These vegetated surfaces don’t just look pretty. They have other benefits as well, including cooling city blocks, reducing loud noises, and improving a building’s energy efficiency.What’s more, a recent modeling study shows that green walls can potentially reduce large amounts of air pollution in what’s called a “street canyon,” or the corridor between tall buildings.
For the study, Thomas Pugh, a biogeochemist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and his colleagues created a computer model of a green wall with generic vegetation in a Western European city. Then they recorded chemical reactions based on a variety of factors, such as wind speed and building placement.
The simulation revealed a clear pattern: A green wall in a street canyon trapped or absorbed large amounts of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter—both pollutants harmful to people, said Pugh. Compared with reducing emissions from cars, little attention has been focused on how to trap or take up more of the pollutants, added Pugh, whose study was published last year in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
That’s why the green-wall study is “putting forward an alternative solution that might allow [governments] to improve air quality in these problem hot spots,” he said.Compared with reducing emissions from cars, little attention has been focused on how to trap or take up more of the pollutants, added Pugh, whose study was published last year in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
That’s why the green-wall study is “putting forward an alternative solution that might allow [governments] to improve air quality in these problem hot spots,” he said.We need more of this.
i would never leave this bed
perfect
I just imagine making that into a giant nest of warm blankets and watching rain fall down on the roof
I WANT THIS SO BAD
Stargazing would be amazing in a room like this!!!! (if it was far from light pollution)
Image watching comets! meteor showers! Setting up a sizable telescope in you room and marvel at the rings of Saturn or Jupiter and its moons!!!!
hnnnng
imagine climbing out that window and banging on your roof
awesome.
(Source: heroicize)
Thinking I should consider having #breakfast at #home from time to time, instead of at #work all the time. #garbagetruck #HaulAll #deliverytruck #upstruck #ups #TheUPSStore #photos #family
“My family and I took a drive in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta one evening,” writes Jenaya Launstein, “and found this adorable one-year-old brown-phase black bear cub climbing a tree while his mom foraged on berries.” The Alberta student found a hole through all the autumn foliage and used a Nikon D70s and a 70-210mm lens at its longest length to capture the scene. (via Photo of the Week: Climbing Technique - National Wildlife Federation)
We The Tiny House People (Documentary): Small Homes, Tiny Flats & Wee Shelters
New Yorkers bring fish farms into urban apartment kitchens
Christopher Toole and Anya Pozdeeva have devised a miniature ecosystem that will let you grow healthy food right in a cramped apartment.
So, I’m planning on doing a bit of traveling for work and I decided that living out of an RV would be the most practical solution. But, before I head out, I figured I’d give it a trial run while I’m still in town (and before it gets too cold - I’m planning to be in Vancouver and area over the winter months).
Here’s some photos of the interior of my residence for the coming months. I’m hoping that I’ve packed everything I need, though the trial run will allow me to make sure of this. I moved in during the second week of October.
While I hope that this trip is successful from a business perspective, I figure that if it isn’t, it’ll at least have taught me about living with less, and given me the opportunity to expand my horizons and see more of what’s out there.
