The aqua-blue swimming pool is an icon of suburbia, right alongside traffic-snarled roads and bright-green front lawns. But in an era when even the White House is planting a food garden, the swimming pool is due for some change. And one idea is starting to gain traction: Convert pools into natural "swimming ponds."

By elminating the lips on traditional pools, and creating a miniature wetland around it, plants--rather than electricity or chemicals--can do the work of creating clean, clear water that even passing animals might enjoy. Proponents insist that plants will naturally clear the water of algae and other yucky fauna; and within two months, they'll create totally clear water for swimming. Firms such as Clear Water Revival (their pools are shown here), Natural Swimming Pools, and Total Habitat create both brand-new ponds, and retrofit old swimming pools. An intriguing idea, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, is better than the bizarrely sterile look of the typical swimming pool.

[Via H20 Visions]