The B-more, B-Green Solar Tour featured 10 homes and businesses in Maryland that bring green techniques into play in order to reduce carbon emissions. Amongst the 10, David and Laura Sill’s new garage in Reisterstown was truly inspiring. Providing shelter to three cars, the garage was finished last week incorporating features like electric toilet, solar panels and structure made from straw.
The 21-inch well-insulated walls of the earth-friendly garage are made out from 200 bales of straw that are beautifully covered with plaster, while the exterior features cement-product paneling. Resting on 1,400-square-foot area, it uses three solar panels for heating purpose. Whenever the garage requires heat, a tank of antifreeze-like fluid is heated using the panels. The heat produced will circulate the tank’s fluid in a grid under the floor, leaving the garage heated up to 80 degrees.
Unlike conventional garages that have paved driveway, this one has a permeable pavement, which is like a thin metal grid that’s barely covered by dirt but allows vegetation to poke through and rain to be absorbed. Residing on top of the roof are two tiny gardens that not only keep the garage cool during summers, but also extend the life of the roof. It also includes a small bathroom that has an electric toilet. The toilet exactly works is by collecting all waste into a bag that drops the waste drops to the bottom of the toilet as soon as a button is pushed. At the bottom, an electric coil incinerates the waste and leaves behind an eco-friendly ash.
Other sites on the American Solar Energy Society, Potomac Regional Solar Energy Association and several energy-related companies sponsored self-guided tour are a green-certified building at a winery. The structure imitates cedar shakes made from recycled rubber and plastic and has a solar pool heating system on the roof that allows a 1,000-square-foot pool to be heated about 10 degrees higher than usual at no extra cost. Another structure is the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center situated in South Baltimore. It uses solar panels to generate electricity with automatic lighting system. The grey water from the bathroom is filtered and reused for the toilet. You could also gather ideas from these building and incorporate it into your dwelling.
Via: BaltimoreSun