This is my dream: To live as my forefathers once did - in harmony with the land that sustains us. A project to investigate and innovate the creation of a low impact home with methods of living in a form of permaculture designed to sustain my family and improve biodiversity. To leave the land richer than before and in doing so enable others to do so.
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You are currently viewing archive for October 2008
How Green Are Green Cars?
Posted 30/10/08 by Matt B in the Urban category
In today's guest post Charles Cridland takes a critical look at "Green Cars" and asks how green are they realy?How Green Are Green Cars?
By Charles Cridland
With the issue of global warming taking on international importance in recent years, unsurprisingly the focus has fallen on car drivers, with cars seen as one of the major contributors towards global warming. Green cars have been held up as a potential solution, one that motorists should be embracing.
But are green cars actually 'green'?
Firstly, let’s take pure electric cars. Unfortunately these electric cars are anything but good for the environment. The electricity that they run on is produced in power stations, where only 30-40% of the energy is converted into electricity. Transferring this electricity along electric cables then results in a further 30% being lost to heat energy. So by the time this electricity reaches an electric car a huge amount of the energy has already been lost. Good for cutting down inner city pollution but efficient it certainly isn’t.
» Read More: How Green Are Green Cars?
What is it I/we actually need to (blank)?
Posted 23/10/08 by Matt B in the Questions category
Life love and the pursute of happiness - how do we have that when the cupboard is empty?» Read More: What is it I/we actually need to (blank)?
Bankless?
Posted 12/10/08 by Matt B in the Unspecified category
With banks teetering on the brink of collapse can one live without a bank account?» Read More: Bankless?
A carnival of Green: Permaculture
Posted 10/10/08 by Matt B in the Online category
I have decided that it may be fun to write a somewhat regular carnival of green issues in blogging at the moment. This first edition will focus on recent blog posts on the subject of permaculture. But next time - who knows.first up we have permakent.com with a permaculture concept video. It's a good way to start off today's topic and set the tone for the remaining posts.
The next item I found was kyrasbw talking about Edges and Social Permaculture. For those that don't know the meeting point between two things is quite important in the concept of permaculture. Interestingly on a social level this news item looks at a similar idea of exploring the space we use. Meanwhile transitionculture.org takes a look at the early days of Transition in Flanders.
Caffeevino of Caffe e Vino blog gives thoughts on permaculture on the personal scale and how this might intersect with one's faith. Also looking at the personal scale is Deborah Fries who talks about The failure of backyard permaculture and the joy of growing vegetables in an older first ring suburb while rose works talks about using permaculture in garden design.
Now for the last few few odd bits.
Permaculture & Regenerative Design News talks about "Plan C" (some US based thing I think).
A little while ago Dismantle Civilisation talked about "sustainability in a nutshell".
What can you tell us about Financial Permaculture?
A small victory
Posted 08/10/08 by Matt B in the Woodlands category
The UK's most famouse low impact building "that roundhouse" has finally achieved planning consent! This is probably not news to anyone else but me (call me Mr Slow). Read More.The first little piggy
Posted 08/10/08 by Matt B in the Unspecified category
Over 700,000 just like me are priced out of traditional home ownership but for just £300 or less a home could be built from straw and a few other readily available materials.It's not that hard. It is well documented. It is cost effective.
Honestly, what is the problem (other than narrow minded building and land rules)? Oh right that is the problem.
Sigh.
I dream all the time
Posted 07/10/08 by Matt B in the Unspecified category
When it comes to calling somewhere home were it just me these days I would have moved heaven and earth to get me licensed and owning a bus I could make into a home. Then I would live where I damn well chose.I have three children and a wife and this is simply never going to happen. not at all. Forget it.
So aside from dreaming about that I am slowly planning towards a more refined and contributory (to society) lifestyle that is nevertheless alternative. It would be fair to say that every day, if only for a few moments I pine for a life close to trees and earth and nature. Yet I am not "a hippie" but a tech-head - that is an IT guy with every reason to dream about highly air conditioned mansions with lots of cool (if environmentally unsound) equipment.
I do find that all very tempting but some fundamental part of me cries out to live closer to the land. I don't mean that I fancy it a bit I mean that I literally feel like crying because I desire this life so much.
» Read More: I dream all the time
Financial Permaculture?
Posted 05/10/08 by Matt B in the Questions category
I came accross the concept of Financial Permaculture recently - what can you tell me?» Read More: Financial Permaculture?
Local Drinking Water
Posted 03/10/08 by Matt B in the Urban category
One story that is never likely to show up on the water section of the Green Moral Eco Portal is that of Thanet's Water Supply. Possibly because it is "too local" to be noticed. Thanet is in Kent, which is just south of London in the UK (EU).The big fear, aside from the concreting over of green spaces is that the entire island might end up with contaminated water. The reason for this fear is that large industrial complex (known locally as the China Gateway) is proposed to be placed right over the main aquifer for the island.
Local bloggers are worried that the donations made by the company building the project to local political parties may have clouded their judgement.
The issue is due to be heard before the full council shortly.
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