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.