414 — Practical Sustenance

Harvesting Rainwater

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It’s a shame to let runoff go to waste when it can be used indoors and/or for irrigation. The benefits of rainwater harvesting can include the relief of strain on other water supplies, the ability to build or farm in areas with no other water supply, cleaner water, increased independence and water security, lower water … Read more

Greywater Reuse in the Middle East

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Greywater is household wastewater from kitchen sinks and bathroom tubs – anything except for raw sewage. In many countries in the Middle East and North African region, untreated greywater is used for irrigation purposes due to the environmentally and politically determined water scarcity of the region, and is stored in privately constructed holding tanks. Along … Read more

Planted Roof

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Lehigh University wants to take esoteric ideas on environmentalism down from the ivy towers and put them into practice with the construction of a $55 million environment and science building. With a roof covered by plants for insulation, the 130,000-square-foot building would cut into the sloped campus and rise to five stories at its highest … Read more

Solar Power Commercial Market

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The sun has produced energy for billions of years. Solar energy is the solar radiation that reaches the earth. This energy can be converted directly or indirectly into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. It is used for heating water for domestic use, space heating of buildings, drying agricultural products, and generating … Read more

Does it pay to be green?

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In manufacturing terms, exponential population growth means more factories taking up more land, using more raw materials, and allowing more emissions and waste into the environment. Demand for products and services will grow, but the availability of supplies isn’t guaranteed. Competition for Earth’s finite resources will heat up and it’s easy, yet unsettling, to imagine … Read more

The Use of Tunnels with Cherry Crops

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Andrew Bishop of Noggins Corner Farm has turned a quarter-of-an-acre of his cherry crop into an experiment under sheltering tunnels. The 14-foot tunnels arc over the cherry trees, protecting them from birds and rain. Since installing the tunnels, Bishop says these problems are close to non-existent. His trees get water from a small irrigation system, … Read more

Carbon Trust grants £1m to boost low carbon technologies

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The seven projects to receive funding from the Carbon Trust are: * Aluminium smelting technology with the potential to reduce energy consumption by up to 20% – Coventry University* Technology to explode paint into moulds, eliminating the need for paint shops in the manufacture of plastic components – Warwick Manufacturing Group* Energy efficient kilns, which … Read more