I installed solar thermal heat on my workshop a year ago. Three panels, each measuring 4 feet by 10 feet. These plus thermal shutters on 4 of 11 windows on the building cut the heat bill in half compared to a year earlier.
This past fall i completed construction of a five panel array of solar thermal to help heat this house. The system has been running for all of a month but it looks like the reduction in heat bill will be significant.
Both systems heat a glycol-water solution which is passed through a unit heater (basically a car radiator in a box with a fan on it) to draw the heat out of the water and then the water circulates back to be reheated by the sun. No storage on either system at this time, but a storage tank is planned for the house.
The take-home message is that solar thermal IS a DIY project. If you can solder, perform basic wiring tasks and construct anything then you are probably skilled enough to install your own solar thermal.
Pete
This post was submitted by Peter Gruendeman.
My boyfriend and I keep a mini-flock of four chickens in our urban backyard. They provide nearly infinite amusement, as well as a steady supply of delicious and healthy eggs for us and our neighbors. No more pale yellow yolks in my omelette!
This post was submitted by Kendall .
I live in an off-grid, straw-bale house at a moderate elevation where, along with others in the house, I attempt to live free of fossil fuels. The house is cooled with geothermal technology and heated with passive solar and a small wood stove. We grow food in large gardens and an orchard, and we raise chickens and ducks for eggs and goats for milk (hence, cheese and yogurt). Water is provided by a solar pump in a shallow well, along with rainwater harvested off the roof. We are aided by a strong barter system in the community.
This post was submitted by Guy R. McPherson.
I have used public transportation, by varying degree, for nearly 15 years, and when I started, I enjoyed the luxury of living close enough to the best job I ever had so that I could walk, bike, or ride to work rather than driving.
Times have changed, employers have changed, and my current employer moved 6 miles further from my home a year ago. They used to provide half-price monthly passes, and now offer free monthly passes, on multiple public municipal transportation systems. Nonetheless, I have reduced my dependency on these modes by riding my bicycle for as much of my 44-mile round trip commute as possible.
Last Fall, I was riding 24 of those miles daily, down to 162 pounds, BP was 117/75, and for the first time in my 59 years, my good cholesterol was well into the desired range, and all the ratios were favorable. This year, I hope to get below 160, and walk/pedal 30 or more of those miles.
This post was submitted by Brett Hawks.
I bought mix and match silverware at the thrift store super cheap and keep it in a box in the cabinet. We use it whenever we have parties. No more plastic ware, ever!
This post was submitted by Kim.
I’m a composting nut. I’ve saved tons of food waste from entering the landfill and raised millions of healthy earthworms. since 1975…for really…I have composted all of my cooking refuse. there is a stainless steel 4 quart soup pot that lives on the counter by the sink. It has a lid and is always shiny. throughout the day everything from fruit and veg peelings, hulls and seed pits to tea bags goes in. at dusk I walk back to the fenced composting area and dig a hole, chop everything up, layer it with shredded leaves or grass and bury it. back inside I wash the pot and we’re good to go for tomorrow.
all through the growing season I have instant, at the ready, beautiful rich compost to add the garden and top dress the shrubs.
This post was submitted by Donna Iona Drozda.
For the past two years I have volunteered at a monthly free market. People bring unwanted items which someone else could use (mostly clothes, books and household items), and take away whatever they like.
This is not a 1-1 swap: one can bring plenty and take little or nothing away, and one can bring little or nothing and take many items.
This project keeps many items out of the landfill and recirculates them to new users. It helps people save money. I have found interesting clothes and books there myself, and it is the best and most enjoyable voluntary work I have done in my life.
[NB Organising a free market on a regular basis requires storage space, which should be kept well-organised so that the confusion doesn’t become overwhelming (as ours did at one point). Items past hope should be rigorously weeded out, or the market starts to look a bit dismal.]
This post was submitted by Deborah Sweeney.
1. I have been a vegetarian for 13 years. I was happy to read in Colin’s book that this fact already lowers my carbon footprint significantly. However, I fully support small farms raising happy animals who have fresh air, sunshine, a good life span, and who are killed humanely & quickly. CAFOs are a stench in humanity’s nostrils (literally).
2. I garden. I HAVE to grow some of my own food. Connecting with the earth this way is a part of my being. The fulfillment one gets from digging in the soil, saying hello to the earthworms, and planting a seed is truly indescribable. Every time I plant a seed and nurture a plant I feel I have given birth to something wonderful. I will nurture them and in turn, when the plants are ready, they will nurture me. What a beautiful process.
This post was submitted by Amanda Hunyadi.
-drive a Hybrid Honda Civic
-produce home elecricity with solar P/V
-hot water heating with solar
-heat home with air source heat pump
-buy electricity from Bullfrog Power
-buy carbon offsets for transportation
-dispose of only 6 bags of garbage annually
-compost all kitchen & garden waste
-advocate for renewable energy
-conservation & energy efficiency daily at home
-support local organic CSA
-sponsor a Green Homes Tour each spring
This post was submitted by Don & Heather Ross.
I have long been concerned about the production and consumption of electronic products. It is one of the most polluting manufacturing processes and the problem is the continual need to upgrade never ends from cell phones to laptops to IPODs on and on. The electronic waste is shameful and extremely harmful to the environment. Check out the photographer Chris Jordan’s website to get an idea of the waste we generate: http://www.chrisjordan.com/
It prevents us from enjoying the present moment, enjoying people’s company, a sense of community and the ability to truly listen. I also am concerned about the radiation from cell phones, wi-fi and other radio technology that permeates our environment and impacts our health.
We have made a commitment to continue using the “outdated” technology we currently have until it breaks. When it breaks, we purchase used or re-furbished electronic devices. We have never purchased a television -we have been given them by people who are buying new ones.
If we want to reduce our environmental impact we must avoid the technology trap – it is a corporate gimic to get us to continually buy more.
This post was submitted by Gail Coffey.