A Home Design Of The Future
By: Victoria Macerola
The Location Of My Future Home:
My eco- friendly, modern home would be located in the Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome (dark shaded area on map to the right). This specific biome is ideal for cultivating crops because of the higher temperatures. It also contains the greatest biodiversity of all the biomes which means it can house many different animal species and plant species. Lastly, this biome is dominated by deciduous trees for year round oxygen. More specifically, I would like to have my house in Northern Ontario; near Barrie's Bay. I plan on having a lot of land around my home which fits in with the location because there is a lot of free land up north.
Plants Around My Home:
I plan on having a huge garden in my backyard. This way I can monitor the chemicals put on my food and the processes that the food goes through this way I can grow as near organic food as possible. The use of pesticides will be limited in my garden but a little is inevitable, however natural processes and remedies will be used as well. To last through the winter, I will freeze the leftover crops to use up during the non- growing season and purchase the rest from the grocery store. Three quarters of the garden will produce Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs. Where the leftover quarter will focus on developing the Aloe Vera plant. My future home and future lifestyle in this home will be built on the Aloe Vera Plant. This is because this amazing plant is so versatile and can be used for many different needs. Aloe Vera can be used to heal burns and cuts/ wounds, it can be used as a natural laxative when eaten and contains many vitamins. Aloe Vera can also be used as a skin moisturizer, an acne/ blemish fighter and can strengthen teeth and promote healthy gums. For more info on Aloe Vera visit the address listed below. This is the future of my garden. To have consistent water for the plants; I will keep a rain catcher at the side of my home, that way I am using rain water that is free instead of consuming our natural water resources; such as city water.
Aloe Vera Amazing Benefits and Untold Secrets
Three Chemicals Found in My Home:
All- Purpose Cleaners
Ammonia is found in all purpose cleaners around my home. Since killing germs is a necessity; having these harsh cleaners is must. The fumes can irritate eyes and lungs; can cause burns or rashes on skin; can produce deadly chloramine gas if mixed with chlorine containing products.
Window and Glass Cleaner
The basic ingredients of window/glass cleaners are ammonia and isopropanol. These products may be irritating to the eyes, skin, nose, and throat. If swallowed, they may cause drowsiness, unconsciousness, or death.
Air Fresheners
Air fresheners contain formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, p-dichlorobenzene, and aerosol propellants. These chemicals are thought to cause cancer and brain damage. They also are strong irritants to eyes, skin, and throat. These ingredients are usually highly flammable. Additionally, solid fresheners usually cause death if eaten by people or pets.
Safety Tips When Handling these Chemicals- Always wear Protecting gloves and Keep Out of Reach of Children**
-Ammonia:
The chemical formula for Ammonia is NH3 . Which means that there is one part Nitrogen and 3 parts Hydrogen. Nitrogen is located in Group 15 and is a non- metal. Large amounts of nitrogen are combined with hydrogen to produce ammonia in a method known as the Haber process. Large amounts of ammonia are then used to create fertilizers and explosives.
Hybrid Cars:
I would choose to park a Hybrid Car in my driveway. This is because by switching from a gas guzzler to a hybrid, you can literally save the earth a couple of tons of greenhouse gases. For the fifth consecutive year, Honda’s natural gas-powered Civic GX took top honors as the greenest vehicle. Hybrid Cars are vehicle's that uses two or more distinct power sources to travel. The two powers usually combined are an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors. If we, as a society could overcome the 3 issues with Hybrid's such as:
- High Cost
- Battery Life
- Inconvenience
The Hybrid concept would become much more accepted and used.
Website: http://www.hybridcars.com/global-warming-your-vehicle-choice/
Twitter: @hybridcars
Waste Management Systems:
The waste system that would be in affect in my home is to compost, recycle and limit garbage. Waste production will be monitored by only purchasing items with no or little waste or wrapping in general. I can properly dispose of food items by composting and during the summer use in my garden as a soil infuser of natural minerals. Lastly, sorted recycling bins to separate paper from plastic to reusable containers and materials.
REDUSE, REUSE AND RECYCLE!
Sponsoring Polar Bears:
My family and I will sponsor the Polar Bear exhibit at our local zoo. Biologists estimate there are 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears in the world. About 60% of those live in Canada. In May 2008, the U.S listed the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, citing sea ice losses in the Arctic from global warming as the single biggest threat to polar bears. Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding, and in some cases, denning. In recent years, ice losses in the Arctic have been accelerating.
Energy Sources for My Home:
My home will rely on wind power for electrical energy. Wind Power is reliable and is more cost-competitive than new sources of energy supplied by coal, small hydro or nuclear power. The fuel (wind) that turns the turbine blades is free and the electricity it produces is can be used to run your home and can be sold for consumption by others. Unlike other energy supply alternatives, the cost of building wind energy continues to decline, with dramatic drops over the past three years. I will also have solar panels on the roof of my home to heat the pool and contribute to collecting electricity. Using these 2 methods will reduce the amount of energy I waste and pollution I omit into the environment. The light bulbs I choose to use are LED light bulbs (Light Emitting Diode), because they are much more energy efficient than incandescent or CFL. LED light bulbs will eventually be what we use to replace incandescent bulbs- CFL's are a temporary solution to energy efficient lighting. LED bulbs last up to 10 times as long as compact fluorescents, and far longer than typical incandescent bulbs. Since LED's do not have a filament, they are not damaged under circumstances when regular bulb would be broken. These light bulbs do not cause heat build-up, and no mercury is used in the manufacturing of LED's.
Appliances in My Home:
My home will consist of many earth friendly, energy saving, cost efficient appliances. Starting with a tankless water heater for my shower, (as seen below in the picture). This way the water doesn't build up and continue being heated when it is it needed. I think that also having Coldwater washing machines saves money in not having to heat the water. it is also a lot gentler on the clothes. I will have a smaller fridge; so it does not consume as much energy and build up old foods items. These appliances as a whole will for sure have an ENERGUIDE label and follow the EnergyStar program.
-Tankless Water Heater-
Space Discoveries In My Home:
My home contains 2 space inventions that are in our everyday life. One being Memory Foam in our mattress or pillows. Memory foam, also known as temper foam, was developed under a NASA contract in the 1970s that set out to improve seat cushioning and crash protection for airline pilots and passengers. Memory foam has widespread commercial applications, in addition to the popular mattresses and pillows. Second being, cordless power tools. The first cordless power tool was unveiled by Black & Decker in 1961. In the mid-1960s, NASA developed a contract with Black and Decker. The tool company developed a zero-impact wrench for the Gemini project that spun bolts in zero gravity without spinning the astronaut. Black & Decker also designed a cordless rotary hammer drill for the Apollo moon program. The drill was used to extract rock samples from the surface of the moon and could operate at extreme temperatures and in zero-atmosphere conditions. These 2 inventions are in our homes and used everyday without even knowing their origins in space.