8. Sunlight reflection

I love summers in the Pacific Northwest. We have cool, dry summers-subtropical like the Mediterranean. As Northwest summer approaches, no more gloomy wet weather, the sunny days and blue-sky increases. And the bellies of my Yorkshire Terriers get tan. Yes, belly not back. It sounds odd. But reflected sunlight from concrete roads (park trails) makes their belly tan. Their bellies are shaved, and close to the road surface.

Solar radiation heats our earth. Half of the sunlight reflects directly back to space or is absorbed into the atmosphere. The other half reaches the surface. Some of the surface heat energy also goes back out to space, balancing temperature and supporting life. Cities have higher temperatures from buildings and paved roads. This is known as the urban heat island.

Soil temperature is not raised much by the sun, and the shade from trees is almost the same as the air temperature. In contrast, concrete road temperatures can reach 120 °F (asphalt is even higher). The temperature rises rapidly when the sun hits a road surface, then drops very slowly after sundown. And 25% of UV radiation reflects from concrete, and maximum exposure is between 10 am - 4 pm. (Sun Safety) So, it is recommended to take our dogs for walks during other times of day to avoid these conditions.

The solution of global warming or an urban heat island could be to reflect the incoming sunlight back to space. There was an idea about painting roofs white and paved roads light-color. However I haven't seen many white roofs around my area, it may not be a popular thing to do. Although, if a white painted roof could save the world, we may have some work to do.

There are many products that reflect sunlight which lowers roof surface temperature. One of these products is Gaina. It reflects solar radiation by 90% and reflects infrared by 95% of observed heat, combined with other thermal insulating abilities, this makes Gaina an excellent option. We want to reduce electric bills as well as help reduce global warming. Much like a space suit. It shields radiation as well as insulates to keep the inside comfortable against hot and cold harsh conditions. The principle of universality has no magic solution to work alone. Likewise, Gaina has a variety of effects to save energy and money.

Well, summer ends, cloudy days come back. My small dogs' belly-tans fade. I also have a big dog, a Golden Retriever. Her belly doesn't seem to get as tan. Maybe her belly hair works as sun block. Anyway, I don't mind the gloomy weather season. Clouds seem to work as thermal insulation like blankets to prevent heat loss. So we don't have many freezing days. The dogs can enjoy walking year-round. Every year, when my doggy's belly turns back to its original pinkish white soft color, I know it's the coming of autumn.
                                                                                        

7. Nature and Technology

Nature gives us abundant gifts. We depend on so much, even advanced technology and industry gets inspiration from the natural world. For example, the owl's serrated feather edges are nearly silent for hunting. Inspired by an owl's feather, the technology of a vortex generator to reduce aerodynamic disturbances is utilized in aircraft and bullet train. It is also applied to competitive speed skater's boots and caps(helmets).

However, inspiration doesn't always come easy. It takes a long time to accumulate experience and record observations in nature to design technology. It would be nice for younger generations to start earlier.

With no intention of becoming a scientist, nor inventor, I discovered learning from nature is so much fun and beneficial. When I learned "deciduous" in the sixth grade, I imagined my future home with deciduous trees. In the summer, leaves cover trees and provide cool shade. In the winter, after the leaves fall, sunlight passes through the naked branches of trees and comes inside, providing my house with warmth. Such information encouraged me to care about nature and to think how I want to live.

Now, I have the house with a view of deciduous trees from my south-facing windows. In the winter, sunlight makes the inside warm like a green house. In the summer, trees provide shade during the hottest hours of the day. Just as I imagined it would when I was a child.

At first, I thought traditional insulation in the walls and attic of my house were going to be good enough. However, with the dramatic increase of energy consumption, limited natural resources, and global warming, energy conservation has become essential. I began to think, "Maybe we could do more".

Saving energy by insulating and controlling airflow is the fundamental starting point for any house. One of the biggest heat losses is windows, double-glazed windows are recommended. So... I thought, if double is good then triple might be better. Especially if the thermal barrier windows have a greater energy-saving technology that is measurable. High-performance windows such as triple-glazed windows originated from Swedish technology.

After watching the window demonstration in my home, I thought it may not be so good for my south-facing windows. I might lose the green house like effect I positively enjoy during the winter season. This in turn would actually increase the use of energy to heat the inside during daylight hours. Besides, isn't it that I learned form nature when I was child? I do like the idea of having triple-glazed windows for my west and north-facing windows. I decided I needed more time to think about it.

It's not easy to differentiate goods and services, especially when specialized knowledge is needed. Choosing a wrong service or commodity will result in a waste of energy, time, and money. Anyway, taking time to think about my house helped me to choose Gaina. When I see the live demonstration, I immediately found that it would fit my needs.

There is a close relationship to nature and technology. Paying attention to nature brings me joy in many ways, and technology inspired by nature fascinates me and benefits my life. This also stimulates me to think about energy conservation. So I continually do all I can to find products to make our life more comfortable and healthy, while protecting the earth.

6. Thermal Insulation against Cold

Morning Seashore

I like walking. One of my favorite places to walk is the seashore near the Suzuki's home. Every time I visit Japan, I enjoy an early morning walk before breakfast. I didn't even miss it during the coating of Gaina at Suzuki's home.

After the coating was done and the furniture returned to its original place, I went walking on the beach as usual.

It was a cold morning. The beach sand was frozen like concrete. The weather forecast said the temperature was 28°F.

The previous evening, the heater and ventilation fan were turned on for drying Gaina, then turned off overnight. The next morning when I got up, I felt faint humidity and some warmth. Normally this area is warmer. That is why Mr. Suzuki never prepared for snow these past few days.

When I came back from the freezing seashore, Mrs. Suzuki was preparing breakfast. I turned on the heater automatically without thinking. Usually the heater is already on, but this morning it wasn't. Then Mrs. Suzuki said, "Oh, I didn't feel cold, so I didn't switch it on". I looked at her and said, "Really!?".

The room had a soft warm feeling. I didn't feel much of a chill. It was only one day after finishing the Gaina application, so it wasn't completely cured yet. I was surprised at how quick and effective Gaina was as thermal insulation. I wondered if this was because of Gaina, and if it happened like this every time?

Average energy loss in homes is 25-30% from the roof, 25-30% from windows and doors, and 25-35% from walls, depending on each house. For example, how much energy savings is from insulation that is already in the house, versus after more insulation has been added. Choosing the type of insulation is up to the homeowner and their budget. How insulation is installed is also an important factor. The house need to be sealed tight around windows, doors and cracks, but also needs good ventilation to circulate fresh air.

Suzuki's home was carefully prepared for the application of Gaina and had a quality job done. That may be the reason why we recognized the dramatic effect and so soon. I was excited to coat my house, and benefit the people in the U.S.

During the coating of Gaina, the door of the room was removed, and put back after I left Japan. I remember the thin vinyl covering over the entrance swelled out like a wind inflated sail. Warm air was trying to escape from the room.

Mr. Suzuki was very happy the effect of Gaina. He told me his only regret was that he didn't apply Gaina to his rental condominium, at the time it was being renovating for his daughter's family to rent.

5. Possible Work Shop

Two months have passed since first hearing about Gaina. I am headed to Tokyo again. I carefully planned my business trip. Mr. Suzuki's "Home Gaina Work Shop" was on January 15th. My airplane arrived to Japan on the afternoon of the 14th. Well, on that day, Tokyo was in a panic. A sudden heavy snowfall hit the Tokyo area, worsening throughout the afternoon.

Airport runways were so congested, my airplane had to do an unusual zigzag flight pattern until we were cleared to land. After landing, because all the gates were full, we couldn't get out of the airplane. Finally, after an hour stuck in the airplane, we were allowed to disembark. Unfortunately, another problem was awaiting me due to the unexpected storm.

Very few forms of public transport were operating, so the Tokyo area was packed with people trying to get home. Just think, one major railway station in Tokyo, Shinjuku, averages over 3 million passengers everyday (Guinness World Records Certified). And I saw a lot of people at the Tokyo Station. It amazed me that people were continually moving forward even in the long lines at the ticket barriers.

Thankfully, I only had a short distance to go that day. My plan was to stay at the Hot Springs Spa, and be able to enjoy a nice relaxing evening before attending the workshop on the following day.

Meanwhile, the sudden snowfall caused a "Mr. Suzuki is missing" incident. The afternoon of the 14th, he decided to go to Costco, only 20 minutes away from his home. After his shopping was complete, on his way home, the heavy snowfall caused difficult traffic. Mr. Suzuki was stuck in the snow with all the other cars. On top of that, his phone was dead. Five hours later, Mr. Suzuki finally made it home. His family was so relieved! After seeing that he was safe, he got in big trouble from his family because he didn't answer his phone.

The 15th, contrary to the 14th, turned out to be a nice day. Still a lot of snow remained on the roadside, and some people fell down, but I arrived safely to Mr. Suzuki's home in the morning. Curiously, I didn't see anybody there except the grandma sitting in the living room. Because the snowfall caused so much trouble, the work shop had been canceled. Even so, it was good for me to come overseas. At least one person came to see how to apply Gaina, anyway.

During this trip, I learned so much about Gaina and became Mr. Suzuki's drinking partner. When I think back to the January 14th snowfall in Tokyo, it is almost comical.