Thanks! I'll add that (also sorry the reply took so long. I haven't been feeling well).
Blair
joined 5 months ago
“These two directions require different properties for cool walls,” says Qilong Cheng, a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University who worked on the study as a graduate student at Columbia University. “So we have this two-surface zigzag design, with one surface facing the sky and the other facing the ground.”
The angles, looking a little like the sawtooth roofs of factory rooms, can shave 5.5° Fahrenheit off average indoor temperatures.
Radiation coming up from the ground is reduced or deflected by one material, while heat from the sun is reflected with ultra-white paint.
Thanks for explaining! I don't have a 3D printer, but maybe someday I will work up to a setup like yours!
Thank you so much! You and that post answered my questions perfectly
Well for apartment buildings and empty balcony rules, yes, its the landlords.
For the outdoor laundry, its bylaws. Basically what happens is nosy neighbors report you, then a bylaw officer comes by and tells you someone made a complaint. It's called a "Nuisance and unsightly premises bylaw."
Thank you so much! This is amazing information
My town in Alberta, Canada. It actually used to be banned in a lot of Canada, like all of British Columbia, and Ontario. Old-fashioned people think it makes a neighborhoods look "trashy" and start going on about property value.
It's sort of like how a huge amount of apartment buildings don't allow anything on balconies because it's "unsightly."
Thanks for explaining that! Your system looks great(it is even cat approved).
I am thinking of just starting with some leafy greens (like Swiss chard, kale, or spinach) on a budget, but there are so many different hydroponic builds it can get overwhelming haha. I will look more into the DWC system!
Haha sadly, hanging your laundry outdoors is illegal here(also, it would freeze in winter), and indoors it takes forever to dry ╥﹏╥
I could be wrong, but I believe pilling is most commonly caused by friction (for example, where your legs rub when you walk), so one thing that would help is not washing clothes that tend to pill with clothes that have hard things like zippers or buttons. The balls might help by cutting down on the time the clothes rub together with the air-gaps they create, but I am not sure.
I have been told before that you can remove pilling with a razor, but please look it up before you try haha.
I like the idea of a wicker basket coffin with natural-fiber clothes....and an added sword just to confuse future archaeologists •ˋᴗˊ•
100% wool dryer balls are growing in popularity to the point where I have even seen them at my local dollar store, and for good reason. They can save you money in laundry costs.
If you are someone who uses dryer sheets, these wool balls are a great alternative that removes static from your clothes and can decrease drying time by around 30-50%. So, you save money by not having to buy dryer sheets, as well as on electricity. All you do is toss them into the dryer with your clothes!
"Per Toner, “Dryer balls excel in reducing drying time due to their ability to create space between clothes. This separation facilitates better air circulation, leading to faster drying and potential energy savings.” | bobvila
I have had mine for many many years now, and they are still in great shape. When or if they do ever break down to the point of being unable to use, the wool is biodegradable.
Just make sure that what you buy is 100% wool. If you are crafty (and have access to wool) you can also make your own fairly easily.
Keeping a lid on your carbon footprint doesn’t stop with your last breath. Your choice of funeral can have a significant environmental impact. In a recent report by the US-based National Funeral Directors Association, 60.5% of those surveyed expressed their interest in greener options including resomation (water cremation) human composting and natural burials.
https://www.positive.news/society/eco-concerns-prompt-green-funeral-options/
I debated for a while on if I should post this or not (rather morbid, I know) but I think it's an important thing to think about.
Did you know that simply digging a slight ditch can completely change the health of a landscape?
In modern landscaping, any sort of hole or ditch is considered a “dangerous tripping hazard,” “unsightly,” or “a waste of space,” so everything is smoothed out. If you go to most cities and farms, the only non-flat places are designed to carry water away from cities, rather than hold onto it.
This thought process can not only increase overland flooding and wash away topsoil, but it also gives water no place to sit and be absorbed into the soil. Without any water capture gradually trickling into the soil and creating an underground reservoir, the landscape becomes less drought resistant and more susceptible to wildfires.
The permaculture techniques to correct this have many names and methods, including:
- Demi-lunes / Half - moons / Semi-circular bunds
- Eyebrow terraces / banquettes
- Negarim
- Contour bunds
- Micro basins
- Planting pits / Zai pits / Chololo pits
- Swales
They might be different shapes and use slightly different methods, but they all do all work the same on a basic level. The idea is to dig or build a shape that will slowdown and/or catch some of the movement of water. This can make the soil more absorbent (dry and hardened soil does not absorb water as easily) which promotes healthy microbiome of the soil.
Even if the water dries out visibly during the dry season, underground, they could be making a huge difference.
It is not new science, but instead something many cultures around the world have a long history with, but many modern farming practices(mostly to make it farming machine friendly) and development flatten everything out. If people changed this point of view, it could change our landscapes.
In cities, they look like a slight ditch in front of a house, or a creek in a greenspace.
(Image Sources: Image 1 | Image 2)
For other landscapes, it could be just slight indents in un-farmable areas, or ditches dug around farm perimeters.
They do not have to be very deep, and often do not need any fancy equipment to dig(most just take a shovel), but they can do amazing things.
In the process of reversing landscape desertification, it is proving drastically helpful. As the underground water reserves build, so does the vegetation.
(Image Source: Just Dig It. An example of demi-lunes / half-moons)
More Info:
Greenery on walls can reduce a buildings heat loss by 30%, improve air quality, help absorb sounds, and can even reduce a cities temperature, so it is no wonder so many places are considering them.
Here are two options I think are interesting:
Vertical Meadows:
There is a bit of a terminology game here. Verticals gardens are sometimes found in wealthy office buildings, but they do nothing for local eco-systems and are often non-local tropical varieties of plants. Even for those found outside, the plants are often picked for appearance alone, instead of what would help local biodiversity.
In comparison, vertical meadows have a different goal. Vertical meadows (started in London, England) are outdoor vertical greenery walls that uses locally-grown native and seasonal plants, ensuring year-round options for wildlife like pollinators and birds.
The main problem with these setups is that they tend to require watering systems, which (even if rainwater collection is installed) can be rather costly.
More Info:
Moss Walls:
Companies like Respyre use upcycled bioreceptive concrete and a moss coating encourage moss-growth on any vertical surface without risk of damaging the buildings. Other companies(such as Green City Solutions) grow panels of moss, which can then be installed like tiles.
Due to moss being so inexpensive to incorporate, it is becoming a popular option.
For added benefits, moss is drought tolerant to a point, and can absorb 6x more C02 than other plants. Moss is basically a living filter, and can even filter arsenic out of water.
More info:
- https://youtu.be/cE02cQIVSAs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tYG3MepUu0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tYG3MepUu0
However, moss can be hard to grow commercially(mostly due to the fact that they release spores instead of seeds), so many of the mosses people buy, especially those used for craft supplies, are illegally poached from the wild. If a little is left behind, moss typically can regenerate, but many harvesters simply roll up huge blankets of moss, leaving nothing behind. It is estimated that the mosses can take 10-20 years to grow back.
So, please research where the moss is sourced if you plan on buying any. If the company does not grow it themselves or does not mention where they source it, do not buy any.
Vergenoegd Winery(South Africa) is handling pests using a unique solution; ducks. These ducks enable the winery to be pesticide-free.
Video: https://youtu.be/H6Ehoxu9QY8
The reason for this is that ducks love to eat all sorts of garden pests: including slugs, snails, mosquitoes, ants, and more.
"You may also be wondering: Why ducks and not chickens? While it’s true that chickens can help to keep bugs at a low in your garden, they also have a habit of being a little less delicate around garden plants than ducks do. Chickens love fresh greenery and will be more than happy to eat your homegrown lettuce, whereas ducks will focus less on your hard work and more on the bugs in your yard." | The Spruce
Similarly to the winery, ducks are also often employed to help with rice paddies. The ducks not only help with pests and fertilization, but their paddling helps both aerate the water and kick up mud(the increased oxygen and decreased light can cut down on algae or weed growth).
As an added benefit, the eggs and/or meat can be eaten. I know that will upset many of you but the added financial benefit of that is further incentivizing farmers to switch from herbicides and pesticides, to ducks.
"Another study done by Practical Action2 concluded that the duck-rice farming technology led to several socio-economic and environmental benefits. The ducks were introduced into the rice fields 10-20 days after rice was planted until the flowering stages. The study also found out that this form of farming was better in rice production than others as it led to decreased production costs, high yields achievement, had benefits for the environment and led to increased income. Further, it’s stated that 20% higher yields can be achieved with the use of this system, 50% increase in income can be achieved as well as enhanced food security through the consumption of duck meat." | Permaculture Research Institute
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ISdo-b7Lk
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Robot weed killers could create a sustainable future for agriculture | The Optimist Daily
(www.optimistdaily.com)
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Sorry! I have dyscalculia, so I'll admit I didn't try to analyze the numbers at all. I can delete the post