Advancing Technology into our Natural Lives

The technological age is now fueled by the green spirit, or human energy is being invested into inventions that work within natural cycles to improve the ecological home shared by humans, plants, and animals. Over the Christmas break, my Dad and I have had fresh conversations about new inventions that work within marginal environments such as deserts. Many of these inventions mimic the process of nature, using energy from the earth's only outside energy source, the sun. They encourage the diversity of organisms necessary for a mature eco-system that is better capable os sustaining life than one closer to monocultures. Dad works at Future Fuels, one of the leading producers of biodiesel. My Dad told me about how algae is being grown to make fuel for vehicles. The algae is grown on arrid land that is not suitable for habitation or agriculture. The algae absorbs C02, allowing it offset the emmissions that occur when the fuel is burned. The balance of the intake and output of C02 would contributes to a greater stability of the atmosphere. 350, a number that Bill McKibben is working to make known world wide, is the maximum amount of C02 emmissions that could be emitted each year. The algae farms are still in development, but they are representative of the exciting developments that will be shaped by the global warming bottleneck.

I found one such invention when I picked up the New Yorker today, and found a surprising article on a new invention called the waterboxx. The invention would allow local people to plant trees in poor environments or deforested areas. The specific goal is to reforest desert areas that used to be fertile land, a great boon since increased desertification has resulted a third of the earth to become marginal, dry land. The waterboxx is an invention of biomimicry, that is it is modeled after natural processes. It mimics the way that a plants draws water, and the result is that a sapling recieves enough water to grow through the perilous first year, while at the same time developing tough roots so that it can endure the desert climate after the box is removed. The result is more trees to absorb the excess CO2 in the atmosphere. My Dad was excited to learn about the waterboxx, and we discussed how they could be useful for people who live in desert areas or for farmers who are repairing land damaged by monoculture. Having been on a mission trip to Haiti earlier this year, he commented, “ It would be neat to replant forests at the edges of deserts and begin working across them. If the biodegradable Waterboxx could be made much much cheaper (like less than $1 instead of 10s of $s), this would be more likely. Nearly the entire island of Haiti needs replanted in trees.” I could see integrating the waterboxx into an organization that is similiar to Heifer, in which small communities, families, women, and minorities are empowered to grow their own food or start their own small business. Fruits and vegetables make a colorful, healthy diet for affluent and imporvershed nations alike. Small green businesses can help the locals celebrate fresh food- a gift of technology, water, earth, and sun.