Urban Mist Farms

Ideation is the process of generating, developing and communicating new ideas (Wikipedia). For our team, the best way for us to be creative was to sit outside under the sun and on the grass. In order to brainstorm different green ideas, we need to be in an environment that reminded us of what the purpose of this project was. The following are some of the ideas we came up with before finalizing our decision to pursue aeroponic farming.

 

Hydroponic Farming

One of our initial ideas was to create a hydro farming system that could sustain drastic temperatures common to desert locations (i.e. sub saharan terrain). The farm would support drought stricken villages and families. The idea was to build the system in local village areas and teach the villagers how maintain the system on their own. We would sell the system, seeds, and nutrients to the villagers. The villagers in turn would pay for the products through micro loan providers, such as Kiva.

Algae Powered Cars

To reduce carbon dioxide emissions, we contemplated the idea of algae powered cars.  We would be doing this in one of two ways, either breaking down the algae with enzymes into bio diesel or burning the algae directly in an external combustion engine, which would simulate a steam engine. Upon further research, we discovered that in 2009 San Francisco unveiled the world’s first algae fuel vehicle named Algaeus, which could drive from one coast to another on just 25 gallons of green crude. (Schwartz, First Algae-Powered Car Attempts to Cross US on 25 Gallons)

Compostable Clothing

Bamboo clothing was another idea because it is a natural fiber material that is compostable. Bamboo can be grown in diverse locations including areas unfit for forestry, which makes it a sustainable material. It can also become a cash crop for impoverished areas. (Wikipedia)

Self-sustainable Treadmill

We as people generate power when we exercise. Why not utilize that power through a self-sustainable treadmill. Steve Clinefelter of California Fitness one of the first creator of the sustainable gym said, “One person has the ability of producing 50 watts of electricity per hour when exercising at a moderate pace, which means that to prevent 12 liters of CO2 from being released into the air, a person needs to produce the same amount of electricity by exercising on the specially setup machine for one hour. If a person spends one hour per day running on the machine, he/she could generate 18.2 kilowatts of electricity and prevent 4,380 liters of CO2 released per year” (Cho, Human-Powered Gyms: For Your Health – and the Earth’s)