self-sufficiency archives - planet forward - 克罗地亚vs加拿大让球

a.e. for city blocks

mon, 25 feb 2013 14:30:39 +0000

above: block diagram of city block stored energy supply

the homes, shops and big buildings in almost any city block can be made almost self-sufficient for their energy needs if the block has a shared heat store and the four renewable energy sources are sensibly integrated. such systems can be much less expensive than the present day fossil fueled supply systems that provide space heating and cooling and hot water. a general purpose design for such systems is shown here: http://kanata-forum.ca/ae-for-city-blocks.pdf

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engineering shelter for a demanding climate

wed, 17 aug 2011 14:30:42 +0000

this video is part of a series of four videos (walkthrough, market appeal, architecture, and engineering) submitted to the department of energy for the competition. to see the rest of the videos, visit our planet forward ideas page. this video highlights the engineering features of self-reliance, team middlebury’s solar decathlon home. from recycled cellulose insulation to reusing condensation to water the plants, the systems of self-reliance are designed to be simple and efficient, while allowing a family to interact with and learn from the technology. this summer the middlebury solar decathlon is building a small, 100% solar-powered home that will compete in the us department of energy solar decathlon 2011 competition. the solar decathlon is a biennial green-building competition that brings together 20 collegiate teams from all over the country and world to showcase their solar homes on the national mall in washington d.c. this competition is one of the most ambitious and inspiring events in the country, as it challenges these teams to demonstrate inventive clean-energy solutions, feature cost-effective and energy-efficient construction, and incorporate energy-saving appliances and renewable energy systems within their 100% solar-powered homes. team middlebury’s home, “self-reliance,” strives to do all this as it reinvents the iconic new england farmhouse, integrating today’s efficient technologies into a home for a vermont family of four. it is our belief that living sustainably can be facilitated by beautiful, comfortable, and practical design. when architecture and technology are used wisely together to utilize the power of the sun and other renewable energy resources, our impact on this earth is greatly reduced. as we construct our solar-powered home this summer we hope to offer a sustainable solution to life in the 21st century. we invite you to follow our construction progress over the next 12 weeks via the weekly videos we will be posting with planet forward. it is our hope to extend this learning opportunity to a greater community beyond middlebury, and inspire others to turn to sustainable design practices as well. please stay tuned! for more information about the middlebury solar decathlon team, please visit http://solardecathlon.middlebury.edu/

visit the solar decathlon category page!

looking to keep track of team middlebury?

click here to view the previous idea submission from middlebury’s solar decathlon team. for access to the entire archive of middlebury solar decathlon 2011 videos: visit the member page

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team middlebury traces architecture to the vermont landscape

tue, 16 aug 2011 14:30:35 +0000

this video shows and describes the architecture of self-reliance, team middlebury’s solar decathlon home. it is part of a series of four videos (walkthrough, market appeal, architecture, and engineering) submitted to the department of energy for the competition. to see the rest of the videos, visit our planet forward ideas page. this summer the middlebury solar decathlon is building a small, 100% solar-powered home that will compete in the us department of energy solar decathlon 2011 competition. the solar decathlon is a biennial green-building competition that brings together 20 collegiate teams from all over the country and world to showcase their solar homes on the national mall in washington d.c. this competition is one of the most ambitious and inspiring events in the country, as it challenges these teams to demonstrate inventive clean-energy solutions, feature cost-effective and energy-efficient construction, and incorporate energy-saving appliances and renewable energy systems within their 100% solar-powered homes. team middlebury’s home, “self-reliance,” strives to do all this as it reinvents the iconic new england farmhouse, integrating today’s efficient technologies into a home for a vermont family of four. it is our belief that living sustainably can be facilitated by beautiful, comfortable, and practical design. when architecture and technology are used wisely together to utilize the power of the sun and other renewable energy resources, our impact on this earth is greatly reduced. as we construct our solar-powered home this summer we hope to offer a sustainable solution to life in the 21st century. we invite you to follow our construction progress over the next 12 weeks via the weekly videos we will be posting with planet forward. it is our hope to extend this learning opportunity to a greater community beyond middlebury, and inspire others to turn to sustainable design practices as well. please stay tuned! for more information about the middlebury solar decathlon team, please visit http://solardecathlon.middlebury.edu/

looking to keep track of team middlebury?

click here to view the previous idea submission from middlebury’s solar decathlon team. for access to the entire archive of middlebury solar decathlon 2011 videos: visit the member page

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your winner: middlebury’s self reliance

mon, 15 aug 2011 12:27:20 +0000

congratulations to middlebury’s solar decathlon team, which won our popular vote. sign up to our newsletter to make sure you know when they hit tv!

this video is a walkthrough of self-reliance, our solar decathlon home. it is part of a set of four videos required by the department of energy for the competition. you can watch all four videos (walkthrough, market appeal, architecture and engineering) and earlier ones on our planet forward ideas page. this summer the middlebury solar decathlon is building a small, 100% solar-powered home that will compete in the us department of energy solar decathlon 2011 competition. the solar decathlon is a biennial green-building competition that brings together 20 collegiate teams from all over the country and world to showcase their solar homes on the national mall in washington d.c. this competition is one of the most ambitious and inspiring events in the country, as it challenges these teams to demonstrate inventive clean-energy solutions, feature cost-effective and energy-efficient construction, and incorporate energy-saving appliances and renewable energy systems within their 100% solar-powered homes. team middlebury’s home, “self-reliance,” strives to do all this as it reinvents the iconic new england farmhouse, integrating today’s efficient technologies into a home for a vermont family of four. it is our belief that living sustainably can be facilitated by beautiful, comfortable, and practical design. when architecture and technology are used wisely together to utilize the power of the sun and other renewable energy resources, our impact on this earth is greatly reduced. as we construct our solar-powered home this summer we hope to offer a sustainable solution to life in the 21st century. we invite you to follow our construction progress over the next 12 weeks via the weekly videos we will be posting with planet forward. it is our hope to extend this learning opportunity to a greater community beyond middlebury, and inspire others to turn to sustainable design practices as well. please stay tuned! for more information about the middlebury solar decathlon team, please visit http://solardecathlon.middlebury.edu/

looking to keep track of team middlebury?

click here to view the previous idea submission from middlebury’s solar decathlon team. for access to the entire archive of middlebury solar decathlon 2011 videos: visit the member page

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community farms foster food security and tap public space

thu, 11 aug 2011 13:00:37 +0000

if each community is self-sufficient in one staple – oil (e.g. avocado, macadamia, olive, canola, non-pungent mustard), sweetener (sugar cane, beet sugar, honey, pear concentrate, grape concentrate etc), some kind of starch or carbohydrate (e.g. tapioca, barley, arrowroot, sweet potato, oats etc), a vegetable protein (legumes or quinoa or amaranth, etc.) – it can increase food security and involve people in a feeling of successfully “growing their own.” you’d have to put production equipment in the community and make the whole cycle local, so there’s mechanical as well as agricultural knowledge. each community could pick one or two staples that are suited to their area and climate. convert public wasted space into growing plots – on shop roofs, on outdoor walls, along subdivision fences, on road verges (u.s.: “nature strips”) so that there’s no big impact on the space people use but the crop is kind of everywhere. or, get people to contribute one veggie bed’s worth of space each in a giant distributed “urban farm.” harvest surpluses could be exchanged with neighboring communities that are self-sufficient in something different.

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ecotech strikes agreement with mohawk tribe self-sufficiency center

fri, 05 aug 2011 09:00:58 +0000

ecotech fuels enters into a joint venture with the native self-sufficiency center of the st. regis mohawk tribe (new york) that will convert local waste materials into advanced synfuels — and provide cash for mohawk youth programs.

learn more about ecotech fuels and its mission to transform waste into fuel. the idea earned ecotech a nomination in planet forward’s april 2011 pbs special, “the energy of innovation”.

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