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Evolutionary selection has been radically relaxed in the human species as a result of the development of civilization, science in general, and medicine in particular. While these advances have hugely benefited current populations, they have to a significant degree released the species from the biological process which created it and maintains its viability. Formerly, natural selection took place largely as a result of differential mortality, but now that most people survive well beyond their child bearing years, selection is determined largely by differential fertility. Aside from genetic illnesses, this new selection is also characterized by a negative correlation between fertility and intelligence–the core of eugenic concern for over a century.

Eugenics views itself as the fourth leg of the chair of civilization, the other three being a) a thrifty expenditure of natural resources, b) mitigation of environmental pollution, and c) maintenance of a human population not exceeding the planet’s carrying capacity. Eugenics, which can be thought of as human ecology, is thus part and parcel of the environmental movement. Humanity is defined, not as the totality of the currently living population, but as the number of people who will potentially ever live. This is a book about the struggle for human rights and parental responsibility.

John Glad is a retired professor of Russian studies, having taught at Rutgers University, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa, and the University of Maryland. He is also the former Director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Washington, D.C. A Guggenheim grant recipient, he is the author, editor, or translator of twenty books, some of which have been honored in the American Book Awards. Future Human Evolution is part of his long-standing work on behalf of human rights, in this case of future generations.

It is obtaining the electricity that you use from environmentally-friendly sources. The electricity you use in your home is probably from the National Grid. There are ways of being 'off-grid', for example using a generator, solar pv, wind, hydro, or micro-chp, together with batteries. But the vast majority of people in the UK are connected to the National Grid. And most of the electricity put into the National Grid is 'brown' - from power stations using fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) or nuclear. But now some companies are feeding the National Grid using renewables, for example large wind turbines or hydro-electricity. This is 'green' electricity. Also included in the 'green' category is electricity from companies that use your money to research and build new renewable generation capacity, or to offset carbon by investing in projects to absorb or reduce carbon emissions in some other way.

Two more things that you need to know: Firstly, there are two types of companies involved in providing green electricity – suppliers and generators. Some companies have no electricity generating capacity, but supply the public with electricity that they have purchased from generating companies. Other companies (e.g. Ecotricity) are both suppliers and generators. Ecotricity operate around 25 Megawatts of wind turbine capacity, and also sell direct to the public. Secondly, if you switch to a green electricity supplier, you won't then be able to trace your electricity back to a wind turbine. It simply means that the more people switch, the greater the proportion of green electricity in the National Grid.

what are the benefits?

This is not about home-scale micro-generation from renewables. This is about your contribution to large-scale renewable energy developments, like wind farms, large hydro-electric power schemes, and also wave and tidal power.

There is some opposition to large renewable energy projects, notably wind farms, and we respect people's opinions about the effects of wind turbines on the landscape. We wouldn't want turbines on every hillside, but we think that ultimately, ecology (which after all, supports human life on this planet) is more important than the view. And anything that mitigates the problems below has to be explored. It's too important not to. If you switch to green electricity, you are helping develop large-scale renewable energy projects, which help counter the problems associated with the alternatives - which are:

climate change
There is no 'debate' any more. 99.9% of scientists recognise that climate change is happening, it's dangerous, and it's man-made. The media promote the idea of a debate to sell papers and put bums on seats. There is a direct link between CO2 in the atmosphere and average global temperatures, and CO2 has gone up by about a third since the industrial revolution (and is rising rapidly). You may think this means warmer summers and milder winters (good), but it also means more deserts, melting ice-caps and large-scale coastal flooding, more hurricanes, environmental destruction, famine, and the deaths of millions of people (very bad).

peak oil
Oil is a finite resource, and its use is increasing dramatically. This can only mean one thing – it's not going to be around for much longer. 'Peak' oil means the point of maximum production, after which prices increase and production tails off to (eventually) tiny amounts as we try and find the last drops from currently uneconomical fields. As most of our food (especially in the West) depends on oil for fertilizers, machinery and transport, unless we have alternative energy supplies, or you produce your own food (and manage to hang on to it), you're going to go very hungry.

nuclear power
There's not enough uranium left for nuclear power to take over from fossil fuels for more than a couple of decades. Fast breeder reactors could increase that, but they're not safe; and it's not at all sure that nuclear fusion (what happens inside the sun) can ever be harnessed, or at least in the near future. And there's the question of devastating accidents, and nuclear waste, which is highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years (and we're still discovering Roman ruins from a couple of thousand years ago!). And yet nuclear continues to receive billions in taxpayer subsidies while renewables receive next to nothing.

Who knows, there may be an invention around the corner that will solve these problems, but it's not looking likely, and it's too much of a risk to do nothing.

what can I do?

You can switch to a green electricity supplier – today. It is probably the easiest and quickest way to have a significant effect in helping to reduce the damage to the ecology of our planet.

The green electricity market is constantly changing as new players enter, new generating capacity is built, and prices change. Also, because suppliers are in direct competition with each other for your custom, there is a huge amount of marketing information out there, which can be daunting and confusing. Fortunately, there are websites to help you keep up with the changes, and to compare green electricity suppliers. As mentioned, there are different kinds of green electricity, so price isn't everything. Having said that, you can compare the tariffs of green electricity suppliers in your area by visiting Green Prices.

So, once you have checked out some of these websites and decided which supplier is the one for you, as regards their activities and the price of their electricity, simply go to their website and switch online, or give them a call. It can be done immediately, with no interruption to your supply.

Energy Saving Trust on Ground Source Heat Pumps

Stirling engines can be hard to understand. Here are the key points. Every Stirling engine has a sealed cylinder with one part hot and the other cold. The working gas inside the engine (which is often air, helium, or hydrogen) is moved by a mechanism from the hot side to the cold side. When the gas is on the hot side it expands and pushes up on a piston. When it moves back to the cold side it contracts. Properly designed Stirling engines have two power pulses per revolution, which can make them very smooth running. Two of the more common types are two piston Stirling engines and displacer-type Stirling engines. The two piston type Stirling engine has two power pistons. The displacer type Stirling engine has one power piston and a displacer piston.

How To Build a Wind Turbine 2003 By Hugh Pigott. Great Diagrams and detail. all for free.

Tanzania is facing energy problems in both urban and rural areas.Fuel wood is the major source of supply of energy in rural areas. CAMARTEC was established in order to develop alternative sources of energy among its other objectives In the process of looking for International support to streng then its activities, the West Germany Government through GATE a branch of GTZ, accepted to establish a technical assistance to CAMARTEC that would deal with development and extension of renewable sources of energy which is BIOGAS. The Biogas Extension Service was then established in 1983.

The results that are seen today, are due to tireless effort by German experts and local counterparts who have designed, field tested and installed over 200 biogas units. The team has worked beyond the gas requirement to include slurry use for agricultural purposes. The technology has been accepted by farmers as indicated by their demand through willingness to pay for the biogas units. The ownership of a family size biogas unit which is built through CAMARTEC has become a status symbol and has improved the quality of life in the home. Energy obtained from the gas and the light at night have both given utility to the owners of the plants. I am very thankful to GTZ for the assistance extended to CAMARTEC.I also appreciate the expatriates contribution towards the success reached so far.

Tanzanian counterparts who work in the project also have contributed a lot and deserve my thanks. Lastly, I thank Mr. Ludwig Sasse for compiling this book which will be a useful reference material to many lovers of BIOGAS. I am looking forward to the use of the content embedded in the text and hope that his knowledge will contribute to solving Tanzania's rural energy needs. E.M.

Publisher: The Information about Ireland Site

Description: This ebook not only contains the lyrics to the most popular of Irish traditional, drinking and folk songs but also contains the actual music. You can listen to the music on your PC!

Lime is a traditional and environmentally-friendly building material that was largely replaced by cement during the 20th Century, but is now coming back into fashion. Various types of lime are used in building as mortars, renders, plasters, slurries and washes. All are made from limestone, which is a sedimentary rock made from the dead bodies of sea creatures that produce calcium carbonate (coral, shellfish, some planktons). Most limestone was laid down in the Cretaceous period (60-150 million years ago).

An overview of methane production from manure on farms. Covers how it works and the major issues involved.

Up to half the country’s domestic gas heating could be met by turning waste into biogas, according to a new report from National Grid.

Biogas could give the UK a new reliable source of green energy as the North Sea gas reserves run down. The report looks at how all the biodegradable waste streams such as sewage, food and wood could be turned into biogas and injected into the gas distribution system. At the moment there is a small quantity of production of biogas in the UK coming from landfill and sewage plants, but it is being used to generate electricity. However, National Grid says these valuable waste resources could be used be used more efficiently. Turning them into biomethane could meet half the country’s domestic gas needs and help achieve renewable energy targets for 2020.

Biogas is produced by two main processes: anaerobic digestion which turns wet waste such as sewage and animal manure into biomethane, and gasification which is better suited to drier wastes and energy crops. Biomethane is already being produced and injected into gas grids in Europe. “Biogas has tremendous potential for delivering large scale renewable heat for the UK but it will require Government commitment to a comprehensive waste policy and the right commercial incentives,” said Janine Freeman, head of National Grid’s Sustainable Gas Group. “Biogas has benefits on so many fronts. It is renewable and could help to meet the target of 15% of all our energy coming from renewable sources by 2020. It provides a solution for what to do with our waste with the decline in landfill capacity and it would help the UK with a secure supply of gas as North Sea sources run down,” she said.

In cost terms, it is estimated that biogas would be a similar price to other renewable energy sources. However, because the country already has an extensive gas grid, there would be little need for disruptive infrastructure development or any major inconvenience to consumers in their homes or in their streets. The report concludes that there are no insurmountable technical difficulties to delivering biogas. The main hurdle will be about getting the right commercial incentives in place so waste can be turned into biomethane for gas grid injection rather than electricity. This needs to be allied with a comprehensive waste management policy.

National Grid, who commissioned Ernst and Young to provide the analysis, has now handed the report to Ed Miliband, Minister for Energy and Climate Change.

This Agrodok provides a wealth of useful information on how to overcome the main constraints in small-scale poultry production and deal with threats like predation and infectious diseases. It is a practical booklet with chapters on hatching, housing, nutrition and health. I sincerely hope and believe that the knowledge, tools and experiences offered here will be a valuable resource for poultry keepers. Above all, I hope that it will inspire readers to generate new ideas through applying the ideas they find here. Chickens deserve to be treated well – and professionally. You will see that the birds will show their gratitude by improving their performance! I wish you a healthy flock and a successful enterprise! Dr. René P. Kwakkel Wageningen University - Poultry Nutrition Research