News Roundup — Oct. 19, 2018
October 19, 2018
These are a few stories we found this week that may be of interest to institute regulars. If you have a news tip, please send it to lowtechinstitute@gmail.com.
Another Chicken Coop Update
October 17, 2018
The timber-frame chicken coop saga is coming to an end. The last update showed much of the work through plastering. This can also be seen in video form here. Since then, the plaster has been finished, clapboards wainscoting went on the bottom, and the whole structure has been coated in whitewash or linseed oil. Yakisugi … More Another Chicken Coop Update
Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 2 — Lab Note 1.07
October 16, 2018
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). Yesterday I provided the plans and schematics for this build. Today I’m going into some of the nitty gritty installation details. Burying the Supply and Return Lines The supply lines are buried 2 … More Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 2 — Lab Note 1.07
Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 1 — Lab Note 1.06
October 15, 2018
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). Here I will outline the plans drawn up to get a building permit from our local municipality. Schematic Plans These show the basic operation of the system. It is a schematic and not … More Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 1 — Lab Note 1.06
News Roundup — Oct. 12, 2018
October 12, 2018
These are a few stories we found this week that may be of interest to institute regulars. If you have a news tip, please send it to lowtechinstitute@gmail.com.
Bee Report — Tucking the Bees in for Winter
October 11, 2018
The bees are preparing for winter. Last week I went into the hives to consolidate winter stores and check on the health of the colonies. We have four hives on the institute property and four hives around the village as part of our mite-tolerant breeding program. The four hives on the institute property were split … More Bee Report — Tucking the Bees in for Winter
IPCC Special Report — Summary and Comments
October 9, 2018
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just published their fifteenth special report, which projects the changes we can expect with warming of 1.5°C and 2.0°C. While the full special report is quite long, the summary for policymakers is approachable to nonprofessionals. They also produced a three-page headline summary — the IPCC equivalent of “tl;dr.” … More IPCC Special Report — Summary and Comments
News Roundup — Oct. 05, 2018
October 5, 2018
These are a few stories we found this week that may be of interest to institute regulars. If you have a news tip, please send it to lowtechinstitute@gmail.com.
Initial Potato Harvest Data — Lab Note 2.03
October 4, 2018
We just finished the last harvest for our potato plant study. We are comparing the growth, labor, and yield of five different potato-growing ideas: trench and hill, straw mulch, newspaper-and-straw mulch, containers, and towers. In order to help others reproduce our study or grow potatoes using these techniques, we are providing detailed instructions on our … More Initial Potato Harvest Data — Lab Note 2.03
Proposal for Community Sheep Flock Co-op to Maintain Village Commons and Oak Grove
October 1, 2018
UPDATE, 22 October 2018: After talking with neighbors and the community, we have updated our plan to include an area of mowed grass near the community center. This reduces the overall grazing area to 2.5 acres of grass and 3 acres of forest, meaning our maximum herd size is nineteen, but a dozen or so … More Proposal for Community Sheep Flock Co-op to Maintain Village Commons and Oak Grove
