I'm starting to notice a small possible trend. Maybe it's just me and my desire to get back to the "simple" life of days past. Now I'm noticing that there are researchers that are looking to the past to solve problems with the current environmental issues. One of them being the Einstein Fridge.
Yes, THAT Einstein. Apparently along with figuring out the secrets of the universe, he like to tinker around with solving daily issues. Back in the 30's he and a colleague designed and patented a refrigerator that does NOT use electricity and can now greatly reduce greenhouse gasses. Unfortunately, when Freon came into wide use, the Einstein Fridge concept couldn't keep up with the efficiency of the new refrigerators. An Oxford University researcher is now reexamining the concept to see if the efficiency can be increased.
Another concept that seems to be looking to the past is eco-city design. I was telling my wife about this concept but could not remember the website. Doing some research we discovered that the concept was seemingly based on the Garden Cities of To-Morrow by Ebenezer Howard. The basic idea is planning a moderate sized city in a circle format, at the same time utilizing the space to it's fullest and still being able to have a large percentage of parks, nature and natural beauty incorporated into the "city." Everything is within walking distance or can easily be reached at metros centered within each of the circles. Unfortunately, we can't just tear down a city and start over from scratch, but city architects like the one who designed the Cloverleaf city can and should incorporate concepts for minimizing the need for vehicles and maximizing the amount of nature that even city dwellers require, whether they know it or not.
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