Wood floors are beautiful, but what if they could generate renewable energy too? Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have designed revolutionary wood floors that harvest energy from footsteps. Not only can they create power, but the floors are also sustainable because they utilize wood pulp that would most likely be wasted otherwise.
Read more
Paving over large driveways can prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground where it can benefit plants and enter the groundwater system. It can also result in future stresses on landfills as driveways are torn up and replaced.
This article gives a few green driveway options that you can prevent these issues and create a greener driveway.
Read more
A review of a Canterbury DHB programme which saw 1500 insulation installations and 450 heating appliances installed, found that among the 900 people referred to CEA from the hospital, there was a 29 per cent drop in hospital bed days in the year after insulation was put in compared to the year prior.
This meant 312 fewer people had a hospital stay – a 4.7 bed per year saving for the DHB with a cost saving of $945,000.
The Netherlands has found a way to refurbish existing buildings to net zero energy, within a week, with a 30-year builders’ guarantee and no subsidies. With new kitchen and bathroom!
Their revolutionary renovation programme Energiesprong (literally: Energy Jump) works by getting tenants, instead of paying their energy bills, to pay a similar amount to the housing corporations that own the houses. With this money, the corporations pay building companies to retrofit the houses, which after renovation have net zero energy costs. All elements that are needed for a successful move to zero-energy housing are brought together in one plan.
