Home building methods have been developing to become better for the environment. People who are ecologically conscious wish to construct their houses in a greener way that consumes lesser energy and take fewer resources. Modern methods include a variety of building techniques through which houses can get to become more eco-friendly. Let us see how these techniques work and make your house environment-friendly.

Using green building materials

To build a greener house, you may use materials that are non-toxic and are recyclable. Such materials do not harm the environment and are also suitable for construction purposes. For example, recycled jean material can be used to make insulation for walls. There are other recycled building materials, such as recycled lumber and plastic wood products. Such kinds of materials reduce waste and save environmental resources. Also, make sure that you are using toxin-free materials like particleboards that are free of formaldehydes.

Developing energy-efficient designs

To create a house design that is friendly to the environment, it is important to utilize high-efficiency equipment for heating and cooling, as well as other energy saving appliances. The placement of various equipment and building parts can also be advantageous to you. For example, if you place your windows in the airy and sunny space, you might get better ventilation and sunlight to warm your house during winters. This can save a lot of energy you may use through heating equipment. Similarly, if there are skylights in interior areas, your daytime electricity consumption may reduce.

Using alternative energy sources

There are various types of solar and wind power sources that are being used in building modern homes. Solar energy can be tapped to be utilized for water and space heating purposes, as well as for generating power for domestic use. Making use of such alternative energy sources can be friendly to the environment, while also saving on domestic resources.

Harvesting rainwater and managing water

Water management is of a great importance in an eco-friendly house. You may setup a system for harvesting rainwater that can be utilized in your lawns and gardens. Running water on the roof is usually captured through rain barrels. There can be a system installed for recycling gray water from showers and sinks so that the recycled water can further be used for gardening or cleaning purposes. You may also get composting toilets installed to make your house greener.

Thus, such small steps can save on a lot of energy while building an eco-friendly house.

Farming is usually associated with rural landscape. It needs large area to plant crops. With world population increasing at a fast pace, where would we the area to grow crops in future. How will so many people be fed? Vertical farming is the answer to all this. In vertical farming, plants (or animals) are cultivated vertically in skyscrapers. This will solve the problem of space crunch. Massive greenhouse skyscrapers can feed thousands of people.

Though the idea of vertical farming has existed historically as seen in Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the modern vertical farming is a little different. It uses techniques similar to greenhouses. In these farms natural sunlight can be augmented with artificial light, and temperature can be maintained artificially. Plants or animals are mass produced in artificial environments within skyscrapers. Many vertical farming designs have been proposed over the last few years but whether they will be useful and practical, is yet to be seen. Despite various advantages and advances, high cost of vertical farming is still putting off people from trying this concept wholeheartedly.

Let’s take a look at various advantages of vertical farming and evaluate how it can change the way we perceive agriculture.

Optimum use of space

Vertical farming addresses the main concern of crunch of space especially in urban landscape. With this method we can plant and grow more in limited area of land, as the crops will grow vertically.

Grow more all year round

Indoor farming can produce crop throughout the year, which multiplies productivity. Due to minimum hazard of pests, weeds, diseases, and climatic fluctuations, any crop can be grown, any time of the year in controlled condition. Moreover, as the farm is situated right in the middle of big city, cost and effort of transportation of the produce from the production site to the market will also be less.

Conservation of eco system

Vertical farming will reduce the need to vast stretch of land for growing crops. This will help to recover vast stretches of land, which would have been used by traditional farming. This will thus prevent deforestation and desertification. Thus, this type of farming helps in preserving the environment.

Immunity from weather related problems

The crops can be prevented from the problems arising due to sudden change in weather conditions. Many fragile crops like strawberries are badly affected by sudden change in temperature. Vertical farming negates ill effects of changing weather as it is done in controlled environment. Thus loss of farm produce due to global climate change, and other meteorological reasons like, hailstorms, flooding, wildfires, droughts etc. can be avoided.

Rise in production of crops

The big advantage of vertical farming is the significant increase on the yield from farms. Due to controlled conditions, ill effects of vagaries of unpredictable weather, pest and weed infestation, and diseases are minimized. This results in more produce as compared to conventional farming.

Pesticide free crop

The controlled environment protects the crops from pests and weeds infestation. So the crops can be organically produced free of any insecticide or pesticide.

Year round production

Any crop can be produced any time of the year. The farmers can grow the crops according to their demand, due to availability of artificial sunlight, water, temperature and nutrients.

Conservation of water

Water is recycled a number of times in this farming, reducing the wastage. Aeroponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics systems are used which help in conservation of water.

 Affordable farming

Although initial costs of this type of farming are high, but later on it becomes cost effective. It allows farmers to use their own resources, instead of procuring materials and products from the market.

Friendly to farmers

Indoor farming protects humans from the threats of diseases caused by mosquitoes and other pests, which might be faced during outdoor farming.

You would know the general facts about wind power that make it a good alternative source of energy to replace non-recyclable energy sources. When zero-pollution energy is talked about, you would first think of wind power. But, there are certain incredible facts about wind energy that you might not be aware of. Check out what these are and why there is a need to know about them.

• About 1.9% of U.S. electrical power generated from wind energy in 2009: Wind power is fast replacing some other non-renewable sources of energy. Though less than two percent of power generation would not seem too great to you, but it is really gaining momentum as a viable alternative for energy production at a large scale. The U.S. government is incentivizing the use of wind energy for power generation to make it increasingly popular.

• One of the oldest energy forms: The use of wind energy dates back to around 5000 B.C. when sails used to be powered through it. Slowly, there came windmills running on sails and then some steam engines. Now, it is getting to become a viable option due to pricing and accessibility factors.

• Reducing carbon dioxide: Wind power is considered to be a clean form of energy as it reduces carbon emissions. If you are using just 1MW of wind energy, it can power up to 400 homes and that too, without emitting any CO₂. It also saves a huge amount of water.

• No threat to birds: In 2007, the National research Council determined the fact that wind power setups are not a threat to birds as hyped by some critics. Wind farms have only been responsible for a fraction of total bird deaths that have been caused by human beings.

• Wind power is solar power: In actuality, sunlight heats up the earth in a non-uniform manner and that causes temperature and air pressure irregularities. That makes air molecules move to low air pressure areas that causes wind.

• Surged wind power production: From 2000 to 2006, the world’s total wind power production nearly quadrupled. Currently, the total global production can serve around 250 million people.

• Texas leading the installed wind capacity: Texas wind installations make up a significant one-third of the total installations across the U.S. It is because of the state legislation support, as well as the freely available wind flowing across the state.

• Powering Colorado: In the year 2008, the wind turbines in the U.S. generated as much energy as was required to power the complete Colorado state.

• Wind farms in 38 U.S. states: It is really incredible to know that 38 out of 50 states in U.S. have wind installations, and the top 5 states out of these account for a cumulative 20,000 MW of power.

• Power of U.S. wind resources: According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the already installed wind power resources could handle the energy needs of U.S. 10 times over.

Thus, wind energy is slowly and steadily becoming a powerful source of energy across the globe.

It is the time of water power technology that uses water to receive energy in several different ways. You may find H2O batteries that supply power using specially formulated alloys (one of these being positive and one negative). When these alloys are submerged in water, energy is produced. You may just replenish water in these batteries when its level gets lower. If these batteries are not to be used for some time, you won’t have to do much—just remove the water and dry them to be used later when required. Even though the water power technology is newer, there are several gadgets that receive its power form water. Check out some of these super gadgets.

• Bedol Water-Powered Clock

This is one of the greenest clocks, drinking only plain water and some lemon juice. Available in a translucent frame of different colors, it is a unique little clock that has an inbuilt memory chip to give you accurate time even if the water runs out. There is no electricity usage in this clock, and it is safe for the environment as it does not create any pollution.

• Water-Powered Calculator

It comes in a great design and runs on the power of water. Some people really love calculators and this one has fuel cells that can use water to run for a month. Once the water is finished, you just need to refill.

• Water-Powered Cell Phone Batteries

Samsung has been working on a hydro-powered phone battery that would run on water-holding fuel cells. The metal interior will react with water and form hydrogen, which will further react with oxygen to produce energy to run the phone for about 10 hours. The hydrogen cells might need replacement weekly or fortnightly.

• Water-Powered Mini Lantern and Flashlight

It is a two-in-one device with a refillable water battery. The product can last for 10 years without any charge loss.

• Tango Group H2O Water-Powered Multifunction Clock II

This product is a clock but you can rotate it to alter the mode to a clock, thermometer, timer or alarm.

• NTT’s Crazy Shoe

This shoe has a tiny turbine that uses water to produce power. Still a prototype, this shoe would work and keep generating electricity as you walk.

• Horizon HydroFill

It is an eco-friendly device manufactured by Horizon. Through electrolysis, it extracts hydrogen from water for charging your gadgets. The reaction only produces water vapors and this device is completely safe for the environment.

• Sylvania 72450 Water-Powered LED Shower Light

It uses the pressure of water for generating power, and the water temperature determines its color. This device can save energy for you while your bathroom lights are put off.

Do you know how green technology is going to revolutionize the entire world in near future? Well, researchers have been coming up with more and more environment-friendly robots in order to facilitate several important tasks of human. Here are five of them:

Robotic Predator ‘SlugBot’

The concept of robotic predators was brainstormed by a group of engineers working in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory of the University of the West of England. At first, they came up with a prototype named ‘SlugBot’ that can grab hold of garden pests and convert them into fuel or energy through programming. The robot was capable of catching around 10 pests a minute throughout the night, stocking them up in a container, going back to the base of the storage place to recharge it, and finally, unloading the molluscs into a pre-decided place named ‘fermentation chamber’. There, the pests are transformed into biogas, which eventually fills up a fuel cell.

Sewage Pig

In Germany, ‘robot pigs’ or ‘sewage pigs’ are used for cleaning up the trash. These electric moles are powered fully by the solar energy. There are 4 wheels in the robot that help it truck through and dry up around 54 million metric tons of dirt as well as sewage. The device is produced by Thermo-System, and is widely used in various sewage treatment plants around the nation. The mechanical device comes at a very low price and emits only a little carbon.

Roboctopus

Robotic submarines have gone advanced now with supple, programmed tentacles so that people can stay away from creatures like octopus and so on. Such electro-mechanical machine is called ‘roboctopus’. Each robotic tentacle of this device is made of four distinct cords which comprises electroactive polymers. When get in touch with an electric field, these unique limbs start flexing in a random way. Seafloor exploration is one of the most important tasks of this automated device.

Sawfish Underwater Lumberjack

Developed by theTriton Logging Inc., Sawfish is an extremely useful programmed submarine. When it comes to creating artificial lakes, nothing can be better than this electro-mechanical equipment.  There is no need of lots of lumbers, numerous sunken trees, etc. for creating a lake. The sawfish underwater lumberjack, which is basically a 7,000-pound submarine controlled fully by remote, simply connects airbags with large trunks of trees and starts sawing immediately.

Robot Ships

This computerized machine can help us fight against global warming to a great extent. The idea of such a ship first came into the mind of Prof. Stephen Salter and Prof. John Latham. It can help human beings prevent any type of ecological disaster by turning down the terrestrial thermostat a few degrees.

The future of harnessing wind energy to produce electricity seems bright as many countries all over the world have started to put effort in producing electricity out of wind energy. Wind energy is not only a clean source of producing electricity, but it is also renewable. Although the future development of wind energy will mostly take place in offshore areas; however, if the cost of this energy production can be reduced, then it can prove to be of great benefit for a large number of people of the world.

Dynamic development

The various advantages and disadvantages of wind energy is still a matter of debate as the current technology available for converting wind energy into electricity is costlier than other sources of electricity like nuclear energy, thermal energy or solar energy. However, in spite of the wind energy being more expensive, it is developing at a growth rate of 10 to 40 percent per year all across the globe. In Europe, because of a policy focused on the development of active renewable energy, the activities involving wind energy has made a tremendous progress. In the year 2009, a large number of wind turbines were set up under various energy production schemes and in the same year in China, the production of electricity through wind energy was doubled.

The 2007 roadmap provided by the European Union for estimating the renewable sources of energy pointed out that by 2020, 13 percent of the entire electricity required by the EU could be provided by wind energy if the various development project for the wind energy proceeds at the current rate. A large of portion of this electricity will be produced by the offshore facilities, as the wind is more reliable and stronger near the sea than other parts of a certain place. Moreover, extensive research is going on at full pace to design less expensive and less complex mechanism of converting wind energy into electricity which will help in decreasing the cost of producing electricity from wind energy. The latest equipments of wind energies include wind turbines, developing artificial islands and floating foundations which are anchored at about 60m depths.

In recent years, the installing capacity of wind energy has reached a spectacular growth rate of almost 30 percent per year and in this area, the leading nations are Great Britain and Denmark. Germany and France are also close behind the race to generate renewable power from wind energy and both the countries have many operational wind energy projects in various locations.

Moreover, many countries in Europe have made large scale plans of wind energy and it has been predicted that the day is not far when almost half of the population of Europe as well as other nations will be using electricity generated from wind energy.

Every hour sun beams enough energy to satisfy all the energy needed by people on earth. Technology used to harness solar energy has its roots in early space programmes of America, when it launched solar powered satellites into space. Now, this technology produces green power to satiate the energy needs of many countries. Solar power is now used to generate electricity to light our homes and streets, heat water, air-condition our homes, and many more things. Though it is very clean technology, but is not very popular worldwide. Many countries are leading the world in tapping this energy resource. These countries offer support to this technology and have in place a pricing structure called feed in tariff, which helps by establishing a fixed price guaranteed for a period of time.

Here is a list of ten countries that are chosen because of their existing solar energy capacity and the policy in place that encourages the use of this clean energy.

The Netherlands

In Netherlands, solar energy is tapped usually from the solar cells on rooftops. It had installed over 270 MW of photovoltaic cells by the end of 2012. It has a project to add solar panels to roads and bike paths. More and more dwellings are oriented towards sun.

France

France has emphasized research and development in solar panels. Its feed in tariff has encouraged solar power industries. In 2012, there was a 66.7 percent increase in solar power output in France. Most power in France is produced from small installations.

Australia

Australia has a large land mass and bright sunshine, making it ideal for harnessing solar energy. It has not tapped the energy up to its potential. Australia had more than 2GW of installed photovoltaic power. Most of its solar power comes from off grid solar cells. These include PVs used in remote areas.

Italy

Italy enjoys lot of sunshine, and has taken full advantage of it. Solar energy provided 5.5 percent of total demand of electricity of Italy in 2012. It has feed in tariffs to encourage solar power.

South Korea

South Korea has centralized plants to produce solar power and then sell it to households and business installations. Asia’s largest solar power plant is situated at Sinan in southern Korea. Its solar energy capacity has more than doubled in last few years. South Korea’s largest automaker plans to install the country’s biggest rooftop solar power plant with capacity of 10 MW at one of its factories.

China

China aims to add 10 GW of installed solar capacity. It has decided to double the installed capacity of solar power this year as compared to 2012. It leads the world in solar water and heat. It is also a major exporter of solar panel.

United States

The United States is the leader in solar power research and development. A warm sunny climate and vast land mass makes it a favourable country for harnessing solar energy. The US had over 7,700 MW of installed solar electric capacity in 2012. Solar power accounted for 100percent of new energy on US grid in March 2013. California is the leading state that encourages solar energy investments and has a limited form of feed in tariff.

Spain

Spain has the favourable climate for solar power production. It has one of the most advanced solar technologies in world. It has demonstrated its commitment to alternative energy sources. Its favourable tariffs have encouraged construction of large solar farms. In 2008, Spain added 2.6 GW of solar power and increased its capacity to 3.5 GW.

Japan

Japan has strong solar energy installations. Japan is giving huge incentives to clean energy especially after the 2011 Fukushima atomic disaster. The feed in tariff has successfully raised the interest in solar energy. Incentive programs of the government will soon make Japan the largest solar market.

Germany

Germany maintains strong commitment to use renewable sources of energy. Its solar power installations increased by about 7.6 gigawatts (GW) in 2012. It has a very successful feed in tariff system. Historically too Germany has always laid emphasis on technology. It has wholeheartedly supported the growth in solar cell capacity.

Green Products

In the past few years there are many products that have hit the market that claim to be green products. However what makes a product green? What are its environmentally friendly attributes and how does it help save the environment. These are very important questions about the products that need to be asked if we want to buy or sell responsibly. One must be serious about saving the environment and conserving it for our future generations. This is because saving our environment and our planet is of utmost importance today.

Need to Save our Environment

Our environment has suffered a lot in the past century. Over pollution, over use of natural resources, depletion of forests and ozone layer, depletion in oxygen as trees decline and climate change are some of the problems facing our planet today. A more sustainable and eco friendly living is the order of the day. There are many products in the market today that claim to be eco friendly. But what makes a product eco friendly. The following are some of the things that make a product eco friendly and qualify it as a green product:

• The first stage is the raw material that is used to make the product. If the raw materials used are renewable in nature and bio degradable then the product can say it has used green raw materials to make the product. Also products that are made from recycled material and waste are green as it helps to conserve the environment by using the same materials again and again as the need for more raw materials is reduced.
•  Another aspect of this is that the raw materials must be responsibly and sustainable sourced.  Always buy products like furniture from companies who sustainably source raw materials like wood.
• Many companies nowadays have eco friendly manufacturing sites. They use renewable sources of energy, do not use harmful chemicals in the manufacturing process and also conserve energy and reduce industrial waste and reduce pollution of air and water in manufacturing processes. There are many innovative techniques that can be used in manufacturing process that reduce the negative impact on environment and also reduce costs of production at the same time. A streamlined production process helps conserve energy and avoid waste.
• People like to reduce transportation of essential consumer products and buy products that are made nearby. This helps in reducing the pollution caused by transport of goods from one place to another.
• Another type of eco friendly product is organic products. The fruits and vegetables are organic if the agriculture is done using natural methods and no pesticides and chemicals are used in the agriculture.
• Another aspect one must keep in mind about green products is that green products when used should not cause any harm to the environment. They must be eco friendly in their use also.

As we saw above there are many parameters that have to be met in order to call a product eco friendly or green. Each product has a set number of parameters that need to be met in order to be green. However the basic principles of being green or eco friendly are conservation of environment, avoiding wastage, using eco friendly raw materials, avoiding pollution of air and water and recycling whatever is possible to converse the natural resources that are limitedly available to us. There are many products in the market today that meet the requirement and qualify as green products. So while making a green product and calling a product green the above parameters need to be kept in mind.

When was the last time you visited Sudbury? Well, don’t hesitate to plan your next trip to this location as the Sudbury’s downtown will soon boast a one-kilometer stretch of pure greenery. A citizen’s dream of having an eco-friendly space is finally answered. This eco-friendly corridor is underway with approx $ 3.7 million allocated for the Elgin Street Greenway.

Enhancing downtown aesthetics

A major attraction for pedestrians and cyclists, this greenway will incorporate attractive greenery along the rail lands. The project has been approved for downtown Sudbury with the first phase of the project kicking in. Apart from improving the way downtown looks, the senior planner of the city has ensured that the objectives of the greenway are to connect Sudbury to Bell Park, Science North and Ramsey Lake. These are the other attractions that are located at the heart of Sudbury.

Residents and tourists will now have an opportunity to visit these city attractions as they pass the greenway. This pathway across one-kilometer also connects attractive beaches. This is a great way to have a wholesome recreational activity for citizens and tourists. Jason Ferrigan, the senior planner expressed the need for these facilities that formulated as one of the objectives of this greenway.

Improving the look and feel of downtown areas

The corridor will start at Elm Street which is Sudbury’s busy street. It is likely to pass the new School of Architecture, as it runs along the rail lands. It finally meets up with the footbridge which is connection between the road leading to Bell Park and other places to visit.

The designers of this corridor are a Toronto-based firm called EDA Collaborative who won the $ 150,000 contract. It has been funded by the Ministry of Tourism and the city is providing around $ 85,000 amongst other additional fund from the Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Area. The Greater Sudbury Development Corp is also contributing to this project. The partners of this project also include others like the Rainbow Routes and the Development Corporation of Downtown Village.

What are the current plans of the corridor?

Elgin Street is expected to be widened from 20 meters to 26 meters. Apart from this, Ferrigan from EDA took the suggestions from residents during public consultation sessions. All these suggestions are likely to be incorporated into the greenway. With all these ideas, the greenway should be completed by May. Further modifications are likely for the design and this version should be ready by May or June.

Mr. Ferrigan is hoeful that by May or June, there should be a consensus within the community about the greenway design. After achieving the consensus, the detailed designing and engineering process is likely to be undertaken while preparing the construction documentation. This will be prepared as soon as the funding process is complete.

So, what does the cost of the project entail?

Road widening, creation of the greenway, the upgrade of the pedestrian tunnel are part of the $ 3.7 million going into the project. Of which, $ 1 million is the road resurfacing cost alone. Funding is expected to flow in from the government and the private sector.

The project will be conducted in phases. The first phase involves upgrading the Elgin Street underpass as there are funds allocated for it. A definite timeline can be expected when the design process is complete. The completion of the project in phases is expected to be in the plan.

Is there excitement about the project?

Sudburians are very excited about the project. Ferrigan also believes that this project is vital for the city. Most of the feedback from citizens involves not taking away the basic character of Sudbury. Ferrigan ensures that the culture, history, geology and the climate will not be affected by this new greenway.

Are you tired of using the lawn mower guzzling more petrol that your car? Well, an eco-friendly lawn mower is perhaps the best solution to all your petrol problems. Environmental engineers at the college level in California have invents a device that attaches to the lawnmower reducing its harmful effects. The dangerous emissions from the gardening tool can be significantly reduced with this gardening tool.  This is a futuristic device that is supposed to reduce a lot of money in terms of millions of dollars for businessmen and Americans.

Summer is here and so are innovations

Did you know that Americans spend approximately three billion hours per year on lawn mowing and gardening? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they also calculated the amount of population emitted from lawn mowers. According to the study, push lawn mowers emit pollution equivalent to 11 cars and a riding lawn mowers emit pollution equivalent to 34 cars.

Lawn mowers were created from with small gasoline engines from the very beginning. These engines had fewer regulations and since then, they have become serious contributors to pollution in the air. These air pollutants have been contributing to lung diseases like asthma and other respiratory diseases. With these pollutants, the EPA, in 2008, began regulating new standards for small engines. They required all engines to be compliant by 2011-12. If the mandates are to be believed then, this regulation can prevent approx 450 premature deaths and an annual of 500 hospitalizations. This could also cost producers and consumers millions of dollars. California is one such state that has added their own non-polluting standards as mandatory for small engines along with the EPA laws.

So, what are the options for owners of lawn mowers?

There is no doubt that owners have to meet the new regulations. Hence, the students at the University of Califorin-Riverside Bourns have devised the ‘NOx-Out’. It is an air filter for small engines. This is attached in place of the muffler and it reduces the level of harmful air pollutants in the air. These includes reducing carbon monoxide at 87 per cent, nitrogen oxide at 67 per cent and other particulate matter at 44 per cent.

Most people should not hesitate to shell out $30 for a pollutant-eradicating invention devised by this team. This is an interesting innovation that can be adapted for other gardening tools such as leaf blowers, snowmobiles and dirt bikes. This is an award-winning innovation at the ‘WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development’ competition that was run by the Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE).

Is it sustainable for the environment?

Considering the fact that Americans take out their lawn mowers as regularly as their cars, this invention will be a significant contribution to the green revolution. As more companies devise easier ways to solve the environmental crisis on our hands. This device is a quick and easy solution for companies. Not only for companies, but Americans can find this solution as an economical answer to their own environmental issues.

There is no doubt that every American looks for an eco-friendly solution to the highly polluting lawn mower. The NOx-Out is affordable and a quick solution for all those who want a cleaner environment. Saving themselves and their neighbors from the risk of potential health problems, this device is the need of the hour. It is hard to imagine that all it takes is a simple attachment to the existing lawn mower and one can reduce the pollution to a significant level. NOx-Out everyone!