Archives for December 2012

Bubble Wrap Window Insulation

December 3, 2012 by kris de decker Filed Under: DIY, Insulation, Random, Windows

bubble wrap window insulation

“This is a simple technique for insulating windows with bubble wrap packing material. Bubble wrap is often used to insulate greenhouse windows in the winter, but it also seems to work fine for windows in the house. The view through the bubble wrapped window is fuzzy, so don’t use it on windows where you need a clear view. But, it does let plenty of light through.”

“The bubble wrap has a short payback in cold climates. About 2 months for single glazed windows, and half a heating season for double glazed windows. For an 7000 degree day climate (northern US), and single glazed windows, the bubble wrap increases the R value from about R1 to about R2. This cuts the heat loss from the window in half.” Read more.

Last Child in the Woods

December 3, 2012 by kris de decker Filed Under: Education, Environmentalism, Nature

“The remarkable collapse of children’s engagement with nature – which is even faster than the collapse of the natural world – is recorded in Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods, and in a report published recently by the National Trust. Since the 1970s the area in which children may roam without supervision has decreased by almost 90%. In one generation the proportion of children regularly playing in wild places in the UK has fallen from over half to fewer than one in ten. In the US, in just six years (1997-2003) children with particular outdoor hobbies fell by half. Eleven to 15 year-olds in Britain now spend, on average, half their waking day in front of a screen. The young people we might have expected to lead the defence of nature have less and less to do with it.” Read more.