Rocket Mass Heaters (RMH) are energy-efficient burners used for heating, and are usually assembled from recycled and/or natural materials. RMH's use about 80% less wood than 'regular' wood burners/fireplaces Advantages of RMH: * Relatively easy to build, you don't need to have high engineering skills * Energy-efficiency - uses significantly less wood * Eco-freindly - less pollution, can be made of recycled and natural materials * Beautiful & aesthetic! Read more about how RMH works and how … Read more
Energy Efficiency at Home Simple ways to save energy and money in your own home
There are simple ways to be energy-efficient and save on domestic energy consumption. Here are some of them... (Note: The tips below have been written in reference to a house in Israel - in other parts of the world you might need to make adjustments according to your local climate conditions) 1. Closing the house in winter, except opening windows to air the house out during the warmer hours of the day. The windows that are facing south remain closed, and their shutters are opened during the … Read more
How to Eat Local Ideas for fostering an 'all-local' diet and supporting local economy
'Organic' is just a label Some fruit & veggies can be labeled 'organic', yet still grown in conventional, monocultural methods with certain amounts of spraying. Some processed foods can be labeled 'organic' yet still contain lots of sugar, margarine or other harmful ingredients. In this article we stress the importance of eating local and becoming aware of where food comes from. So Why local? * More sustainable - eating local reduces our carbon footprint - less energy is wasted on … Read more
Natural Swimming Pools Free from Chemicals using Plants to Cleanse Water
Natural swimming pools were first constructed in Austria in the 1980's and since that time have been rapidly gaining in popularity. They are simply a constructed body of water with an area containing an appropriate selection of plants that through their natural systems, filter and cleanse the water to a high standard suitable for swimming and recreation. They can further add to the local ecosystem of the garden and surrounding environment with benefits all round. There are now a number of … Read more
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Clean and Efficient Power
A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a chemical reaction initiated by the fuel. In comparison with an internal combustion engine a fuel cell provides an efficient form of power generation and where Hydrogen is the fuel, the by product of the reaction is simply water. Although in practice a fuel cell generates only a very small amount of electricity the cells can be stacked together to multiply the power output. At point of use this is an extremely attractive ecological option … Read more
Grow Onions on your Window Sill Turn a Plastic Bottle into a Growing Container
Wouldn’t it be convenient to always have fresh onions on hand for cooking and salads? Sometimes the last thing you want to do is make a run to the local market. Besides, you can never tell how old the onions at the grocery store are. Now you can grow onions indoors easily with this clever vertical growing method. Just cut off what you need for a meal and the onion will grow back with more. For complete instructions on how to grow onions vertically visit the link … Read more
Tiny Houses Building Small Houses on a Trailer
The housing crisis has forced many to find imaginative solutions to housing themselves but it has also provided an opportunity for low impact living by thinking small and compact. The tiny house movement founded in the US uses vehicle trailers as the foundation around which a home is constructed. The limitations of size means that compact arrangements need to found resulting in a home that uses less raw material and less energy to run. … Read more
Polluted Mine Waste Turned to Resource Algae Extracts Heavy Metals and Provides Bio-Fuel
An alliance of English Universities is researching the use of algae to extract heavy metal pollutants from toxic mine waste. Once absorbed by the algae the hope is to extract the metals and then to use the algae itself as a bio-fuel. Described as a win win by Dr Chris Chuck of the University of Bath it restores the land, reclaims heavy metals and provides a fuel source. If successful the scheme could have benefits worldwide … Read more
Poo Powered Bus Fueled with Gas from Sewage and Food Waste
The 40 seat 'Bio-Bus' operating in Bristol UK uses biomethane as its fuel and demonstrates that a greener, more sustainable, public transport is possible. The biomethane fuel is generated from sewage and food waste and because the bus' engine produces lower emissions than conventional diesel, it helps improve air quality and presses the case for more waste-to-fuel projects. … Read more
Compost Power The Jean Pain Method
Using brush wood cleared from forests in order to reduce fire risk Jean Pain developed a composting method that generated direct heat from the composting process and also enabled him to collect bio-gas with which he ran his car. The system benefited the whole forest eco-system around his home. The Compost Power Network was established in 2010 inspired by the work of Jean Pain and aims to further develop and promote the ideas and practices. There is a considerable amount of material on the web … Read more
