Josh's Home Design of the Future
Grade 9 Academic Science Culminating Performance Task
Sustainable Ecosystems
In my sustainable house I haven chosen to have a wide variety of plant wildlife around my house. I specifically many chose oak and maple trees on the west side of my house because the leaves will provide shade in the summer naturally keeping my house cooler allowing me to save money and energy on air conditioning and will allow sunlight in my house during the winter when the leaves fall allowing me to save money and energy on heating. My house is in the temperate deciduous forest biome so there are many different types of ferns, bushes, hardwood trees and flowers for animals and insects to live in. In my rooftop garden I grow many different vegetables including lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beans and cucumber because they can all grow in the temperate deciduous forest biome. I grow all of my veggies organically which means i don't use pesticides because it is unnatural and bad for the environment. I also chose to add a green roof around the garden to collect rain water by the plants collecting it and evaporating it back into the atmosphere, to naturally cool down the house by absorbing sunlight and turning it into plant food, to insulate the house in winter and to clean the air by capturing airborne pollutants and atmospheric deposition.
Transportation
For my mode of transportation I have chosen the Nissan Leaf. I have chose this car because it is 100% electric so it doesn't pollute the environment with air pollutants and green house gasses. Having an electric car also saves a lot of money on gas, over the course of 8 years (15 000 miles/year) a gas car costs you approximately $16 250 where as an electric car cost only approximately $5 100. I also have a hybrid road bicycle to ride on short trips or when my Nissan Leaf is charging.
Waste Management
For my waste management systems I chose compost and recycling. I have a compost bin in my backyard to decompose foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggshells and more back into the soil for the worms. To prevent waste I also use re-useable water bottles and containers as much as possible.
Supporting the Tiger
I would choose to sponsor a tiger because tigers are one of the most endangered animals left in the world. There are only approximately 3 200 tigers left. Tigers are also my favourite animal. Tigers are from Asia, they are carnivores, they are the largest of the cat family and they can grow up to six feet, and 7 seven hundred pounds.
Household Chemicals
Three toxic chemicals that can be found in my household are bleach, car antifreeze and mothballs. The chemical I chose to focus on is bleach. Bleach is used to remove colours in fabric and to whiten things. It works by oxidizing. The main ingredient in bleach is sodium hypochlorite which is a compound of sodium, chlorine and oxygen (NaClO).
Oxygen
Group: 16
Family: Chalcogen
Non-Metal
Sodium
Group: 1
Family: Alkali Metal
Metal
Chlorine
Group: 17
Family: Halogen
Non-Metal
Electricity
For my energy source I chose solar panels because they are renewable and they don't pollute the planet. I chose solar panels as my source for electricity because the sun never runs out, there are no electricity bills, no taxes to pay, the value of the house goes up, once it is installed there is little maintenance, it will pay for itself in five years and its better for the planet. This makes it better for future generations because the planet will be less polluted.The planet will be less polluted because there are no fossil fuels created and the ozone layer is not damaged by the sun.
Energy Efficient Physical Structres
In my house I have included a green roof to add a green roof around the garden to collect rain water by the plants collecting it and evaporating it back into the atmosphere, to naturally cool down the house by absorbing sunlight and turning it into plant food, to insulate the house in winter and to clean the air by capturing airborne pollutants and atmospheric deposition. My house is also insulated to allow heat to stay in my home in the winter time. Finally I added double pained glass to help insulate my home and being able to still allow sunlight in.
Appliances
All of my appliances are energyefficient and are are all a part of energy star. This means that they require less energy to run. Meaning you can save money, energy and decrease pollution. My washing machine also only uses cold water to save money and energy having to heat up water. Finally my toilet has two settings, one meant to flush liquids (0.8 Gallons) and one to flush solids (1.6 Gallons).
Two Setting Toilet
Energy Efficient Appliances
Cold Water Washing Machine
Light Bulbs
In my energy efficient home I chose to use compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's) because they use a lot less energy than traditional light bulbs. CFL's can pay for themselves in about nine months because of the money you save on electricity. CFL's last about ten times longer and use only one third of the energy that traditional light bulbs use. They are also energy star certified.
The Study of the Universe
To explore space from home I have chose to use a telescope and a computer program called Space Engine. Telescopes work by using to lenses to focus the light and make it look like the object is closer than it really is. Space Engine is a computer program that lets you explore anywhere in the universe in three dimensions.