A Solution to Reverse Africa's Growing Deserts - GOOD Blog - GOOD

I've often said that the most sophisticated green technology on the planet is the humble tree. Trees sequester carbon, fix nitrogen into the soil, create organic compost, prevent erosion, and create rain, while providing sustainable crops, shape, lumber, and even fuel. The single most important activity on the planet (I believe) is planting trees, a fact backed up by the latest McKinsey study on abating the effects of global warming. But there is a problem.

Reforestation efforts in denuded lands like Africa, Mexico, India, and China have never been taken seriously as a means to abate climate change because young saplings are very, very difficult to establish. They take a lot of water and require regular maintenance—two things which are in scarce supply in precisely the regions where they are needed most.

But what if there were a device that eliminated those risks? A device which requires no power, has no moving parts, and literally conjures water out of the air? It sounds like a miracle, but that miracle may be upon us now with the advent of the Groasis Waterboxx.

This simple passive water harvesting device takes advantage of one attribute that most deserts have—a major temperature differential between night and day.

Dew is created at night when the little bit of moisture in the air condenses on semi-permeable surfaces like leaves. As soon as the sun rises, the dew quickly burns off and returns back into the air. But the ingenious little Waterboxx channels all the dew to a collection tank where it helps the young roots of a sapling tree get established.

via good.is

This reminds me of the fictional dew collectors in Dune. Completely different mechanism of course:

Posted via web from Firesaw