Tag Archives: sustainability

Environment, Rainwater Catchment

The Fog Catcher


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.Necessity is the mother of Invention.

Nearly one million people living in Lima, Peru now have access to clean, safe water. An innovator named Abel Cruz decided to do something about it and started collecting water from fog. A very simple idea to collect the water latent fog with meshing and conveying it by gravity to cisterns.

According to an article in Nature World News, “The “fog catcher” is composed of rectangular sails made up from a net typically used in plant nurseries. The structure is about 4×10 to 4×8 meters in size supported by two vertical poles.The device collects water via fog that passes through the net, which forms water droplets. The accumulated water will then be collected via a gutter that’s connected to a storage tank.”

Watch thisvideo and see for yourself that with a little ingenuity one can overcome adversity.

Photo courtesy ofFellipe Abreu

Sustainability

Underground Containment at USC


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.In a move toward more sustainable practices, a new village on the campus of University of Southern California (USC) will host an underground rainwater collection and containment system.

According to anarticlein the Daily Trojan, “Water conservation at the new Village is an important lesson beyond the lecture hall,” said Vishnu Ratnam, an engineering graduate student. “It’s a good example to look at how you can put what you’ve learned to good use.”

Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.The 15 acre property will have six underground wells and will be able to capture 200,000 gallons of water. The system will capture stormwater before it enters the Los Angeles River or the ocean, conserving water and promoting sustainability.

RainBank has designed and installed underground systems, which work particularly well in urban areas where space is at a premium.Click hereto read more about a RainBank underground system.

Sustainability

400 Year Old Dependable Rainwater System Design


What do you do for domestic water supply on an island that has no rivers, lakes or a dependable water supply?

Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.

The inhabitants of Bermuda, a small island in the North Atlantic have been collecting rain water from their roofs for hundreds of years. The white stepped roofs, once made of limestone, are still being used today to collect rainfall to be stored for later use. The steps in the roofs, designed 400 years ago were meant to slow the flow of the water to be collected from gutters with the water being stored under the house.

Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.

Roofs like this one built in 1640 are the only dependable source of domestic supply for the island’s 60,000 inhabitants. Limestone roofs were heavy which in part was a good choice against high winds and the white limestone mortar had anti-bacterial qualities. This practice is now mandated in building regulations requiring 8 gallons of storage for every square foot of roof. To meet the demands of increased population growth and tourism, desalination is being introduced with six plants on the island producing 13,500 meters per day.

Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.Necessity is the mother of invention. These early settlers, as well as today’s inhabitants, are meeting their needs through conservation and cooperation.

Read more at BBC News.