Of Love and Compressed Air

...s an alternative to chemical batteries and ways to compress air with wind, solar and hydro power. Some Amish communities use compressed air as a way of separating themselves from the “English” world and its power grid. In fact, compressed air is sometimes referred to as “Amish Electricity.” While the Amish compress air mostly with diesel generators, some use windmills. The Amish convert kitchen appliances to run on compressed air as well as power...

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Weekend Linkages: Quilts, Pedways and Past Futures

...Quilt, Solar System. 1983.0618.01. Ellen Harding Baker’s “Solar System” Quilt Nobody Drives in LA — Exploring Downtown’s Calvin S. Hamilton Pedway A 19th-Century Vision of the Year 2000 The Best Commuter Bike Lights A digital archive of graphic design related items that are available on the Internet Archives (via Recomendo) Soda Can Aluminum Chuck Glider...

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Village Homes: A Model for Sustainable Suburbs

...ntelligence. For instance, the homes are all designed according to passive solar principles, so their heating and cooling bills are considerably reduced. Some have even have green roofs. But more interesting is the landscaping, the massive network of bike/walking paths and the creative use of public space. The entire development is essentially a big food forest. All of the rainfall is captured and instead of being directed to the sewer system, it...

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Getting Out

...n prepare called Getting Out, Your Guide to Leaving America. We completely understand the sentiment of wanting to get the hell out of this proto-fascist banana republic we live in and we endorse this book for those who don’t want to hunker down and do the homestead thing. SurviveLA even has a former colleague in Chanai India who got out of the US several years ago and now has an interesting job and his own ultra low-cost homestead. Despite the all...

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Lights Made from Soda Bottles

...Via Make Blog, a clever homebrew solar light made from soda bottles. I’m a bit skeptical about how you could make these watertight, but for an outbuilding or patio roof they might make for a nice low cost alternative to solar tubes or skylights....

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