The Turgo turbine is an impulse type turbine; water does not change pressure as it moves through the turbine blades. The water’s potential energy is converted to kinetic energy with a nozzle. The high speed water jet is then directed on the turbine blades which deflect and reverse the flow. The resulting impulse spins the turbine runner, imparting energy to the turbine shaft. Water exits with very little energy. Turgo runners may have an efficiency of over 90%.
Pax Scientific, a US technology company, has developed a fan technology based on the logarithmic spiral found in seashells. The fan offers huge energy savings and is a great deal quieter than most other fans.
See a video explanation by Janine Benyus of the Biomimicry Guild. Watch Video
Ferrocement is a technique that combines the flexibility of iron (steel) and the resistance of cement. It facilitates the building of many interesting forms: round, circular; globular, spherical; cylindrical; curved … and straight and angular of course. Here this is being used to construct a water treatment tank in EcoOca – Brazil.
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“The Labour-led government believes New Zealand should aim to be the world’s first truly sustainable nation,” Building and Construction Minister Clayton Cosgrove said. “We know the way we design our buildings and homes will be central to that effort.
“Every building component, even the humble nail, has a carbon cost, or simply the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that were created in making it. In a truly ‘green’ building, that cost might be included in the building’s overall energy efficiency.”
Mr Cosgrove said the government is conscious of the world-wide research underway into the environment impact of buildings, and New Zealand needs to be exploring these issues in-depth to ensure it is on the best possible path. “Using the projected lifetime CO2 emissions of buildings as the principal measure of resource efficiency under the new Building Code is worth considering. This approach would take into account energy and water efficiency, construction materials and construction waste.”
Straw + clay + water = cob, an old construction technique that can be used for walls, benches and entire homes. The folks at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, California are mixing it with their hands and feet and using it to rebuild their intern center- a project taking shape from recycled and sustainable materials, like broken concrete, straw bales, clay and wine bottles.
AEVIA Reveals the Source
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AEVIA Reveals the Source
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 supply costs, reduced flood flows, reduced topsoil loss, improved plant growth and a greater understanding of natural cycles.
A cistern is a receptacle built to catch and store rainwater. They range in capacity from a few litres to thousands of cubic metres (effectively covered reservoirs).
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 with risks to human health in the holding and reuse of this water for irrigation, the hiring of private parties to regularly empty these tanks is a cost burden on households, as public infrastructure is not always available, especially in rural areas. The safe treatment of this water can provide an alternative. But how can this water be treated in a cost effective and simple way for individual households to own and utilize? These short films document the catalyst, innovation, implementation and outcome of one effort in the West bank and now adopted for use in Jordan and Lebanon.
See Greywater Reuse in the Middle East – Part 1
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 point and use the eco-friendly innovations to reduce fuel and water use, according to plans filed last month.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a green roof is made of vegetation and soil planted over a waterproof surface. Drainage and irrigation systems also can be layered on the roof. Environmentalists tout the roofs as able to regulate interior temperature and protect the underlying roof from the damaging effects of sunlight and extreme temperature changes.