Category Archives: What to do

Jason Bradford on reforming the current food system

Posted on July 5, 2021 by

Preface. Jason Bradford is amazing: He taught ecology for a few years at Washington University in St. Louis, worked for the Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and co-founded the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book review of Fruits of Eden: David Fairchild & Americas Plant Hunters

Posted on June 28, 2021 by

Preface. Botanist David Fairchild is one of the reasons the average grocery store has 39,500 items. Before he came along, most people ate just a few kinds of food day in day out (though that was partly due to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Book review of Fruits of Eden: David Fairchild & Americas Plant Hunters

Microchip fabrication plants need electricity 24 x 7 for four months

Posted on June 25, 2021 by

Preface. I explain in both of my books, When Trucks Stop Running and Life After Fossil Fuels, why heavy duty transportation and manufacturing can’t be electrified, as well as why the electric grid can’t stay up without natural gas to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackouts, Electric Grid & Fast Collapse, Electricity Infrastructure, Interdependencies, Microchips and computers, Preservation of Knowledge | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Government plans to reduce dependency on fossil fuels won’t work

Posted on June 13, 2021 by

Preface. Yikes!  These government plans from 2009 won’t help the energy crisis much!  I do like these ideas though: Get Yucca mountain ready to take nuclear waste. We need to sequester nuclear wastes while there is still energy to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Government on what to do, U.S. Congress Energy Dependence | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The History of Drunkenness

Posted on May 26, 2021 by

Preface. This is a book review of “A short history of Drunkenness” by Mark Forsyth. I expect alcohol to be a big part of life postcarbon not only because most cultures have embraced alcohol, but to drown the sorrows and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Agriculture, Human Nature | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The History of Drunkenness

Heinberg on what to do at home to conserve energy

Posted on May 8, 2021 by

Preface. A quick summary. Best investment: insulate exterior walls, ceiling, and floors for energy savings. Other good changes were to plant a garden and fruit-and-nut orchard, and buy solar hot water heater, solar food dryer, solar cooker, chickens, energy-efficient appliances … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Richard Heinberg | Tagged | Comments Off on Heinberg on what to do at home to conserve energy

Life After Fossil Fuels: manufacturing will be less precise

Posted on May 5, 2021 by

Preface. This is a book review and excerpts of Winchester’s “The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers created the modern world”. The book describes how the industrial revolution was made possible with ever more precision.  First came the steam engine, possible to … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure & Collapse, Jobs and Skills, Life After Fossil Fuels, Manufacturing & Industrial Heat | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Life After Fossil Fuels: manufacturing will be less precise

Rationing. Book review of “Any way you slice it” by Stan Cox

Posted on May 5, 2021 by

Preface. I can’t imagine that there’s a better book on rationing out there, but of course I can’t be sure, I don’t feel the need to find others on this topic after reading this book. As usual, I had to … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Rationing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How to make biomass last longer

Posted on April 26, 2021 by

Preface. Before fossil fuels, societies were able to make their forests last longer than today. Felling tall trees and killing them was rare except for special needs such as making bridges or ships. For firewood and other needs, trees were … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Trees | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on How to make biomass last longer

Book Review: The Age of Wood: Our Most Useful Material & the Construction of Civilization

Posted on April 23, 2021 by

Preface. This is a book review, mainly with excerpts, of Ennos’s book “The Age of Wood. Our Most Useful Material and the Construction of Civilization”. If you know anything about woodworking, you will enjoy the detailed descriptions of how and … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Books, Jobs and Skills, Life After Fossil Fuels, Wood | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment