Establishing and utilizing a home greenhouse is an excellent way to save money on groceries, follow a healthier and more nutritious diet, conserve on energy, and help the environment at the same time. But greenhouses don’t grow on trees – they have to be built. Not all of us have a professional builder in the family, or the budget to hire a specialist.
This is where greenhouse kits come in handy. If you aren’t looking for elaborate design but you need a basic and simple greenhouse for home use, this is a great way to get started without a large investment of time or money.
Greenhouse kits vary widely in cost and design. A very simple and economical variety can be found for under $40.00 or $50.00. This small greenhouse might consist of nothing more than a 2 foot square fabric tent where you can house a few plants and extend their growing season.
In this price-range, you can also find a basic enclosure system for a greenhouse, which will provide the framework and support that can then be covered in the material of your choice.
Moving up the line, you can find a more serious set-up for anywhere between $400 and $900, which includes either fabric or glass walls, and provides enough space to grow a full set of vegetables or other plants. Larger greenhouses, from 10 to 20 square feet in size, cost a few thousand dollars. But this might still be far simpler than building the entire structure on your own.
Once you’ve found and purchased the greenhouse kit that’s right for you, you will need to assemble it yourself, just as you would with any other kit. But you will have step-by-step instructions and all the parts you need, cut and sized to fit, and tested by the manufacturers.
While setting up a greenhouse requires an investment of time and money, you should be able to recoup your investment over time, providing that you actually use your greenhouse. The amount of money that can be saved by growing one’s own food is easy to underestimate – particularly where large families are concerned.
Growing food inside a greenhouse is extroverting, fun, and educational. It can make it possible for you to grow foods at all times of year, instead of being limited to certain seasons. It can be very frustrating to go out and buy gardening equipment and seeds, only to get so busy with work that by the time you are ready to work on your garden, it is too late in the year.
A greenhouse can give you the extra leeway you need, and make it possible to have fresh home-grown vegetables year-round. It might also make it possible for you to grow the plants which normally wouldn’t grow in your region at all. Such as – who knows, habaneros in Montana?
You already know why utilizing solar energy to power your home is an awesome decision: it reduces the need for nonrenewable oil, diminishes greenhouse gas pollutants, and ultimately puts money in your pocket by not being dependent on the utility provider.
Unfortunately, solar panels are like hybrid vehicles: right now most owners are those who have dispensible income and and a concern about the environment. Installing a photovoltaic system (in Greek, “photo” means sun and voltaic refers to power) for the eventual monetary gains is usually not the primary reason people go solar—for most people its more about the environment than anything. The average time period for making back the money you put into the installation is about 10 years, depending on the system size and the state you live in.
But here’s the key: right now most states have incredible public incentive programs that you should absolutely take advantage of. Federal stimulus money has boosted these programs, yet the real spur is the changing attitude among planners and politicians who finally see the need for a renewable energy future. States are drafting plans that mandate the use of a certain percentage of renewable energy within the next five or ten years and there is real momentum in the political arena to encourage citizens to install photovoltaic systems on their homes.
In New York State, for example, the NYS Research and Development Authority is responsible for administering funds to homeowners, businesses, and municipalities. If your application is accepted (which in most cases is almost guaranteed), then your incentive package can cover up to 50% of your total installation cost. On top of that, you can get up to $5,000 in federal tax credits! Municipalities and non-profits have slightly better incentives than homeowners and businesses, yet they are all quite substantial.
What are the limitations for solar incentives from NYSERDA? For residential applications, you cannot get funding for any system larger than 10 kw. That’s okay though, since the average American home doesn’t usually require a system much bigger than that.
But should you procure a system that covers your buildings entire energy load? That depends. You must have enough available roof space with no shading issues. However, you can always get a ground mount if you have ample space in your yard. It is more economically and environmentally effective to go for the larger system, but keep in mind your incentives probably have a cap.
One reason that homeowners might choose to install a system that covers their whole load and then some, is that you can sell back excess energy to the grid. That’s right, with net metering, if you generate more than you use, the utility company pays you. In most cases, you cannot have a grid-tied system that produces more than 110% of your load, so the utility does have some discretion.
A few more reasons to take advantage of such incentives: You will rarely have to maintain or clean your panels (maybe once a year, or if they’re accessible in the winter to brush off the snow) and most come with at least a 30 year warranty. They’re virtually indestructible. The only cost to you is the initial installation price, which varies but on average is in the $10,000 to $50,000 range for an average homeowner. Remember, with state and federal incentives, that number can be cut in half. Incentive money does run out, so plan accordingly. Solar installation is easier than every before and is on its way to becoming mainstream as people recognize the benefits.
Imagine a self-sustaining dwelling that seems to have a life of its own—sheltering its inhabitants, providing food, supplying energy needs, and transforming waste. Are you in love yet? An Earthship is much more than a home; it’s an integration of harmonious systems akin to those in the human body.
Made largely of natural and recycled materials, Earthships have been more than forty years in the making. According to their creator Michael Reynolds, they can be built in any climate.
The need for heating and cooling in an Earthship is drastically reduced (or even eliminated) by the earth-bermed, passive solar design. The north side of a traditional earthship is constructed of stacked earth-filled tires, which are then earth-bermed. This significant amount of thermal mass keeps the interior temperature relatively stable. The tires are stacked in U shapes, each forming a room. Interior walls can also be constructed out of recycled material—cans in cement. The front of an Earthship is comprised of greenhouse windows with planters immediately inside. Planters serve a triple purpose—their vegetation cleanses the air; they provide growing space for food; and they serve as a greywater treatment system.
An Earthship’s roof is designed to collect water which is then channeled to a cistern. Once filtered, it is used four times:
For regular household use, excluding the toilet.
Passes through the interior botanical cells (planters).
Flushes the toilet.
Passes through to exterior botanical cells (outside plantings).
The exterior botanical cells are contained and work in concert with a conventional septic tank to satisfy many code requirements.
Part of the appeal of Earthships is that they can be owner-built. Although the process of filling and stacking tires is undeniably labor-intensive, it is relatively straightforward and does not require years of experience.
As with any basic housing design, an Earthship can be as sustainable as ingenuity and budget allow. Some homeowners are connected to the grid and have traditional drywall instead of can walls, while others stay more faithful to the original design.
This enthusiastic overview barely scratches the surface of all things Earthship. Ready to get your hands dirty? To learn more, visit http://www.earthship.net.
The US-China Clean Energy Research Center. Yup, you read that right. The two countries that produce about 42 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions AND two of the countries that refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol are getting together to study how they can curtail carbon emissions. The joint effort will have a $15 million influx of cash and will compile all the research that has been done and will be done on reducing emissions. The center will also conduct research into other technologies to help address climate change.
“The U.S. and China are two great nations, and clean energy is one of the great opportunities of our time. Working together we can accomplish more than acting alone,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. China and the U.S. have a history of working together on science and technology dating back to President Jimmy Carter and Deng Xiaoping.
China has accused the developed world of creating the carbon emissions problem and insists that treaties like the Kyoto Protocol will ripple their fledgling economy. At the July 2009 G8 meetings, the developing nations refused to accept any binding targets for lowering emissions. Yet experts point out that unless the developing world actively works to curtail emissions the global effort to stop global warming will be unsuccessful. The developing world seems anxious to have the developed world pass on their technologies, however.
The teams of scientists and engineers from the U.S. and China will have as priorities: building energy efficiency, clean coal including carbon capture and storage, and clean vehicles. The Center will have one headquarters in each country with the locations yet to be determined.
Of course, the priority of building energy efficiency caught my attention. I’ll be anxious to see what innovations can be produced with the combined brain power of two great nations.
You already know why 
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