Gloria+Katie+Andrew

Zero Impact Home  Miami, Florida  24º N ,55º W

Why build "Zero" Impact Homes?
A zero impact home a home that is good for the environment. It uses less energy than normal homes use. It is unlike normal homes because it releases less fossil fuels. It uses less water and less electricity. By not using as many fossil fuels it helps our environment because Fossil fuels have been our main source of energy in the last few hundred years, and dependence on them has increased greatly. We should reduce their use as they are non-renewable, which means that they are not replenished and will run out one day. When this happens, we will have to find alternative ways to power our vehicles and to make electricity. The overuse of water resources is very dangerous. Rainfall is the only way that water supplies are replenished. During times of drought, when rainfall is below average for a number of years, water supplies can become dangerously low. Even when rainfall is good enough, water from rivers and lakes might be unusable because of pollution. In some areas, groundwater cannot be used because when it is removed from the ground, nearby wetlands would be damaged by drying up. As the population of the United States continues to grow in the future, water shortages will become more common. The supply of available water remains the same. Water conservation will become more and more important as time goes on. Pollution in these sources affects the quality and safety of water available in your home and, if the problem is not detected, it can affect your health. Pollution of drinking water occurs because of contamination by human and animal waste, mining activities, fertilizer and pesticides from homes and farms, industrial wastes, hazardous wastes generated by dry cleaners and gas stations, landfills and improperly disposed-of household waste. This affects plants and animals because the trash that makes its way into the ocean from our sewers and the runoff from farms can kill plants and animals and make it impossible for them to thrive. They can also cause algae to develop that is toxic to life. It also decreases the amount of available drinking water to humans, plants and animals.
 * Why have clean water?**

Site Considerations

 * Average Temp.: 75.9, Temperature Range: 28.8 - 20.8=8.0 Hottest Month: August & Coldest Month: January
 * Most precipitation: September (161 mm) Least precipitation: March (41 mm)
 * Summer: 87.7
 * Winter: 4.8

Design Features


Solar Panels- Are important because they are a collector of renewable energy source and easy to use. They collect light and transfer it into energy.

Greenhouse- When visible light from the sun hits Earth, some of the radiations are absorbed and used to heat the Earth.

Flat Roof, to prevent run off.

A clothes line to save a lot of water and money.

This is an energy efficent lightbulb which will save energy and money over time.

This energy efficent refrigerator keeps the air in the fridge, not letting the energy used to cool the fridge go to waste.