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What happens when you combine an embarrassment of riches with managerial incompetence? You get opportunity squandered and systemic failures together with prevarications and blame-shifting. If only the Electric Reliability Council of Texas could somehow convert the prevarications and blame-shifting of state officials into useful current, citizens could use it to heat their homes. Unfortunately, the electric companies and the state’s elected representatives are now passing the cost of their malfeasance on to customers while the high profile politicians have proven even less reliable than the wind.

Without wisdom, energy riches don’t transmute to power for the people. Texas ranks #1 for total energy production in the United States. It’s #1 in crude oil, #1 in natural gas, and #1 in electricity. It is also ranked #1 in carbon dioxide emissions. As the largest energy-producing and energy-consuming state in the nation, its industrial sector, including its refineries and petrochemical plants, account for half of the energy consumed in the state.

Texas also leads the nation in wind power and produced about 28% of all the electricity generated in the USA, during 2019, from wind alone. Its wind turbines have produced more electricity than both of the state’s nuclear power plants since 2014. In light of these facts, one might wonder why Texas Governor Greg Abbott told one media outlet that his state’s power problems were an indictment of the Green New Deal. The state’s Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller, wrote on Facebook that appointees to the state’s Public Utility Commission should be fired and that more coal and oil infrastructure should be built.

It was the Public Utility Commission that, after the ice storm of 2011, recommended several actions to prepare power plants for extreme weather. These recommendations were largely informed by a joint report in August of 2011 by the non-profit North American Reliability Corporation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The report identified 210 power generating units under the jurisdiction of ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, that failed during the 2011 ice storm.

When, during a media call, the President and CEO of ERCOT Bill Magness was asked why recommendations from the 2011 report weren’t followed, he claimed he didn’t know which report they were referring to. Feigned ignorance concerning causes for the failures of 1989, 2011, and now 2021 is not masking the intellectual and moral defects of politicians for whom unmitigated selfishness is a point of pride. When authorities advised citizens to boil water they didn’t have, with power they didn’t have it simply underscored the managerial ineptitude.

Upon closer examination it was revealed that these politicians, who are now tilting at windmills, failed to acknowledge their penny wise – pound foolish approach to managing the critical infrastructure of Texas. The reason windmills work more reliably in places like Antarctica, Canada, Norway, and Denmark is because planners in those regions exercise a scarce commodity known as forethought. Properly designed wind turbines include appropriate lubricants, air conditioning, and heating. It would appear the state of denial didn’t plan for climate change.

The wind is always blowing somewhere. That is why a continental energy grid is more resilient than one limited to a single state. The decision by Texas politicians, to go it alone, has resulted in some citizens paying with their lives while others were endangered unnecessarily. The state that refused to either benefit from or support the national energy grid is now receiving emergency assistance from the same nation.

Years ago, Walter Gretzky taught his son Wayne, “Skate to where the puck is going to be!” As major manufacturers are planning to convert their entire range of product offerings and roll out electric cars exclusively, as efficiencies of lighting systems, appliances, storage systems, and generators continue to increase, Commissioner Miller and Governor Abbott are working hard to sustain the last gasp of an outmoded economy. Texas needs leaders that are instead working smart towards the next economy.

The future will, hopefully, leave integrity challenged politicians and other retardant forces in the dust. The promise of grid dynamics will extend the day by utilizing rooftop photovoltaics from coast to coast. It will take advantage of a widely dispersed array of wind turbines together with devices that can resonate with smaller convection currents. It will incorporate vehicle to grid innovations whereby the most efficient parts of the fleet can help to power the grid once their batteries are topped off.

The Texas experience should serve to accelerate the kind of interconnectivity that will insure no single point of failure can cause wide-spread outages. Cord cutters should take note. The potential to sell excess energy to the grid while, at the same time reducing one’s own dependence on the grid can help to pay for any and all energy efficiencies that can be adopted on a homestead scale. While cutting the public umbilical may seem like the thing to do, generating as much energy as possible at home while maintaining all the advantages of wide area grid system may be a better solution in the long run.

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In her 2013 book, Farmacology, Daphne Miller, MD makes a compelling case that gut flora is linked to soil tilth. In one chapter she describes her encounter with a rodeo ridin’ Missouri cattle rancher and his conversion from all things antithetical to tree hugging. Cody Holmes, owner of Rockin’ H Ranch picks up the story himself with:

“What’s funny is that my wife Dawnell and I have morphed into rancher, foodie, tree-hugger, worm lovers.” He goes on to describe their realization that “to be more economical, we need to be holistically minded conservationists.” According to Cody, the pivotal decision occurred because, in his words: “We used to run the cattle through the squeeze chute and use Ralgro hormone implants.” He continues. “For years we were running the cows and doing the injections of antibiotics and growth hormones, and I was keeping one out to be injection free for the kids.”

Dr. Miller’s impression was that Dawnell served as the catalyst for radical change on the farm when she and Cody decided enough was enough. Why was it okay to feed these cows to other people’s kids and not their own? They quit using soil amendments and animal feed. Cody said they also “quit injecting everything into our cattle.”

As the couple embraced the practice of holistic farming, they realized they had to redesign their entire farming system. Cody said “That way I could employ the only free labor I had at my disposal, those billions of bacteria and other microbes in the soil. My goal was to have their collective weight underground be greater than [that of] livestock above, and for them to give me healthy soil and plenty of grass to feed my animals twelve months a year.”

The experience of Dawnell and Cody is shared by many that are exercising a more comprehensive approach and an intentional consumerism as they procure the ingredients necessary to produce something of value. Those who engage in holistic farming practices know that if the cow pie, that was dropped yesterday, remains on top of the ground a week later, it is likely because the soil lacks sufficient microbial biomass to properly digest it.

If the pile of manure only disappears after being pounded by the rain, fissured by the freeze, dried by the sun, and scattered by the wind, the soil beneath it is most likely dead. Within healthy active soil is an intricate web of life. If you can count pretty high, while using a microscope, you will likely find, in just one gram of natural soil; from 100 million – 1 billion bacteria, 100 thousand – 1 million fungi, 1 thousand – 1 million algae & cyanobacteria, 1 thousand – 100 thousand protozoa , and just shy of 100 Nematodes .

These soil microorganisms are key to the decomposition of organic materials. Mineralization (the conversion of organic materials into forms the plants and other soil organisms can use), the degradation of soil pollutants, the generation of oxygen, the suppression of plant diseases by competing with or feeding on pathogens, nitrogen fixation by converting it to ammonium and making it available to plants, the transportation of soil nutrients to the plant’s root zone, and the binding of soil particles into aggregates all help with soil composition, structure, and water dynamics.

Active soils help plants extract the nutrients they need for basic function and growth. The biochemical interactions in the soil-plant system involve a form of biochemical signaling that occurs among the microorganisms and also between such microorganisms within the rhizosphere surrounding the roots of plants.

The microbial community functions are essential for soil tilth, plant growth, and our own health. The Minerals, Vitamins and Phyto-chemicals that are the MVPs, the Most Valuable Players necessary for the optimal performance of our human machinery, are each traceable to the soil.

The number and variety of biochemical compounds that are produced during the lifecycle of a typical microbe affect soil, plant and animal health. These design elements are essential components within each living cell . They include hormones, amino acids, organic acids, sugars, enzymes, and more.

The enzymes that break down organic matter, the proteins that signal changes in microbe response, the chelators that mobilize nutrients, the antibiotics that reduce competition; together with the compounds that induce plant rooting while changing physiological functions, inducing immune responses, and increasing salt tolerance each perform their functions perfectly. They form a trustworthy system unless someone or something upsets the balance.

Holistic agriculture is intelligent agriculture. Wisdom is always mindful of the situation on the ground. For growers, it is also mindful of the situation underground. Unless we want to be at war with life on earth, we should be on the lookout for ways to complement it rather than compete with it.

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When I first read about KickStart International’s Money Maker Hip Pump. The dance floor chant “Shake your money maker” immediately came to my adolescent mind. Although, once I got beyond the amusing imagery, I soon realized just how important a human powered pump would be to a farmer trying to scratch out a living in certain parts of the world.

The Berlin Air Lift style food drops that were once seen as the best way to alleviate poverty have since been replaced with missions that are more nuanced. Well intentioned efforts to make lots of food available quickly are now seen as a way to instantly ruin the market for the local farmer. True sustainability is dependent upon a deep understanding of the dynamics on the ground.

As a non-profit social enterprise, KickStart International is on a mission to lift millions of people out of poverty quickly, cost-effectively, and sustainably. If, as a farmer, you were engaged in what often amounts to puddle management and trying to move limited amounts of water to irrigate your field, you would appreciate the value of a ten pound pump that can move water to a height of 46 feet or 14 meters. If the Money Maker can spray 10 gallons per minute to cover 1.25 acres per day in the field, imagine what you could do within a hoop house, with hydroponics, or with irrigation that’s even more targeted.

The founders of KickStart International determined that the number one need of the poor is a way to make more money and that, with income security, individuals would prioritize and address their remaining needs for themselves. They saw that an estimated 20 million small-scale farmers in Africa have access to sufficient renewable water resources on their farms. They also possess an untapped entrepreneurial drive that often characterizes many of the the world’s poorest people.

Dr. Martin Fisher and Nick Moon sought ways to harness this potential for massive change and to help struggling farmers turn a profit. Such profitable businesses could then generate food and income year-round. KickStart’s vision of success is to take millions of people out of poverty sustainably, and in doing so, to change the way the world fights poverty.

By relying on the rain, sub-Saharan African nations get only 1-2 harvests per year. 1 in 9 children die before the age of five. 165 million children under 5 suffer from stunted growth due to poor nutrition during their first 1,000 days of life. When the 1-2 harvests occur in sync, the entire region cycles between abundance and scarcity. When a whole nation is planting and harvesting at the same time, farming families all end up attempting to sell their crops in over-saturated markets for low prices where supply is high, but demand is low.

KickStart says that up to 65% of the food grown in the rainy season spoils before it is eaten or sold. Then, just months later, when the rain stops, farming families are left without an income and nothing to eat. Only 4% of farmland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated. Unless this changes, farmers are unable to escape from their dependence on the unreliable rains and crops. Irrigation pumps are an essential tool that can help break the vicious cycle of subsistence farming while lifting millions out of poverty.

When farmers can make their own rain, when they can effectively access water resources such as wells, ponds, rivers, and streams, they can grow high-value crops throughout the year. A transition from the whims of nature to irrigated farming has far-reaching implications with respect to sustainability. To this end,, KickStart is engaged in supporting and promoting small-scale irrigation across Africa.

According to Fisher and Moon, “The poor are extremely hardworking and entrepreneurial – they must be just to survive. They don’t want or need to be rescued. They want an opportunity to create a better life for their families. When you look past the poverty, you see abilities, resources, and desires.”

KickStart is a business looking to expand its partnership-based pump distribution model in 16 target countries in Africa. It works with NGOs, government agencies, and corporations to help promote irrigation products to their own networks of small-scale farmers. The Innovations Hub in Kenya, will help the enterprise form partnerships to develop and test high impact irrigation systems that will help millions of additional farmers to irrigate.

Within EAST AFRICA, the team maintains an innovations hub. It is also focused on Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, and Rwanda. In SOUTHERN AFRICA, they are engaged in Zambia, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. In WEST AFRICA you will find KickStarter pumps in Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.

KickStart estimates that the sale of 270,000 additional pumps will lift 1 million more people out of poverty. The company sees its initiative as transformative, one in which people will increase their income by 400% on average. In parts of Africa, this can mean families will be able to send their children to school and afford medical care.

Tooling Up for Hydroponics

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If you could measure the quality as well as the quantity of natural light entering your greenhouse or growing dome, you could supplement with the kind and amount of artificial light needed for optimal plant growth. The colors preferred by plants for rooting, stemming, branching, leafing, flowering and seeding vary just as they do for the temperature, atmospheric pressure, gas envelope, hormonal balance, and nutrient complement.

While there are many moderately priced systems for measuring the amount of light, measuring spectral quality has long been elusive for hobbyists and start-up entrepreneurs. Low cost, Internet of Things computers such as the Nucleo, GeekCreit, BeagleBone, Seeed Studio, AdaFruit, DFRobot, Elegoo, Raspberry-Pi, Arduino, SparkFun, and SoraCom can serve data loggers using a wide variety of sensors. They can communicate via cellular services, WiFi, or hard-wired home scaled networks. They can be polled by a more robust system capable of doing the required analysis and effecting some action such as running artificial lighting systems for remediation or compensation for any shortfalls in the natural lighting.

Sensors have been the most cost-prohibitive components since the cost of networks and the polling computer are typically shared with that of other applications. When one’s approach to gardening technique is characterized by a pinch of this and a dash of that, light balancing has long been relegated to the category of mystic art. Control has been determined by a simple clock.

Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) plays an active role in your cultivation efforts while also controlling forest carbon and water quality. Research quality PAR sensors, that are calibrated to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) specifications, are expensive. There are however, ways to beat the $300 – $1200 cost of a laboratory quality sensor. The focus for this little monoscussion is on just how the most expensive and the cheapest sensors can be calibrated to some standard using a simple setup.

When that standard is informed by your experience as a grower together with the natural light that enters the growing chamber, your analysis will more likely be based upon your observations and supported by the logged data. Your decisions will be along the lines of “I want more of this and less of that.” When you start measuring the relative progress of plants adjacent to the North, East, South, and West windows, your standard will evolve as you try to give your plants the agricultural equivalent of personalized medicine.

Standardizing your own PAR sensors can be achieved by simply measuring the light reflected off of a white surface from a light source where consistency can be assured from one test to the next. You have a choice between balancing the output of sensors subjected to this reflected white light without filters, or measuring through color filters. The essential point is that whatever you do, do it the same way next time. Measuring at multiple windows within the same greenhouse, or from a few windows across a widely distributed group of greenhouses, calibrating the measurement systems prior to deployment will give you reliable, actionable intelligence. 

As for the sensors themselves, they may be the kind that output a variable current or a variable frequency. Simple LEDs can convert light energy to electrical energy just as they can convert electrical energy to light. All of the sensors can be placed behind precision photographic filters to divide the whole white light into bands for measuring either the red-green-blue or cyan-magenta-yellow components of whole light. These additive and subtractive primaries are used extensively in scientific, photographic, and video-graphic applications so the consistency within a particular brand of filter is reliable.

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is defined as light with wavelengths between 400–700 nanometers. As one might expect, PAR has high spatial variability, especially in rugged terrain that features some combination of forested, cleared, and developed areas. Other variables include the accuracy and stability of the sensor array. The less expensive sensors tend to exhibit less consistency at low PAR levels.

As a grower, the low light levels may not be of serious concern as you are less likely to be troubled about the plants getting more than enough light. Then again, the cost of running artificial light to compensate, where no compensation is required, may justify a closer look or more expensive sensors in a large scale system.

A simple and inexpensive device for logging photosynthetically active radiation is well within reach for most growers. Complementing that measurement effort with a system capable of running artificial lighting at just the right color and for just the right time is also doable. Reverse engineering comprehensive systems to achieve modularity will make it possible to swap out components such as sensors, signal converters and amplifiers, micro-computers, and code as needed.

Evolving such a system can be rewarding personally and financially, as well as gastronomically.

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Television networks have worked continuously to maximize their return on investment by making spectator sports more exciting. For example, I once heard a proposal about how NASCAR races could be more compelling by putting the beer stand in the middle of the track. “Now that would be a sport!” said one producer. News organizations have long operated in accordance with the same doctrine “If it bleeds it leads.” They’ve been pushing the fine line between news and entertainment for a long, long time. One of the initiation rituals is to put young, low seniority reporters downtown to describe an incoming hurricane.

As they stand, waiting to be decapitated by a flying stop sign, they often struggle to be heard above the wind as it messes with the big furry microphone they’re holding. The synthetic fur cover you often see on a microphone is referred to as a “dead cat” or “wind muff” by TV news crews. Experience hath shewn the funny looking covers can actually help to reduce the amount of wind noise that gets broadcast or recorded. One time, when I was tilting at windmills on a calm day, it occurred to me that I was missing the glorious battle. While windmills are ferocious noisemakers, they are highly efficient energy generators because of the wind. 

In recent decades some engineers, after spending years trying to protect microphones from the effects of wind while recording on location, have finally decided to just go with the flow. Among them are those who investigated the possibility of using microphones to charge batteries from noise. While the idea behind microphones has always been to capture intelligible sound, what if they could be used to produce electrical energy from brute force noisemakers like a Boeing 747? Such experiments are ongoing.

They’ve considered numerous ways of converting otherwise wasted energy into useful energy. They measured the noise produced by aircraft, elevated trains, industrial plants, auto horns, jazz bands, trucks, quiet conversations, and enraged spouses. The’ve imagined fences running along the side of busy highways where over 20,000 cars would pass by daily, all of them generating sound. They mused about giant puppy mills with thousands upon thousands of puppies, all hooked up to microphones, with a few cats wandering around outside the cages.

All of these schemes had just one drawback. There isn’t enough energy in the sound to make it worth-while. Think about it. We have little tiny, highly sensitive eardrums. It doesn’t take much to move them. Even very loud sounds, while perceived as big, are only a tiny vibration within our ears. Big noises only sound loud to us because we have evolved very sensitive auditory systems. We can’t harvest large amounts of energy from sound if it just ain’t there.

What if, instead, we take another look at our perceived enemy. Not just the noisy windmills but the wind that drives them. A well designed microphone that is sensitive enough to respond to acoustical energy would also resonate with the wind. Air is always on the move and some combination of upslope anabatic current and downslope katabatic current is always present. It may not be thought of as wind. It may not be enough to move a windmill. But it is likely to contain more energy than sound.

Breezes that are visible as they move across the grass and leaves that flutter when all seems calm, are indications of atmospheric turbulence that can be harvested. While a pressure wave and a mass flow wave may be associated with an acoustic wave, they may have potential beyond that of the acoustic wave. A microphone is simply a transducer between air current and electrical current. While it may be, and usually is, tuned for intelligible sound, it doesn’t have to be. It can also be optimized to respond to tiny convection currents and built to withstand powerful gusts.

An array of microphones installed on a slope or in windy places can perform like a windmill with little environmental impact, posing no threat to birds, and at very low cost. Aggregating the small about of electricity produced by each individual mic could be achieved as many small capacitors give up their charge to a larger one. Several of those burst to an even larger one and so on until they top off a battery somewhere.

Does it sound complicated? Yes. Is it more complicated than your 4k flat panel TV? Certainly not! Is the array of crystals in your TV the same as an array of crystal microphones? No. But, there are similarities when it comes to getting those boys in line to work in synchrony if not idiosyncratically.

The ultimate success of failure of micro-wind technology, as a means to harvest energy, is largely dependent upon the way such systems are configured. Installing individual microphones on a slope should require no more skill than installing low-voltage landscape lighting. A roof covered with photo-voltaic panels on parts that are illuminated by the sun, would look far less kludgy if they could also be covered by resonant panels on the parts that are shaded. Light sensitive shingles and wall panels could be complemented by vibration sensitive panels that are identical in outward appearance.

The technology that must be leveraged to make electricity from blades, leaves, or panels that are responsive to weak convection currents while, at the same time, able to survive being slammed by a rogue rain drop, is well within our grasp.

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The romantic era poet George Byron wrote “The dust we tread upon was once alive.” Such contemplative reflection, over the interaction humans have with the environment, continues today in the evolving intellectual disciplines of science, philosophy, and religion.

Those that would have us believe that liquid is gas and that solar energy is “alternative” have long been packaging ideas for those they assume lack critical thinking skills. All of the physical energy that we can leverage while on earth traces its roots to that blazing orb at the center of our solar system. While the taming of fire is considered one of the cornerstones of civilization, any use of it today is seen, by some, as clear evidence we be bad!

While composting is considered an environmentally responsible thing to do, the methane rising from your open air compost heap has a “100-year global warming potential 25 times that of CO_2,” and, “measured over a 20-year period, methane is 84 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO₂” according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Methane that is released directly into the atmosphere is harmful to the environment, for it quickly rises to the top where it remains for about 8 years until it is reduced, through oxidation into carbon dioxide and water.

As the main component in natural gas, that methane produced from non-fossil sources such as green waste can, when burned under the right circumstances, reduce such harmful environmental impacts. The advantages of using methane to produce heat at ground level has environmental benefits as compared to letting it absorb infrared radiation from the sun at high altitude. Whether you are trapping methane from the compost to run an internal combustion engine, burning it to send supplemental heat to your home or greenhouse, or simply accenting your backyard with continuously burning tiki torches, you are helping to mitigate further damage to our shared air envelope.

Methane is lighter than air, so redirecting the gas can be as simple as laying a perforated pipe on top of the compost pile with a tarp above that. There is usually no need to worry about gas escaping from beneath the lower edges of the tarp as long as the gas is being pulled from the top of the mound fast enough. Pulling it too fast has little benefit as methane is not usually stored in tanks. This is because the symmetry of its molecule makes it hard to liquify. One could, theoretically, store methane in a tank in a gaseous state. In such a case it would then have such low density it’s unlikely you could, in all practicality, store a usable amount.

There is, however, an advanced science related to composting that fulfills the entire wish list as it relates to biogas production, storage and use. It also introduces greater efficiencies with respect to the traditional use of compost dating back to at least the times of ancient Rome, and as it was practiced by George Washington. While the soil amendment benefits are well understood, optimizing the process through what is now termed anaerobic digestion has become an exciting field of study for hobbyists and other problem solvers.

At the head end of a digester is some combination of kitchen disposals, leaf shredders, mulching mowers, and wood chippers,. These grinders effectively chew the food that is then dropped into the artificial stomach where digestion is aided by means of the probiotics that support the composting equivalent of gut flora. The microbes contained in what gardeners think of as compost activators will do the real work of generating a valuable gas while also producing the finest of soils.

The entire biological waste stream can be processed through anaerobic digesters, although human waste is usually dealt with separately to provide an extra layer of protection against the spread of human pathogens. The digesters themselves can, for the most part, operate passively depending largely upon the activities of a variety of microbes. The process can be enhanced with some combination of stirrers, turners, and blowers. Effective storage of biogas can be achieved through the use of balloons within, or a floating rooftop upon, the digestion chamber. Such expanding storage systems can also serve to pressurize the gas line as it feeds cooking, heating, and electrical generation systems.

As with any composting effort, having a variety of materials in the mix will insure success with the fermentation process while yielding the highest quality gas and soil. The process can be optimized through any combination of wet or dry, batch or continuous, thermophilic or mesophilic, and one stage or multi-stage systems. 

Whatever you decide about how you design your system, success ultimately depends upon keeping your cute little pet microbes happy. The good news is that, whether you decide to feed them from a long neglected pile of munchies from your lawnmower or by means of the advanced cooking methods we’ve described, we can assure you, they’re not picky eaters.

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Sometimes we are truly thankful for each day we manage to stay on top of the ground. If we lived a few thousand years ago, in or near the desert, we might prefer to get out of the hot sun by working underground. Digging tunnels that carried water from place to place would be like working in air conditioned comfort. Now the ancient me is thinking: “The longer I make the tunnel, the longer this cushy job will last!

Conserving water is one thing we’re forced to think about during a drought. And, sometimes it helps to consider the extremes when we’re searching for sustainable solutions. For example, there are golf courses on the Arabian Peninsula where the sprinkler system uses several times the usual amount of water, so that at least some of it will hit the ground before it evaporates. Yet, in ancient Ninevah and Babylon, there were pockets of innovation that produced aqueducts, various water elevators, and the earliest examples of that water culture we’ve come to know as hydroponics.

When I first moved to Western North Carolina, an auto mechanic told me about an area farmer that had two pastures for his cows. There was a small stream that divided the farm. The farmer had built a bridge for the cows to cross the stream between the two grazing areas. The bridge had a slight wobble. Not enough to spook the cows mind you, but just enough of a see-saw motion to drive a small pump so the cows would have fresh water in the appropriate trough.

With a global p[opulation of almost eight billion, getting water to where it’s needed, without wasting any along the way, is now more important than ever. That’s also how we save money. In the garden and across the farm, water and nutrients can be precisely directed just as they are in a greenhouse. We may not derive all the benefits of a controlled environment, such as having most of the water drain back into a reservoir with minimal loss due to evaporation. We can, however, use micro-irrigation techniques to save on most of the inputs.

By delivering plain water or nutrient solutions to the desirable vegetation with minimal overspray, we’re feeding our crops or ornamentals and not the weeds. The next time you think “Oh my aching back,” let this be a reminder that you will be saving far more than just money. Even so, the money is important and you will love the fact that micro-irrigation is dirt cheap. Little tiny drips and sprays delivered through little tiny tubes and driven by little tiny pumps make for a system that’s cheap to implement, cheap to maintain, and cheap to use. That is, when you compare it to the cost of the big stuff.

Usually, when you bury water pipes, you have to get them below the frost line. Micro irrigation systems can be configured to drain completely when the pressure is off. This means you can simply leave them on top of the ground or cover them with a layer of mulch. Of course there’s always the occasional oops factor to be considered. So when you do need to replace a line, you’ll be thankful that it’s not buried two feet deep.

Cutting in a new irrigation line can be achieved with little barbs that are simply pushed into the end of, or a hole in the side of, an existing line. A complete system can have any combination of sprayers, drippers, and soakers. These can simply be sized, so that the correct amount of solution is delivered without the need for expensive, high maintenance regulators.

While closed circuit irrigation systems are largely confined to the greenhouse, micro-irrigation can be adapted to field farming, the backyard garden, and the container systems in and around our homes and offices. And, if we design these systems correctly, we could recover much of the runoff.

In the decades to come, we will face an even greater variety of sustainability challenges. For example, unless something changes, in order to feed the people expected to occupy the planet by 2050, we would need to add an area the size of Brazil to that already used for food production. It simply begs the question: “After clear-cutting Africa, what would we then do for breathable oxygen?”

In all practicality, the changes we need to make can be painful, or we can view them as stimulating challenges. The more we understand the advantages of these new irrigation techniques, the more exciting the future of plant cultivation becomes. Not changing can be more costly than re-tooling, especially in light of the savings that can be realized on all fronts, in perpetuity. After all, who’s opposed to saving on labor, pesticides, fertilizer, and water in a way that yields healthier gardens and crops together with greater peace of mind.

If we borrow the best from the techniques commonly used within growing domes, greenhouses, and vertical farms, we can augment the knowledge gained through square foot gardening and apply it to square inch gardening. We will, for the first time in a long time, know what we’re eating. We will be positioned to better withstand drought conditions. We will mitigate soil depletion, excessive warming, and undesirable changes to our air envelope. And, for the control freaks among us, we will have even greater control.

Tooling Up for Hydroponics

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I recall reading a certain Superman comic-book story in my youth. Our hero was having more than a few bad days. On one of them, he had built and gifted a high-tech solar array to Metropolis. It was reflecting sunlight into, what would otherwise be, shadowy places. Unfortunately, the concentrated sunlight was also causing major fires. As you might imagine, Superman had a PR problem as the city was responding with hostility rather than kudos.

This story came to mind when I first read about a device for tracking the sun that was featured in a KickStarter campaign about eight years ago. The SunnyBot, as it was named then, was a sun-tracker that provided a way to reflect light on a fixed point of the user’s choosing. In other words, what amounted to a motorized mirror, could be used to focus the light on a crystal chandelier, to create a rainbow effect all day long. 

Having grown up, to the extent I grew up, as part of a patent office family in the burbs of Washington, DC, I remember thinking: “There’s nothing really protectable here.” The motor base was basically of the same type that was used decades before to track, center, and image stars through long exposure photography. Then, when someone decided it would be useful to follow our own sun across the sky with solar panels, the same basic techniques were used.

The thing that was unique about the SunnyBot, was that the user could effectively dial-in the reflection angle, and have that angle continuously recalculated as the primary mirror moves, and as the reflector target remains fixed. Most of the comments I read, prior to cancellation of the KickStarter campaign, related almost exclusively to hobbyist or novelty uses such as the one involving the chandelier.

Even though I failed to see a viable and protectable business model, I was really disappointed when the developers seemed to give up on the project. To me, the promise for such a device was in feeding the world without having to destroy more forests. The idea, that one could set a robot controlled mirror on a pole in a clearing and beam a shaft of light under the forest canopy, to a growing dome or greenhouse, thrilled me.

While the original SunnyBot was largely built upon ‘prior art,’ it was also marketed lousy. The highest and best value proposition for such a device was not pretty rainbows on dining room walls. It is rather, increasing the kind of photosynthesis that is used to produce your Impossible Burger.

For those that object to the way large agri-business concerns operate, for those concerned about the lack of transparency with respect to what’s actually in our food, having a growing dome over the kitchen would be a dream come true. And, having just the right combination of shade from deciduous trees and light precisely directed from the clearings, is now more realistic than ever before. For safety, the mirror system could even be detuned by means of pneumatics or hydraulics should the electricity fail. Got that Superman?

To round out such a vision, a rotating clock wheel type gantry system would insure the plants within the dome each received an appropriate share of available natural light. Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) sensors on the dome could be monitored by an inexpensive Arduino or Raspberry Pie computer. That computer could log the intensity and wavelength of the light entering through the window and then calculate the precise amount and color of any artificial light needed to support optimal plant growth.

The software that would control the mirrors, as well as that needed to measure and control the light within the dome, could be developed and maintained within the public domain to insure the maximum benefit to a great humanity. The scripts necessary, to produce the required mechanical parts with 3D printers, could also be made available royalty free. All of the things necessary, to insure world wide food security though a system that reflects the design criteria that then insures there will be “no single point of potential failure,” are well within our grasp.

Precisely directed illumination complemented by customized gantry systems are in use today in vertical farms located within, or at the edge of, major cities. These futuristic farms also make extensive use of hydroponics techniques that include micro-irrigation, specialized nutrient solutions, and optimized gas envelopes. But once the cities become dependent upon these large farms and the cross country trucking is winding down, a pathogen introduced intentionally or accidentally could take out a big part of the food supply for an entire city.

The no single point of potential failure doctrine will ultimately drive the movement towards produce department sized growing domes as well as the home scaled growing dome. When the oops factor presents itself, as it undoubtedly will, we would have options. I’m excited about building a growing dome over my kitchen. Even so, I’ve experienced more than my share of senior moments lately and will likely make some mistakes. Sooo neighbor, don’t be surprised if I knock on your door and ask to borrow a tomato.

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Full Transcript:

The home is the crowning achievement of human kind. Genuine science, philosophy and religion each recognize the home as the reward for progress, the capstone of an evolutionary struggle. Accordingly, the TLC broadcast is about The Living Crown as well as the Tender Loving Carethat is brought to bear for enhancing this, the most basic institution of human progress. The unique artistry that involves, living on the canvas, presents stimulating challenges as humanity’s masterpiece continues to take form.

Civilization’s most useful creation is certainly worthy of our attention. Here we will spend six minutes each week to focus on evolving science, best practices, and continuous improvements while we work to make our homes into a perfect fit. We will work to develop a better understanding of the close relationship between the enduring value of a stable home environment and the homestead as nurturing infrastructure. In also considering what is often described as housing security, we can clearly see how the home has become society’s true foundation.

We feature innovators sooo, whether you are Harry homeowner or Sally homesteader this program is for you. If you are a maker, a do-it-yourselfer, or a supervising project manager, you will gain valuable insights from experienced builders, contractors, manufacturers, and inventors. Rest assured, we’re not selling perpetual motion machines, although we are providing tips on just how you can tap into the full energy potential for your abode. We will borrow the best from gardeners and homesteaders around the globe to create more food and energy independence.

From that funky collection of batteries in the basement to the growing dome above the kitchen, we intend to cover it all. Through our discussion of in-law suites, granny pods, raised gardens, safe-rooms, stand-alone cabins, automated greenhouses, and even emergency shelters, we will likely gain new insights, on how to best apply the lessons learned, to enhance and sustain our individual modes of living. We will also consider a wide variety of enterprise class projects that can be home scaled.

Our series of conversations will revisit the victory garden as we leverage the technology of our day to produce the healthiest food possible, in abundance. We will learn about closed circuit and micro-irrigation systems. And, we will examine many of the other little things, within the home, that have such an outsized influence on our lives. This program is about entrepreneurial spirit and enjoying the journey as well as the destination.

If you are in a house that feels more like a strife-torn debtor’s prison than a home, we’ll help you to improve it, reduce the cost of running it, or plan your escape with a graceful transition. As you chart the path out of any hole you might have dug for yourself, you’ll hear from others that have been there, done that and about how they got on top of the situation. Perhaps you’re looking for ways to cut or shrink the public umbilical. We’ll talk about highly efficient appliances, versatile energy storage systems, and a wide array of high output home-scaled generators running on plentiful renewable resources.

Tiny homes, RVs, and vehicle conversion projects are gaining more attention as people, from all walks of life, are downsizing while they think about retirement, because they want to free up resources for other passions, or in response to the brutal economics associated with the 2020 pandemic. In such an environment, having a place for everything and everything in its place is important for maintaining our sanity. Even if we live in traditional homes, we can leverage the experience of those living with a minimalist foot print.

Maybe you are starting a home-based business. Maybe you already have one and have a hard time getting away from it for personal time. Our guests will tell you how you can stay ahead so you don’t lose your head. Whether you see the home as base camp or as your headquarters, you can borrow the best from innovators, experimenters, makers, and builders that are enthusiastic about optimizing within a home that supports that quest.

The practical application of lessons learned with respect to our basic sustenance, shelter, and strivings are key to finding and sharing solutions for feeding, sheltering, and supporting the people of the world in a sustainable way. We’ll learn from the work-a-rounds people do when they don’t have many of the things we take for granted.

Sooo, lend us your ear for six minutes each week and we’ll make it worth your while. Embrace the values affirmed here and you will be an integral part within a vibrantly alive culture of benevolence. Share what you learn here and you will be helping to take our planet from one level of true attainment to the next. Subscribe to this program at www.TheLivingCrown.org and, while you’re there, do a deep dive into some of the subject matter. You will also be giving voice to people who are sharing their love as they refine their craft.