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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Thoughts about a green cooling system for homes and buildings. (edits and additions)
  • Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:45:24 -0500

(From a comment I made on Facebook):

Many aquatic plants and organisms (fish, crustaceans,snails insects, microorganisms) could probably withstand and process/purify level 5
municipal sewage mixed with stormwater (household, commercial waste plus runoff water from streets, roadsides (highways), parking lots, etc.). At least they could initiate the purification process, reducing the effluent from level 5 to something lower. Then it could be processed by progressively more aggressive biological systems known as living machines and constructed wetlands. At some point this purified or semipurified water could be made suitable for use in a Green Cooling
System. I see this GCS as essentially a "section of natural forest with
complete integrated functional ecosystem" installed on a rooftop,
i.e. a glorified "swamp cooler" (uses dewatered air chilled in a
machine that circulates that air through chambers cooled by evaporating
water with high pressure spray). A green system could simply use water in radiators installed in a building's living space that cool instead of heat in summer and heat instead of cool in winter, obtaining heated
water from solar collectors year round, stored in summer in large insulated tanks awaiting use in winter. The Green Cooler would consist of an ecologically appropriate multi-layered simulated forest
complete with fountains, waterfalls and rock-embedded streams
allowing cooling and purification of the water as it is first
exposed to the sun, then the watercourses wherein temperature would be
additionally reduced through contact with stones embedded in the bottom and sides of the streams and along and in the waterfall then further temperature-moderated, biologically processed and detoxified as it flows over and through multi-storied plant ecosystems and biologically active soil to finally filter through a deep layered bed of stone,
gravel, sand and bioactive aerobic fine soil (siltation pond fines
aggregate, 100 mesh to 300 mesh) to finally be contained in a catchment
for filtering and pumping throughout pipes leading to radiators
in all the building's living spaces. Small, efficient, low pressure "whisper" fans powered by small individual solar photovoltaic collectors mounted in a room's windows connected to a small battery, could circulate air through the radiator to more completely and efficiently cool or heat a room's interior.
Talk about stacked functions! Same system provides heat in winter and
cooling in summer with the added benefit of becoming part of a city's
public park system providing citizens with a prime ecotourism site
and other functions: 4)an educational site for students on any educational level, especially those participating in curricula that includes architecture, green building (contractors), landscape architecture, planning and design/construction (three different professions), urban gardeners, permaculturists and ecology. ‎5th function, obvious, the GC's presence on the building's rooftop eliminates considerable square footage that would otherwise be a solar thermal collector needing temperature reduction or heat deflection, all costing money and energy. 6th function: add food producing and livestock forage gardens to the system. 7th function: a world class permaculture demonstration and teaching site, encouraging interest in the practice and study of permaculture.



  • [permaculture] Thoughts about a green cooling system for homes and buildings. (edits and additions), Lawrence F. London, Jr., 11/29/2010

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