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
Off-grid Living Now Recognised as an Economically Viable Option
Renewable energy systems are now well established and generally available but with costly or problematic electric storage issues few have risked going off-grid. However initiatives like Tesla Motors commitment to increasing battery production and halving their cost make the economics of off-grid living comparable to buying power from the Utility Companies. It might require an initial capital input but from there onward costs are principally maintenance and renewal and the power itself is free … Read more
Masdar City Abu-Dhabi's Sustainable City Project
Abu Dhabi has among the highest per capita energy consumption on the planet but Masdar City has been planned and developed to utilise the abundant solar power potential and uses enhanced traditional design practices to create natural cooling. The city is surrounded by walls that exclude hot desert winds, Streets are short and narrow and angled to provide maximum shade and a 45m high wind tower captures cooler breezes and directs them into the streets. This results in an impressive 15 to 20 … Read more
Guerrilla Gardening Make your own Seed-Balls/Seed-Bombs
Guerrilla gardening is an act of activism and focuses on gardening on land that we do not have legal rights to garden in, for example: abandoned, neglected or unused private or public spaces. By doing so, we are taking direct action for reclaiming land that is underutilized or neglected and promoting food security and sustainability education. One effective strategy for Guerrilla Gardening is the use of the Seed-Balls (aka Seed-Bombs). These are made by mixing earth with a high percentage of … Read more
Food Forests Sustainable agriculture in the form of forestry
There are successful experiences around the world in designing agricultural systems as an imitation of natural eco-systems. The idea is simple yet elegant: by implementing ecological principles in agriculture, we can design a system that functions sustainably like a natural eco-system, and at the same time yields products that are useful for humans, like an agricultural system. Some main characteristics of a food forests are: * High level and a variety of production of food, fiber, animal … Read more
