Blair

In Finland, there is a Housing First approach which provides homeless people with housing and support services to help individuals rebuild their lives.

By using this approach, there has been a reduction in homelessness, plummeting from over 20,000 homeless people to less than 4,000 in just a decade.

While Housing First was invented in the USA, Finland has embraced it.

📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jt_6PBnCJE&t=54

📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbEavDqA8iE

📰 https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/look-finlands-housing-first-initiative

Silta’s community space, where tenants go for gardening or group BBQs

In case anyone is curious about Housing First programs in the USA, here is a video more focused on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nys6iebjHw&t=128

"Sardex, an Italian fintech, created a mutual credit system where businesses exchange goods and services without cash.

This trust-based network has strengthened the local economy and inspired similar models across Italy."

📰 https://positivenewsfoundation.org/video/italys-fintech-innovation-transforming-business-with-sardex/ 📺 https://youtu.be/eeB2tsS6xpM

Parts of Sweden use District Heating (heat for everyone comes from the same source), and one location is filling caves with hot water to create a giant network of thermal batteries.

Unused energy in the summer is used to heat the boilers, which can be used to heat the city in the winter.

📺 Video Link

Somewhere below the Swedish city of Västerås, there's a big man-made cave. During the Cold War, it was used to store oil. But the local energy company decided to clean it, pump it full of water and heat it up. Here's why they did that.

"Indoor plants not only add a touch of greenery to your living space but also purify the air and boost your mood. While traditional soil-based planting is popular, growing plants in water, known as hydroponics, is gaining traction due to its simplicity and aesthetic appeal. In this guide, we’ll explore which indoor plants can be grown in water, how to care for them, and other useful tips for successful hydroponic gardening."

“These two directions require different properties for cool walls,” says Qilong Cheng, a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University who worked on the study as a graduate student at Columbia University. “So we have this two-surface zigzag design, with one surface facing the sky and the other facing the ground.”

The angles, looking a little like the sawtooth roofs of factory rooms, can shave 5.5° Fahrenheit off average indoor temperatures.

Radiation coming up from the ground is reduced or deflected by one material, while heat from the sun is reflected with ultra-white paint.

More info in the article

Have you ever wondered why so many large chain stores have two sets of doors? No, it is not just to store shopping carts.

Where I live, any home that is around 100 years old (that hasn't seen any renovations) will very likely have two front doors. Putting it simply, you open one door, step into a small space, and there will be another door in front of you.

(Image Sources: Image 1 | Image 2)

The space goes by many names, including: arctic entry, mud room, breeze room, vestibule, airlock, foyer, and more. For sake of simplicity, I am going to call them "entry vestibules."

Entry vestibules create a buffer between the outside and the inside of the building, preventing drafts. This can help greatly with temperature regulation in both the winter cold and summer heat. I can't find number details on energy saving, but the fact that large chains still build them may hint of their importance for money-saving.

In homes, this space also typically serves as the mud room ( a place for shoes and jackets).

In the name of "first impressions," and open concept designs, vestibules are often the first thing to go during renovations, and I think that's a real shame.

((Note: this is post of mine from a different site that is about a year old, but thought I would share it here too in case it helps anyone))

Old technology is once again getting attention, and this time it’s air-conditioners made out of terracotta clay.

“She was inspired by the Palestinian Jara, a traditional clay water container that is hung from the ceiling to cool water and cool the air. Specifically, the water contained in the hollow internal structure moves outward through the porous clay walls. With the heat of the air, it evaporates and is transformed into water vapor. This reaction absorbs heat from the surrounding air, cooling the water, the material itself and consequently the air in the room.” Forbes India In regards to Yael Issacharov.

There are two unrelated people currently being mentioned for promoting their designs using this technology; Monish Siripurapu(from India), and Yael Issacharov(from Israel).

Monish Siripurapu’s design is based off a beehive and uses a small pump to create a beautiful water fountain that both cools the air and can be used for gardening.

Yael Issacharov’s design uses no electricity, and instead relies on the naturally porous nature of the clay.

For dry and hot climates, this old technology could provide cooler air at an affordable price. The clay is readily available almost entirely world-wide, making it accessible and inexpensive.

"The humid clay traps some heat the air and the surrounding air gets cooled down to around 6-10⁰ C due to the process of evaporative cooling.“ EcoIdeaz in regards to Monish Siripurapu

Videos with more info:

• https://youtu.be/nt2oyaP2m6Q
• https://youtu.be/19JWhN1lK8E

Based on this information, I am wondering if a terracotta pot and a fan would have the same effect for a small room. Here's a drawing of mine to help explain what I mean: