Category Archives: materials

Basel Convention

On Friday the Basel Convention was signed.  A year or so ago China unilaterally announced it was going to stop taking our plastic waste.  By ‘our’ I mean the West’s plastic waste.  I’m not criticising the Chinese at all.  Why … Continue reading

Posted in materials, plastic waste | Leave a comment

One thing we have learnt this week – transparent wood

This week we learnt of a remarkable new material transparent wood. Two groups at the University of Maryland and the KTH institute of Technology in Sweden have developed a see through wood.  Not only that but it can store and … Continue reading

Posted in energy conservation, energy efficiency measures, Energy storage, materials, One thing we have learnt this week, Practical low carbon living, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Maker space

The other night I popped around the corner to the local maker space.  I was after some wood to complete repairs to my garden shed which have taken me a large part of the summer.  They didn’t have what I … Continue reading

Posted in Intentional living, Lifestyle, materials, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

One thing we have learnt this week – plastic breakdown

You can hardly move at the moment for news of plastic and its role in the environment.  As we have learnt plastic breakdown is a really huge problem.  Could a group of researchers discovered a way of breaking down one … Continue reading

Posted in materials, One thing we have learnt this week, plastic waste, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

One thing we have learnt this week – Henderson Island

Henderson Island we have learnt this week is not only one of the most remote places on earth but possibly one of the most polluted.  Henderson Island is an uninhabited overseas British territory which is part of the Pitcairn group … Continue reading

Posted in Lifestyle, materials, One thing we have learnt this week, other, plastic waste, Practical low carbon living | Tagged , | Leave a comment

One thing we have learnt this week – too well insulated?

Are homes getting too well insulated?  I’ve just heard an interesting report on the radio about this.  There has been a step change in energy efficiency regulations in the UK over the last 10 years or so*.  This is good … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, Lifestyle, materials, One thing we have learnt this week, Practical low carbon living, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

One thing we have learnt this week – ocean plastics recycled

As has been mentioned on this blog before ocean plastics are a real problem.  Marine animals can be killed when they swallow them and by doing so chemicals in them enter the food chain.  In at least one place in … Continue reading

Posted in Lifestyle, materials, One thing we have learnt this week, Practical low carbon living, recycling, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Particulates and Alzheimer’s disease

There could be a link between particulates and Alzheimer’s disease.  This is according to a study just released which has found particulates in the brains of people who have died from this disease.  This adds to the list of problems … Continue reading

Posted in materials, other, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

One thing we have learnt this week- Helium its a gas!

This site doesn’t just cover depletion of oil but also occasionally other materials such as helium.  There are several things I expect you did not know about helium since neither did I.  First its the second most abundant element in … Continue reading

Posted in materials, One thing we have learnt this week, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Peak stuff?

As lent is almost open us it seems appropriate to write about “peak stuff”.   Have we in the west reached peak stuff?  There have been some comments in the last few weeks from business people suggesting we might have reached … Continue reading

Posted in Faith, Intentional living, Lifestyle, materials, other, Practical low carbon living, Uncategorized | Leave a comment