"Sardex, an Italian fintech, created a mutual credit system where businesses exchange goods and services without cash.
This trust-based network has strengthened the local economy and inspired similar models across Italy."
📰 https://positivenewsfoundation.org/video/italys-fintech-innovation-transforming-business-with-sardex/ 📺 https://youtu.be/eeB2tsS6xpM
That's great!
Yes! I would have never thought of that, but you are absolutely right.
That's true, it might be a location dependent thing! Here, where it can reach -40c, they are very important(you can get frostbite in under 10min), but elsewhere they might not be important hardly at all.
That would be great! No wet bikes!
Yes!! I've stood at bus stop when it's -30c (-22 f ?) and I don't wish it on anyone.
I started this discussion on mastodon, but want to here too. If you could create the perfect bus stop, what would it have? Here are some of my ideas:
⛑ Safety:
♿ Accessibility:
🚲Other:
Do you have more ideas?
Edit: realized the photo i added is ai, but i can't seem to get rid of it so 🤷♀️
Parts of Sweden use District Heating (heat for everyone comes from the same source), and one location is filling caves with hot water to create a giant network of thermal batteries.
Unused energy in the summer is used to heat the boilers, which can be used to heat the city in the winter.
Somewhere below the Swedish city of Västerås, there's a big man-made cave. During the Cold War, it was used to store oil. But the local energy company decided to clean it, pump it full of water and heat it up. Here's why they did that.
Just a guess here, but it could be one part being in an air-tight sealed container, and one part being stored in a cool location. The porous nature of clay might also be an advantage somehow too.
I’m not American, but for basic essentials, creating an online local network seems like a good idea to me. You could use it to share free clothes, food, seeds, and so on, and perhaps help run or boost local projects. The rich absolutely hate trading or gifting, so that makes it even better.
I think a huge one is also encouraging friends and family onto platforms and apps/programs that don’t sell your data. That way, you have a safe place to chat and organize without the government watching and collecting info, and without algorithms trying to bury movements.
Use trusted encrypted platforms for important chats.
Sorry it took me so long to respond! I haven't been feeling well. If you feel like sharing any pictures (no pressure though) that would be great!
Sorry! I have dyscalculia, so I'll admit I didn't try to analyze the numbers at all. I can delete the post
Thanks! I'll add that (also sorry the reply took so long. I haven't been feeling well).
Thanks for your input! That is super good to know. I won't try their suggestion haha
"Indoor plants not only add a touch of greenery to your living space but also purify the air and boost your mood. While traditional soil-based planting is popular, growing plants in water, known as hydroponics, is gaining traction due to its simplicity and aesthetic appeal. In this guide, we’ll explore which indoor plants can be grown in water, how to care for them, and other useful tips for successful hydroponic gardening."
“These two directions require different properties for cool walls,” says Qilong Cheng, a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University who worked on the study as a graduate student at Columbia University. “So we have this two-surface zigzag design, with one surface facing the sky and the other facing the ground.”
The angles, looking a little like the sawtooth roofs of factory rooms, can shave 5.5° Fahrenheit off average indoor temperatures.
Radiation coming up from the ground is reduced or deflected by one material, while heat from the sun is reflected with ultra-white paint.
100% wool dryer balls are growing in popularity to the point where I have even seen them at my local dollar store, and for good reason. They can save you money in laundry costs.
If you are someone who uses dryer sheets, these wool balls are a great alternative that removes static from your clothes and can decrease drying time by around 30-50%. So, you save money by not having to buy dryer sheets, as well as on electricity. All you do is toss them into the dryer with your clothes!
"Per Toner, “Dryer balls excel in reducing drying time due to their ability to create space between clothes. This separation facilitates better air circulation, leading to faster drying and potential energy savings.” | bobvila
I have had mine for many many years now, and they are still in great shape. When or if they do ever break down to the point of being unable to use, the wool is biodegradable.
Just make sure that what you buy is 100% wool. If you are crafty (and have access to wool) you can also make your own fairly easily.
Keeping a lid on your carbon footprint doesn’t stop with your last breath. Your choice of funeral can have a significant environmental impact. In a recent report by the US-based National Funeral Directors Association, 60.5% of those surveyed expressed their interest in greener options including resomation (water cremation) human composting and natural burials.
https://www.positive.news/society/eco-concerns-prompt-green-funeral-options/
I debated for a while on if I should post this or not (rather morbid, I know) but I think it's an important thing to think about.
Did you know that simply digging a slight ditch can completely change the health of a landscape?
In modern landscaping, any sort of hole or ditch is considered a “dangerous tripping hazard,” “unsightly,” or “a waste of space,” so everything is smoothed out. If you go to most cities and farms, the only non-flat places are designed to carry water away from cities, rather than hold onto it.
This thought process can not only increase overland flooding and wash away topsoil, but it also gives water no place to sit and be absorbed into the soil. Without any water capture gradually trickling into the soil and creating an underground reservoir, the landscape becomes less drought resistant and more susceptible to wildfires.
The permaculture techniques to correct this have many names and methods, including:
They might be different shapes and use slightly different methods, but they all do all work the same on a basic level. The idea is to dig or build a shape that will slowdown and/or catch some of the movement of water. This can make the soil more absorbent (dry and hardened soil does not absorb water as easily) which promotes healthy microbiome of the soil.
Even if the water dries out visibly during the dry season, underground, they could be making a huge difference.
It is not new science, but instead something many cultures around the world have a long history with, but many modern farming practices(mostly to make it farming machine friendly) and development flatten everything out. If people changed this point of view, it could change our landscapes.
In cities, they look like a slight ditch in front of a house, or a creek in a greenspace.
(Image Sources: Image 1 | Image 2)
For other landscapes, it could be just slight indents in un-farmable areas, or ditches dug around farm perimeters.
They do not have to be very deep, and often do not need any fancy equipment to dig(most just take a shovel), but they can do amazing things.
In the process of reversing landscape desertification, it is proving drastically helpful. As the underground water reserves build, so does the vegetation.
(Image Source: Just Dig It. An example of demi-lunes / half-moons)
More Info:
Good point! I have seen them outside of university buildings here, but that's it