Maine Family Lives Without Cars, Electricity and Money

On the table in front of them is the lunch they’ve prepared, which includes chili made from road-kill deer, an egg-and-goat-cheese frittata from the goats and chickens in their yard, beets they received in a trade with their Amish neighbors, and some greens they stored through the winter in a root cellar made out of … Read more

Renewable Energy Status Report

The Renewables Global Status Report, released annually by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, digs into the growth rates of various energy sources, the flows of clean energy investment, and the world’s progress on its sustainability goals. The current edition is 250 pages long.  This article went through the report and extracted … Read more

Thoughts about Sustainability

In 2006 I was invited to lecture at the King’s University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was a very memorable experience, lasting a couple of weeks. I just came across the following essay that I wrote at that time reflecting some of my observations sparked by that trip. I have been in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia … Read more

Can the EnviroPlex™ Help Stabilize Earth’s Climate?

I came across this unique concept that the designers claim will “restore our climate to pre-industrial conditions.” This is a lofty goal that is certainly worthy of attention. It is based on a building they call the EnviroPlex™, that is “a multi-purpose, modular, high-tech installation combining organic food production and pollution-free energy generation with direct-air … Read more

Quail Springs’ Focus on Permaculture

Quail Springs is an experiment in sustainable living that is part educational and part social exercise. Living on this 450 acres in California’s high desert is complex, with a farm, a greenhouse, composting toilets, yurts, naturally crafted buildings, 11 staff members, a handful of interns who come and go, and lots of outdoor space. Permaculture … Read more