Archive for November, 2007
- Black Magic |
Posted by e4 on Nov 30 2007
Can a lost civilization teach us to double crop yields and produce carbon-negative energy at the same time? In 1542, Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana described large cities, extensive roads, and fertile croplands in the heart of the Amazon Basin. These claims were long thought to be exaggerations at best. Later explorers ...
- A Fundamental Shift |
Posted by e4 on Nov 26 2007
A while back I got to spend some time chatting with Larry Halpern, one of the speakers at the Community Solution conference. He pointed something out that I hadn't noticed: People are no longer talking about what their government will do, or might do, or should do, or could do, ...
- Cheap and easy supplemental heating |
Posted by e4 on Nov 22 2007
Here's a very low-tech space heater that doesn't require any power: Easy FREE Home Heat! - video powered by Metacafe I would think that this design could easily be modified to take advantage of whatever materials you have on hand. --
- You know you’re a peak oil doomer when… |
Posted by e4 on Nov 17 2007
[ Another guest post, this time borrowed from Peaknik (with permission). She compiled this list a while back on the Yahoo group "Running on Empty 3"... ] You know you're a peak oil doomer when... ...you are seriously considering dandelion greens as a side for your supper because you can't stand ...
- The Heating Question |
Posted by e4 on Nov 14 2007
Fossil fuels are very good at heating. Unfortunately, as most of us realize, they also have a lot of baggage - greenhouse gases, finite supply, rising costs, pollutants - you know the list. Making your home heating environmentally friendly can be a challenge. Climate control is an energy-intensive task, and most ...
- The Four R’s |
Posted by e4 on Nov 12 2007
[ This is a guest post from Larry Halpern, one of the speakers at the Community Solution conference last month. Just for a little background, Larry reduced his year-over-year electricity consumption from 700+ kWh in a month down to 36 kWh. Larry just had his fridge carted away because he's ...
- Wish I could have seen this… |
Posted by e4 on Nov 11 2007
This had to have been surreal: Brent Musburger, one of the cheesier old school football announcers in existence, having a long discussion on peak oil with oil baron Boone Pickens in the middle of a nationally televised college football game. If that turns up on YouTube, somebody let me know...
- Better batteries |
Posted by e4 on Nov 08 2007
Rechargeable batteries are a great idea. One less thing to have to buy, one less thing to dump in the landfill. But the reality of rechargeable batteries for general use leaves something to be desired. I mean, if you're like me, you don't know the batteries in your CD player ...
- The Doomer’s Dilemma |
Posted by e4 on Nov 08 2007
With apologies to Michael Pollan, I want to delve into a topic that seems to cross my mind with startling regularity - something I've started thinking of as "The Doomer's Dilemma". First, let me just explain that a "Doomer" is somebody who thinks the world may just be going to hell ...
- Next on my project list… |
Posted by e4 on Nov 06 2007
I had planned on waiting until I complete a project before I post about it, but I thought it might be more fun to discuss planned or in-progress projects too. One of the things I'm (slowly but surely) working on is a rocket stove. I've got a piece of the exhaust ...