Our 2012 Greenhouse Design

1. Our 2012 Greenhouse Design By Molly Beegoo, Cara Cashman, and Jen Petras

2. Our Power Supplier • Geothermal Plant- thermal energy that is generated and held in the Earth (thermal= heat).

3. Geothermal Advantages Disadvantages Hazardous waste may find its way up to the surface (could be hard to get rid of properly) Limited places where you can establish a power station (many factors plug into it). • Does not produce pollution • Seldom impact on the environment • The energy is practically free once a power supplier is built • Fuel is not needed.

4. Our Elements

5. Straw Bale Insulation • Straw bale is a renewable resource, is at low cost, and high insulation value. • The bales typically consist of wheat, oats, rye, and rice straw. • Maintenance needed is replastering the walls in order to keep the insulation secure. • In order to keep water out, a layer of plaster is needed so that no water can seep into the insulation. • The plaster is also used to keep mice out.

6. Sustainable Bamboo Flooring • Is harder than regular flooring, and would be an efficient flooring when labs are done in the cabin. • Is a renewable resource. • Grows faster than regular wood because it is actually a type of grass, not wood. • Pesticides for bamboo is not required.

7. Passive Solar • Made to collect and store heat. • Heats the home in the winter/ Heat is refused in the summer. • Our goal for our roofing is to make ½ of the roof a “green roof”, while the other ½ is solar. • Our solar ½ will be composed of a window that covers the entire portion of that ½ of the ceiling. • All of the windows throughout the cabin will be tinted so that in the summer time it will not be as warm.

8. Natural Lighting • Our goal is to put numerous large windows throughout the cabin so that our main source of light is the sun. • We plan to tint the windows so that it gives the cabin a rustic feel to it.

9. Green Roof • Is a roof that is covered partially or fully by plants. • The maintenance needed for the green roof will consist of periodically monitoring the green roof for things like invasive weeds. • As long as drought tolerant plants are what is chosen for the green roof, there is minimal maintenance needed. • Can be used to absorb rainwater, be used an insulation. • Our goal is to use an extensive roof (light layer of plants and are not as heavy as the intensive roofs), so that the water that is absorbed by the vegetation can be drained into our rain barrels.

10. Fly-ash Bricks • Are bricks that consist of fly-ash (particle generated from combustion) and water. • Is at low cost. • Little seepage has been found when using these types of bricks. • Our goal is to use this type of brick for the walls of the cabin, which we will then plaster and then paint a dark brown for the rustic feel of a cabin.

11. Rain Barrels • Used to collect rain water from rooftops (our green roof) or gutters. • This water will be used for our labs. If there is a time where we ever need hot water, we can simply boil it.

12. Composting Toilet • Uses small amounts of water to get rid of waste. • Excretion is normally mixed with sawdust, peat moss, and other materials to get rid of the odor.

13. Concrete Barrier • Our goal is to create an underground concrete barrier that is two feet deep/ two feet wide so that the groundhogs will be unable to find there way under the cabin.

14. Our Measurements • Porch width- Thirty-five feet • Height of Porch- Two feet • House width- Twenty-three feet • House length- Thirty-six feet • These measurements are important because these are the same measurements that will be used for the cabin. • Because of minor complications, our group was unable • to attain all of the measurements needed. • Sorry about the tape measure Mrs. Loch!!! 