We had the option to visit my parents this weekend. Sunday at my mothers would involve food (and lots of it) and beer. Maybe even a little respite from the kids. Instead we opted to tidy the garden and weed the vegetable patch.

Part of the inspiration for growing my own vegetables (by the way, I am very far from being green fingered) came about while on holiday in Florida in 2008. We had just visited Disney’s Epcot Centre and rode the impressive ‘Living with the land’ boat ride.

The ride takes the vistor on a tour through a glorified greenhouse featuring an array of high tech and futuristic agriculture techniques, including hydroponics and aeroponics.

Riding through the tropics greenhouse we witnessed the growing of bananas, jackfruit, pineapple and java apple. The journey also revealed eggplant, cacao, peppers, pumpkins (shaped like Mickey Mouse) and the more familiar (to UK readers) tomato, lettuce and a variety of herbs.

Tucked away in a once neglected corner of our garden is of south east facing vegetable patch. Last season in our first vegetable growing year we played safe planting a variety of potatoes and a selection of onions.

The crop was bountiful if a little dull. Potatoes are pretty standard fare and have a variety of uses. We perhaps overdid the onions and under produced the spuds. Onions for all their positives are limited in their usefulness. Mental note, next time order fewer onions!

Vegetable patch job number one was to clear the weeds and turn the soil. We also removed an enormous amount of pebbles (from the path). Despite protestations from the children, I think that they and the Tonka trucks are responsible.

Patch cleared we are ready for action. Be sure to check back for vegetable patch updates later.

As we were informed on our visit the technology behind Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) is not new. Indeed this product has been successfully used on the continent for many years now.

Tucked away in the corner of the Sustainable Building Center is Worcester Bosch’s latest product, the Greenstore GSHP (pictured).

The Scandanavian made Greenstore is larger than I imagined, about the same size as a refrigerator (it also emits the same noise!)

Powered by electricity the Greenstore uses the natural energy stored in the earth to heat your home. The result is low cost heating that uses sustainable energy with no direct emmisions.

GSHP provide both space heating and in some instances the pre-heating of domestic hot water. For every unit of electricity used in the running of the GSHP, 3-4 units of heat are produced.

How a Heat Pump Works

There are three important elements to make the GSHP work;

A Ground Loop (dug in a trench) is filled with water and antifreeze. This is pumped around the pipe absorbing heat from the surrounding ground.

The Heat Pump has three parts. The Evaporator - this is the  Ground Loop. The Compressor - This moves the refrigerant around the Heat Pump. The Heat Exchanger - the refrigerant gives up heat to a hot water tank which feeds the distribution system.

Finally, the Heat Distribution System. This could either be underfloor heating or traditional radiators.

The technology is impressive, almost too good to be true. But the units are both expensive to buy and install (external trenches will need to be dug). The unit is also very large, demanding either a large untility room or garage in which to locate it.

This heating solution will be a great success but its appeal will perhaps be limited to those living in larger, mainly new build properties.

We don’t want to give the impression that we make a habit of hanging around public toilets, but the toilets in Wolseley’s SBC demanded a closer look.

Having been advised that a whopping 30% of household water usage comes from flushing the toilet (an old style single flush toilet can use 13 litres in one flush!) we were interested to see how modern products could reduce this wastage.

The male WC facilities feature the Armitage Shanks Aridian waterless urinal (pictured). Other than the lack of pipe runs, the device looks like any other urinal. The Aridian not only reduce water usage, but are also hygenic and economic to maintain.

By installing the Aridian, water savings in a commercial enviroment could be up to 236,000 litres per year!

Another great product on display (and in use) is the Twyford Galerie Flushwise WC suite. The Flushwise operates on a reduced 4 and 2.6 litre flush as opposed to the most modern suites which use 6 and 4 litre flushes.

We did’nt test drive the Flushwise on our brief visit, but we heard great feedback from those lucky enough to have used it.

The washbasins within the SBC are kitted out with Saracen infra-red taps which only operate when the beam underneath the spout is broken. How many times do you see an unattended running tap in public loos.

Hidden away from public view are the rainwater harvesting units. The Titan Envireau Rainwater Harvesting unit, for example is buried deep underground and uses a silent pump to provide rainwater for the WCs. If the water level drops, for example during the summer, it tops up by taking water from the mains.

To help avoid any future water shortage, we in the construction and plumbing industry have an urgent responsibility to adopt the products and technologies showcased with the SBC.

For some time now, we at EcoCaesar have been promising ourselves a trip to Wolseley’s Sustainable Building Center (SBC). Today we made the pilgrimage, and it was well worth the wait.

Located on the edge of Wolseley’s sprawling site in Royal Leamington Spa, the SBC is a unique, modern building dripping with solar panels and oozing ’sustainability’

After a quick  refuel, we were presented with an audiovisual demonstration which highlighted mankind’s destruction of his enviroment.

As always, for effect the worst case scenario was presented. We were informed that a 3°C temperature rise would melt the icecaps to such an extent that we would all be living in houses on stilts. Closer to home, and perhaps more tangible is the fact that Yorkshire’s landfill sights have only nine years left before bursting point! - scary stuff.

After our presentation we were let loose on the array of sustainable products displayed on the SBC’s two floors.

The SBC is a fantastic showcase for a variety of Eco products, showcasing (working) solar panels, photovoltaics, heat pumps, biomass, wind turbines and building products - (more about these products in further details in future blogs)

Wolseley have demonstrated great vision with their SBC. They have acknowledged the failings of the industry that they represent, failings that make the construction industry leading contributors to global warming and waste.

The SBC attempts to introduce products that have less enviromental impact than previously available choices, which it is hoped will lead to lower emmisions, waste and carbon usage.