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Dome Habitat Foundation
P.O. Box 2345
Evanston WY 82931, USA
307-444-1285

Biodome Uses & A Scenario

""I, John Smith and my wife, Betty, and our five children have had it with the present city life and are prepared to cut the cord, the umbilical cord to the system.

It seems that each day we were progressively losing more and more control of our lives. We realized that we were being controlled in such a way that we were totally being managed by outside sources.

We had absolutely no control of the value of the money we were using to sustain life. The money, at the drop of a hat could be inflated, and thus buy less. We had nothing to say about it. In our way of life, we were totally locked into a system that forced us to use these products just to function.

For example, transportation or, more basic, gasoline. It was necessary for both of us to work and we both had to drive. At a moment's notice, gas prices could go up as much as 25%. It had already increased in just a few years by ten times. But we are forced to buy gas without any recourse. To even have the need to buy gas, we needed cars, and cars are now built to only last a short time, with more and more plastics being used. Of course, plastic is another petroleum product with probably the same people controlling both.

We are tied to the banks as the banks take their share of our income through financing and banking charges.

It appears that life requires an ever increasing demand on our time, requiring both of us to try to sustain the family. WHAT NEXT?

When we heard of the Dome Homes, we were ready, so here is our story:

Mike and Jody Jones and their four children have invited us to visit them in their new home to spend the weekend.

Betty and I and our children are following the directions as we head for northwestern Colorado. We pass the Utah Colorado border into Colorado, travel 70 more miles, then make a left hand and turn on a paved road.

Twenty miles later, the paved road turns into a dirt road. After about three miles we reach another dirt road, we turn left. As we travel on this dirt road we notice a beautiful clear water stream going along the right side of the road.

Up to now everything has been a desert, beautiful, but a desert. But now, because of the higher elevation and the presence of water, things are greener.

The snow-capped mountains in the northeast distance seem to rise out of nowhere, and you can now make out trees growing on the mountainside.

After 15 more miles we see a shiny dome like structure off to the left in the distance. Mike never told us anything about his new home, only that it was self-sustaining. We wondered what that dome was, and whether it had something to do with their new place.

Finally, a few miles more we were turning to their driveway towards that huge dome. It looked like some sort of space ship or space station in the distance. Since there was nothing else around, we just assumed it was Mike's place. It seemed like a clear glass, dome type structure with some sort of round foundation that the dome was sitting on. There were even trees growing right inside. As a matter of fact, the whole place was full of greenery.

The dome seemed to be on a rise of about eight feet above the normal ground level, probably for good drainage.

We circled the dome until we found the large double concrete doors. One flung open as we reached it, and Mike and his family came out to greet us.

We parked and as we walked through the entrance we passed doors on either side as we walked up the gradual grade approaching the main level in the dome. Immediately, we felt a difference.

I'm sure you know the feeling. It's the same as when you walk into a green house except not quite so moist. That was because the place was so huge.

There were grow boxes everywhere with grass walkways throughout. Tomatoes, bright red, were hanging from the vines, and corn was growing, some ready for the picking. There were all kinds of vegetables in different stages of growth and lots of small fruit trees, some loaded with fruit. All kinds of herbs, many we had never seen before, were growing.

They even had two ponds with fish in them. In some of the growing areas a sprinkler system was on. There was even a small tractor.

There were hammocks where children and friends slept. There was a basketball standard and other games and exercise equipment.

There were hanging plants and flowers in all their pretty colors all around the lower part of the dome itself.

Jody said, "Come on, let me show you our little living quarters. It's really just a privacy area, an area where we shower and sleep sometimes. It doesn't have to be built like a fortress because there aren't any snow loads to contend with." As we proceeded, we saw a big screen TV under the patio cover along with some lounging chairs. We entered the kitchen, which was to the left and was wide open.

"Oh yes, our kitchen is designed to be accessible from the outside or inside. It's neat; we just squirt things down with the hose." Inside was a sitting area and another TV. There were two nice sized bedrooms and two complete bathrooms. It was really nice.

I wanted to know what that tall cone shaped thing was in the yard, so Mike took me out there to show it to me.

"John, that's our methane digester. Anything that's organic that we don't use is thrown in there. As it decomposes the methane gas rises and is pulled by that tiny compressor through a scrubber and stored in that large tank just outside the dome."

"The methane gas is used to power our electric power plant for our total electric heating and lighting system plus we use the methane in our vehicles. We converted them all to methane gas so we don't have to purchase gas. It even runs our tractor."

"The methane dome is made of the same see through blocks as is the Dome Home. The blocks are just a different design. Incidentally, the plastic manufacturer guarantees the plastic to last for 30 plus years. They don't know how long it will last beyond that point because the material has only been on the market that long. But the blocks are patchable and replaceable and very inexpensive."

"Every once in a while we clean the scrubber. The scrubber uses water which cleans the methane, and the deposits in the water make tremendous fertilizer as well. Also we clean the digester out, and that also makes fertilizer."

"So everything is used. We plant the seeds and eat the produce. Leftovers go into the methane digester, which makes our fuel, and what's left is used for fertilizer. Like a big circle."

"We even upgrade our seeds by choosing some from the best of every crop and drying them in our little, natural food dehydrators, the 'Food PANtrie'. In that way we always have good seed to use for our next planting. See up on the roof of our living quarters? That's a solar electric system. It helps keep our batteries topped off. We also use the batteries for our lights. See those large batteries on wheels over there? Those are our re- buildable batteries. We use them to store our electricity, the cells are re-buildable, and we rebuild them ourselves as needed."

"We also have a solar water heating system just in case, and our water comes mostly from a well. Its pure and tastes great. Our Dome Home also catches the moisture condensed on the inside of the dome and recycles it as distilled water for various uses. We also catch the rain. It runs down the outside of the dome and is caught by the concrete foundation. That water goes either into our inside ponds for storage or is directly used for irrigation for our crops either inside or outside the dome. Any excess water goes into our outside holding pond for use on our outside gardens."

"'Mike, this must have cost a fortune!' I said. Are you kidding. I never had a fortune to start with. You know that. Actually this cost less than our home in the city, even though we could put at least 4 or 5 of our city homes inside. We've now had our home for nine months, and it's paid for itself. Here's how we did it."

"We heard about the Dome Habitat Foundation from a friend, and we visited their Dome Home just as you're visiting ours. We were impressed and we knew in a minute that it was for us."

"All we had to do was come up with a ten percent deposit, make a few choices and locate our property. After visiting our friends Dome Home, we went to the demo building in Utah County near Orem, Utah. There we chose one of three landscape plans. These were developed by Bngham Young University to supply all necessary herbs and nitrogen. When you opened the doors air rushes out instead of rushing in from the outside."

"We also chose one of five floor plans for our privacy home. It was really inexpensive because you don't have to build it for snow loads, as my wife mentioned earlier, or you can use mobile homes or motor homes for your living quarters. Once we made those choices, we had to find a place we wanted to live, so we began looking. They had a list of larger ranchers who were selling five acre plots or larger." Some ranchers will even lease the ground. Once your land is purchased or the lease is in place, there are ranch financing organizations who will loan 100% of the cost of the Dome Home for 30 years at unbelievably low interest, and it can be set up for only one payment a year to correspond with the sale of your produce grown inside.

"We visited several sites and decided we wanted to live on the route from Utah to Missouri. So we, chose this location. The five acres of ground cost us $2,500.00. It's really more than we need. We drove a stake where the center of the dome was to be located. We did not need a well permit or even a building permit because we are so far out in the country. If you need them, you just get them and you're done."

"The rest was taken care of by the Dome Habitat Foundation and their construction teams. In a few weeks, the well-driller punched the well, the plumbers buried the septic tank and the plumbing and automated sprinkler systems were installed. The electrical people ran the wiring, and the factory- built privacy home was placed on location and hooked up."

The solar system was placed, along with the methane system, and the landscaper started their work while the foundation was being laid."

"The foundation is like those concrete highway dividers, only these interlock and are foamed in place to make them more airtight. The bottom row of plastic blocks have a stainless steel plate which is bolted to the top of the foundation. Then the next row of blocks just snap into place. They can be glued if you want the blocks to be more permanent and more airtight."

"Then the concrete doors are installed along with the walkways. The dirt cellar is to the left of the entrance and the security storage room is to the right of the entrance. It's very secure. The foundation, as you can see, is about 4 feet high, and there are insulated clear and steel sliding windows which can be opened to adjust ventilation and to see through."

"Once the well was in, it took less than two weeks and they were finished. While they were erecting our home, we attended a five-day school in Orem and they taught us how to be farmers and how to operate and maintain everything in our new home."

Top of page | Referrals | Food Production | Management |

REFERRAL INCOME

"Oh yes, there was one other thing they taught us. It was how to pay for our home through referrals. Fourteen families have visited our home, and eleven of them decided to get off the grid as we did. For each one we receive a credit of 10% of the cost of their Dome Home."

"So you see, our home has paid for itself. Besides being, paid for, we have received our first full commission compensation equal to $30,000. And that's just the beginning."

"Now follow this. Ten percent commissions from all sales generated by other means, such as advertising, publicity from the news media and the Internet, etc., will be passed down through the Associates starting from the first Associate through to the last Associate signed up according to the date when that purchase takes place. This means we may be receiving compensation until the last person on earth who wants a Dome Habitat Living Center has made their purchase."

Top of page | Referrals | Food Production | Management |

INCOME FROM EXCESS FOOD PRODUCTION

We produce all the food we need with a huge excess. The excess is dried and/or sold for additional income. Our operational cost is zero plus we generate additional income from referrals and investment profits.

It's so nice. We no longer have to worship money. It takes a back seat to the more important things, like raising our family. It's neat too because, as a farmer, we don't have to own a huge farm and equipment to sustain ourselves because we are off the money system and we, can produce all the crops we need on a year- round basis.

At night we sleep free of the man made pollution's. There's no noise, and we're free of the dog-eat-dog way of life. Our taxes are so low, I doubt there will be any real tax consequence.

After this weekend, I am sure you will be troubled day and night until you get your own Dome Habitat Living Center like us.

Top of page | Referrals | Food Production | Management |

ADDITIONAL MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING ASSISTANCE

John, there is another thing that might be of interest to you. The Dome Habitat Foundation offers a system like a sharecropper system. You can arrange for them to actually manage all the land preparation, planting, growing, harvesting and even marketing of the organic produce grown in the domes. Of course there is a charge, but it is very reasonable.

In addition, if we choose to go this way, we actually participate in a “Profit Sharing” system with all who choose to participate in having the DHF management system. This means, each share in profits from every Dome Habitat Living Center in the world. Also in this system, as we have all become one, we share in all the different food items grown in the other living centers without charge. This coop and Profit Sharing system also extends to the actual sale of dome and associated products. Each coop member shares in the profits from those sales also. All fund are filtered down through to each member through a DHF numbered account as a subsistence allowance to be used to maintain the Dome Living Centers and those caring for the Dome Homes. All with reduced tax consequence. Plus as we travel, we can stop at any Dome Habitat Living Center and stay there as if it was our. We share in the produce we need, there is extra living accommodations available for our family, and we can fill up our vehicles with the methane, as we are a cooperative owner, all at no charge.

This system has been developed to assist those who are in retirement age, those who wish to visit their children or friends without having to worry about caring for the produce growing in their domes. This can even become a sort of insurance policy for families living in the cities. If something happens, they have a place for their family members to meet, with plenty of food and everything, and to live until things are better.

"But Mike," John asks, "doesn't it drive you buggy staying out here with nothing to do, no job or anything?"

John, I am always busy, and it's a fun busy... and I'm doing it with my family.

With our computer system and the "Internet" and our buying power through the foundation, Internet cell phones, and our satellite television, we have all of the disease free contact with the outside world we need or want. We have our schooling from the Internet, and it gives us time and the opportunity to study anything we want. I have time to work on writing my books, and my wife is working on another college degree. Besides, we can leave any time we want for extended trips. We have a fully automated irrigation system and the only thing that happens when we leave is the food just keeps growing. Anything that becomes too ripe by the time we return, we just turn it into methane fuel and fertilizer.

We even plan to build another Dome, so we can take care of some livestock, horses, goats, chickens, etc., and their hay and grain. We'll even have a year-round pasture inside.

You will see just how nice it is to wake up with the sun and be able to watch the beautiful storms as they form and roll across the land."

I think it's about as close as you can get today, to what our first parents enjoyed in the Garden of Eden.

Top of page | Referrals | Food Production | Management |

Quote from Joel D. Wallach, B.S, DVM, ND, 1991 Nobel Prize nominee-medicine: "Those of you who like science, in November of 1993, about eight months ago or so. There was six biosphereians came out of that dome (This has reference to the Biosphere in Arizona). They were in there for two years. Three couples, and they were to eat the perfect food and recycle the atmosphere, and grow their own foods, and whatnot and have no pollution in their water or air or food. Well when they came out they were examined by medical gerontologists from UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles. And they put all this information, their physical and blood work and so forth into the computers at UCLA. The medical computers projected that they could live to be 165 years old if they continued to do what they were doing."

Top of page | Referrals | Food Production | Management |

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