Posted April 20th, 2007 by Biopact team
Rep. Garnet Coleman and Sen. Rodney Ellis have introduced HB 2226 and SB 1357, also known as the
TexSUN Solar Energy Rebate Program, to create a solar energy rebate program in Texas. The legislation would provide incentives to homeowners and businesses of between $3.50 and $4.50 per installed watt of capacity.
If you live in Texas, please ask the Texas Legislature to
support solar energy. Visit
EnvironmentTexas.org to send a request to your state representatives.
Posted April 20th, 2007 by Biopact team
Forgive me Bloggers, its been a few weeks since my last blog...
Part of the plan to make bioDiesel includes a "is this a business?" aspect. Living in the UK (and therefore the EU) there is a rather a lot of red tape to negotiate, particularly if there's chemical, big business and cars involved!
If we make more than 5 tonnes or about 5000 litres of BD per year, or sell any of it to the public, then I am deemed to be "Commercial" and so need regulating.
I have looked around the web and chat forums for info on the whole regulation thing and read some scare stories about consultants costing 10s of thousands needed to obtain said permits and also of the hoops to jump through if you DIY. By this time I'm getting a bit concerned so I called the Environment agency (who issue the permits) ad spoke to a very helpful chap in the local office. The long and short of it is that there are 2 types of permit, roughly based on if you dispose of by products by land fill/incineration or by other (environmentally friendly) means. His experience suggests most BD producers should be in the second group of "Low impact" permits.
Further, and this is the best bit, he advised they EA expects to offer around 15 hours of his time (he's the one who issues the permit) to assist with the forms/application process etc, free of charge. The only likely consultant costs would be the site survey (a benchmark of current site pollution/status etc).
All you have to do is ask!
Posted April 4th, 2007 by Biopact team
My exams are going on now in college and I'm bound to books for some time, but not for long. Next month I'll be out in the wild again!
But this time, instead of just getting knowledge and doing small things (
see other posts), i'm thinking big. This year I set a resolution to switch my room to complete
Renewable energy powered in the coming years till i complete my graduation. Its just 2 years left now and I've done nothing!
A genuine excuse for that is because this was my first year in college and i wasn't settled properly at a place.
Talking of place, this 2 room rented apartment where I'm living now has ample renewable resources for my needs(I guess). Being on the top floor, it receives full day solar blast, and good wind too, maybe due to nearby mountain range 'Shivalik Hills'.
So the plan is to make a device that captures Sunlight and Wind simultaneously. Any ideas?
Cya
Posted April 3rd, 2007 by Organic Minded
Early Spring Gardening Tools and Chores
Spring flowers are beacons of light shining through what's left of the bleak winter landscape.
There’s no way around it, even if you did all your chores last fall, the first jobs to be done in the spring are clean up. So get your garden cart out, your rake, pruning shears and gloves and get to picking up all the trash left behind by mindless, rude human beings, and the ravages of Mother Nature.
Look for dead and damaged plant material. Be merciless when cutting back a plant that has suffered any kind of damage. It will come back stronger than ever.
Make sure any leaves and plant material that are diseased have been cleaned up and discarded properly to avoid recontamination of new growth.
Get out your garden fork and cultivator. Cultivate shallowly where there may be roots close to the surface, use the fork on open ground to break up the soil and allow for air and water to get through. Continued vigilance at this time will also help keep weeds down.
Watch for your early spring bulbs and make plans on where you want to expand and with what for the following fall. Draw diagrams and take notes. Don’t depend on your memory.
You should already be planting seedlings inside now for planting out later. Many hardy greens will thrive in the cooler temps of early spring. They are also quick and easy to germinate and they are fast growing. Prepare a plot for spinach, kales, Asian greens, sorrel, Swiss chard, miner’s lettuce, watercress and arugula. A simple tunnel providing minimal protection for these greens will have you harvesting delectable green salads very early on.
Organic seed list:
- Wild Garden Seed
- Johnny Select Seeds
- Peaceful Valley
Consider the Earth when you garden and keep it Organic!
Christy
Mother Earth’s Farm / VermiCulture Northwest
One of the most important details to consider when building a raised bed is the corners. If not built properly they will not hold the weight of the soil inside the bed.
