Posts from — January 2009

Great Guy! Tim DeChristopher is the new eco-hero. The Utah economics student  last Friday became the owner of 22,500 acres of Red Rock Desert – and prevented it falling into the hands of oil and gas interests.

He hopes the $45,000 check he handed in  will serve as a deposit on his chunk of Utah desert. Only problem is he has no money, and another $1.8 million is needed to prevent him going to jail. He raised the $45,000 at www.bidder70.org, and anyone can go there to help.

DeChristopher, 27 has had no help or support from the big environmental organisations. They are too interested in a seat at the power table, he says .

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Click here to buy the book Authors Dan Bartmann and Dan Fink both have more than 20 years’ experience building wind turbines. A few years ago they started giving seminars nationally on how to build and install wind turbines.  Then they decided to write a book about their work, and publish it themselves.

Harnessing the wind can be a tricky business, and the authors provide step-by-step, illustrated instructions for building a wind generator in a home workshop. Even if you don’t plan on building your own turbine, this book is packed with information for anyone considering wind energy. (more…)

Megaprofits for energy corps UK energy suppliers are ripping their customers off via the grid says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

UK utility bills rose 16.7 per cent in the year ended November, compared with an average of just 3.8 per cent in the EU. In the euro currency area, the figure was 0.7 per cent.

German consumers saw a rises of just 1.5 per cent, while prices in France actually went down by 0.6 per cent in the period ended November. And in the U.S., energy prices tumbled 13.3 per cent. (more…)

…it’s coming to a station near you.

I’m not one for doom and gloom, though anyone starting a sentence with “I’m not one for doom and gloom…” probably has a bit of it on the brain. I don’t have a TV therefore I get very little in the way of news and such. A good thing as far as I’m concerned, who needs it! It’s generally full of D&G, dozens or more channels telling us how we evil humans are destroying the planet, global warming, bovine flatulence and such, while bombarding us with commercials and infomercials on the latest fashions, diet adverts and penile enhancements… (more…)

Putin: “Europe has nothing to fear” European Union leaders denounced Russian actions today as “completely unacceptable” after gas supplies via the Ukraine were reduced by 70 per cent, resulting in immediate shortfalls.

But there is little the EU can do, especiallyif oil prices remain high.  If the action continues, the gas Grid may fail to meet demand in many EU states, including the UK and Ireland.

About 80 per cent of EU imports of Russian gas are transited across Ukraine. And a cold snap across the continent has reduced stockpiles. Worries about the gas supplies, coupled with Israel’s military operation in Gaza, have pushed oil up to a three-week high close to $50 a barrel. Russia, whose main export is oil, stands to benefit for a recovery in prices, (more…)

Educators A building and educational project in Saskatchewan is bringing together Grade 10 students, community leaders and environmental building experts to create a unique off-grid-ready home.  Grade 10 students at Charlebois Community School in Cumberland House, the oldest permanent settlement in western Canada,  teamed with professional engineers, alternative energy and building specialists, and local trades to build an environment-friendly house.

Dubbed the Pisim Project (Pisim is Cree for sun), the house is based on the same footprint as homes of a century ago, while using local materials and modern technology to produce an efficient, low-cost home capable of existing off-grid for up to five days. (more…)

Toasty Once you’ve tackled the insulation in your dwelling and achieved a decent level of heat retention, its worthwhile looking at ways to conduct heat from within.  Firstly we need to dispel all traditional notions of gas and electric heaters.  Vehicles, and other small dwellings need to be dealt with in a different manner to your grandmas front room, or the freezing conservatory you were forced into every Christmas to make room for the big family dinner.
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Homemade pasta, it’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s tasty, did I mention it’s cheap? I had found several recipes on line for homemade egg noodles, I had a pasta roller that I had purchased many years ago, I had the ingredients I needed, so why not give it a try? (more…)