The sun's energy is trapped using large glazed areas in the main house's conservatory ad the 'solar roof' of the dormitory block, very much like a greenhouse. The sun supplies all the heating needed from about April to September and useful amounts of heat can be collected even from an obscured sky. Simply by opening the doors heat from the conservatory is effectively circulated throughout the main house. The walls and insulated floor slab are warmed up and keep the conservatory warm well after sunset. All the household waste is discharged into a septic tank which is split into two chambers.
Solid waste settles in the first chamber and only liquid flows into the second, smaller chamber.
The liquid then flows out of the tank down a perforated pipe running through the tree plantation. About a thousand Sycamore, Alder and Whitebeam trees take up the nutrients from the waste discharge. Any excess is then piped into a pool of Phragmites reed, which is extremely adept at using nutrients in water. The outflow from this pool goes into the lower pool by seepage and an overflow pipe. The clean water in the lower pool then flows naturally out into the surrounding fields.