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4un4me

by 4un4me on May 4, 2009 · 2 comments

in WATER

clown-urinal
Every home should have one I would like to share with you three water conserving ideas that, if practiced on a wide scale, would help ease some of the pressure on one of our most valuable renewable resources. I know that nothing is really new any more, but hopefully these will be of benefit to someone.

The first one I bring to you as a question: why do we not have urinals in our homes as we do in nearly all public places? There is no reason to use just as much water to flush

»Keep reading 'Conserving water . . . outside the box.'

Companion Gardening – with a twist

May 2, 2009
Companion Gardening – with a twist

Old gardeners don't die.... One of the up sides to our current global economic crisis is indicators pointing to a dramatic increase in people’s interest in growing their own food – an important aspect of Off-Grid living.

Many first-time gardeners are purchasing seeds and regulars at playing in the dirt are expanding their efforts to grow their own vegetables. There is, however, another opportunity for people to help others while helping themselves.

»Keep reading 'Companion Gardening – with a twist'

Best kept secret . . a must read!

February 13, 2009
Best kept secret . . a must read!

Solar thermal energy storage Since the energy crisis of the 1970's, it has been a long, slow, uphill trek trying to get alternative renewable energy incorporated into the minds, lives, and homes of mainstream society. In fact, if you look at the situation honestly, the only aspect of energy conservation that has achieved complete and universal acceptance has been the use of insulation as a means of reducing heating and cooling costs or energy consumption. But there is something else deserving of equal consideration.

»Keep reading 'Best kept secret . . a must read!'

100% Efficient Wood Stove (or gas furnace) ! ! !

January 15, 2009
100% Efficient Wood Stove (or gas furnace) ! ! !

Now I am not here to argue what the word efficiency means, I am simply talking about capturing 100% of whatever heat is generated through combustion such that the exhaust is cooled down below average room temperature before departing.

Here is how simple it can be.

Use a blower fan to produce a forced draft and draw your exhaust through a series of heat exchangers (could be as simple as 55 gallon steel drums filled with brick pieces or large gravel). Each “container” would be filled with smaller sized pieces and the last one or two would be filled with sand. It is even possible to use wet sand to more quickly and effectively capture the last remaining heat as long ...

»Keep reading '100% Efficient Wood Stove (or gas furnace) ! ! !'

Number 1 Vegetable

September 20, 2008
Number 1 Vegetable

Sesame Kale with mushrooms There are so many great fruits and vegetables to grow that it can be difficult to decide how to invest your time and garden space, says Ken Carman.

Most of us grow food for two reasons, nutrition and pleasure. For example, many will eat spinach because it is good for us, and yet look at how many people eat iceburg lettuce, which has little nutritive value. I am not going to write about growing for your pleasure because that is entirely up to your own personal preferences. Instead I want to tell you about what I believe is the best crop that anyone can grow in their home garden and I will give you numerous reasons why I believe it is truly number one. When you grow something to eat, you want something that is easy to grow, highly nutritious, provides an abundant harvest, is harvested over a long period of time, is easily stored through winter, and hopefully it tastes good too.

»Keep reading 'Number 1 Vegetable'

Eco-architecture in Singapore

March 13, 2008
Eco-architecture in Singapore Eco-principles at work Its hard to pin down exactly what green architecture entails. Each building is a case study in itself, with specific surroundings, usage patterns, client requirements and weather conditions. One might use a north-south alignment to block off the sun's heat. Another, forced by circumstance to face the rising or setting sun, might use glazing or shades to achieve the same. Light and temperature controls for a residential apartment block differ from those for retail malls or industrial facilities. Still, certain principles run throughout. Architects approach a design in two ways - passive and active. 'If you have the passive side right, half the battle is won. Then you actively use technology to manage the things you couldn't solve with the passive approach', says Tang Kok Thye, senior principal architect at ADDP Architects.

»Keep reading 'Eco-architecture in Singapore'