Covered in Trees

The most impressive energy system on earth does not involve fossil fuels, but lies within every cell of billions of leaves.

http://www.solarbotanic.com/

http://www.ct-si.org/news/press/item.html?id=4053

Solar Botanic has designed artificial trees and plants which are so lifelike that to most casual observers they are living trees and plants.

In fact, each tree or plant is a powerhouse of renewable energy harvesting the eternal profligate power of the sun, wind and rain.

The essential element in this technology is Solar Botanic's artificial leaf (Nanoleaf) which captures the sun's radiant energy in photo voltaic and thermo voltaic cells converting the radiation into electricity.

Simultaneously as the wind blows the layers of voltaic material in the stems, twigs and branches are moved, compressed and stretched, creating electricity.

Thus as the sun shines, the winds blow and the rain falls, millions of micro circuits are activated, each making its contribution to the electrical energy of the tree.

An average tree with a canopy of about 6 sq metres can create enough energy to provide for the needs of an average household.

Solar Botanic trees can be used to service a single household or they can be used in situations where natural growing groups of trees would previously have been used, such as along motorways, in suburban streets or parks where they can make a significant contribution to the national electrical grid

Nature's Clean up Crew

Pests?

So, since we're thinking 'Au-natural' here, what about pest control and the chemicals that are involved in controlling poisonous, dangerous or ugh Animals!!?!

The usual suspects people try to keep from their homes are:

Ants

Spiders

Flying insects of all kinds but especially Mosquitoes

Roaches

Rats

Mice

Squirrels

Possums

Skunks

Bears

Big Cats

Big Dogs / Wolves

Foxes

Snakes

Lizards

Birds - have you seen the mess a flock of pigeons can make!!?

Bats

Feel free to comment if you want to throw others into the mix but lets start with these and see how to control, or more importantly, incorporate into this human landscape.

Animals and insects can be beautiful, dangerous and truly wild, even in close proximity to large populations of humans. Disease can run unchecked through populations of rats & rodents that could then be passed to humans. Looking back as recently as the 1800's, We have been taught to fear 'uncontrolled' populations of animals in close vicinity to humanity. Events like the Black Plague teach much about how to much Au-Natural can truly suck.

Lets add another factor... animals can be useful when controlled.

It's just been recently that humans have figured out how to *exclude* everything from our "inside" spaces; typically using harsh chemical substances. How do we do that with the Gaiaship? I mean come on! With a name like Gaiaship we have to take at least some 'Earth' with us inside. The whole point of this is true sustainability in a compact form. Sustainability for the human biosphere includes a huge number of lesser species, whether we like it or not.

Chemical substances cannot be allowed to concentrate to hazardous levels in the>95% Recycling that's going on here. We capture rainwater for use on site, grey water from tubs and sinks is being used to irrigate the landscaping. So, if we can't use chemicals, what are more organic methods? Ah, useful Critters! Natures pre-built 'nano-machines'.

Ants are scavengers - natures true small waste disposal system. They can be painful and problematic, example 1: fire-ants in Texas, or they can be rather innocuous like black sugar ants. These tiny critters are usually seen as little trails of moving dots to spilled foods. Ants can also be contained, and displayed to good effect. Truly natures ultimate, pint sized clean up crew. Think dead mouse: rot or be consumed by ants? Which is going to take less time? Which will smell better? Not the rotting corpse covered in flies...

So, we keep the ants and perhaps even; dare I suggest it - pick the kind we want and foster them to the exclusion of other species?  Competition for 'picking up' after humans tasks will happen; we just try and pick winners.  Fill the niche.

Spiders - the hunters & killers of the micro world.  Pest and pest control in their own right - if the mosquitoes (something we have to control) go crazy and breed out of control... the spiders fight back with methods of their own. But again; we have to fill the niche - picking a relatively benign spider (I'm not making the call on which... I'll leave that to the Biology professionals) to foster.  For a truly bizarre mental picture... think about air intakes into the base / utility areas screened for pests first by a horde of non-poisonous spiders; then of course by more conventional means like screens; sterilization etc.  But first crack at the inbound pests are our very own pet spiders.  

FYI - I'm getting shivers down my back just posting about this... I suffer from mild arachnophobia.  

Mosquitoes!!  Ah the most loathsome of flying insects simply because it feasts on our very flesh and there is little that can be done about it... Or is there.  Screens on windows and doors of course.  Control of any and all standing water; no stagnant pools.  Water is captured; re-used and controlled on campus.  And most importantly... predators:  Birds & Bats in the air; fish and frogs in the water.  

Roaches - I got nothing here.  My house is clean of them; but I know others that can't seem to keep them at bay.  Perhaps an ant that would dine on them?

Lets turn next to the little rodents.  Control of these little buggers is the purview of another level of critter.  We're intruding on macro territory here because some of these things... rabbit & squirrel for instance are welcomed in human territory for the most part.  But, mice and rats are more likely to live indoors; where the people do and this is a real health issue.  So; controlling these guys in our ecosystem:  Snakes & Lizards.  Yup I said invite non-poisonous reptiles into our utility spaces; foster them by giving them monitored dens and clear access to the spaces between the walls.  Natures own; highly efficient, self propelled & motivated snake-bot.  

Now I'm not saying that we should simply let these sometimes dangerous critters run completely wild.  Rather I'd use them for pest control; house them under lights and show them off to people in an educational center.  I'd also tag them with RFID's and track their movement throughout the facility using strategically placed scanners.  Poisionous ones would be captured & released well away from the facility. 

Now for the flying rodents.  Austin Texas has had a thing for bats.  It's very proud of it's very own; downtown colony of the largest gathering of Mexican Freetail bats in the world.  There are statues and educational field trips; a even mediocre hockey team (iceskating in Texas!?!)  In the Gaiaship we play host to our own (tagged & tracked) population of these night-flying bug eaters. 

The biggest issue I have with bats is their waste!!!  OMG that stuff stinks and the insects that thrive in it are freaky cool; but highly undesired in close proximity to healthy minded humans.  

So I propose a design consideration in particular favor of the bats: they have roosts designed for them overhead of the psudo-swamp.  Already covered for capturing methane releases from the final steps of facility waste water; the bats guano is captured by the flowing waste water; processed automatically and it's bio-mass is harvested in the methane & syngas energy systems. 

Slightly up the scale we get to nuisance critters for the Texas area Skunks; Possums and the 'little-bears of human trash-bins' raccoons.  Again; using the MO of capture; tag and release; we would attempt to keep these populations under control using snakes... and another step up the food-chain: predatory birds.

Ah; the Majesty of a hawk stooping- there's almost nothing that compares with watching a hunting bird drop from the sky, flaring at the last second to snatch it's prey at top speed.  We would encourage the sport of hawking on the campus of a Gaiaship.  Owls too have a place in our scheme.  Holes and nests for them are factored into the design of park spaces & on the primary walls of the facility.  

Song-birds too are especially encouraged.  As a natural and very pleasant addition to the trees we would focus some design effort specifically to enable their residence.  For instance planting specific attractive plants (like fruti & nut bearing) and putting up protected nests.  

Next step up the food-chain: our very own pets.  Cats and Dogs can fill their own niche as well.  Preying on snakes; birds, large bugs, mice and rats alike they were early domesticates for a reason.  However; they too can and do get out of line... and at this point we're beginning to get into possible human harm levels.  Dogs & cats would need to be domesticated and human controlled.  Dogs are more likely to be strictly controlled in the facility by human owners.  One thing we don't want is an uncontrolled pack roaming the hallways.  Cats on the other hand are prime for the line of defence the human population will need from all the other critters.  Encouraging and fostering a dense colony of 'strays' (Again tagged, fostered & monitored) would be a great method to keep the less desirables at bay.  

Another step up and we're looking at the really big animals including bears and big cats.  These are excluded from our plan because they compete directly with humans and can cause serious harm to humans if not strictly controlled.  We'll have to resort to the time honored method of human hunting to control these, though the point shouldn't have to be made that tranking and releasing is the usual 'hunt'.  

All in all; we build a true ecosystem.  Carefully selecting compatable & complementary species at each level to fill each ecological niche... no poisons required.  

Open Source Architecture

So I've been working on my business plan for Drake Eco Developments, and I've come up with an interesting fork in the planning. 

Step 1: Develop Gaiaship Presentation, 3d Visual walk throughs, digital representation

Raise  money for engineering, BIS & architectural drawing - Likely Venture Capital or government grants because we're talking a couple million here to pay the entire team to do this.  

Step 2: Develop complete Engineering, BIS & architectural drawings.  Down to the last detail if possible - including options like mountain terrain, rainforest, desert, flatland prairie and even moon-base.  Forcing the team to think about all the different terrain types will ensure that this concept is truly portable and usable around the world.  

Fork:

A. If able to find a developer willing to build - do it!!! Build one, build two, build 200 of these things around the world.  Make Billions for All Involved!

B. If unable to find a developer - Liscense / Sell plans to interested parties.  Make a million or so - hopefully pay back investors.  Be the primary consultant for projects where plans have been licensed.  

C. If unable to find a developer *and* customers for the Gaiaship are few and far between - OPEN SOURCE THE PLANS.  

Yep - I said give it away.  

And then, following the Software Open Source model, sell support and consulting services for Eco Developments around the world.  

B and C are similar enough that after the initial few sales of the plans that I might open source the prototype plans anyway.  I'd love to see what a global network of Architects and Engineers, not to mention all the studants out there could and would contribute.  

I'm just now exploring what others have contributed to Open Source Architecture, and I'm kind of surprised to find very little so far.  Amazing considering the very real benifit open source has provided the software world.  

One Gem that's really helping my search: Carmon Sinclair's presentation to TED on Open Source Architecture.

Update: The Open Architecture Network - Open Source Design with sustainable focus & developing countries.  I'll likely start the Gaiaship here since the protections are built in with publishing and collaboration.  

A poet on Call - After the Bailout

Excellent!!! I love a good poem:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95567782&sc=emaf

$700 billion is more than enough money to buy every able-bodied American a chain saw, a solar-powered generator and a stake in a communal well and windmill. Also, red dirt and plum trees. That would probably only cost about $100 billion, and you can use the other $600 billion to buy everybody their house outright.

Cleantech

http://cleantech.com/

While I'm really excited about the potential for investment from governmental sources due to the increased awareness of the requirement for infrastructure investement; private capital markets are still active even in this slumping economy.  

'Green' Jobs

INTRODUCTION

Dwindling natural resources, growing global demand for energy, climate change – these issues

are irrevocably altering our global economy. In this report, the U.S. Conference of

Mayors and Global Insight have examined the economic benefits of the 'Green Economy' -

that part of economic activity which is devoted to the reduction of fossil fuels, the increase

of energy efficiency, and the curtailment of greenhouse gas emissions. The greening of the

U.S. economy, of the global economy, is not a dismantling of the past, but a new step forward

– the next step in a continuous process of economic growth and transformation that

began with industrialization and led us through the high-tech revolution.

The economic advantages of the Green Economy include the macroeconomic benefits of investment

in new technologies, greater productivity, improvements in the US balance of

trade, and increased real disposable income across the nation. They also include the microeconomic

benefits of lower costs of doing business and reduced household energy expenditures.

These advantages are manifested in job growth, income growth, and of course, a

cleaner environment.

http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/GreenJobsReport.pdf

Note that this paper doesn't project jobs related to *new* green building development.  Obviously some of the job growth from other sectors will support the GaiaShip but actually designing doesn't count... oh well.  Just means the total numbers of 'green' jobs is a tiny bit larger.