A Green Reality Dawns...

Sustainable Landscapes

2011-05-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects has a fascinating page about sustainable design concepts. From turning a car-centric community into one that enables active living to converting industrial wasteland into community parks, its interesting stuff.

Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes

Getting the most from your compost

2011-04-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

So do you compost? I mean really compost, have a compost bin at the bottom of your garden that you put your food leftovers in? maybe you fill your kitchen waste bin for road side collection. Either way, just when you think you're doing everything you can for the planet, someone comes along with something better... check this out!

Compost Distiller, Lisa Johansson's Portfolio

This is a system in which organic kitchen waste gets processed into alcohol, soil nutients and compost.

The design which I developed is suitable for communal kitchens, canteens and restaurants. The same system can be developed for smaller or larger scale applications.

Via notcot

Grow your own air and recycling plastic into useful materials

2011-01-18T06:49:00.001-08:00

How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air – TED 2009 – GreenSpaces

With only three varieties of plants, we can “grow our own fresh air” indoors, to keep us healthy.

Amazing Recycled Materials Transform Plastic Waste into Multicolored Sheets « Ponoko – Blog

Amazing Recycled Materials Transform Plastic Waste into Multicolored Sheets

Solar News

2010-10-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

When Buildings attack! the solar death ray has been around for centuries as is shown at combobulate.com and yet architects designed a building which they knew might have a slight 'ignition' problem, shall we call it!

BLDGBLOG: Las Vegas Death Ray

Las Vegas Death Ray

All that focused sunlight could be put to better use than combusting plastic cups and hair... instead providing the heat for the Vdara Hotel itself via a system of solar collectors.

In other Solar related news, the generation of electricity via photovoltaic cells has long been the least efficient form of micro generation around, however a new type of solar panel could replace the inefficient PC cell capturing lost heat and the scifi sounding Exiton Particles... Go to IO9.com for the hard science, Exciting? no... Exiton!

Green Roof Research

2010-07-21T06:01:00.001-07:00

Spurred on by the possibility of specifying a green roof on a domestic extension, I am trying to find out the best system to use in such an application.

From Wikipedia - "A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems."

The benefits are quite beguiling to an eco-freak like me.

reduced heating and cooling loads on a building.
reduced rainwater run-off
can help to filter pollutants from rainwater
can help to filter pollutants from air
reduced sound transmission through roof
visually attractive
can reduce the visual impact of a building

Given that a lot of information relates to commercial scale roofs, I am going to focus on small scall roofs, and as such found this page on livingroofs.org. which has a very useful PDF which helps to explain the basics of small green roofs.

There are three main types of green or living roof

Extensive - a very shallow system suitable for sheds, garages and small extensions
Semi-extensive - a medium depth system suitable for domestic flat roofs
Intensive - A deep system suitable for commercial applications as it allows for complete gardens to be planted

Of these I will concern myself only with the first two systems, as these are the ones which are applicable in this situation. Essentially we are looking at a structure around 200mm deep that will be low maintenance & will have hardy drought loving plants.

The Green Roof Centre has a number of interesting DIY case studies showcasing a variety of techniques, from the simplest sedum matt upto a deep multiplant roof.

Sedum is the primary plant used in British green roofs. Greenroof.co.uk describes Sedum as follows

They are a versatile and attractive ground cover plant belonging to the Crassulacaea family. Sedums are evergreen, self-generating, drought resistant and capable of withstanding extremes of climate. They flower from early summer through to autumn in shades of pink, purple, yellow and white. Needing very little attention and no mowing or cutting back, they give excellent foliage colour and texture and are attractive to all kinds of insects and birds. Sedums are generally pest and disease free but,like most plants, can suffer from aphids, mealy bugs, thrips or vine weevil which can be controlled by biological means.
Other succulents, grasses, herbaceous perennials and bulbs are also used depending on the project.

Greenroof.co.uk also provides a very interesting product called Nature Mat which is a geotextile base layer preplanted with Sedums etc. which can be rolled onto the substrate of the roof. This can help provide an instant greening effect.

So down to the nitty gritty (there's a pun there somewhere) how are green roofs constructed? again Greenroof.co.uk comes to the rescue with this diagram

As you can see green roofs can be quite complex, although not much more than conventional modern roofs. Especially considering requirements for airtightness and thermal performance which are placed on new domestic roofs of any sort.

Green roofs have been around for years in various forms and one of the most beguiling reasons to have one is that instead of sitting on the landscape, these roofs help your structure become part of the landscape. If that isn't a planners dream... I don't know what is!!

If you want more information, then check out this extensive product listing at the green roof directory. If you are considering a green roof for your own project, please email me to arrange a consultation.

Don't forget you can follow me on twitter and facebook or you could just check out my website.

Container Housing

2010-05-04T14:46:00.001-07:00

The use of shipping containers as housing has long been something which fascinates me. I have fantasised about designing building my very own home as a way of building with limited funds. There are three things which fascinate me about shipping containers.

modular design - containers come in a range of sizes, all of which can be placed together in any number of imaginative ways (think Lego blocks).
availability - there is a roaring trade in used shipping containers and you can pick up one moderate sized used container for about £1000.
Infrastructure - This is the kicker for me... you can get containers to almost anywhere on Earth, the infrastructure is there already. Lorries, trains and ships are designed around the standard sizes on an international level.

Having not heard much about the use of shipping containers lately, I was pleased to notice the following on NOTCOT.

Six container cabin design by InterModal Design - part 1 | architecture 4 us
Six container cabin design by InterModal Design – part 2 | architecture 4 us

The company who designed these great dwellings are InterModalDesign and their website is well worth a look around... Enjoy!

New construction methods

2010-03-18T12:18:00.001-07:00

The world of 3d printing has come some way, to the extent that it is now possible to construct structures large enough to suggest that buildings are the next step. looking at some of the photo's, this method of construction could give rise to some seriously trippy buildings that would Gaudi a run for his money!

3-D Printer Creates Entire Buildings From Solid Rock | Inhabitat

3-D Printer Creates Entire Buildings From Solid Rock

Reduce, reuse and recycle construction materials

2010-03-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

Further to the previous post, a recent personal project I've been working on, The Freegan Greenhouse, has highlighted the need to make more of our construction industry waste materials. During the constuction of this and some accompanying raised beds, I had to buy new timber for the structure... which bugged me somewhat. Whilst building the raised beds it was suggested to me that the local timber yard might have some overstock or miscuts, and guess what they did! after that a client of mine suggested that a simple search on ebay might have turned up some interesting results for over stock timber in the local area, and you know what, that did too! a little late for me but not so late I can't pass it on.

The 'Net' result of this (if you'll pardon the pun) is that todays post is all about online resources which cater for the more eco-aware among us who are trying to source materials to keep them out of landfill.

Top of todays list is Freecycle possibly the most well known site for this kind of thing, best thing about it is everything is free, worst thing is you never know when something will posted that you need. Its not a wishlist for those wanting the next big games console, but it is a way of passing on old furniture and the like that would otherwise be wining its way to the tip.

Next up is a new one to me, tradeleftovers.com/ is an interesting site that does what it says on the tin, contractors post up their overstock, miscut and incorrectly ordered materials. The materials posted here is either free, priced or has make an offer next to it. Definitely worth a browse. Be warned it covers the whole of the UK!

Not sure how useful this one is in this context, but I think Gumtree should be included for it's craigslist like qualities.

Another untested one here Selftrading buys and sells overstock,

Self Trading is an international trader of all types of consumer products. From clothing, footwear, jewellery, electrical items, almost anything that the consumer will use! We will make offers on anything from Surplus stock, bankrupt stock, and liquidated stock to Superstore Clearances. We guarantee to make an offer on your stock regardless of where you are in the world!

currently has things like a warehouse mezzanine and some stair balustrading spindles!

ecoconstruction.org has a very useful links page which has lead me to

recycledproducts which is a directory of products containing recycled materials.

Salvoweb is a directory of architectural salvage websites. I love looking around these places... full of so much potential!

Finally, Wrap has a bunch of information about recycling in general, including construction materials.

Somerset Wood Recycling Project

2010-02-28T09:16:00.001-08:00

Somerset Wood Recycling Project - Weston super Mare - Reclaimed Timber

Somerset Wood Recycling is a not for profit social enterprise, set up early in 2007 to re-use and recycle waste wood, as well as to support regeneration in Weston-super-Mare.

having investigated used scaffold boards and pallets to no avail, I'm going to give these guys a call.

Reality Building Design

2010-02-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Reality Building Design - Creative Design For Home Improvement And Technical Services for Design Professionals

Blatant plug time, I am an Architectural Technician and Building Surveyor and have recently gone self-employed.

You can see my business website here Reality Building Design

You can see some of my work in the gallery section of the website, including this lovely building

justfortheloveofit - the freeconomy community

2009-11-29T14:00:00.001-08:00

justfortheloveofit.org | Promoting Skillsharing | Learn Skills, share tools, save money and make great new friends

Join the world's fastest growing alternative economy ...

* - Save money. Learn new skills. Reduce your carbon footprint.
Meet new friends locally. Get help with projects for free.
* - Share skills, tools, and spaces through freeshare.
* - Share advice, information or ask freeconomic questions in
our forum.

The Freeconomy Community's aim is to help reconnect people in their local communities through the simple act of sharing.

after freecycling for the last year, it looks like this is the next step

pv cell stuff

2009-09-10T06:02:00.001-07:00

Solar Panels (Photovoltaics) | Low Impact Life Onboard

The riversimple car

2009-06-16T13:46:00.001-07:00

I really hope this catches on, I think its a really great idea.

Riversimple

I think that our salvation will come from the hackers of the world.

A Final Act

2009-05-12T05:35:00.001-07:00

If it was possible for your final act to be one of recycling, of loving the planet, would you do it. My preference would be to be buried in a bio-degradable coffin with a tree as my headstone. If i was inclined to be cremated (which I'm not at present) I would seriously consider this as an option. A cardboard urn with a lid filled with oak seeds.

Benign Objects: Ultimate Recycling

interesting but expensive

2009-04-19T14:25:00.001-07:00

NatureMill: Automatic Indoor Composter

RENEWABLE ENERGY UK

2009-04-07T15:30:00.001-07:00

Renewable Energy UK

Earth Hour

2009-03-26T14:33:00.001-07:00

Earth Hour: Vote Earth - The world’s first global election.

switch of your lights to save the earth!! between 8.30 and 9.30 for one hour... go on, do it!

Crossways - a zero carbon house

2009-02-19T14:32:00.001-08:00

So... its not that i'm jumping on the band wagon of this particular media zeitgeist, Fact is, I will have a part in designing zero-carbon houses in the future and I wanted a bunch of links to this very interesting house.

Now I'm not an architect... but there's something about the form of this building which doesn't sit right with me. I find the timbral roof beautiful and intriguing, but the blocks on the front detract from the simplicity of the overall form. but what do I know? anyhoo here are the links

www.crossway.tumblr.com

Crossway is one of the first zero carbon houses in the UK. The building explores the uniqueness of 'place' as well as harnessing solar energy to generate all its own electricity and thermal energy.

The Architects (and clients) professional website - Hawkes

DuPont™ Energain®

The Homepage of Energain - Providing essential thermal mass in low inertia buildings

A new solution to rechargable batteries?

2009-02-17T14:25:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you but we have a stack of rechargeable batteries that we've used two or three times and then given up because of the inherent inconvenience of waiting for 8 hours whilst the damn things charge. So i was very interested to see these things on NOTCOT. Notes from Knut: The SunCat Batteries - DIY prototypes describes his idea of wrapping a battery in a flexible photovoltaic cell.

Probably flawed in some way, but i love the simplicity of this.

Carbon Footprint Calculators

2009-02-01T15:24:00.001-08:00

So... having attempted to figure out my carbon footprint using a couple of calculators, I find myself disappointed and frustrated. I figured it was worth which of the available calculators was the most accurate and let me take into account some of the less obvious thing that i do in my life to reduce my carbon footprint.

I have to start from a point at which I know that I need at least 2 planets to survive, but the calculators I have used to figure this out are a blunt instrument. I want a more precise measure.

DirectGov - Act On CO2 Calculator - very pretty this one but really slow (there is an html version), it was the first calculator that I used. To do it right you need to have some of your gas and electricity bills on hand... my score? my carbon footprint, which is 7.07 tonnes per annum. this is quite close to my original WWF calculator result

WWF Footprint Calculator - this is the one favoured by Dick Strawbridge of "its not easy being green" i have to say i'm not a fan of it. its too simplistic for my tastes. My result on this one is 2.52 planets Equating to an Ecological Footprint of 4.54 hectares, leaving my carbon footprint, which is 9.91 tonnes per annum. this is an increase from the last time I did this one (see my first post). This is a quick one though so if you are in a rush and want a quick idea of how much you are killing the planet... this one is for you

The UK Carbon Footprint Project - aha... google's getting in on the act. so the google calculator adds itself as a new page onto your google homepage, which is a nice touch with various eco-centric google gadgets. the calculating process is even quicker than the wwf calculator. The result, however, muddy's the waters a bit. According to Google my carbon footprint is 3.69 tonnes which I can only assume is somewhat erroneous, because that would my planetary target less than one planet!! in which case I have done enough and I need do no more!!
So I guess the google calculator is for those of us who are in a rush, but need to feel good about the planet. I have to say I don't quite trust this result though.

Carbon Footprint - Carbon Footprint Calculator - Ok this is a bit more like it. Well in a bad way anyway. This is a fairly utilitarian calculator which is pretty quick to use and seems accurate. The bad news (For me anyway) is in the results. This one says my carbon footprint is 8.57 tonnes. This then seems to hit the mean.

At the end of this process, what have I learnt? not a lot. These things are only as good as the information put in. The Google calculator stood out as the one with the most erroneous result. Despite its speed i prefferred the direct.gov calculator which, whilst slow, allowed me to be more specific in most areas.

Borderline Brilliant/Crackpot Renewable Energy

2009-01-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

InfraNet Lab » Blog Archive » Harnessing the Energy from the Earth’s Rotation

Had to post this from InfraNet Lab

In most energy production, one form of energy is converted to another via gears, pulleys, magnets, etc. If we consider the earth’s rotation as a form of energy, to harness it, we would need to create a ring of resistance that would covert this to electricity. Gyroscopes are privileged devices in this manner because they maintain their orientation in space. According to Physicist, C Johnson, if one could build a massive ferris-wheel type gyroscope on the North Pole, there would theoretically be a potential to harness this energy. The gyroscope would initially be started with a motor and once in motion, it would spin endlessly. Further, the gyroscope would have to be fixed to the earth – the difference between the earth’s rotation and the gyroscope would create a torque, or moment force as Johnson posits, “The Earth’s rotation would externally directly drive the gear train, using the gyroscope simply as a fixed object to push against.”

Of course there maybe ramifications on the earth's rotational speed, length of an earth day, the position of our planet in the solar system and other trivial considerations like that.

Electricity from the oceans?

2009-01-18T14:14:00.001-08:00

Plumbing the oceans could bring limitless clean energy - tech - 19 November 2008 - New Scientist

An interesting one this... generating electricity by exploiting the difference in temperature between seawater near the surface and deep down.

Whilst its not a new idea, it seems that this technology has fallen in and out of favour over 120 years. Successful pilot projects have been tried a number of occasions since the late 70's, none of which seem to get very far. With the current economic climate heading the way it is, here is yet another way in which we get clean energy from the planet.

With a company like Lockheed Martin behind it you'd think that this might actually get somewhere... watch this space.

p.s. gotta love new scientist... the comment threads are all so civil and intelligent. makes a change from the standard YouTube fare.

Recycle Books

2009-01-18T13:57:00.001-08:00

Now I like this... I have a pile of books I won't read again... ever! so here's a place where you can sell your unwanted books and buy other peoples second hand books. What a great idea, I shall be testing it out and will report back.

Green Metropolis

Imagine if you could earn money and
help the environment at the same time… well now you can! Join a growing
community of buyers and sellers, where the more unwanted books you buy
and sell, the more trees can be saved and planted - we donate 5p from
every sale to the Woodland Trust.

Wind Turbine Efficiency

2009-01-14T15:08:00.001-08:00

Wind turbines are a technology which gets a bad rap occasionally. I think they are beautiful things, but there are those who think they are noisy, ugly, that they affect radio and tv signals (no bad thing you might argue) but more importantly that they are inefficient.

The inefficiency argument can now be addressed somewhat more successfully with one company rethinking the mechanics of the technology.

DailyTech - New Wind Turbine Generator Ditches Mechanical Transmission, Ups Efficiency 50 Percent

Startup ExRo is not your average wind power company, though. This think-outside-the-box firm has reinvented one of the most basic components of wind turbines -- the generator. Its new design promises up to 50 percent more efficiency and lower production costs as well.

Of course there are those who will see an end to humanities use of this nefarious technology

Wind turbine destroyed after 'octopus UFO' seen in sky - Telegraph

The theory of the moisture farm

2009-01-14T14:51:00.001-08:00

Having read sci-fi books such as dune and watched star wars to death, the concept of a moisture farm has always seemed like one of those sci-fi inventions which could plausibly be made reality in our life times, and now it seems it has. As reported by The Guardian/Observer, this is The eco machine that can magic water out of thin air

A Canadian company, Element Four, has created The WaterMill which in their words

"is an atmospheric water collection device that condenses water vapor and purifies it. In English: It's a home appliance that makes drinking water for your whole family - using only air."

With demand for water increasing, and the possibility of wars over water looming for many countries, this seems like it maybe a way for civilisation to decrease its water consumption.

The device can produce up to 12 liters of drinking quality water per day, fixed to the outside of a house and connected to the sink, refridgerator or a custom dispenser. It also contains a filtration system which ensures the water is "clean and free of toxins and bacteria - more pure than tap water or even spring water."

The possibilities of this device and the technology which may come from it in the future are quite awe inspiring. At the moment these devices are suitable for houses, I can easily imagine the potential for larger devices serving companies, or more importantly, communities. In addition, Element Four intend to have systems available that run on a solar panel or wind generator in the near future.

This looks great but I wonder what the effect millions of these devices, sucking the moisture out of the air, might have on the climate?

Vela Creations

2009-01-12T09:48:00.001-08:00

I guess living "Off-Grid" is the dream really, a bit like the self sufficiency thing of the 1970's as typified by "The Good Life". These guys really have gone for it though. The site is well worth a rummage around as there is plenty of information available. As usual adobe buildings always look beautiful to me.

Vela Creations - HOME

Vela Creations is a documentation of our experiences and projects living off the grid. We are a young couple striving to fulfill our lifestyles through sustainable means. Our hope is that our experiences will serve as guidence to those interested in the technologies and methods illustrated on this site.

A Green perspective

2009-01-10T13:37:00.001-08:00

In my opinion, whether or not climate change is happening is irrelevant. The Earth has survived much larger changes than the subtle shift of a few degrees. The point, is that the Human Race is not living in balance with its resources. Western civilisation is consuming the planet around it with a greed which is shocking. The emerging economies - China, India etc. are infected with a similar burgeoning avarice.

The greed which affects us is the cause of all our ills. If the oil is running out it is because we insist on driving cars, and because the car and oil companies will not let us use anything else. If the world economy is collapsing it is because a number of intensly greedy people kept acquiring more money than they could ever use in one hundred lifetimes.

So I can recycle all I can, I can put as much insulation in my house as I can afford (I would put more in... money allowing), I can cycle to work (which I don't do nearly enough). In my work in the construction industry I have a chance to influence other peoples choices regarding constuction materials and opportunities to improve their homes. But does this all really make a difference? is this blog my last attempt to convince myself that I can make a difference?

My answer is this... I don't think it really makes a difference that I will not be able to change the minds of thousands of people and companies who's greed and desire for 'Growth' will consume them. What matters to me is that I leave as light a footprint on this planet as I can. I should not consume more resources than I need. When I last checked my carbon footprint WWF Footprint Calculator, it was a vast 2.09 planets. This equates to an ecological footprint of 3.77 hectares, and a carbon footprint of 7.84 tonnes per annum. However, I have done this in the past and achieved a lower value of 1.6 planets. So carbon calculators are a blunt instrument to be frank. The only way to satisfy my conscience is to carefully inspect every area of my life and ask myself "can i do more?" Its a case of 'Physician heal thyself' If I can do that then maybe others will do the same.

This blog then is a starting point, a place for me to collect my thoughts, find new ways and new ideas. I need a green perspective.