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Indigo Island would be made from large bricks of styrofoam salvaged from the Gyre and snatched from the jaws of fish and birds if necessary, who are about to poison themselves thinking it is food. Other than being naturally toxic, styrofoam and plastic is wonderful stuff. Perfect insulation against heat or cold. Easy to work with, can be cut and shaped with a hot wire, a long bread blade or a chain saw.

One suggestion came from my son, that Indigo Island be made in one acre octagonal shapes. It would look like a honeycomb from space. Each acre would be individually owned and should the inhabitants of that acre so choose, they could disconnect from the rest of the island and go their own way.

FIRE woiuld be the greatest threat to Indigo Island, Putting it out QUICKLY would be absolutely necessary. PREVENTING a fire would be a far better option. Here in the Southwest and western states, ADOBE is made from straw amd mud. The bricks are heavy but they work well. They are much smaller than styrofoam bricks that I propose for Indigo Island. But there, a lesson can be learned. Adobe structures here are covered in STUCCO - a type of concrete that can be mixed, spread and even sprayed on as a mud. In swimming pool construction they call it GUNNITE. It's about an inch thick, clings to anything, dries to about 40% of its applied weight --- and is fireproof.

The reason I suggested Indigo Island be 40 feet tall is so that an entire ECOSYSTEM can be built on top. A vegetable farm. Fresh water cisterns gathering rainwater, down - 15-20 feet INSIDE the island. The heavier the island is, the deeper it sinks, the more STABLE the structure would be.. Even in storms with 20' waves the water UNDER the island would not be so active. AVERAGE wave height in that part of the Pacific are estimated as between 8 inches and seven feet. There could be monsters in storms or tidal waves.

If the whole thing were coated in STUCCO a fire could be easily controlled. it woud also add mass and weight for stability.

~~~~~~~~~~ELECTRICITY~~~~~~~~~~

INCREDIBLE strides are being made in solar energy.


Thirty cents per watt. That is cheaper than coal AND it might double in sheets as a passive heat collector for water heating!
Additionally, sheets of this stuff can gather rainwater like a tarpaulin! Read more about it here;

http://www.celsias.com/2007/11/23/na...per-than-coal/

Please add your comments, observations and ideas - it is anybody's dream but be aware it is contagious and once you start dreaming about it, it is hard to stop.

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