Two faculty members of MSU, Tom Cathcart and Pete Melby recently released a book, “Regenerative Design Techniques: Practical Applications in Landscape Design,” to help everyone understand the concepts of how facilities need to be built in order to prevent waste and overuse of our natural resources. The book teaches how to build homes and other buildings to use very little energy.
An exerpt from the book reads, “We are convinced that changes in the way people interact with their environment are essential. Our human population is growing very rapidly. The ways in which we now, as a group, meet our space and energy needs and handle our wastes are destructive. As our population grows, it is inevitable that these practices will either change or will lead to significant damage to the natural systems that support us. It is not a matter of whether, it is a matter of when. We are currently in danger of overusing our natural resources, Tom Cathcart said. Local studies have been conducted that prove that the groundwater in our local area is decreasing each year.”
“The aquifer that MSU is currently using is decreasing by an average of two feet each year,” Victor Zitta, retired civil engineering professor, said. “In 1939, the groundwater level was 175 feet from the ground. It is currently 250 feet from the ground which means that the water level has lowered by 75 feet. We call this mining water when more water is being taken out of the ground than is being replaced.”
Zitta also said that there are ways that everyone can save water.
“The problem of wasting water doesn’t come from washing cars, cleaning and taking baths. The problem comes from outside water use such as watering the yard. Irrigation for landscaping and yards consists of 50 percent of the water that is being used by local residents.”
Zitta suggests that anyone can reduce outside water by using the condensed water from the air conditioner to water the yard.
“When there wasn’t running water and everyone was using well water, anyone could dig a well 75 feet to 100 feet and be able to have water for their home. Now, that is not possible. To be able to receive water from the ground, a well has to be dug at least 600 to 700 feet to reach the Eutaw-McShan which is the closest aquifer to the surface in the Golden Triangle area.
“If people do not start reducing their water use, then eventually, in about 50 years, we will need to take water from local rivers, treat it, and use that in our homes. It is critical that everyone reduce his or her use of water,” Zitta added.
There are many more ways in which energy and water can be reduced to help preserve our natural resources.
According to Melby, water usage can be reduced by several means: harvesting water, slowing down and treatment of runoff water, then slowly releasing it into the environment so that natural water bodies will not be disturbed, sewage treatment gardens and photovoltaics.
“An average home roof in Mississippi catches enough water to supply a family of four with all their water needs for one year, that is approximately 75,000 gallons of water,” Melby said.
“MSU has dried out the water table twice and is currently paying $30,000 a month alone for just sewage treatment,” Melby said.
It is important to know that energy and water use is highest in the summer months.
In Melby and Cathcart’s book, there are ways in which facilities can be built to conserve energy:
*Buildings should face south; this will reduce energy bills by 33 percent.
*Buildings should contain overhangs that keep the sun off the building during the summer months.
*Buildings should have plenty of insulation in the walls and roof to prevent heat from entering during the summer.
*Interior walls should be built thick where heat will be absorbed into the walls. Exterior walls and roofs should be made of reflexive material.
*Trees should be planted on the east and west side of the building.
*Evergreens planted to the north will deflect winds up to five times their height.
*Humidity should be controlled in buildings to make it higher in the winter and lower in the summer.
“Overuse of our natural resources has become a major problem, and if we do not work together to solve the problem, then this problem will continually get worse,” Melby said.
Melby said many students will be able to help in the matter.
“For students that will one day be making political decisions, I hope they will keep in mind the state at which our environment is in,” Melby said.
“Students can also conserve energy by keeping their air conditioner at a constant 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter,” Melby added.
Currently the population of the world is at six billion, within 50 years it will reach approximately 12 billion.
“If matters aren’t taken now to conserve, we will soon use up all of our resources,” Melby said.