Making compost is probably the single most important thing you can do for your organic garden. The success of your garden depends on the soil, and the health of your soil depends on the compost you give it. And making compost isn’t difficult. With very little effort on your part, you can turn throw-away materials into this sweet-smelling, nutrient-rich, no-cost soil conditioner. So how do you start this easy composting? Follow the link to discover the five key steps in making great compost in … Read more
Benefits of a Vegetarian / Vegan diet A life style choice with big benefits
Many animals are raised in cruel and inhumane conditions and live brutally short lives to meet the human demand for meat. However, people can live healthier and with a significantly lower environmental impact by reducing meat consumption. It has been estimated by the UN that 18% of Climate Change can be attributed to animals raised for meat and some research has even suggested figures as high as 51%. Excessive numbers of farm animals also require too much land and contribute to deforestation, … Read more
Comfrey The Permaculture Plant
Comfrey has long been recognized by both organic gardeners and herbalists for its great usefulness and versatility; of particular interest is the 'Bocking 14' cultivar of Russian Comfrey, a strain developed in the 1950s by Lawrence D Hills, the founder of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (the organic gardening organisation) Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator,[7] mining a host of … Read more
Making roads ice-free Clearing the road with green alternatives to the salt, sand and chemicals
Cold-climate researchers at Washington State University are clearing the road with green alternatives to the salt, sand and chemicals typically used for highway snow and ice control. One of these alternatives is using leftover barley residue from vodka distilleries. … Read more
Billboards that clean air Hong Kong experiments with billboards that clean the air.
Designers in China have developed a concept for “parasitic robots” (they look like insects) which attach to city billboards to suck in carbon dioxide and purify the air. The company Fast Co Exist has developed these robots and is hoping to attach them to the neon signs in Hong Kong, where they would collect urban pollution in the daytime and use the heat from the neon lighting at night to harvest the carbon dioxide into an energy source. … Read more
Small Homes Inspiration and ideas for lighter living
Thoughtful design of a small space is crucial if it is to work efficiently and provide warmth, light and comfort. Sharing ideas provides inspiration and a tool to make your space work without taking more resources than you really need. … Read more
Living plants create electricity Simple technology to generate power from living plants
Dutch company powers streetlights with living plants. In Hembrug, Netherlands more than 300 LED lights were illuminated by the Dutch company Plant-e in a new energy project called “Starry Sky.” Although the bulbs were ordinary, the electricity running through them derived from a new process that harnesses the power of living plants. Plant-e’s technology is the first to produce electricity from plants without damaging them. … Read more
Graphene Miracle material?
Graphene are extremely thin sheets of pure carbon first produced in 2004. It is the strongest known material with the highest electrical conductivity and has numerous other qualities, some of which promise significant advances in sustainable technologies and ecological restoration. Far smaller lighter batteries will benefit renewable energy systems, nano-porous sheets of Graphene can be produced to filter and desalinate water, it can extract radio-active elements from waste water and there are a … Read more
How to Choose the Bicycle for You Reducing dependency on fossil fuels
Road bikes, tourers, mountain bikes, hybrids - how do you choose? Selecting the right bike for you and buying the best you can afford will reduce your dependence of fossil fuelled transport, help you keep fit and give you hours of enjoyment. The following links describe the qualities of various types of bike and how they perform. … Read more
Solar water filter Solarizer used in ecovillage Aldea Feliz
To clean the water sufficiently for drinking ecovillage Aldea Feliz uses a UV filter system. Water is taken from the spring, which is the most clean, or from rain or tap. To filter out any residues like algae, leaves or insects it is first passed through a cotton filter. It is then passed into 4 liter jars and placed on the solarizer panel. The jars are not filled completely to the top, to prevent the lid from rusting. The water is filtered by UV from sunlight, and needs a certain amount of … Read more
