Written assignment #5- Biomimicry

Biomimicry is an examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate in order to solve human problems. The idea of biomimicry has been around for centuries, the best example is the early idea of flight. We are now seeing a sudden boom in biomimicry. It is no surprise that the world is running out of natural resources as well as adding pollutants to almost everything. Humans need to take action now and learn from nature in order to better themselves and their future. Though there are thousands of ideas on how to follow natures can help mankind, this example has to do with war, and finding enemies is a very safe fashion.

                Humans have five basic senses- see, smell, taste, touch, and hear. Certain animals have different senses. Take for example the shark. The shark’s senses are- smell, sight, hearing, taste, electroreption, and lateral line. We will be focusing on the sense of electroreception. Electroreception is the ability to detect the electromagnetic fields of all living things. Sharks use this sense for hunting; sharks can feel a heartbeat, as well as know how fast a heart is beating. It follows the saying as ‘a predator can smell fear,’ but in this case, the predator can actually sense your fear. So my idea is simple, to create a man made electroreceptor that can target an enemy while during war. This would be a perfect solution for any enemy hiding. Take for instance the war in Iraq or in Afghanistan. The United States military knows the enemy is living in the mountains for protection, but the US does not know where. If the US were to install a very powerful electroreception that could locate a human’s electromagnetic force, then put it on top of a jet, the US military could end this war. On the last page, there is a visual image of my idea. (Please ignore the fact that I am horrible at Microsoft paint- but I had fun playing around)

               

                As you can see from the picture, a very large electroreceptor is attached to the top of a plane. This plane then flies over and scans the ground, searching for all human heart beats. Once a person’s electromagnetic force is located, the data would be transferred onto a computer. Then it would only take time for the military to take charge. This technology would also make war a lot safer. There would be no need to have US soldiers taking camp in a warzone; they could me hundreds of miles away until the time of action is required. By using a shark’s sense to detect an enemy, the US military would always be on the offensive side of battle, never having to be surprised of a ground attack. This technology will save many United States soldier’s lives.

reducing my footprint update

Another week has gone by, and I am still working on my goals. As just a recap, my three goals were:

1. Recycle more
2. Be more energy efficient in the house
3. Eat less pre-packaged foods

So I have been doing pretty well with my goals. I have finally gotten my whole house to start recycling. Nobody wanted to pay for it, so I just collect everything then take it to my girlfriends place, where they have unlimited recycling (so I am breaking the law for a good cause.) Besides that, I have been cutting back on the energy my house uses. When I know I am going somewhere for the night, I will unplug the two power strips in my room. I also only charge my electric toothbrush every few days, since there is no reason for it to be always charging. I have also challenged my roommates to not heat the house until November. It has been a little rough on those cold nights, but so far so good. Lastly, I finally went food shopping. I only buy food about once a month, so this was the first chance I got to purchase less packaged food. It was tough, but I really tried to stay away from packaged meats, as well as frozen foods. I will admit that I still did get a few meat items and a frozen pizza, but I really did cut back. I also purchased a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. So slowly but surely, I am reducing my footprint.

Now I need a fourth goal. My new goal will be to reduce the amount of paper plates I use. Finding clean dishes can be a challenge in my house, so I keep around paper plates in case I need a plate. I have been getting into a bad habit of always using paper plates, and that needs to stop. I will try to use regular dishes at all times. If it means washing more dishes than my roommates, so be it.  

Sustainable bricks

There is a new design for bricks that are eco-friendly. These new bricks are created by combining sand, bacteria, calcium chloride, and urea (pee). Normal clay bricks are very energy-intensive, "producing more pollution than global air travel each year." In order to cook the clay bricks at a hot enough temperature, about 400 trees are burnt to produce 25,000 bricks. It is obvious that clay bricks are harming our environment.

These new 'Better Bricks' can fix this problem. The process for making these Better Bricks is called microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP). How it works- the sand is shaped into a cube, then add the bacteria solution and the grains of sand stick together from the chemical reaction. These Better Bricks look like sandstone but, if made correctly, they can be as strong as a normal fired-clay brick. These Better Bricks are still being tested, but if they were to replace all clay bricks, the world would reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by at least 800 million tons a year.

I think these Better Bricks are a great idea. The world is running out of natural resources, but the materials used for these bricks are almost limitless. I hope within a few years that the Better Bricks are being used for building purposes.

http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20100512/the-better-brick-2010-next-generation-winner

Sustainable Vodka

So before I go into my product, I would like to clearly state the obvious fact that most college students drink. Now I am not saying I support underage drinking, but for all of those who are above the age of 21, I have found the perfect eco friendly spirit.

While at the liquor store a few days ago, I stumbled across a new brand of vodka- 360 Vodka. This is one of the worlds first ecologically safe alcohols. This vodka bottle is almost completely made of recycled products. On the bottle it says:

• Labels made with 100% post consumer waste paper
• Four times distilled- five times filters
• Vodka distilled for optimal eco-efficiency
• Revolutionary bottle consisting of 85% recycled glass (70% post-consumer glass)

Below that, it states the environmental benefits. Here is a list of the natural resources this company saved:

• 156,004 gallons of water
• 262 million BTU's of energy
• 17,457 pounds of solid waste
• 34,099 pounds of green house gases
• 365 fully grown threes

Now that is an impressive list. After reading the bottle, I was even more curious about this new product, so I checked out the website. I was even more impressed with my findings. The main web page displays a picture of their nine flavors of vodka, plus an ecological fact ticker at the bottom, informing you of facts about depleting natural resources. They also have a link to their 'Green Initiatives.' I would high recommend that everybody read what they are doing, it truly is amazing.


At the liquor store, I stumbled across a gem. Not only is this product eco friendly, it is also offered at a great price. I purchased a half gallon at $40 (with a $10 mail in rebate, making it even more of a steal.) And since this is a large bottle, I can drink it for a while without having to purchase more bottles.


All in all, this product is a great way to help reduce my footprint. It is a large bottle, so it is helping my reduce my packaging products and I can recycle the bottle once I am done. I am very happy with this product and recommend everyone goes out and buys one. Cheers

10 toughest things to get rid of

This is an article that I found on Yahoo's Green website. This is a very interesting article because it lists some of the hardest everyday household items that you cant just throw away. Some of the items on the list I had no idea that it was bad to throw away, making this article very informative to me. Not only did this article list off the hazardous materials, but it also told you why they were dangerous, and how to properly recycle them. I never realized how easy it is to recycle some of these items, as well as all the stores that will recycle your 'junk' for free. I really liked this article because it spoke out to the every day home owner on how they can be green and how to properly recycle their old stuff. The link to the article is below, enjoy.

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/151/10-toughest-things-to-get-rid-of.html

Current Events

I just read an article saying that UPS is purchasing 130 new hybrid electric vehicles. UPS is already one of the largest private fleets of alternative fuel vehicles in the transportation industry at 2,022. These new 130 hybrids will be in service next year, with 30 going to the New York/New Jersey area and the other 100 going to California. "UPS estimates [that] these vehicles will save 66,085 gallons of fuel and 671 metric tons on CO2 annually, representing a 35% improvement in fuel economy."

UPS is setting the standards on being a green transportation company. UPS currently drives hybrid vehicles in eight countries. Other companies should follow in UPS' footsteps.

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/21155

Reducing my footprint, step 1

I just set up a basic recycling program in the house. I found a large empty box we had laying around and designated that the official recycling box. Then I went around the house and collected all empty soda cans, bottles, cardboard, etc. and added them to the collection. Every week or two I will personally take our goods and properly recycle them. I have also told my roommates who are on board to help make this house more green. This is just the first step, I will be keeping updates on this down the road on how successful things are going.