Check out WaterShed’s video explaining its engineering systems.
Video overview for WaterShed.
The house the bay built
UM students say, if we’re going to live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we need to design structures that don’t increase pollution
WaterShed covered by GreenBuildingAdvisor.com Check out the story here:
What is the Gulf of Mexico dead zone?
The giant, lifeless expanse appears every summer, but historic flooding along the Mississippi River could make 2011 a record-breaking year.
Current progress of WaterShed, University of Maryland’s entry in the 2011 Solar Decathlon
WaterShed team members visit Gutierrez Studios in Baltimore to see the progress of our pergola structure.
Ruff Roofers putting more layers on the house.
Team getting ready to waterproof the house.
Parlin working on the roof.
Adult & juvenile blue crabs (via chesbayprogram @ flickr’s creative commons)
The blue crab is the keystone species of the Chesapeake Bay. It is one of the few creatures in the bay’s complicated ecosystem that acts as both a predator and a prey, making it an invaluable link in the food chain. Over the years, agricultural, urban, and suburban run-off have polluted the Chesapeake Bay causing a rise in nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment levels. Poor water quality has hit the blue crab population hard. The bay’s ecosystem is at a critical point. The blue crab are disappearing.
Over one-third of the entire country’s blue crabs sold for consumption come from the Chesapeake. The area has recently gone through a population increase. Agricultural run-off has had a negative impact on the underwater bay grasses the crabs call home. All of these things are contributing to the decline of the blue crab population.
The Chesapeake Bay Executive Council and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have created initiatives and laws that have alleviated some of the pressure put on the bay’s ecosystem. Plants that act as pollutant buffers have been placed along the bay, restrictions on commercial fishing, and pollutant limitations for businesses and farms have all been put in place, but the blue crab is still disappearing.
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This is part of a project for my EARTH111 class, Water: Science & Society. Since this assignment is due tonight at 11PM (eek!), stay tuned for some more real-life water crises, which will ultimately be documented and available for free download in the form of a Google Earth file that geolocates all of these issues.
Keep questioning,
Sara
Save the Date for CTBD 2011
Saturday June 4, 9AM -12PM
Rain or Shine
