In a desert climate, such as Tempe, Arizona, rain is sparse. At only 4.5 inches per year, it is a very dry place. The city gets water, nevertheless, as is demonstrated by the unusual amount of lawn-grown grass surrounding the suburban and urban sprawl. The question then is how? How do residents get the water [...]
Tempe averages 211 days of sun every year. In addition, the city is only a 2-hour drive away from Mexico. This makes for a very warm, very bright place. It seems to never rain. Since I arrived 10 months ago, it has only rained twice, and heavily only once. This is why I call this [...]
Being a current grad student at Arizona State and having an undergraduate history at Ohio State, I can say that I know both these university cities quite well. There are many differences between Tempe, Arizona and Columbus, Ohio. For one, the art and music scene in Columbus is far superior than Tempe. On the other [...]
The Tempe, Arizona Orbit Bus System is a thorough system that connects most areas of Tempe. It is very efficient, and it is completely free to ride. Currently, I have a car but opt to take the bus because it is quicker and easier. So, I ride the bus to class every day of the [...]
Tempe, Arizona gets 211 sunny days every year. Arizona is 113,990 sq mi. The sun emits 12.2 trillion watt-hours per square mile per year of solar energy. So, the total solar energy possibly gained in Arizona is 1,390,678 trillion watt-hours, which is roughly equivalent to 1, 390 terawatt-hours. World energy consumption in 2008 was 19,000 [...]
Edward Mazria proposed a challenge to be carbon neutral by 2030. Since buildings are the major source of pollution, then necessarily they are the solution. In his own words; The Problem: The Building Sector, The Solution: The Building Sector. Since he posited his theory, he has gained many proponents: Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Planners, Engineers, [...]
Since ASU is in a desert environment that gets over 300 days of sun per year, it has made large strides in utilizing solar energy. Of course, the upfront cost of panels can be quite a burden. In comes the ingenious solution: A Solar Power Purchasing Agreement (SPPA). Essentially, a third party provider agrees to [...]
The Industrial Revolution was a time of great social, economic and political upheaval. It was a time of mass production, of transforming the manufacturing process into a repetitious system. Never before had the process been so streamlined, especially in the steel industry. A Darby Bridge could be easily constructed using a set of manufactured pieces [...]
Who wouldn’t want a landscape architect to give them a business card full of seeds? Lush gives their clients free seeds with every business card! In this way, the card serves multiple purposes. One is branding, and another is of a much more practical purpose. The seeds are able to produce a landscape, a task [...]
All businesses aim to make a lasting impression. Engineering firms are no exception, although a creative business card is rare in this field. This is a business card for the Canadian firm, Helix. As you can see, it seems very strange at first glance. For one, it is transparent blue. In addition, though, there seems [...]
