Green Living Library
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • The Sustainable Life Shop
    • 16 oz. Stainless Steel Insulated Drinking Cup
    • 4 Piece Silicone Bowl Covers
    • Silicone Storage Bags with Slide Closure
    • 10 piece set of bamboo handled toothbrushes with nylon bristles.
    • Dental Floss Holder with Compostable Dental Floss
    • 33 yards Eco-Friendly Dental Floss Refills
    • Stainless Steel Drinking Straws with Cleaning Brush
    • Plant Based Scrub Sponge 8 Pack
  • Green Living with a Kid
  • Lifestyle
    • All Natural Health
    • Books Worth Reading
    • Composting
    • Green Documentaries
    • Green Transportation
    • Green Landscaping
    • Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
  • Food
    • Organic Farming
    • Composting
    • Extra Resources
    • Food Storage and Preservation
    • Gardening >
      • Companion Planting
      • Seed Starting
      • Weed Control
    • Soil >
      • Soil Health
      • Soil Science
      • Soil Building
      • Soil Tests
  • Home Building
    • Adobe and Earthbag Building
    • Cob
    • Log
    • Rammed Earth
    • Straw Bales
    • Heating and Cooling >
      • Home Heating External Links
  • Frugal Living Library
  • Renewable Energy
    • Solar Power
  • About
  • Contact
  • Green Living Photo Gallery
  • Product
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • The Sustainable Life Shop
    • 16 oz. Stainless Steel Insulated Drinking Cup
    • 4 Piece Silicone Bowl Covers
    • Silicone Storage Bags with Slide Closure
    • 10 piece set of bamboo handled toothbrushes with nylon bristles.
    • Dental Floss Holder with Compostable Dental Floss
    • 33 yards Eco-Friendly Dental Floss Refills
    • Stainless Steel Drinking Straws with Cleaning Brush
    • Plant Based Scrub Sponge 8 Pack
  • Green Living with a Kid
  • Lifestyle
    • All Natural Health
    • Books Worth Reading
    • Composting
    • Green Documentaries
    • Green Transportation
    • Green Landscaping
    • Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
  • Food
    • Organic Farming
    • Composting
    • Extra Resources
    • Food Storage and Preservation
    • Gardening >
      • Companion Planting
      • Seed Starting
      • Weed Control
    • Soil >
      • Soil Health
      • Soil Science
      • Soil Building
      • Soil Tests
  • Home Building
    • Adobe and Earthbag Building
    • Cob
    • Log
    • Rammed Earth
    • Straw Bales
    • Heating and Cooling >
      • Home Heating External Links
  • Frugal Living Library
  • Renewable Energy
    • Solar Power
  • About
  • Contact
  • Green Living Photo Gallery
  • Product

We are the frog in the pot

9/1/2021

0 Comments

 
You have probably heard that old story before where if you stick a frog in a boiling pot of water it will try to get out. If you stick a frog in a pleasantly cool pot of water and then turn on the heat the frog will let itself get cooked because it doesn't realize what's going on.  While you might quibble with some of the details of the story the basic premise I feel rings true.

We humans are animals just like that frog and we are hardwired to pay attention to sudden shocking changes in our surroundings and not things that change slowly or gradually.  But eventually even things that move slowly will get our attention once they become impossible to ignore.  

I think as a society we are finally reaching the point where we can no longer ignore the fact that the water is getting a bit toasty and it is time to get out of the pot.  With the recent release of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change that reviewed much of the latest research in climate science the summary is clear

Climate Change is Real and We Caused It.
Gone is the wishy washy language of the previous reports with the new report saying things like,

“Observed increases in well-mixed greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations since around 1750 are unequivocally caused by human activities. Since 2011 (measurements reported in AR5), concentrations have continued to increase in the atmosphere, reaching annual averages of 410 ppm for carbon dioxide (CO2)”   

“Human influence is very likely the main driver of the global retreat of glaciers since the 1990s and the decrease in Arctic sea ice area between 1979–1988 and 2010–2019 (about 40% in September and about 10% in March). There has been no significant trend in Antarctic sea ice area from 1979 to 2020 due to regionally opposing trends and large internal variability. Human influence very likely contributed to the decrease in Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover since 1950. It is very likely that human influence has contributed to the observed surface melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet”

“Changes in the land biosphere since 1970 are consistent with global warming: climate zones have shifted poleward in both hemispheres, and the growing season has on average lengthened by up to two days per decade since the 1950s in the Northern Hemisphere extratropics (high confidence)”


When you start seeing language like,
  • High confidence
  • Very Likely
  • Unequivocally

That's science speak, we are pretty sure that what we are saying is true.  There is no such thing as 100% certain when you talk to a scientist because they know that you can never be 100% certain about things.  But you can be sure they are pretty damn sure when they start using language like you see in the latest report.

It's nice to see such unambiguous language finally coming out from this panel that has been doing these reports for 30 years and they have essentially been screaming into the void that is the governments of the world.  No government has given serious credence to these reports and really taken the forecast and outlook presented in the reports to heart.  There are places like Germany that have been doing some good for decades in the solar industry by providing real support to both individuals and industries in installing and paying for solar but examples like that are few and far between.

For the most part we as a species have twiddled our thumbs, had inane arguments about whether climate change was real or not and have lost decades of time that could have really been useful.  This report clearly shows that our time is up and we need to make changes now that reduce our impact on the planet.  The changes to the climate are obvious to anyone who is willing to open their eyes and accept what they are seeing. 


The problem is big and so are the solutions 

We are now facing one of those history-making problems that will either create another Greatest Generation or end with us being scorned by our descendants assuming they have the time or knowledge to scorn us.

The problems we face cannot be solved by just your or me putting solar panels on our roofs or by driving less.  

The time for that approach is gone….
​

We now need whole systemic change from the bottom up, top down and even side to side.  We need to get our governments to pass laws that will push us and the companies of the world toward a sustainable future.  This is a collective need and it will require collective action from all of us to do what we need to do to keep this great experiment we call civilization going on.



We need to do things like,
  • End all public funding and subsidies that go towards new fossil fuel projects
 
  • Begin to reduce the subsidies for existing fossil fuel projects so that there true cost become obvious
 
  • Put a tax on carbon that is emitted so that companies have to pay carbon they admit.
 
  • Provide public funding into researching and building new and existing renewable energy technologies. 
 
  • Update the building codes so all new construction meets Passivehouse standards and provide real grant funds to upgrade older buildings and homes.
 
  • Establish mandatory net metering rates for electricity generated by home based solar and wind power.  This would encourage more homeowners to add solar to their homes if they can actually get paid for it.  

And the list could go on and on and on…..  
The time is now so let's get going shall we.

0 Comments

Great Article from Vox

3/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Another great article from Vox media that highlights the disparity of energy use between the top 10% of income earners and everyone else.  Really open your eyes just how much privilege certain economic classes get in our society and what that privilege costs the rest of us.

Enjoy   


https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/3/20/21184814/climate-change-energy-income-inequality


0 Comments

Bike Vs Cars- Commuting to Work

4/14/2019

0 Comments

 
So I have a serious question for you.
Have you ever considered riding a bicycle to work?
For most of you if you have a car the answer is no why would I bike when I have a car.  Well there are lots of good reasons to ride a bike for you daily commute and in this post I will go over my three favorite ones.

​

Read More
0 Comments

Europe Renewable Energy Policy- Green Living Library Perspective

3/24/2019

0 Comments

 
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/3/4/18216045/renewable-energy-wood-pellets-biomass

I am going to try something a little different here at the Green Living Library.  In the past I have focused on providing articles that provided practical information and how to’s on many different aspects of living a green life.  I will continue to do that but every now and then when the mood strikes me I will pluck an article from the internet and analyze it from my perspective.  I will tell you what I think of the article where I agree and disagree with what the author is proposing.

Please read the article at the link above before diving into my thoughts on the subject

Here it goes…

​

Read More
0 Comments

Why you need trees around your house

3/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Assuming you are not the most unobservant person that has ever existed you are most likely aware of the trees that surround you every day you live your life.  There are trees in the yards, lining the streets, in the parks, and everywhere you look you will most likely see a tree. You have also most likely seen some of the havoc that trees can cause in communities like,

  • Lifted sidewalks
  • Damaged home and cars from falling limbs
  • Leaf and twig litter
  • Generally messiness   ​


Read More
0 Comments

Biochar- What Is It?

2/23/2019

0 Comments

 

Biochar- charcoal with a fancy title

Yep that it all biochar is basically charcoal made from all natural material no petroleum chemicals needed.
What makes it so interesting,amazing and newfangled....

Well it’s certainly interesting and amazing it is not however newfangled in any sense of word.  There has been biochar for as long as there were organic materials to burn (couple billions years or so).  But what makes it interesting is when you combine the properties of biochar with soil some interesting things begin to happen.


Before we dive into that… a little history lesson.


Long ago in the deep dangerous jungles of the Amazon….

No really…Stay with me

For hundreds to thousands of years there was a flourishing urban civilization found all throughout the Amazon rainforest.  Early European explorers circa 15th to 16th century did report meeting people and seeing large urban centers as they hacked their way across the continent.  But by the time the colonial period came about these people and their cities had disappeared.


What Happened…..?

At the time they just thought those early explorers were either lying or had been made crazy the jungle heat and diseases they suffered from.  It wasn’t until the 1990’s using satellite imagery that we were able to spot networks of earthworks, canals and other obvious signs of large coordinated groups of people in area for a long time thought to be largely uninhibited.
One of the reasons this area was thought to be mostly empty was the fact that the soil was actually very poor and it was difficult to produce the large quantities of food needed to sustain lots of people.  So how do you get large widely distributed signs of human civilization in an area that to your knowledge couldn’t support that many people?

Biochar

Yep biochar the humble charcoal a.k.a burned stuff

They found upon investigation of these site areas of soil that were strikingly different from the surrounding soil.  The image you can see on the right is what I am talking about. The biochared soil known as Terra Preta locally is much darker in color and much more nutrient rich.  This is because the biochar does two things that improve soil quality.

Biochar is a stable long lasting source of carbon which is used by plants to build internal structures that allow them to grow.  It also acts a nutrient sink and any nutrients that are added to the soil via compost or manure is captured and held for use by plants to grow.  Then when the plants die and decompose the nutrients are recaptured for use the next plant.
​

What this adds up to is that the Native peoples of the Amazon rainforest basically supercharged their soils and it allowed them to grow food in enough abundance to power a large and vibrant civilization.

Pretty good for burnt pieces of wood…   

What is really amazing about this is how long lasting it is.  The terra preta soils are hundreds to thousands of years old and they are still functioning exactly how they did when they were created.  The ramifications of this to modern agriculture and climate change mitigation are astounding when you think about it.

 Depending on what method you use you can get up to a 50% conversion rate of feedstock to biochar.  If that char is then incorporated in the soil you have essentially locked up the carbon contained in the char for the next couple of thousand years.  What this means is that if this was done on a large enough scale it could mitigate the effects of climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and depositing it in a stable form in the soil.  

Wow…..   

Moral of the story

If you haven’t figured it out by now biochar is amazing material that deserves much more attention than it gets.  It is another tool that we can use to improve food production, reduce pollution, and maybe just maybe save ourselves a whole lot of pain in the future.  

For more information like this check out other article here on the Green Living Library.


​
Picture
0 Comments

Interesting Study by Yale University

3/11/2017

0 Comments

 
So as I was perusing the internet reading up on a variety of topics i came across the following study and informational map done by Yale University.  It is all about the the perceived perceptions of what the American people believe is happening concerning climate change.  It also covers how average folks feel about some of the commonly floated ideas for addressing the climate change issues like,

  • Regulating CO2.
  • Setting CO2 limits on power plants.      

According to this study 70% of people surveyed agreed that climate change is happening but only 53% of those same people believe that it is human caused.  This is despite the overwhelming evidence that we are indeed responsible.  Now we don't yet know what the full impacts of climate change will be but what we do know is that civilization as we know it has grown up under climate that has been stable for essentially the last 10,000 years.  Now we are undergoing a period of rapid change that seems to be coming with more extreme storms, longer droughts and more unpredictability in general.

Whether you believe humans are the cause of climate change or not is fast becoming a moot point.  We will have to deal with it sooner or later.  I just hope that when the time comes we will be able to deal with it and not collapse under the weight of our own folly and arrogance.            


Yale Climate Opinion Map






0 Comments

    Author

    Hello my name is Josh Larson and I am the creator of the Green Living Library.  Here on the blog you will find updates to content found in the Green Living Library as well as stories from those living the sustainable life already.  

    Archives

    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Climate Change
    Companion Planting
    Composting
    Cover Crops
    DIY
    Documentaries
    Financial Independence
    FIRE
    Food Forests
    Food Preservation
    Gardening
    GMO
    Green Cleaning
    Health
    Heating
    Home Heating
    Homesteading
    Human Population
    Industrial Agriculture
    Kids
    Mulch
    Organic Food
    Organic Matter
    Passive Cooling
    Permaculture
    Plastic
    Pollution
    Recycling
    Renewable Energy
    Reuse
    Seed Starting
    Soil
    Soil Compaction
    Solar
    Solar Power
    Species Extinction
    Tillage
    Trees
    Trellis
    Tweaks
    Urban Agriculture
    Windbreaks

Photos used under Creative Commons from andrew_ross, Scrap Pile, USDA NRCS South Dakota, mikecogh, mikecogh, rmkoske, UnitedSoybeanBoard, naturalflow, Rennett Stowe