Environment

A New Water Cycle

This summer, I read a fascinating book call "The Humanure Handbook; a guide to composting human manure"

For two decades now I have imagined waste water recycling systems for domestic use.

We are planning to build a green home in a semi-arrid desert space, with a solarium and (hopefully) attached green house(s). Water conservation is very important!

This book details how human sewage can be composted to provide safe, balanced, and fertile soil fit for gardening. This promotes a direct, synergistic relationship between you, your food, and your immediate environment!

Blog Action Day 2010

Finally, I Have Finished My Vegan Mouse Trap Project

My vegan mousetrap (live trap) project is now live! I have finished adding the images to the document that I started last fall. With the completion of this project page, I have also published the video that I made last fall, showing the capture of a mouse in my trap!

Dreaming of Year-round Gardening

For most of my life I have wanted a greenhouse. I'm not sure when that desire started, or how. Something intrigues me about the mini-world within, safeguarded from the fickle elements and productive in the face of winter famine. Being vegetarian, I dream of cheap year-round greens and extended growing seasons for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Free Issues of Solar Today!

As a birthday present in 2006, my wife gave me a subscription to the Solar Today magazine. She knew I was very interested in solar energy and renewable energy at large. I may yet start a business related to that.

TED Talk: Adam Grosser on Renewable Refrigeration

First, watch the presentation. It's short, to the point, and effective.

Great Idea! Inflatable Concrete Structures

I just learned about Concrete Canvas Structures, a small business that formed from the great idea of instant emergency structures, inflated and hardened into hardy, sound shelters. They can be bermmed for insulation and protection. And they are water-proof. What intrigued me most was the minimal time involved and permanence of the structure. There are lots of other uses for this. I also wonder what the size limits might be?

TED Considers Ethnograpic Extinction

TED released a presentation by Wade Davis on the extinction of culture and ethnicity. While viewing it, I was astounded at the pace of the extinction and the scope of the loss and destruction. I also wondered how to reconcile my religion with this issue (my Christian religion certainly contributes to the decline of diversity). I also had to decide if this extinction was really a travesty, or simply a natural, even essential form of progression and change unavoidable in our mortal experience.

Electric Motorcycle Mystery Solved

The owner of the electric motorcycle contacted me! He emailed me last night. He's an Electrical Engineering student and he built the entire bike himself. I'm hoping he'll meet with me to go over the details of how he made it, where he bought the parts, challenges, etc.

I'll make a more thorough report after I review the bike.

Wow! I'm In Love.

Yes, I love my wife. Yes, I love my kids. But I'm not talking about them, or even flesh and blood for that matter. I'm talking about the marriage of several of my favorite interests: mechanical transport + environmental responsibilities + electricity + hands-on creativity and inventions; in other words http://www.electric-bikes.com/.