Fruit Walls: Urban Farming in the 1600s
From the sixteenth to the twentieth century, urban farmers grew Mediterranean fruits and vegetables as far north as England and the Netherlands, using only renewable energy.
energy efficiency
Keeping warm with minimal heating: small-scale solutions
I discuss some of the ways you can add the equivalent of an extra layer of clothes to your residence.
Oops! Low oil prices are related to a debt bubble
Why is the price of oil so low now? In fact, why are all commodity prices so low?
Why We Need a Speed Limit for the Internet
We need a speed limit for the internet.
Restoring the Old Way of Warming: Heating People, not Place
It would make a lot of sense to restore this old way of warming, especially since modern technology has made it so much more practical, safe and efficient.
The Revenge of the Circulating Fan
Cooling people by increasing local airflow is at least ten times more energy efficient than refrigerating the air in a given space, and it also adds the benefit of a personally controlled thermal environment.
Well-Tended Fires Outperform Modern Cooking Stoves
Despite technological advancements since the Industrial Revolution, cooking remains a spectacularly inefficient process.
How Increased Labour Efficiency Drives Resource Consumption
“It is a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel is equivalent to diminished consumption. The very contrary is the truth….no one must suppose that coal thus saved is spared-it is only saved from one use to be employed in others”.
How Sustainable is Digital Fabrication?
Digital fabrication is praised as the future of manufacturing. While CNC machines have been embraced by many…it’s important to consider the very high energy use of digital machine tools.
Cap the Grid
As a species, we must learn to live within the physical limitations of the biosphere. In the electric energy sector, this requires reversing the worldwide trend of ever-expanding electricity supply grids carrying energy vast distances from more and more large, centralized power plants. “Capping the grid” is a crucial step toward reducing greenhouse gas pollution and increasing the percentage of electricity generated by renewables.
Shale Truth Interviews Arthur Berman segment #4 Energy Efficiency
The natural gas industry has promoted shale gas as a source of energy independence. In this segment of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s Shale Truth Interview series energy industry analyst Arthur Berman says efficiency and changing everyday behavior are the keys for the United States becoming energy independent.
IEA: Improve energy efficiency of urban transport systems
As energy consumption for transport in cities is expected to double by 2050, IEA report sees potential savings of up to USD 70 trillion