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1500 questions
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Could global shift toward vegetarianism be a big step in solving food, water, health, ecological, and economical crises?
Some people, like myself, made a conscious decision to exclude various animal products from their diets, believing that this is an inevitable requirement if our species intends to live on Earth sustainably in the numbers we exist today.
I am aware…
Th334
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Should I take advantage of the higher heat pump COP during the warmest part of the day and "bank" heat in the house?
I am aware that heat pumps are able to move more heat into a building per unit of energy input (the "coefficient of performance" or COP) when the source (outside) temperature is higher. My question is whether I should set my programmable thermostat…
half-integer fan
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What alternative to composting is there to manage organic waste at home?
Organic waste (cooked food waste, uncooked food waste and garden waste) can usually be used productively in composting.
However, in Kathmandu, where I am trying to find domestic solutions for organic waste, composting hasn't yielded much response…
neydroydrec
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Is there any cold-resistant anaerobic bacteria for biodigestion?
After trying and failing batch domestic anaerobic digestion in Kathmandu at its coldest (December, January), a biogas expert observed our system and explained the bacteria could not operate because of temperature fluctuations--which would throw the…
neydroydrec
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How can I cultivate mycelium for food and fertilizer in my apartment?
Having watched Paul Stamet's TED Talk, Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World, I'd like to be able to cultivate mycelium in an urban environment. I would like to harvest it for food
I don't have a balcony. I have good northern exposure window (if…
Ho-Sheng Hsiao
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11
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2 answers
What alternatives to Polypropylene bags could be used in Earthbag construction?
Given that Polypropylene bags are still a plastic product and not very biodegradable or earth friendly, if Earthbag construction became widely used how could this method be improved upon even further?
I'm assuming a scenario where every single house…
ian
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Is bamboo fabric safe? What about its manufacture?
In New Zealand, "bamboo" fabric is marketed as being environmentally friendly because it uses bamboo as a raw material. However, my understanding is that the end product is a completely different substance from whatever it is they extract out of…
Highly Irregular
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How can I build an effective rotary composter?
I have a fenced in back yard and I am thinking about building a rotary composter. What is a good and proven design?
(I would like it to be big enough for a 4 person house)
Gavin Palmer
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Is "100 percent recycled super white paper" greener than paper made of trees?
I've got used to the idea that very white office paper (usable for office printing for example) is always made of cropped trees while paper made of recycled materials is always grayish and so is not suitable for office printing.
Now a local retailer…
sharptooth
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Research conducted into local / regional currencies
Have any research studies been published looking into localised alternative currencies, as to what their effects on the local market have been? For instance, do they really drive down food-miles, and increase trade at independent retailers at the…
Nicholas Shanks
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How to measure the energy output of a thermal solar hot water system?
I have a (thermal) solar hot water system with electric heating, and I'd like to be able to measure the amount of energy provided by just the solar heating.
The system is set up like this:
Water runs through glass tube panels on the roof, and heat…
Highly Irregular
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How exactly do the impacts of lithium mining compare to oil extraction over a vehicle's lifetime?
There's been a lot of discussion about the impacts of lithium mining vs oil extraction (here for example). I'd like to quantify this.
How do the impacts of mining lithium for one electric vehicle (EV) for it's lifetime compare to the impacts of…
LShaver
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11
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Are tracking mounts cost-effective for home photovoltaic systems?
Solar PV panels are clearly more efficient at converting sunlight to electricity if they are mounted on racks that rotate to track the sun's apparent travel across the sky. However, tracking mounts are more expensive than static mounts and typically…
Evan Johnson
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How do the criteria for 'best' building insulation change depending on context?
Following on from the question Sheep wool as insulation? , where I started my answer with:
Is it one of the best natural insulators? Well, that would depend on your definition of best.
and the OP asked in a comment
Maybe you can share your…
410 gone
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10
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Is the metal use per person rising?
Has the metal 'consumption' of consumers risen over the last, say 30 years (arbitrarily chosen number - anything on a similar scale would be interesting).
I'm interested in both the amount that is 'held' (this laptop, my knives and forks), and the…
Joe
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