In an era of drought, climate change and food shortages,
environmental pioneers have joined forces to help tackle some of the
world’s most pressing issues through technological advancement.
Here are 10 burgeoning technologies that have the potential to help
revolutionize our planet of consumerism. Some are currently in
development and others are trying to gain a greater foothold in society,
but all are promising solutions to some very real threats the world is
facing.
Vertical Farming
The future of modern agriculture could
very well be found indoors.
Vertical farms grow plants hydroponically (without soil) in large,
multistory buildings under artificial light. Crops can be stacked on top
of each other and grown
far more quickly than with traditional farming methods.
Some advocates argue this new technology could become the norm as soon
as 2050, while crop land grows scarce and a booming population demands
more food. In the short term, vertical farms can be up to 100 times more
productive than fields, and all produce is grown organically because of
the nature of the contained environment.
Green Burial
Sure, you can be as green as you like while you’re alive, but what about
your environmental impact after you’re dead? A new market for
sustainable burials has blossomed to help counter the
carbon-intensive and chemical-filled methods currently employed.
You can now be buried in everything from a “
mushroom death suit“ to
a biodegradable casket, sans embalming. Another, more creative approach takes your ashes and puts them into “
reef balls“ that can help restore damaged coral ecosystems. The (under)world is your oyster.
Better Lighting
Lighting has come a long way in the past few years. The U.S. government
banned many energy-guzzling incandescent light bulbs at the beginning of 2014 in favor of compact fluorescents and LEDs.
But it’s the application of these new lighting technologies that’s so exciting. LEDs have been named as
a potential weapon against the mega-deadly plight of malaria in developing regions of Africa. And
next-generation LED technology has helped vertical farming, mentioned above, take root.
Widespread Composting
Americans are awful about throwing things away. The average person in the U.S. produces about
4.4 pounds
of trash a day and recycles just a third of that. But the Environmental
Protection Agency estimates at least 75 percent of all trash could be
diverted to recycling and compost facilities if people were a little
less liberal with what they toss in garbage bins.
Several cities
have instituted far-reaching composting and recycling programs to help
cut back on waste and keep food scraps out of landfills. Early this
year, in an effort to increase composting,
Seattle made it illegal to throw food and food waste into the trash.
Batteries
Batteries are due for an upgrade.
Elon Musk’s Tesla has said it plans to build
a massive factory
sometime in 2017 that would supply lithium-ion batteries for electric
cars — up to 500,000 a year. The company also announced a new line of
rechargeable batteries that would
store solar energy and power homes and businesses. They have been called the “iPad of stationary storage.”
Renewable Energy At Home
Speaking of renewables, the falling cost of solar power has made it far
more affordable for the everyday homeowner to install solar panels on
their roofs. The cost of solar has fallen from around
$150 per watt in 1970 to less than 60 cents a watt today.
But the U.S. is still lagging behind other countries. Americans have installed solar arrays on about
600,000 homes and businesses
so far. But places like Germany have far more prolific coverage. The
country reach a point one day last year when it produced nearly
75 percent of its entire energy demand from renewables.
Offshore Wind Power
One of the last great hurdles for renewable energy is offshore wind —
turbines located just off the coast that can generate near-constant
green power.
Cape Wind was hailed as the first offshore wind array off the U.S. coast. But the multibillion-dollar project has faced
a series of funding hurdles and the future of the farm is in doubt. Other countries have been more successful, with advances including
a wind farm in Scotland that drew the ire of Donald Trump and
floating turbines off the coast of Fukushima, near the site of Japan’s 2011 nuclear disaster.
Reusable Rockets
SpaceX, another Musk company, has been trying to revamp the space exploration game and fuel our “Star Trek” fantasies with
reusable rockets.
Rockets are notoriously expensive, and Musk has
long advocated for reusable shuttles, which he says could reduce the cost of space travel by
a factor of 100. SpaceX has had some trouble with
its first three test flights, but it’s only a matter of time until Musk sticks the landing.
Drought-Tolerant Crops
With the drought in California still raging, many farmers are
worried about the future of their water-guzzling fields.
Despite widespread water cutbacks for homeowners, agriculture hasn’t
been affected by the drought-fighting mandates of Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
Moving crops to
less-parched areas of the country isn’t always feasible, but farmers
can instead plant drought-tolerant crops, such as genetically modified,
resilient seeds that
can surive with less water.
(Cheaper) Green Vehicles
Yes, many of us can admire a Tesla Model S from across the street, but
the $70,000 starting price is still exorbitant. Tesla began
selling used electric vehicles in May, but other companies are itching to join the fray.
Tesla said it is
allowing others to access its patents to help boost innovation surrounding green automobiles, and
BMW has started to pump out electric vehicles that start at almost $30,000 less than the Model S.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
Start a vegetable gardern. Using this will help you by having fresher food, less petrol going up and down for fruits and vegetables and saves you some money.
Purchase solar equipment. Solar equipment is useful to save costs on electricity and shrinking your bills. This includes solar chargers, solar phone chargers, solar night lights and many more. Every small thing you purchase that doesn't use electricity save you money.
Swap all your light bulbs for LED lights. LED lights use almost half the wattage a normal light bulb will use. This will also save you money and looks much better. LED light bulbs come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Reduce the need for using elements. This includes dryers, ovens, kettles and many more. Reduce by using a clothes line instead of a dryer. Purchase energy efficient products.
Stop the need of using lights during the day. Open all your blinds to get natural light through the house. At night use solar night lights in your rooms and only have a TV on.
Swap your plasma TV for an LED TV. Yes this does affect your budget but by now you should have enough money you save from the previous steps. Plasma TVs burn so much electricity and LED burns less. What do you want? Pay more or less?Sourse: http://www.wikihow.com
