10 ideas on how to combine ecology and comfortable life

Why ecobusiness is relevant

Attention to the environment is increasing every year. Sustainability has become a new trend, and business has quickly turned it into a marketing ploy.

Over the past five years, store shelves have been filled with goods with the prefixes "eco" and "bio". A New York University study has proven that green products sell better. In 2020, the eco-trend is developing especially actively - both around the world and in Russia. The goal of an environmental business is not only to make a profit, but also to improve the planet.

As part of eco-entrepreneurship, you can engage in various activities:

• resource saving technologies;
• improvement of the environment, eco-design, etc.;
• the use of secondary raw materials;
• organization of recreation;
• environmental education;
• production and sale of eco-products;
• provision of eco-services.

A green business can be seen as a profitable idea because its benefits are clear:

• environmental friendliness is a global trend;
• is in great demand among consumers; demand is expected to grow;
• weak competition in certain niches;
• supported by the public and the state;
• opportunities for the manifestation of creative ideas;
• eco-technologies often allow you to reduce the cost of your business;
• there are different formats of work: from a small shop with eco-products to a large company producing organic products. A business of any size can bring an entrepreneur a stable income.

Eco-business includes entrepreneurial activities that ensure pollution prevention, resource- and nature-saving technologies, the use of biotechnologies that implement measures to improve the environment, recycling, green energy, the production of "healthy" food, clean water, goods for construction, the construction of eco-parks, waste management, tourism, infrastructure, cultivation of crops and animals.

How to ensure environmental safety at home?

Modern ecology makes people think about ways to solve the problem. Creating a favorable environment for housing has become a priority.

Houseplants purify the air

Plants are faster than all living things react to negative changesoccurring around. Adapting to the environment, they direct their forces to create favorable, comfortable conditions.

Flowers help detoxify harmful components. Some of them, interacting with the cytoplasm of plant cells, become inactive and are destroyed.The rest are a valuable nutrient for flowers. Large-sized flowers, trees clear 3 to 10 times faster and more efficiently

However, in order for flowers to effectively purify the air, it is important to provide favorable conditions. Take care of temperature, humidity, light

Technical means of air purification

Ventilation of the premises is an event that is recommended to be carried out regularly to maintain the ecology of the home. If this is not possible, then technical means can be used.

popular air conditioning and ventilation systems. Household air conditioner is not the most effective cleaner. Its main task is temperature regulation, and cleaning is carried out by means of an anti-dust filter. The air passing through the air conditioner circulates in a closed circle, and there is no fresh inflow. There is no purification from gases and harmful fumes.

The ventilation system is more efficient. Through her fresh air enterswhich can be preheated or cooled. Dust removal is carried out with a porous paper or textile filter. However, as with air conditioning, the system does not purify gases and vapors. Sorption filters (for example, activated carbon) fight against them. Such filters require regular replacement. After cleaning the air, they require ionization.

An effective method of dealing with dust and gases is ozonation. The method requires strict adherence to safety rules.

Digital greenhouses

Remember, we mentioned that a modern person does not need to have the skills of a peasant and does not need to have a lot of free time (like a pensioner) to engage in a greenhouse and garden?

Where did this idea even come from? Yes, from science fiction about spaceships and the conquest of other galaxies. Do you remember these wonderful books, movies, stories and series? Now the Tokyo Midtown greenhouse will remind you of them!

A crew of impudent earthlings flies to themselves in space, they are engaged in “great science” and “great feats of humanism”, and at this moment the greenhouses on the spaceship themselves grow food for them, because everything there has long been automated, in the courtyard of the 32nd century, so looking through a telescope and making entries in the logbook watering the beds will not hurt you. Approximately the same nostalgic space-cyber-punk was invented (no wonder!) by the Japanese. They created Tokyo Midtown - and not just a city greenhouse that serves itself, but a whole art object, installation, cultural, museum masterpiece.

This is both a greenhouse and a light and music show ... This is how they got a steam locomotive-samovar-helicopter! He flies, puffs, whistles and gives tea. In a very good way...

You enter the Tokyo Midtown greenhouse like an interactive museum where you can touch everything with your hands. Touch a tomato on a twig and the violins will play. You touch a bush of carrots, a pipe will rumble.

Why did the Japanese come up with this art object, this installation? Of course, in order to draw the attention of the broad masses to a new lifestyle - greenhouses in the city.

Safe building materials

Environmentally friendly materials are very important for creating a safe home. Today's market offers a huge selection of building materials, which are divided into two groups. It:

• completely environmentally friendly;
• environmentally friendly conditionally.

Environmentally friendly materials include wood, cork, stone, natural drying oil, leather, bamboo, straw, etc.If natural raw materials are mixed with non-natural substances, then it is considered that it has partially or completely lost its properties.

Wood is a natural material. In houses made from such raw materials, a special microclimate and a wonderful aroma hovers. But the tree is often exposed to decay, pests. Moss, fungus or mold may appear on it. Therefore, it is impossible to use wood for building a house without special treatment that will protect it from biological destruction. After processing, it will become conditionally environmentally friendly.

Stone is the most durable and reliable material. Despite this, he is able to accumulate radiation. Before use, it should be checked for background radiation.

For the roof, experts recommend choosing slate. It is environmentally friendly. Natural. Has a layered arrangement of minerals. It is considered the most expensive roofing material and lasts a long time.

Conditionally eco-friendly raw materials are produced from natural materials. It is characterized by high technical performance and does not harm health. These are ceramic blocks and bricks, as well as cellular concrete. These materials are made from clay without the use of chemical components. They are durable and highly resistant to the negative effects of the environment.

Aerated concrete block is a type of cellular concrete. It is a stone made of cement. On the outside, it has evenly distributed pores. The material is lightweight and durable. It has good soundproofing abilities.

Another conditionally environmentally friendly material is tile. It is made of clay. Natural.It is a very expensive and heavy building material. Its installation requires special skill.

Environmentally friendly materials, of course, are important for building a house, but do not forget about the finishing of the premises. Here, too, you need to use natural building materials.

Greenhouse city

Let's start from afar. Usually there are two options: if you want to work in a greenhouse, you go to the village and start trying to make money on vegetables - handicraft: half modern, half like your great-grandmother. Both halves. As they say, the worst and the compromise is not ideal.

So, having imagined a bright future for yourself, you are going to a rather deaf village. So that there was “nothing” (there was nowhere to go) and the customs were appropriate - as in the wilderness. And of course, it is desirable that in this remote village everyone has long been handicraft "engaged in greenhouses" or excuse me - booths. (This is what greenhouses are called in the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region). Surrounded by neighbors-farmers, it will be easier for you to join this difficult business.

The second option is more from foreign experience. If you want to engage in greenhouses and grow vegetables for sale, you go on a long business trip “to virgin lands”, to some industrial complex engaged in agriculture – industrially, as we have already said. The root “village” in the word “industrial agriculture” is a rudiment, an atavism, there is no “village” in that business process and there is not even close.

Hundreds of hectares of land are occupied by greenhouses, which, with intensive use of artificial chemical fertilizers and hydroponics, intensively produce "Turkish tomatoes". There, the greenhouses stand in rows in an open field and resemble (from an airplane window) a closed military chemical plant for the production of uranium.

Both of these options are bad. There is nothing inspiring, modern and innovative in them - in each of this all - "no" - in their own way. All this is the past, respectively: the 19th and 20th centuries. And both of these examples of the “greenhouse business” are about how people terribly spoil the environment.

And now we learn about the inventions of the 21st century. Hothouse city.

It turns out that it is possible to build such a village that will look like a “city” in the view of ecologists-dreamers and hipsters. This is not a backwoods, there will be everything that you are used to, including normal communication. And most importantly, all the life of this village (we would say this Science City) has a zero carbon footprint.

A whole village producing vegetables for the market on a commercial basis - does it harm the environment in any way? Is that really possible? Maybe! An agricultural center has emerged on the border between Hungary, Austria and Slovakia with the ambitious goal of becoming “the new standard for sustainable business development and sustainable living in Europe”.

This project is worth a lot: 1 billion euros. "City of Teplitz" occupies as much as 330 hectares. The project is supported by two organizations: the German FACT (manufacturer of energy-efficient greenhouses and much more in the field of sustainable development) and the largest supplier of "green energy" in Europe - the EON concern.

The main sources of "green energy" for the greenhouse city are as follows:

• biogas,

• solar Energy,

• biothermal power plants.

Greens, vegetables and fish will be grown in the greenhouse city all year round. Moreover, fish will be grown in special coastal river zones, and not in any way in artificial reservoirs-pools, characteristic of the old (completely unecological) methods of intensive commercial aquaculture.

The Greenhouse City is the brainchild of three specific people who are behind this project. We present them to your attention: FACT Director Hubert Schulte-Kemper, EON Director Alexander Fenzl, Minister of Agriculture of Hungary - Istvan Nagy.

According to these people, they create nothing more than "new sustainable cities" and completely "change the era" in agriculture. They create living and working spaces at the same time - and both spaces are sustainable, that is, they do not harm the environment.

The greenhouse city has 1,000 residential buildings for those who will work there. In the village they live not on a “rotational basis” and not like a slave. And it's okay. In addition to residential buildings, a kindergarten, a school, hotels and shops, and other infrastructure, common for a normal city, were built in the Greenhouse City.

9. Eco-consulting

Investments: from 20 thousand rubles.

If you can be considered an expert in environmental technologies, then you can provide consulting services in this niche. The essence of the consultations is to give an environmental assessment of houses and offices, to suggest ways of optimization. For example, how to switch to energy-saving technologies or implement a waste management program.

To increase customer confidence, become a certified eco-consultant. To date you can find many training courses, some of them are available online. Training takes place with experienced specialists in the field of nature management and environmental safety.

Serious training will cost about 20 thousand rubles. To start, investments of about 30 thousand rubles will be required - almost all funds will be spent on training and advanced training. Do not forget to also provide for the costs of promoting your services.

8. Production of edible tableware

Investments: 150 thousand rubles

Edible tableware is a new trend that is actively used in many countries. Disposable plastic is being replaced by edible tableware. Many cafes and restaurants strive to acquire such a novelty. Fashion has already captured the United States and Europe, which means it will soon reach Russia.

In our country, a very small number of companies use edible tableware. And even fewer of those who produce it. Therefore, you can occupy a free and very promising niche. It is fashionable, original, convenient and eco-friendly.

Opening the production of edible dishes is not difficult. This can be done at home, without complicated equipment and large sums.

The production of edible dishes is a rather primitive process. You can easily make coffee waffle mugs, rice, bread and cheese plates, jelly glasses, dried fruit cups, etc.

The easiest way is to choose those products for the production of which the standard equipment of the confectionery shop is sufficient. For example, waffle cups.

The main risk in this business is low demand. Unfortunately, not all companies can appreciate the prospects of this idea. Your first priority will be to find clients among catering establishments. And you need to start with those organizations that already support the theme of sustainability.

7. Bulk goods store

Attachments:

The best-selling product in domestic supermarkets is plastic bags. 80 billion pieces are sold every year - and they all end up in landfills. Paper bags that are used in packaging are also not environmentally friendly. Many products are sold in polypropylene or cardboard packaging. The solution to this problem is not to use packaging at all.

This is the basis of the idea of ​​a store without packaging. The business works as follows: an entrepreneur buys goods in bulk from a supplier and sells them by weight. The buyer comes to the store with his container. By the way, you can also sell eco-friendly packaging in the store - bags, storage bags, etc.

Today, bulk goods stores are popular in Europe, and in Russia the niche is free. In large cities, such stores are just beginning to appear. The complexity of the business lies in the fact that many buyers are not ready to give up convenient packaging. Therefore, you will have to invest in the promotion of the store in order to spread your idea.

Report №2

Most of the time a person spends in his home, especially in winter. Therefore, there are special requirements for housing. First of all, to the materials from which the house is built, they must be environmentally friendly, either do not contain toxic contaminants, or be contained in doses that do not exceed permissible standards. Wood, brick, reinforced concrete panels must be tested for all types of contaminants. The house needs a comfortable temperature of at least 18 degrees Celsius, there should not be a big temperature difference in different rooms, a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius. big swings indoor temperature, allow the appearance of damp mold and fungi.

In order for a person to feel comfortable and cozy in the house, the house must have good natural lighting (insolation). The sun's rays have a bactericidal effect, which makes it impossible for pathogenic bacteria and fungi to multiply.If the building is located among multi-storey buildings, it must be taken into account that the illumination decreases on the lower floors. Windows have on the sunny side: east, south and west. Windows must let in at least 55% of sunlight.

Another requirement is ventilation, because in addition to moisture and stagnant air, there are a lot of gaseous human waste products in the home (smells of food, tobacco, combustion exhaust from stoves, formaldehyde emissions from furniture, linoleum and plastic trim). The ventilation of the premises must comply with the norms. For this, there are relevant regulatory documents - SNiPam, building codes and rules. For normal air ventilation, minimum area per person 10 sq. m. and air exchange of at least 30 cubic meters. for one person. If there is no natural air exchange, forced ventilation and air conditioning are used. Although this is not desirable, since the level of negative cations, ozonation of the air decreases during air conditioning. In no case should a residential building be built in the area of ​​industrial enterprises emitting toxic gaseous pollution.

Radiation radiation created by the natural radiation background of objects in the room can also be harmful to humans. The building can be built from materials with a high background, or finishing materials with a high background can be used in construction. To control the indicators, certified materials must be used in construction.

Another important condition is the indicators of vibration and noise. For soundproofing, you can use fibrous house facade insulation. The maximum permissible noise level in the room is 35 dB.Vibration sources in houses are engineering equipment. The norm is regulated by GOST and sanitary standards.

If any of these rules is violated in the house, a person feels discomfort and gradually falls ill.

8th grade, 5th grade

The ecology of the home and its impact on human health

Housing ecology is one of the branches of the science of urban ecology, the purpose of which is to study human life directly in a house or apartment.

The creation of an artificial habitat is one of the outstanding achievements of mankind as a biological species. By acquiring housing, people reduce dependence on the environment and create protection from adverse external factors. In addition to amenities, housing creates some problems that researchers call risk factors.

The importance of studying these aspects of human life is explained by the fact that he spends about 80% of his time in a dwelling. The apartment or house affects the residents, which positively or negatively affects their health and well-being

The main factors that shape the quality of the environment are:

• air;
• products of incomplete combustion of gas;
• substances released during the cooking process;
• chemical compounds that emit finishing and building materials, furniture, books, clothes and other items;
• smoking products;
• household chemicals and hygiene products;
• indoor vegetation;
• compliance with sanitary standards of residence, including the number of residents and pets;
• electromagnetic pollution.

The problem of the ecological state of the dwelling is a hot topic for modern researchers and affects every person. You can improve the quality of living conditions by following certain rules and expert advice.Such regulations and recommendations are developed taking into account the results of the analysis of adverse environmental factors that affect the health of people living in apartments and houses.

How do environmental issues affect people?

Man is closely connected with the environment. Various life factors influence the state of the environment. Scientists note the constant deterioration of environmental conditions. The main reasons for this process are the growth of industry, urbanization, and an increase in the number of transport. The atmosphere is polluted with phenol, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and other pesticides.

Modern researchers identify the main environmental problems that affect humans:

1. Environmental pollution by industrial waste.
2. Global warming, increase in the level of the World Ocean.
3. Mutations of virus strains, epidemics, oncological diseases.
4. Extinction of species of flora and fauna, deforestation.
5. Damage to the ozone layer of the atmosphere.
6. Depletion of mineral reserves.

Ecology affects all spheres of human life, including nutrition, vital activity, mood. The deterioration of the ecological situation entails a decrease in the quality of life of mankind.

The positive impact of ecology on people is observed in places where there is no industry and measures to protect the environment are observed. Health resorts and resorts are being built in nature protection zones and reserves with the following advantages:

• In such places, people take air baths, take walks, which favorably affects the respiratory system of the body.
• Pure water, consumed by a person for food, has a positive effect on internal organs.
• Living in ecologically clean areas contributes to an increase in life expectancy.

Living in cities with actively developed industrial complexes, people are faced with the negative impact of environmental protection on health and well-being.

The main factors that make up the quality of life are:

1. Air. Living in a polluted atmosphere causes bronchitis, asthma, allergies in people, and contributes to the development of cancer.
2. Water. In the process of life, a person needs to consume drinking resources, which are often contaminated with industrial waste. Poor quality drinking leads to genetic mutations, oncology, diseases of the digestive system, decreased immunity, and infertility.

11. Recycling point

Investments: from 200 thousand rubles

Organizing a recycling center is one of the popular ideas when it comes to green business.

According to statistical studies, in Russia only 12% of waste is sent for recycling. The rest remains in landfills. You can change the situation if you start collecting and sorting garbage.

The main task is to think over a system for receiving recyclables and further processing. Of course, you will get more profit if you combine collection, sorting and recycling in your business. However, to implement such a large-scale idea, an impressive start-up capital is required. Entering a business is quite difficult: from obtaining permits and registration, ending with a high level of competition.

But opening a recycling center is a little easier. You can accept all types of recyclables or specialize in individual materials: waste paper, plastic, metal, glass, etc.

There are different formats for such recyclable items. For example, you can install a vending machine where used batteries, plastic bottles, etc. are handed over. In Russia, such machines are not yet so common.

You can donate recyclables at the base, and to make it easier to transport raw materials, it is advisable to purchase a small press. With its help, cardboard, plastic, aluminum cans, waste paper are pressed. The equipment will cost at least 100 thousand rubles. Approximately the same amount will be spent on opening a reception point.

At the start, it is better to resolve the issue with the delivery of recyclables. In any city there is a reseller who accepts large quantities of recyclables. Better make a deal work permanentlyto rule out marketing problems.

Ecology at home

Modern man spends most of his time at home. Therefore, everyone wants their home to be not only comfortable, but also safe. Studies have shown that in many apartments the air environment is much more polluted than outside the window. In order to reduce the content of harmful substances in the air, doctors advise airing the living space at least twice a day.

The ecology of the house depends not only on air, but also on finishing materials, raw materials from which furniture is made, radiation from household appliances and many other factors. Mold and fungus under wall decoration, as well as dust, contain a large number of harmful bacteria. Wiring done incorrectly, together with a large number of household appliances, form electromagnetic radiation, which is many times more than permissible. Many surrounding objects can serve as sources of radiation. Yes, and plumbing water is not of high quality. Contains such harmful elements as iron, chlorine and mineral salts.

The ecology of the house requires materials that do not contain toxic substances. Furniture from natural raw materials, without chemical impurities. Get rid of old furniture. It can serve as a source of bacteriological contamination.

To create a safe home, it is important to use air and water purifiers. They will help you clean up your house.

The problem of the ecology of a dwelling depends on the area where it is located. Housing must have a good soundproofing and sound absorption system. The environmental friendliness of the home environment has a positive effect on the health of the whole family.

Making the World a Better Place: Cowspiracy

If you ask any person what is the main cause of environmental pollution and global warming, the most popular answers will be exhaust fumes, oil refining, deforestation and an abundance of plastic waste. It's incredible, but almost no one knows that there is another industry that harms the environment more than all cars and airplanes combined.

13. Livestock is the main enemy of the environment

The topic of the impact of animal husbandry on the environment remains taboo today. It is difficult not to believe in a global conspiracy when you realize that not only the harm of meat is hidden from the general public, but also the harmful influence of the entire livestock industry. The most detailed and thoughtful investigation was conducted by the American Kip Andersen. The result of his work was the film "Cowspiracy" (in the original Cowspiracy).

Here are just a few hard facts.

• Livestock (cows and bulls, sheep and rams, pigs, camels, poultry) are responsible for 18% of the world's greenhouse gases. The entire transport of mankind (land, sea and air) forms only 13%!
• Livestock consumes 70% of the world's fresh water! So, for example, the production of 1 kg of beef requires 4,300 liters of water.
• About half of the land area is used for livestock needs. The saddest thing is that thousands of hectares of the "lungs" of the Earth, the Amazon forests, are cut down every day for these purposes. With the disappearance of the natural habitat, many species of animals also disappear. If humanity chose plant foods as its main food, it would be possible to solve most of the global problems: hunger, drought, the extinction of many species of animals and plants, the greenhouse effect, etc.
• Animal husbandry creates 120 times more waste than all of humanity combined. Just think, whole ponds of animal excrement accumulate substances such as ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, cyanide, nitrates, heavy metals, bacteria (salmonella, streptococci, etc.). And all this ends up in the world's oceans! When growing plants, the amount of waste tends to 0.

It is also quite obvious that the exploitation of weaker animals for their own selfish purposes is possible only because they cannot give a sufficient rebuff. In the 21st century, it's time to move away from the consciousness of primitive man, that the one who is stronger is right. If you think that a full-fledged diet without meat is impossible, be sure to read the article Vegetarianism: benefit or harm.

14. Support for local manufacturers

I understand that not everyone is able to give up meat and dairy products. Many prefer to turn a blind eye to the obvious harm of animal food and antibiotics, which are injected into animals for greater profit. It seems to them that if their ancestors lived this way, then this is the only possible way of life. But cannibalism is also natural!

In this case, try to give preference to local farmers, who at least do not torture animals in cramped cages and unbearable conditions, but allow them to graze freely in the meadows. This is also true when buying vegetables and fruits. Such products are not only tastier, but also healthier for the body.

You will also support private production and help people earn a living. Large corporations only want quick profits and will only think about doing business ethically when it becomes popular with the general public. For example, today you can find vegan products in all major supermarkets.

Can one person change the world? Yes, if an unquenchable flame of self-confidence and faith in the result burns in his heart. Believe in yourself, do not be afraid to be different and boldly follow your heart. The strength is in every single person who, united, can create a new, better world. The future of the planet is in the hands of everyone!