Green Wall

Getting close to putting a shed in my back yard. I spent much of the last month creating a spot for it and now am looking at pre-built or diy type sheds. Either way, I got to thinking a green-wall on at least one side of the shed would be neat. So, rather than weeding in the backyard, I slipped inside to my office and logged into Google. Found this site with lots of pictures and references for green-walls.

Gave me lots of ideas.

[Image captured from Gardenopolis: http://gardenopolis.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/growing-a-green-wall/]

Modular Refrigerator Design

Here's a clever idea for a refrigerator design. It takes the idea of a separate freezer and cooler section even further. Break the appliance up into even smaller units. Each unit takes less energy to cool and loses less cold air when you open the door.

We bought one of those fridges with the freezer on the bottom several years ago and love it. It made so much sense to put all the items on the top in the compartment that was opened the most often and the freezer on the bottom that is opened less often.



[Image captured from http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/07/22/flatshare-fridge-stackable-refrigerator-a-la-legos/]

Tree House

I love this idea. I've known for years about shaping the growth of trees for landscape design. The most common of these is the living fence. Prune and stake a tree out to take on the shape of a fence. A famous example of this (in USA) is the living fence around George Washington's garden at his home in Virginia. He did this back in the 1700's and the fence is still there.

So lets take it a step further and integrate a living tree into the structure of our homes using prefabricated forms to help shape the trees into the desired support structures. Even if the tree dies, you still have this framework that was grown to specs. I suspect it would be incredibly strong. Watch the video for a quick explanation by Mitchell Joachim.



Short animation of what this structure might look like.



[Image captured from Inhabitat.com: http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/11/20/video-grow-a-living-treehouse-with-terreform/fabtreehab1/]

Capturing energy from moving cars

Interesting idea. Cars move over plates that generate electricity. My understanding is that this will be used in a shopping center in the UK and the energy will be used to run the cash registers. What if you put something like this at every intersection. They already install pressure plates to help control the lights. With a little modification, you could also help keep the lights running. Add a solor cell and they might be self sufficient?

I had a similar idea while watching the students stream into school a couple of months ago. What if we attached generators to the entry doors. The movement of the doors opening and closing could generate power. I'm pretty sure the power generated as the kids rush out of school every day could light an entire city block!

[via DailyMail] [Image captured from the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193070/Shoppers-cars-soon-able-power-supermarkets.html]

Alternative Building--Vela Creations

Ran across a recommendation for Vela Creations, clicked over and lost myself there for a couple of hours. Here is how the authors describe their site:

Vela Creations is a documentation of our experiences and projects living off the grid. We are a young couple striving to fulfill our lifestyles through sustainable means. Our hope is that our experiences will serve as guidence to those interested in the technologies and methods illustrated on this site.

If you've ever fantasized about building your own home then you'll love this site. It's full of pictures, information and resources. My guess, is I will kill at least another hour or two exploring these pages and following the links.

[via Boing Boing]
[Image: "Building a concrete wall": Captured from Vela Creations:http://www.velacreations.com/concrete.html]

Aptera Electric Car

Saw this car on a TV commercial and did a little looking on the web to get more information. It's an Aptera electric vehicle and should be available for purchase next year in California. Found this Youtube video put together by Popular Mechanics that has the CEO explaining all the design features. The video could be used as a lead-in to many different kinds of classroom discussions and activities: design, form-vs-function, environment, transportation, etc.

Or forget the kids and give your inner-geek a little treat and watch the video.



[Image captured from Aptera Home Page: http://www.aptera.com/]