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
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
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
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
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
Learn About Aquaponics Training Courses in Bristol UK
The Bristol Fish Project is a community-supported aquaponics farm in Bristol established to explore and promote the commercial viability of community-supported aquaponics. They have set up training courses with the expressed aims: 1) To make aquaponics accessible 2) To enable participants to overcome specific production issues through access to specific information and expert guidance 3) To enable participants to realise true product value, by taking a systems approach focusing on the … Read more
Build Your Own Bee-House Attracting pollinators to your garden, made easy
It is generally well-known that pollination is important for food production. Without pollinating insects (pollinators), some plants cannot produce fruits or seeds. How can we encourage pollinators to come to our garden (be it a rural farm or an urban balcony)? 1. Grow plants that attract pollinators. Bees love the colors yellow, blue and white. The lists of plants will differ according to your location around the globe, so it's good to do some searching in your local language. 2. Build a … Read more
Bee Keeping Harvest the Honey and Help Bees Pollinate your Garden
Bees are a key part of ecosystems world wide and a great many plants rely on them for pollination and their reproduction and survival. over recent years disease and colony collapse have seen a dramatic and very alarming reduction in bee numbers. Certain pesticides are known to poison bees and other changes to our countryside such as monoculture also make life a challenge for them, weakening their immune systems. Keeping bees quite apart from being an end in itself with the pleasure of … Read more
