In a world that is constantly changing, one thing that can stay consistent if we proceed in the right direction is home design, decor, and functionality. When designing an eco-friendly home, there are many things to think about that I originally did not even consider. The two main things I am concerned with, however, are power and water, two of the most important (yet wasted) resources in the world. In these regards, I chose to design my home a little differently, starting with a system to catch water, and ending with a system to utilize solar energy.
But before I dive into all of that...
There are many reasons I am choosing to do things a little differently, and would like to address some factual evidence to support my decisions. Firstly, it is important to consider the fact that the everyday person in America uses 80-100 gallons of water a day [1], and less than half of that is for drinking or cooking purposes. But, the everyday person also wastes up to 180 gallons of water each week [6], so it really is a wasteful cycle when involved in well water or municipal water. I do not want to partake in the consumption of water, and would rather use natural methods to obtain and utilize it. In terms of appliances I won’t need, that will be a dishwasher. I will wash things by hand, not just because it makes sense, but because I have found statistical evidence that proves things like “If Americans strived to only run an appliance like the dishwasher when it is entirely full, it would help to save over 300 gallons of water each year.“ [7]; that statistic is shocking to me, and I do not see a need to have a dishwasher as a result of that. Second, off-the-grid power solutions will be all I will need for a power system (I will get into what that means shortly). In other words, solar panels and wind turbines will provide me with all the energy I need, and I won’t have to worry about contributing to the problem. For example, according to habitsofwaste.org, not only is 60% of energy in the U.S. wasted, but we also use up 23% of the world's energy, despite making up only 5% of the population [8]. On top of that, power plants are only 33% efficient, and with all that considered, I do not want to participate in wasting the world’s energy. Especially when there are so many benefits to using solar energy but like I previously mentioned, I will get to that in a moment. First, I will address what methods I will use to catch water.
Catching water is free, which is one of the most redeeming aspects in my mind;
You don’t have to worry about paying for water. Especially when utilizing the WOM system [1], which is typically used in earthship home designs. The WOM system stands for the Water Organizing Module, and it ensures that the water you gain from rain isn’t ready for shower use until passing through two filters, and it isn’t ready for human consumption until passing through two more, for a total of four filters. Also, the technology you use to collect rainwater is cheap and easy to maintain [2], including but not limited to the rain barrel method, which is just a big drum connected to gutters. The “dry” system is a variation of the rain barrel method, only it has a bigger volume and is better for climates where it rains erratically. Finally, the “wet” method, which has the same volume as the dry method only the drum doesn’t need to be connected to your house; a series of pipes underground make rain collection possible in this scenario. If I were to utilize any method on this list, I would definitely have to go for the wet system, just because I am not too concerned about the frequency of rain in Maine, more so the volume of rain I can collect.
In regards to solar panel electricity methods...
They are also free (similar to the water system), and they utilize a very similar method for generating electricity that the WOM system uses for water. This system is known as the POM system [3], which stands for Power Organizing Module. One reason this system is great is because it has a pre-wired, pre-configured system from the factory, which means no complicated setup process. Some of the more interesting features in my opinion are advanced charging capabilities (lithium-ion batteries included), field upgradability (you can fix or update the technology yourself, no need for complex processes), and remote system control (using an Internet-connected device). Perhaps the most interesting part about this is the complete energy dependence [4] it gives you. This power network is considered to be an off-grid system, which means even if the power grid goes down, you will still have power. Being enabled to live off the grid with this power system is one of the biggest advantages I can see, as I plan to live in northern Maine when I get older and you never know if the storms will knock out power for a few days up there.
If I had toddlers around, a lot of my decisions would change regarding technology, starting with my phone. I currently have a relatively new iPhone, which is one that I got with regards to its performance capabilities (as a New Media student, I felt having an advanced phone would benefit me), but upon researching, I realized that I am contributing to massive issues by investing in Apple tech. They have almost no regard for eco-friendliness, but there are phones out there that do. After doing some research, my choice fell between two phones: the Fairphone 5 and the Nothing Phone 2.
- The Fairphone 5 is completely made of 70% recycled materials and comes with a 5-year warranty [9], which I thought was very long for a phone. If that wasn’t good enough, it has a completely modular design, with only 9 parts to operate [9] that the user can change out when needed; anyone can do this, no professionals needed. So the phone lasts quite a while. It also has a strong dual camera, with 4K video and HD streaming capabilities [9]. Although they typically offer the phone with an Android operating system, you can get it with the e/OS version by Murena, which therefore doesn’t allow your information to be sold by Google [10].
- However, in every test I have done and each website I have looked at, the Nothing Phone 2 beats the Fairphone 5, particularly in the performance sector. It looks similar to an iPhone except the aluminum frame is completely recycled [11] and it has the now iconic glyph interface on the back of the phone. The glyph interface is just a circular light that is assignable to the many functions a phone has, such as blinking as you type or flashing when you take a photo. It also has a unique minimalist o/s that is discouraging to look at, making you less inclined to spend hours on it. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Chip it comes with has an 80% increase in power compared to the Nothing Phone 1 and an even nicer dual camera function than the Fairphone 5. According to Versus, the Nothing Phone wins by a margin of 8 points, for several reasons that I will now provide:
- 11.9% more battery power
- Has wireless charging capabilities
- 256 more GB of space than the Fairphone 5
- 2X better video quality
- 2.7X faster download speeds
Here's a photo of the Fairphone 5:
Here's a photo of the Nothing Phone 2:
With all this considered, that is my reasoning for having a more eco-friendly home by avoiding water/electricity overuse. I think the factual evidence I have provided is adequate for making an argument for using the wet method for catching water, solar panels combined with wind turbines, and changing over to a Nothing Phone 2. All in all, the changes will mark a slight step forward in the long road to complete eco-friendliness, and I look forward to the day I can achieve that.
Credits
[1]https://earthship.com/systems/catch-water/
[3]https://earthship.com/systems/pv-energy/
[5]https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/Earthship/Visit/WaterSystem.htm
[6]https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts
[7]https://greenly.earth/en-us/blog/ecology-news/water-waste-in-the-us-what-are-the-figures
[9]https://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone-5
[10]https://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone-5-e-operating-system
Credits:
Created with images by moreidea - "Colorful burning clouds in heaven and birds flaying" • Studio-FI - "Aerial view of three wind turbines in the early morning fog at sunrise in the English countryside" • Udomner - "Two underground water storage tanks for eco-friendly rainwater harvesting at home" • anatoliy_gleb - "Close up of man technician in work gloves installing stand-alone photovoltaic solar panel system under beautiful blue sky with clouds. Concept of alternative energy and power sustainable resources." • purgatory.art - "Mobile phone premium png digital device for mockup" • savantermedia - "Industrial landscape with different energy resources. Sustainable development." • Naj - "Dawn over a canal in spring"