Today, many of us live with technology in our homes that 50 years ago would have seemed unbelievable. Motion sensor lighting, automatically timed coffee pots and temperature regulation, and lights that respond to voice commands; most of these seem somewhat commonplace.
But what if instead of having an advanced water filtration system in your refrigerator, your whole house actually was a water filtration system? Or a giant air filter? Or a self-contained farming unit?
Well, it’s in the works. We are presently moving toward a whole new idea of what “Sustainable Living” looks like.
As we speak, model units of these advanced types of sustainable housing, often referred to as “alternative living” and “eco housing,” are being constructed. One water-based concept known as “The Lily Pad,” is described as, “A completely recyclable floating ecopolis that encourages positive eco-accountancy of the building in the oceanic ecosystems by producing oxygen and electricity, by recycling the CO2 and the waste, by purifying and softening biologically used waters and by integrating ecological niches, aquaculture fields and biotic corridors on and under its body to meet its own food needs.” 1
This Lily Pad means business. While the bottom half of the structure is underwater, recycling waste and acting as a bed for natural habitats, the upper section is covered in solar panels collecting energy from the sun.
Another project, “An Eiffel Tower inspired” high-rise, would be built with a goal of generating solar energy and purifying the air. These are not the solar panels that some of our parent’s hippie friends installed over their shag carpeted dens.
The panels on these prototypes not only generate energy for a single room or home, but create energy that can be funneled and used in other locations. As far as air purification goes, this tower takes house plants to a whole new level by incorporating “sky gardens” into the design of the high-rise building. These gardens are not just attractive, but ensure purified air for all who reside. 1
Next up, a prototype called “The Vertical Farm.”
This concept is set up to solve a major problem: Our population as a species is rapidly increasing while our land on which to grow food to feed said population is shrinking.
The solution: self-contained vertical farming units. These units boast a ton of benefits, both environmental and social. Vertical farms have reduced space requirements, the ability to produce year-round, and a reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
With the ability to produce year round crops and a massive new supply of unused space to grow them (think up, up, up…) there would hopefully be a reduced percentage of the population who suffer from malnutrition. The developers of this technology also envision a lessened conflict over natural resources, and a reduction in the spread of infectious diseases. 2
With all of these concepts, the goal is the same: to create an environment in which humans and nature can co-exist sustainably.
Sounds good. So what’s the problem?
In undertaking the construction of a sustainable structure, and implementing a sustainable community, many factors come into play. One of these is, you guessed it… money.
The people with the money need to be convinced that if they invest in a project they will make their money back. One sustainable housing project that is currently underway in Europe, the SHE project, is attempting to address this economic issue. They are evaluating their project’s pros and cons through environmental, economic, and social lenses. So far they have found that, “Calculations reflecting savings in power, money, and pollution in the demonstration projects are helping to convince governments of the benefits of sustainable housing.” 3
Exactly how far in the future will we see these projects move from prototypes to actual production? That’s up in the air. But the sooner developers can convince governments that these sustainable living environments are beneficial socially, environmentally, and economically, the sooner we will all be living in our own Eco Houses, floating on our very own self-sustaining water filters, and coming home from a hard day’s work to our apartments in a vertical farming tower.
1. www.ecofriend.org
2. www.verticalfarm.com
3. http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/newsanddoc/article_2687_en.htm
