Phytoremediation-a safe alternative?
Recently I had the benefit of sitting in on lecture about using plants to treat environmental problems. The lecture was given by Dr. Lee A. Newman, who has been conducting research in the area of phytoremediation for the past 16 years. Her work at the University of South Carolina focuses on using plants [...]
Waterless Urinals – How do they work?
I am fascinated by waterless urinals. The very notion that a ammonia and nitrogen filled bodily fluid can be disposed of by a device using no flushing or running water is truly amazing to me. After doing a little reading into the science behind the products I am now even more impressed at the simple [...]
2010 Olympic Village Using Sewage-Heat Recovery
After looking at a number of alternatives, the city of Vancouver chose to follow the example set by the city of Oslo, Norway and will implement North America’s first sewer heat recovery system for the 2010 winter games. It is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
An enormous amount of thermal energy is lost when the [...]
Clivus Multrum Composting Toilets
Recently, I had the good fortune to take a tour of the sustainable design holy site that is the Philip Joseph Merrill Center in Annapolis MD. It is a great example of the successful implementation of sustainable design and besides it is on a strikingly beautiful piece of land on the edge of the Chesapeake [...]
Chicago’s Pervious Pavement Alleys
A recent article in the New York Times describes the challenges posed to Chicago by the thousands of small alleys snaking through the city. The nearly 2,000 miles of back alley service streets are an important part of the city infrastructure because they alleviate trash and parking problems on the main, frontage, streets. The [...]
