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Aug 2022
10:50pm, 7 Aug 2022
5,124 posts
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run free
Btw fizzy if our population of 68 million all practised good water conservation, wouldn’t that be a good start?
As for yr insulation question, what material are you considering to use? Have you checked the R-value? Do you want the product to break down naturally? Have you checked it’s toxicity? (Some -like furniture -contain toxic fire retardant chemicals). If you want to decrease the thickness of your loft insulation, you can look at the hard insulation that the builders favour. You can also insulate the rafters. As well as your roof space do you have a cavity wall and have you considered insulating that? At the same time with all that insulation remember yr house has to also breathe so you might find you have to add a ventilation system. Just some thoughts back to you.
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Aug 2022
12:05am, 8 Aug 2022
91,681 posts
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Hanneke
RF I can't dig at the moment, because the soil has a crust but I now have the first collecting tank of the system in place. Before we have rain, another 2 weeks it seems at least, I hope to have constructed an overflow system that runs from a tap, fitted into a hole drilled at the top into a short length of hose into blue water pipe into a length of guttering stuck into my herb labyrinth. That should do until I can lift turf, dig, put pipe in, put turf back, after we have had some decent rain.
Interestingly though, I was pulling out, after collecting seed, spent annuals and biannuals and the soil was cool and moist underneath. Agroforestry really works! I haven't watered at all! At the back, where I have a more structured food forest things look decidedly lush even though we haven't had rain in months!
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Aug 2022
12:08am, 8 Aug 2022
91,682 posts
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Hanneke
I am also still considering the 2000 litre cattle trough in the food forest that will have to fill itself with rain over winter.
I have had to water the pond plants again as water levels have dropped below the marginal shelf. Pain, as I am carrying watering cans over 100 metres!
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Aug 2022
10:29am, 8 Aug 2022
43,222 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
I wanted to say something about "big" actions vs. "small". I'm using inverted commas, because I don't know myself what I mean by this!
A. Some people are making no changes personally, and want to vote for no changes, either because they don't believe climate change is happening, don't care or somehow feel it doesn't affect them, or not enough to want or need to change their life.
B. Some people are doing everything - making their own changes across all of their life, campaigning and urging others to do so, obviously voting for those changes, even if it is in some ways detrimental to their own short term comforts.
C. Most of us are somewhere in between!
I don't have an answer to this, but obviously those in B will be trying to move those in A towards C (or even B!) But hopefully not at the expense of turning off those in C who are doing more than A but less than B!
I'm sure there are academic studies out there about "climate change fatigue" and stuff like that. I think it is a thing.
Just a thought, and an observation, and possibly a concern, but not a criticism.
Well done the Bs, from a C!  G
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Aug 2022
10:35am, 8 Aug 2022
5,126 posts
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run free
😀g Maybe B should be A and A should be C?
Hanneke its amazing what you’re doing. Also the 100m can carry sounds like an excellent work out 💪
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Aug 2022
10:36am, 8 Aug 2022
5,127 posts
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run free
Also fizzy was autocorrect! Should be Fozzy
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Aug 2022
10:37am, 8 Aug 2022
43,223 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Oh and another point was again another thing that I don't the answer to - the impact of
i. gov't enforced change,
ii. industry change (which often doesn't happen unless gov'ts enforce it through laws, incentives, policies etc.), and
iii. individual change.
Which is most important? Bs will say "all of it, and yesterday". Which I understand from a climate science point of view. But from a human psychology and political reality point of view might not be the right answer. As might be wrong, but they are also (in most countries) citizens with democratic rights to vote and to choose. And consumers with money and agency (for or against).
If i. and ii. are significantly greater than iii. (and I don't know if that is true or not), then should we not focus on those?
Anyone got any stats / facts on the above? Thanks. G
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Aug 2022
1:27pm, 8 Aug 2022
91,691 posts
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Hanneke
RF I wore a Garmin the other day in my garden and I covered 11.8 kms in an average day! The water carrying is a bit epic... 6 journeys laat night before my arms gave up. I am getting stronger!
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Aug 2022
2:05pm, 8 Aug 2022
5,128 posts
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run free
Hanneke - Epic! Hope you're adding gardening as part of training in your profile. Wanna see your bi/tri ceps
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Aug 2022
4:03pm, 8 Aug 2022
5,129 posts
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run free
Incidentally, have noted on my EPC that my ASHP (Air Source Heat Pump) downgraded my EPC because it runs on electric..... even though I have solar panels. It does recommend that I install a solar water heating system to get it back up to a C.
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