DIY SOLAR WIND POWER. Sustainable Living (off the grid) Rawlemon solar architecture lab. Micro Liveable Homes. A Canadian company called NOMAD Micro Home sells prefabricated homes, easy to assemble in just a few days. This prefabricated house is an example of ergonomic use of space. The standard model, with sides of just 3 meters long, is equipped with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and an upstairs furnished bedroom. The living area on the ground floor of the micro-house has plenty of space to be furnished with a cozy sofa to relax on in front of the TV. A kitchen with cabinets for storing cooking vessels is designed in extension of the living room.
To save the little space of the house with only 9 square meters footprint, the access stairs that lead upstairs, where there’s a bedroom equipped with a double bed and space for a wardrobe, are just above the kitchen furniture. Psilocybin, the Drug in 'Magic Mushrooms,' Lifts Mood and Increases Compassion Over the Long Term. The psychedelic drug in magic mushrooms may have lasting medical and spiritual benefits, according to new research from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
The mushroom-derived hallucinogen, called psilocybin, is known to trigger transformative spiritual states, but at high doses it can also result in “bad trips” marked by terror and panic. The trick is to get the dose just right, which the Johns Hopkins researchers report having accomplished. In their study, the Hopkins scientists were able to reliably induce transcendental experiences in volunteers, which offered long-lasting psychological growth and helped people find peace in their lives — without the negative effects. (PHOTOS: Inside Colorado’s Marijuana Industry) “The important point here is that we found the sweet spot where we can optimize the positive persistent effects and avoid some of the fear and anxiety that can occur and can be quite disruptive,” says lead author Roland Griffiths, professor of behavioral biology at Hopkins.
7 Reasons Mushrooms Could Save the World. Editor’s Note: This post is a Care2 favorite. It was originally published on January 17, 2013. Enjoy! Perhaps you only think about mushrooms when one sprouts up in your yard or when you’re ordering a pizza. But they have uses far, far beyond the kitchen: scmtngirl/flickr 1. Mushroom fibers can be used as an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene, the synthetic (and potentially carcinogenic) polymer most of us encounter as styrofoam.
Evocative Design recently made a deal with Sealed Air, a huge packaging wrap (think bubble wrap) company, to build factories that will make Restore Mushroom Packaging. Davidjlee/flickr Love This? Thanks for subscribing! 2. Mycologist and researcher Paul Stamets was contacted by the EPA after the Deepwater Horizon spill to learn about how mushrooms could be used to clean up petrochemicals via a process called mycoremediation, in which toxic compounds are reduced into harmless ones by fungi.
@ndres1/flickr 3. Steven Polunsky/flickr 4. 5. 6. 7. Related: Top 10 Sites for Do It Yourself Projects : Planet Green. Free-Energy Devices, zero-point energy, and water as fuel. New Virus-built Battery could Power Cars, Electronic Devices. For the first time, MIT researchers have shown they can genetically engineer viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery.
The new virus-produced batteries have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries being considered to power plug-in hybrid cars, and they could also be used to power a range of personal electronic devices, said Angela Belcher, the MIT materials scientist who led the research team. Angela Belcher holds a display of the virus-built battery she helped engineer. The battery -- the silver-colored disc -- is being used to power an LED. The new batteries, described in the April 2 online edition of Science, could be manufactured with a cheap and environmentally benign process: The synthesis takes place at and below room temperature and requires no harmful organic solvents, and the materials that go into the battery are non-toxic.
Source: MIT News /...