tours

View into the deapth of the vegetable Garden.


Awareness in theKitchen and while

Shopping

In addition to ecological and he-alth aspects, the decisions we

make each day when we shop havea political aspect as well. Whom dowe support by what and where webuy? Do we support transparent re-gional structures, or do we contri-bute to the exploitation of people inother parts of the world? Do wefoster contamination, erosion orthe leaching of valuable soil, or dowe contribute to care and regenera-tion of the soil? Are we able to beresponsible and recycle, preferablyregionally, the goods we´vebought?

Power is moving away from thehands of elected politicians andinto the hands of multinationalcompanies. Behind closed doors,the GATS Agreement (GeneralAgreement on Trades and Servi-ces) is used to sell off even the lastbasic goods humans need for theirsurvival (i.e. water). As consumerswe find ourselves in a new role,with quite unexpected influenceand power. Our political influenceby way of consumer behaviour isalready much greater than the in-fluence we have through the occa-sional election. But this power isbased on information on the originof the products we choose, and onthe knowledge about the social andecological conditions of their ma-nufacture. Millions of people arefrustrated, sitting in theirone-bedroom flats, feeling power-less , thinking that there´s absolute-ly nothing a single person can do.But by deciding what to shop, wehave the power to (s)elect, everyday. It´s we who decide to whomwe´d like to give our money and

our power; every one of us, everyday!

“The rule of multinational compa-nies will collapse if we refuse tobuy what they are selling – theirideas, their version of history, theirgoods, their weapons, their visionof inescapability“ (Arundhati Roy;a well-known Indian author andanti-globalisation activist)

To feel good, we do not need a lar-ge number of things, but we needgoods which last, and which don´tharm the environment. We do notneed to personally own everythingwe use from time to time. The joyof life does not lie in our consu-ming more, or in having more ofour lives commercialized by multi-national cooperations. Sustainabi-lity is intended to counter thistrend.

One small word on me-at-consumption: a large part of theprimary food produced on this pla-net is fed to animals raised forslaughtering. Every day more tro-pical rainforest is cut or slashedand burnt for meat production. Butwe do not need meat. The greaterpart of humanity adequately liveson a vegetarian diet. Meat con-sumption in the rich countries is re-sponsible for hunger and deforesta-tion in other parts of the world. Wehave an opportunity to satisfy thematerial needs of humanity wit-hout destroying the planet.

This is one of the reasons why theZEGG community kitchen decidedto provide only vegetarian dishesfor residents and guests, even not

all of the residents are tough vege-tarian. At the same time, a growingnumber of people would like not toeat any animal food at all – to bevegan.

We do not buy eggs produced byfactory farming; our suppliers areregional farmers who leave theirchicken to roam as they want. Cof-fee is provided by `Fair Trade’,which guaranties fixed prices togrowers, as opposed to multinatio-nal companies who exploit thesecoffee farmers. Our aim is to redu-ce our “complicity“ in inhumanproduction of foodstuffs. Where-ver possible, we refuse goods who-se production involves the blood orpain of animals or humans, or da-mage the environment.

A very high priority is our own pro-duction of foodstuffs. We grow asmuch as we can, supplementingthis by food we can buy regionally.When not available regionally, webuy through `Fair Trade’ and orga-nically grown produce. We refuseto buy genetically modified food.

We try to improve the local availa-bility of valuable foodstuffs. Wewere able to convince a local bakerto bake organic bread for us. Hethen offered organic bread also toeverybody else who came to hisshop. In 2004 we started to bakebread and cake ourselves.

The soil, the garden, the peopleworking in it or in the kitchen ... allof these are valuable resources.That is why another goal at ZEGGis to eat or buy only what we reallyneed. We seek to develop an awa-reness of whether we are reallyhungry, or whether our `hunger’ isonly a substitute for some otherneed. We’d like to develop a moresatisfying culture in which this fal-se `hunger’ no longer occurs be-cause our true needs and desires arefulfilled. Our aim is not renunciati-on – rather sensual delight. Weseek not to be morally superior –rather to be more aware of our in-terconnectedness.


The Greeningof Roofs and

Façades

At ZEGG, there are quite a fewflat, bitumen-covered roofs -

most of them inadequately insula-ted. We decided to insulate andlandscape some of them, as far asthis was financially feasible andnecessary for the building’s main-tenance. Insulated green roofs im-prove a building’s heat insulationand bind about 500 grams ofair-bound dust per m² per year.This is particularly important forcities. The green roofs filter the nu-trients and pollutants contained inrain, thereby contributing to theclarification of surface and groundwaters.

Green roofs also slow down therun-off after heavy downpours.Spread over the entire year, thesubstrate and the vegetation release75% of this moisture directly intothe air via evaporation. For about2000�, it is possible to green about50m² of roof, with a 10cm layer ofsubstrate, which can store about1.5m³ of water after a heavy rain-fall with 30mm of precipitation(=30l/m²)

Among those plants particularlysuited for growing at these loftyheights are some robust survivalartists such as sheep’s fescue (Fes-tuca ovina L.), English bluegrass(Poa compressa), brome grass(Bromus tectorum) and a numberof sedum-varieties. As little as0.5m² of unmowed grassy vegetati-on generates the oxygen required

by one person. The decompositionof the plants takes up the sameamount of oxygen: it is therefore aclosed oxygen-cycle.

In order to seal the green roofs weuse an environmentally friendly,recyclable EPDM (Indian rubber)liner. The substrate is a mixture ofsoil and pumice stone, or soil andexpanded shale, which is muchlighter than normal soil even whenthoroughly soaked, but can storemuch more water (an interestingfact for any stress analyst!). Gree-ning protects roofs from corrosiveUV-rays and extreme fluctuations

of temperature, thereby extendingtheir lifetime.

Greening a façade is a lot cheaperand easier to accomplish, as no sea-ling and no substrates are needed.For ivy (Hedera helix), kiwis (Acti-nidia), grapevine (Vitis vinifera),knotweed (Polygonum aviculare),clematis (C. Integrifolia) and ho-neysuckle (Lonicera japonica‘Halliana’), trellises are all youneed. Virginia creeper (Partheno-cissus tricuspidata Veitchii) do-esn’t even need that. Virginia cree-per, ivy, clematis, and honeysuckleprefer walls which do not face thesun, but grapevines and kiwis en-joy basking in full sunlight, at leastat our latitude. After a period of ac-climatisation, grapevines becomevery drought-resistant, due to theirextremely long roots (up to 40 me-

tres). Our grapevines grow to aheight of 8 metres, delighting us(and the birds) with plenty of deli-cious fruit.

Greening does not only serve to be-autify a façade, but also protects itfrom temperature fluctuations anddriving rains. Additionally, theplants produce oxygen and providewelcome nesting places for a varie-ty of birds and many rare insects.

Grapevines lighten the somewhat massive façade of the ZEGG’s seminar building.


The Upholder of the cycleswhich supports the whole of

life – this is WATER. In every dropof water dwells a deity, whom weall serve; there also dwells Life, theSoul of the First substance – Water– whose boundaries and banks arethe capillaries that guide it and inwhich it circulates. Let me summa-rize: healthy air, healthy nutritionand healthy water together supportnot only a healthy body, but a he-althy, positive human characteralso.” (Viktor Schauberger)

Water is a remarkably complexsubstance. Its significance as alife-giving element is expressed ina multitude of myths. The earlyphilosophers identified water asbeing one of the fundamental ele-ments which, together with fire,soil and air, make up the wholeworld. Even now, looking uponwater with more educated eyes,and describing it in terms of its che-mical characteristics, we are stillaware of the fact that all life needswater. In particular, we humans:our physiological need is 3 litresper day.

Water - a Living Substance

But how we satisfy this need, playsa crucial role. Water is not simplywater. Drinking water from aspring is subtly different from drin-king that which flows constantlyfrom a tap and gurgles, after use,down a drain. When we drink froma spring our disposition towardsour fellow human beings, to socie-ty and to nature is subtly changed.

As early as 1933, Viktor Schauber-ger had made it plain that there issomething fundamentally wrong inthe way we treat water. In his book,“Our Senseless Toil”, he wrote:”For about a decade the groundwa-ter has been falling so fast in manyareas, that we can reckon on ourfingers how soon people will beforced to abandon their higher sett-lements and houses, because thenecessary water can no longer bebrought to them, or only at greatcost. Along with the falling ofgroundwater levels, springs dry up,water ways fall dry and the glebe,which is supposed to give us ourdaily bred, dies of thirst. At otherplaces the water will rise above theearth, rivers will break their banks

and landscapes will turn intoswamps.”

Today (more than 70 years later!),scarcity and pollution of water, inaddition to climatic changes whichhave a disastrous effect on the re-generation of water resources, arethe most pressing worldwide envi-ronmental problem of this century.

Globally, 97% of water is salt wa-ter. A mere 3% is fresh water. Ofthis 3%, as much as 79% is storedin the pole caps as glacier and anot-her 20% in the form of groundwa-ter. The last 1% of fresh water issurface water. These numbers illu-strate the limited availability of ourglobal fresh water provisions; whi-le at the same time, the planet’s po-pulation and its need for water isgrowing exponentially. Currently,humans consume 50% of the avai-lable fresh water, leaving all theplants and animals on the planet toshare the remaining half.

“The proper ways will themselveslead us back to nature, and therefo-re to the source of all life, to healt-hy water, which, lifted by inner po-


wers, the higher the better, flowsfrom Mother earth when it is matu-re enough to do so, that is, when ithas achieved its optimal physicalcomposition, and has no choice butto leave the ground.“ (V. Schauber-ger)

As a compound made up of the twogases hydrogen and oxygen, waterin its pure form could technicallybe described as an oxide of hydro-gen. But water is no isolated sub-stance, as it possesses a multitudeof characteristics according to themedium or the organism in which itresides and moves.

As a molecule, water has an extra-ordinary capacity: it can combinewith more elements and com-pounds than any other molecule.This is why it is sometimes descri-bed as the universal solvent. Waterbehaves in a way which is funda-mentally different from other li-quids. While all fluids become den-ser with cooling, water does soonly down to +4° Celsius (39.2Fahrenheit). Below this temperatu-re it once more expands. This is theso-called “anomaly point”, whichis decisive in terms of its potencyand has a major influence on itsquality. At +4°C water has its grea-test density, 0.99996 grams per cu-bic centimetre, and is virtually in-compressible.

At 4°C, water also has its highestenergy content and is in whatSchauberger called a state of ìn-difference . In other words, when inits highest natural condition of he-alth, vitality and life-giving poten-tial, water is in an internal state ofenergetic equilibrium and in a ther-mally and specially neutral conditi-on.

“A further life-giving property ofwater is its high specific heat andthermal conductivity, namely theability and the rate at which itabsorbs and releases heat. Thismeans that a large input orextraction of heat energy isrequired to bring about a change indensity and temperature. The

lowest point of the curve of thespecific heat values for water,however. is +37,5°C. It isremarkable that the lowest specificheat of this ìnorganic substance,at which the greatest amount ofheat or cold is required to changethe water’s temperature, lies atonly 0.5°C above the normalhuman blood temperature –. Thisproperty - of being able to resistrapid thermal change - enables us,with blood composed of up to 90%water, together with many otheranimals and creatures, to survive arelatively large range of externaltemperature fluctuation and stillmaintain our own internal bodytemperature. Pure accident, so weare told, or is it by clever,symbiotic design? If the blood inour bodies had a lower specificheat, it would mean that in hotweather it would heat up muchmore rapidly to the point where wewould start to decompose , or itwould freeze solid, if exposure wasto the extreme cold.” (CallumCoats)

In contrast to a seepage spring, truespring water has a watertemperature of +4°C. Born in thecool, diffuse forest light, waterbegins its long, life-supportingcycle as a living and translucentstream. Naturally flowing wateralways has a tendency to flow indarkness or in the diffuse light offorests, avoiding the detrimentaleffect of direct sunlight. Withincreasing warmth and light, watergradually loses its vitality, itshealth and its capacity to enlivenand animate its surroundings as itpasses. As it by and by transformsitself into a broad river, it becomesmore and more turbid. But eventhis cloudiness still serves animportant purpose: it protects thedeeper strata of the river from toomuch heat and light from the Sun.

“Water is the issue most crucial toall life on Earth. Water, flowing assap, lymph or blood, is thelife-blood of our planet, thelife-giving fluid of all organisms,plants, animals and human beings

alike. Our very existence istherefore intimately connectedwith the quality of water availableto us. It is vital for our own livesand those of our children that webecome seriously concerned notonly for the health, vitality andquality of the water we drink, butalso for its source and the treatmentit receives. Apart from ourconsumption of it, this same wateris also used to grow everything weeat. If we want to live in health andhappiness, then the living entity –water – should be highly reveredand the most sensitive care shouldbe taken of it.” (Callum Coats)

Here at ZEGG, our weed bed waterpurification system, with acapacity adequate for 300inhabitants, has been workingsince 1992. The water we drawfrom the Earth for our needs iscleaned and given back to thenatural cycle. After it hasnourished, washed and rejuvenatedus, it seeps back into the groundand is returned to the groundwater.

In the times of company-domina-ted globalisation, in which water isdegraded from being a basichuman need and a right to a merecommodity, access to good water isincreasingly important. We insiston our right to keep our own watersources, and we try to convince thecommunity of Belzig not to followthe example of many other largerGerman cities, which is to sell theirwater works to internationalcompanies, at cut-throat-condi-tions, and then lease it back fromthese same companies, which inturn use this water as a speculativevalue, - all in order to save taxes ona short-term basis. A sensitive andcaring treatment of water isimportant to us.

We do use rain water occasionally,for watering plants during dryspells. Its collection and use in ourexisting building would demand alarge and costly re-construction;for new buildings we plan to userain water for flushing, wateringand laundry purposes.


Waste Water Treatmentand Composter

An essential prerequisite for theecological use of water is a de-

centralized system for the purifica-tion of waste water to a qualitywhich allows it to be reused .

Since 1992 all waste water fromZEGG is purified in a treatmentplant which uses natural processes.Minimal technical effort is needed.It needs only 900m² of space and isable to clean the overall waste wa-ter produced by 300 inhabitants.The required space per person is

3m². Using newer methods wehave been able to reduce this requi-rement to only 1m² per person.

The first step is one of mechanicalpurification and takes place in acomposter. This is an alternative tothe traditional septic tank. In thecomposter the solid matter is filte-red out, and the waste water ispre-treated mechanically and, inpart, also biologically. Contrary tocommon 3-chamber-pits, this pro-cess does not turn the solids into

faecal sludge. They are left to rot,and after about two years may beused to improve the soil as valuab-le composting material. The nu-trient cycle is closed.

The resulting pre-purified wastewater is then channelled into a ductfor collection and distribution.From here it is brought to the surfa-ce at intervals, and spread on thefilter beds of the waste water treat-ment plant. Purification takes placein the planted soil filter, which is

View at the high growth of the purification plant.


vertically permeated. Part of thewater flows back into the duct andgoes through the plant again. Thisimproves the purification perfor-mance and makes the inclusion of abuffer tank redundant. The pollu-tants in the water are broken downby micro-organisms living in thesoil filter. During the entire pro-cess, the waste water is rich in oxy-gen (4-6mg/lO2). This aerobic en-vironment enhances the cleaningpower of the plant and assures ne-arly odourless functioning.

In the treatment plant at ZEGG wemainly used plants producing a lotof biomass, which can be harvestedregularly. The plants used are: Ja-panese silver grass or Eulalia (Mis-canthus sinesis), a local type ofcommon reed (Phragmites pseudo-donax), a local type of willow (Sa-lix viminalis “Mötzow”) and chi-nese poplar (Populus simonii).

The output water quality is tested atregular intervals. A very highquality is achieved throughout theyear, even during the coldestperiod when temperatures are formore than 4 weeks below -15°C.The plant reduces concentrationsof pollutants to levels consistentlybelow German concentrationlimits. The unit at ZEGG is a modelfor small communities and forhouseholds which are outside oftowns and off the grid. Itdemonstrates a process for wastewater purification which utilizeswell the regenerative powers ofnature. These units also enrich andbeautify the environment byadding a wetland biotope, offeringvaluable living space to manyspecies of plants and animals.

Since November 2000 ourpurification plant has been thesubject of a three year research

project. The aim is to optimize itsoutput levels and reach a qualitywhich would allow widespreadreuse of the water. The water canbe used to water forest gardens andlandscapes.

The research project is part of acombinated endeavour of Germanand Mexican research facilitiesand companies. The projectincludes different climatic regionsand different research questions. Itis hoped that the results will beapplicable to a wide range ofclimates and regions.

Information: ÖKOTEC GmbH,Rosa -Luxemburg-Str. 89D - 14806 BelzigPhone: +49-33841/3889–0fax: +49-33841/3889-10E-mail: [email protected]://www.oekotec-gmbh.com/de.

Waste Water Treatment Plant

Composter


Natural Pond Clarification

At ZEGG there is a fire fightingwater basin containing about 420m3 of water. We started to super-

ficially filter the water through a smallsoil filter planted with aquatic plants,pumping the filtered water back intothe pond. This soil filter offers a habitatto many natural pond-dwellers, therebystrengthening the self purification po-wers of the basin. We intend to promo-te a close-to-natural pond-biotope.

The method of purification just descri-bed is insufficient during the summer,when hot temperatures draw residentsand guests to bathe and refresh them-selves in the pool. As we do not want touse chlorine, we set out to research ef-ficient, environmentally friendly me-thods of purifying the water. This se-arch led us to discover the various be-neficial effects of the so-called “Effec-tive Micro-Organisms” (EM) (seebox).

During our first two years here, we hadto exchange the water twice a year, asso much algae were growing due to themany nutrients in the water. At hotspells the ecosystem collapsed at inter-vals. Since 2000, we have employedEM in our fire pond and we get a pro-fessional lab to test the water qualitytowards the end of the summer - thetime when ponds are normally mostpolluted. Every year, these tests have

proven our water to be of excellentquality and hygienically in perfect con-dition.

Since 2000, we have also introducedRed-eye Rudd (Scardinius erythropht-halmus) and Carp (Cyprinus carpio),which so far have thrived without anysupplementary feeding. Rudd mainlylive off mosquito larvae and insectswhich fall into the pond, whereas carpmainly feed on algae and decomposingleaves and grass which settle on thebottom. The Rudd are spawning at ahigh rate, so that we have decided tobring in a perch (Perca fluviatilis) in or-der to control their proliferation.

During the fourth year of our experi-ment – of no longer exchanging the wa-ter - is has become evident that whilethe bacteriological condition of the wa-ter is excellent, the visual aspects areless than satisfactory. The side wallsare covered with algae, there are lots oftiny algae floating in the water and thewater itself appears murky. The reasonis an increased ph-value connectedwith a heightened nutrient content dueto organic matter introduced into thewater. On the bottom of the pond, forexample, a layer of leaves dropped bythe surrounding trees sometimes be-gins to ferment during hot spells in thesummer.

During the summer of 2003, we deci-ded to continue the efforts already un-der way to clean and maintain the pondwith a natural chain of living organ-isms. We siphoned off a portion of themud and spread part of the 2.30m deepsection of the pond with a layer of was-hed sand 10 cm deep. This offers agood habitat for the water-filteringGoose Barnacle (Anodonta cygnea)and other sludge-digesting organisms.A fully matured Goose Barnacle,which is an endangered species in Ger-many, can filter up to 2000 litres of wa-ter per day. They achieve a size of up to25cm and live for up to 300 years, pla-cing them among the most long livedanimals on this planet. They feed offfine floating algae and, in order to buildtheir shells, draw lime from the water,which in turn lowers the water’s ph-va-lue. They live in a symbiotic relations-hip with a small fish, the Bitterling(Rhodeus sericeus amarus Bloch);each relies on the other for procreation.There is another type of mollusc whichcan filter water. It is the Painter’s orFreshwater mussel (Unio pictorum),which is also red-listed. We also intro-duced Gudgeon (Gobio gobio), a fishfeeding on organisms living in thesludge. The employment of these mol-luscs could help to create a new habitatfor these animals, and could serve as abasis for their re-introduction into theirnatural biotopes.

The vertical, side walls of the pond are“grazed” by the River snail (Viviparusviviparus) and Ramshorn snail (Pla-norbis corneus). In one corner of thebasin, we plan to install floating bedsof water plants to clean the water withtheir root systems, offer shelter tospawn and young fish and provide ve-getable matter to the carp.

In 2004 the water quality is still goodand we have hundreds of young fishand even quite a number of Crestednewts (Triturus cristatus). We have ta-ken out several hundred small fish andquite a number of big ones and broughtthem to other ponds and lakes in thearea. Some of these are on the endange-red species list.

Effective Micro-Organisms

The idea of EM was originally de-veloped by a japanese man Pro-fessor Higa. It consists of a mixtu-

re of cultures of micro-organisms na-turally occurring in the environment,which are used as an inoculation in or-der to raise the micro-bacterial varietyin soils and plants. Higa discoveredmicro-organisms which can co-exist inmixed cultures and which are physio-logically compatible. When these cul-tures are introduced into a natural en-vironment, synergetic effects are acti-vated, multiplying the individual bene-ficial impacts. EM contains no synthe-tic substances. Research in Japan andin other parts of the world has confir-

med that inoculations of the soil or of aplant system with EM raises generalsoil and plant vitality, as well as im-proving the yield and the quality ofcrops. EM is completely harmless tohumans, and can also be used external-ly for treating skin diseases and inter-nally for gastro-intestinal complaints.

Source of supply for EMs: EMIKO,Reinhard Mau, Gebr.-Burch-Str..9,D-53881 Euskirchen-Kirchheim, pho-ne: +49-2255/950733, fax:+49-2255/950734, or: Gönna Pezely,Axstetter Str. 1, D-27628 Bramstedt,phone: +49-4746/6998


CompostToilets

Hundertwasser’s explicit state-ment is today widely accepted

as the truth: the water-closet withwater-borne sewage system hasturned out to be an ecological deadend, in more ways than one. A veryvaluable raw material for fertili-sing is withdrawn from the naturalcycle, so that nutrient-deficientsoils need to be up-graded withchemical compounds. One third ofour precious drinking water is usedas the means of conveyance for ourexcrement - approximately 20,000litres per person per year. The dilu-ted faeces can no longer be used onfields and in gardens. If you consi-der the cost of a sewerage networkand a central waste water treatmentplant, which are operated at everhigher expense, with extremelycomplex technology requiringmore and more energy and chemi-cals, it is possible to speak also ofan economic cul-de-sac. In manycases, compost toilets are a real al-ternative. The great advantage theyoffer is their non-reliance on drin-king water, but in addition humanexcrement with its inherent nu-trients -mainly phosphorus and ni-trogen - is re-introduced into thenutrient cycle.

There are two main systems of drytoilets: aerobic and anaerobic com-posting. We have decided on aero-bic decomposition - decompositionwith a supply of air/oxygen. This isbasically the same composting pro-cess as takes place in garden soil orin a forest without any human assi-stance. The process requires thepresence of oxygen, and is for themost part odourless. Anaerobic de-composition (in which air/oxygenis excluded) is actually a putrefac-tion (rotting) process, releasingsmelly gases which can be used asbiogas. Faeces can contain viruses

and the eggs of parasitic worms(Helminthic ova). The duration ofthe decomposition process, its tem-perature, the ph-value andUV-radiation are the most impor-tant factors for killing off gast-ro-intestinal pathogens. In order toresult in a hygienically safe pro-duct, faeces need to be either keptfor a longer period at normal tem-peratures before deployment , orstored for a shorter period at high

temperatures. The latter may besupported by aerobic-thermophiliccomposting, which reaches tempe-ratures of up to 70%, together withother organic waste. In most sys-tems, after one or two years of sto-rage the resulting compost is safeto use as fertiliser.

At ZEGG, we constructed our drytoilet in 1995. We selected a conti-nuous system, similar to the

Compost toilet at ZEGG.

Shit turns into earth which is puton the roof. It becomes lawn,

forest, garden

Shit turns into gold. It is satisfyingto grow richer and richer in thisway.

The cycle is closed. There is nomore waste, the environment reco-vers. Every time I use an Englishwater closet, it gnaws at my cons-cience, just like when I travel bycar or by plane.

Water closets are one of the manydangerous dead ends of our civili-sation: such a waste of pure drin-king water, just to flush away a bitof shit and urine. 1kg of a valuablesubstance is turned into 50 litres oftoxic waste, polluting the ground-water, wells, rivers, lakes and oce-ans.

Ruthless exploitation is multipliedas a vital substance is wasted. Theland is impoverished. Artificialfertilisers are no adequate substitu-te. Water closet: 1,000 grams of

shit turn into 50,000 grams ofgarbage - poison.

Humus toilet: 1,000 grams ofshit turn into 50 grams of rawmaterial - gold.

Now why should I give awaymy shit and poison the environ-ment with it?

I prefer to keep it for myself andconvert it into gold.

In a humus toilet, shit and kit-chen scraps turn into a valuableresource, only 5% of the origi-nal volume and weight.

No waste of water, no canalisa-tion, no pathogenic germs, nospreading of epidemics, no gar-bage, no garbage collection, nolatrines, no cesspools, no manu-re transports, no chemicals, che-ap, less waste water treatment,odourless, reusable as humus”

(Friedensreich Hundertwasser,from the shit Manifesto, Vienna1975)


well-known Swedish Clivius Mul-trum. For quite a number of yearsnow, it has been transforming largequantities of faeces, kitchen scrapsand cardboard containers into asmall amount of high-quality com-post which we use to fertilise fruittrees. The toilet requires very littlemaintenance. During periods of in-tense usage we sometimes addwood-ash from our wood burner orstone meal in order to control theph-value. Sometimes we use effec-tive micro-organisms (EM) to pro-mote the bacterial conversion pro-cess. The main job is done by fun-gi, micro-organisms and worms.There is no need to turn over thepile at any time. Faeces with theirhigh nitrogen content are wellcomplemented by paper board andwood filings as litter, and kitchenscraps with their high content ofpotassium.

Our toilet is located in the woodsand is sealed off from the ground-water by a layer of water-proofconcrete made with a fine aggrega-te. Any excess of seepage water isselectively used as fertiliser. Theupper portion of the toilet is con-structed of wood and cob. Due toits scenic location and its lack ofodour our dry toilet is popular.

Energy Generationfrom Renewable

Resources

When we took on the property in1991, the ramshackle and extreme-ly polluting heating system (browncoal heating plant) was converted.Heat generation at the ZEGG isnow done by an automatic woodchip combustion plant, burningwood from our forests.

By using this renewable fuel re-source, the CO2-cycle is closed,that is, the neighbouring forests ab-sorb the exhaust generated andtransform it into oxygen. The hea-ting station has an output capacityof 875 kW. By employing a heat re-covery system, and due to ener-gy-technical optimisation-measu-res, the emission of pollutants andthe environmental burden causedby the new system amounts to only

20% of the burden engendered bythe previously used brown coalcentral heating boilers. The ashesare uncontaminated and are used asfertiliser in our gardens.

The plant can also be run on bio-mass, such as elephant grass or ot-her plants from the waste water pu-rification system. Since the sum-mer of 2002, ZEGG has been coo-perating with an engineering officeto introduce CO2-neutral producti-on of electricity also.

One idea that cropped up duringthe process of deciding how to goforward, was the installation of anew block-type thermal power sta-tion based on wood combustion.But as small units using this tech-

Water purification plant at the time of construction 1992.

Vertical cut through the body of

the compost toilet.


nology are not yet technically ma-ture we decided to wait before in-vesting in a co-generation plant.

In order to decrease CO2 emissionsand to cut down on energy-relatedexpenses it seemed most sensibleto invest in heat insulation to save100 to 130 KW. These recommen-dations are being put into practice .As the annual heating requirementis above 70kW, extensive savingsare possible through thermal insu-lation and window and façade im-provements.

To decrease the demand for heatingis always the best measure to saveenergy costs, as this energy doesnot have to be produced in the firstplace.

Also in the planning stage, is a peakload regulator to monitor the de-mand for electric energy. This willenable us to save up to 90% of theelectricity costs. The peak load re-gulator will automatically shutdown electric appliances for shortperiods of time and at intervals,whenever peak load is achieved.

In order to decentralise the warmwater supply system, one buildingwas equipped with a thermal solarplant several years ago, and twoother large systems followed in2004. We also installed a small,60kW woodchip plant to providewarm water in summer. Thisenables us to shut down the bigplant during the summer, giving it abreak from duty and giving us timeto take care for it.

In fall of 2004 we will install 180m² of photovoltaic panels on onesouth facing roof, producingaround 24 kW of electricity.

Recapitulating, CO2 -emissions arebalanced by the employment of re-newable resources.

Info: [email protected],http://www.andreas-schiller.com .

Cars run onVegetable Oil

Some of the cars run byZEGG have been convertedto run on vegetable oil. Gene-rally, this can be done on ne-arly all diesel engines, whichcan then be run on rapeseed,sunflower, soy, corn or anyother unprocessed oil.

Vegetable oil is not to be con-fused with Bio Diesel. BioDiesel requires an energyconsuming process of trans-esterification, rendering it aproduct of questionable eco-logical value. The much bet-ter lubricant effect of vege-table oils actually benefitsmany motors: motor perfor-mance is raised and consump-tion is lowered, and there ismuch less wear. Vegetable oilcleans the fuel injectors andthe injection pump, therebyraising combustion efficien-cy. The sulphur emission isreduced nearly to zero, andthe emission of soot particlesand CO2 is decidedly lower.Vegetable oil is an edible pro-duct and 100% biodegrada-ble. Its high ignition pointmakes it safe to store in largequantities, without any speci-al safety precautions. Vege-table oil is not subject to pe-troleum tax and is a renewa-ble resource: driving with ve-getable oil is therefore chea-per and CO2-neutral.

The only disadvantage of ve-getable oil is that it is lesssuitable for cold starts due to

its higher viscosity,. Whenoperating such a vehicle du-ring winter time, it is necessa-ry to pre-heat the oil. The tankheating system is fed by thecooling circuit of the motor.For cold starts, an additionalsmall diesel tank, which canbe disconnected by a manualswitch after 2 to 4km, is fittedinto the vehicle’s boot.

Conversion may be done byusing serial parts only. Themotor itself remains unchan-ged. The TÜV (GermanTechnical Inspection Agen-cy) controls whether this ad-ditional tank is properly in-stalled. If the car is decom-missioned, nearly all partsmay be reused in other vehi-cles. Conversion is thereforeworthwhile - even for oldervehicles.

Even though conversion is re-latively easy to do, most aut-horised workshops have noexperience, and tend to dis-courage any inquiries. Still,there are by now hundreds ofvehicles (including tractors,trucks, passenger cars as wellas ship diesel engines) suc-cessfully using this technolo-gy. At ZEGG, we have beenoperating 4 diesel-run vehi-cles with vegetable oil, fil-ling-up at our very own fillingstation. By now, vegetable oilis available even at some pub-lic filling stations.

27

Building and Insulatingwith Plant Fibres

A paramount task at ZEGG isthe insulation of the existing

buildings, the conservation of tho-se buildings and dealing with inhe-rited burdens, such as old roofcoverings containing cement asbe-stos called “Eternit”. Within our fi-nancial limits we are working ourway from building to building.Every year we manage to replacethe cement asbestos on severalroofs with harmless materials , andto improve heat insulation.

In most cases we use cellulose fi-bres, made from old newspapers.These are blown into the roof andother cavities. The fibre fluffs arefireproofed with more or lessharmless mineral salts, which at thesame time protect them from ani-mals such as rodents.

It is possible to insulate usingsheep wool, or rye, flax or hemp fi-bres, but these materials are farmore expensive. An inexpensivealternative is offered by light loammixed with wood chips. This isaffordable and offers excellentthermal insulation and humidi-ty regulation. Walls are rende-red with loam plaster insideand out. If ready-made loam fi-nery is used, working time maybe reduced considerably butthe environmental footprint ishigher due to transport. Theseready-made materials are avai-lable at alternative DIY stores.

For all types of work on the in-terior or exterior of buildingswe use untreated wood obtai-ned, as far as possible, from ourregion, or harvested in our ownwoods. The latter is cut andprepared by our own mobile

lumber mill. In our dry climaticconditions trees grow slowly, re-warding us with wood of excellentquality. The wood is simply waxedor oiled with natural products; ifleft otherwise untreated, wood na-turally protects itself with a we-athering layer.

Wood should not be in contact withhumid ground, and will become da-maged if sodden. However, if it candry off again after becoming wet, itcan tolerate moisture without pro-blems.

It is important to choose the rightkind of wood for the task. Ournewly constructed restaurant tab-les, which were treated only withnatural wax, have been able towithstand extreme wear by manypeople and children, with only afew blemishes to show. For our ter-race, we have refitted old lawnchairs with black locust (Robiniapseudoacacia). Black locust hasqualities comparable to teak ,

which is mostly produced underecologically questionable and un-social conditions and is transportedlong distances.

For constructing new buildings werely on loam, wood and glass. Weaim to confine the use of cement tofoundations and moisture-riddenareas. For interior renovations also,we have started to use loam, as itcontributes to a pleasant interiorclimate. Due to its diffusion capa-city, slaked lime finery is a verygood alternative to cement fineryfor exteriors.

Many windows in our old buil-dings were glazed only with singlepanes of glass. As new windowsare very expensive, in many caseswe chose simply to fit a secondpane of glass, which has considera-bly improved insulation efficiency.In 1997 we also decided no longerto paint our window frames, aspaint doesn’t last anyway, and itdoesn’t really comply with our

ecological standards. Everyyear we manage to remove theold varnish from quite a num-ber of window frames and to oilthem, - with a lot of help fromour friends! This type of treat-ment is quite time-consuming,but it is very simple and in thelong term it saves a lot of time.

We employed natural stones tolay new paths, or used stonesfrom the Fläming region, whichare round gravel stones, in a pa-ving technique widely used inthis area. This paving techniqueis actually an old art, which wehope to keep alive in the Flä-ming region.

Insulation with woodchips in clay.


One of the Mandala Pavillons at ZEGG with various artistic ways of building with loam.

BuildingwithEarth

Building with loam is an ancientand time-tested technique with

many facets. Due to the heightenedawareness of environmental poi-sons in our direct vicinity, i.e. inour houses, the technique is expe-riencing a well-deserved renais-sance.

Loam, as used in building, consistsmainly of clay minerals mixed withvarious grain sizes(very fine up to1mmØ) of sand. Loam is perfectlysuited to satisfy the requirementsof a gentler treatment of nature, andfor energy conservation: it is local-ly accessible, needs little energyfor processing, and is characterised

by excellent heat storage capacitiesand insulation (if combined withorganic materials). Loam can beused in baths in order to regulatehumidity, as well as in green hou-ses as an energy-storage agent.Loam assures an air moisture of50%, which is felt as very agreeab-le by humans. If the atmospheresuddenly becomes more humid, itabsorbs the excess humidity; if theatmosphere becomes drier, theloam releases water vapour into theroom.

The demolition of modern, well in-sulated buildings leaves behind lar-ge piles of hazardous waste, which

must be locked away, as it cannotbe ecologically disposed of, or de-contaminated. On a demolishedloam building, on the other hand,one can safely grow vegetables, orreuse the loam for creating a newstructure. Loam can be used incombination with other natural ma-terials such as natural stone, woodor straw. But increasingly it is em-ployed in combination with glassand steel, demonstrating its univer-sal applicability and its positivecontribution to a pleasant room cli-mate. Loam buildings may lookpleasantly nostalgic, but the designcan also be airy and artistic, and


contribute to an enhancement ofmodern architecture.

Loam is cheap and ecological butquite time-consuming to use. No-wadays, new processing technolo-gies are applied to loam, making iteasy to use and more competitivewith other prefabricated buildingmaterials.

As part of a number of loam buil-ding workshops, several loam buil-dings have been constructed on theZEGG grounds since 1998. It hasalso been used with great successto renovate existing buildings. Thecommunal dining room, a seminarroom and several residential roomshave received a loam refinery.Some were painted with li-me-casein paint, others left in thecolours of the earth ranging fromwhite through all shades of yellow,ocre, orange and red. The walls ofour Mandala-Pavillons were usedas a model for different techniques,and were built using a variety ofmethods - rammed earth, loaves,cob, woodfibre-reinforced light-weight loam, loam bricks, infillwith an earth-and-straw mixture,and finished using different rende-rings etc. However, all is connectedby a harmonising, overall design.

The outdoor dry toilet hashalf-timbered walls , which are fil-led in with light loam. In a seconddining room, the ceiling was exe-cuted as a dome, both for reasons ofdesign as well as to improve theroom climate. A wood-fired breadoven was built from loam bricks,and next to our “village square”,there is now a well-insulated andbeautifully decorated toilet madefrom loam and wood. One seminarroom and a big public bath wereplastered with several layers ofloam rendering, setting a new stan-dard for ZEGG renovations.

Every year we organise loam buil-ding workshops, during which it ispossible to learn this exciting buil-ding method from experienced tea-chers and get hands-on experience.

Living Buildingswith Willows and

other Trees

It is possible to build withliving trees. They are plan-

ted close to each other, andwithin a number of years,they grow together to compo-se a closed wall, with “wind-ows and doors”; a singleliving organism, able to shel-ter a human being in itsmidst. Many kinds of treesare suitable. Willows (Salix)grow fastest, but they alsohave the lowest life expec-tancy. Willows also thrivewhen planted as cuttings.”(Kirsch “Naturbauten aus le-benden Gehölzen”)

In March 1996, the first wil-low-dome was planted atZEGG, right next to our pub.The willows were harvestedfrom our waste water recy-cling system. During thesummer, this living buildingis an attractive, shady arbour.

The willow shoots can bebraided into the existingbody, or can be bolted to ot-her stems: the cambium inju-ry and the fixture will causethem to join together perma-nently.

In 1997, in cooperation withthe adult education centre of

Belzig, two outdoor showerswere screened from viewwith fences made of willowcuttings. They become verydense in springtime and offerprivacy. The run-off from thecold water showers watersthem and their root systemspurify the used water.

In order to set up such ar-bours or fences, it suffices tostick the willow cuttings15-20 centimetres deep intothe ground, just before shootsappear, and to water them re-gularly. Willows require ahumid location, and need tobe watered during dry spells.Maple is also very suitablefor easy-to-care-for, livingfences which were commonin parts of the UK. They canbecome very dense aftersome years.

Due to the low precipitationin our climatic zone, livingbuildings have been rare. Ho-wever in England, Franceand particularly in Germany,quite a number of living buil-dings, grown from a wide va-riety of trees, have been crea-ted since the beginning of thelast century.


Mandala Pavillons

Mandala Pavillons are circularbuildings with a self-supportingroof, in which all rafters carry thesame proportion of the weight.Therefore the load is not passed onto the posts, but is spiralled out-ward in an infinite circle. The shearrate is negligible, and there is nonecessity for a peripheral tie beamto support the posts from beingpushed out radially by the rafters.The load occurring at any point ofthe roof is transferred to all of therafters of the construction in agree-ment with a dynamic principle.

With this type of construction, it ispossible to build self-supportingroofs with diameters ranging from3 to 20 metres.

The system is very variable interms of the number of rafters nee-ded; at least three are necessary,but any larger number is possibletaking into consideration thestrength of the rafters and their sha-pe.

These Mandala roofs are complexstructures, in which each rafter isequally important for the stabilityof the whole. Every little modifica-tion, such as at the support point in

the centre circle, the number or thestrength of spars, or the size of theopening in the middle) has an ef-fect on the entire system. In a waythis type of construction illustratesmetaphorically some basic aspectsof communal life.

The first three circular lodges withMandala-type roof construction atZEGG were built in 1998. The ideacaught on, so that now there aremany of these lodges all over Ger-many and Switzerland. Later on,adobe walls were added in order toscreen the interiors from view andas protection against the wind. In2000, we constructed a twin Man-dala-lodge, built entirely fromround timber harvested on our

land. The two interlockingroofs support each other via aconnecting rafter.

The load-bearing posts of thelodges are embedded 1 metredeep into the sand. A foundati-on is not required for this typeof building. The logs were cuton days said to enhance theirdurability by a traditional far-mers´ almanac. Additionally,the wood is protected by thesoot produced by the campfi-res lit in the lodges, and by theadobe and its humidity-regula-ting property. During the sum-mer, the lodges serve as kit-

chens for the tent camps.

In Great Britain, Graham Brownhas founded a company and has pa-tented this type of building. Gra-ham Brown, Out of nowhere, Eas-ter Tearie, Darnaway, Rorres Mor-ray, IV 36 Ost, phone/fax:01309-641650, e-mail:[email protected], http://www.outof-nowhere.com.

Roof construction



Triangular Huts fromAuroville

The construction of thesehuts is based on the equi-

lateral triangle. The triangle isthe most stable form; equilate-ral triangles can be used toconstruct domes or huts likethe following. The basic shape

is that of the tetrahedron, withsides measuring about six me-tres. These larger triangles arebisected by smaller ones withside lengths of three metres.Half of this again is the heightof the floor, which is located

about 1.20 metres above theground. These huts need nofoundation: the constructionsimply sits on slabs of stone.

The design was developed inAuroville - a large, spiritualcommunity in India - and wasintended to provide cheap andsimple housing for tropicalclimates. The huts were roo-fed with the traditional cove-ring of palm leafs. In tropicalregions, the huts are ideal as,like a hammock, they are sur-rounded by air and thereforepleasantly cool. During themonsoon periods they arehigh enough above the groundto escape flooding.

Since 1998, we have built twosuch huts on our grounds. Thebasic construction is made ofblack locust (robinia pseudoa-cacia) grown here on our land.Adapting to our climatic con-ditions, one of the roofs is co-vered with wood, while the ot-her is protected by tar pastebo-ard shingles. The huts are usedfor different kinds of meditati-on. The second actually repre-sents an improved and refinedversion of the first: it has a he-xagonal roof projecting out-ward so as to offer protectionto the side flaps. Due to its lo-wer floor level it is also morespacious. It is covered withwood.

Triangular hut at ZEGG.


Epilogue:There is no time to waste

Callum Coats writes: „We are(...) forced to admit that our

present ideals and value systemshave brought us no utopia. Whilethere have been tremendous impro-vements in many areas of humanendeavour and compassionate un-derstanding, despite the constantpromises of recovery, the humanworld is still in constant disarray,economically and socially, and fullof conflict. Intolerance is rife withman against woman, sect againstsect, nation against nation, whilethe rich are comfortably bufferedagainst increasing poverty and pri-vation with full bellies just as bul-bous as the bloated bellies of thestarving.

Falsity is heaped on falsity and onedeception after another is foistedon us by those who seek to regulateevents for their own benefit, whilecontrolling every aspect of our li-ves by immersing us in irredeema-ble debt.

We are not alone in our travails,however, for this state of strife, dis-cord and spiritual instability is alsomirrored in an increasingly disea-sed and sickening Nature who, inher present state of fever shiversbetween record heat and recordcold. Mother Earth is now seeking,with all the forces at her command,to re-establish her own equilibriumand health, thrashing about with in-creasingly violent storms, sweatingin catastrophic floods, parchingwith devastating droughts, writ-hing in all-consuming conflagra-tions and shivering in rendingearthquakes. Beset from all sidesby these awesome events, we havethe effrontery to call them `natural

disasters´, blaming Nature for whatwe ourselves are responsible. Forthere can be little doubt that we arethe true instigators of these cata-clysmic episodes. These are notÀcts of God´, but misdeeds direct-ly attributable to the senseless acti-vities of humankind.“

We need to act fast, if we want toavert the worst. Some steps to-wards a vision of a globally sustai-nable life, can be found in the book„Subcoma“ by the Swiss AuthorP.M. (see bibliography). What Imiss there is a stronger awarenessof the human factor. Why have ourancestors begun to destroy theEarth and themselves? This questi-

on needs to be answered on all le-vels, before we can hope for a pea-ceful and more just world.

From my point of view, we need tobe committed and strong and act onthree levels:

* We need to massively reforest theEarth. The reasons have alreadybeen explored within this booklet.

* We need places at which workand research is done on the consci-ous dissolution of the potential forviolence within human beings.

Glabal reforestation is necessary for the support of life on earth.


* We need people and organisa-tions to apply leverage at the cen-tres of power, where wars are plan-ned and prepared. An example ofthis type of activity is the workdone by innumerable NGOs. Anot-her important task is the distributi-on of reliable information.

Commitment to work on any ofthese levels is essential for our col-lective survival. Those workingany of these spheres should also beaware of what is being done by ot-hers, and should be willing to coo-perate with them.

Reforestation needs to take placeover the entire planet. For me,community and communal ways ofliving are the keys to the second le-vel, the overcoming of humanity’spropensity for violence. Communi-ties are where people may`straighten out´ and, even more im-portantly, where children can growup free and unbroken.

Another central topic, which canand must be addressed in commu-nal forms of living, is fear. We canonly act non-violently if we areaware of and in charge of our ownfear. Fear only breeds violence andpropensity for violence. Peoplewho have not yet faced their ownangst are easy to control and to do-minate. Their unconscious fearsmakes them easily manipulatedinto submission to criminal re-gimes and orders. “Fear needs to beerased from the face of the Earth“,as Mikhail Gorbachev said beforethe Berlin Wall fell.

There are many more reasons forthis propensity for violence, all ofwhich need to be taken into consi-deration; to discuss them all herewould be go totally beyond the sco-pe of this booklet. ZEGG is one ofthose places where the human po-tential for violence can be dealtwith and gradually overcome.

On an ecological level, many re-sources could be conserved, andoverall consumption could be lo-wered, if we could again experien-

Achim Ecker, 45, has been a

ZEGG resident ever since it was

founded in 1991. Previously, he

had lived in various preparatory

communal projects for many ye-

ars. At ZEGG, he works as the

resident ecologist and keeps de-

lighting the community by plan-

ting beautiful shrubs and trees.

His vision of a locally adapted

permaculture is nurtured by his

awareness of the natural pro-

cesses occurring on the ZEGG

grounds.

Additionally, he works as a

FORUM facilitator and group

leader in the human growth

area. His political commitment

in different parts of the world

strenghtened his realization that

it is important for our survival to

create autonomus, regional

structures that are both socially

and ecologically sustainable.

ce how few material goods we ac-tually need for our own happiness(key idea: reduction of substitutegratifications) That´s why I have li-ved in a communal setting for morethan 20 years.

Since the war on Afghanistan, atthe very latest, we know that war isby no means the last resort of poli-tics, but is an integral part of a stra-tegy to enforce this politics. Mostwars are waged by aggressive, neo-liberal nations to enforce mar-ket-conforming policies.

Wars, and their preparation in peo-ple’s minds rely on this human pro-pensity for violence. So if we workon overcoming this we are on agood, long term path to depriveviolence and war of their base. Butwe should not forget that politicsknows many ways to create a threa-tening atmosphere and therebybolster the propensity for violence.This means that it is necessary toact on both levels at the same time:the long-term dissolution of violen-ce within ourselves, and resistanceagainst the political po-wers-that-be.

The war on Iraq totally violated thelaw of nations. It had been decidedon long before in line with mainlyUS-American desires for hegemo-ny and was justified with many liesthat now do not count any more.The impressive world-wide pro-tests against it were seen by manyas a light at the end of a tunnel. It ismy hope that the anti war protestsdevelop into positive actions andpromote a new way of life. Thismovement’s only chance of longe-vity and to contribute to more glo-bal equity, peace, sustainabilityand trust, is if protest can be turnedinto compassion, and if the questi-on of a different way of life is rai-sed; a way of life in which war canplay no part. This work begins inall our relationships and in ourevery-day lives, when we refuse tobuy what is offered by the rulingpowers – their goods or, as Arund-hati Roy said, their visions, con-cepts or ideas.

To me the recent changes in thearea surrounding ZEGG, the areaof Hoher Fläming, show a path intothe future in the sense of regionalorganization and regional provisi-on of basic needs such as housing,water, energy and heating - andmaybe even of some of thenon-material needs such as securi-ty, friendship, contact and love.This could be a place where a kindof regional self-sufficiency couldbe implemented, which is so ur-gently needed for future genera-tions and which at the same time isin interaction with the outside.


What is ZEGG?The acronym ZEGG stands forZentrum für Experimentelle Ge-sellschaftsgestaltung (Centre forExperimental Cultural Design).The centre was initiated in 1991,after many years of preparation bya group of committed individuals.Its origins go back to 1978 in thesouth of Germany. It is located 80kilometres south-west of Berlin, on15 hectares of land. The objectivewas - and still is - to create an inter-national meeting and research cen-tre, at which alternative models forsocially and ecologically sustaina-ble ways of life can be developed.Additionally, ZEGG has turned outto be a very diverse cultural centre,a meeting place for the entire regi-on and a networking centre forcommunities and people commit-ted to peace, ecology and the se-arch for solutions for human co-existence.

Today, the community comprises80 adults and children, and has un-dergone many changes: from anoriginally very homogeneous, pio-neering group to a network of peo-ple engaged in a wide range of in-itiatives, spiritually and politicallyactive groups, enterprises, artistsand lateral thinkers. What they allshare is the desire to find new soci-al forms for intimacy and love freeof jealousy and fear and for therealization of inner and outer pea-ce.

At the core is an intentional com-munity working to run the confe-rence centre and to foster commu-nity life. These two goals determi-ne how we use our land and howwe structure our year. In summer,

mainly, the community shares itslife with many guests and a wealthof seminars and conferences takeplace. This is seen by the peoplewho live at ZEGG as a politicaltask: to freely share their ideas andexperience, while at the same timebeing open to the outside for inspi-ration and exchange. In winter, thecommunity turns its focus inwardsand concentrates mainly on gro-wing together, on deepening its in-ternal communication, on develo-ping itsshared vision and on vari-ous other topics of research.

The community has organised itswork into separate departments re-sponsible for the kitchen, conferen-ce organisation, childcare, garden,construction work and landsca-ping. To a large extent, these de-partments operate independentlyof each other. Decisions relevant tothe entire community are preparedby a “council of 13" - a panel inwhich all of the separate depart-ments are represented. The recom-mendations of this council are con-sidered approved if no other mem-ber of the community disagrees, orif they are passed by the Plenary -the assembly of all communitymembers. The Plenary is the hig-hest decision making organ of thecommunity and it makes decisionsonly when consensus is achieved.

To acquire its land and buildingsthe community set up a registeredcompany - ZEGG Ltd. This is thelegal entity which bought and ownsthe grounds and buildings. ZEGGLtd. then rents dwellings to the re-sidents, and rents accommodationto other enterprises located on the

grounds. It also runs the seminarand conference business fromwhich, along with the rents, mostof ZEGG’s income is generated.All ZEGG members do voluntarywork at the Conferences andCamps in order to generate a com-mon income.

Companies and residents are indi-vidually responsible for their fi-nancial needs. Some residents areemployed by ZEGG Ltd.; otherswork free-lance or run their ownbusinesses located within theZEGG grounds or elsewhere.

The community gathers together ina multitude of forms for various ac-tivities and purposes - at “SundayMatinees” for mental or spiritualinspiration, at the “Plenary” for ex-changing information and makingdecisions, for seasonal festivities,music, and art events, for dancing,sauna, and philosophical excur-sions, shared kitchen and mealsand for working together. A mostimportant form of meeting each ot-her is the Forum - a ritualised andhighly creative form of communi-cation practised by our community.The Forum provides a space inwhich thoughts, emotions and mo-tivations may be shown and shared.It promotes transparency in the are-as of love and relationship, and in-sight into the power and decisi-on-making structures presently atwork. For us, the Forum is an ess-ential component in the develop-ment of self-knowledge, and increating trust and confidence in acommunity.

Contact: ZEGG,Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 89,14806 BelzigPhone: +49 -33841 - 59510email: [email protected]:/www.zegg.de

36

Literature:

Sustainability:Lovelock, J. E.:Gaia: a NewLook at Life on Earth", OUP,Oxford, ISBN: 0192862189

P.M.; Subcoma, ISBN3-907522-19-2

Forest, Trees:Thoma, Ludwig: Dich sah dichwachsen..., ISBN3-901727-00-0

Julius, Frits H.: Bäume undPlaneten, ISBN 3-7725-0843-X

Hageneder, Fred; Geist derBäume, ISBN 3-89060-449-8

Eggmann, Verena/ Steiner,Bernd; Baumzeit, ISBN3-85932-171-4

Olof Alexandersson: LivingWater; Gill & Macmillan(Gateway Books), Dublin,Irland; 1982, ISBN0-946551-57-X

Callum Coats: Living Energies;Gill & Macmillan (GatewayBooks), Dublin, Irland; 1996,ISBN 0-7171-3307-9;

Schauberger, Viktor; UnsereSinnlose Aubeit; ISBN3-902262-00-1

Permaculture:One Straw Revolution,Masanobu Fukuoka, Rodale

An Introduction toPermaculture, Bill Mollison

Permaculture Designer´sManual, Bill Mollison

A Western PermacultureManual, David Browned

Gardening for the Future of theEarth, Howard Shapiro

Robert Hart, Forest Garden,Paperback, 24 pages, 1991Publisher: Inst.for SocialInventions, ISBN: 0948826231

Videos about Sepp Holzer,Masanobu Fukuoka etc:

Crystal Lake Video, Dorfstr.19,D - 14806 Hagelberg,http://www.crystal-lake-video.de

EffectiveMicroorganisms:For a Sustainable Agricultureand Environment, Dr. TeruoHiga, Dr. James F. Parr,International Nature FarmingResearch Center, Atami, Japan,1994

Compost-Toilets:The Humanure Handbook, JCJenkins, 1994Jenkins Publishing, PO Box607, Grove City, Pa 16127

The Toilet Papers, Sim Vander Ryn

The Composting Toilet SystemBook, Carol Steinfeld

Building with Earth:Neues Bauen mit Lehm,Anne-Louise Huber, 1997,Ökobuchverlag, D-Staufen

Der Lehmbau, RichardNiemeyer, 1946,Ökobuchverlag, D-Staufen

Lehmbaufibel,Müller/Frigutsch/Schultze,1947, Hochschule Weimar,D-Weimar

Lehm-Fachwerk,Leszner/Stein, 1987, R. MüllerGmbH D-Köln

Lehmbau-Handbuch, Minke,1994, Ökobuchverlag,D-Staufen

Naturbaustoff Lehm,Schillberg/Knieriemen, 1993,AT-Verlag, CH-Aarau

Lehmbau für Architekten undIngenieure,Schneider/Schwimmann/Bruckner, 1996, Werner-Verlag,D-Düsseldorf

Living Buildings:

Das Weidenbaubuch -Kalberer/Remann, AT Verlag,Switzerland 1999

Naturbauten aus lebendenGehölzen - Kirsch, OLV,A-Xanten 1996

Ecovillages:Global Ecovillage

Network-Europe(GEN-Europe);http://www.gen-europe.org

Important informationabout coorperateglobalization:GATSwatch:www.gatswatch.org

New Energy Plan for ZEGG

A new energy plan is being implemented by ZEGG GmbH after it decommissioned the old biomass heating system which had served the community well for its first 20 years on the Bad Belzig site. The new plan is based around a new solar-assisted biomass heating plant with the following components:

240m² thermal solar plant a new woodchip storage hall a new woodchip-fired boiler with 500kW heat output a log-fired boiler with 350kW heat output 3 combined heat and power (cogeneration) plants, which have already been installed in the basement of

the Restaurant building, delivering both heat and electricity

In addition to the CHPs, some ZEGG residents have joined forces to install and operate a photovoltaic solar power plant with a rating of c. 29 kWp. This energy mix means that 86% of ZEGG’s thermal energy requirements will be met from regenerative sources.

The combined heat and power plants produce electrical energy in a CO2-friendly way because the excess thermal energy produced by the power generation is used directly for heating water and buildings. This leads to CO2 savings of 66,000 kg per year! The combination of CHP and PV power plants meets more than 87% of ZEGG’s electricity demand.

ZEGG GmbH is also completely renewing the site heating network. The deteriorating condition of the pipes had led to heat losses of up to 15% (c. 150kW), which will now be reduced to around 4%. Reducing energy losses through insulation and renewal is as important as building new plants and converting to regional regenerative sources: after all, the energy lost could be used to heat around 20 modern detached houses. For this reason, the existing buildings on the ZEGG site are also being insulated. At the rate of one building per year, full thermal installation is applied, including work on the facades, windows, roofs and floors. The measures being taken to implement the energy plan make significant construction and groundwork necessary around the site. In spite of this, the community is making every effort to ensure that its guests still have an enjoyable and comfortable stay, for example, by building bridges over any open pipe trenches. However, we do apologise for any unavoidable inconveniences and thank you for your patience.

These investments ensure that ZEGG GmbH continues to be a trailblazer when it comes to the use of renewable and regional energy sources. The previous woodchip-fired boiler had an output of 850kW, so it is being fully replaced by the new boilers. It had been visited by some 1000 people from universities and other institutes of higher education as well as politicians since it was a pioneering example of its kind – the first woodchip boiler in its output class (over 100kW) to be installed in the German federal state of Brandenburg. The implementation of the new energy plan is being supported by the promotional bank of the state of Brandenburg ILB and the German development bank KfW. The financing bank is the Berliner Volksbank. The consulting engineers are IG Schiller & Drobka mbH from Bad Belzig. They are active throughout Germany as specialists for regenerative energy systems and water recycling systems.

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