Now, according to a piece by Jim Witkin in the New York Times Green Inc. blog, a prototype for a "water battery" promises to work similar wonders in the desert.
Dutch entrepreneur Pieter Hoff retired from exporting flowers and turned to invention. His Groasis Waterboxx is basically a 20-inch by 10-inch polypropylene box that captures water from the air. Somehow this escaped the Times, but the inspiration for this box is actually...bird poop. Yep. It's modeled after the way excrement protects seeds that birds have digested, providing humidity and shelter from the elements so they can grow. The box surrounds the young plant and at night an insulation plate allows it to harvest water through condensation. The lid also captures rainwater. A tiny "wick" then deposit small amounts of collected water onto the plant's roots daily.
The Groasis delivers enough water so that the plant can access deeper reserves underground, then the box lifts up and can be reused with another plant. Polypro is still plastic, but Hoff told Green Inc. that he's working on a biodegradable model constructed from bioplastic. I love the way this guy thinks. Recently Hoff wrapped up tests of his prototype in the Sahara, where 90 percent of trees planted with the box survived when it was taken away while only 10 percent of box-less ones made it. Now his plan is to test the Groasis in a few dozen other areas. Hope the birds don't become jealous.
This is another merging stream of the binary me. It may at times collide or overlap with the real me.
About Me:
I love to travel, then return home. In projects, I dig the details, when they compliment the greater perspective. I adore good design and applaud inspired implementation. Simplicity is king; functionally and in form.
This is another merging stream of the binary me. It may at times collide or overlap with the real me.
About Me:
I love to travel, then return home. In projects, I dig the details, when they compliment the greater perspective. I adore good design and applaud inspired implementation. Simplicity is king; functionally and in form.
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