The Green One

People, like grass need get thirsty

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 11:13:59 -0400

People are a lot like grass - when rich in water grass prospers but leave it dry and it struggles to survive.

We are just the same. Take, for example, this patch of grass in Thanet (Cliftonville Margate (UK)). It is not lush and green because it is not getting sufficient water.

Similarly the area of Thanet is struggling because there is a lack of "water" to keep the shops and businesses open.

As a green fingered soul I know that there are two options when the soil you have is not easily sustaining the plants there.

The first option is to seek outside input such as a hose pipe and some chemical soil enrichment agent. This requires an unsustainable effort but is a short term fix.

The second option is to consolidate. Overly demanding plants should be cut back and plants that are not coping can be trimming to make it easier for them to continue. This material can then be used to create food for the plants in the form of compost. In extreme conditions one might even have to divert water from one area and let it die in order to sustain another area.

What would never work is to divert some water from each area in order to establish a new area. Sadly for Thanet this is what is being attempted and the economy is as dry as the grass.

Matt's Big Garden

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:26:42 -0400

Frustrated by my lack of garden, field or woodland to care for I have started to act without them. I have talked a friend with a house into letting me run his soon to be vegetable patch and have signed up for a gardening project that is entering it's second week.

I will be tagging the posts MattsBigGarden.

A tag is just a way of letting engines know about a keyword that one wishes to associate with the blog post or item. So far the before pictures are going up but the during and after images are starting to be ready too.

We are turning this

a garden full of junk

Into something nice.

Wish us luck.

Off-Grid Man Jailed For Confronting Utility Company

Wed, 20 May 2009 09:18:45 -0400

In the Pittsburgh area, a man went to jail rather than let the local power company run an electric line through his property. He's also in some hot water for refusing to connect to the local sewer system. Although he�s repeatedly lost in criminal court, William Williams, 76, of Cecil, vows to continue removing the guy wire and its anchor in his yard each time the power company replaces them. For Mr. Williams, it�s all a matter of civil disobedience. He said he refuses to surrender his property rights to the utilities.

How far would you be willing to go to protect your right to home and privacy, your right to live "off grid" if so you choose?

Solar Energy - It is Popular. So Why is it Not Yet Widely Used?

Sun, 17 May 2009 18:56:09 -0400

The fact is, the 350,000,000 terawatts of power available from the sun is so huge that an exposure to a full sun in only 15 minutes will be enough to generate the world's energy requirement

Compare this gargantuan amount of free energy with energy that is generated by nuclear and fossil fuel. Presently, the available data for fossil and nuclear fuel offers us a mere 10,800,000 terawatts which we all know to be non renewable.

To produce electricity, utility companies burn fossil fuels at a rate that translate to 1.3 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce 1kw of electrical power. These unwanted CO2 emissions are pumped into the atmosphere where they cause all sorts of mayhem. This then translates into each typical home being accountable yearly for 22,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.

The harnessing of the sun's rays is clean and safe. It produces no emissions and it is practical and may, in the years ahead, prove very economical. In the USA, for eaxmple, only 0.1% (1kw in ever 1000kw) of power that is generated is solar energy.

So what are the obstacles that stand between clean safe and unlimited and us, the people?1. Lobyists. According to the Wall Street Journal (August 2008 issue), there are groups in America, backed by political groups that are lobbying against the putting up of transmission lines for solar power. In some parts of the world (America, for example) the construction of distribution lines for solar energy is also being blocked by "environmental activists" that restrict the delivering of solar energy to those who want it in their homes.

2. Non-scalable architecture for delivery. In short the power grid is not up to the task. The power grid in the United States which was designed more than 100 years ago is now so congested in many regions. To deliver the solar power to consumers, scientists and engineers will have to come out with another cost efficient plan to transfer huge amounts of energy from one location to another. Similar issues impact parts of the EU and the rest of the world.

3. Initial cost. Solar panels are considered expensive. Although a home increases its value (sometimes considerably) when solar powered, the costs still could be prohibitive to most. So until such time as the non silicon flexible solar panels that are now being developed are released for market consumption, powering homes through solar energy will still be fairly limited.

That's not to say that Governments could not incentivise uptake of renewable energy. By creating tax breaks and/or pollution taxes to push the industry innovation and development are hurried along.
These don't have to be extreme measures (yet) just significant a hint to get the industry on it's feet.

However, effective solar energy transmission to homes will remain to be very hard unless these obstacles are breached. Assuming that these obstacles are solved today, it will still take some 10 years to convert 20% of American homes into solar energy users and more in other parts of the world. Meanwhile, solar panels on individual homes remain to be the most viable alternative.

The good news with solar energy is that technology is advancing very rapidly. Nano technology in creating solar power generators is being developed and may be available in as little as five years time. Other breakthroughs in cell designs are also being developed that could, in the next few years, be a cost-effective way of generating energy without having to rely any more on fossil and nuclear power.

It's not insumountable just challenging. But isn't that why we climb mountains.

Saving Energy - Solutions That Will Not Change Your Lifestyle

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:07:46 -0400

The rise and drop in temperatures in the coming years, place intense pressures on consumers around the world as this means only one thing, more energy and fuel are needed to control the environment and make homes more comfortable. Yet this is a self destructive path and we must be careful not to comfort ourselves into dust.

Over the years, new technology has been invented to improve the manner of living - energy saving devices are not excluded. However, new technology, as always, is a bit expensive at first. And the prices will go down after some time. Instead of waiting for a more affordable energy saving devices, we can apply our common sense today in saving energy.
Avoid the so called "phantom" energy users.

Electrical appliances that are plugged in to sockets even when not in use often consume energy. It is like a turning on the engine of your car and idling for a very long time.

A single appliance that remains plugged in may not give a significant increase in your electric bill but letting every appliance on "standby" can be a real money spender. Make sure to pull the plugs of every appliance from their sockets whenever you don't use them.

Turn down temperature of water heaters.

Water heaters hold about 40 gallons of water and maintain it at a constant temperature. Forty gallons of water that is sitting in your tank for a very long time consumes a lot of energy. If the water heater is not expected to be used for a while, it is advisable to maintain it at a lower temperature.

For that mater turning down the thermostat just 1�C will save you money and the chances are that you'll never feel the difference. Except that your bills are less.

The openings and leaks in doors and windows create drafts.

The stronger the draft is, the longer it will take for homes to be heated or cooled - in addition to the extra work that a heater or an air-conditioning system is doing to regulate the right temperature of the house. In newer homes, the problems may be few as today's' builders take more attention to sealing drafts potential areas and slots. Older homes may not be as well sealed. Even if the outer walls are insulated, air leaks often occur around wall outlets, switches and vents that could result in water condensation around these areas. A good foam patch could fix the problem.

CFL lights are energy savers.

Using CFL bulbs will save you more than sixty percent of the cost of lighting compared with using incandescent light bulbs. Sure CFL lamps are a little more expensive but these are recovered easily because of its longer life and the energy saving feature it has.

Clean appliances regularly.

Dirt and dust interferes with the efficiency of appliances. Likewise, place a good distance; allow about four inches of distance between the wall and appliances that generate heat for your walls not to retain the heat.

PC fans become significantly lss efficient when covered in dust - that means that you PC will not last as long and that the fan must spin up much more often to keep things cool. Clean that fan (carefully - don't break anything) and you get a silent PC that uses less juice.

Check the energy efficiency rating of things you buy

When in the market always look for the "energy coefficient" or rating which in the UK runs from A (amazing) to F (fail). Also look for the energy saving features of the appliance you are buying. This reduces the ammount of energy used and saves you money in the long term.

These are not hard things to do. You and I can do them with ease. Let us begin.

Comments are paused.

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 10:10:15 -0400

Comments are closed for today. This is to stop a massive spam attack taking down the server. I will re-enable them shortly.

Sorry to cause you any delay in giving feedback or chatting.

We are on thin ice

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 05:31:37 -0400

The total volume of sea ice in the Arctic is likely to have reached a record low last summer, despite previous reports that the area of ice recovered slightly from the previous year's dramatic decline, leading experts have warned.

We are already living greatly beyond our means and the "bank" is going to have to close down our line of credit soon.

No we are not talking about cash but about the need for us to stop using more resources than we have available to us as a planet. The world is getting ever smaller and what you or I do at home or in the shops does and will have an impact on every living thing on the planet for decades to come.

The signs are getting clearer to see

My Dream

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:41:33 -0400

I have a dream. It is a driving desire. A yearning so intrinsic to who I am that sometimes I feel I might expire should I be unable to chase my dream.

My dream is a simple one.

A desire to live close to the soil, the trees, the natural world.

It's like the British woodlands are calling to me and they call ever louder with each passing year. Even in my flat surrounded, as it is, by concrete and brick. With the tiny pointless patches of mostly toxic ground growing just a few shaggy areas of weed infested grass I can still hear the call.

The call I can not ignore.

That is why I have created this blog. I can think of no other way to express that, which for lack of a better word, I shall call "My Plan".

This plan, our plan, your plan, the plan is grounded in reality and has been conceived because it will in coming to pass also fulfil my dream. A dream I will build with nothing but my bare hands if I must.

The plan is to create a feasible way of establishing an Permaculture Based Eco Village in Kent. (Kent is in the South East of England).

To fulfil my dream it seems the only answer is to fulfil the dream for many and in doing so enable others to live that same dream.

I can do nothing else it is part now of who I am and will never let go. The woodlands call to me and I must find a way to answer them.

If all that sounds a little melodramatic it is maybe because I am a little odd.

If all that sounds a little too spooky and mystical it is because I like to use poetic language to describe how I feel.

If it scares you imagine how I feel.

If it inspires you then join me.

Join me as I try to outline my plan. Document my success or failures and largely answer the call of woodland.

How to build a house for �4,000

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 14:20:49 -0500

It feels good to be right - building a house for a small price. This is something I dream about and long for. Here is someone that has done just that.

All for �4,000.

read more

Ethical Food is Tasty Food

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:05:00 -0500

At the time of writing this post I had no idea what I was going to be serving my family on Christmas day. Things are, and probably will be when you read this (which is the future for me), far more complicated than this sentence. Also my family and I are meat eaters...

Yep okay nice to see you. That was half the readers of the blog leaving in disgust because I eat meat. I have teath designed for eating meat and vegtables, a digestive system that is likewise attuned and I live in a culture that is set up this way. I'm just being "normal".

The problem is that I am, in leaving things so late, even less likely to obtain an ethically reared bird than I am a fresh one. So finding a fresh one is a big challenge and finding a free range, natural one is quite unlikely but as Dan Barber presents "A surprising parable of foie gras" you will see that ethical food is often the best, the most sustainable and so, frankly, the only sane choice.