Home Design of the Future
Science CPT
Sustainable Ecosystems
In my garden I'll have a variety of plants. Most plants are able to thrive in this environment, the climate usually provides good temperatures and enough precipitation for good growing. I would grow the average plants like carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, raspberries, and herbs like mint leaves, basil, and rosemary. I would not use any pesticides or herbicides, because I'm eating these foods and ew who wants to eat those kinds of chemicals? Also many of these plants grow in large numbers seasonally, so even if some was damaged by pests there would be more.
For means of transportation, I would have an electric car (Hybrid) , specifically a Honda Insight Hybrid because while that type of car is good for the environment as it has little-no greenhouse gas emissions, and does not run on a non-renewable resource, it is also one of the least expensive types of hybrid.
I would have garbage bins instead of bags because the bins are re-usable but plastic bags are not, even if they are biodegradable, animals can still choke on them, and plastic bags are very bad for the environment. I would have a recycling system as well, separating bottles and papers and plastics etc.. into separate bins.
The local zoo near my house hosts the endangered species of the African Wild Dog, which my family has chosen to sponsor, because they are endangered and very close to becoming critically endangered. They play an important role in the African Food Chain and their decreasing numbers will affect all the food webs of their ecosystem.
Green Environment
Transportation
Sponsored Animal
Atoms, Elements, and Compounds
Toxic Household Chemicals
Bleach
Cleaners
Oven Cleaners- Sodium Hydroxide (Lye): Caustic, strong irritant, burns to both skin and eyes. Inhibits reflexes, will cause severe tissue damage if swallowed
Toilet Bowl Cleaners- Hydrochloric acid: Highly corrosive, irritant to both skin and eyes. Damages kidneys and liver. Hypochlorite Bleach: Corrosive, irritates or burns eyes, skin and respiratory tract. May cause pulmonary edema, vomiting or coma if ingested. Contact with other chemicals may cause chlorine fumes which may be fatal
Anti-bacterial Cleaners- May contain: Triclosan: Absorption through the skin can be tied to liver damage
Air Fresheners
The Elements of Bleach
Some elements and compounds usually used in or as bleach are:
- Chlorine
- Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl)
- Calcium Hypochlorite Ca(OCl)2
- Hydrogen Peroxide
My chosen element for this compound is Chlorine.
Chlorine is in group 17, it is part of the halogen family, and it would be classified as a non-metal.
The Characteristics of Electricity
Keeping Up With What's *Current* ... Electricity Wise
Some structural and physical ways I would make my house more energy savvy are to have a proper insulation system so that in summer cold air is spread around more easily so my heating and cooling system doesn't waste a lot energy (and spread hot air in winter). To go along with my solar electricity, my house would have a passive solar design that takes advantages of the site -for example a deep north-south lot with the house on the north side, so its easier for the sun to shine on the south side-, climate and materials to minimize energy usage. It would be built with enough direction for the sun to shine through on it for long periods of time, with lots of windows facing south to absorb its light,that don't have tree's blocking them. The materials like brick, stone, and tile would also absorb heat coming in through the windows.
In my house I'll install energy efficient appliances, like a high efficiency washer and dryer, toilet, low pressure sinks and shower heads, dimmer led lights, and a energy saving fridge/ freezer. The high efficiency products that I just listed will use less water and less energy per use. Also I would make sure I had good windows and doors so that cold/warm air wouldn't get in or out of the house and cause the heating or cooling system to use more energy. Lastly, I would have electricity monitors to help - as the name implies- monitor how much electricity appliances use.
The Study of The Universe
Stargazing
Jansen and Lippershey lived in the same town and both worked on making optical instruments. Scholars generally argue, however, that there is no real evidence that Lippershey did not develop his telescope independently. So Lippershey, gets the credit for the telescope, because of the patent application, while Jansen is credited with inventing the compound microscope.
In 1609, Galileo Galilei had designed one of his own — without ever seeing one. He made some improvements on his initial design and presented his device to the Venetian Senate. Galileo was the first to point a telescope skyward. He was able to make out mountains and craters on the moon, as well as a ribbon of diffuse light arching across the sky — the Milky Way. He also discovered the sun had sunspots, and Jupiter had its own set of moons.
The British ethnographer and mathematician Thomas Harriot also used a spyglass to observe the moon. Harriot became famous for his travels to the early settlements in Virginia to detail resources there. His August 1609 drawings of the moon predate Galileo's, but were never published.
Elsewhere in Europe, scientists began improving the telescope. Johannes Kepler studied the optics and designed a telescope with two convex lenses, which made the images appear upside down. Working from Kepler's writings, Isaac Newton reasoned it was better to make a telescope out of mirrors rather than lenses and built his famous reflecting telescope in 1668.
3D Printer
Another device that I'd have in my house that has been used for space exploration is the 3D printer. The first 3D printer was created by Charles W. (Chuck) Hull in the mid-1980s. Hull founded a company called 3D Systems, which made stereolithography machines. Stereolithography is an expensive commercial technique, with machines usually costing $100,000 or more. Today 3D Systems sells 3D printers that use a variety of technologies and range from entry-level kits to advanced commercial systems, as well as providing on-demand parts services, mostly to business users.
Home Design
References/ Citation
Sustainable Ecosystems
Clarke, W. (2014, February 2). Top 10 Least Expensive Hybrids and Electric Cares for 2014. In edmunds.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-least-expensive-hybrids-and-electric-cars-for-2014.html
Sigler, J. (n.d.). The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow. In Spark People. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1293
The Study of The Universe
Hoffman, T. (2011, October 17). 3D Printing: What You Need To Know. In PC. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394722,00.asp
Atoms, Elements, and Compounds
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2015). Bleach. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/69164/bleach
The Characteristics of Electricity
Energy Saving Appliances. (2014). In Enersource. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.enersource.com/energy-savings-tips/Pages/energy-saving-appliances.aspx