We always grab an old solar book whenever we're browsing around a used book store, and we're getting a pretty decent collection. The history of that era fascinates, what was learned and what was forgotten. It's a shared sentiment in our household that finding the solutions is not the difficult part, it's implementing them.

Some detailed local research from Duke University and NC WARN, an anti-nuclear advocacy group, show the cost of solar electricity is now at parity with nuclear-generated electricity.

Rebekah's sister Rachel came down for a visit with some other New York foodies, one of whom is Keith Wagstaff who writes for Planet Green. Check out his interview of us here.

For all the problems we have with fossil fuels here in the US, you'd think we would be kicking out the solar jamz at a much bigger rate than the rest of the world. Massive foreign trade imbalances, oil spills polluting many of our most beautiful beaches and wetlands, dependence on unsavory states like Iran and Saudi Arabia, and of course global climate disruption which helps fuel storms like Katrina, to name the most obvious.

 Well it’s 98 degrees F here in central NC today, and with humidity high weather.com claims it feels like well over 100 (I would certainly agree).  So, you might wonder how we are faring with no central AC?

After 10 years of living with no AC in our main residence, we’ve got some tips to share :

Here’s a quick summary:

A few weeks back I ordered the Aprovecho rocket cook stove, produced by their affiliate StoveTec. With shipping, about $65. It's a great little stove, surprisingly solid and hefty (and, one hopes, durable to boot).

Part of the landscaping "plan" has been to make the backyard into, well, let's call it 'the back forty,' although it's more like forty square yards rather than forty acres. We've got livestock back there, folks, and it's rare to not head back to check on the birds without having a naked ape (clothed, of course) with a baby-in-stroller, pointing at the poultry, making goo-goo noises. Often, they are pointing at our Muscovy Ducks, also known as the Climbing Duck:

Either because the person who named them lived substantially further north, or because of global climate disruption, our Juneberries finally arrived in full force this year, a good two weeks before the beginning of June.