tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post6758135545309690717..comments2023-09-29T18:37:14.377+10:00Comments on Eight Acres: Permaculture - Use and value renewable resourcesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-17478706431907967772013-05-06T21:23:32.052+10:002013-05-06T21:23:32.052+10:00Wow love your posts and as I have said before we n...Wow love your posts and as I have said before we need to be best buddies LOL....Go you!<br /><br />You may just be interested in the giveaway I have at the moment lovely one xx<br /><br />www.mindfullygreen.com.auAmberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16721036238961007028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-45287395944506624242013-05-06T10:09:40.547+10:002013-05-06T10:09:40.547+10:00It's a very interesting subject and one that i...It's a very interesting subject and one that is difficult to understand, if a person's mindset is still locked into technological fixes. From a permaculture perspective however, you have to step away from technology to really assess it's worth in investment. Which is probably what David Holgrem attempts to address.<br /><br />I grew up chopping wood by hand with an axe for our wood stove, and I'm in my late 30's. Today though, anyone I read about using wood as a renewable resource for heating, only seem to process it with a fuel generated wood splitter. Each to their own, but it highlights the difference between renewable energy (ie: human labour) and non renewable energy (fossil fuels and technology). Having done the splitting by hand, I know the benefits and wouldn't consider it too hard - you just have to ensure your axe is sharp, use the the proper technique (aim for the natural splits) and start chopping early in the season, way before winter arrives. Actually, you're talking a year in advance, just to age the wood.<br /><br />But if you want to get really specific, ageing wood comes with it's own carbon footprint. A growing tree absorbs carbon from the atmosphere, but ageing split wood, gives off carbon. So there is still a footprint to account for, which brings us back to David's original point about changing behaviour. If we're going to stack-up mountains of wood, using technology that requires fossil fuels, to burn in a dwelling that is poorly insulated (or non solar passive) then we haven't really produced an efficient yield of renewable energy. We're still wasting a "renewable" energy.<br /><br />One thing I am learning the more I study permaculture design, is that we cannot maintain our one solution mindset (ie: technology will come to our rescue, or the perfect renewable energy resource). We have to think more traditional agrarian, like before fossil fuels, pesticides and herbicides came into the equation. We need to take a little from each season, use it wisely and place a great deal back into the system. A modern mindset however (one which has grown on the convenience of fossil fuels - guilty here too!) tends to believe any kind of smart technology is worth any price to nature.<br /><br />Nature's standards of renewable energy, and mankind's conceived renewable energy, are two very different things. The way we have to come to understand "renewable" is by offsetting, rather than assessing and managing needs. I'm guessing that's the point David tries to highlight in what he teaches. Renewable energy is better than non renewable, but learning how to apply it within natural limits is even better still. :)Chris https://www.blogger.com/profile/13715819899708384147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-28019294402422705852013-05-06T08:35:49.011+10:002013-05-06T08:35:49.011+10:00Very interesting. I think often it is not so much...Very interesting. I think often it is not so much how much we use, but how much we waste. africanaussiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16660727599623626163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-36908291601826829462013-05-06T07:51:01.616+10:002013-05-06T07:51:01.616+10:00That has given me food for thought ;-)That has given me food for thought ;-)Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06873855806514080395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027191706980748713.post-32000202850100132722013-05-06T07:25:32.650+10:002013-05-06T07:25:32.650+10:00People often say the carbon taken to make solar pa...People often say the carbon taken to make solar panels is more than the savings they make in electricity. But I'm pretty sure that is an old stat now, it would have been a factor when David wrote his book for sure. But I think its important to consider the potential and that technology is fluid. We wouldn't give someone an old Beta video machine and TV and ask them to walk around with a long extension lead watching movies, but today they can flip an Iphone out of their pocket (mores the pity :P ). There are already solar panels on material and spray on solar panels in a paint form on their way that will change things drastically and wouldn't be possible without the effort put into development. By contrast coal has had a long time to develop and has failed to improve much. <br /><br />All that said I think using less is important too. The little graph on the electricity bill says Vicki and I use about half of an average one person household. Combined with our little two kilowatt solar system that makes for a bill of about five dollars last quarter.<br /><br />I also think its interesting to consider the big picture rather than specifics. How renewable is the whole design of the property. Total input V's total output and so on. <br /><br />Nice post as always Liz :) Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00237535505835764126noreply@blogger.com