Technohippies are a breed of their own. They are not malicious, but only interested in the way things work. They have a broad wisdom of many different technologies. Ignorance and hatred is looked down upon by the technohippy. The technohippy embraces the environment and will do as much as they can to protect it and help it flourish. All in all, a technohippy is a philosophically-open eccentric geek.
I think I have worked out the perfect crumble combination (for me, at least):
Bake at 180 for 20min until crumble is lightly browned
nom nom nom nom nom…
Mostly paraphrased from: http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2010/03/02/please-forgive-me-for-i-am-an-eco-sinner/
I really wanted to share this as it touches where I see myself and my family in terms of our greenness. No-one is 100% eco-friendly in this modern world. We all consume, we all are a part of the global economy, and as a geek family we all use our computers, cellphones, cars, etc. The main point of the whole thing is that we try to do what we can to reduce, reuse and recycle with the eventual hope that we can minimize our footprint.
Aren’t we all, really? Whether from ignorance, arrogance, or just our everyday desires as human beings, we are all eco-sinners in one way or another from time to time. Unless you live in a cave in a remote part of the world, you commit eco-sins almost every day of your life. We all do it – we drive cars, we eat unsustainable food, we shop at big box stores, we use computers, we watch TV. Many of the eco-sins we commit are unavoidable in the modern world, and as much as I try to live a sustainable life, the fact is that none of us live a truly “green” existence. It’s simply impossible. To use myself as an example, I wanted to look at a few things that I enjoy/do that could never be considered environmentally-friendly no matter what:
- I drive a car. I have just gotten my restricted licence so I am driving my wife and step-daughter around. I have been driving a moped for almost a year now. No matter if you drive a Prius or a Porsche, you are still driving a car – which is nowhere near “green” at all. Sure, a hybrid is better (although some would disagree) than a standard car, but it’s not as eco-friendly as walking is. Even a bike requires raw materials to make!
- I work on a computer all day. require raw materials, shipment from Asia, energy to use, and somewhere to dispose of when you are done with them. It’s also full of toxic chemicals that can affect the earth long after they are discarded. Computers tend to be replaced quite often, get left powered on 24/7 in millions of homes and offices, and require incredibly large data centers to deliver information to. There is nothing green about computers. At all.
- I sometimes eat unsustainably grown food. Not everything I feed myself with is organic, Free Trade, Fair Trade, grass-fed, cage free, or locally produced. It’s not possible unless the only thing you eat is food you organically grow in your own backyard. Even “health food” at most restaurants is not sustainably grown and/or processed.
- I turn the heat on. I have a refrigerator, a plug-in coffee maker, a cellphone. I have furniture, books, a bed to sleep in at night.
Anyone acting holier-than-thou about “being green” are trying to fool you into believing that they don’t do any of the stuff I listed above and that you should be ashamed if you do. No one, unless you live in a cave, is above being an “eco-sinner” of sorts. That doesn’t mean we are all bad and don’t care – it’s just part of being a modern day human. The key then, really, is to try to do as much as you possibly can to live in a sustainable way while encouraging others to adapt some of those same habits – not berating them with “Do As I Say, Not As I Do“. Encourage others to use less energy, buy less stuff, eat better food – but explain to them WHY they should be doing it while you are encouraging them.
Biking is better for the environment than using your car is, same as eating less meat is better than gorging on steak every night of the week. Making sure your TV is on a power strip that can be turned off all night is certainly better than letting it suck vampire power for 8-10 hours each day. And buying your food from a local Farmer’s Market is much better than buying it from a big chain grocer. But none of us are perfect – not by a long shot. So when you preach what you do to others, do you come across as condescending? Or do you come across as someone truly trying to help? The only way for this environmental movement to move forward is through encouragement and understanding – not guilt. And because I understand I am in fact an eco-sinner like everyone else, it helps me when trying to explain why I do the things I do. So admit you too are an eco-sinner and imperfect in your quest to “go green”… and then do your best to encourage positive changes in your friends, family, colleagues. Dictation without reason just sounds like a guilt trip – and none of us need more of those!
So, you may have noticed (if you do) that I kinda failed on my Project365. It’s because I ended up having a couple of grumpy days that I didn’t want to remember, with lots of MrGrumpyNate. Thankfully I got over these, but haven’t had the time, energy or enthusiasm to get back into taking photos.
Why?
Because I have (as of tomorrow) started another stage of study. I am going to do a Bachelor of Applied Management at CPIT, majoring in Business IS and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Thankfully work have effectively let me have a day a week for classes (paid! woo!) and most of my papers are online. I’ve also managed to arrange it so that I get a New Zealand Diploma in Business as well – the combination of these and my other degree should increase my repertoire quite well.
Also on the cards is the birth of my first son – scheduled for June (fingers crossed it doesn’t clash with Exams 
).
As for my own business, well finding time to get any development done is a bit tricky at the moment, with everything else. But thankfully everything else with it is ticking along quite nicely, and it will be up for its official first birthday in April – really good considering the minimal amount of income is just enough to pay the bills and that I am effectively working for free. But that’s what it’s all about right? I’m doing something I enjoy, learning skills whilst I do it (Web Design/Development, Business, People, etc.) and I have a bit of opportunity to contribute back – put some money into different people and tech that I feel will benefit the community and the environment. Oh, and the number of clients regularly paying for hosting and such is increasing slowly 
Finally, my hobbies are going well too – the garden is full of heaps of different shapes and sizes of green tomatoes. I wonder if they will ripen this summer properly or not – the weather has been kinda crap. Crap like a summer with only a handful of good sunny days. This, of course, makes the tomatoes take longer to ripen. And when coupled with the sheer amount on each vine takes even longer. But I’m not complaining too much – there are occasional red ones which get scoffed before anyone sees
My trains are coming along quite well too – I have been building up an N gauge layout which takes my mind off other stressing factors. Just purchased come carriages off TradeMe which should look good with the new platforms I just built.
Oh yeah, and to top things all off I am going for my restricted driving licence next week…
Anyone recognise these buses?
Yup it’s the same (well, a newer model) of the Christchurch shuttle buses – from the founded-in-NZ company DesignLine.
They are turbine hybrid buses and the New York bus fleet is taking them on. Hopefully they will take off and swap out the whole fleet!
Source: NY Times
Found this over on Eco Tech Daily:
This is freaking awesome! I got one of those crappy microscopes that let you see *SFA* when I was a kid. Wish I had one of these!
This Renewable Energy Experiment Kit has a wind turbine, solar cell, electrolytic cells, and a hand-operated dynamo which generate electricity that is stored in a rechargeable battery. The stored energy can then be distributed through the integrated circuit board to power a motor, LEDs, and buzzer using wiring terminated with alligator clips. The kit’s sourcebook explains different methods for reducing energy costs at home while providing a primer about the world’s energy sources.
Alas, over here the closest we can get is actual Alternate Energy kits, nothing as fun as that. But, if you know someone in the US, you can get it here!
Dont you just love Nature in different seasons?
The before photos are approx Autumn/Winter and the after photos are Summer. (Before/After Spring)
This works:
order allow,deny
deny from 203.97.120.87
deny from 121.73.214.121
deny from 219.88.68.120
allow from all
Can anyone confirm it before I test tomorrow?
Originally uploaded by WalkerWhanau
First trip to the library in a long time today. See if you can guess by the book titles what my current interests are…
Also, I am so into this Project365. Having the motivation to get the camera out and take a photo a day is good. It helps me to take a few photos each day because I take the camera where I think we will be.
I think that this is one of the better instructables I have seen lately. I think that this is a really awesome way of utilizing branches that come out of the garden but would otherwise take a couple of years to rot down. This is definately something that I will build once we get our own place. I reckon that some decent wooden pallets can be taken apart and used for the border at the top to reduce the impact even more!
This instructable will show you how to make a natural looking raised garden using only small branches, a few thicker logs and some straight timber sections. This design was the product of clearing up a garden and not wanting to dump or burn the branches.
The photos are currently stuck on the camera – we are away visiting family and forgot the cable for it. *sigh*