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by Alister
Dolyle, ENN
A solar power project in India
supplying electricity to 100,000 people will be widened to other
developing nations after showing that clean energy can be cheaper
than fossil fuels, a U.N. report said on Sunday.
The $1.5 million U.N.-backed project
would be extended to China, Indonesia, Mexico and Algeria and
several other nations to help people in rural areas break dependence
on kerosene lamps or unreliable grid-supplied electricity...
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here
for the rest of the story.
Old Hands at Energy
Efficiency
It's possible to
create your own power
by Julie E. Greene, Herald-Mail
Charlie Biggs' passion about
conserving electricity isn't new, nor is it a fad.
Biggs, 79, and his wife, Margaret, 78, have made a point of making
their homes energy efficient since the 1973 oil crisis, when there
were long lines at the gas pump - sometimes with no gas left - and
the cost of heating oil soared.
The Biggses use large windows on the south side of their home to
passively heat their home, a Finnish soapstone wood stove to enhance
heat during winter nights, evacuated solar tubing on their roof to
heat water, and a geothermal system through their well to warm the
house in winter and cool it during summer.
While environmentally friendly systems are not new to the Biggses,
more consumers are inquiring about "green" housing as electric rates
increase and concern spreads about global warming, said local
contractors who offer renewable energy systems. People are exploring
how to decrease their electrical usage by using renewable energy
sources such as the sun and wind...
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A Fruity Harvest
Growing
community and creating a local, public food supply
by Wendy Priesnitz,
Natural Life Magazine
Imagine a
city or town where apples, pears, nuts, oranges, cherries and
berries line the streets, create welcome shade in parking lots and
parks and provide free food for anyone who cares to pick it.
Instead, most urban areas are planted with sad shrubs, neglected
“ornamental” non-native trees that require too much water and
bedraggled annual flowers planted in regimented rows.
Visionary
groups and individuals around the world have found ways to combine
the local food movement with beautifying neighborhoods, while
building community and feeding themselves at the same time.
The idea
of “public fruit” is what propels a project in Los Angeles that was
begun as an activist art project called Fallen Fruit. Artists David
Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young mapped the public fruit –
which they define as fruit in or overhanging public spaces such as
sidewalks, streets or parking lots – in their neighborhood.
According to California law, if a fruit tree grows on or over public
property, the fruit is no longer the sole property of the owner of
the tree, which makes free food available year round in LA without
trespassing on private property...providing one knows where to find
it. While public fruit might not be a four-season phenomenon in
other areas, Fallen Fruit has a vision of expanding the maps around
the world, and provides tools on its website for learning how to map
public fruit...
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here
for the rest of the story.
The Natural Life
Interview: Tina Therrien, Straw Bale Builder
by Alice Horrigan, Envirolink
Tina Therrien is a partner in
Camel’s Back Construction, a Canadian straw bale pioneer with over
60 straw bale residences, studios and other assorted buildings to
its credit. The company is committed to constructing sustainable
buildings and to reducing the negative impact of its building
practices. She was interviewed by Natural Life editor Wendy
Priesnitz.
NL: What was your life like
before you became a straw bale builder?
Tina:
I consider that I grew up at my family cottage on the Burnt River,
just north of Fenelon Falls, Ontario, where I had my first
introduction to building, with my parents building two different
homes on the river. I spent my summers romping through the woods
making tree forts with my brothers, swimming and playing outdoors.
Later, I briefly attended University of Toronto. I only lasted one
month; after having spent most of my schooling in buildings where I
knew everyone, I couldn’t adjust to becoming just a number, as I was
at U of T....besides which, I kept getting lost in Toronto. So my
love of smaller communities took me to Trent University in
Peterborough, Ontario, where I studied French and Psychology. I
chose to study abroad for my third year, and my last year of
Teacher’s Ed was at Queen’s University. I taught French Immersion
for 10 years, mostly in the early primary grades...
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