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Aerial view of the marsh.
Arcata Marsh overview. The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant is responsible for the treatment of the sewage for the city of Arcata. The Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of the system that cleans our waste in preparation to be released back into the water cycle. The system as a whole is the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant personnel maintain 11 wastewater pump stations as well as all of the equipment, motors, and pumps associated with the plant. They also are responsible for the operation and maintenance, of the 55 acres of oxidation ponds and 154 acres of treatment and enhancement marshes. The Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary is a constructed wetland and is part of the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant. This use of constructed wetlands is what separates the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant from other Wastewater Treatment Plants. The first treatment plant was built in 1946 and discharged unchlorinated primary treated wastewater into the bay.
Rainwater catchment at Isla Urbana

A rainwater catchment system set up by Isla Urbana with the Huicholes in Mexico.

Architect Eliel Saarinen
Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context – a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.

— Eliel SaarinenW
A windmill is used to power a water pump which fills a swimming pool.
Appropriate technology (AT) is technology that is designed with special consideration to the context of its use - including environmental, ethical, cultural, social, political, and economical aspects of the community it is intended for. With these goals in mind, AT proponents claim their methods require fewer resources, are easier to maintain, and have less of an impact on the environment compared to techniques from mainstream technology, which they contend is wasteful and environmentally polluting.

The term is usually used to describe simple technologies proponents consider suitable for use in developing nations or less developed rural areas of industrialized nations. This form of "appropriate technology" usually prefers labor-intensive solutions over capital-intensive ones, although labor-saving devices are also used where this does not mean high capital or maintenance cost. In practice, appropriate technology is often something described as using the simplest level of technology that can effectively achieve the intended purpose in a particular location. In industrialized nations, the term appropriate technology takes a different meaning, often referring to engineering that takes special consideration of its social and environmental ramifications.

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ENGR 215 Introduction to Design projects – Fall 2010: HBCSL Somoa Hostel: The Fall 2010 semester of Engineering 215 worked with Humboldt Bay Center for Sustainable Living to design and build projects that support a proposed eco-hostel in Humboldt County.

Fall 2010 ENGR 215 Intro to Design Projects - HBCSL
Thermosyphon Solar Shower System
 An outdoor shower that utilizes solar energy to heat the water  
Samoa Hostel Truth Tank
 Provides greywater treatment system for a satellite solar shower  
Samoa Hostel Wattimus Prime
 A metering scheme that monitors the amount of energy used by the visitors  
Can You Feel The Heatloss?
 An education display about convection and heat loss  
Samoa Hostel Natural Paints
 A natural paint display to educate visitors of the Samoa Hostel  
Pain in the Axle
 A bicycle-powered electrical generator that powers a television and DVD player  
Samoa Hostel Windbelt
An array of wind belts that can charge a cell phone  
The Mechanical Munchy-Maker
 A mechanical bicycle that generates energy to power a kitchen appliance  
Samoa Hostel Insulation Station
 Educates visitors about the effectiveness insulation types and their relative costs  
Samoa Hostel greywater island
Models, designs, and educates guests and implementers of hostel size greywater treatment  

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