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Tag Archives: TOBIAS ROBERTS
A Primer on Creating Soil
A PRIMER ON CREATING SOIL Good agriculture depends on good soil. The problem over the past 10,000 years of our human attempt to live off the land (and especially during the last sixty years or so), is that crops take nutrients from the soil, and without proper husbandry, soil fertility will deplete. The “pseudo-solution” offered […]
The New Surburbanism
THE NEW SUBURBANISM Many people in industrial societies live in the suburbs which are really neither city nor country living. Many people have openly criticized the suburban way of life as the apex of consumer lifestyle highly dependent on fossil fuel input. Suburban life is a sort of pseudo-rural life where affluent middle and upper-class […]
Questioning the Growth Economy
QUESTIONING THE GROWTH ECONOMY If you have ever driven through rural Kentucky or Ohio or Pennsylvania, chances are you have run across a horse drawn carriage with a group of people who appear to have emerged from the 1700´s. Many Amish and Mennonite communities still ardently and stubbornly maintain a pre-technological and pre-industrial lifestyle despite […]
What Defines Appropriate Technology?
WHAT DEFINES APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY? OUR CURRENT ADDICTION TO TECHNOLOGY If there is one defining aspect of our modern civilization it´s that we are a technological species. Compared to other organisms with whom we share this planet, we Homo sapiens aren´t exactly well adapted to long term survival. We have no coat of fur to keep […]
Tree Crops
TREE CROPS For thousands of years, farmers have generally differentiated forestry and agriculture. Forests were either left alone or planted and maintained as a source of fuel and building material. In the best of cases, certain trees also offered forage for livestock and other farm animals. The farm fields were generally kept clear of any […]
The Best Perennial Vegetables
THE BEST PERENNIAL VEGETABLES One of the tasks that I most dislike about the farming life is preparing the raised beds each time I want to plant out a crop of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, or onion. While I do enjoy eating a fresh tomato from my garden, the tedious, repetitive tasks of preparing the garden […]
The Problems With Our Industrial Water System Today
THE PROBLEMS WITH OUR INDUSTRIAL WATER SYSTEM TODAY Imagine that you´re in your home on a rainy afternoon. It has been raining for two days straight now and your front yard is full of puddles. The water is rushing along the drain ways on the side of the road and the local news is talking […]
Cooperation Versus Competition: An Evolutionary Perspective
COOPERATION VERSUS COMPETITION: AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE Charles Darwin is credited for forming the idea of evolution. During his explorations around the world and his intimate observation of how animal and plant life evolved over time, he came to believe that everything followed one basic maxim: “the survival of the fittest.” This theory states that organisms […]
The Revolutionary Civilizational Paradigm Eco Villages
THE REVOLUTIONARY CIVILIZATIONAL PARADIGM ECO VILLAGES The vast majority of people in the world no longer live in any sort of human settlement that could be considered a village. Rather, the increased urbanization of our species and the displacement of rural communities has led to a collection of isolated individuals who have very little relationship […]
The Crises That Have Come With Urbanization
THE CRISES THAT HAVE COME WITH URBANIZATION One of the defining aspects of our current civilization and one of the most worrying trends of modernity is our urbanization as a species. When we take the long view of human history, it becomes obvious that for 99% of our history, we have been a rural people, […]
Turn Your Sink and Shower Water Into An Abundant Oasis
TURN YOUR SINK AND SHOWER WATER INTO AN ABUNDANT OASIS Chances are that you have probably heard of the importance of conserving water. Dozens of governmental and non-governmental organizations have orchestrated campaigns trying to convince the average person to reduce the amount of water that they use. From high-efficiency laundry machines to shower heads that […]
Earth Tubes: A Natural Way to Air Condition Your Home
EARTH TUBES: A NATURAL WAY TO AIR CONDITION YOUR HOME There is nothing nicer than coming inside on a hot, muggy summer day to feel the freshness of an air-conditioned home. Traditional air conditioners, however, are one of the most energy-intensive appliances in our homes. Only a couple feet underneath where you are standing, however, […]
