Sustainable Materials: An Introduction
People are starting to realize that industrial materials such as petroleum-based plastics, cotton and synthetic textiles and plantation-farmed rubber are destructive to our environment. Not that the processes used to make these materials was ever environmentally-friendly, but the scale to which production of these materials has grown to has cast them in a harsh light....
Sustainable Banking: What It Means for Society
Money, whether we like it or not, is the lifeblood of society. No matter what our values are we need money to get by, for a roof over our heads and food on the table. Banking is a relatively modern creation that has evolved to become a necessary part of our lives in developing and...
The Water Light Bulb Exemplifies Simplicity and Sustainability
Born out of necessity in 2002 during an extended power outage in Brazil, Alfredo Moser created an innovative solution to keep light flowing in his workshop. He cut holes in the roof of his workshop and hung water-filled bottles; the water refracted the light so it spread through the house instead of a focused beam...
Tankless Hot Water Heaters
Tank-less or “on demand” hot water heaters are becoming more popular in America. These gas-heated models take up less space than the large water heaters we’re used to and heat water as you need it, as opposed to keeping a supply of water continuously heated, which saves energy. These models have become the norm in...
Sustainable Insulation for Your Eco Friendly Home
In the winter months, as frost sets in and heating bills hike, you will appreciate having put in some insulation in your house. As a preventative measure that retains the warmth and reduces the bills, insulation can be installed in almost every nook and cranny of your house. Your decorations (rugs and carpets over wooden...
Ground Source Heating: A Warmly Welcomed Innovation
When we think about getting hear from the ground we probably imagine geothermal energy; large magma chambers miles underground powering geysers and hot springs, or being tapped to generate electricity through steam turbines. But living next to a volcano can be a risky proposition and might be seen as an extreme way to get cheap...
The Hopi – Early Innovators of Dry Land Farming
The Native Americans of the dry American Southwest creatively solved the problem of farming with very little rainfall by independently inventing and implementing the dry land farming agricultural technique. The ancient Anasazi people as well as the long-present Hopi, Tewa, Zuni, and Navajo tribes continue to use the innovations of their ancestors to farm their...
How is Biodiesel Made?
Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from renewable sources. Compared to petroleum, it burns cleanly and can be burned by itself or combined with diesel to make a biodiesel/petroleum blend. It is derived from feedstocks such as soybeans, corn and sugarcane. There are several means of producing biodiesel, the batch model being most common. Supercritical...
Earthbag Buildings Use Natural Materials
Building with earthbags is a combination of both old and new concepts. Earth bag construction utilizes the concept of building with adobe bricks but uses bags of earth, rock, sand, or other combinations to create a well-insulated and sustainable green building. The earthbag building concept was presented by architect Nader Khalili to NASA for...
Alternative Fuels for Cars
As the demand for fossil fuels lessens, so does the negative impact on the environment that harvesting and using these resources produces. Although the economy has driven down the number of new cars being built, there is still a hefty car population that needs restructuring. Making personal transportation cleaner and more efficient can help build...
Mud House Construction: Learning from the Old Ways
In many ways sustainable living is a return to the old ways of doing things. Unlike other construction materials such as concrete, wood, and steel, mud house construction is not environmentally destructive and it is relatively inexpensive. Just because a construction process, such as mud house construction, is an ancient method that does not mean...
Yeoman’s Plow, an Important Sustainable Tool
Yeoman’s Plow is a type of farm machinery developed by A.P. Yeoman in Australia as a sustainable agricultural tool and enhanced method creating keyline designed farmland. Keyline design relies on the concept of gravity-fed irrigation and is a method that provides long-term water security, conservation of soil through prevention of soil erosion, and sustainability...
