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Category Archives: Tools and technology

Stoves

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I love stoves, and we recently made a simple rocket stove on the Introduction to Permaculture course at Carraig Dulra in Wicklow. Above: rocket stove (foreground) and Storm Kettle behind This was made out of a Feta cheese tin from the local wholefoods shop and a piece of single-wall stainless steel flu pipe attached to [...]

Also filed in Permaculture | | Comments (3)

Practical Permaculture in Wicklow July 31st- Aug 1st

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

I will be teaching on a 2-day course in practical permaculture at Carraig Dulra, Co. Wicklow, July 31st and August 1st, with Suzie Cahn. The first day will include charcoal making (a potential business opportunity), biochar (which improves soil while also combating climate change), rocket stoves, DIY stoves, site surveying & observation techniques, basic triangulation, [...]

Also filed in Courses, Forest Gardening, Permaculture | | Comments (0)

Humble Homes, Simple Shacks

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Book Review: Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts by Derek “Deek” Diedricksen After seeing a short film by Deek Diedricksen linked on Energy Bulletin, which demonstrates his ultra-tiny dwelling called the Hickshaw, I was inspired to write to him for a review copy which, once he had had a look at [...]

Also filed in Green Building, Kinsale, Permaculture | | Comments (0)

Whole Earth Discipline

Monday, March 22, 2010

Book Review: Whole Earth Discipline An Ecopragmatist Manifesto by Stewart Brand Atlantic Books 2009 316pp “Civilization is at risk, but civilization is the problem”. Stewart Brand is one of the iconic founders of the environmental movement, an original old hippy whose influence on the boomer generation should not be understated. With his latest book Whole [...]

Also filed in Environment, Human Ecology, Population, Renewable Energy, Science and Rationaltiy, book review, climate change, collapse, community | | Comments (16)

Solar Power on the Shortest Day

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

It is now exactly 6 months since I set up my 600watt at Derryduff. Having now reached the shortest days of the year I am in a position to evaluate its performance, and I can say it has served me very well. Obviously there has been a huge difference in power availability between summer and [...]

Also filed in Kinsale, Permaculture, Renewable Energy | | Comments (0)

Book Review: The Long Descent

Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Long Descent- A Users Guide to the End of the Industrial Age John Michael Greer New Society Publishers 2008 John Michael Greer has written a fascinating and engaging, but also contradictory and perplexing account of how he sees the industrial age ending. His primary thesis is that collapse will not come as a sudden, [...]

Also filed in Human Ecology, Overshoot, Peak Oil, Science and Rationaltiy, book review, collapse, consciousness | | Comments (12)

Charcoal Making at Manch

Sunday, June 8, 2008

I have recently been experimenting with some simple charcoal making in an oil drum. I did a couple of demonstrations a few weeks ago for first a Biodiversity day and second the Slow Food “Munch at the Manch” events at the Manch Forestry project, near Dunmanway. Charcoal will potentially play an important role in the [...]

Also filed in Food, Renewable Energy | | Comments (4)