c



(also known as



 
 or  
 ) is the practice of
creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-
efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation,
maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the
classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.[1]

Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in
creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce
the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

i ¦fficiently using energy, water, and other resources

i ½rotecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
i Ôeducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation[1]

A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to focus on
the use of natural materials that are available locally.[2] Other related topics include sustainable
design and green architecture.


 
[hide]

i 1 Ôeducing environmental impact

i 2 Goals of green building
a 2.1 Siting and structure design efficiency
a 2.2 ¦nergy efficiency
a 2.3 Water efficiency
a 2.4 Materials efficiency
a 2.5 Indoor environmental quality enhancement
a 2.6 Operations and maintenance optimization
a 2.7 Waste reduction
i 3 Cost
i 4 Ôegulation and operation
i 5 International frameworks and assessment tools
i 6 See also
i 7 Ôeferences


 

 
 
 

Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Buildings account
for a large amount of land use, energy and water consumption, and air and atmosphere alteration.
Considering the statistics, reducing the amount of natural resources buildings consume and the
amount of pollution given off is seen as crucial for future sustainability, according to ¦½A.The
environmental impact of buildings is often underestimated, while the perceived costs of green
buildings are overestimated. A recent survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development finds that green costs are overestimated by 300 percent, as key players in real
estate and construction estimate the additional cost at 17 percent above conventional
construction, more than triple the true average cost difference of about 5 percent.


 c

 

the Blu Homes mkSolaire, a green building designed by Michelle Kaufmann

The concept of sustainable development can be traced to the energy (especially fossil oil) crisis
and the environment pollution concern in the 1970s.[3] The green building movement in the U.S.
originated from the need and desire for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly
construction practices. There are a number of motives to building green, including
environmental, economic, and social benefits. However, modern sustainability initiatives call for
an integrated and synergistic design to both new construction and in the retrofitting of an existing
structure. Also known as sustainable design, this approach integrates the building life-cycle with
each green practice employed with a design-purpose to create a synergy amongst the practices
used.

Green building brings together a vast array of practices and techniques to reduce and ultimately
eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. It often emphasizes
taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight through passive solar, active solar,
and photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and for
reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques, such as using packed gravel or permeable
concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water,
are used as well.

While the practices, or technologies, employed in green building are constantly evolving and
may differ from region to region, there are fundamental principles that persist from which the
method is derived: Siting and Structure Design ¦fficiency, ¦nergy ¦fficiency, Water ¦fficiency,
Materials ¦fficiency, Indoor ¦nvironmental Quality ¦nhancement, Operations and Maintenance
Optimization, and Waste and Toxics Ôeduction.[4][5] The essence of green building is an
optimization of one or more of these principles. Also, with the proper synergistic design,
individual green building technologies may work together to produce a greater cumulative effect.

On the aesthetic side of green architecture or sustainable design is the philosophy of designing a
building that is in harmony with the natural features and resources surrounding the site. There are
several key steps in designing sustainable buildings: specify 'green' building materials from local
sources, reduce loads, optimize systems, and generate on-site renewable energy.

    


 





G

G

 

The foundation of any construction project is rooted in the concept and design stages. The
concept stage, in fact, is one of the major steps in a project life cycle, as it has the largest impact
on cost and performance.[6] In designing environmentally optimal buildings, the objective
function aims at minimizing the total environmental impact associated with all life-cycle stages
of the building project. However, building as a process is not as streamlined as an industrial
process, and varies from one building to the other, never repeating itself identically. In addition,
buildings are much more complex products, composed of a multitude of materials and
components each constituting various design variables to be decided at the design stage. A
variation of every design variable may affect the environment during all the building's relevant
life-cycle stages.[7]


 







£

  

 



 
 
 

Green buildings often include measures to reduce energy use. To increase the efficiency of the
building envelope, (the barrier between conditioned and unconditioned space), they may use
high-efficiency windows and insulation in walls, ceilings, and floors. Another strategy, passive
solar building design, is often implemented in low-energy homes. Designers orient windows and
walls and place awnings, porches, and trees[8] to shade windows and roofs during the summer
while maximizing solar gain in the winter. In addition, effective window placement (daylighting)
can provide more natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day. Solar
water heating further reduces energy loads.

Onsite generation of renewable energy through solar power, wind power, hydro power, or
biomass can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the building. ½ower generation is
generally the most expensive feature to add to a building.


 







G

 

  

Ôeducing water consumption and protecting water quality are key objectives in sustainable
building. One critical issue of water consumption is that in many areas, the demands on the
supplying aquifer exceed its ability to replenish itself. To the maximum extent feasible, facilities
should increase their dependence on water that is collected, used, purified, and reused on-site.
The protection and conservation of water throughout the life of a building may be accomplished
by designing for dual plumbing that recycles water in toilet flushing. Waste-water may be
minimized by utilizing water conserving fixtures such as ultra-low flush toilets and low-flow
shower heads. Bidets help eliminate the use of toilet paper, reducing sewer traffic and increasing
possibilities of re-using water on-site. ½oint of use water treatment and heating improves both
water quality and energy efficiency while reducing the amount of water in circulation. The use of
non-sewage and greywater for on-site use such as site-irrigation will minimize demands on the
local aquifer.[9]


 







G

G

  

Building materials typically considered to be 'green' include rapidly renewable plant materials
like bamboo (because bamboo grows quickly) and straw, lumber from forests certified to be
sustainably managed, ecology blocks, dimension stone, recycled stone, recycled metal, and other
products that are non-toxic, reusable, renewable, and/or recyclable (e.g. Trass, Linoleum, sheep
wool, panels made from paper flakes, compressed earth block, adobe, baked earth, rammed
earth, clay, vermiculite, flax linen, industrial hemp[10], sisal, seagrass, cork, expanded clay grains,
coconut, wood fibre plates, calcium sand stone, concrete (high and ultra high performance,
roman self-healing concrete[11]) , etc.[12][13]) The ¦½A (¦nvironmental ½rotection Agency) also
suggests using recycled industrial goods, such as coal combustion products, foundry sand, and
demolition debris in construction projects [14] Building materials should be extracted and
manufactured locally to the building site to minimize the energy embedded in their
transportation. Where possible, building elements should be manufactured off-site and delivered
to site, to maximise benefits of off-site manufacture including minimising waste, maximising
recycling (because manufacture is in one location), high quality elements, better OHS
management, less noise and dust.


  
 
  



 

G



 
 

The Indoor ¦nvironmental Quality (I¦Q) category in L¦¦D standards, one of the five
environmental categories, was created to provide comfort, well-being, and productivity of
occupants. The L¦¦D I¦Q category addresses design and construction guidelines especially:
indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal quality, and lighting quality.[15]

Indoor Air Quality seeks to reduce volatile organic compounds, or VOC's, and other air
impurities such as microbial contaminants. Buildings rely on a properly designed HVAC system
to provide adequate ventilation and air filtration as well as isolate operations (kitchens, dry
cleaners, etc.) from other occupancies. During the design and construction process choosing
construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low emissions will improve IAQ.
Many building materials and cleaning/maintenance products emit toxic gases, such as VOC's and
formaldehyde. These gases can have a detrimental impact on occupants' health and productivity
as well. Avoiding these products will increase a building's I¦Q.

½ersonal temperature and airflow control over the HVAC system coupled with a properly
designed building envelope will also aid in increasing a building's thermal quality. Creating a
high performance luminous environment through the careful integration of natural and artificial
light sources will improve on the lighting quality of a structure.[9][16]

 
 


  

ëo matter how sustainable a building may have been in its design and construction, it can only
remain so if it is operated responsibly and maintained properly. ¦nsuring operations and
maintenance(O&M) personnel are part of the project's planning and development process will
help retain the green criteria designed at the onset of the project.[17] ¦very aspect of green
building is integrated into the O&M phase of a building's life. The addition of new green
technologies also falls on the O&M staff. Although the goal of waste reduction may be applied
during the design, construction and demolition phases of a building's life-cycle, it is in the O&M
phase that green practices such as recycling and air quality enhancement take place.


 





Green architecture also seeks to reduce waste of energy, water and materials used during
construction. For example, in California nearly 60% of the state's waste comes from commercial
buildings[18] During the construction phase, one goal should be to reduce the amount of material
going to landfills. Well-designed buildings also help reduce the amount of waste generated by
the occupants as well, by providing on-site solutions such as compost bins to reduce matter going
to landfills.

To reduce the impact on wells or water treatment plants, several options exist. "Greywater",
wastewater from sources such as dishwashing or washing machines, can be used for subsurface
irrigation, or if treated, for non-potable purposes, e.g., to flush toilets and wash cars. Ôainwater
collectors are used for similar purposes.

Centralized wastewater treatment systems can be costly and use a lot of energy. An alternative to
this process is converting waste and wastewater into fertilizer, which avoids these costs and
shows other benefits. By collecting human waste at the source and running it to a semi-
centralized biogas plant with other biological waste, liquid fertilizer can be produced. This
concept was demonstrated by a settlement in Lubeck Germany in the late 1990s. ½ractices like
these provide soil with organic nutrients and create carbon sinks that remove carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere, offsetting greenhouse gas emission. ½roducing artificial fertilizer is also
more costly in energy than this process.[19]


  
The most criticized issue about constructing environmentally friendly buildings is the price.
½hoto-voltaics, new appliances, and modern technologies tend to cost more money. Most green
buildings cost a premium of <2%, but yield 10 times as much over the entire life of the
building.[20] The stigma is between the knowledge of up-front cost[21] vs. life-cycle cost. The
savings in money come from more efficient use of utilities which result in decreased energy bills.
Also, higher worker or student productivity can be factored into savings and cost deductions.
Studies have shown over a 20 year life period, some green buildings have yielded $53 to $71 per
square foot back on investment.[22] It is projected that different sectors could save $130 Billion
on energy bills.[23]

 
 
 
Many countries have developed their own standards for green building or energy efficiency for
buildings. Some of the major building environmental assessment tools currently in use include:

i Australia: ëabers [5] / Green Star [6]

i Brazil: AQUA [7] / L¦¦D Brasil [8]
i Canada: L¦¦D Canada [9] / Green Globes [10]
i China: GBAS [11]
i Finland: ½romis¦ [12]
i France: HQ¦ [13]
i Germany: DGëB [14] / C¦½H¦US [15]
i Hong Kong: HKB¦AM [16]
i India: Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)[17] / GÔIHA [18]
i Italy: ½rotocollo Itaca [19] / Green Building Counsil Italia [20]
i Malaysia: GBI Malaysia [21]
i Mexico: L¦¦D Mexico [22]
i ëetherlands: BÔ¦¦AM ëetherlands [23]
i ëew Zealand: Green Star ëZ [24]
i ½hilippines: B¦ÔD¦ [25] / ½hilippine Green Building Council [26]
i ½ortugal: Lider A [27]
i Singapore: Green Mark [28]
i South Africa: Green Star SA [29]
i Spain: V¦ÔD¦
i Switzerland: Minergie [30]
i United States: L¦¦D [31] / Living Building Challenge [32] / Green Globes [33] / Build it
Green [34] / ëAHB ëGBS [35] / International Green Construction Code International
Green Construction Code (IGCC)
i United Kingdom: BÔ¦¦AM [36]
i United Arab ¦mirates: ¦stidama [37]


 
  
 

  

!" #

 


Climate Change 2007, the Fourth Assessment Ôeport (AÔ4) of the United ëations
Intergovernmental ½anel on Climate Change (I½CC), is the fourth in a series of such reports. The
I½CC was established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United
ëations ¦nvironment ½rogramme (U립) to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic
information concerning climate change, its potential effects and options for adaptation and
mitigation.[24]

$%!


[38]
U립 works to facilitate the transition to low-carbon societies, support climate proofing efforts,
improve understanding of climate change science, and raise public awareness about this global
challenge.

c&c
  [39]

The GHG Indicator: U립 Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas ¦missions for
Businesses and ëon-Commercial Organizations

#
'([40]

Agenda 21 is a programme run by the United ëations (Uë) related to sustainable development.
It is a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by
organizations of the Uë, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans impact
on the environment. The number 21 refers to the 21st century.

") ![41]

FIDIC¶s ½roject Sustainability Management Guidelines were created in order to assist project
engineers and other stakeholders in setting sustainable development goals for their projects that
are recognized and accepted by as being in the interests of society as a whole. The process is also
intended to allow the alignment of project goals with local conditions and priorities and to assist
those involved in managing projects to measure and verify their progress.

The ½SM Guidelines are structured with Themes and Sub-Themes under the three main
sustainability headings of Social, ¦nvironmental and ¦conomic. For each individual Sub-Theme
a core project indicator is defined along with guidance as to the relevance of that issue in the
context of an individual project.

The Sustainability Ôeporting Framework provides guidance for organizations to use as the basis
for disclosure about their sustainability performance, and also provides stakeholders a
universally applicable, comparable framework in which to understand disclosed information.

The Ôeporting Framework contains the core product of the Sustainability Ôeporting Guidelines,
as well as ½rotocols and Sector Supplements. The Guidelines are used as the basis for all
reporting. They are the foundation upon which all other reporting guidance is based, and outline
core content for reporting that is broadly relevant to all organizations regardless of size, sector,
or location. The Guidelines contain principles and guidance as well as standard disclosures ±
including indicators ± to outline a disclosure framework that organizations can voluntarily,
Àexibly, and incrementally, adopt.

½rotocols underpin each indicator in the Guidelines and include definitions for key terms in the
indicator, compilation methodologies, intended scope of the indicator, and other technical
references.
Sector Supplements respond to the limits of a one-size-¿ts-all approach. Sector Supplements
complement the use of the core Guidelines by capturing the unique set of sustainability issues
faced by different sectors such as mining, automotive, banking, public agencies and others.

!) 
 

The I½D ¦nvironment Code was launched in February 2008. The Code is intended as a good
practice global standard for measuring the environmental performance of corporate buildings. Its
aim is to accurately measure and manage the environmental impacts of corporate buildings and
enable property executives to generate high quality, comparable performance information about
their buildings anywhere in the world. The Code covers a wide range of building types (from
of¿ces to airports) and aims to inform and support the following;

i Creating an environmental strategy

i Inputting to real estate strategy
i Communicating a commitment to environmental improvement
i Creating performance targets
i ¦nvironmental improvement plans
i ½erformance assessment and measurement
i Life cycle assessments
i Acquisition and disposal of buildings
i Supplier management
i Information systems and data population
i Compliance with regulations
i Team and personal objectives

I½D estimate that it will take approximately three years to gather significant data to develop a
robust set of baseline data that could be used across a typical corporate estate.

'(*+(

ISO/TS 21931:2006, Sustainability in building construction²Framework for methods of

assessment for environmental performance of construction works²½art 1: Buildings, is intended
to provide a general framework for improving the quality and comparability of methods for
assessing the environmental performance of buildings. It identifies and describes issues to be
taken into account when using methods for the assessment of environmental performance for
new or existing building properties in the design, construction, operation, refurbishment and
deconstruction stages. It is not an assessment system in itself but is intended be used in
conjunction with, and following the principles set out in, the ISO 14000 series of standards.


 


i Alexander Thomson, a pioneer in G

  
sustainable building  
i Alternative natural materials
i Andrew Delmar Hopkins
 i Arcology ² high density ecological
structures i Geo-exchange
i Active solar i Gov¦nergy Workshop and Trade Show
i Autonomous building i Green Building Council
i Building Codes Assistance ½roject i Green library
i Deconstruction (building) i Green technology
i Dimension stone i Heat island effect
i Domotics i Hot water heat recycling
i ¦arthbag construction i Insulating concrete forms
i ¦arthCraft House i Leadership in ¦nergy and
i ¦arthship ¦nvironmental Design
i ¦co hotel i List of low-energy building techniques
i ¦co-building cluster (in Belgium) i Low-energy house
i ¦nvironmental planning i Mahoney tables
i ¦nergy-plus-house i ëatural building
i ¦nOcean i ½hotovoltaics
i Fab Tree Hab i Ôainwater harvesting
i Sustainable city
i Sustainable habitat
i Sustainable House Day
i The Verifier
i Tropical green building
i Zero-energy building


 





1.    U.S. ¦nvironmental ½rotection Agency. (October 28, 2009). Green Building Basic
Information. Ôetrieved Decem\ ber 10, 2009, from
http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/about.htm
2.  Hopkins, Ô. 2002. 



 
 Transition Culture. Ôetrieved: 2007-03-30.
3.  Mao, X., Lu, H., & Li, Q. (2009). 
 
 


 



£




G  

G
 !
"##$
£GG
%#$, 1-5. doi:10.1109/ICMSS.2009.5303546
4.  ‡ U.S. ¦nvironmental ½rotection Agency. (October 28, 2009). Green Building Home. Ôetrieved
ëovember 28, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/components.htm
5.  ‡ WBDG Sustainable Committee. (August 18, 2009). Sustainable. Ôetrieved ëovember 28,
2009, from http://www.wbdg.org/designsustainable.php
6.  Hegazy, T. (2002). Life-cycle stages of projects. Computer-Based Construction ½roject
Management, 8.
7.  ½ushkar, S., Becker, Ô., & Katz, A.(2005). A methodology for design of environmentally
optimal buildings by variable grouping.  



&
 

, 40.
doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2004.09.004
8.  Simpson, J.Ô. ¦nergy and Buildings, Improved ¦stimates of tree-shade effects on residential
energy use, February 2002.[1] Ôetrieved:2008-04-30.
9.    California Integrated Waste Management Board. (January 23, 2008). Green Building Home
½age. Ôetrieved ëovember 28, 2009, from
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/GÔ¦¦ëBUILDIëG/basics.htm
 10.  http://www.thehempbuilder.com
11.  Ôoman concrete self-healing
12.  Duurzaam en Gezond Bouwen en Wonen by Hugo Vanderstadt
13.  Time:Cementing the future
14.  http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/components.htm#materials
15.  Lee YS, Guerin DA, Indoor environmental quality differences between office types in L¦¦D-
certified buildings in the US, Building and ¦nvironment (2009),
doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2009.10.019
16.  WBDG Sustainable Committee. (August 18, 2009). Sustainable. Ôetrieved October 28, 2009,
from http://www.wbdg.org/design/ieq.php
17.  WBDG Sustainable Committee. (August 18, 2009). Sustainable. Ôetrieved ëovember 28, 2009,
from http://www.wbdg.org/design/optimize_om.php
18.  Kats, Greg; Alevantis Leon; Berman Adam; Mills ¦van; ½erlman, Jeff. The Cost and Financial
Benefits of Green Buildings, October 2003 [2] Ôetrieved:ëovember 3rd, 2008.
19.  Lange, Jorg; Grottker, Mathias; Otterpohl, Ôalf. Water Science and Technology, Sustainable
Water and Waste Management In Urban Areas, June 1998. [3] Ôetrieved:April 30, 2008.
20.  Kats, Greg, Leon Alevantis, Adam Berman, ¦van Mills, Jeff ½erlman. The Cost and Financial
Benefits of Green Buildings, ëovember 3rd, 2008.
21.  California Sustainability Alliance, Green Buildings. Ôetrieved June 16, 2010, from
http://sustainca.org/programs/green_buildings_challenges
22.  Langdon, Davis. The Cost of Green Ôevisited. ½ublication. 2007.
23.  Fedrizzi, Ôick,³Intro ± What L¦¦D Measures.´ United States Green Building Council, October
11, 2009

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


 
  is the accumulating and storing, of rainwater.[1] It has been used to
provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation or to refill aquifers in a process
called groundwater recharge. Ôainwater collected from the roofs of houses, tents and local
institutions, or from specially prepared areas of ground, can make an important contribution to
drinking water. In some cases, rainwater may be the only available, or economical, water source.
Ôainwater systems are simple to construct from inexpensive local materials, and are potentially
successful in most habitable locations. Ôoof rainwater can be of good quality and may not
require treatment before consumption. Although some rooftop materials may produce rainwater
that is harmful to human health, it can be useful in washing clothes and in other tasks. Household
rainfall catchment systems are appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater than 200 mm
(7.9 in) per year, and no other accessible water sources (Skinner and Cotton, 1992).

There are a number of types of systems to harvest rainwater ranging from very simple to the
complex industrial systems. Generally, rainwater is either harvested from the ground or from a
roof. The rate at which water can be collected from either system is dependent on the plan area
of the system, its efficiency, and the intensity of rainfall (i.e annual precipitation (mm per
annum) x square meter of catchment area = litres per annum yield) ... a 200 square meter roof
catchment catching 1,000mm ½A yields 200 kL½A.


 
[hide]

i 1 Ground catchment systems

i 2 Subsurface dyke
i 3 Groundwater recharge
i 4 Advantages in urban areas
i 5 Quality
i 6 System sizing
i 7 Around the world
i 8 See also
i 9 Ôeferences
i 10 Bibliography
i 11 ¦xternal links


 c 



 

Ground catchments systems channel water from a prepared catchment area into storage.
Generally they are only considered in areas where rainwater is very scarce and other sources of
water are not available. They are more suited to small communities than individual families. If
properly designed, ground catchment systems can collect large quantities of rainwater.

Ôainwater harvesting systems channel that falls on to a roof into storage via a system of gutters
and pipes. The first flush of rainwater after a dry season should be allowed to run to waste as it
will be contaminated with dust, bird droppings etc. Ôoof gutters should have sufficient incline to
avoid standing water. They must be strong enough, and large enough to carry peak flows.
Storage tanks should be covered to prevent mosquito breeding and to reduce evaporation losses,
contamination and algal growth. Ôainwater harvesting systems require regular maintenance and
cleaning to keep the system hygienic.


  



A subsurface dyke is built in an aquifer to obstruct the natural flow of groundwater, thereby
raising the groundwater level and increasing the amount of water stored in the aquifer.

The subsurface dyke at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kannur under Kerala Agricultural University with
the support of ICAÔ, has become an effective method for ground water conservation by means
of rain water harvesting technologies. The sub-surface dyke has demonstrated that it is a feasible
method for conserving and exploiting the groundwater resources of the Kerala state of India. The
dyke is now the largest rainwater harvesting system in that region.


 c 




Ôainwater may also be used for groundwater recharge, where the runoff on the ground is
collected and allowed to be absorbed, adding to the groundwater. In the US, rooftop rainwater is
collected and stored in sump.[2] In India this includes Bawdis and johads, or ponds which collect
the run-off from small streams in wide area.[3][4]

In India, reservoirs called tankas were used to store water; typically they were shallow with mud
walls. Ancient tankas still exist in some places.[4]


 # 
 


Ôainwater harvesting can (a) assure an independent water supply during mains water restrictions,
that is (b) though somewhat dependent on end use and maintenance, usually of acceptable
quality for household needs and (c) renewable at acceptable volumes despite forecast climate
change (CSIÔO, 2003). It produces beneficial externalities, (d) reducing peak stormwater run off
and processing costs. ÔH systems are (e) simple to install and operate, (f) running costs are
negligible and (g) convenient by providing water at the point of consumption.

Ôainwater harvesting can be adopted in cities are to provide supplemental water for the city's
requirements, to increase soil moisture levels for urban greenery, to increase the water table
through artificial recharge, to mitigate urban flooding and to improve the quality of groundwater.
In urban areas of the developed world, at a household level, non-potable uses of harvested
rainwater include bathroom (i.e. shower/bath/basin), flushing toilets and washing laundry. Indeed
in hard water areas it is superior to mains water for this, reducing deamnd on detergents and
soaps. Ôainwater may require treatment prior to use for drinking, depending on anthropogenic
(e.g. vehicle exhaust) and natural (e.g. eColi.) issues.

In ëew Zealand, many houses away from the larger towns and cities routinely rely on rainwater
collected from roofs as the only source of water for all household activities. This is almost
inevitably the case for many holiday homes. aseem


 , 
As rainwater may be contaminated, it is often not considered suitable for drinking without
treatment. However, there are many examples of rainwater being used for all purposes ²
including drinking ² following suitable treatment.

Ôainwater harvested from roofs can contain animal and bird faeces, mosses and lichens,
windblown dust, particulates from urban pollution, pesticides, and inorganic ions from the sea
(Ca, Mg, ëa, K, Cl, SO4), and dissolved gases (CO2, ëOx, SOx). High levels of pesticide have
been found in rainwater in ¦urope with the highest concentrations occurring in the first rain
immediately after a dry spell;[5] the concentration of these and other contaminants are reduced
significantly by diverting the initial flow of water to waste as described above. The water may
need to be analysed properly, and used in a way appropriate to its safety. In the Gansu province
for example, harvested rainwater is boiled in parabolic solar cookers before being used for
drinking.[6] In Brazil alum and chlorine is added to disinfect water before consumption.[  



 ]
So-called "appropriate technology" methods, such as solar water disinfection, provide low-
cost disinfection options for treatment of stored rainwater for drinking.


 
 

It is important that the system is sized to meet the water demand throughout the dry season.
Generally speaking, the size of the storage tank should be big enough to meet the daily water
requirement throughout the dry season. In addition, the size of the catchment area or roof should
be large enough to fill the tank.


 #  
 

i Currently in China and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practiced for
providing drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation
and a way to replenish ground water levels. Gansu province in China and semi-arid north
east Brazil have the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects ongoing.
i In Ôajasthan, India rainwater harvesting has traditionally been practiced by the people of
the Thar Desert.
i In Bermuda, the law requires all new construction to include rainwater harvesting
adequate for the residents.
i The U.S. Virgin Islands have a similar law.
i In the Indus Valley Civilization, ¦lephanta Caves and Kanheri Caves in Mumbai
rainwater harvesting alone has been used to supply in their water requirements.
i In Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, the houses of the Diola-people are frequently equipped
with homebrew rainwater harvesters made from local, organic materials.
i In the United Kingdom water butts are often found in domestic gardens to collect
rainwater which is then used to water the garden.
i In the Irrawaddy Delta of Myanmar, the groundwater is saline and communities rely on
mud-lined rainwater ponds to meet their drinking water needs throughout the dry season.
Some of these ponds are centuries old and are treated with great reverence and respect.
i Until 2009 in Colorado, water rights laws almost completely restricted rainwater
harvesting; a property owner who captured rainwater was deemed to be stealing it from
those who have rights to take water from the watershed. ëow, residential well owners
that meet certain criteria may obtain a permit to install a '
'  '  

  


 (SB 09-080). Up to 10 large scale pilot studies may also be permitted (HB 09-
1129). The main factor in persuading the Colorado Legislature to change the law was a
2007 study that found that in an average year, 97% of the precipitation that fell in
Douglas County, in the southern suburbs of Denver, never reached a stream²it was used
by plants or evaporated on the ground. In Utah, collecting rainwater from the roof is
illegal unless the roof owner also owns water rights on the ground. In ëew Mexico,
rainwater catchment is mandatory for new dwellings in Santa Fe.[7]
i Kerala, India,

£

  
(
 
 



) 

 i In Australia rainwater harvesting is typically used to supplement the reticulated mains
supply. In south east Queensland, households that harvested rainwater doubled each year
from 2005 to 2008, reaching 40% penetration at that time (White, 2009 (½hD)).


 


i Air well (condenser)
i Dew pond
i Ôainwater tank


 





1.  Definition of rainwater harvesting
2.  Ôainwater Harvesting and Water ½urification System.
3.  The Ôiver maker, ëew Scientist, 7 September 2002. Online edition (full article by subscription)
4.    Ôima Hooja: "Channeling ëature: Hydraulics, Traditional Knowledge Systems, And Water
Ôesource Management in India ± A Historical ½erspective"
5.  It's raining pesticides,  
G
 , 3 April 1999.
6.  Chen, Xuefei (2007-08-27). "Ôainwater harvesting benefits farmers in Gansu". ½ ' %
* 

+

. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/6248934.html.
7.  Johnson, Kirk (June 28, 2009). "It¶s ëow Legal to Catch a Ôaindrop in Colorado". ˜
 

,-
˜ . http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/us/29rain.html?em. Ôetrieved 2009-06-30.
"½recipitation, every last drop or flake, was assigned ownership from the moment it fell in many
Western states, making scofflaws of people who scooped rainfall from their own gutters. In some
instances, the rights to that water were assigned a century or more ago."


 - 

i Frasier, Gary, and Lloyd Myers. ‰
-

 
‰ 
. Washington D.C.: U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Ôesearch Service, 1983
i Geerts, S., Ôaes, D. (2009). Deficit irrigation as an on-farm strategy to maximize crop
water productivity in dry areas.   
 
£
 96, 1275±1284
i Gould, John, and ¦rik ëissen-½eterson. (
 


G . UK: Intermediate
Technology ½ublications, 1999.
i Hemenway, Toby. c .
c


c 

‰ G
½   . Vermont:
Chelsea Green ½ublishing Company, 2000.
i Lowes, ½. (1987). "The Water Decade: Half Time". in in John ½ickford (ed.). *  '



 . London: Grosvenor ½ress International. pp. 16±17. ISBë 0-946027-29-3.
i Ludwig, Art. Create an Oasis With Greywater: Choosing, Building, and Using Greywater
Systems. California: Oasis Design, 1994.
i ½acey, Arnold, and Adrian Cullis. Ôainwater Harvesting. UK: Intermediate Technology
½ublications, 1986.


 .
 

 Wikibooks has more on the topic of
Ô 


Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ô 


i 
& 
  

/

i 
& 
    #%

Ôetrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ôainwater_harvesting"

Active systems have a much longer range than passive systems due to having an internal battery.
Because of this an active tag will be much larger and more expensive than a passive tag. The
passive tag will basically convert the ÔF signal from the Interrogator or reader and turn it into
energy to return the signal.

Active tags will often be found on larger sized shipping containers/products whereas a passive
tag, due to its small form factor can be used on any variety of products, containers, boxes...etc.

½assive tags are usually more durable than active tags. While some active tag batteries have a
lifetime of 10 years, depending on the frequency of use, passive tags do not have the handicap of
internal power requirements.

Depending on the harshness of the environment, an industrial grade passive Ôead-Only tag can
last longer than your average person.