Foundations Of Conservation

The topic of this article is conservation of energy in residential buildings. When we talk about conservation we are not talking about little things like turning off the lights when we leave a room. We are talking about big things like the conservation principles of energy and matter that preserve our universe, the process of homeostasis that sustains the conditions for life on our planet, the laws of thermodynamics that order the distribution of energy in our universe, and the environmental processes that distribute the nutrients of life to every living creature on board. These principles and processes tell us how this planet conserves and recycles both energy and life.

Our choice is to either cooperate with, or oppose these laws. When we oppose, we are in a zero sum game against nature that we will lose. Buildings that cooperate with the 2nd law in particular, will collect energy, while those that oppose it will disperse energy.

Earth is an energy capture devise that maintains an average surface temperature of 59*F, converts energy into its many different forms,and is the only known conservatory for life. She is our perfect model of how to collect, convert, and conserve energy.

Buildings can be designed to replicate the activity of the planet in order to collect and convert energy that can be conserved and recycled exactly as the planet does. Buildings can be designed to conserve and recycle, rather than consume and disperse energy.

The dominant ordering principle of our world, however, is the consumer economy. That is the matrix of our thinking, the index our vocabulary, and the most popular reality. The American home, automobile, and lifestyle are designed to burn energy as quickly as possible. Buildings turn tricks for the electric company by violating all of the principles described above. But the passive conditioning techniques that were abandoned because of the energy glut can be reinstated. The physics is still valid, and the practice is still common throughout the world.

Our species has attained escape velocity from Planet Earth, and hearsay has it that some will be moving to Mars soon. A few more have moved back off into the woods and "off-grid", but most people aren't that tough anymore. For those leftovers that are still looking for a way out of a world that is pretty well both paved and electrocuted, there is the path of conservation that is based in equilibrium state conditions for energy. This is the The Way of the natural world.

The organizational principle of any species is energy. Our species is energy poor! We think we don't have enough when in fact we have too much. We convert all of our resources into electricity because of its convenience. We have exceeded our energy budget, overextended our populations, and upset planetary homeostasis. We can reduce our electrical dependence by eliminating the need for air conditioning in rural low-rise homes.

Knowledge is one of our most precious resources. As expected, it is managed by those that manage the means of production. The reality that we know is as manufactured as any other product on the shelf. Product availability is determined by profit curves rather than by what benefits the people or the planet.

Rio Ferdinand's Green Home

Footballer Rio Ferdinand is building a green home with the smallest carbon footprint possible. He has purchased a two acre plot on the border of Kent and southeast London, just a few miles from the London estate where he spent his childhood. The house will be around 12,000 sq ft in size and will incorporate cutting edge green technology and he hopes that one day the home will be his permanent base for his family once he retires from the game.

Rio Ferdinand is ambassador for the energy company E.on,they sponsor the FA Cup and encourage householders to reduce their energy use which will not only help the environment but also save money for their customers. Ferdinand explains that whilst he was having meetings with E. on advisors he learnt about energy-aware projects that they were involved in and so the footballer decided to incorporate these into his house building project. Once involved he describes himself as being a convert to green issues, the advisors that he had met worked alongside the project manager for his house to incorporate green technology into the build.

Ferdinand had photovoltaic cells instead of solar panels on the roof, low energy lighting and green roofs grown from sedum plants. The house is thought to be a traditional Georgian farmhouse style at the front and more contemporary detailing at the back. It will have a swimming pool,triple garage and of course a gym but will be kitted out with the best energy-efficient technology that money can buy.The house will have ground source heat pumps; they will draw warmth from the earth and will be used to heat the house. People who have used this technology before have mentioned how dramatically their heating bills fell once installed. The windows will be very large in the house and will be coated with a reflective film, the purpose of this is to stop heat escaping in the winter and in the summer it helps to cool the house. The house will have a combined heat and power system whereby homeowners can sell excess power that their home generates back to the national grid. The large gardens will be watered using large tanks which harvest rainwater.

As Ferdinand became more aware of energy saving ways he adapted his Alderley Edge home to incorporate more green technology too. He has installed electricity monitors and energy light bulbs and has had his Manchester restaurant Rosso have the green once over too. Simply by becoming more aware of the green technologies has made adapt his homes to a greener way of living. Even if you don't have a footballers salary there are changes that everyone can make to make their home that much greener.

Saving Green Space Bad for the Environment?

Real estate developers have long been criticized as a threat to the environment and, many times, for good reasons. Suburban sprawl has certainly destroyed many open, green spaces and natural habitats. Forests have been cut down in exchange for big box retail and rows of overpriced McMansions. But, when it comes to urban development, there are examples where saving green space can do more harm then good.

Recently, the City of Philadelphia has begun to auction off many of their surplus properties. The economic picture for the City of Brotherly Love looks dim, much like the balance sheet of every major city in the country. Budgets are in the red, and promises made to pensions, medical care, and bloated payrolls will keep cities losing money for many years. So, it seems natural for Philadelphia to begin a process of selling real estate. However, many times, vacant lots owned by the City have been used by neighborhoods as parks where children play and events are hosted. For this reason, many residents are upset, and rightfully so, that developers may get there hands on these properties and quickly destroy green spaces.

Although one can certainly understand neighbors fighting against further development and preserving open green spaces, there are several larger issues to point out - both environmental and economic. For example, it is important to keep in mind that urban development is a greener option in and of itself. The more density there is in urban areas, the less suburban sprawl. That means more public transportation and less gas consumption. Smaller townhomes often use far less resources than larger suburban developments. In other words, keeping urban spaces open and green pushes development further outward into the suburbs where resources are utilized less efficiently.

Philadelphia is one of the most spread out cities and one of the biggest reasons is that for so long no one was able to build higher than William Penn's hat on the top of City Hall. This caused less density in the City, less population, less businesses, and less tax revenue. Although this law was finally repealed, the City is still trying to catch up and bring businesses back into Center City. Less density and development has hurt Philadelphia economically and made it tougher for the City to compete for jobs.

All economic decisions have tradeoffs and keeping these spaces open is really just causing another space somewhere else to get developed and suburban sprawl to continue. We should be embracing housing demand in urban areas because, in the larger picture, it is more sensible for cities economically and better for the environment.

Daybreak Homes - More Than Green Living

We live in an era where residents have a choice on how they want to live and where. South Jordan is located in the beautiful Salt Lake Valley, Utah, along the banks of the Jordan River. It is an ideal location to raise a family and have a peaceful future. Only a few miles away from Salt Lake City, employment is plentiful and the crime rate is low.

South Jordan is the perfect spot to build an award-winning community. Daybreak homes are different than traditional living quarters as they are healthier, greener and equipped with advanced technology. These features allow home owners and their families to maintain an easy and convenient lifestyle. It is a nature lover's paradise, yet with shopping, restaurants, and all modern amenities nearby.

When you are interested in buying one of these top-of-the-line Daybreak homes, contact a Realtor. Tell your real estate agent exactly what you prefer in a home. This includes:
• Size - How much room do you need? Are you a single or do you have a family?
• Features - How much comfort do you want? Some Daybreak homes are so advanced they practically supply maintenance-free living.
• Location - Where in the community do you want to live?
• New or used - This community is still expanding, which means that you have a choice between buying a property that is for sale, or making plans for a brand new residence.
• Price range - The cost for Daybreak homes varies. Tell your Realtor how much money you intend to spend.
• Financing - Can you arrange for your own financing, or do you need help to find a mortgage lender?

The more information you provide your real estate agent, the quicker you will be living in a community where your presence still has value.

Flexible Growth Medium - A Hydroseeding Contractors Perspective

For many hydroseeding contractors and erosion control specialists the development of Flexible Growth Mediums could just be the next big innovation; hydroseeding contractors can now hydraulically apply an erosion control solution that outstrips the performance of other techniques, offering superior results whilst achieving major labour savings.

FGM's are at the cutting edge of soil erosion technology, bettering the performance of high quality Bonded Fire Matrix products and erosion control blankets. This has strengthened the position of specialist hydroseeding contractors in the soil erosion marketplace, who can now use the hydroseeding equipment they already own to carry out market leading erosion control works.

For hydroseeding contractors and clients the major benefits of this new technique include.

• Effective application-bonds directly to the soil
• Stellar erosion control-99% effective in major testing laboratories
• rapid turf establishment-vegetation can grow eight times faster than bare soil and twice as fast as blankets
• Quicker to lay and lower installed costs than blankets
• Seduced soil preparation required
• Safe for wildlife-no nets, threads or staples to snare wildlife or become caught in mowing equipment

Once a hydroseeding contractor has applied FGM it effectively acts to seal off the soil from the impact of rain and concentrated flows, to out performing erosion control blankets in rainfall simulation tests. Once applied the FGM is able to hold on to water and maintain air space, this results in superior and accelerated growth.

A combination of Thermally Refined® wood fibres, crimped man-made fibres and performance-enhancing additives form an interlocking matrix that creates air space and water-absorbing cavities to accelerate germination, reduce the impact of raindrop energy and minimize soil loss once hydroseeding is complete. After hydroseeding Water-resistant tackifiers and flocculants chemically bond the matrix to the soil surface, absorbing water and enabling superior vegetation establishment. Some FGM's are able to achieve 98% effectiveness just 2 hours after hydroseeding and are proven to be 99% effective once cured.

As with BFM's, Flexible Growth Mediums hydraulically using a range of hydroseeding equipment. This hydraulic application carries all of the cost saving benefits of hydroseeding and BFM products by keeping labour and ground preparation requirements minimal.

Recently Profile Products has introduced the new Flexterra high-performance, flexible growth medium (HP-FGM). This is designed to be used by hydroseeding contractors and is capable of achieving 600-percent greater initial seed germination and more than a 250-percent greater biomass than its predecessor, whilst being totally biodegradable.

The original Flexterra FGM, initially set the standard in the market and it was widely used by hydroseeding contractors; It led the march towards hydraulically applied techniques that could be delivered using hydraulic machinery.

Tests following EPA protocol concluded the product is completely safe for aquatic and terrestrial life forms and after hydroseeding it immediately bonds to the soil surface to reduce turbidity of runoff for up to 18 months.

Green Housing and REAL Wellness: An Attractive Pairing

If REAL wellness ever takes hold, it will affect all manner of environmentally friendly choices, not just decisions connected with physical and mental well-being. REAL wellness is about quality of life. Thus, REAL wellness enthusiasts are likely to be responsive to opportunities for acting responsibly and creatively toward the environment. The ethic of REAL wellness includes respect for The Commons.

My urban planning background makes me alert and responsive to that part of futurism that deals with the land use, open space, ecology and designs for living. An area of special interest is the evolution of the home in response to environmental crises, changes and challenges. In a REAL wellness world, the home of the future will have to be transformed into an environment created for sustainability, energy efficiency, optimal nutrition, family fitness organically attuned to nature. The trend in this direction is already evident: despite the weak economy and a stagnant building sector, green construction is already evident in the construction industry.

Our homes might not look like contemporary plant-friendly, glass-domed arboretums in our lifetimes, but they must become a great deal greener than they have been in centuries since the Industrial Age came about. It's time to rethink our living spaces, given the impact homes have on the ecosystem. The electricity, heating and water consumed by housing is enormous. One estimate (the U.S. Energy Department) puts the percentage of energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions for private housing at 39 percent. The size of our homes is also critical - all green thinking favors compact housing that is small (at least when compared with so many of the Mc Mansions of the urban wealthy) but does not feel small or constrained. Of course, other things (e.g., energy efficiency, resources used) must be equal or superior environmentally in the smaller unit, plus size will have to increase with additional occupants. In Key West, Florida, The Blue City Waves of Change initiative exemplifies many promising sustainability trends in housing. Given their location, these homes are specifically designed in disaster-resistant fashion. This is a vital consideration in coastal and other areas of the US and around the world, given the onset of climate change and rising disaster insurance costs. The Blue-Green building plans are rated by FEMA as near absolute protection.

This means they are tornado proof, insect proof, fire proof, earthquake proof and capable of withstanding hurricanes up to 300 mph. (Let's hope the builders used the equivalent of #4 rivets, not those cheap #3 rivets that Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Northern Ireland used to build the Titanic quickly and at reasonable cost, which fatally compromised quality and is now seen as the cause of the rapid sinking of the Titanic.) To learn more about Key West's Waves of Change, click here.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal asked architects to participate in a futurism exercise to design an energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable house without regard to cost, technology, aesthetics or the way we are used to living. What a neat idea. Designing for REAL wellness-oriented inhabitants to live in such housing was not a criterion, but the criteria that were assigned made resident health a key factor for participating architects and students. (See Alex Frangos, The Green House of the Future, The Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2009, P. R1.) The results of the brainstorming provide a sense for what might well evolve as new norms for housing come into play. Imagine homes with some of the following features:

* A garden façade. Plants that give shade and cooling and special housing surfaces that capture condensation for water use, decreasing reliance on wells that drain aquifers or municipal systems that lower lakes and other reservoirs.

* Spatial layouts conducive to work. This is key to energy efficiency in that work at home reduces, if not eliminates, driving - a huge energy-consuming custom.

* A rooftop reservoir that collects water and keeps the building cool and windmills that generate energy.

* Homes that emulate a characteristic of trees, wherein the surface contains a photosynthetic layer woven into the fabric of the exterior that captures sunlight.

* Design features that heat water and generate electricity, create oxygen and thereby offset any carbon produced elsewhere in the home.

* Gardens on walls. The plants not only nourish inhabitants; they offer shade and cooling and absorb heat more effectively than wood, brick, stucco or glass.

* Prefabricated stacked containers that allow uniformity of quality control and mobility for the homeowner.

* Ponds stocked with fish - the kind of fish people consume (e.g., tilapia), not just look at (e.g., goldfish).

* Structural features that convert sunlight into energy and carbon dioxide into oxygen. One striking possibility is a "biomorphic" outer surface material designed to function like reptile skin. It adapts to conditions - in bright sun, it turns dark and insulates; on dark days it allows light to absorb maximum radiance and heat.

* Attractive and functional design features (e.g., curved roofing) that facilitate shade in order to reduce the need for such energy drains as air-conditioning.

* Self-cleaning glass with special coating that uses ultraviolet sunlight to break down organic dirt which is washed away by rainwater.

* Self-repairing paints, glass and cladding - all infused with microscopic capsules of color that break open and automatically repair scratches and other damage.

* In lieu of wood or metals for upright framing, lightweight, environmentally friendly carbon tubes are utilized.

One of the most striking changes will be in heating and cooling sources. The homes of REAL wellness-oriented homeowners are likely be warmed by ground-source, heat-pump exchange systems. The temperature of the soil is relatively constant, so heat can be drawn in winter, cooled in summer.

As with most of the changes noted above, these systems exist, but technology advances are needed to bring costs within practical levels. One of the designs using new green technologies foresees a construction industry able to produce homes wherein nearly everything used therein is reconstituted and recycled. The illustration noted is a home like a tree. In the forest, a fallen tree biodegrades. In the home, as with the tree in the forest, building materials could be reused or, capturing the green spirit, returned to the Earth.

These features only begin to describe possibilities based on current uses and expanded technologies within range of feasibility. Our REAL wellness lifestyle passion does not operate in a vacuum. Those of us with a commitment to a cleaner environment, to safeguarding natural resources, to mitigating climate change, to protecting endangered and other species (including our own), to planetary citizenship, to saving the oceans and to all that is needed for restoration, sustainability and preservation will welcome the kind of advances described. It does not take a great stretch of the imagination to connect such awareness to our prospects for continued and expanded happiness, meaning and purpose and all the rest associated with quality of life for all people, everywhere.