Raw Materials is part of the EDF Evaluation Matrix for our design. It deals with Proximity, Recycled Origin, Renewable & Plentiful, and Limited Quantity. Proximity EDF Evaluation Matrix doesn’t provide a definition for this item. The D.R.I.P.S. will be manufactured in the proximity of where they will be deployed. Recycled Origin “ISO 14021 defines recycled content as...
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Delivery and Installation is part of the EDF Evaluation Matrix for our design. It deals with Pack and Logistics Optimization, Storage Time and Space Reduction, and Low Impact Installation. Pack and Logistics Optimization “Weight, volume, distance and means of transportation.” —EDF Evaluation Matrix We hope that the D.R.I.P.S. will be manufactured in the geographic proximity...
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Production is part of the EDF Evaluation Matrix for our design. It deals with Clean and Economical Technology and Production Management. Clean and Economical Technology “Regarding water, air and soil pollution emissions.” —EDF Evaluation Matrix A D.R.I.P.S. model produces no pollution whatsoever. Production Management “Environment management — ISO 14001. Reduction of the production cycle.”—EDF Evaluation Matrix...
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End of Life deals with questions about Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Economic Benefits. EDF provided a rubric to judge End of Life properties of our product—D.R.I.P.S. Reuse “The product or some components can be reused for the same and/or a new application.”—EDF Evaluation Tool The individual D.R.I.P.S. models can be moved around to different...
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Use is part of the EDF Evaluation Matrix for our design. It deals with Low Impact Maintenance, Use Savings, and Limited Nuisances. Low Impact Maintenance “Maintenance that doesn’t require tools and working force that could generate indirect impacts like high consumption of energy (due to electrical devices or transportation) or raw materials depletion (due...
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D.R.I.P.S. is a simple idea. It’s a large funnel, made from recycled plastic, that collects dew and precipitation during the night and transports it directly to the roots of a plant. The wide part of the funnel is about the size of a dinner plate and is fairly flat. The tube part is about...
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In September 2005 issue of Scientific American Journal, there was an article: “The Big Potential of Small Farms” by Paul Polak (August 22, 2005). Paul Polak started IDE—International Development Enterprises—in 1981 to come up with good solutions to water problems. The article describes IDE’s work and the problems they are trying to solve. There’s...
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The illustration above shows two soil levels: Water Penetration Level—the depth at which surface water no longer seep through and Evaporation water Level—the depth at which water that is in the soil can’t be evaporated by the day time heat of the surface weather above These levels can be ordered as shown or an...
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This is map of total rainfall around the world. Source: NOAA.
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Information on evapotranspiration from Wikipedia: “Potential evapotranspiration supplements the measurement of rainfall in providing a scientific measurement-based definition of a desert. The water budget of an area can be calculated using the formula P − PE ± S, wherein P is precipitation, PE is potential evapotranspiration rates and S is amount of surface storage...
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“Encyclopedia of Deserts” by Michael A. Mares, Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (Norman, Okla.) is a good source of information on dew formation in the desert. Here’s a quote from page 177: “It is not exactly known how much dew forms on plants in desert areas, although it rage from 10 millimeters in cold...
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“Desert Meteorology” by Thomas T. Warner provides information on dew quantities in the desert environments. It gives a table that compares the amount water accumulated from fog as opposed to rainfall. Since our project focuses on dew and collection of water from dew, this is an important source.
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Here’s a link to wikipedia’s definition of a desert. Here you can learn about precipitation averages in a desert environment.
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Nicholas Werby is a 12th grader at Lowell High School in San Francisco.
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Lowell High School is the best high school in San Francisco! We are working with our science teacher, Ms. Lisa Seawell Cole. She is part of Lowell High School Science Department and teaches Biology, Ecology, and Health Science.
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We’ve got an invitation to The Energy Lab — EDF’s new pavilion in France, featuring the winning designs from the EDF Sustainable Design Challenge....
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Our project and its video was just posted on The Water Channel! Here’s a description of what they do: TheWaterChannel was launched at the...
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So now we have three prototypes: two from India and one locally-produced. They are very different. But the latest version is what we are...
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We just got our first glimpse of DRIPS from India — these were produced in India and are being shipped to us now. Can’t...
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This year (2011), we are still focusing on food. We want to know the true cost of food — its price; the distance it...
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