peak_oil. For those of you who don't, Allow me to introduce myself. I am 34 years old, single and currently finishing up my architectural degree at Mississippi State University. I was raised by a mom who is now a self-avowed "old hippie", who ingrained into me the concepts of sustainability, environmentalism, and simple living from an early age.
Over the years, I have helped my mom achieve her goal of moving from the city to a house in the woods on a lake, where she has a garden and is as self-sufficient as possible. So far, she is able to live comfortably on about $8,000 a year, but we are looking to reduce that cost even more, by installation of various means of alternative energy collection, with the ultimate goal of allowing her to sever herself from the grid.
Because of this background, I have made a point of doing extra research into sustainable design and energy systems during the course of my architectural education. In the next week or so, I will be posting an essay in this community on off-the-grid systems and technologies, with pros and cons of the different types along with links to additional sources of information. I hope that this will help people in making good decisions in regards to how they deal with what post peak will bring us.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have of me, I will be glad to answer them.
Until then, I offer you some additional reading material that I have put together since the first of the year. I have written a series of essays that give a primer on how we as a society managed to get into this hand-basket we are in energy wise. I will be continuing this series as I explore possible scenarios and solutions, with a focus on what an individual can do to mitigate their personal hardships.
If you are interested in reading these essays, they can be found at: http://tnrkitect.livejournal.com/tag/essay
comments and critiques are always welcome.
Tags: history of energy, introduction, member expertise
Current Mood: busy
Current Location: the Barn
