Grasses Can’t Graze Themselves: Combating Desertification Using Herd Animals

June 6, 2010 by kris de decker Filed Under: Animal power, Desertification

“Enormous research efforts have been made to understand and reverse desertification, but until recently, and with one remarkable exception, to no avail. That exception, Operation Hope, has transformed 6,500 acres of parched and degraded grasslands in Zimbabwe into lush pastures replete with ponds and flowing streams – even during periods of drought. Surprisingly, this was accomplished through a dramatic increase in the number of herd animals on the land. Behind Operation Hope is an approach called ‘holistic management’, which they apply to rangeland practice. Developed over the past 50 years by Operation Hope founder Allan Savory, a former wildlife biologist, farmer, and politician, it challenges the dominant theory that desertification is caused by overgrazing.”

Read at Seed Magazine (+ links & video + 90 page handbook – pdf)

Maximizing Growing Space

June 2, 2010 by kris de decker Filed Under: DIY, Farming, Gardening


Maximizing growing space “If you want to grow food but don’t have a garden or an allotment then lack of space is probably one of your biggest challenges. But it’s amazing what you can do with even a small outdoor space. Indeed, lack of space can be a great inspiration to get creative.”

Vertical Veg – high yields from tiny spaces. Has very good links, too.

Why Older Buildings are More Sustainable

May 29, 2010 by kris de decker Filed Under: Architecture, Buildings, Construction

why older buildings are more sustainable

“In the late 14th century, England’s King Richard II commissioned a new building, College Hall, at Oxford University. The carpenters who built College Hall knew that the massive oak beams spanning the great hall’s ceiling would probably need to be replaced in a few hundred years, so next to the building, they planted a row of oak seedlings from the trees they used for the beams. Sure enough, the beams needed to be replaced about 300 years later, and the new carpenters had mature oaks right there, ready to be milled and turned into new beams.”

Greening Main Street Buildings (more). The picture shows an example of a recessed entryway – a characteristic common to many traditional commercial buildings that helps prevent hot or cold air from rushing inside when a door is opened.

Once more, hat tip to Lloyd Alter.

Domestic Terraforming: Gardening for Geeks

May 29, 2010 by kris de decker Filed Under: DIY, Farming, Gardening

Geek gardening“Gardeners are among the world’s most charming snobs. Rightly so: As
with music and mathematics, the more you know, the more elegant your
work. Erudition is valued, and so is a smattering of pretension. If you
are a geek looking to put down roots, welcome to gardening. We offer
you common ground. Think of it as localized terraforming, if that helps.”

Instructions at Wired. Hat tip to Lloyd Alter. Also:

Los Angeles Without Cars

May 28, 2010 by kris de decker Filed Under: Photography, Roads, Travel

Running on empty by Ross Ching. Via Menéame.

Crane Locomotives

May 21, 2010 by kris de decker Filed Under: Cranes & lifting devices, Locomotives, Obsolete technology, Random, Travel

crane locomotive

“At the beginning of the 20th century, all essential transport and machine movement, even in the building trade, was by water or rail. This left its marks on the cranes of the day, and a large number of rail-mounted crane structures were utilized – including the rather strange looking ‘crane locomotives’. These were steam locomotives to which a steam crane had been added.”

Quote & picture from “The History of Cranes (The Classic Construction Series)“, Oliver Bachmann (Amazon link). More pictures below.

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