Simple, Harmonius, Integrated Living

SpiritSentient is big on a new kind of Simple Living, which integrates our technology, ecology, economy, sexuality, spirituality, and all other forms of creativity. Really big. Bella sent me an article from Care2.com recently written by Ronnie Citron-Fink. The article was a quick rundown of 10 cutting edge eco-friendly building technologies, and it was so inspiring to me that I intend to go into it a bit deeper.
Come along for a formidable look at formidable creations.

While looking at these, I’d love for you to keep in mind a beautiful integration of many/all of these technologies, in order to create a ‘new kind of home/dwelling.’

. . .

Eco-H2O by Tennant Co. — “Release the power of water. Get chemical performance with earth-friendly results, and eliminate the environmental impact of producing, packaging, transporting, using, and disposing of traditional cleaning chemicals. ec-H2O begins as water and ends as water, and scrubbers equipped with ec-H2O technology use 70% less water than conventional scrubbing methods.”

Think about the cleaning industry, cleaning is an integral part of our life, pleasant environments with our own personal touch of cleanliness/order on them feel wonderful. Eco-H2O is an innovation that would assist this greatly. Not to mention the effect on human health with a drop in the concentration of overpowered chemicals. Even if Eco-H2O doesn’t replace every single harsh chemical ever, it’s certainly a massive step in the right direction. Beautiful, I can’t give Tennant Co. enough props on this.

Serious Glass by SeriousWIndows — "SeriousWindows are the most energy-efficient residential windows on the market today. Homeowners could save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of their homes. They reduce energy consumption and the expense of air-conditioning, heating and artificial lighting – all while enhancing indoor comfort and building aesthetics. These high performance products are designed for residential, commercial and institutional construction, new or retrofit projects, vertical or sloped glazing."

The amount of glass/windows humanity’s created to date is vast, and replacing them with new, ‘better’, more efficient versions seems wonderful to me. A beautiful idea/creation, that could make it so much easier to live. I love energy management

SolaTube by SolaTube International — "Solatube Brighten Up Series Daylighting Systems are a cost-effective way to bring natural light to virtually any room of your home. These models feature our patented technology to deliver an Effective Daylight Capture Surface significantly higher than other products…Let’s face it: change isn’t something that happens spontaneously. After all, we didn’t just wake up one day and decide to revolutionize the daylighting industry. Truth be told, changing the way people use daylighting has simply been the result of our passion to challenge conventional thinking and find a better way."

Sunlight…. ah sweet sunlight. How can you not love it? (Well OK, it might not suit some goths/vampires so much, but it definitely suits living environments.) Solatube has devised a way to flood any location (basements, bathrooms, attics, etc) with precious beautiful sunlight in a controlled and desirable manner. Does this really need explanation? It’s absolutely beautiful. Think about growing plants indoors, or the winter blahs, or people who have yet to purchase a home filled with SeriousWindows (see above.)

Inspire Wall by ATAS International — "This is not just a wall panel, this is a solar collector and fresh air heating system.
a transpired solar collector, is mounted a few inches from the building’s outer wall. The precision perforations in the wall panels allow outside air to travel through the face of the panel. Solar heated air at the surface of the panel is drawn through the perforations where it rises between the two walls and enters the building’s ventilation system. The InSpire wall panel also helps to cool in the summer by preventing normal solar radiation from striking the building’s main wall. Hot air is thermally siphoned up the wall and vented through holes at the top of the system, leaving the main wall cool."

Solar panels and fresh air heating built into the very walls used to create the building frame; efficient, powerful, a step forward for buildings.

Acadia Heating and Cooling by Hallowell — "Comfort: The Acadia™ is designed to provide year round comfort with high efficiency heating and air conditioning. Multi-stage operation means the system provides only heating and cooling that you need, keeping you comfortable and minimizing wasteful operation."

Huge time, energy, and money are invested by people every day to make sure themselves and their homes and families have basic survival and comforts taken care of. Acadia Heating/Cooling is a step towards providing that comfort in an efficient, cost-effective manner that doesn’t require such massive daily investment, freeing everyone up to ‘live better.’

Light Restoration by Eleek Inc.– "Part of Eleek’s mission is to change the way people think about what they buy. We believe that using what you already have is often a more sustainable choice than purchasing something new, no matter how “green” that new product is. Toward that end, we are proud to offer complete restoration and retrofitting services for luminaires."

Talk about not wasting resources, Eleek revamps old lighting fixtures to become stunningly new, eco-friendly lights. Doing this creates old-architecture, interesting light-fixture designs with new-world green technology, all without wasting or destroying the original resource.

Composting, Waterless, and Odorless Eco-Toilet by Separett Villa — "For 30 years, Separett has manufactured toilets designed to satisfy
your need for comfort – wherever you may be. You should
feel right at home when you are at your cottage, vacation home or
anywhere else where there is no access to a septic system. Thanks
to the continual development of technology, design and functionality,
Separett toilets are now more advanced than
ever. That is why Separett toilets are used all over
the world, from the dry heat of Africa to the icy
cold of Greenland."

Plumbing, septic, and sewage systems have not changed much in quite a few years, Separett brings something very impressive to the table. Their toilets need no water, and no sewage treatment to dispose of waste which, if you think about it, is completely natural anyway. It does this by recycling the waste back to nature as a fertilizer, eventually helping provide us with more healthy, organic food for consumption, completing nature’s awesome circle.

Green Roofs by Lots of People — "A green roof system is an extension of the existing roof which involves a high quality water proofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants."

Green Roofs is a concept that’s gaining fairly widespread popularity, especially in Europe and Canada (and many other eco-friendly living initiatives, see The AboutFace Collective for example.) It makes efficient use of the large mostly unused roof-top real-estate in our cities, to provide homes to living organisms which purify our air, and, well… look damn sexy.

RainTube by RainTube — "The patented RainTube material is pourous and fits snugly into the body of the gutter keeping debris high up out of the water where it can dry out quickly. Water flows in great volumes around and through the tube via thousands of tiny passageways. In most installations, RainTube ‘crowns’ slightly above the top of the gutter creating a slippery aerodynamic surface that removes most debris with a natual breeze. Any remaining stubborn debris can be easily removed with a light brushing or blowing whenever the roof is maintained."

Yes! This is hotness. The earth provides so many wonderful forms of energy so freely, and we’ve often failed to make use of them. These gutters can direct water away from and around our living spaces beautifully. They also create Rain Barrels which is an excellent innovation on old wooden Rain Barrels, allowing us to benefit more from a source of water that is the past has often been neglected.

PlyBoo Bamboo Plywood by Smith & Fong — "The world’s only formaldehyde-free FSC-certified bamboo, and the company’s code-compliant plywood and flooring are found in design-rich commercial and residential environments worldwide, where sustainability meets innovation…Flat grain bamboo is available in plywood, flooring and veneer. It captures best the natural aesthetic of bamboo."

Ahh… using Bamboo grasses to create construction materials – What a great way to give a break to cotton, pine, and other over-used/over-farmed materials. While lauding it, I’d also like to encourage that it does not fall prey to the same over-use. Smith & Fong rock.

Organic Farm by Ahana — "Organically grown food is cultivated without the use of chemicals of any kind. Fertilization is achieved with compost, vermi-compost and numerous other techniques for maintaining soil fertility and balance.

As with the human body, plants are not prone to diseases if not exposed to harmful chemicals and environmental conditions which negatively impact and weaken the immune system. Nurturing plants and trees and creating optimum growing conditions greatly lessen the chance of crop damage caused by pests. In organic farming pests are not killed, only dislodged and disrupted by alternative, traditional and modern methods.

Maintaining a clean and abundant water supply through conservation, rain water harvesting, reforestation, is the key to successful propagation of all plant life. This is our goal. "

Sigh… beautiful.

K-Tect Structure Systems by KAMA — "K-tect Sustainable Building Systems are light gauge metal stud framing with a proprietary design that integrates insulation and eliminates thermal bridging.

The results are an airtight building envelope of maximum thermal performance providing comfortable, healthy and safe indoor air quality…..K-tect Systems are without design limitations resulting in greater versatility for architects. Arched roofs, arched windows, curved walls and other complex designs have never been easier or more material efficient."

These building pieces are like the ultimate lego! Easy to handle, utterly versatile, and an eco-friendly green phenomenon to behold. Definitely a consideration for many a new building, I would think.

. . .

Those are most of the things Ronnie Citron-Frank touched on, and they are absolutely astonishing, and I’m super-excited to see them physically realized together in one harmonius home.

One home, benefitting from all these innovations could house a family in extreme comfort in a very cost-effective, self-sustaining way, requiring only occasional maintenance. There are many other facets to comfortable living that can be addressed/added, including but not limited to space management, energy sources, maintenance, natural disasters, etc. and this is just a start to get people thinking. This type of thing plays beautifully with SpiritSentient’s own vision.

It also corresponds with The AboutFace Collective’s Eco-Village vision for Toronto, run by Lauren and Natalie, and definitely worth checking out.

And on that note, take a look at this extravagant and luxurious eco-mansion. Over the top? Perhaps. An inspiring look at what can be accomplished? Definitely.

Hope you enjoyed this look at humanity’s advances. If it’s received well, perhaps I’ll feel like doing a part two.

Jason helps you successfully bridge the gap from where you are to where you want to be, using his clarity & insight to help you rise in all areas. He speaks, writes, and offers success-coaching at http://RyzeOnline.com. He’s been featured on Firepole Marketing, Building Digital Empires, PuttyLike and IntuitiveSoul Radio. Follow him at @jasonfonceca.