Latest Posts by copperfingertips - Page 3
Just a silly idea I had: Glow-Bugs! They are mechanical bugs, roughly the size of a hand, and they are great lights! They cling to anywhere you put them, making different lighting in your room very easy. Or you can program them to follow you to have optimal light, either crawling on a wall, or flying in front of you when wandering through the darker parts of the town (or forest). The wings are flexible sun panels. Folded in, the wings block the light to a warmer, dim lighting. If you turn them off, the outer wings close, making them compact to transport or just pretty to look at. They can also sit on you, like a brooch!
sustainability as a concept done on an individual basis shouldn’t be framed as planet saving because it’s. not. you can’t save the earth by planting your own tomatoes, because the destruction of the earth is due to corporations
what you CAN do is use individual sustainability to gain a level of independence from capitalism for yourself and for your community through things like sharing grown food
I wanna be the weird lady who lives in a small house and grows lavender and wears sundresses with straw hats and always has a book to recommend
I was in line at Aldi and this girl with two toddlers in front of me had her card declined and she looked so fucking sad and said “let me call my husband real quick” and it was only 18 dollars, so I just paid for it, and she was very sweet and then as she walked off, the lady behind me said `”You know that was probably a scam, right?” and like, even if it was, like what a sad fucking scam, right? 18 dollars at the Aldi. If you’re “scamming” me for some Tyson chicken and apple juice and cauliflower, then just take my fucking money.
“A scam” people are fucking wild.
Picked up this Hoya Bella recently, and it really compliments the window space ❤️
Today I divided up the hardy kiwis I had layered in the fall.
I made four new 1 gallon kiwi plants.
“Every worm, every insect, every animal is working for the ecological wellbeing of the planet. Only we humans, who claim to be the most intelligent species here, are not doing that.”
—
— Sadhguru (via
nonconformist-vegan
)
Facts.
(via rawveganrawmacita)
Pics Of Fairy Tale Architecture From Norway
Germany had so much renewable energy on May 8, 2016, that it had to pay citizens to use electricity. It was so windy and sunny that turbines and solar power sources were supercharged, output exceeded demand, and prices went negative, so customers were actually paid to consume energy. Source
High End landscape architecture for a mixed-use complex features organic-shaped wooden footbridge | Singapore See the full project http://bit.ly/1H42HSO
okay so in psychology years ago we learnt that it’s common for companies to put women in charge when there’s a predicted downfall so that they could be all ha see women suck at being in charge. and I just find it interesting how the UK is gonna have a female PM right after Brexit so like years from now people are gonna be like “the country saw some of its worst years under a woman” when it was men that fucked it up and then ran
Circus Tree: Six individual sycamore trees were shaped, bent, and braided to form this.
Fall Arrangement Flowers
REGEN VILLAGES | EFFEKT Location: Almere, The Netherlands Learn More: archdaily.com | www.effekt.dk
“Urban dwellers across the world work hard to pay the commodities of their homes, such as mortgage, energy, water and heating, cooling and food. We envision homes that work for you, producing clean energy, water, food off the grid at affordable land prices outside our big cities.” - Sinus Lynge, co-founder of EFFEKT
There’s this greenhouse not too far from my house that I fell in love with when I went for the first time last year. It’s so crowded, but all of the plants are very healthy and pest-free. They have 50+ year old cacti and a ton of exotic plants.
@eternity-in-your-eyes this is just amazing! I don’t know if I’d be able to leave a place like that once I have entered haha thank you for the submission as I could only imagine having a greenhouse like that some day.
Words to live by, brought to you from the local Bellevue Nursery.
Practical action + liaising with the local community = creating long term sustainable projects and ultimately a shift in culture.
Clean energy technologies threaten to overwhelm the grid. Here’s how it can adapt.
The centralized, top-down power grid is outdated. Time for a bottom-up redesign.
The US power grid is, by some estimates, the largest machine in the world, a continent-spanning wonder of the modern age. And despite its occasional well-publicized failures, it is remarkably reliable, delivering energy to almost every American, almost every second of every day.
This is an especially remarkable accomplishment given that, until very recently, almost none of that power could be stored. It all has to be generated, sent over miles of wires, and delivered to end users at the exact second they need it, in a perfectly synchronized dance.
Given the millions of Americans, their billions of electrical devices, and the thousands of miles of electrical wires involved, well, it’s downright amazing.
Still, as you may have heard, the grid is stressed out. Blackouts due to extreme weather (hurricanes, floods, wildfires) are on the rise, in part due to climate change, which is only going to get worse. The need for local resilience in the face of climate chaos is growing all the time.
Unless old systems are reconceived and redesigned, they could end up slowing down, and increasing the cost of, the transition to clean electricity (and hampering the fight against climate change).
(via Renewable energy threatens to overwhelm the grid. Here’s how it can adapt. - Vox)
shopping responsibly
this is a sequel to my other post about alternatives to throwing things away. that post detailed some ways to reduce your waste, but the production, shipping, handling & transportation of new items can also be extremely wasteful & push costs up. obviously there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism & you aren’t a bad person for being unable to “shop ethically,” but some of these ideas can help with personal consumption. here are some tips about purchasing or acquiring goods with minimum environmental impact or just minimal financial impact.
ask around: ask your friends & neighbors if they have the desired item(s) that they are no longer using. this can be handy for most nonperishable goods, especially if you have a cooperative community. the free section of craigslist in your area is a good place to start, or the free section of the nextdoor app; you can also put up an advertisement in nextdoor or a similar app to ask if anyone has what you’re looking for & is willing to give it away.
thrift stores: good for clothing, furniture, & other things. it’s fairly easy to find a local thrift store online, & you never know what kind of treasures are there.
do your research before donating unwanted goods: some thrift stores that depend on donations will give out discounts to donators. you can use this on your next purchase at the store.
reselling sites: if you’re on the hunt for something more specific/that you prefer to be unused (such as makeup), people list all kinds of unwanted gifts & random things on resale sites. ebay is the most famous example, but poshmark, mercari & depop are all more fashion-focused places to get trends at a discount & without directly paying a corporation. thredup is the equivalent of an online thrift store, with more emphasis on basic/classic/affordable pieces. also, check out facebook for sale/trade groups in your area!
farmer’s markets: perfect for local produce. you support small businesses & get food that’s full of fewer artificial additives! warning, though: these can be pricey.
borrowing & renting: if you’re not going to need it forever, then don’t pay a forever price! often local hardware stores have tool rentals, for instance.
barter: trade something you don’t need for something you do. this can easily be another “ask around” one, but there are some websites specifically for swapping makeup, clothes, & more.
local artisans/stores: in the event that you absolutely NEED to buy something new, try getting it handmade or local. etsy is a good online marketplace for handmade goods, & some areas have their own sites/directories. ask around!
make it yourself/repair something: if you need something that you can create on your own (especially from reused materials), then just do it. see if you have a local makerspace, where you can access tools & assistance.
reuse: see if you have anything that would do the job, even if it’s not conventional. as long as it’s safe, you can do some WEIRD substitutions.
reduce: the classic solution, which is just not getting anything new. do you REALLY need another tube of lipstick? more shoes? your 5th jacket this season? i thought not!
edit: dumpster diving & curb picking are valid options as well. you might want to look into the legality of this in your area, but if you’re not afraid of getting your hands dirty it’s great. people throw away things that are still useable ALL the time.
this post isn’t exhaustive, so PLEASE add any websites or ideas that you might have! good luck!!
Matt Zeilinger, Solarpunk Girl (portrait of Krishna Jaya)
Floating A-frame, submitted by Martino
Powered exclusively by the sun, this 16-month flight is promoting the use of clean energy.
Public service announcement
Giethoorn in Netherlands has no roads or any modern transportation at all, only canals. Well, and 176 bridges too. Tourists have to leave their cars outside of the village and travel here by foot or boat by. So you can probably imagine how peaceful it is here.
