Wikipedia Article

"Sustainable Lighting is lighting designed with energy efficient light sources. The most sustainable source of lighting is daylight, other forms are solar lamps harvesting daylight and lighting controlled by occupation sensors. Furthermore technologies such as light-emitting diodes can be used to drastically reduce the energy requirement for energy. Part L of the UK lighting regulations, contains criteria that effects efficient lighting design.
Both day lighting and electric lighting can be considered natural extensions of the architecture, and not just as something installed to enable people to see their task. Satisfaction surveys indicate that people prefer rooms that are day lit to interiors dominated by electric lighting. In addition, the use of daylight can significantly reduce a building’s use of energy. Post-occupancy research indicated that the success of a scheme in reducing energy is not determined solely by the quantity of light from windows, but also on the efficiency and control of the electric lighting and that the users of the building were motivated towards energy management.
In cloudy climates, diffuse light from the sky is the main source of lighting. At the site planning stage, a sufficient area of sky must be made visible to give good interior lighting.
People’s needs and preferences to sunlight dependent on the type of building – incoming sunlight can give warmth and brightness but can also cause glare and thermal discomfort. The designer must to analyses the clients’ requirements in advance to determine which parts of a building would benefit from direct sunlight. Once the day lighting has been assessed, electric lighting needs to be designed to complement the daylight; where necessary electric light will take over when the daylight fades. Zones can be considered relative to the daylight distribution – without this there will be a tendency for the lights to be in all the time. Electric lighting can also be integrated within the architecture. Daylight and the aesthetics can be considered as well as the installation into the buildings fabric and lighting effect."

josh and the concrete machine and pool

In construction it is difficult to remove concrete from many buildings, its long and it's a expensive job but with this new creation it will speed up this process, making it easier to do and even be able to recycle the old concrete. This device is called the ERO

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/beware-brutalism-concrete-eating-robot-literally-erases-buildings.html


also there was an amazing idea for a pool in which the water would be filered from either a river or lake


http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/pool-prototype-gets-funded-kickstarter-will-be-built-summer.html

Sustainable Plant Life

What is a Sustainable Greenhouse?

Sustainability is an important concept in running a greenhouse, especially one that is used for growing food. Making a sustainable greenhouse is simple. 

"Permaculture and GreenhousesPermaculture is a twofold idea. It means both “permanent agriculture” and “permanent culture” and it is tied very closely to ideas of sustainability. The main goal of permaculture is to create an agricultural system in which the garden –or greenhouse –is designed around natural principles and with sustainability in mind.
Permaculture greenhouses use several aspects of large-scale permaculture to create an indoor growing environment that uses space and resources to make a self-maintaining greenhouse. One of the primary factors of permaculture is the emphasis on design.
Designing Permaculture GreenhousesUsing local plants and encouraging biodiversity are essential to permaculture; biodiversity by design means every plant serves multple purposes. Plants used for food should also fix nitrogen in the soil or provide ground cover to prevent weeds, for example. Every plant needs to benefit the design as a whole.
Designing a permaculture greenhouse starts with the building itself. Although traditional greenhouses use tables to display the products, a permaculture greenhouse needs open soil. This allows the gardener to utilize all of the space –vertical and horizontal –within the greenhouse to plant as much as possible.
Before planting begins, however, the soil needs to be examined.
Soil in a Permaculture GreenhouseSoil in a greenhouse may be difficult to plant in at first, especially if it has been covered by tables or left unused. However, the use of chemical fertilizers requires fossil fuels, both in the creation of the fertilizer and its transportation. Additionally, chemical fertilizers do not last and require re-application. Traditional fertilizers are wasteful, and go against the practice of sustainability in a permaculture greenhouse.
Instead, utilizing composting and designing the greenhouse to contain nitrogen- and nutrient-rich plants will improve the quality of the soil. Creating compost from vegetarian materials can be done within the greenhouse, by making a simple worm bin. Washington State University has instructions on how to create a worm bin. This type of composting is sustainable, especially if wooden boxes are used, and it creates rich, healthy soil "(Source:Washington State University). - http://suite101.com/article/how-to-make-a-sustainable-greenhouse-a230738

Leaf Composting

"The estimated 5.2 million trees comprising New York City’s urban forest drop vast quantities of  leaves each fall. In the past, safety and aesthetic concerns led Parks to remove the large majority of leaves for transport to distant landfills. The leaf removal robbed nutrients from the environment and required the agency to use extra fertilizer. Over a decade ago, we began to take steps to manage the huge quantity of leaves in the fall and ensure a consistent supply of compost for our parklands"- http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/sustainable_parks/Sustainable_Parks_Plan.pdf    pg. 22

"The solar park lighting installations are specifically designed to illuminate walkways in parks and their design along with the overlapping form ensures that maximum light is projected onto the walkways. The slighting units have a photovoltaic panel on the top along with eight LED lights on the inside, which will ensure that the energy produced is used in the most efficient fashion possible. A 9V battery will store the energy produced during daytime and should easily power the LED lights till the next dawn arrives.
The interesting aspect of these solar lighting units is the usage of motion sensors. We are not sure if they will enable the switching on and off lights only when someone walks right in front of the installations or if they are used for any other purpose. If they are only for walkways in parks, then such a system is perfectly fine as there is no point in keeping the lights on all night long in a park when no one is around. Another wonderful example of smart design and green technologies going hand in hand to create a sustainable product."

"Eight-nine per cent of Ontarians feel their communities would benefit environmentally and economically by incorporating green alternatives, according to a new survey conducted by Research House. Green product manufacturers and suppliers may look into upcoming community development projects such as public parks and community centres for potential collaboration opportunities"

• "6 per cent of respondents feel municipalities could do more to ensure shared community spaces such as parks and recreation centres incorporate environmentally friendly products."

• "94 per cent also agreed that new residential and commercial developments could include more green products, such as eco-friendly roofing and patio solutions."

• "93 per cent feel companies should make greater investments in the research and development of environmentally sustainable building materials."

• "83 per cent of respondents feel investment in green building and product solutions is just as important as investing in major healthcare, military and technology sectors."

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  For what i just search up " Virtually all other greenhouse plastics can now be recycled as well—from plastic tags, shrink wrap and vent tubes to peat and fertilizer bags. Even pesticide containers don't have to be tossed anymore, as they have their separate cleaning and collection system". 

"A place where ideas grow. A place where technology comes to earth. A place to connect with the environment and learn about our food, water and resources. A place for sun and fresh air. A place to gather, to experiment, to engage.""When you visit Denver's Sustainability Park, you'll discover a garden of ideas and activities bringing this city neighborhood to life. Nearly three acres of carefully planned exhibits, plots and facilities showcase clean, sustainable ways of life tailored for Denver's urban environment. View examples of renewable energy, urban agriculture and thoughtful use of land and water. Learn about options for energy efficient building, transportation and efficient resource use. Observe new designs and cutting-edge technologies at work. And experience the results of community-focused efforts to produce healthy neighborhoods and a vibrant, growing economy."

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We are the GREEN TEENS, we recycle. We recycle bottles, cans, and different types of recyclables. 

Green Teens Recycling

We are collecting bottles to have a more sustainability environment. Sustainability is something that doesn't get ruined, it's something that's permanent. Not only are we taking time out of our lives to do this, but we care and choose to make parks a better place for people to be at.  

How We Save Energy

We collected cans and also found out that Nestle reuses rain water. After they purify the water, it becomes drinkable. We also found out that the City Bike system saves us from car pollution.

Reusing Bottle

Yesterday, my group collected 123 bottles. After that, we collected the bottles and played a game in order to count them. When we are done collecting, we will cut out the bottles and make them into flowers.             

                                     

JJ's Two Cents

 I learned a lot so far about sustainability. I learned about biofuels, and other ways to help sustain our

environment. Me and the other green teen, so far, have collected 124 plastic bottles. We set a goal to collect 500 plastic bottles.

Building the Green Team of Teens in the Bronx!

St. Mary's Recreation Center in the Bronx is growing it's green team with special projects and adventures. Recenty our teens separated  contaminated trash mixed in with our cans and bottles.  It was a messy and stinky job but our team donned their masks and gloves and did a great job.  Another of our team members was very helpful at our special event Grilling with Chef Marion.  He helped with setting up and keeping the site litter free. 
Keep checking back for more on St. Mary's Green Teens.