sustainAgility

Via: Technology Review: Synthetic Tree Hauls Water

Their 'synthetic tree' opens up a new way to move liquids over long distances without using mechanical pumps.

Gotta love smart people. Some blokes over at Cornell have found a way to mimic a tree's ability to move water from roots to leaves. (FYI... trees have no mechanical pumps to accomplish this feat. Just in case you didn't know that.)

So what. you ask? Well this system they've prototyped could be used to extract pollutants from contaminated fields, for instance. Personally, I'm thinking this would be a nice alternative to my well pump. Right now, if I lose electricity, I am gonna start stinking in no time cause I cannot easily access the water down there. If I could co-opt their product, maybe the water is simply siphoned up to the tank in the basement.

Even better would be to move the our pressure tank to the attic. This way I'd have water and pressure without using electricity.

Sheesh, me thinks I'd best contact them and see if i can get my paws on one of these.

Just came across this link: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept08/stroock.trees.aj.html (straight from the horses mouth)