Latest Blog Posts
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The First Mile (Latest Blog)
Tweet“For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand” Humans can walk at an average speed of 5kph. Apparently, we have been walking this way for 1.5 million … Continue reading →
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Water, water, everywhere
TweetWater, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1. … Continue reading →
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It’s a gas!
TweetWhy every village, town and community should have its own biogas facility! Biogas technology is very advanced in scientific and engineering terms in Europe. It bears little resemblence to domestic … Continue reading →
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The First Mile (Latest Blog)
Blog
What do we mean by alternative? Alternative to what?
TweetCoal was introduced as a 16th Century alternative to excessive wood burning which had depleted Europe’s forests to exhaustion. Petroleum first appeared as a cheaper more easily harvested alternative to whale oil as whale stocks were depleted by hunting. Incumbent … Continue reading
Energy is the “soupe” of civilisation
TweetMonday 4 October 2010. Those of you with young children will understand our circumstances. Maintaining a blog (weblog) on a regular basis has proven difficult with a mini tornado on the loose about the home and office. But we, and … Continue reading
The Grameen Insurgency
TweetOn a wet and cold Tuesday evening in October I had the privilege of attending (as a guest of my good friend Ern Schumacher) a presentation by Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and other Grameen enterprises. Both Mr Yunus … Continue reading
Wait or Watt?
TweetWould the 1.6 billion people in the world without electricity prefer to see some more technological research on energy or would they prefer to acquire a working machine providing real electricity to their homes and villages? I am at times … Continue reading
Out with the Old (Ireland) and in with the New (Ireland)
TweetNew Ireland, (Niu Ailan, meaning New Island in Tok Pisin) Papua New Guinea is a paradise in the Pacific Ocean, considerably sunnier and warmer than its namesake. It is an eco-traveller’s delight. Waves to test the best surfers, corals shelter … Continue reading
It’s a gas!
TweetWhy every village, town and community should have its own biogas facility! Biogas technology is very advanced in scientific and engineering terms in Europe. It bears little resemblence to domestic biogas for cooking in rural India and is far more … Continue reading
Water, water, everywhere
TweetWater, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1. Introduction Water is life. With sunlight and water in equilibrium … Continue reading
The First Mile (Latest Blog)
Tweet“For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand” Humans can walk at an average speed of 5kph. Apparently, we have been walking this way for 1.5 million years. In the Developed World we walk less than our … Continue reading