Electrifying the ocean

Getting electricity underwater? This doesnt really sound serious or even possible. Even if it is possible with the technology available nowadays, what is the purpose of electricity at the bottom of the ocean??

Well, surprisingly, getting the ocean 'electrified' could save our marine life and increase biodiversity.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150506-why-we-should-electrify-the-ocean

So what is really happening?

The new technology used is called "biorock technology".
It was originally developed by marine scientists Thomas Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz.

The system is basically a stell rod structure with the current running through it. Electricity interacts with the minerals in the seawater and limestone begins to grow on the structure.Throughout time, the limestone that builds up, gets solid and acts as a skeleton, creating a perfect environment for the marine breeding.The whole idea is to speed up the growth of the corals and to make the heal faster.

When divers spot a coral that has been injured, they move it onto the Biorock structure, the results are amazing! The process of healing gets 20 times faster and the coral has 50 times more chance to survive!
But the Biorock is not only helpful for the coral healing, it is also beneficial for fish population, providing shelter and surely, making the quality of the water better.

The size of the structure is not limited, the only limitation with the biorock system is that it need to get power. It has to be constantly connected to electricity.

Cook County's Zero waste goal

The process of building is a long and complicated one. There are a lot of processes involved at every stage of the construction. But when the building is up and functioning, what happens to the construction waste?

I was surprised to find out that up to 40% of the landfill in US consists of building/construction waste.

So in Illinois State, US, at the Cook County, the new requirement for the construction waste management is that 70% of the debris created from demolition has to be recycled and reused rather than sent to the landfill. Moreover, the additional 5% has to be reused on residential structures.

 

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6453#.VXGfxM-qpBc

It is extremely important to review what goes to waste and explore more option to adapt the potential 'rubbish' to new use. This initiative will not only help reduce the amount of landfill, but will also, hopefully, make builders think twice, and be more considerate with the materials they use. 

In addition to saving materials and saving space in landfills, this initiative will also be creating new jobs. even recycling 5% of demolition debris from about 30 residential structures can support at least one new retail center with up to five jobs and 30 full-time deconstruction workers. 

Recycling demolition waste will generate jobs, stabilize local economies, and create constant materials supply for construction and building industries.