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Take the challengeWhat’s 50 metres tall, lights up at night, and has a built-in drinking fountain?
National Tree Day is this Sunday July 26th. It's all about reconnecting with nature, planting something for future generations, and good old-fashioned tree hugging.
It's often said, "don't fix what isn't broke", but innovators in planet-strong technology have come up with new ways in which we rethink the humble tree.
Wind Tree
French engineer, and founder of start-up New Wind, Jérôme Michaud-Larivière, has developed an assemblage of vertical wind turbines shaped like a tree, know as the Wind Tree.
Comprised of 72 vertically stacked wind turbines know as Aeroleaves, the tree has an average electrical output of 3.1 kilowatts. This may seem like a meagre contribution, however application of these on mass, in a wind tree forest, means that cities may be able to power their streetlights, provide USB-charging ports, or fuel for electric cars.
The trees are 11 metres tall and at their widest point, 8 metres across. This puts them on a similar scale to the natural trees in our urban landscape, and about a third of the height of traditional wind turbines. They are weather resistant against salt, humidity, and cyclones as strong as a category three.
A final bonus of the wind tree is that unlike conventional wind turbines, the wind tree is virtually silent and pretty aesthetically pleasing which solves the whole, "not only are they visually awful, but they make a lot of noise," argument from the Abbott government.
Check it out in action here.
Read more: A letter to Tony About that wind turbine comment
The Super Tree
In Singapore's Bay South area, a forest of 18 Supertrees, known as Supertree Grove, has been constructed as part of an initiative from Singapore's National Parks Board to cultivate foreign flora and fauna.
The Supertrees range from 25m to 50m in height and are constructed from a steel frame that hosts flowers and ferns.
[Image www.flickriver.com]
The benefit of the Supertree surpasses the aesthetic; they generate solar power, assist in regulating temperature, provide shade, collect rainwater, and act as air vent ducts. A suspended pathway for patrons to explore the mechanical forest links the trees, which also provide a light show at night.
eTree
Israel's sustainability garden in Ramat Hanadiv is home to the eTree aka The Giving Tree.
[image www.solargiving.com]
The eTree, made of metal pipes and powered by its solar panel "leaves", serves as a multipurpose community space. It offers free Wi-Fi, USB charging for smart devices, a drinking fountain, water bowl for animals, shade, night lighting, and an LCD screen.
The eTree will be featured at the next international climate change summit, COP 21 in August this year. It's something we've been writing about a bit lately!
[Header image Khairul Nizam]
READ THIS NEXT: [IMAGES] This man creates an enchanting church entirely out of trees
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