A Green Project Challenge

The intent of this project is to see if being more green is viable given the cost of materials vs. the Return On Investment (ROI) for operating my own greenhouse aquaponics/aeroponics system in our backyard. The challenge is whether I can design, build and operate an aquaponics/aeroponics based greenhouse system in a sustainable manner with a small carbon footprint while providing food for the table at a reasonable cost over conventional methods such as purchasing fish/vegetables at the local grocery. Join me on this journey of discovery while I forge a new chapter in my quest for a better tomorrow.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Finishing up on the floor in the Greenhouse and installation of the solar attic fan

After much debate on which type of material to use on the floor of the greenhouse, I decided on using mostly Mulch due to cost and ease of maintenance. I put down 14 - 3Cu. Ft. bags of hardwood Mulch along with 20 - 12x12 pavers on top of  weed block underlayment which was subsequently stapled to the bottom girt of the greenhouse. This effectively created a block against unwanted weeds and pest within the greenhouse, while providing good aeration and drainage...here a few Pics of the sequence in which it was placed.





  Here are few pics of the Solar powered gable mounted attic fan. This one puts out 500CFM per minute, not quite enough, but if I add another solar panel it will bump it up to 1000CFM. Even with this fan and floor mounted box fans, I'm still not getting enough ventilation in this 100+ degree heat. So I'm going to have to add more cross ventilation on the south and north sides of the building.





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