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Sometimes we want to take conservation very serious, because to be truthful, it is a serious matter. There is a lot at stake for our future and our childrens' future to want to reduce energy consumption. Sometimes though, something comes along that is just fun! Here is one of those things! The good people over at TreeHugger.Com compiled a list of unexpected and fun things that use solar power. I just wanted to share that list with you, because I found it interesting, and it brightened my day! Who know you could solar power a bee hive! Here ya go!
Tuesday, President Obama announced that solar panels would be reinstalled onto the roof the White House. President Carter placed solar panels on the white house during his presidency, and they were removed by President Reagan. Recently, President George W. Bush used solar power for maintenance buildings and heating the swimming pool on the grounds of the White House.
Not only are solar panels being installed, but a solar hot water heater is also in the works for the modifications to the White House. While this is a large symbolic statement about the administrations commitment to energy conversations, it is worth noting that this is something that every home owner can look into. It is also something that local business owners and even Fortune 500 companies can look into and help us look forward to an energy independent future.
WOW! I don't even know where to start with this new technique in backyard gardening. I am blown away and overly jealous. Who and how do you get a garden in an old pool?! Well the people over at GardenPool.org have found a way to do it, and it is truly a work of amazement.
Swimming pools to being with are a pool of energy waste and excess, if you ask me at look at the numbers (yet, I am not down at all on anyone who wishes to take a dip in their backyard pool on scorching days, especially in the Southwest). This family from Mesa, Arizona took an empty, run-down pool in a new house that they just purchased, and instead of pouring money into it to continue pouring more money and energy into it for recreation, they put money into an investment. The investment was food grown in your backyard (from crops to chickens, to fish!), in one of the most difficult growing regions in the United States.
The garden pool uses solar power to power the self-sustaining garden (farm?!). They are using hydroponics gardening to reduce soil use, aquaponics to grow their fish, and are using naturally grown insects and plants (duckweed to filer and purify the water) to feed and combat nasties from their crops and fertilize their crops. Did I mention they have a chicken coop?!!
This is the empty pool that they started with!They use SPIN (Small Plot Intensive) gardening techniques, which we also have seen in the more common term, square foot gardening. They are promoting this as a way to get as much as what little room you have. Which I have fully supported, I have been saying since my own organic gardening experiences this year (article coming soon!), that if everyone planted a one foot by one foot or two foot by two foot garden we could take a huge strain off of the American food system. They are using gutter planting techniques as 5 gallon buckets as planters and appear to be getting quite the harvest, 365 days a year. DID I MENTION THEY HAVE CHICKENS?! I can't get over the the chicken thing. Even though some people would probably be more impressed that they literally have a Tilapia farm in their back yard. The family also gives tours of their pool, and offers a volunteer program so you can get some hands on experience and think about how you can build one of your own in your desert backyard.
I see this The inside of the GardenPoolas a step, even though a huge step, that we can all work towards. Maybe not at this scale at first, but something we can look at and think about. I am super impressed with these guys, and if you are in the Phoenix area, I would suggest checking this out. If not, please visit their website and read all about it. The information that they have places on their website about this project is so in depth and fascinating, yet simple reading. I applaud the family for their outreach on this project. Also, check out their facebook page while your at it. Big props to this family for their dedication and demonstration of showing us that you, yes you, can own your own food supply!I will now leave you with a video of their GardenPool!
---Justin J. Stewart (link via GayLee Fretz, all pictures and videos from GardenPool.org)
The NFL's season officially kicks-off tonight with Minnesota taking on New Orleans, in New Orleans, a city that has been pushed to the brink and continues to suffer. For tonight, I hope the people of New Orleans get a great game and receive a few entertaining moments to help them find some comfort and peace for a few minutes.
This season the Arizona Cardinals will be powering every home game with 100% renewable energy provided by SRP. According to the SRP website:
The Cardinals will be one of only a few NFL teams to play in a green-powered facility during the 2010 season. For each of the Cardinals' eight regular-season home games and two pre-season home games, SRP's EarthWise Energy program will provide 113,500 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy purchased by University of Phoenix. The renewable energy will offset electricity used in University of Phoenix Stadium — from the concession stands to the parking lot lighting to the scoreboards. This amount of electricity, 1,135,000 kilowatt-hours over the course of 10 games, is comparable to what 60 average homes in the Valley will use annually.
The EarthWise Energy program for SRP puts 100% of the money towards building solar projects for non-profit groups. Recent projects have involved working with Habitat for Humanity and Sunshine Acres Children's Home. These are steps that can be made by large companies. Hopefully activities like these will lead to true renewable power for everyone in the state, including the University of Phoenix Stadium. Plus, with the Cardinals having 505,143 fans walk through their doors last year to check out a football game, that is 505,143 minds that can be opened up to renewable energy, just by being there in the stadium.
Now, this is still far off, but pretty impressive. We are not going to be flying in carbon neutral planes tomorrow to go visit the aunts and uncles, but it could very well be in our life time, and the first steps are being put in place right now. A Swiss Company named Solar Impulse, has successfully tested a solar powered airplane that lasted in flight for over 26 hours, including through the night on July 7th and July 8th. Their overall goal is an around the world flight via solar power, and a trans-atlantic flight by 2012. The craft flew just over 28,000 feet above sea level, and the wingspan of 208 feet same as a Boeing 747-400. This was just a lightweight prototype, but it shows that the technology is sound by staying aloff for 26 hours. It set records for the longest and highest solar powered flight. How does the power work? According to the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, part of the U.S. Department of Energy:
"The aircraft's nearly 12,000 silicon mono-crystalline solar cells—mounted on its wings and on its horizontal stabilizer—absorbed the sun' rays on the ascent and supplied the craft's four electric engines and lithium-polymer batteries, enabling Impulse to average about 26 miles per hour for the flight"
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA in action, in the great blue yonder.What are the implications of this for you and I. Like I said before, these are babysteps, but they are important movements towards commercial aircrafts using this technology to create carbon-neutral flights for you and I. According to the Carbon Footprint Calculator at Terrapass a round trip for 2 to JFK Airport in New York from LAX Airport in Los Angeles would be about 3,468 pounds of CO2. If we can cut into that number in the future for normal passenger flights using this technology it would be a great victory. Right now the airline industry accounts for about 12 percent of all of the CO2 released into the atmosphere. This technology is a step in the right direction, and is exciting in a very nerdy type of way (the way I like it). I hope to see more developers get into this arena and hope to see solar panels on my flights in future years to come.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 8:02AM 
