Something I posted on a forum today in answer to someone's question.
One way to "grow" an economy is to dig resources out of the ground, process them (add value) and sell them on at a price greater than the price you paid to extract and process the resource.
Oil is such a resource and we all know how inflated our economies and lifestyles have become because of it. We on this forum also understand how hard it will be for economic growth when the resources of this planet are diminished. Peak everything.
Of course, there are other value adds. Services, the arts, you name it. But most other value adds require transportation or transmission, which is dependent on the fuel economy.
What I don't understand is the constant need for growth. Here in Ireland the drones in the ruling Fianna Fáil party repeat the mantras that the suits in all the western economies say, "We need economic growth", "Our population is declining", "We need migrant labour" etc.
When will a western economy say, "Okay, forget growth we just need 100% employment for our current population. We don't need migrant labour here as we can export additional jobs to poor countries so that they don't have the youth of their nations desert them for the west. If our population declines then so be it. We will manage our economy so that the decline in the labour force is matched by a decline in demand for products."
It's the constant demand for money (greed!) that makes our politicans and business owners destroy the environment and the cultures of the world just to line their pockets. What a fun world we will have when there are no resources left and we are one bland mono-culture.
What natural gas price rises?
Well, there have been almost two weeks of sustained cold weather below freezing. The worst was -4C. Luckily I found a source of wood and have been cutting and splitting it, which means that although I've been filling the stove like Casey Jones's stoker I actually have as much wood now as I did at the start of winter.
The next two days will be fairly warm with temperatures getting up to 4C so I won't bother with the stove until the evening or if any clothes were washed and need drying. It's interesting how you can put up with cooler weather with just a jumper. There are no draughts moving around the house so although the thermometer reads 15C I feel fine. Rosie's Insane-O-Meter is still reading low so I'm still safe. She parks herself next to the stove whilst reading her ACCA exam notes and is happy for now.
Elsewhere, I am putting some OSB flooring in upstairs before deciding what is to go on top of it and what will heat it. I would like to put a hardwood floor on top. We shall see. Maybe carpet if I am strapped for cash.
For heating I am considering electric underfloor heating. Now, before all you self-sufficiency purists berate me, I have done some calculations and I'm happy. After the upstairs is properly insulated then because there are only bedrooms up there then there won't be that much need for heating. A little in the morning and a little at night.
I would be looking to create the electricity to power the 1.5 kW of electric heating myself so the running cost is zero. I might go for hot water radiators. It all depends on the renewable source of power that I choose.
The next two days will be fairly warm with temperatures getting up to 4C so I won't bother with the stove until the evening or if any clothes were washed and need drying. It's interesting how you can put up with cooler weather with just a jumper. There are no draughts moving around the house so although the thermometer reads 15C I feel fine. Rosie's Insane-O-Meter is still reading low so I'm still safe. She parks herself next to the stove whilst reading her ACCA exam notes and is happy for now.
Elsewhere, I am putting some OSB flooring in upstairs before deciding what is to go on top of it and what will heat it. I would like to put a hardwood floor on top. We shall see. Maybe carpet if I am strapped for cash.
For heating I am considering electric underfloor heating. Now, before all you self-sufficiency purists berate me, I have done some calculations and I'm happy. After the upstairs is properly insulated then because there are only bedrooms up there then there won't be that much need for heating. A little in the morning and a little at night.
I would be looking to create the electricity to power the 1.5 kW of electric heating myself so the running cost is zero. I might go for hot water radiators. It all depends on the renewable source of power that I choose.
The greening of 10mph suburbia
An article in The Times details plans for green houses in suburbia. It doesn't discuss why these houses are being built at all. And that is chronic over population. Building green houses that use less energy will only delay the problem, not solve it.
Suburban living is inherently selfish. It is human nature (in fact, the nature of all living creatures) to pull back a little and let others take the strain for personal gain. A saving here and there will be absorbed by the profligacy of others.
Suburban living is inherently selfish. It is human nature (in fact, the nature of all living creatures) to pull back a little and let others take the strain for personal gain. A saving here and there will be absorbed by the profligacy of others.
Glad I'm here and not back over there
Being on the south western coast of Ireland means that I am "bathed" in the Gulf Stream. This has one benefit and one non-benefit. The benefit is that it is never as cold as I remember in Northampton (the town of my birth in England) as we take the best of the warmth from the Gulf Stream whilst eastern Ireland and the UK freezes. The non-benefit is that we take the worst out of the wind and shelter everyone else.
At the moment the outside temperature is about 5C. It was cloudless for most of the day so the sun warmed the house up. It's nearly always humid here so when the sun set clouds formed and trapped the heat. We have only just put the stove on. Meanwhile, my parents, who flatly refuse to come home to Ireland, are sitting in -5C temperatures in Northampton with the promise of -10C and -15C to come. So glad I'm here and not back over there.
This area is full of exotic plants and trees. Bamboo, eucalyptus, palms. You would think it was the Mediterranean. Still, it does get cold and I have to keep cutting wood. If it weren't for the storm felled pine trees in the next field I would be struggling. This is my first year of wood heat and I'm still learning.
The cord is the standard measure for firewood and measures 4x8x4 feet in volume. I would estimate that I had about 1 cord of wood to start with. I think in future I need about 1.5 to 2 cords per winter. I wonder how much I would need if I were in the UK or worse the northern part of North America. I have started putting floors in the rooms above and when they are done that will be six additional rooms to find heat for, next year.
At the moment the outside temperature is about 5C. It was cloudless for most of the day so the sun warmed the house up. It's nearly always humid here so when the sun set clouds formed and trapped the heat. We have only just put the stove on. Meanwhile, my parents, who flatly refuse to come home to Ireland, are sitting in -5C temperatures in Northampton with the promise of -10C and -15C to come. So glad I'm here and not back over there.
This area is full of exotic plants and trees. Bamboo, eucalyptus, palms. You would think it was the Mediterranean. Still, it does get cold and I have to keep cutting wood. If it weren't for the storm felled pine trees in the next field I would be struggling. This is my first year of wood heat and I'm still learning.
The cord is the standard measure for firewood and measures 4x8x4 feet in volume. I would estimate that I had about 1 cord of wood to start with. I think in future I need about 1.5 to 2 cords per winter. I wonder how much I would need if I were in the UK or worse the northern part of North America. I have started putting floors in the rooms above and when they are done that will be six additional rooms to find heat for, next year.
Stomping on the earth with my big size twelves
Corrections: I misread some questions.
I took the Earth Day Footprint Quiz to see what effect my lifestyle has upon the world.
Apparently, the result is that even though I heat my house with wood and grow my own food that I have a footprint of 3.1 earths. Click here to see my actual result.
I don't think much of the test. It makes far too many generalisations. It didn't ask how I heat my house, for example.
Of more interest is this link detailing the effects of population growth. We must be due a die-off sometime during this century. It can't go on like this especially with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies wanting their day in the materialist sun. But as they account for over a third of the world's population then something has to give. And that will be a Mother Nature, giving us a good slap in the face.
I took the Earth Day Footprint Quiz to see what effect my lifestyle has upon the world.
Apparently, the result is that even though I heat my house with wood and grow my own food that I have a footprint of 3.1 earths. Click here to see my actual result.
I don't think much of the test. It makes far too many generalisations. It didn't ask how I heat my house, for example.
Of more interest is this link detailing the effects of population growth. We must be due a die-off sometime during this century. It can't go on like this especially with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies wanting their day in the materialist sun. But as they account for over a third of the world's population then something has to give. And that will be a Mother Nature, giving us a good slap in the face.
Home sweat home
The house is now warmer for this time of year. Last year I wore two jumpers and my hands and ears were always cold. The central heating was hardly off. This year I have sealed gaps in the windows, completed a partition to stop warm air from going upstairs, insulated between the ground and first floor, and installed a wood burning stove.
Rosie is my barometer in these matters. She is from Hong Kong and is used to warmer temperatures but hasn't asked for the stove to be lit for the past few days even though it has been near 0C outside on occasions. It is near cloudless today so although the air temperature is 9C outside the inside is 19C with all the southerly curtains open. I shall close them when the sun begins to set and we should be fine for this evening.
I was in a nearby wood earlier adding to the firewood store. There are four fallen spruce trees that I am working my way through. It gets harder everyday as the brambles are doing their best to takeover the footpath. I already have enough wood to last this winter but I want a reserve in case wood is harder to find one day. If oil rose to much higher levels I can see many people from towns taking weekend trips into the country to supplement their heating with whatever they can find. I don't want to be competing with desperate people.
Rosie is my barometer in these matters. She is from Hong Kong and is used to warmer temperatures but hasn't asked for the stove to be lit for the past few days even though it has been near 0C outside on occasions. It is near cloudless today so although the air temperature is 9C outside the inside is 19C with all the southerly curtains open. I shall close them when the sun begins to set and we should be fine for this evening.
I was in a nearby wood earlier adding to the firewood store. There are four fallen spruce trees that I am working my way through. It gets harder everyday as the brambles are doing their best to takeover the footpath. I already have enough wood to last this winter but I want a reserve in case wood is harder to find one day. If oil rose to much higher levels I can see many people from towns taking weekend trips into the country to supplement their heating with whatever they can find. I don't want to be competing with desperate people.
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