The EcoWho RSS News Feed

Al Jazeera: "A few days before summer starts, much of [Europe] is still in winter's grip"

Tom Nelson — Sat, 25 May 2013 23:57:00 +1000

Snow blankets parts of Europe - In Pictures - Al Jazeera English.

From Tom Nelson

Stacked Volcanoes Falsify Models

Watts Up With That — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:28:49 +1000

Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach Well, this has been a circuitous journey. I started out to research volcanoes. First I got distracted by the question of model sensitivity, as I described in Model Climate Sensitivity Calculated Directly From Model Results. Then … Continue reading →.

Well, this has been a circuitous journey. I started out to research volcanoes. First I got distracted by the question of model sensitivity, as I described in Model Climate Sensitivity Calculated Directly...

From Watts Up With That

Lilley's reply to Anderson

Bishop Hill — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:00:30 +1000

A couple of weeks ago, we discussed Professor Kevin Anderson's rather strange article in which he claimed, somewhat improbably, that Peter Lilley had maligned him. Lilley has now passed on his response to Anderson, which I am reproducing here with his permission..

Thank you for drawing my attention to your response to my Spectator article on shale gas. I apologise for the delay in replying.

I am sorry if you were offended to be called the ayatollah of the green movement. Far from being intended...

From Bishop Hill

Lights Up Your Walls with Mestyle’s LED-Embedded Wallpaper

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:50:26 +1000

If your walls are looking a bit bland, how about lighting them up with this glamorous LED wallpaper by Mestyle? Spotted at ICFF at during New York Design Week, this innovative application of LEDs caught the eye of the Inhabitat Team with its subtle but stylish glow...

From INHABITAT

Structures Showcases Its Snakelike S7 LED Lamp at New York Design Week

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:16:13 +1000

A floor lamp, bedside lamp and reading lamp all in one, S7 is a versatile new lighting design by Structures. Founded by sailor turned designer Nicolas Pichelin, Structures developed the fascinating and flexible LED lamp to have an interchangeable head which can be rotated 360 degrees. This ultra versatile lamp is being sold by Ameico is one of our green picks from New York Design Week this year.

From INHABITAT

The Retyrement Plan Creates Indestructable Ottomans from Old Tires and Recycled Plastic

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 07:00:54 +1000

The Retyrement Plan is a collection of outdoor weatherproof furniture items created from old, discarded automobile tires and recycled plastics. Anu Tandon Viera creates a woven upholstery of recycled plastic wrapper waste over a ‘frame’ of tires salvaged from old scooters to discarded trucks. The “virtually indestructible” ottomans are part of a collection that includes occasional chairs, pouffes, charpais and floor cushions made from well-traveled wheels, salvaged...

From INHABITAT

Eighteen-Year-Old Builds One-Man DIY Submarine Out of a Drainpipe

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 06:30:07 +1000

Beckerman is inventing and engineering gadgets and gizmos at a time when many of us were just getting our driver’s licenses. He built a "Cleaning Car" device that mops and vacuums the floor at the age of 12. And at 14, he created a helmet gizmo that allows .

Read the rest of Eighteen-Year-Old Builds One-Man DIY Submarine Out of a Drainpipe

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From INHABITAT

Koji Tsutsui’s Multicellular House Cascades Down a Steep Slope in Mill Valley, CA

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 06:00:59 +1000

The Multicellular House is located at the top of a winding road in the secluded hills of Mill Valley. Because of the somewhat remote location, the event organizers chartered shuttle buses to transport visitors to and from the location. The southern edge of .

Read the rest of Koji Tsutsui’s Multicellular House Cascades Down a Steep Slope in Mill Valley, CA

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From INHABITAT

Nervous System’s DIY App Lets Users Design Their Own Cellular Wooden Tables

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 05:30:41 +1000

Nervous System took inspiration from the shapes and patterns of nature to create an app that lets users design their own “cellular” wooden coffee tables. Once a customer is happy with their online design, Nervous System uses a CNC router to carve it out of plywood. The Inhabitat team stopped by their booth at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) this week for a look at their first official prototype and we have to say that it’s pretty darn cool!.

From INHABITAT

Group-Two Design’s LED Chandelier is a Futuristic Interpretation of a Classic Light Fixture

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 05:00:48 +1000

Long gone are the old-fashioned chandeliers outfitted with incandescent light bulbs and enough ornament to put a Christmas tree to shame. Group-Two Design recently brought their ultra-modern LED chandelier to this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and the futuristic fixture turned heads with its intersection of new-age design and traditional interior decor. Still paying homage to the shape of a conventional chandelier, the new form is a minimalist and energy-efficient...

From INHABITAT

Gee, thanks!: Young EDF "Climate Corps" bad-weather-preventers will be out in force again this summer

Tom Nelson — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:50:00 +1000

I just can't *wait* to enjoy the noticeable lack of bad weather that these folks will undoubtedly produce.EDF Climate Corps Turns Over A New Leaf | EDF Climate CorpsToday, Environmental Defense Fund launched a new class of EDF Climate Corps fellows to catalyze energy savings in organizations around the country. This year’s class is bigger than ever – with 116 students placed in 106 different organizations. New participants such as Apple, Colgate-Palmolive, General Motors, and the cities...

From Tom Nelson

Uh oh: New AMS policy statement on climate change science: "it is as sound as other NGSS subjects such as earthquakes and the solar system...there is strong agreement on the primary findings and essentially no controversy with respect to them"

Tom Nelson — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:41:00 +1000

Twitter / DrShepherd2013: Hot of the press: @ametsoc ...Hot of the press: @ametsoc affirming #climate science in new Next Generation #Science Standards (#NGSS) http://www.ametsoc.org/policy/2013climatesciencecorescienceeducation_amsstatement.html …AMS Policy Statement on Climate Science is Core to Science EducationA Policy Statement of the American Meteorological Society(Adopted by the AMS Executive Committee, 23 May 2013)...Climate change science is firmly rooted in peer-reviewed scientific literature;...

From Tom Nelson

Wait, what? After warmist Suzanne Goldenberg frets that DC weather will be too cold for a late-May outdoor pool party, warmist Seth Borenstein says "I try to swim daily outdoors year-round in heated #YMCA pool"

Tom Nelson — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:33:00 +1000

Twitter / borenbears: @suzyji @capitalweather Me, ... Suzanne Goldenberg ‏@suzyji Urgent Q for @capitalweather & other weather buffs. DC this Saturday - outdoor pool party 2pm: go ahead or cancel ... [Borenstein] @suzyji @capitalweather The good news for a Saturday WDC pool party, unlikely to rain; The bad news, too chillly to swim for most people. ...[Goldenberg] So.....bowling? Or hope for hardy types[Borenstein] @suzyji @capitalweather Me, I try to swim daily outdoors year-round...

From Tom Nelson

Tucker Robbins Transforms Indonesian Fishing Baskets into Beautiful Pendant Lamps

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:30:18 +1000

Tucker Robbins showcased these simple yet beautiful pendant lamps made from repurposed fishing baskets at this year’s ICFF. The woven lamps give new life to disused fishing baskets made by local craftspeople in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Each natural rattan lampshade can be lined with or without rice paper to give the lamp a brighter or more diffuse glow.

From INHABITAT

Energy suppliers held back gas during UK shortage

guardian.co.uk - Energy — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:24:51 +1000

Terminals near London and in Wales were 40% and 52% full on the day it was claimed the UK had six hours' worth of gas left.

From guardian.co.uk - Energy

Former U.S. Energy Secretary Chu still believes that climate change is our biggest problem

Tom Nelson — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:21:00 +1000

Q&A: Steven Chu on returning to Stanford, his time as U.S. Energy Secretary [Q] As energy secretary, you encouraged better collaboration between science and technology and government to tackle the biggest problems of the day. What's the No. 1 problem on your list?[Chu] Climate change. We're heading into an era where if we don't change what we're doing, we're going to be fundamentally in really deep trouble. We're already in trouble. So we have to transition to better solutions..

From Tom Nelson

Mataerial is an Anti-Gravity 3D Printer That Can Function in Space

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:00:09 +1000

Full color 3D printers not high-tech enough for you? How about one that can work in the anti-gravity conditions of space? Meet Mataerial, designed by Petr Novikov and Saša Jokić. Instead of extruding filament in layers, the machine pushes out polymers from a nozzle, much like a tube of toothpaste. The new technique, which they call “Anti-Gravity Modeling,” allows the polymers to harden in mid-air while also keeping the printer from clogging and adding strength to the printed...

From INHABITAT

Moooi’s Brilliant Heracleum II Chandelier Blossoms With LED Leaves

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:51:28 +1000

Inspired by the Heracleum plant (aka Cow Parsnip), Moooi's new chandelier branches out from a central core, and each stem ends in a set of shining LED "leaves." The lamp's structure is coated with conductive layers that allow it to carry a low-voltage (safe .

Read the rest of Moooi’s Brilliant Heracleum II Chandelier Blossoms With LED Leaves

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From INHABITAT

FATmaison’s Translucent Revival Sunset Chapel Enlivens a Forest Clearing in Central Africa

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 03:21:06 +1000

Revival Sunset Chapel combines local tradition and contemporary design by mixing materials like Cor-ten steel, u-glass, and stainless steel with pinewood and aluminum. The chapel, originally commissioned for the former minister of Gabon’s late wife, was .

Read the rest of FATmaison’s Translucent Revival Sunset Chapel Enlivens a Forest Clearing in Central Africa

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From INHABITAT

Time to leave – California wants to ban campfires at the beach

Watts Up With That — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:55:43 +1000

From the Washington Times, idiocy only bureaucrats could muster: “Since man first rubbed a pair of sticks together to make a fire, we’ve gathered around a campfire to cook food, enjoy good company and bask in the warmth of the … Continue reading →...

From Watts Up With That

New DIY Glowing Plant Kits Let You Grow Bioluminescent Blooms at Home

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:55:40 +1000

Recently Inhabitat wrote about the Glowing Plant Project, which uses the science of bioluminescence to light up a room using plants. The Kickstarter campaign, created by the team of bio-engineers behind the technology, has been such a hit that the creators have decided to reward pledgers with the best gift yet: a kit that allows anyone to grow their own glowing plants right at home.

From INHABITAT

David Hakaraia’s Laser-Cut LED Lamps Are Inspired by Traditional Maori Patterns

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:45:34 +1000

These laser-cut LED lamps designed by New Zealander David Hakaraia look pretty standard when the light is turned off, but when light hits the lampshade it reveals intricately etched patterns that tell the story of the designer’s Maori heritage...

From INHABITAT

Google 'Trekker' cameras capture the Galapagos

New Scientist - Environment — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:45:00 +1000

A backpack-mounted camera system takes Google Street View service to the storied archipelago .

Fans of Charles Darwin can already tour their hero's former abode, Down House, near London, on Google's Street View service – but pretty soon they'll be able to take a similar look around the cradle of his theory of natural selection , the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. A team from Google has just completed an imaging mission there in which they explored every...

From New Scientist - Environment

The BBC loses £100 million on useless technology. This happens because of the licence fee. So scrap it

News » James Delingpole — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:36:48 +1000

The BBC has just lost £100 million on pointless new technology. I realise that this won't sound very much money if you are, say, a typical BBC programme director on upwards of £250,000 a year – but for some of us once you losing £100 million here and £100 million there then pretty soon you're [...].

The BBC has just lost £100 million on pointless new technology . I realise that this won't sound very much money if you are, say, a typical BBC programme director on upwards of £250,000 a...

From News » James Delingpole

163 MPH Rocket-Powered Bike Sets New World Land Speed Record

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:30:50 +1000

French cyclist François Gissy just strapped a hydrogen peroxide rocket to the frame of his bike and hit a record-breaking top speed of 163 mph! The epic thrill ride took place at abandoned runway in the northeast of France...

From INHABITAT

Tom Dixon’s Dazzling Geometric Cell Lights Shine Like Jewels

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:27:40 +1000

Tom Dixon's new Cell Lights shine like dazzling geometric gemstones. Spotted earlier this year at Milan Design Week and again at the International Contemporary Furniture in New York, these gorgeous brass lamps are etched to filter light and cast riveting .

Tom Dixon’s new Cell Lights shine like dazzling geometric gemstones. Spotted earlier this year at Milan Design Week and again at the International Contemporary Furniture in New York, these gorgeous brass...

From INHABITAT

Act now to avert a global water crisis

New Scientist - Environment — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:21:00 +1000

We desperately need joined-up thinking by the world's leaders to secure future water supplies, say Charles Vörösmarty and Claudia Pahl-Wostl .

From New Scientist - Environment

Storm surge hockey stick (?)

Judith Curry — Sat, 25 May 2013 02:06:54 +1000

by Judith Curry “The results show that the extreme sea levels observed during Hurricane Katrina will become ten times more likely if average global temperatures increase by 2°C”, said Dr Jevrejeva...

From Judith Curry

Top Secret Google X Buys Airborne Wind Turbine Company Makani Power

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:59:30 +1000

Google X, the tech giant's top secret experimental branch, recently announced that it will take over Makani Power, a startup that develops wind turbines that fly through the air like a kite, rather than being mounted on massive poles cemented into the ground. .

Google X, the tech giant’s top secret experimental branch, recently announced that it will take over Makani Power, a startup that develops wind turbines that fly through the air like a kite, rather...

From INHABITAT

Crumbling Stone Barn Renovated Into Rammed Earth Ihlow House in Germany

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:29:44 +1000

The original stone barn has been renovated with a new addition that takes the place of a former timber addition. Designed by Roswag Architekten, the new addition is formed from rammed earth on the ground floor and contains an open kitchen and living area with .

Read the rest of Crumbling Stone Barn Renovated Into Rammed Earth Ihlow House in Germany

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From INHABITAT

97% Undercooked uncertainty

Watts Up With That — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:19:47 +1000

Roman Murieka has a great statistical analysis of the Cook ‘consensus’ paper over at Climate Audit. There’s a surprise result: The number of papers endorsing AGW is falling, while the number of papers with no position is increasing. Looks like … Continue reading →.

The number of papers endorsing AGW is falling, while the number of papers with no position is increasing. Looks like an increase in uncertainty to me. Read the whole post here

For example, if...

From Watts Up With That

Metylos’ Elegant Mathilde Lamps Are Made From Hanging Strips of Wool Felt

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:10:07 +1000

Looking like strands of Rapunzel’s hair, these felt LED lamps can be braided, knotted, or bunched into any shape. French company Metylos designed its Mathilde pendant light series to be ultra-customizable and eco-friendly, providing interior spaces with a warm light that radiates through the meandering stripes of the fairytale luminaires.

From INHABITAT

Dispatch from warmist Pielke Jr's world: "the battle over public opinion on climate change has long been over – it has been won, decisively in fact, by those favoring action"

Tom Nelson — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:45:00 +1000

Have the climate sceptics really won? | Science | guardian.co.ukWhat is worse is that such strategies fail to recognize that the battle over public opinion on climate change has long been over – it has been won, decisively in fact, by those favoring action....The battle over public opinion on climate change has long been won, and not by the sceptics. But simply by virtue of their continued existence, the climate sceptics may have the last laugh, because many climate campaigners seem to be able...

From Tom Nelson

Drumbeat: May 24, 2013

Discussions about our Energy & the future — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:30:14 +1000

Crude Landlocked as Canadians Join U.S. to Halt Pipelines British Columbia, the Canadian province whose official slogan to its own beauty is “Super, Natural,” is invoking another saying: “No more supertankers.” That’s potentially big trouble in a nation where oil exports amount to $73 billion annually and the industry employs more than 550,000 workers. It’s also a bad omen for nations, notably China, that have invested billions in Canadian oil projects with expectations that they will...

From Discussions about our Energy & the future

Uplifting Vertical Garden with 4,000 Plants Rises in Mexico City’s Casa CorManca

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:27:12 +1000

The narrow Casa CorManca designed by Paul Cremoux Studio is a three story residence built on a 1894 square foot plot in Mexico City. South-facing, the slate-clad house has an interior courtyard, and the living wall reaches from the entryway right up to the .

Read the rest of Uplifting Vertical Garden with 4,000 Plants Rises in Mexico City’s Casa CorManca

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From INHABITAT

‘The Shack’ is a Marin County Retreat with Restored Old-Growth Timber Features

INHABITAT — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:19:27 +1000

The Shack was included in the slate of homes that were opened to the public as part of the 2013 Marin Living: Home Tours, which was hosted by AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design...

From INHABITAT

163MPH Rocket-Powered Bike Sets New World Land Speed Record

INHABITAT — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:46:50 +1000

French cyclist François Gissy strapped a rocket to the frame of his bike and achieved a top speed of 263 kilometers per hour (163mph) in an epic thrill ride that took place at abandoned runway in the northeast of France...

From INHABITAT

The Glowing Plant Project: New DIY Kits Let Anyone Create Their Own Bioluminescent Blooms

INHABITAT — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:22:40 +1000

Recently Inhabitat wrote about the Glowing Plants project, an idea that uses the science of bioluminescence to light up a room using plants. The Kickstarter campaign, created by the team of bio-engineers responsible for the technology, has been such a hit that the creators have decided to reward pledgers with the best gift yet: a kit that allows anyone to grow their own glowing plants right at home.

From INHABITAT

Updated climate sensitivity estimates using aerosol-adjusted forcings and various ocean heat uptake estimates

Watts Up With That — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:16:25 +1000

Guest essay by Nic Lewis The Otto et al. paper has received a great deal of attention in recent days. While the paper’s estimate of transient climate response was low, the equilibrium/effective climate sensitivity figure was actually slightly higher than … Continue reading →.

From Watts Up With That

Washington Post’s photo phraud – it’s deja vu all over again

Watts Up With That — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:00:09 +1000

Junkscience.com reports this is what the print copy looks like today for this article by Eugene Robinson. Note what looks like black unfiltered pollutants spewing skyward: But when you look at the original photo, you notice something different: The caption … Continue reading →.

Silhouetted against the sky at dusk, excess steam, along with non-scrubbed pollutants, spew from the smokestacks at Westar Energy’s Jeffrey Energy Center coal-fired power plant near St. Marys, Kansas....

From Watts Up With That

Collective switching: can councils help those living in fuel poverty?

guardian.co.uk - Energy — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:00:00 +1000

As household energy costs reach an all-time high, councils are using collective purchasing power to get better deals.

From guardian.co.uk - Energy

Uh oh: On Twitter, high-flying crony capitalist/warmist Elon Musk suggests that climate “deniers” want to pave the Amazon, then deletes the conversation?

Tom Nelson — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:15:00 +1000

Tony Katz (tonykatz) on Twitter.@elonmusk it’s a true shame that you deleted your part of our conversation on Global Warming “deniers”….I thought it was important and good.@TwitchyTeam …how do I find deleted Tweets? @elonmusk, founder of PayPal and Tesla, deleted his conversation with me about global warming.@elonmusk …why did you delete all of your tweets of our conversation on climate change “deniers?”Where can I get the Tweets that @elonmusk deleted..especially the ones where he...

From Tom Nelson

LILAC: UK’s First Strawbale Co-Housing Project Opens in Leeds

INHABITAT — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:12:24 +1000

The Low Impact Living Affordable Community (LILAC) recently opened its doors to a community of earth-friendly Leeds residents. Each of the 20 homes was built using straw bale construction and timber and marks the first genuinely green co-housing project in the country. Conceived more than six years ago by Paul Chatterton and others, LILAC is a physical manifestation of the group’s desire to reduce their environmental footprint with earth-friendly construction materials, self-subsistent...

From INHABITAT

The implosion of David Appell continues: After accusing Marc Morano of "Desperate Lies" for abbreviating "Former" as "Fmr", he now accuses Morano of "outright lying" for Morano's correct use of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

Tom Nelson — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:56:00 +1000

Quark Soup by David Appell: The Deniers New Tactic...... outright lying [Appell refers to Marc Morano's suggestion that Sandy wasn't a major hurricane]Nov 2013: Super storm Sandy won't go down as a 'major' hurricane - Los Angeles TimesSuperstorm Sandy, the most powerful storm this season, peaked as a Category 2, weakened and was no longer even a hurricane according to Saffir-Simpson when it made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29Flashback: Desperate Lies from ClimateDepot[Appell] "Fmr" means "former?"Says...

From Tom Nelson

Updated climate sensitivity estimates using aerosol-adjusted forcings and various ocean heat uptake estimates

Bishop Hill — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:15:43 +1000

The Otto et al. paper has received a great deal of attention in recent days. While the paper’s estimate of transient climate response was low, the equilibrium/effective climate sensitivity figure was actually slightly higher than that in some other recent studies based on instrumental observations. Here, Nic Lewis notes that this is largely due to the paper’s use of the Domingues et al. upper ocean (0–700 m) dataset, which assesses recent ocean warming to be faster than other studies...

From Bishop Hill

The worst consequences of the global warming scare

Watts Up With That — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:00:57 +1000

Guest essay by David Archibald During World War II, one Russian physicist realized that the United States was working on an atomic bomb when articles about high energy nuclear reactions disappeared from the physics journals he subscribed to...

From Watts Up With That

A whiff of the Sunday Sport

Bishop Hill — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:00:36 +1000

Having failed to reply to Matt Ridley's request to respond to Myles Allen's critique, Damian Carrington and his band of merry men have responded with another, but rather grubbier, attack in the same direction , this time from Nuccitelli.

From Bishop Hill

Where Lies the Younger Dryas Smoking Gun?

Watts Up With That — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:27:47 +1000

Guest Post by Dan Johnston I have been following the proposed collision theory for the onset of the Younger Dryas for a number of years with considerable interest as it explains so much in a relatively straightforward fashion, if true...

From Watts Up With That

New Green Directory listings

ecowho.com — Sat, 11 May 2013 16:08:02 +1000

New listings in our green directory

From the EcoWho Directory

Solar Power Info

ecowho.com — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:01:44 +1000

Promotes the use of renewable solar power by product promotion and consumer education.

From the EcoWho Green Directory

Solar Power Installers, what to look for..

ecowho.com — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:11:14 +1100

When looking for a solar power installer, it pays to do your homework and double check that you are getting the best.

Given the money to be made from doing solar system installation, both for the installer and the final client. There are a lot of businesses doing solar power system installation. This, of course, means that some are better than others and some are rather worse than others.

So, given you want to have a system which will last for at least 20 years ideally, we provide some straight forward advice on how to find the best at a price point that works for you.

1. Shop around installers

Do not go with the first company you come across. As with most things in life, it will pay dividends to shop around. Not only will you get a better idea of what the price ranges and differences are between the systems being installed; you will also educate yourself on what goes into these system far quicker than just going with the first you find.

BTW you won't go far wrong read some of our articles in solar power anyways, plus they are free..

...

Choosing a water tank

ecowho.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:38:16 +1100

Water tanks, they come in so many different sizes and forms, it is often hard to work out what to choose and why, we can help..

A few years back we were having a reno done, and given we wanted to have a 'lush' garden without the water bill to match; we did some extensive research into what sort of water tanks would work for us and how to maximize the rainwater harvesting our roof would offer.

Well I have good news for you, all the research has been written up in an article - The Facts about Water Tanks . I hope you find it a useful read that will really focus your thinking on what you can do with a water tank or two..

Free Green Business Listings

ecowho.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:33:39 +1100

If you are running a Green or Eco Business, you can list it for free.

If you are running a business which is green or eco related, you can list it for free in our Company Listings Directory . This is great if you are a small business looking for additional online exposure.

Also if you provide a link back to ecowho.com, we will upgrade your listing for free.

So, you have nothing to lose, give it a try!

Shale Oil in South Australia, problem or opportunity?

ecowho.com — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:39:48 +1100

Potentially massive amounts of shale oil exist in South Australia, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

According to this article it looks like up to 233 billion barrels of oil might be sitting in shale deposits under South Australia...

Now if that is so, and it looks like it could indeed be, it amounts to a heck of a lot of oil, something to rival the oil rich Middle East. Which in turn equates to billions upon trillions of money to be made from extracting this.

So given the many zeroes sums of money to be made from this - I doubt even the political Green movement will be able to 'bury' this. Sometimes the rewards can be so great to 'leap' over any obstacles, and I think this clearly qualifies on that regard.

Now, of course, if this is going to happen, one wants to see the best outcome for the environment and given the monetary return it should indeed be possible to extract the oil whilst doing proper environmental protection.
...

Sea level rise of 1 meter in Australia unproven

ecowho.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:18:12 +1100

The ABC is currently saying that properties on the Australian coast are at risk for a 1 meter rise by the end of the century - where is the proof???

The ABC are currently promoting a blatant lie as concerns proven sea level rises.

The problem with this is that what they say will impact on the property market close to the sea, in the same way that a Greenie fraudulently issued a press release, they are in serious danger of making those who issue or present such false statements legally liable.

As regards the 'threat' of rising sea levels - to rise one meter by the end of the century would require 11.5mm per year. Yet if one looks at the current rate of sea level rise, as recorded since 1850 we get the following graph.

As can be seen, there has been no acceleration on this record since 1850. In fact we would need the rate of sea level rise to be eight times faster than it currently is; i.e. in reality we have a rate of sea level rise of about 9cm per 100 years - a darn sight less than 1 meter. For more information on this read this article .
...

Tasmania Bushfires, lack of hazard reduction burns to blame

ecowho.com — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 11:13:40 +1100

The Tasmania Bushfires are more a result of a lack of hazard reduction burns and not due to Climate Change.

Miranda Devine has just published an article concerning the fires in Tasmania and how the lack of back burning and hazard reduction burns have in fact contributed massively to the intensity of the fires and that it is NOT caused by climate change.

She has also done a radio interview on the matter.

To be honest, what she says make a lot of sense. If gum leaves, bark, etc are left to accumulate you quickly have a 'fuel load' so high that it is not possible to be managed in the event of a fire. As someone who has pile burnt leaves, sticks, etc to keep my place tidy, there is a very clear reason why you do not pile it all up too high, rather than being a controllable fire it soon turns into an absolute fireball of intense heat. All those oils in the wood create a 'perfect storm' of conditions in high fuel load to create something that is uncontrollable.
...

Mental Maths app Maths Bug updated

ecowho.com — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:27:10 +1100

Maths bug, the app to help teach and improve mental maths skills has been updated.

Maths Bug has been updated as follows:

Several annoying bug fixes
Support for latest version of Android OS
Localized into Chinese and Spanish.

This is a significant update to help users across the globe get more enjoyment from the app.

Its available for free from the Google Play Market here . If you would like to learn more please visit the apps' website .

Enjoy!

Updated Green Directory

ecowho.com — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:21:48 +1100

Our Green Dictionary App has undergone an upgrade.

We have just finished doing some upgrade work to the Green Dictionary App as follows:

Well over 800 definitions and terms covering the green, eco, environment and climate space;
Better support for tablets and latest edition Android (including Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean).
'Live' fetching of related blog posts for each definition, so for instance look up 'solar power' and see the latest blog posts that relate from leading eco, climate and science blogs.

If you have not got the App already you can download it from free from the Google Play market here . Give it a go!

Greenland Ice Sheet Melt

ecowho.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:00:45 +1100

We look at reports regarding the rate of Greenland ice sheet melt.

According to recent reports (see CNN & The Australian) it appears that the speed of the Greenland ice melt has been increasing at an 'alarming' rate...

The trouble with this is that this is only a problem if:

The measurements are indeed accurate enough to allow this analysis to stand, and,
The melt water remains as melt water and is not taken up by other parts of the climatic system (i.e. it gets converted back to ice somewhere else) and remains in balance as a whole.

Now, look at the following:

Embracing Data 'Noise' Brings Greenland's Complex Ice Melt Into Focus

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Straw man science: keeping climate simple; watch the pea..

ecowho.com — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:57:10 +1100

The conversation has just published a rather incorrect article claiming that none of the human produced Co2 is absorbed by the natural Co2 cycle, we blow it out the water.

See the offending article here , to quote:

"We produce a modest percentage of all CO2 emissions. But the extra emissions aren’t absorbed by the carbon cycle, so CO2 builds up in the air. A small rise each year has resulted in a 40% increase of CO2."

Wrong, yes Co2 has gone up, but it has been going up for the last 50m years, see here. Although, as noted in the paper, working out the exact source of Co2 and its relationship is very hard to do, as each source does not have a distinct Co2 'fingerprint' - rather there is a lot of overlap as different sources and sinks inject and consume different isotopes of Co2 in different ways.

As for the extra Co2 emissions from man not being consumed in the carbon cycle, it is well know that Co2 is growth promoter in plants. So much so that commercial operations growing plants often inject Co2 into their greenhouses to speed growth. Also it is known that the biosphere is blooming, and that the African Savannah's are turning into forests.
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Methane from waste food an environmental problem?

ecowho.com — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:33:14 +1100

We look at whether methane from waste food is a real problem in our environment.

ABC Radio just ran a feature talking about the impact of methane on the environment from waste food rotting.

Agreed, wasting food is a problem, but the levels of methane produced by this is dwarfed by other sources. For instance:

Natural plant material rotting after it dies;
The poo from animals breaking down..
Animals breaking down after they die...

Methane is a natural by product of normal environmental processes. The fact that food rots and produces methane is nothing new.

Also the '21 times more powerful than Co2' statement is not proven and does not take into account the carbon 'consumed' in the production of said food. For a more detailed discussion on this, see this article.

In all, I consider this a lot of 'hot air' and a desperate attempt to keep the global warming/climate change meme running in the media. Nobody is interested any more, better luck next time.
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BOM 'predicts' a hot Summer in Australia

ecowho.com — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:07:12 +1100

BOM have just announced that due to a three day 'heat wave' we are due a hot Summer...

BOM have just announced on the ABC News radio that they think the upcoming Summer will be very hot with lots of heat waves.

Now, the trouble with all this is that we may indeed have a heat wave on the way; but it is somewhat disingenuous of BOM to mix what are predicted heat waves with what has actually occurred. It's rather like calling the results of a race before it has finished.

There is also the problem of 'which temperature' is being measured - if they are measuring the temperature in the middle of Perth for instance, then the 'Urban Heat Island' effect could be largely to blame for the record more than anything else - e.g. black tarmac and brick buildings trap heat in a location far better than trees and forest - so temperature measurements in such urban locations have an upward bias. This is a well known effect.

By all means warn people that it will be hot in Summer (duh!), but do not fall into the trap of calling highs and record temperatures well before they could happen. The UK Met Office have got caught fowl doing this crystal ball predicting many times before, I would have thought the BOM would have been above this.
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Ballarat museum scaring children with biasless climate propaganda

ecowho.com — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:44:08 +1100

Caring about the environment is one thing, deliberately setting out to scare young children with climate change propaganda in an art gallery is something completely different...

Ballarat Museum is scaring children!!!

Probably not the headline Ballarat Museum wanted, but it fits the bill perfectly in this case.

As Australian Climate Madness and Quadrant Online have found, climate change zealots will stop at nothing to influence children. In some cases taking paintings done many many years ago and spinning the context to make it look like they are referring to climate change.

Enough!

Ballarat Museum - you should be utterly ashamed. You are meant to be a place of education and reflection, not a place where children are spoon fed the latest meme!
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What does Free Range Eggs mean?

ecowho.com — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 08:07:23 +1100

What do you think Free Range Eggs means in Australia? Well, apparently there is no standard definition of what Free Range is...

Free Range Eggs, no standard definition!!!

Yes, that is right, there is no standard definition as to what Free Range means in Australia. Apparently in practice Free Range is applied to anything from 750 to 20,000 chickens per hectare.. Not exactly what you thought it meant is it?

Now given people pay up to $5 more per dozen eggs for it being Free Range, this is recipe for paying over the odds for not what you expected.

There is a voluntary code in place that pegs the density at 15,000 per hectare but there is no mandatory code. The industry is pushing for Free Range to be defined as 20,000 per hectare but only 1% of people that is really 'Free Range'...

Now the current situation is better than Caged chickens which only get 450cm2 each, but if the density of the Free Range chickens is too high you end up with a poorer quality egg. We keep true Free Range chickens who roam over 5 acres, and the quality of the eggs is excellent - lovely flavour, deep orange colour & fresh.
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Reducing Building Waste and Saving Yourself Money

ecowho.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:03:28 +1100

Property building is often very wasteful. Old doors, windows, tiles, etc often end being thrown in a skip and going into landfill - we look at the alternatives.

Oh, what a waste!

If you are involved in the building game, you will be familiar with the 'skip of junk' that is required with knock downs or rebuilds. Quite often what were perfectly serviceable windows, doors and fittings just get chucked into the skip.

Now, often this is just how things are and for old buildings with fittings that are really long longer serviceable the tip and being recycled are probably the best way to go. But what about fairly modern houses and properties that are having a renovation?

In this situation you can do one of the following:

1. Leave it in the skip

Okay, this may be the simplest course of action, but its not going to win you any environmental prizes and it will probably cost you money to have it all taken away.

2. Try to get rid of it yourself

Hmm, bit difficult that. You can either try to sell it off to a recycling yard (and get a reduced amount of money) or try to sell it yourself (with no guarantee of a sale).

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Dirty weather is dirty PR

ecowho.com — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:08:37 +1100

Al Gore is at it again with his '24 hours of Climate Reality', we call it what it is - BS.

Al Gore has found a new catch phrase 'Dirty Weather' - i.e. weather produced by human pollution; and he is going to inflict on us all 24 hours of video editing tricks and misdirection on us in an attempt to convince us that we are the ones responsible for the 'dirty weather' and not just natural climate variability.

This is basically a last gasp attempt to try sell the snake oil that is man made climate change onto an unsuspecting public. Unfortunately for Al Gore and his supporters they are facing a 'climate' in which:

The public is being increasingly more educated on the actual facts at hand;
The money is drying up, mainly due to the fact that the schemes for solving the 'climate problem' are actually turning up to be expensive white elephants that are actually more harmful than the 'problem';
The climate itself isn't playing ball, no climate model is supported by the actual measured climate.
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Read more and comment
From the EcoWho blog

Fixing a water pump cheaply

ecowho.com — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:53:30 +1000

Our pool cleaner pump just died and I was able to fix it for $14...

Seems to be the week for things electrical to break.
We have a pool with a Polaris pool cleaner, which does a very effective job. Unfortunately I noticed the other day that the 'overload' fuse on the board powering the pump for the pool cleaner was out. I reset it and turned on the pump, was greeted with a loud hum and then the overload fuse reset.. Okay, the pump was not happy.
Now, being okay with fixing basic electrical items, I took the pump out of the system and hooked it up in my garage. Again apply the power and I get a hum, except this time I quickly removed the power to stop it tripping the garage circuit. So the pump was responding to the power just not doing anything.
So I did a little of dismantling - basically taking the fan guard off the back so I could easily spin the motor. Now in order to test the operation of the pump spinning under power I would give the pump a quick spin in the right direction and whilst it was still in motion apply the power - and surprise surprise the pump would run quite happily.
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Fixing a solar hot water controller

ecowho.com — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:28:17 +1000

Fixing a broken solar hot water controller need not be that expensive

We have had a Hills Solar evacuated tube solar hot water heater for a number of years now that provided cheap hot water year round. Recently we noticed that our hot water was not as hot as we were used to it. We put it down to a cold and cloudy winter. Although once we noticed that even on sunny days there was not much hot water available it was clear something was wrong.
So under the house I go, we have a system where the hot water tank is fitted in the crawl space under the house at the end where you can easily stand. Now a quick touch test of the return pipe where it goes into the hot water tank showed there was not much heat.. Hmm, a quick look at the solar controller showed that it thought it was powering the pump, the light was on. The pump must have gone I thought, but these small pumps are very reliable. I wondered if the controller itself was to blame, so I turned it off and turned it on, then when the light came back on I could hear the relay 'click' and the pump started up. So the relay had stuck.
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Cloud feedback wrong in climate models, paper

ecowho.com — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:09:11 +1000

A recent paper by Miller et al 2012 in the AMS Journal indicates that the climate models could be out by a factor of 19 with respect to actual cloud feedback.

For those of us who have been wanting to see more analysis done on the exact role clouds play in the climate and how they relate to the Co2 and feedback, this paper (abstract) and (pdf) will certainly be of interest you.

This is also covered in detail both on Jo Nova and The Hockey Schtick.

Given how much emphasis models place on positive feedback in relation to Co2, without any real solid analysis as to 'how' they proved the positive feedback is there to model - such papers that cast more light on the relationships between different elements of the climate should be encouraged.
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Droughts in the USA, not

ecowho.com — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:51:36 +1000

It appears that NASA's James Hansen has been caught out spreading unproven conclusions about droughts in the USA, when in actually it is not the case.

James Hansen has been famous over the years for making pronouncements that are shown later on to be false, from deaths of Polar Bears (more than ever now) to Manhattan being under meters of water within a few years.. He is famous for turning off the air conditioning at a Senate hearing to make the Senators feel a heat that wasn't really there.
His latest erroneous pronouncement is that the odds of droughts & high temperatures occurring in the USA now are 1 in 10... Although in a Watts Up With That that post, Former Virginia State Climatologist Dr. Pat Michaels, says:

Hansen claims that global warming is associated with increased drought in the US. This is a testable hypothesis which he chose not to test, and, because PNAS isn’t truly peer-reviewed for Members like him, no one tested it for him.

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