The Manufacturing Plant

Author: Bare Bones Gardener

Can you imagine an engineer who had the job to produce a delicate and complicated piece of machinery or even a manufacturing plant, which was reliable in all forms of weather (sun, wind, rain, storm, hail and snow)?
Every process was to be totally mechanised and automated, as the labour and maintenance budget available for the production line was nil.
Worse still, administration and management staff would be totally absent.
Everything would have to be totally automated, self correcting and governing. The system would have to have work no matter what, and production guarantees would have to be able to be given.
The basic reason for making the mechanism is that its sole purpose would be to convert simple elements like hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and potassium etc., into complicated sugars and package them in a form that was palatable and interesting for human and animal consumption.
As well it would have to manufacture its own packaging systems and containers, these would have to be tough enough to handle all sorts of transport situations while still arriving at their final destination as a product, that looks good enough to eat.
It would have to produce its own energy, and convert various atmospheric gases and pollutants into their basic elements of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and nitrogen, etc.
It would have to provide it's own transport and storage systems to handle the manufacture, transport and storage of these products. It would also have to provide its own methods of acquiring its own basic resources without bothering or harming its neighbours or the environment.
As well as being able to provide the starting and ongoing capital for its own maintenance and expansion programmes, it would assist in the production of starting kits and seed capital to help subsidiary manufacturing plants to be set up elsewhere, and also provide methods of assisting in relocating these subsidiary manufacturing plants.
This all of course would have to be done on a cost neutral accounting system, with only the absolute basics of starting capital being able to be provided in the first place. It would also have to be able to be set up in a way so that it could be mass franchised out to many different environments, and in many different locations.
Add to this, there would be environmental constraints put on them, about pollution levels. They would have to assist in removing more pollutants than they produce. They have to assist in reducing water table levels and ground salt levels around their plant.
As well as make efforts in reducing soil erosion in the environment. Improve soil structure around their plant. Provide mulch and shade and protect the soil and protect soil life. They have to provide food, shelter and homes to local animal and bird species.
There would be zero tolerance for any pollutants escaping into the environment. Which is for example, no polluted water, soil or manufacturing residues are to escape from the site or be transported away by others for burial or destruction. There is to be no adding or contributing to the problems of landfill sites already under strain from others' excesses.
The local community would have absolutely nil tolerance to any visual, light or noise pollution coming from within the plant site. The plant would also have to be visually pleasing to the eye.
Finally, the plant would have to fit into an extremely small area, ie a few square feet.
How do you think the engineer would go, even today with all the computerization and microelectronics, available to them?
Well, all of this is already available to us everyday in one of our own everyday plants, in our own everyday gardens.

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