Self-Sufficiency
At Rancho Margot, we make choices everyday to achieve greater and greater self-sufficiency with the ultimate goal of living sustainably.
We generate our own electricity. Two hydroelectric turbines on the Ranch produce more electricity than we need. Our design allows us to simply benefit from gravity as we utilize our streams to produce hydroelectric power without constructing reservoirs or dams.
We create biogas. The pigpens are rinsed out twice daily. This liquid waste feeds a biodigester cycling into an anaerobic process producing methane gas, which we pipe underground into our kitchen and use for cooking delicious meals everyday.
We use aerobic compost ovens to heat water. We pack compost around coils filled with stream water. The temperatures in the compost reach approximately 70°C (150°F), which heats the water coursing through the coils. This hot water is stored in two insulated water storage tanks and is pumped into the bungalows and the bunkhouse supplying us with hot water.
We make our own soap. Every form of waste is a seen as a valuable resource at Rancho Margot. We recycle used cooking oil from the kitchen into fine soaps and laundry detergent.
And this is just a small sample of what we do to be self-sufficient at Rancho Margot. We hope you will come visit, spend a few days with us, or stop by to take our Ranch Tour. Come enjoy and learn with us!
