Category Archives: food

Archer Daniels Midland Should Lead To The Future Not Repeat The Past – Deep well injection is so last century

Posted on by
2

ADM  just got their Permit to inject CO3 into Illinois’ soil. Why would they want to throw away the chance to produce the fuel of the future? They are so proud of it they want to spend 66 million $$$ of your money on it.

http://www.admworld.com/cgi-bin/search/naen/search.asp?Realm=Admworld_NAEN&Terms=deep%20well%20injection

ADM, MGSC and ISGS

Announce Carbon

Sequestration Project

Project to study

technology to reduce

greenhouse gas

emissions

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) and the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) announce that they are working together on a carbon sequestration project. The project will involve the capture and storage of carbon dioxide from ADM’s ethanol plant in Decatur, Illinois. In this project, carbon dioxide will be stored in the tiny spaces of porous rock deep below the Earth’s surface. This technology is one method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by permanently storing carbon dioxide in the ground rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.

The project is designed to confirm the ability of the Mount Simon Sandstone, a major regional saline-water-bearing rock formation in Illinois, to accept and store 1 million tons of carbon dioxide over a period of three years. The carbon dioxide will be provided by ADM from its Decatur, Illinois, ethanol plant, and the project will be located on ADM’s Decatur property.

“Carbon sequestration is a promising technology to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Our goal for this project is to further demonstrate its safety and effectiveness,” said Robert Finley, director of the ISGS Energy and Earth Resources Center. “Deep saline rock formations, like the Mount Simon Sandstone, offer the greatest potential for sequestration of large volumes of carbon dioxide.”

“ADM is pleased to work with the geologists from the MGSC and ISGS, and be a part of this important, timely research,” said Dennis Riddle, ADM president, Corn Processing. “We see potential for carbon sequestration to improve the environmental footprint of biofuels by further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

:}

Yet they could be doing this instead:

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/01/02/science/975algae010109.txt

Trying to Turn San Diego into the Green Houston

Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009 | In the early 1990s, San Diego’s moribund economy was revived by a bunch of scientists who figured out how to do things like turn a mobile phone into a multi-media entertainment center and develop a diabetes therapy out of lizard spit.

Now, with the economy tanking again, another bunch of scientists is telling anyone who will listen that the region’s next economic boom might be borne out of pond scum.

Algae that is — green gold, San Diego soda.

San Diego, already home to dozens of companies involved in solar or wind energy, would be a major player in the nation’s multi-trillion-dollar energy economy if a group of local researchers succeed in turning algae into a commercially viable transportation fuel, something they think they can do within a decade.

“[It] is the scientific challenge of our generation,” said Stephen Mayfield, a cell biologist and associate dean at the Scripps Research Institute, referring to the need to cure America of its 200-billion-gallon-a-year oil addiction. “And algae is the answer.”

And a top-notch research infrastructure, a thriving biotech sector and proximity to cheap land in Imperial County, where the plant could be grown on a large scale with plenty of sun, combine to give San Diego a strong foundation for building on algae’s future.

Mayfield is one of several scientists at both Scripps institutions and the University of California, San Diego who are considered among the word’s foremost algae researchers. Other prominent names are Steve Kay, dean of the division of Biological Sciences at UCSD, and B. Gregory Mitchell, a biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

:}

:}

Family Throws Nothing Out For A Year – Why can’t we all do that?

Posted on by
Reply

Why do we throw things Away? Beginning next year I am goin to visit that question from a behavioral perspective but here is someone who doesn’t through things away.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081223/sc_afp/usenvironmentoffbeat

A rubbish life for LA marathon recycler

by Tangi Quemener Tangi Quemener – Tue Dec 23, 1:37 am ET

 

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Dave Chameides has spent almost an entire year living a life full of utter garbage, and hoping he can inspire other Americans to do the same.

The Los Angeles-based cameraman has lived in his comfortable Hollywood home without throwing away a single piece of trash, from wine bottles to chewing gum and pizza boxes.

Instead the 39-year-old Chameides — nicknamed “Sustainable Dave” — recycles his garbage or else stores it in his basement. He says he wants to show that it is possible to dramatically reduce his family’s consumption habits.

And he can show astounding results. Rather than the 1,600 pounds of trash the average American family produces each year, Chameides, his wife and two daughters have amassed only 32 pounds over the last 12 months

 :}

Here is his web site. It is way cool:

http://365daysoftrash.blogspot.com/

Win Dave’s Bag!! Sign Up Now

Sign up now for the Sustainable Dave Newsletter and earn a chance to win your very own Dave’s Bag!

That’s right, some lucky winner will win a fabulous backpack with a coffee mug, water bottle, reusable bowl, and much much more. Imagine what your friends will say when you can swear off “disposable” single use items for good!

Be the talk of the town, be the coolest employee in your company. Win Dave’s Bag! And, as an added bonus, the first winners will recieve an actual piece of garbage from Dave’s basement, signed by Dave himself. How cool is that?

Own a piece of history and help Dave get rid of his garbage. Act now. Don’t Delay. Sign Up Today!

:} 

Ed Begley, Jr. And His Bicycle Powered Toaster – Is this really good for the environment?

Posted on by
4

Is Ed Begley, Jr.  Silly? The answer is not so easy to discern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkFr9XWaKuU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28_3Rzw-VCA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPECtUoeqP8

September 17, 2007 5:01 AM PDT

Human energy harvesting–

a very silly idea

Posted by Peter Glaskowsky

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9779334-7.html

Power to the people” was a popular rallying cry among anti-establishment activists in the 1960s.

“Power from the people” appears to be the latter-day equivalent.

The theory behind the slogan is that humans move around a lot, and the only result of all this motion is that the humans end up in a different place.

According to some, this isn’t good enough.

The MIT News reports that two MIT graduate students in architecture have proposed to extract energy from the motion of humans through public spaces such as train stations:

A responsive sub-flooring system made up of blocks that depress slightly under the force of human steps would be installed beneath the station’s main lobby. The slippage of the blocks against one another as people walked would generate power through the principle of the dynamo, a device that converts the energy of motion into that of an electric current.

But if there’s enough motion to provide harvestable energy, there’s enough motion for the humans to notice. Ever walked along a pedestrian suspension bridge that bounced under your feet? It takes more energy to walk on such a surface than it does on a rigid surface.

Where does that energy come from? From you, of course. It’s like carrying a parasite that takes a little bit of your energy. In fact, this approach is also called parasitic power generation. By keeping the parasite fed, you get a little more tired and you eat a little more food. In effect, you become a highly inefficient motor that runs on food.

Food calories are inefficient to produce. A wheat field is a giant biochemical solar panel that turns a small part of the sun’s energy into chemical compounds that you can eat.

And then those compounds have to be kept cool and transported large distances, then cooked and eaten. By comparison, traditional electric power generation is hugely more efficient.

So when you see celebrity Ed Begley Jr. using a stationary bicycle to turn a generator to power his toaster, remember that this is a crime against the environment–not environmentalism.

The same goes for parasitic energy generation–it creates exceptionally expensive energy. Nevertheless, there are places where this approach is entirely appropriate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_harvesting

Piezoelectric energy harvesting

The piezoelectric effect converts mechanical strain into electrical current or voltage. This strain can come from many different sources. Human motion, low-frequency seismic vibrations, and acoustic noise are everyday examples. Except in rare instances the piezoelectric effect operates in AC requiring time-varying inputs at mechanical resonance to be efficient.

Most piezoelectric electricity sources produce power on the order of milliwatts, too small for system application, but enough for hand-held devices such as some commercially-available self-winding wristwatches. One proposal is that they are used for micro-scale devices, such as in a device harvesting micro-hydraulic energy. In this device, the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid drives a reciprocating piston supported by three piezoelectric elements which convert the pressure fluctuations into an alternating current.

Piezoelectric systems can convert motion from the human body into electrical power. DARPA has funded efforts to harness energy from leg and arm motion, shoe impacts, and blood pressure for low level power to implantable or wearable sensors. Careful design is needed to minimise user discomfort. These energy harvesting sources by association have an impact on the body. An international Workshop is organized by Virginia Tech on Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting [2] every year which reviews the past developments and current state of the technology .

The use of piezoelectric materials to harvest power has already become popular. Piezoelectric materials have the ability to transform mechanical strain energy into electrical charge. Piezo elements are being embedded in walkways [3] [4] to recover the “people energy” of footsteps. They can also be embedded in shoes [5] to recover “walking energy”.

Pyroelectric energy harvesting

The pyroelectric effect converts a temperature change into electrical current or voltage. It is analogous to the piezoelectric effect, which is another type of ferroelectric behavior. Like piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity requires time-varying inputs and suffers from small power outputs in energy harvesting applications. One key advantage of pyroelectrics over thermoelectrics is that many pyroelectric materials are stable up to 1200 C or more, enabling energy harvesting from high temperature sources and thus increasing thermodynamic efficiency. There is a pyroelectric scavenging device that was recently introduced, however, that doesn’t require time-varying inputs. The energy-harvesting device uses the edge-depolarizing electric field of a heated pyroelectric to convert heat energy into mechanical energy instead of drawing electric current off two plates attached to the crystal-faces. Moreover, stages of the novel pyroelectric heat engine can be cascaded in order to improve the Carnot efficiency.

 http://humanbatteries.com/

(:=}) The Human Batterry site is a movie site using a flash player technique. It argues that many houses use 3,000 watts a day that can be offset by energy harvest. There is also a game where you can generate electricity from typing on the key board of your computer. (:=})

 http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/MPRV.2005.8

This month’s Works in Progress column has four contributions. The first examines how harvesting environmental energy in sensor networks changes the way an application developer views energy management, and discusses prototype devices. The second proposes devices that combine energy harvesting and data acquisition. The third explores novel approaches for optimizing the power extracted using piezoelectric materials. The final one explores kinetic and thermal energy harvesting from human users’ activities.

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=857199.858024

As the power requirements for microelectronics continue decreasing, environmental energy sources can begin to replace batteries in certain wearable subsystems. In this spirit, this paper examines three different devices that can be built into a shoe, (where excess energy is readily harvested) and used for generating electrical power “parasitically” while walking. Two of these are piezoelectric in nature: a unimorph strip made from piezoceramic composite material and a stave made from a multilayer laminate of PVDF foil. The third is a shoe-mounted rotary magnetic generator. Test results are given for these systems, their relative merits and compromises are discussed, and suggestions are proposed for improvements and potential applications in wearable systems. As a self-powered application example, a system had been built around the piezoelectric shoes that periodically broadcasts a digital RFID as the bearer wal

http://www.citeulike.org/user/ingedwar/article/2940413 

Over the past few decades, the use of portable and wearable electronics has grown steadily. These devices are becoming increasingly more powerful, however, the gains that have been made in the device performance has resulted in the need for significantly higher power to operate the electronics. This issue has been further complicated due to the stagnate growth of battery technology over the past decade. In order to increase the life of these electronics, researchers have begun investigating methods of generating energy from ambient sources such that the life of the electronics can be prolonged. Recent developments in the field have led to the design of a number of mechanisms that can be used to generate electrical energy, from a variety of sources including thermal, solar, strain, inertia, etc. Many of these energy sources are available for use with humans, but their use must be carefully considered such that parasitic effects that could disrupt the user’s gait or endurance are avoided. This study develops a novel energy harvesting backpack that can generate electrical energy from the differential forces between the wearer and the pack. The goal of this system is to make the energy harvesting device transparent to the wearer such that his or her endurance and dexterity is not compromised. This will be accomplished by replacing the strap buckle with a mechanically amplified piezoelectric stack actuator. Piezoelectric stack actuators have found little use in energy harvesting applications due to their high stiffness which makes straining the material difficult. This issue will be alleviated using a mechanically amplified stack which allows the relatively low forces generated by the pack to be transformed to high forces on the piezoelectric stack. This paper will develop a theoretical model of the piezoelectric buckle and perform experimental testing to validate the model accuracy and energy harvesting performance.

:}

:}

A Refridgerator That Uses No Electricity And No Greenhouse Gases – How cool would it be to own something patented by Einstein?

Posted on by
Reply

This recent article in the UK Guardian caught my attention. While I don’t post the whoooooooole thinggggggg because it really long, I include some other sites and some art.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/21/scienceofclimatechange.climatechange

Einstein fridge design can help global cooling

Scientists relaunch a 1930 invention that uses no electricity and would reduce greenhouse gases

An early invention by Albert Einstein has been rebuilt by scientists at Oxford University who are trying to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator that runs without electricity.

Modern fridges are notoriously damaging to the environment. They work by compressing and expanding man-made greenhouse gases called freons – far more damaging that carbon dioxide – and are being manufactured in increasing numbers. Sales of fridges around the world are rising as demand increases in developing countries.

Now Malcolm McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford who works on green technologies, is leading a three-year projectto develop more robust appliances that can be used in places without electricity. 

His team has completed a prototype of a type of fridge patented in 1930 by Einstein and his colleague, the Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard. It had no moving parts and used only pressurised gases to keep things cold. The design was partly used in the first domestic refrigerators, but the technology was abandoned when more efficient compressors became popular in the 1950s. That meant a switch to using freons.

Einstein and Szilard’s idea avoids the need for freons. It uses ammonia, butane and water and takes advantage of the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures when the air pressure around them is lower. ‘If you go to the top of Mount Everest, water boils at a much lower temperature than it does when you’re at sea level and that’s because the pressure is much lower up there,’ said McCulloch.

At one side is the evaporator, a flask that contains butane. ‘If you introduce a new vapour above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so,’ says McCulloch. ‘That’s what makes it cold.’

Pressurised gas fridges based around Einstein’s design were replaced by freon-compressor fridges partly because Einstein and Szilard’s design was not very efficient. But McCulloch thinks that by tweaking the design and replacing the types of gases used it will be possible to quadruple the efficiency. He also wants to take the idea further. The only energy input needed into the fridge is to heat a pump, and McCulloch has been working on powering this with solar energy.

‘No moving parts is a real benefit because it can carry on going without maintenance. This could have real applications in rural areas,’ he said.

McCulloch’s is not the only technology to improve the environmental credentials of fridges. Engineers working at a Cambridge-based start-up company, Camfridge, are using magnetic fields to cool things. ‘Our fridge works, from a conceptual point of view, in a similar way [to gas compressor fridges] but instead of using a gas we use a magnetic field and a special metal alloy,’ said managing director Neil Wilson

 http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Einsteins-Refrigerator/401711/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=2823969

einstein.jpg 

Einstein’s Refrigerator

And Other Stories from the Flip Side of History

by Silverman, Steve

  • $9.95
  • $9.45
  • $0.50 (5%)
  • Paperback
  • 04/01/2001
  • 9780740714191
  • 2823969

:}

But think of the irony here, Einstein went from being a patent clerk to being a patent clerk. Or better yet he went from a patent clerk to being patented:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_refrigerator

 200px-einstein_refrigerator.png

From 1926 until 1933 Einstein and Szilárd collaborated on ways to improve home refrigeration technology. The two were motivated by contemporary newspaper reports of a Berlin family who had been killed when a seal in their refrigerator broke and leaked toxic fumes into their home. Einstein and Szilard proposed that a device without moving parts would eliminate the potential for seal failure, and explored practical applications for different refrigeration cycles. Einstein used the experience he had gained during his years at the Swiss Patent Office to apply for valid patents for their inventions in several countries, the two eventually being granted 45 patents in their names for three different models.

It has been suggested that most of the actual inventing was performed by Szilard, with Einstein merely acting as a consultant and helping with the patent-related paperwork. Additionally, Einstein’s name lent the research prestige and credibility.[1]

The refrigerator was not immediately put into commercial production, the most promising of their patents being quickly bought up by the Swedish company AB Electrolux to protect its refrigeration technology from competition. A few demonstration units were constructed from other patents.

The invention of Freon in 1930 rendered the vapour compression process the standard for refrigeration.

:}

Then there is view of the regular fridge:

http://nga.gov.au/Exhibition/Sculptureprize05/Detail.cfm?IRN=139757

german-art.jpg 

:}

Weird Cow Friday – It’s true it is the Illinois State Fair time again

Posted on by
1

I was really disappointed in the Illinois State Fair this year. Last year there was so much energy conservation going on, both in the public and the private sector.  This year there was nothing but Conservation World. DO NOT get me wrong, as I said to the guy on the trolley as we drove by, “When I was young Conservation World was 2 guys under a tent. One guy from Ag. and one guy from DNR.” Now it takes up an entire corner of the Fair Grounds, has its own lake and the huge and energy efficient Department of Natural Resources building. It’s just that there wasn’t much going on around the rest of the fairgrounds. Yes, there were corn dogs and all the other exciting things that make the fair so cool, but I guess I got spoiled.

Anyway I go to the fair for the world famous Butter Cow. It starts out as this:

cesblog1.jpg

Then they strip it down to this:

 cesblog2.jpg

That is a telephone by the way in its head. Then they build it back to this:

cesblog3.jpg

The skunks are new!

:}

:}

T. Boone Pickens Is Wrong – It’s not the oil we import it’s what we use it for

Posted on by
2

Can you imagine all the dumb things we do with oil? We use it to make fertilizers most of which evaporate or run off. We use it to make plastic bags for God’s sake and then throw most of them in the dump. If we just cut our stupid usages and limited our oil consumption to the necessities like pharmceuticals we could easily cut our oil imports in half.

http://www.reusablebags.com/

Eco-friendly reusable bags, plus facts & news on plastic bag issue

Billions of plastic bags are choking our planet. All of these “free” bags ultimately cost both consumers and the environment plenty:

Each year billions of bags end up as ugly litter.

  • Eventually they break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, lakes and oceans
  • Production requires vast amounts of oil.
  • Countless animals needlessly die each year. (more)

Since 2003 ReusableBags.com has been a major force providing facts and news on the global push to reduce plastic and paper bag consumption. Plus, simple actions you can take to help the cause.

As part of the solution our store features a wide range of reusable shopping bags and other innovative, practical products all designed to help people consume less, preserve natural resources and save money too. 

:}

I can’t reproduce this site because it’s a flash player but it is cool>

http://www.mybagcares.com/

 :}

Even the grocery stores are getting into the act:

 http://www.sustainableisgood.com/blog/2008/05/mystery-surroun.html

 Mystery Surrounds New Whole Foods Reusable Bag

Mystery Surrounds New Whole Foods Reusable Bag

Wholefoods_betterbag

Whole Foods A Better Bag (photo: www.made-in-china.com)

When I started this story last month, I never expected a standard interview request with a designer to turn into a bureaucratic two-step that took us to China and back.

Austin-based Whole Foods Market officially phased out the use of plastic shopping bags on Earth Day last week. 

In December Whole Foods announced their intention to eliminate plastic bags and unveiled their new reusable bag called “A Better Bag.”  Following that announcement we reached out to the bag’s designer to learn more about the design and concept behind this colorful new bag. 

The response we received may be an indication of just how important reusable bags are becoming for Whole Foods. 

The colorful bags are quickly becoming the primary reusable bag the company sells, and their customers are embracing them thanks to their bright fun design, durability, low price and unique look and feel.

Perhaps an indicator of their popularity is the fact they are even selling on eBay.

A Better Bag was designed internally by Whole Foods staff who work on the company’s branded products.  The bag’s graphic design depicts blues and greens and a fresh cut apple.  Sustainable is Good attempted to obtain information on the bag’s artwork for this story.  However the bag’s designer was unable to answer any questions, citing a strict non-disclosure policy Whole Foods maintains with its employees.

 Sustainable is Good contacted the Whole Foods corporate office in March for information on the bag for our story.  Initially we were turned down, being told the company doesn’t speak to “trade publications.”  After some follow up we were then informed a “rare exception” was made at the approval of the director of PR for Whole Foods – the company would participate in our story.

:}

For more see:

 www.earthwisebags.com

 www.bravenewleaf.com/environment/2008/04/wal-mart-giving.html

www.shesabetty.typepad.com/shes_a_betty_single_girl_/2007/04/guide_to_reusab.html

www.reusablebags.wordpress.com

 www.reusablebags.com/store/shopping-sets-c-1.html

www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/5806

www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/wal_marts_new_reusable_bag.php

:}

Gas Stoves, Convection Ovens, Pressure Cookers or Solar Ovens? I myself like my Toaster Oven but there are other options

Posted on by
2

Unlike many appliances there does not seem to be any “lists” of the most efficient stoves. There does not seem to be any comparisons of stoves. Like one with a convection oven compared to a combo microwave convection oven. There is however a whole lotto’  advice:

http://energyhawk.com/cooking/cooking4.php

Choosing the Right

Appliance For the Job

You can save energy simply by getting in the habit of cooking with the most efficient appliance possible for the food you are preparing.

In general, the higher on the following list, the less energy the appliance will cost you:

    Microwave
    Slow Cookers (“crockpots”)
    Frying Pan
    Toaster Oven
    Gas Oven
    Electric Convection Oven
    Electric Oven

So, lets say you want to reheat some leftovers for lunch. You could pop it in your big, hulking oven, but it would be cheaper to use the toaster oven. It would be cheapest to heat it in the microwave. But be reasonable. You’re not going to make pancakes in your crockpot, so fire up that electric frying pan with impunity. And I know the Thanksgiving turkey won’t fit in most toaster ovens.

These energy savings are not something to sneeze at. For example, using a microwave will reduce your energy consumption by about two-thirds compared to using a regular oven.

Perhaps the greatest innovation of the ’70’s was a great appliance to cook soups and stews that need to simmer for a long time. Yes, I’m talking about the crockpot. (Points off for those of you who guessed Leisure Suits were the discovery.)

Finally, you know how Asian cuisines always emphasize steaming vegetables instead of boiling them? You use a lot less energy steaming vegetables over a little bit of water compared to boiling them in a whole pot of water (some of us think they taste better that way, too). Or try microwaving them in a covered bowl with a little water in the bottom, to get the same effect using less time and less energy.

 http://www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeffic_appl.htm

Stoves

  • Use the burner which is the closest match to pot size. Heat is lost and energy is wasted if burner size is larger than pot size.
  • Use lids on pots and pans so you can cook at lower settings.
  • Keep drip pans under conventional coil burners clean. Don’t line drip pans with aluminum foil – they can reflect too much heat and damage the elements.
  • Only preheat when baking.
  • Check your oven temperature. Use a separate oven thermometer to ensure your oven control is accurate.
  • Make sure the oven door seal is tight. Avoid opening oven door while baking – each time the door is opened, about 20% of the inside heat is lost.
  • Turn oven off a few minutes before food is ready, and let oven heat finish the job.
  • Gas stoves: electronic ignition (piezo) will use about 40% less gas than a pilot light.
  • Pilot light and burner flame on gas stoves should be blue. If flame is yellow, ports need to be unclogged or adjusted. Ports can be cleared with pipe cleaners.
  • Use the microwave. They use only 1/3 to 1/2 as much energy as conventional stoves.
  • Induction cooktops use 90% of the energy produced compared to only 55% for a gas burner and 65% for traditional electric ranges. 
  • Sun (Solar) ovens are the most energy-efficient cooking appliance, as they require no fuel of any kind to cook, yet reach temperatures of 360° – 400°. 
  • Hybrid solar ovens have all the benefits of a solar oven, with the added convenience of an energy-efficient electric backup for use when sun power is not available. When used in ‘electric’ mode, these units use 75% less energy than conventional electric range.   

    •  :}

    This one is brand spanking new:

     http://www.eartheasy.com/article_induction_cooking.htm

    Induction Cooking
      A revolution in home cooking

    Induction cooking uses 90% of the energy produced compared to only 55% for a gas burner and 65% for traditional electric ranges.

    Cooking food at home may have just gotten safer and easier, thanks to the help of an induction cooktop that controls and intensifies heat using electromagnetism. However, this is no new phenomenon. Induction cooking has been around for decades but until recently never made it past a restaurant’s kitchen.

    How does it work?
    Traditional electric cooktops use some form of electric resistance to create heat, which is transferred to the saucepan and its contents. Induction cooking is based on magnetic fields: each ‘element’ (an induction coil) generates a magnetic field that induces heat in steel cookware placed on top of it. In essence, the pot becomes the element that cooks the food, so the cooktop surface doesn’t get as hot as other cooktops. Induction cooktops have the same instant control as gas and are the fastest of all cooktop types to heat and cook food.

    The only stipulations include:
    • pots and pans must be made of steel, cast iron or other combinations of metals that will react with the magnetic field.
    • a kitchen must be wired for 220 volts (which is not likely if you are using gas).     What’s more, the induction cooktop is more energy efficient:
    • Induction cooking uses 90% of the energy produced compared to only 55% for a gas burner and 65% for traditional electric ranges.
    • Induction provides extremely fast boil and re-boil, over 50% faster than gas or electric    The surface of the cooktop does not heat up, so overflows and spills do not stick. The cooking surface stays cool even during the cooking cycle.

    The Magnetic Factor
    Induction cooking uses the transfer of magnetic energy (magnetic coils) — rather than flames or electric elements — to generate heat. Within this magnetic field, molecules in the pan jumble around at very high frequencies; the friction creates instant heat.    If consumers are curious if the pans they already own are capable of induction cooking, all they have to do is hold a magnet to the bottom of the pan. If the magnet sticks, the pan will work with induction.

    Cleaning
    Induction cooktops are easy to clean. They have a continuous surface with no dirt traps, and the controls are touch-sensitive, so there are no knobs to clean around. Because the surface doesn’t get as hot as other electric cooktops, most spillages won’t bake on, although you do have to be careful with sugar because it can still pit the surface. On the downside, some models don’t have a lip around the edge to contain spills, and you may have to buy a special cream to keep it streak-free.

    Cost
    Induction cooktops are expensive. Typical price: Twin-element: around $1700; two radiant ceramic and two induction elements (as one unit): $1800–$2500; four induction elements: $3000–$4000+.

     :}

    Then there are some unconventional approaches:  

    http://www.lostvalley.org/haybox1.html :} THIS ONES AS OLD AS THE HILLS:

    Haybox cooking (also called retained-heat cooking) is an age-old method that can be used to conserve energy not only during times of crisis, but anytime. Depending on the food item and amount cooked, the use of a haybox or insulated cooker saves between 20% and 80% of the energy normally needed to cook a food. The longer an item usually takes on a stovetop, the more fuel is saved. For example, with a haybox, five pots of long-cooking dry beans will use the same amount of fuel to cook to completion as just one pot cooked without a haybox.

    The principle of retained-heat cooking is simple. In conventional cooking, any heat applied to the pot after it reaches boiling temperature is merely replacing heat lost to the air by the pot. In haybox cooking, food is brought to a boil, simmered for a few minutes depending on the particle size (5 minutes for rice or other grains, 15 minutes for large dry beans or whole potatoes), then put into the haybox to continue cooking. Since the insulated cooker prevents most of the heat in the food from escaping into the environment, no additional energy is needed to complete the cooking process. The hayboxed food normally cooks within one to two times the normal stovetop cooking time. It can be left in the haybox until ready to serve, and stays hot for hours. “Timing” is much less important than in stovetop cooking: stick a pot of rice, beans, or stew in at lunch time, and it will be ready when you are, and steaming hot, at dinner time.

    The haybox itself is any kind of insulated container that can withstand cooking temperatures and fits relatively snugly around the pot. Hayboxes have been made using hay, straw, wool, feathers, cotton, rice hulls, cardboard, aluminum foil, newspaper, fiberglass, fur, rigid foam, and/or other suitable materials as insulation. The insulation is placed between the rigid walls of a box, within a double bag of material, or lining a hole in the ground. “Instant hayboxes” have been created by wrapping a sleeping bag, blankets, and/or pillows around a pot. The most effective insulating materials create many separate pockets of air, which slow down the movement of heat. 2 to 4 inches of thickness (depending on the material) are necessary for good insulation. Some materials, such as aluminum foil or mylar, actually reflect heat back toward the pot. Important characteristics of any insulating material incorporated into a haybox include:

    • It must withstand cooking temperatures (up to 212 degrees F or 100 degrees C) without melting.
    • It does not release toxic fumes (any kind of foam insulation needs to be covered with aluminum foil or mylar) or dangerous fibers (fiberglass also needs to be covered).
    • It can be fashioned to be as snug-fitting as possible around the pot. A little pot in a big box will not cook as effectively; it’s better to wrap pillows, towels, or blankets around it to fill up the space.
    • It can be made to form a relatively tight seal, so that heat does not escape from the cooking cavity. Since hot air rises, a container designed to open at the base rather than the top will retain more heat.
    • It is dry, and can be kept dry, since wet materials don’t insulate as well. An inner layer of aluminum foil or mylar helps keep cooking moisture from entering the walls of the box. Mylar, which can be salvaged from used food storage containers, balloons, etc., tends to be a more durable inner layer than aluminum foil.

    Cooking containers, too, should have tight-fitting lids, to prevent the escape of heat and moisture.

    Since water is not lost in haybox cooking the way it is during extended stovetop simmering, the amount of water used to cook grains and beans is normally reduced by one-quarter. Instead of adding 2 cups of water per cup of dry rice, try adding 1 1/2. Also, the larger the amount cooked, the more effective haybox cooking is, since a full pot has more mass and therefore more heat storage capacity than a half-full pot. Haybox cooking is ideally suited for a family or large group, or anytime there’s a reason to cook in quantity. If you’re cooking alone, try cooking full pots of food using a haybox, then reheating small portions for individual meals–this too can conserve fuel.

    Retained-heat cooking has many other advantages in addition to energy and water conservation. As mentioned, it makes “timing” less critical, since it keeps meals hot until serving time. Once the initial boil-and-short-simmer stage is past, it also eliminates the danger of burning the food on the bottom of the pot (the sad fate of too many pots of grains, beans, or other foods left simmering too long without stirring on the stove). Hayboxed food can actually be better for you, and tastier, than food prepared exclusively on a stovetop, because most of the cooking takes place in the 180 degrees F to 212 degrees F range, rather than at a constant 212 degrees F (lower temperatures preserve more flavor and nutrients, as they also do in crockpot cooking and solar cooking).

     http://idreamofgreenie.blogspot.com/2008/01/fast-energy-efficient-cooking.html

    Fast, Energy Efficient Cooking

    No, it’s not a campfire or a blow torch.

    I have a childhood memory of my mother making our dinner using a pressure cooker. It had a small weight on top of it that would bobble around when it reached full steam. I have to admit, it seemed a little intimidating, knowing that if you touched it the wrong way, it might explode all over the kitchen.

    Fast forward to adult life. One of my holiday gifts was a pressure cooker. ( So much for jewelry and clothes.) Oh no, I thought. I’m not using that thing. It’s old fashioned, it’s passe, and most importantly, that thing is dangerous!

    After a few years, I decided to open the box. I read the instructions. I inspected the pot. Hmmm…no more bobble weight on the top. The new models seemed pretty much idiot proof now. So I gave it a try, with careful supervision. I sauteed a little onion, carrots and celery and threw in some chicken parts, seasoning and water. I sealed it up and turned on the heat. I sat there, staring at the thing to make sure it didn’t explode. It didn’t, naturally. And in 15 minutes, I had made chicken soup. I was amazed. I will try this again, I thought. And I did. Again and again. Now I am a huge proponent of pressure cookers. I use it all the time, and my family is amazed at what comes out of there so quickly. Pot roast, chicken, our lamb and french bean stew…in the time you would boil pasta!

    At some recent family gatherings, the ladies would congregate and swap stories, one of which was about their beloved crock pot. In only 8 hours, they would come home to a nice hot meal. That’s all good but 8 hours? Not only is the pressure cooker faster, but it uses a heck of a lot less energy. 8 hours vs. 15 minutes. I mentioned this to the ladies. And they say,”Oh yeah, but I’m afraid of it.” Aren’t we all? Hell, if we can give birth, this is a cakewalk.

    There are several good ones on the market. If you have an interest in an energy efficient way to cook your family a nice, healthy meal, this one is my choice.

    Fagor Pressure Cookers    . This is a great company out of Spain that makes good quality products. Go to www.fagorpressurecookers.com.

    :}

    http://www.sunoven.com/?gclid=CPiYncvZv5QCFQH0IgodrnQAUQ

    Then

    http://www.solarcookers.org/basics/how.html

    There

     http://solarcooking.org/

    Is

    http://www.cookwiththesun.com/

    The Sun:

    http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/solarcoo.htm

     Cookin’ with Sunshine

    Ed Eaton

    In just a few days, the sun showers us with energy equal to all the
    earth’s fossil fuels.  Consider our environment and its condition;
    using solar energy seems only logical.  One way to use the sun is
    to cook with the solar energy.  We can bake, fry, steam, or even
    solarque our favorite dish right in our own backyard.

    Brief History
    Successful solar cookers were reported in Europe and India as early
    as the 18th century.  The increased use of glass during that period
    helped inventors to trap heat & hot air.  In 1870, Augustine Mouchot
    invented a fairly portable oven for the French Foreign Legion.  It
    could bake a pound of bread in 45 minutes or 2 pounds of potatoes
    in one hour.

    Around the same time, W. A. Adams developed an eight-sided mirrored
    oven which reflected light through a glass cone located in the center
    of the oven.  This oven could cook a 12 pound turkey in 4 to 5 hours. 
    This is still a popular design today.  We actually use a large model,
    very similar to Adam’s oven.  In this oven we can cook 60 pounds
    of food at a time

    Present Times
    Interest in solar energy seems to fluctuate along with the price
    of fuels (oil in particular).  We feel a new awareness is blooming. 
    It is due to the ever growing concerns about OUR planet EARTH and
    our desire to help
    Earth out!  Solar cooking enables us to contribute in a small, simple
    way.

    :}

    :}

    Geothermal Heat Pumps For Water Heaters And Refrigerators – Well maybe but it is expensive

    Posted on by
    7

    If the Geothermal Heat Pump is the best, why not use it throughout the house? It’s true, you could use a Geothermal Heat Pump to refrigerate your food and heat your water. It’s expensive and against many of the principals CES stands for. Why? Well there is a number of reasons. One, you can’t use the same Geothermal Heat Pump to heat and cool your house and heat your water and cool your food. In fact you can’t even use the same Geothermal Heat Pump to heat your water and cool your food. A Geothermal Heat Pump works for conditioning your air in your house because it cycles through the heating and cooling system. That is it is reversible.

    Heating water at the same time as cooling your food would require 2 additional Geothermal Heat Pumps and while that would save energy its a huge waste of equipment. At 2,000$ – 3000$ per Heat Pump you would be paying a lot for the privileged of hot water and cool food.

    Second the best bet for heating water is either a tankless water heater or better yet a Solar Water Heater system. It is a toss up in Illinois which is better. The Tankless Water Heater is ideal for the cooling season because you get around the energy “war” between heating your water and cooling your house. Where Solar Water Heaters heat water efficiently they generally heat lots more water and need super insulation to avoid that energy “war”.

    Using a 2000-3000$ device to cool your food? It would last virtually for ever so its life-cycle cost would be great. Still it seems somewhat futuristic. Most Refrigerators are build completely wrong anyway. The freezer should be at the bottom, the food compartment on top of that and the Compressor on top of that. After all cold falls and heat rises doesn’t it?

    http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12840

    Heat Pump Water Heaters

    Most homeowners who have heat pumps use them to heat and cool their homes. But a heat pump also can be used to heat water—either as stand-alone water heating system, or as combination water heating and space conditioning system.

    How They Work

    Heat pump water heaters use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly. Therefore, they can be two to three times more energy efficient than conventional electric resistance water heaters. To move the heat, heat pumps work like a refrigerator in reverse.

    While a refrigerator pulls heat from inside a box and dumps it into the surrounding room, a stand-alone air-source heat pump water heater pulls heat from the surrounding air and dumps it—at a higher temperature—into a tank to heat water. You can purchase a stand-alone heat pump water heating system as an integrated unit with a built-in water storage tank and back-up resistance heating elements. You can also retrofit a heat pump to work with an existing conventional storage water heater. They require installation in locations that remain in the 40º–90ºF (4.4º–32.2ºC) range year-round and provide at least 1,000 cubic feet (28.3 cubic meters) of air space around the water heater. Cool exhaust air can be exhausted to the room or outdoors. Install them in a space with excess heat, such as a furnace room. Heat pump water heaters will not operate efficiently in a cold space. They tend to cool the spaces they are in. You can also install an air-source heat pump system that combines heating, cooling, and water heating. These combination systems pull their heat indoors from the outdoor air in the winter and from the indoor air in the summer. Because they remove heat from the air, any type of air-source heat pump system works more efficiently in a warm climate.

    Homeowners primarily install geothermal heat pumps—which draw heat from the ground during the winter and from the indoor air during the summer—for heating and cooling their homes. For water heating, you can add a desuperheater to a geothermal heat pump system. A desuperheater is a small, auxiliary heat exchanger that uses superheated gases from the heat pump’s compressor to heat water. This hot water then circulates through a pipe to the home’s storage water heater tank.

    Desuperheaters are also available for demand (tankless or instantaneous) water heaters. In the summer, the desuperheater uses the excess heat that would otherwise be expelled to the ground. Therefore, when the geothermal heat pump runs frequently during the summer, it can heat all of your water. During the fall, winter, and spring—when the desuperheater isn’t producing as much excess heat—you’ll need to rely more on your storage or demand water heater to heat the water. Some manufacturers also offer triple-function geothermal heat pump systems, which provide heating, cooling, and hot water. They use a separate heat exchanger to meet all of a household’s hot water needs.

    http://www.greenerbuilding.org/buying_advice.php?cid=104

    Heat Pump Water Heater

    Heat pump water heaters (HPWH) work using the same premise as any heat pump. Heat pumps transfer heat from one zone to another and most achieve efficiency factors (EF) of 2 to 3. Heat pumps gain their efficiency by using electricity to move heat versus using the electricity to create it.

    Heat pumps move temperature from a warm location such as an outside space in a warm climate, near a furnace, or from the basement, to the water storage tank. The heat pump uses a heat exchanger located within the tank to transfer the warmth to the water. Because the HPWH extracts heat from the air it delivers about twice the heat as a conventional electric water heater.

    The byproduct of this water heating is air cooling. In some applications the units can act as both a water heater and air conditioner. Depending on needs such as condition of current water heater, HPWHs are available as independent units, or as add-ons to existing systems. Initial purchase and maintenance can make these an expensive choice especially when inexpensive natural gas is an option. In appropriate applications, the HPWHs save energy in almost every situation.

    The downside to greater efficiency is a more complicated installation. HPWHs should be installed by professionals who can assist with choosing a water heating system that matches your needs. The investment costs can be recouped quickly when hot water use and electricity costs are high. HPWHs are most efficient in warm climates or when installed in a heated location, such as a furnace room. Because the efficiency and capacity of the HPWH decrease as air temperatures drop, cold ambient temperature locations should be avoided.

    Maintenance of HPWHs is higher than with other options, sometimes requiring routine heat exchanger coil cleaning as often as every 3 months. Heat pumps are slower than electric water heaters by about 25%. While this may not be an issue often, if the demand for hot water exceeds the supply the backup heaters come on, reducing efficiency of the entire unit.

    :}

    This is the one they like if you want to see a living breathing specimen:

    http://www.aers.com/etech_residential_water_heating.html

    :}

    You probably have a heat pump in your home. Refrigerators ARE Heat Pumps. But they are never asked to heat any thing. In other words they are not dual cycle. The problem with refrigerators is that they ventilate in the house and during the cooling season this is simply a bad idea. Net cycle because they reduce the heating load during the heating season. A house with 3 heat pumps and a superinsulated water heater and a super insulated refrigerator such differences would be minute.

    http://www.saburchill.com/physics/chapters/0126.html

    Thermal Physics

    Heat Pumps

    If a heat engine is operated in reverse, as described above, it has the effect of transferring internal energy from a body at a low temperature to one at a higher temperature. It is then called a “heat pump” (or a refrigerator depending on what it is used for).

     

     

    pump.jpg

    A heat pump or fridge can be represented by a similar diagram to the one used for the heat engine but with the arrows representing energy flows reversed.

     

     

    An explanation of the operation of a fridge requires consideration of cooling caused by evaporation.

    The temperature of a body is a measure of the average kinetic energy of its particles. During evaporation, the molecules which are more likely to “escape” from liquid and become part of the vapour are the ones which have higher than average kinetic energy. Therefore, if you cause the rate of evaporation of a liquid to increase, without supplying energy, the temperature of the remaining liquid will decrease.

    The rate of evaporation of a liquid can be increased by

     

     

    i) decreasing the pressure acting on its surface
    ii) blowing air over the surface (clothes dry more quickly on a windy day)
    iii) increasing the surface area of the liquid (evaporation only occurs at the surface)
    iv) increasing the temperature

    The diagram below shows the main parts of a refrigerator.

     

    pump2.jpg 

    In the tubes around the freezer compartment, the pressure is decreased by the pump (there is a small section of the tube which is narrower than the rest). Rapid evaporation takes place here and latent heat of vaporisation is taken in.

    In the tubes outside the refrigerator, the vapour is compressed and then it condenses. Latent heat is given out as it condenses.

    :}

    :}

    We Are All Going To Die – Oil hits 150$$ a barrel.

    Posted on by
    Reply

    Just kidding. It’s hard to concentrate on the residential housing market when everyone is all aflutter about the high prices of gasoline and the artificially high oil prices. I wish gasoline prices would double again. Then we would see some real doom and gloom. This from Asianone:

    http://business.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Opinion/Story/A1Story20080701-74069.html:}

     asiaone.gif

    The economics of running on empty

    Wed, Jul 02, 2008
    The New Paper
    By Dr Larry Haverkamp

     Surprisingly, there are only two ways to invest: You can own or you can lend. That’s it.

    Owning is called ‘buying equity’. Examples are stocks and property.

    It earns about 12 per cent a year with lots of ups and downs. You could lose some sleep.

    Lending is called ‘buying debt’. Examples are fixed deposits and bonds.

    It earns about 3 per cent a year and lets you sleep soundly.

    An age-old truth of investments is that equity earns more than debt. I guess it’s obvious since 12 per cent is more than 3 per cent.

    A WHOLE NEW WORLD

    But now, everything has changed. The world is entering a new era of shortages that could turn the old rules on their heads.

    Stocks would follow the economy down, leaving fixed deposits as the top money-earner.

    The story begins with the higher prices for natural resources like food, fuel and minerals.

    High prices, however, are only a symptom. Chronic shortages are the problem.

    You can imagine, for example, the difficulty of building a house without steel or cement.

    We saw something like this in 1973 and again in 1982. The US was hit with an oil shortfall, which resulted in both recession and inflation, called stagflation. It spread to Singapore and around the world.

    In hindsight, it seems overblown, since everything turned out okay. Prices shot up, then they came down. Growth slowed, then it picked up.

    Prosperity returned, as it always does. If it didn’t, you would have a permanent recession. The notion is so absurd that no economist in their right mind would even consider it. So I will.

    In a worse-case scenario, permanent recession hits and each generation becomes poorer than the last. Gross domestic product (GDP) declines continuously. It eventually hits zero and we return to subsistence living, like our cavemen ancestors.

    We may be seeing the beginning of that now.

    Demand is out-pacing the world’s limited supplies, pushing prices higher.

    NEW OIL RECORD

    Last Friday, oil hit another new high of US$142 a barrel. It is exactly double the price of one year ago.

    The demand comes from a rising middle class in China, India and the Middle East. This is new. We didn’t have it in 1973 and1982.

    When Li Yong, Ramesh and Abdullah buy their first motorbikes, they love it. They find it hard to go back to peddling bicycles.

    The US Department of Energy expects energy use in 30 developed countries to increase 25 per cent by 2030. In developing countries, it will increase 95 per cent.

    As high prices persist for one, two, three and then 10 years, people will grow to understand that this is more than just a speculative bubble. (Sorry, Fat Cat.)

    A permanent shortage of input (resources) produces a continuous decline in output (GDP). That, by the way, is the definition of a permanent recession.

    To drive the point home, try this experiment:

    Fill up your car or motorbike with one tank of gas and drive to Kuala Lumpur. When you run out of petrol, walk the rest of the way. It shouldn’t take more than a week.

    You’ll be tired, but you will gain insight into a life without natural resources.

    The shortages will sneak up on us gradually. A tank of petrol will soon cost some drivers a full day’s wages. After that, it will take a month’s wages and then a year’s.

    Finally, availability will cease altogether and the lights will go out.

    Future generations will sit around the campfire and tell fantastic stories about hollow trees with wheels that took people from Yishun to Orchard Road in less than an hour.

    :}

    This from Singapore no less… 

    :}

    Farming And Growing Food After The Oil Runs Out – We Shall Survive

    Posted on by
    Reply

    People have been brainwashed to believe that our world will come to a crashing end without oil. The Peak Oil people in particular have a saying “back to the olduvai valley” because they believe that our civilization will crumble like the Egyptions, Greeks and other GREAT civilizations. Olduvai was the valley where they found the homonid Lucy’s bones.

    Admittedly some of those societal “downs” caused famine and pestilence, but in others it merely led to lots of people going back to farming. As silly as it may sound, you can generate electricity with a bicycle and charge a battery to run a computer. Us modern humans have run on excess energy  for so long it might not hurt us or the planet to take a break and set some priorities.

    So anyway from where I live in Riverton IL in the USA, I would just go back to farming and let a few yard birds run. Others are not so lucky. I have said with no malice or cruelty that a lot of people are going to die. But I think we will do what humanity has done for 1000’s of years…we hang together.

    Here is what other people say:

    http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/greenfutures/articles/602540

    Farming without fossils

    In a world on the cusp of fuel shortages, one enterprising collection of British farmers have come up with a solution they claim is practical, profitable – and close to home. They’re growing their own. Trevor Lawson reports

    Barton reckons that the Goodwood estate’s tenant farmers could produce enough biofuel to supply the estate and themselves, and still have a surplus for sale. The key, he argues, is keep it local. “There’s no point in producing seed here, sending it miles for processing and then bringing the fuel all the way back. It’s too inefficient.” So Barton is looking at a combined rape press and refinery system that will produce 2,000 litres of fuel an hour, round the clock, for as long as there is rape seed to supply it. He’s also got plans for the pressed ‘cake’ that’s left over. “You can make it into dense briquettes for a superb solid fuel, burning more slowly than wood but at a higher temperature. So it can be used to feed boilers to generate heat and electricity.” Barton’s logic seems inescapable, and it’s finding allies in Whitehall, too. Nick Cooper manages the Farming Without Fossil Fuels project at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

    http://globalpublicmedia.com/stephen_decater_on_farming_without_oil

     Stephen Decater speaks with Els Cooperrider of The Party’s Over on KZYX about biodynamic farming in Round Valley of Mendocino county. Stephen talks about draft horses, their history, and how he uses them. He also talks about the Live Power Community Farm, which is a community-based agriculture (CSA) project, and how this arrangement differs from a market-based relationship. They are looking for apprentices now. Contact info: livepower@igc.org and (707) 983 8196.

     :}

    The above is a cool site complete with Post Carbon Institute and Energy Farming sections

    :}

    Then there are the back to the earth types:

     http://www.soilassociation.org/peakoil

    Peak Oil: the threat to our food security

    Peak oil refers to the point when the maximum amount of oil that can be extracted globally is reached. Thereafter, production will tail off as remaining reserves become more difficult and more expensive to harvest. Many of the services that we currently take for granted – cheap flights, cheap imports and global distribution of food – will be radically curtailed.
     One of the greatest impacts will be on how and where our food is produced. The dominant models of intensive agriculture and the global food trade depend on vast inputs of oil. In a post peak oil world, the combination of higher transport costs, climate change and increased conflict will necessitate us all relying far more on re-localised food supplies. Even though it requires far lower amounts of oil, organic farming is not exempt from the need to adapt.

    You can find out more in our information sheets on peak oil and climate change and agriculture.

    Over the last 20 years, the Soil Association has established organic farming as the most sustainable method of production and helped grow a burgeoning market for organic food. Now we must refine our focus if we are to adapt to the changing external circumstances which will touch all our lives very soon. The phrase that comes to mind is that we are ‘building the ark of sustainable agriculture’ for the new era ahead.

    The challenge is immediate, but fear should not be the driver. The Soil Association is optimistic that we have the vision and means to create a new, localised food culture that will deliver long-term quality of life in place of the old dynamic of unrestrained globalisation and short-termist exploitation.

    http://transitionculture.org/2006/12/20/applying-energy-descent-plans-to-food-and-farming-an-article-in-living-earth-magazine/ 

    Applying Energy Descent Plans to Food and Farming – an article in Living Earth magazine.

    samag1

    The Soil Association is the UK’s organic certification body, and they are making peak oil and the relocalisation of food the focal point of their 60th Anniversary conference in Cardiff in February. I am editing a report that will accompany the conference, which explores this deeper, and to introduce this, I recently wrote an article that appears in Living Earth Magazine, the organisation’s publication. It suggests that the concept of Energy Descent Plans could be applied to food and farming in the UK, an idea that will be explored in more depth in the report. Here is the article followed by some additions from within the Soil Association.

    Energy scarcity is an opportunity for a better world, says Rob Hopkins

    I used to think that one day the world would literally run out of oil. A driver in Leicestershire would use the last drop and that would be that, similar to the felling of the last Truffula Tree in Dr Seuss’s The Lorax. It turns out that scarcity kicks in earlier than that. It’s not the last drop that is the problem but the mid-point of production, when all the oil that is easy and cheap to extract has been used up. It looks as if we are reaching that point soon.

    :}

    Where folks have “farmable” or “growable” land, all of us will have to plant Victory Gardens and raise rabbits and chickens. We will have to buy and sell local. For those that do not… well that is something we all should be planning for now. There are probably 2 billion people in harms way. What about the economy? Well what about it? Aren’t WE the economy. Money may be worrthless…but so what. That is only gona matter to people that gots a lot of it.

    :}