A Watershed Moment

摘要

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. Unfortunately, this beautiful body of water, whose drainage basin has origins in Washington D.C. and five states, is threatened by pollution from storm-water runoff, electricity generation, wastewater treatment, and agriculture. Using this important yet troubled ecosystem for inspiration, our interdisciplinary team from the University of Maryland (2011 .solarteam.org) designed an affordable, net-zero-energy home named WaterShed to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. Our house beat 18 other entries from across the United States and five countries in the biennial event held on the National Mall in Washington D.C. (sidebar facing page).