Sustainable Living Stack Exchange
Sustainable Living Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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2 answers

Maintaining or treating harvested water for animal consumption

I am currently storing rain water in a 60L blue barrel that is being used to feed chickens, ducks and rabbits. I have never run dry yet, although I have come close, but there is a steady supply. What should I be doing to ensure this water is…
going
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How do I keep my solar panels clean?

What sort of cleaning regime should I have for a solar energy system, and do PV and solar-thermal panels need to be treated differently?
410 gone
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How do I determine what my biggest personal impact on global warming is?

This question is basically a follow-up question on something EnergyNumbers mentioned in his answer to this now closed question. He wrote that together, our impact (on fighting global warming) can be huge .... The main thing is to work out where…
THelper
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Improving natural light access

I get relatively little natural light into one room as shown below (this is the only window): Is there a way to increase natural light into the room so that I don't have to use the electic light all the time?
Joe
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Small scale deployment of the ocean cleanup project

The Ocean Cleanup Project aims to collect floating plastic from the oceans. By having static "sea water processors" filter the water. Are there any existing small scale deployments of this idea, i.e to clean lakes?
nairboon
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Independent retirement vs moving in with the kids

Living in Indonesia at the moment and under long-term discussions regarding whether to move back to the US. One issue is retirement and one aspect of that is sustainability. In Indonesia, multi-generational households are the norm, and in the US…
Chris Travers
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Are there projects that use renewable energy sources to create renewable energy sources?

I recently fantasized about a project that starts from a small solar furnace (small, but can melt steel), and a small solar farm (that control the electronics). Then all the energy is used to build more mirrors and solar cells to extend the power…
Calmarius
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Which consumes more carbon dioxide: a fully grown forest or a newly planted one that is growing?

I was talking to some friends and one of them claims that it is more efficient to combat global warming by cutting the trees and replanting them because a growing forest consumes more CO2. (Firstly, a newly planted forest will require human effort…
Matas Vaitkevicius
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Is it better to put something potentially unrecyclable in the recycling bin or to put something recyclable in the waste bin?

This may sound like a weird question, but the other night I was about to throw away a plastic package which didn't have any recycling information on it, and I hesitated before throwing it in the waste bin and thought to myself "Should I chuck it in…
turnip
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Where are commercial conditions for a CCS NG or coal plant most likely to emerge in the US?

The first (likely) commercial scale coal ccs plant is scheduled to begin operation at Boundary Dam in Canada by the end of the first quarter of 2014 (Estevan Mercury). A few key points about the project: Plant owner Sask Power will not be building…
Eric H.
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What is the actual efficiency of an air to air heat pump in the winter

We are looking at air to air heat pumps (aka reverse cycle AC units) to replace our existing electrical heaters. Air to air heat pumps claim a COP of 3 or 4 to 1 in the manufacturing literature. However when I was looking at the graph presented to…
Russell
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Is using a menstrual cup better for the environment than using pads or tampons?

Menstrual cups can last between 5 to 10 years depending on the brand and care in use. There are many different brands and designs. E.g. Diva cups only last about the average of 5 years, while Mooncup advertises 10 years with proper care. I was…
Curtis
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To what extent (if any) are electric vehicle batteries recyclable?

Are there any existing procedures for the recycling of electric vehicle car batteries, and if so what are they? In particular I'm interested in those used in the Volkswagen E-Golf, though general information is appreciated too.
Sarah
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Mulching or "Mini Septic" for Solid Dog Waste?

(I asked this on gardening.se but it was suggested I try asking it here. Hope this is an appropriate place to ask...) I'm a relatively new dog owner. Living in a relatively woodsy area with an acre of land. The dog poops. I feel odd bagging it and…
DA.
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Reusing buckets for flower pots?

Is reusing old food buckets as flower pots actually a good sustainability practice or a bad one since I'm ruining good buckets by poking holes in the bottoms? I get the buckets for free from my brother's restaurant. They'd recycle them if I didn't…
StuntGirl
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