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New Homes of the Future: What Will They Look like?

Housing is and always has been an excellent barometer of society and culture. The way housing is designed and structured gives us a glimpse into how our communities work, the way that we live our lives on a daily basis and how our families interact.

Just take a look at the dwellings of Native American’s: their tepees were made from animal hides and wood, designed to be portable and quick to assemble, a necessity for their nomadic lifestyles. Victorian terraces are another example demonstrating how social values shape housing, with elements such as the design of the windows and the location of the property reflecting the owner’s social status.

And as our societies continue to evolve, so too does our housing. What will our future homes look like and what will they say about us as a society? There are two elements which are having a significant impact on us already and will continue to do so in ever increasing amounts.

The environment is the first major element that influences the design of new eco friendly homes. As climate change becomes ever more real, and the depletion of the world’s resources of fossil fuels looms; we continue to seek new methods to achieve energy efficiency in a sustainable way. Domestic energy use accounts for around 40% of the UK’s total energy consumption – making efficiency gains in this area a major target for the Government.

Specific areas for improvement include:

• Sustainable energy production. This is set to increase for the future, and you can realistically expect to see elements like solar panels and wind turbines as a standard feature in new homes.
• Focus in insulation improvement. Thick foam insulation and building techniques are required to minimise heat loss for the most eco-friendly homes.
• Wastage avoidance. Recycling bins, urban drainage and rainwater harvesting are examples of the ways energy wastage can be reduced.

Sustainable development meets modern design: Barratt Homes’ Green House

The second area that will change the face of our homes is digital technology. Already, some new home builders are incorporating computer systems which manage the heating of each and every room in the house. This will develop in future, so much so that almost every machine led aspect of home life may be automated. From lights that switch on when you enter a room, to controlling home entertainment systems with one touch, to systems that alert you to the security of your house remotely; all via one handheld device.

Say goodbye to all those wires and cables too, because wireless technology is set to be the order of the day. Space saving needs will combine with advances in gaming technology, as gaming pods will have the adaptability to transform into the entertainment of choice for whoever happens to be playing.

So there you have it: carbon neutral homes that enhance rather than damage the environment with automated and intuitive technologies that enrich our lives. Good news for us and our planet.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Exploring a Carbon Neutral City – Notes from Seattle’s Unconference (worldchanging.com)
• Going carbon neutral: California pours a foundation for cities to build on (guardian.co.uk)
• Green investment bank may be announced in the budget, but what would it deliver? (guardian.co.uk)

There are dozens of islands sinking into the sea around the world, and New Moore Island is the latest. Situated between India and Bangladesh, New Moore Island has long been the subject of a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Bangladesh residents that live on some of these islands have long since taken a short term loan to live on drier shores, but the issue is not improving. The rising sea has claimed more than just New Moore Island, but the media is bringing the issue back to light.

New Moore Island by any other name

The disputed New Moore Island was a tiny chunk of land – less than 2 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. The government of India maintains that New Moore Island is within their ocean borders and is therefore theirs. The government of Bangledesh calls the island South Talpatti and also claims it. There have never been any permanent settlements on New Moore Island. The Bhola cyclone in 1970 actually revealed New Moore Island / South Talpatti, which is what started the conflict. India had at one point established a base on South Talpatti / New Moore Island, but international opinion was split on the question.

Rising sea levels engulf New Moore Island

As reported by the BBC, the School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta has officially found New Moore Island to be covered by sea water. Confirmed by local fishermen and satellite pictures, New Moore Island is officially no more. Before the year 2000, sea levels in most of the world went up by approximately 3 millimeters a year, but between 2000 and 2010 sea level has risen at about 5 millimeters per year. In the Bengal Basin region and Sundarban Island chain, where New Moore Island was situated, sea levels have been rising by about 3.14 centimeters a year. In the last fifteen years, four other Sundarban chain islands have disappeared into the ocean.

New Moore Island isn't the only sinker

The Sundarban Island chain is not the only home to sinking islands. The Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, has been losing land mass to the sea for years. Tiny changes can make a huge impact on these islands, where the highest point is only 8 feet above sea level. The Maldives government has been building Hulhumale, a fabricated island nearby, for residents to evacuate to if needs be. Tuvalu, a Pacific Ocean island between Hawaii and Austrailia, is also quickly losing land mass. Experts estimate that Tuvalu's 11,000 citizens will have no home in as little as 50 years. A few residents of Tuvalu – 75, to be exact – can use military personal loans to move to New Zealand. Like New Moore Island, Tonga, Kirbati, and the Marshall Islands are all at risk of sinking into the sea.

How to fix the problem?

In the end, there is no way to accurately measure the cause and effect of small islands ending up in the ocean. Not only do sea levels regularly change, but islands can also rise and sink separately from the ocean. There are also arguments about if the increased water levels are due to global climate change or natural variations in the climate. No matter who or what is to blame, though, island nations that are sinking are being forced to find solutions – because there is not yet a way to simply stop the rise and fall of an island in the ocean.

Sources:

Times of India

BBC News

Wikipedia

Pollution is the fouling of the environment, that is, land, water and air- by waste, smoke, etc. Every industrial country faces the problem of waste. As factories make new goods for people to buy, old ones are thrown out with the household trash. Burning this garbage pollutes the air, throwing it into rivers and seas pollutes the water while piling it up leads to unpleasant rubbish heaps, which take up much-needed space.

Our beautiful ecosystem is being systematically damaged by industrial pollution channeled into rivers like Ganga and Yamuna, nuclear wastes from atomic plants routed into the world’s oceans and poisonous gases like carbon dioxide mixed with the ozonosphere. Besides, tropical rain forests and green pastures are disappearing under the pressure of a proliferating population. Dams are being built over  rivers such as the Narmada to change nature’s well-balanced surface equations between flora and fauna. Elsewhere  sloping mountainous terrain is being converted into mini oceans to supply electricity to the ever-starving industrial stomach of our age. Elephants, tigers, wild rhinos of South Africa and many other forest creatures have become endangered species.

Consumerism has created a garbage glut in the world. Consumers in industrialized countries throw out staggering amounts of refuse like cartons, cigarette butts, polythene bags and plastic containers, which mix with the water of rivers and oceans and fertile crop-yielding soil of the earth. If too much sewage is poured into seas, lakes and rivers, the water can no longer dilute it,as a result all the oxygen gets used up and the fish die. The bacteria which normally break down the refuse into harmless matter also die, only harmful bacteria which do not need air remain and these cause diseases.

Owning a car has really become a status symbol these days. The arrival of Maruti 800 on the roads of India already brought a revolution in the world of automobiles. And now the upcoming Nano will bring about a new revolution. But the increase in the number of cars has added to various pollution problems. The smoke-emitting guzzlers have made cities like Delhi living gas chambers.  The growing number of vehicles; have vitiated the atmosphere. The amount of harmful gases in the air is alarmingly on the rise. They affect our eyes and lungs giving rise to all kinds of respiratory diseases.

On the landmass, eco-destroying monsters are deforestation, dams constructed to generate electricity and serve irrigational facilities, and soot and toxic gases resulting in the greenhouse effect. Some American environmentalists like Jeremy Rifkin blame the world’s population of cattle for most of the ecological ills. These creatures we feed and fatten to get their meat, spoil streams and underground aquifers. Tropical rain forests are turning into pastures for this gluttonous herd. In Saharan Africa, the burgeoning population of cattle is denuding the arid lands of fertile vegetation. In Netherlands, population of pigs poses a major ecological threat. Their manure defiles water supply with excessive nitrates and acidifies local soils.

Building dams over rivers is like clotting the blood of nature and stopping its pulse from beating. Scientists have proved that dams and embankments cause more floods and do more harm than good. Flooding is a boon of nature when occurring in limits. It cleanses and renews river basins, expands feeding and breeding grounds of plants, fishes, birds and wildlife, and spreads fresh layers of fertile silt from which we get bumper crops.

Getting rid of plastics is particularly difficult- with time, wood and paper decay through the action of bacteria, but plastics never decay.

Pollution must be controlled and the sooner the better. It will cost a great deal, both in terms of money and a change in lifestyle. For example, acid rain can be arrested by checking harmful fumes before they go out from power station chimneys. This may push up the price of electricity, but is for the better. Also, the packaging of goods in bright plastics and the ‘throwaway’ culture should be discouraged. As industry needs a regular supply of raw materials, the best solution to the problem of waste is to make use of it as a raw material by reusing or recycling it. Governments must not allow construction contractors who are largely responsible for manmade floods to plunder the timber wealth of forests.

The introduction of metro has eased the traffic on the roads of Delhi to a little extent. It provides a comfortable, cleaner and cheaper alternative to the office-goers. The day is not very far when unconventional sources of energy will be used to drive cars.

The Japanese solution to environmental hazards is burning, burying, reducing and recycling waste products. In U.S., more than 2,000 garbage burning plants work day and night in addition to 125 large incinerators. Another Japanese solution is aqua culture, which they have introduced in their industries to keep them clean. An Italian chemical giant has manufactured a plastic substitute, which reduces the greenhouse effect. 

A high governmental priority will be to educate citizens about environmental risks, economic and health dangers of resource degradation and the real cost of natural resources. Greater emphasis should be placed on promoting awareness, undertaking and competence in schools, colleges and training institutions. NGOs and public-spirited individuals can bring about significant measures on polluting units for adopting abatementprocedures/policies. A system of certification of goods that are environment friendly should be set up. Only then this vast country of ours and the whole world will become a pleasant and clean place to live in.

Global warming and climate change perhaps the most talked matter today, rightly so because it poses dangers that may lead to wiping out nature and the entire animal & bird population of the Planet closely followed by the human species.

International efforts to tackle the problem have perhaps been a bigger failure than even the Doha Round of Negotiations! Political issues and matters of selfish interests of nations always rule over the bigger problem at hand, that of Global Warming. The question remains, should we wait for a renewed Kyoto Protocol? Or is it time we realize that political hassles will not let us stop this menace and therefore we should look for ‘politically amiable’ solutions.
Geo engineering is perhaps one of them. Geo Engineering is a technique of large scale manipulation of the Earth’s environmental set up to reduce the impact of carbon emissions. There are three major techniques under this method that can be used, namely, Solar radiation management, Greenhouse gas remediation and Arctic geoengineering. Some of the techniques proposed under Geo Engineering may seem to some as taken out of some Scientific Fiction book by a crazy author!

The tipping point in the field of Solar radiation management came in 2006, when the Nobel Prize—winning atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen published an editorial examining the possibility of releasing vast amounts of sulfurous debris into the atmosphere to create a haze that would keep the planet cool. To implement this system precursor gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can be released using artillery, aircraft and balloons. The price tag that comes with this technique is even more amazing : somewhere between a few hundred million dollars and a couple of billion dollars every year. This technology also has support in an event that took place in 1991. Mount Pinatubo erupted, releasing 15m tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere which  formed a thick cloud of aerosol particles and within 15 months this had spread across the world, reflecting a significant proportion of the sun’s energy back into space. Average global temperatures fell by over 0.5 degrees celcius.

The Arctic region represents a major cause of concern. The impact of Global Warming can be especially seen in ice covered areas like the Arctic where the ice sheet is rapidly melting. This is an important concern also because it drastically increases sea levels and may cause calamaties by submerging low lying islands. Therefore, geo engineering offers a specific plan for this concern called Arctic Geo engineering under which the aim would be to enhance the polar ice cap by spraying or pumping water onto the top of it which would build thicker sea ice. Ice serves as an insulator and therefore ice on the surface would freeze quicker than that below. River water is being suggested to be used in this case as it is not saline. Presence of salt may in fact reduce freezing capacity and leads to the new layer of ice become perforated.
Geo Engineering is increasingly being looked upon as a viable solution by a lot of developed and developing countries alike. In fact in 2001, President Bush had withdrawn US support from the Kyoto Protocol. This meeting therefore represented something like a US counterproposal to Kyoto, an ‘alternative approach to climate change’. President Obama is also looking at proposals and asking his efficient team of scientists to explore most effective possibilities. Geo Engineering should not be promoted as a technique to be applied in isolation. In fact, it should be used as a supplementary technique along with the main aim of reducing carbon emissions. It is only then can we expect to reduce global temperatures and avoid the destruction of our planet.

By the time you read this, 56 pagers in 45 countries will have published a front-page editorial guided by the Guardian of London. The editorial will call global climate change a “profound emergency” with requires immediate action. It claims there are no replays regarding climate change: “Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security.”

I took a master’s level college course on the environment back in the early 90′s, and I remember the main theme of our textbook was that our environment is such a complicated system that it is not only more complex than we know, it’s more complex than we can ever know. That has stuck with me ever since.

The science behind global warming and climate change is extremely complex. Arguments abound about how, and even if, it is really a crisis at all. But, if you look at the data behind this gargantuan topic, it is extremely difficult to explain away what is happening before our very eyes, and even all that is not visible to the naked eye. Temperatures are rising, glaciers and ice fields are melting, the oceans are warming, the weather is changing in many locales, species of animals and plant life are disappearing or being profoundly altered. Gigantic clouds of methane gas are potentially being released from below thawing ice on a scale that is just now beginning to be measured. One thing is certain: 11 of the last 14 years have been the warmest on record.

In my neck of the woods, the mountain southwest, the aspen tree is undergoing SAD: Sudden Aspen Decline. While there are many factors that enter into this phenomenon, the long-continuing drought that is plaguing the American Southwest has left the aspen and other tree species unable to protect themselves from wood-boring insects, for starters.

The havoc that global warming is already causing is hard to calculate because it is so vast. And, what the future holds is even more astounding. Rising sea levels could, and almost certainly will, devastate coastal countries and cities more than we can imagine. It’s the domino effect on a spectacular scale.

The pressure mounts on The United States to become an active member in the staving off of planetary destruction after years of obstructionist environmental policy, particularly from the George W. Bush reign. This should not be a battle between the rich world and the poor world. This is a shared responsibility. We are all in this together. We can unite as ONE PEOPLE of the entire globe and work to solve this immense catastrophe, or we can do what we do best: nothing. It requires shared sacrifice, but the Super Powers must surely take the lead. There is no doubt that rich countries have contributed far more to this dilemma than poor countries. Yet, we all bear responsibility. There is no time to waste playing “the blame game.”

There is huge economic opportunity in turning the world into a much greener and sustainable environment. But, attitudes, concrete policy changes, and hardcore action must become the rule of the day. If “What goes on in the Copenhagen Climate Summit, stays in Copenhagen” is the prevailing mood, we all lose. The very survival of the human species, and the Earth as we know it, depends upon a drastic shift in global consciousness beginning today!

Grant Brad Gerver is an entrepreneur and creative consultant for Filibi, a classified and online coupon advertising site and home business. He’s also a YouTube Channel blues singer-songwriter and guitar player with The Buzzard Brothers. Additionally, Grant writes political humor, thousands of bumper stickers, and humorous movie reviews. He has also worked with various companies as a product-naming specialist. He’s a retired elementary school teacher and published children’s author who works in the health care field.

Basically, climate modification is the excessive heating of the planet which is causing dramatic climatic changes. So, are there ways to prevent climate modification? Yes! When you choose to build a wind generator for your household’s source of clean energy, you are making one of the most significant choices possible to help prevent climate modification. Because of the changing societal conscience about renewable energy, more and more homeowners are looking to do-it-yourself kits to build a wind generator. Wind has been harnessed for for centuries for many uses including as a powerful souce of energy. There is growing consensus amongst scientists and researchers that when moving air is harnessed properly, wind can be a powerful and effective source of renewable energy.

A common question asked when you build a wind generator is how can wind be converted into energy? The answer is using a wind generator. A wind turbine is really just like a huge fan that can take the kinetic energy available in the wind and convert it into mechanical energy. When this mechanical energy is used by any type of machinery like a pump then such a machine is known as a windmill. But don’t just do this without a kit created by a certified professional. Use the wrong kit and electricity can be very dangerous. Make sure you read reviews if you build a wind generator for your home.

In many ways, the climate modification debate is benefiting from the current highly volatile issues concerning energy. Coal and oil have powered the world’s industrial revolution. While coal is available in many countries, oil is not. Circumstances being what they are, the largest concentrations of oil are found in areas with significant political and armed conflict. All you have to do is look at the circumstances in Iraq to understand this. Now that China is exploding in the world economy, there seems to be a growing consensus that alternatives to oil are needed.

Maybe it’s karma but almost all of the alternatives to oil are favorable ways to slow down the rate of climate modification. All of the alternative sources of power such as hydropower, wind, solar, geothermal, and yes, even nuclear energy, produce significantly less pollution than energy derived from fossil fuels. There is one very simple reason why less pollution is the key.

A major byproduct of using fossil fuels for energy is the much discussed greenhouse gas. Whether using oil to produce electricity or just to gas up the car, the use of this medium produces carbon dioxide. One of the major greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide. A reduction in quantiity of it in the atmosphere will help to mitigate the greenhouse effect. As our energy production evolves away from oil, we should see improvements in the atmosphere. The bigger issue, of course, is whether we will get around to this anytime soon.

A second major way to prevent climate modification is to stop deforestation. Vast forests, such as the one found in the Amazon River Basin in South America are being clear cut. This has a devastating impact on climate modification. Nature has a natural way of filtering toxic gases like carbon dioxide from the air. It does this through photosynthesis with plants. Dense, huge forests are the biggest and best filters of carbon dioxide. By cutting them down, we reduce the ability of the planet to filter out the bad gases while we continue to pump more of the gases into the atmosphere. Any way you measure it, it is a formula destined to cause trouble.

Can you help to prevent climate modification? Yes. We need to kick our oil habit and stop wiping out our forest areas.

You can absolutely help! Start with education and make the choices that will prevent climate modification like choosing to build a wind generator for your source of power.

~Ralph Somers

Moderator of Ralph’s Green Energy Guide
 

The Green Effect

During this economic crisis and continued global warming, the need for sustainable development has become a today issue instead of a tomorrow issue. Both private and government entities (including the EPA) have come up with programs and products that promote “green” production and consumption. These environment-friendly practices are now being used in numerous firms and industries.

But what about our homes? Are our households as environmentally friendly as they should be? Continued efforts to sustain the environment should first and foremost be undertaken under our own roof. These can be done with the use of products that consume less power and other valuable resources. Over time, the use of these products can result not only in savings but also in the reduction of waste and materials harmful to our homes and the environment.

Here’s a quick list of 10 items I’ve discovered that can make a world of a difference.

1. Heat-energy recovery system

· Sensible Heat Energy Recovery System (SHERS) uses heat generated from an air-conditioner or refrigerator to heat water. Payback period is anywhere from six months to two years

2.The Eco Bio Block

· Made of volcanic stones and beneficial bacteria, is used to purify water in home aquariums, water tanks and big bodies of water such as ponds, lakes and marshes. When used in home aquariums, there is no need to filter, clean and change water for a period of one to three years.

3. Biowash ball

· Washing clothes without using a detergent may seem strange. Introducing the Anabess biowash ball, it’s made of natural ceramics & alters the chemical composition of the water so it can wash clothes more effectively without liquid detergent. It should last 3 years. Think of the peace of mind you'll have by not ever running to the store for more detergent at the last minute again.

4. Air-con with inverter technology

· The Panasonic Envio series of air-conditioners makes use of an “inverter technology” that changes compressor operation speed to match a changing room temperature and adjust power output accordingly, which leads to reduced energy consumption of up to 50 percent, while product only costs about 14% more than the average AC. The payback period may be expected in about seven months..

5.Low Flow faucets

· Moen has heeded the call for water conservation by coming up with WaterSense-certified bathroom faucets. With the help of new aerator technology these Moen faucets use 30% less water than other models but still feel just as powerful on your hands.

6. Compact fluorescent lamp

· Much has been said about the efficiency of compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs. They have a lifespan 5x longer than incandescent lamps and consume 80% less energy with the same level of lumens. Companies such as Purely Products even carry CFLs that double as ionizers for the room, eliminating the need for an unsightly ionizer on the floor.

7.Reusable shopping bags

· The impact of just one person changing to reusable bags over a two-year period is significant. Used twice a week for two years a consumer would save 832 plastic bags from going in a landfill.

8.Biodegradable Cellulose Sandwich bags

· Typical plastic bags are derived from petroleum and take well over a lifespan to decompose. These biodegrade in 30-90 days in soil BUT actually keep food lasting longer, unlike plastic, they don't release gases which spoil food taste.

9.Smart Surge Protector

· Green Home introduced a smart surge protector. The power strip can 'sense' the movement of electrical current through the strip's control outlet. This patent pending option enables the Smart Strip to fully power off selected items when it’s not in use saving you money and time!

A small electronic device inside the Smart Strip monitors the current on a single outlet. Let’s say the computer is plugged into that single outlet. When your computer is finished shutting down, the current draw from the computer drops to its idle current -- and the Smart Strip monitors the current change, automatically shutting off all of the computer peripherals.

The Smart Strip Power Strip is the only surge protector on the market today with energy saving electronics. The 10 outlet surge protector version has 1 Control Outlet, 3 Constant Hot Outlets, and 6 Switched Outlets.

10.Compostable Trash Bags

· These BioBags are made from GMO free starch and are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable.

Now that you know about these products start using them. We each can do our part by changing our purhase habits.

You have a home and it is so much more than the roof over your head. This home provides you food, water, shelter and the very air you breathe. Your planet, my planet and our planet is home to billions of people spread out over hundreds of countries. But it will not be much of a home unless we start recycling our garbage, and take the “reduce reuse recycle” idiom to heart. No one wants to live in a dirty, filthy home overrun by garbage. The Earth is no different.

Global climate change is a very real threat to the preservation of this planet. You have probably seen television ads focusing on new hybrid vehicles that can help save the environment by producing less toxic byproducts from the burning of fossil fuels. Does the burning of trash cross your mind as ways you can help save the environment. Our landfills are becoming overflowing with hazardous waste and other products that are not biodegradable. Plastic water bottles, disposable diapers and styrofoam containers, to name a few, are all becoming huge problems in most areas of the world.

If you are going to be recycling, then you will need to make sure the recyclables go into the appropriate destination containers. Plastics, glass, aluminum cans and paper products will each have a separate container. You should also consider making a compost if you live in a house that has a yard, that will utilize any yard trimmings and left over food waste.

If every person did their part to help combat overflowing landfills, then we could reduce our waste by fifty percent. That is half the amount going into landfills today. Perhaps there will come a time when we no longer have to continuously find new places to bury our waste. Plastics would be reused. Organic materials would be turned back into the soil to enrich the ground for crops. It is a lovely sentiment and thought but not enough people are doing their part to help make this a cleaner world and prevent global warming causes.

Recycling is your responsibility. Only you can do your part to help reduce the amount of garbage going into our landfills. Each time you throw away a recyclable you are adding to a growing problem. Deciding to recycle is an easy step and one that is remarkably simple to institute. There are plenty of informative resources on the internet to help you learn how to recycle your leftover waste. Do yourself a favor, and the Earth a favor, by doing your part.