Selfsufficientish.com

Think for the main page at Engineer poet (Ergosphere) is http://ergosphere.blogspot.com/

Hope this helps SOLAR Question #1: Do solar panels ever pay back the energy needed to make them? Answer: Yes. As of the late 1990's, systems based on crystalline silicon PV panels returned their energy of manufacture in less than 4 years (about 3 years for the module and frame), and systems based on...

I have been been using the brickette maker for 2 years and I am very happy with it. It takes a while to make them, but its worth it in the end. I also burn them in combination with wood, coal and sawdust brickettes. They tend to burn slow and last about an hour. My chimney sweep was quite impressed ...

Nev......is it safe to live in Australia???.....what with Great Whites and Blue ring octopus in the sea, and spiders dropping out of trees and hiding under toilet seats......and I've heard the snakes are none to friendly either.

I agree with INA that the best way forward is for shops to charge for plastic bags. Here in Germany everyone takes cloth bags or boxes when they go shopping. You rarely see shoppers buying plastic bags. The only supermarket I have seen here that gave away plastic bags for free was Walmart - and they...

Just found this article that shows that an Aussie town has actually banned plastic bags.......Excellant

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06 ... n_city.php

I have planted 4 trees this year (btw - these are the only trees I have ever planted) in my garden....and it feels good :cheers: A Jonagold apple tree, a Victoria Plum tree, a Mirabelle plum tree & a decorative Japanese Full Moon Maple. All the fruit trees look like sticks with leaves, but they'...

I'm really interested to see how this all works out, and will definately have a go next year.

Alcina.......Many thanks for the reply. Never heard of Quinces before, but very interesting.

I just wondered if self sufficiency, or a degree of it, was practiced much in Germany. Do they have clubs etc like we do here in the UK? Not sure really about clubs, but I think people are more enviromentally aware here. The Green party have been very active for years. Most people live in flats her...

I guess its a dumb question, but what is Quince?

Renewable devices in Scotland do a roof mounted Wind turbine. Dont really know how good it is but check the sites below.

http://www.renewabledevices.com/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/05 ... ind_tu.php

I live on a new housing estate here in Germany. Approx 50% of the houses have solar for pre heatng water, and there are quite a few with Electric solar as well. I would have loved to have solar on my roof but as the costs started escalating during the building phase, some savings had to be made. In ...

There have been a lot of articles about Peak Oil in the last few years. Nobody seems certain whether we have reached the peak as yet. Some say we have, and some say we havent, but common sense says it will happen at some stage, and probably sooner than we think. Major Oil companies keep on adjusting...

Many thanks to everyone for the nice welcome. I'm sure I'll be around here for a long time.........its nice and relaxed.