Environmental challenges are being addressed by design
No matter where you look, you will see a world shaped by people
In fact, science writer Diane Ackerman says humans are now the dominant force shaping the natural world. She says we're the species responsible for all the problems in our world, and now is the time to use the same might to fix them.
Diane Ackerman's latest book is The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us. It's a survey of the many ways humanity transforms the natural world. From changing weather patterns, to rearranged DNA, to apps for apes.... we're increasingly living in a world of our own design. She and others believe we've entered a new geological era called the anthropocene, or the human age.
Well, one person searching for a design solution to the most vexxing environmental issues of our time is billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The large-scale battery he unveiled in April is capable of powering an entire house. Just put it in the garage, attach it to some solar panels, and you could be off the power grid.
Putting a battery in every garage may have the potential to redesign much more than a home's blueprints according to Warren Mabee. He's Director of the Queen's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
From saving energy in our homes, to saving song birds, from our cities
It's been estimated that as many as one billion birds are killed in North America each year by flying straight into windows, lured by reflections in the glass. But now a new type of glass -- designed with hidden patterns -- could be saving one songbird at a time.
We heard about some of the experiments and innovations underway to design bird- friendlier glass and architecture.
- Michael Mesure says bird deaths are caused in part by "lethal forms of architecture" birds have to contend with.
- Christine Sheppard is working on design solutions to this problem. She is the Bird Collisions Campaign Manager with the American Bird Conservancy in New York
From re-designing glass to re-designing water systems
In April, California's governor Jerry Brown ordered a cut in water usage of 25 per cent compared to 2013 levels. It's the first time that mandatory water restrictions have been put in place in the Golden State, where the current, punishing drought has been going on now for four long, dry years.
It's the kind of problem Hadley Arnold has spent a lot of time thinking about. She's the founding coordinator of the Arid Lands Institute at Woodbury University in Burbank California... and her work there is all about finding solutions for cities facing drought, solutions such as capturing rainwater effectively.
Let us know about designs, good and bad, that make a difference in your life. Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. E-mail us through our website. Find us on Facebook.