5/26 Initia Thoughts

When I first looked at this question, my thoughts started to wonder what a home or building would be like if it incorporated some of the sustainable options that we discussed for use outside on a broader scale, inside. Since we have already neglected watershed in many areas, what if we opened up that watershed to run through our home or buildings? I try to imagine having a small creek or valley running through my living room and I actually like the idea of incorporating such nature inside. I often think of structure walls as a strong barrier between the elements of the outside environment, which really is their purpose. It wouldn't be so bad though, if we had green space in our homes, would it? We try to emulate it with fake plants, water falls, decorative fish takes, etc. so maybe we are already indirectly longing for nature indoors.

I think these imaginations kind of answer the question of how to bring energy efficiency and water conservation into the home. Living machines are certainly similar to bringing streams/nature into our homes the way they have plant beds that clean our water for alternate, on-site use. These are certainly feasible options, but it will take a strong force to start transitioning. Conserving though, would be the first objective to making our indoor spaces more efficient. Using less energy in our lighting, HVAC, electronics, etc. will make a huge difference alone.

Re-use is also a big factor in being more efficient. I think of my family's home, and realize we waste A LOT. Sadly to admit, we do not recycle and with six people living in the home, garbage bags pile up fast. My family, although I am trying to spread the education, does not make very sustainable conscious decisions. We use a lot of paper towels/plates/etc., waste a lot of food, use a lot of water, and run HVAC systems heavily most of the year. These are conditions reflective of a lot of family homes and indoor spaces around the country.

So again, conservation is a main component and a good starting point for energy efficiency and water use. Then when we add LED lights, automatic dimmers, automatic climate control, water aerators, etc. the efforts will make that much more of a difference.