Archives for October, 2011
Posted by The University of Maryland is the winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon, a program that challenges international teams of college students with designing, building, and operating cost effective, energy efficient, and attractive solar-powered houses.
WaterShed, the University of Maryland’s house, is focused on water conservation and recycling. The house features a “green” roof that reduces rainwater runoff and increases the house’s energy efficiency, a garden, an “edible wall,” and a composting station.
Check out more photos of WaterShed and the 18 other competing houses.
Which house would have gotten your vote?
Photographs by Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
Posted by While we were in Punaka, the home to one of the most beautiful and important Dzongs (spectacular forts or monasteries), we got to see two elephants that were brought from the south of Bhutan for the royal wedding. Everyone was crazy about the elephants because they don’t have elephants in Punaka, so these were the first elephants most of the people had ever seen. People were giving the elephants bananas and some were even giving them money. What made the experience even cooler was that we got to pet the elephants. Their trunks were really hairy.
