Page 55 - Green Builder Magazine March-April 2019 Issue

developments are in the works.
I don’t believe we’re facing a future of deprivation. Humans are
incredibly creative and resourceful—and don’t knock insect-based
protein, algae or 3D-printed hamburgers until you’ve tried them.

WATER SECURITY
We like to celebrate homes that conserve water, and technologies
that recognize the true value of our most precious resource. But
CREDIT: NOAA there are pragmatic reasons to emphasize water e‘ciency. Our water
infrastructure is aging, and with age comes risk. As the Flint, Mich.,

The great smoke-out. In 2018, smoke from wildfires in the Western polluted water crisis showed so tragically, we can no longer take safe,
abundant potable water for granted.
states drifted as far as the East Coast.
Droughts and climate change are already threatening
with nature, and instead of being consuming end-users, occupants water security. Disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires can
will be part of an ecosystem, using their homes to produce energy, interrupt and compromise water supplies, which happened
recharge aquifers and grow food. after the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif., where water pipes
were contaminated with heavy metals and toxic chemicals
GOING FLEXITARIAN [https://bit.ly/2H57WOt] such as benzene.
In more ways than one, our diets are a disaster. Across the globe, Droughts can also spark rationing. Increasingly, municipalities are
prime habitat has been converted to farmland, and huge volumes of turning to reuse, even potable reuse, where eŸuent from wastewater
chemical fertilizers, pesticides and animal waste run treatment plants is treated to potable standards.
o into waterways. The oceans are being plundered. Admittedly, this strategy will take some careful PR
And yet, nearly 30 percent of food is wasted in the to win people over, but in the future, people won’t
U.S., where many people are simultaneously obese even raise an eyebrow at the notion. Here are a few
and malnourished. more trends we expect to see:
We have a template for a more sustainable Reuse, reuse, reuse! Some municipalities in
diet. Faced with the dilemma of feeding a global drought-prone regions are already requiring
population that is predicted to reach 9.8 billion by homes to be “dual-plumbed” for future reuse. In
2050, a group of 30 scientists from around the world the future, graywater reuse will be standard, and
published a report [https://bit.ly/2FaP9PG] that toilets will never be ¢ushed with potable water.
includes a tidy summary of the “Diet of the Future:” Vacuum- ush and composting toilets. Once
plant-centric, with small amounts of meat, dairy and con˜ned to cruise ships, vacuum-¢ush toilets will
sugar. This “Flexitarian” diet is something we can use a fraction of the water of today’s most e‘cient
aspire to now, and is sure to be a win-win for the models. Most buildings will also have composting
planet and our own health. units for human waste.
The vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions (78 Distributed water. Small individual water tanks
percent) related to food production are tied to animal and/or neighborhood cisterns, some supplied with
protein. Animals are not very e‘cient at processing treated rainwater, will ensure at least a limited
food. Fish are much more so, as are insects. COURTESY OF AWAIR supply of potable water.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Smart water meters. Soon to be as common
of the United Nations is already on it. In 2013, as smart energy meters, these will detect leaks,
the organization issued a report [https://bit. identify unusually high usage and provide
ly/2HkQ6Hd] explaining how insect-based protein Safe zone. The Awair app lets you customers with feedback.
can contribute to food security. Crickets, for example, choose from settings tailored for The end of the lawn. All irrigation will be
require just two kilograms of feed for every one different activities or occupants. connected and e‘cient, and food gardens (including
kilogram of bodyweight gain. Insects can also feed on “side-streams” greenhouses) will replace lawns. Except in the rarest cases, potable
such as human and animal waste, and they require very little water. water will never be used to water landscaping.
Perhaps less controversial, aquaculture is growing exponentially,
and the FAO predicts ˜sh farming will soon eclipse ˜shing. But THE ALIGN PROJECT WATER STRATEGIES
perhaps closed-loop systems such as aquaponics o er the greatest Of course, water-e‘cient ˜xtures are important. But The Align
hope. Aquaculture, in which ˜sh waste feeds veggies and runo Project goes a step further by including strategies that not only save
from veggies feeds ˜sh, does not require soil and is water and space water and energy, but ensure water quality and protect the home. One
e‘cient. Aquaponic greenhouses can even be integrated into housing of these is Flo, a smart leak detection device that is installed on the
or multi-use buildings, providing a sustainable food source, along main water supply line. By running daily tests, Flo can detect small
with local jobs and greenery. Sounds utopian, but several such leaks that, drop by drop, add up to thousands of gallons of wasted

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