Earth Day 2016

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Administrator

The movement continues!

We are now entering the 46th year of a movement that continues to inspire, challenge ideas, ignite passion, and motivate people to action.

In 1970, the year of our first Earth Day, the movement gave voice to an emerging consciousness, channeling human energy toward environmental issues. Forty-six years later, we continue to lead with groundbreaking ideas and by the power of our example.

And so it begins. Today. Right here and right now. Earth Day is more than just a single day — April 22, 2016. It’s bigger than attending a rally and taking a stand.

This Earth Day and beyond, let’s make big stuff happen. Let’s plant 7.8 billion trees for the Earth. Let’s divest from fossil fuels and make cities 100% renewable. Let’s take the momentum from the Paris Climate Summit and build on it.

Let’s start now. And let’s not stop.

Whether you believe if climate change is real or not, trees reverse the impacts of land degradation. They provide food, energy, and income. Trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability. They filter the air and help stave off the effects of climate change both globally and locally. They are a natural, resilient, and long-lasting safety buffer to extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and blizzards. And the longer the trees/forests grow and stay in place, the more powerful these protections become.

Earth Day Network works on the ground with organizations worldwide that strengthen communities through conservation. Using sapling and seed distribution, urban forestry, agroforestry, and tree care training, we have empowered rural and urban people alike to conserve, repair, and restore tree cover to their lands. We have already planted millions of trees on six different continents. You can help us continue this important work.

Click here if you prefer to donate through PayPal.

Find out more about Earth Day by clicking on this link!

Quonset Hut

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Administrator

The design of the Quonset hut was based on the Nissen hut which is founded by the British during the First World War for military who need safe, economical and dependable storage space.

Quonset hut is also known as Arch Buildings due to its shape. The prefabricated building provides benefits that no other pre-engineered building provides, from high security and cheapest cost for the ability to withstand hurricanes, blizzards – whatever Mother Nature sends their way.

Source: Quonset Photos

Quonset Hut: Design and History

During the World War II, it is considered that many Quonset huts were built and utilized in the combat field by the US military. The George A. Fuller construction company was chosen to construct these huts. The first was developed within sixty days. The design was a 5 m × 11 m (16 ft. × 36 ft.) structure made by steel members with a 2.4 m (8 ft.) radius. The two ends of these huts were covered by plywood, which had doors as well as windows. The sides of the huts were corrugated steel sheets and the interior had pressed a wood floor and wood lining. The building could be placed on pilings, on concrete, or on the ground with a wood floor.

While most buildings were built from the metal, the United States military also had a wooden that was rarely utilized. The huts were very popular because they could be sent anywhere and then set up in only a few hours with the help of enough people.

The great thing about the Quonset huts is that they could be utilized for anything like storage bays, medical areas, living quarters, workshops, etc. Before these huts came along you had the alternatives of using civilian buildings, and canvas tent.

Quonset huts get their name (‘Quonset’) because they were first made at a place which is known as Quonset Point, which is situated on the Rhode Island, USA. During the Second World War, Between 150,000 and 170,000 Quonset huts were constructed. When the World War II ended the US Army required a way to aside the massive surplus of huts that they had, hence they made a decision to sell them to people.

Many buildings still stand throughout the United State and also they are seen in museums of military and other areas featuring Second World War memorabilia. Some huts are used at Unites State military bases.

Is Air Conditioning Possible Off Grid?

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Administrator

Find out more on this from Jason and Nikki Wynn.

Living Off the Grid: How to Generate Your Own Electricity | Today’s Homeowner

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Administrator

Our off the grid house near Anaconda, Montana Taking the Alternative Energy Plunge. By: Bob Ritzman

Taking the Alternative Energy Plunge

When my wife and I moved to Montana last year, we found a comfortable home on several acres with a view of the mountains. There was only one hitch – the house was off the grid. In fact, everyone in the subdivision generated their own power, including the bed and breakfast nearby.

That doesn’t mean it was primitive. The house had solar panels, a wind turbine, a battery bank and inverter, a generator, and a full range of appliances including washer and dryer, refrigerator, stove, satellite TV, propane furnace, and even a dishwasher. Since I had operated a co-generation power plant before coming to Montana, I wasn’t too concerned about generating my own electric power, so we bought the house.

Life Off the Grid

The previous owner showed me the critical facilities and told me how to operate them. When we moved in we put CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) in every light socket, programmed the thermostat to automatically lower the temperature at night, and made sure to turn off the lights when we left a room. We thought we had everything under control.

On our third night in the house, we went to bed as usual to the faint sound of wind outside, a sound we were already beginning to enjoy because it generated most of our power. In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sound of – nothing. No hum of the refrigerator, no furnace fan, and no wind. The tiny power light on the carbon monoxide detector was out, as was the digital display on the clock radio. We had no power.

Alternative Energy Cost

Since then, I’ve learned the second lesson of renewable energy: while the energy may be free, it still costs more than electricity from a utility company. This may not be obvious, so let me explain. The following are the approximate prices for the equipment we have now, materials only – installation is extra:

If you assume that we receive eight hours of sun and eight hours of wind per day (a generous assumption), we would produce 487 kW-hours of electric energy per month from renewable sources. This is almost half the 920 kW-hours per month that was used by the average American home in 2006.

Assuming the equipment has a 20-year lifespan, it will produce 116,880 kW-hours of energy during that time, and my prorated cost for the equipment will be $0.23 per kW-hour. That’s more than twice the average cost of the same amount of energy from the local utility company.

Backup Generator

On the days when there’s not enough renewable energy, we recharge the batteries using a gasoline generator, which produces approximately 3.5 kW-hours of electric power for each gallon of fuel burned. This translates to an efficiency of approximately 10%, with a fuel cost of about $1.00 per kW-hour given the current price for gasoline in 2008. Compare this to a coal-fired power plant that has an energy efficiency near 40%.

That means that the carbon footprint of my generator is more than three times as large as a coal-fired power plant for the same amount of electric energy produced. If my generator burned propane, its carbon footprint would be slightly smaller because the proportion of carbon in the fuel is smaller. If it burned diesel, the footprint would probably be smaller still, because the efficiency of a diesel generator can approach that of a utility power plant.

Lessons Learned

In summary, this is what I have learned about renewable energy by living off the grid:

You can’t count on it when you need it. You need a battery bank, and you should have a back up generator available, too.

It’s expensive. While the energy is free, the equipment is not, making the cost of power higher than utility prices.

When it fails, the carbon footprint of non-renewable backup generation is larger than that of a utility company.This doesn’t mean I’m against renewable energy, just that given our current technology, living off the grid is not as simple and cost efficient as many people may think.

Additional Information

Southwest Windpower, Renewable Energy Made Simple

Oasis Montana, Inc., Renewable Energy Supply and Design

Xantrex Technology, Renewable Energy Systems

Source: Living Off the Grid: How to Generate Your Own Electricity | Today’s Homeowner

The Boathouse | Murphy & Co. Design

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Administrator

Murphy Co & Design built this little cabin on the 100+ year old concrete piers and totally transformed both the inside and exterior of the existing home.