Session 1 · DESIGN: Navigate Constraints
What could go wrong?
- 15 minRisk map: power cuts, holidays, heat waves, cold snaps, overfeeding, kind but wrong helpers. Rate each by likelihood and impact.
- 15 minEnergy and cost: pump watts × hours × days = kWh per year, then the yearly power cost.
- 20 minLife-cycle map of your system: materials, energy, maintenance, repairs and what happens at the end, including rehoming fish.
Session 2 · DESIGN: Navigate Constraints
Care guide and hand-over
- 25 minWrite the care guide: daily checklist, weekly tests, what's normal, and a 'what to do if…' page for each risk.
- 20 minHand over to the garden group or caretaker. Walk them through the system and the guide.
- 5 minReflect: which part of the system surprised you most?
Getting started
Write the three things someone must check every day.
Stretch
Design a backup for a power cut: a battery aerator, a solar pump, or a gravity-fed design.
Checkpoint
A care guide someone else could follow, with a plan for power cuts and holidays.
Activities for this week
- Power cut drill: What happens to our system when something fails, and how do we protect it?
Useful this week
- Koi carp ↗ Why some fish are banned in New Zealand and must never be released.
- EECA ↗ Energy use, efficiency and solar power for your system.