Why would you not just crowdfund an aquaponics system? I can't see how it would be more economical to buy a 3d printer instead of the aquaponics system directly.
There's no point in building only one system. We must build systems that build systems.
I live in an area where the average monthly pay is $567, and a gallon of gas is $5. If I don't figure out a way to replicate the system in a low cost manner then it's just going to be one system sitting by itself and nothing will have changed.
The printer and the first aquaponics system are just one part of a many step plan.
The culmination is when
we can build small scale recycling machines to create the filament for the raw materials from beach trash. This is potentially a funding method for the local recycling program, which is barely functional at this point (and only thanks to the volunteers from the turtle place).
In order to do that we're going to need a recycling building with at least a small room with climate control because the humidity here destroys electronics. I keep envisioning building a dome for the recycling center as my next project. Since I wind up using my money for all of these projects (including the printer, which I'm about $1,500 into), I'll have to save up for it. But the 30' dome I built with my Dad was under $5,000, so with clever planning it is possible.
The printer and the other machines go there. A next generation recycling program gets set up, micro style, and if all goes well the community becomes an exporter of printed recycled parts. That's the dream. A few more jobs for locals, jobs that are helping the environment. It's
The aquaponics system is starting to catch on and I've got bought more pumps to help the most interested person get a system going at her house. Once hers is running, and maybe one more, the idea passes or fails. It either catches on in the community or gets dropped and we go straight to the recycling machines. We'll see if others want to build their systems and if so I'll set up classes. It's a big investment for anyone here, but once the idea is going we'll figure out ways to reduce costs beyond just the printer savings.
But a printer isn't limited to aquaponics, it lends a lot of resilience to a community.
I printed a part for my neighbors drill. This is a huge deal for him, a new drill is no joke financially, and directly effects his livelihood. There is no replacement part or place to send it. He then built the tables for the aquaponics system (I paid for the parts). So now a local carpenter has already played a part in it and it won't be strange for him to do it again.
We have poor access to parts that bigger markets take for granted. As an example a family bought and renovated a local hotel on a shoe string budget. They were finding it impossible to get the
flanged nipples needed to finish the showers shortly before opening. I don't think they would have failed without the parts, but who knows? If they hadn't been able to open due to no showers, and things continued in that manner, it would have been a major hit to the town. We don't have a lot of economy and every job counts.
It could also be a money stream for the recycling program, maybe creating a job or two for the community. Once that happens then I hope that that idea also spreads to some nearby towns. Plastic trash is a plague. It gets in the rivers and then washes up on the beaches. If that trash starts to have a value in a real tangible sense perhaps it won't make it into the rivers at such a crushing rate.
I'd invite anyone to come down on vacation and ask around. Find out what the community thinks of my projects so far, and what they know of my vision. You will find that they already know everything I've written above, and are excited for it to happen.
