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. (more edits and additions)
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:55:46 -0500
(From a comment I made on Facebook):
Many aquatic plants and organisms (fish, crustaceans, mollusks, insects,
microorganisms and more) could probably withstand, detoxify,
biologically purify, extract nutrients from and demineralize 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. (more edits and additions),
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 11/29/2010