Why Go Tiny?

Andrew Morrison, who I know from his involvement with straw bale building, has taken up the cause of going tiny and explains why this has worked for him in this TED Talk from a couple of years ago. He enumerates many reasons that make a  lot of sense.

Owen Geiger Needs Our Help

We have just created a crowd funding campaign to help Owen Geiger in his current situation and you can go to www.plumfund.com to donate.He is currently in a hospital in Sakhon Nakhon, Thailand, the town where he has made his home for the last dozen years. Owen fell ill in mid August, 2018, while traveling … Read more

Masonry Heaters

There is a centuries old tradition in Europe that is only beginning to be known in North America: the use of masonry heaters. For some reason Americans are entirely familiar with wood stoves and fireplaces, but have only a hazy notion of what a masonry heater is. This is unfortunate because these devises represent the … Read more

Building Off-Grid Casting Notice

DIY NETWORK – BUILDING OFF THE GRID – CASTING NOTICE We’re looking throughout the United States for folks who will soon start to build an off grid home and plan to complete the build before April of 2019. We cannot consider builds that are already well underway. If you are selected for the show, you … Read more

Novel Wind Turbine Concept

The O-Wind is made with vents in the exterior so that it can catch city crosswinds and spin accordingly. This means that city dwellers might be able to generate their own electricity with the typical swirling winds found in cities. You can read more about this interesting design at www.goodnewsnetwork.org

Conserve Water

Many people feel that an adequate supply of clean water will be one of the most significant issues of the future, and I have no reason to doubt that. The United States has been blessed with an abundance of good water, and we have gotten used to having it at the twist of a faucet handle. It can be a shock when water supplies diminish and water has to be rationed, or if the supply gets contaminated and is no longer available for potable use.

Water agencies always advise conservation; they know how precious and limited the supply is. In fact, many plumbing codes now require that new installations of toilets be low consumption models and that showers be fitted with restriction diaphragms to limit the flow of water.

Other strategies for conserving domestic water tend to be rather controversial. The reuse of gray water, using rain water catchment systems and composting toilets all conserve water but may be frowned upon for various reasons, mostly to do with health concerns. In many places these practices are flat out illegal, even though they have been shown to be safe and effective when utilized carefully.

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