by Tom Braford
Technology and iconic development alone will not save civilization and the planet.
For example, borehole technology can sound boring, but what if it were a key puzzle piece in building affordable, sustainable Reconciliation & Regeneration Ecovillage communities? And what if they were an even bigger puzzle piece in saving civilization and the planet? And what if you could help create them and have fun in the process?
Studies by professor of physics at Washington University, Anders Carlsson, show that seasonal heat storage utilizing borehole technology combined with thermal solar can effectively provide 97% of the heating load for communities at the scale of our prototype community in the Central West End.
The study was done in Canada, where providing heat in the winter is the challenge. The community was not nearly as dense as communities we are planning in St Louis and around Missouri where air conditioning is just as big a deal.
The system in Canada worked from an ecological perspective, but it is not yet cost effective. Professor Carlsson’s modeling and recent breakthroughs in absorptive cooling technology show that this technology could be very affordable when combined with ICB’s 12R’s technologies.
Another technology is a design feature that speeds up the process of building with our Rapid Integral Building System by making it possible to dehumidify and cool room-by-room in the summer and add humidity in the winter. It improves the aesthetics and acoustics with a slightly domed coffered ceiling that helps circulate cool, warm and fresh air uniformly. It is also a cost-effective way to limit the spread of Covid or other airborne ailments.
Half of these technologies are physical and half are social. Combining several of them results in radically more affordable, sustainable and livable home and work environments.
If you are even the least bit intrigued by any of this, please contact us. We are creating a series of live and virtual workshops.
You may want to participate in producing or attending, while earning credits toward the future community-based living and co-op business ownership of your dreams.
Contact us to learn more:
braford@sbcglobal.net
www.ArizmendiEcovillage.com