Hi, this is Geoff.
Let’s jump right in with this week’s Friday Five, weekend edition :)
A politician I can support: 38 years ago, former US President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels at the White House. Now, he’s installed 3852 panels (10 acres’ worth) on his family’s farmland in Plains, Georgia, where he hopes an innovative new project can help power half of the energy needs of his hometown. A great write-up on the project here in the New York Times, and some additional insights here in EcoWatch.
Earthships: I had talked about earthships previously. Here’s a great 7-minute clip that features some of the most sophisticated, interesting, and odd collections of earthships anywhere on the planet, all in Taos, New Mexico.
Weather versus climate: This question comes up in various forms, and in different contexts: How can we predict and understand shifts in climate if we can’t accurately predict next week’s weather? Great question, and a decent answer here.
California drought: Is California using permaculture thinking to address its drought issues? Judge for yourself: “The answer to the drought, therefore, is to stop wasting this valuable resource. If we captured and used the water that already falls here, we could turn off the tap from the north and leave that water for farmers. Just as we discovered in California that sunlight falling on every rooftop can be harnessed to generate energy, right at the place it is used, we can capture the water that falls on those same landscapes for use where it’s needed.” Full article here.
In case you missed it: A few interesting pieces this week from our sister site, the non-profit Permaculture Research Institute:
If you enjoy these posts, be sure to bookmark the site as several new articles go up weekly, or check out thousands of other past articles, here.
That’s it for the Friday Five. Please remember to share your comments and thoughts on the blog-version of this Friday Five (and all past + future Friday Fives), all housed here.
Cheers, and have a great weekend
Your friend,
Geoff