When the lights go out…Gulp!

As you probably know by now, the No Impact experiment works by our making our life changes in stages. So far we’ve worked through the self-propelled transportation, no trash, local and seasonal food, and sustainable purchasing stages. I’m hoping to begin the no electricity phase in about three weeks (sustainable water use comes after that).

The bad news is, well, it’s scary! The good news is that I’ve looked everywhere and, as far as I can tell, Michelle isn’t stashing any divorce papers.

By way of a little more to keep our spirits up, apparently people without electricity often experience a phenomenon known as “second sleep.” They go to sleep when it goes dark, wake up halfway through the night, light a candle, get up for an hour, and then go back to bed. They even end up more rested than people who go to bed later and sleep through the night. From an Op Ed in the New York Times by A. Roger Ekirch:

“Until the modern age…people would retire between 9 and 10 o'clock only to stir past midnight to smoke a pipe, brew a tub of ale or even converse with a neighbor...Others remained in bed to pray or make love…

“Often, people might simply have lain in bed ruminating on the meaning of a fresh dream, thereby permitting the conscious mind a window onto the human psyche that remains shuttered for those in the modern day too quick to awake and arise.

“The principal explanation for this enigmatic pattern of slumber probably lies in the nocturnal darkness that enveloped pre-industrial households — in short, the absence of artificial lighting.”

Cool!

Most of my years I’ve just lived my little old life the way the people around me wrote it, but now I’m definitely turning a lot of it upside down. You know what? It’s kind of a blast.

But what I really wanted to do with this post is to share a technology that we’ll be using to non-electrically keep our food fresh—an alternative to the refrigerator called the “pot in the pot.” I also wanted to list a bunch of things I haven’t yet figured out how to do without mains electricity in the middle of Manhattan in the hopes that you folks may have ideas or experience.

I learned about the pot in a pot from Worldchanging (thanks to them for the photo). Pot in a pot was developed by Mohammed Bah Abba for use in sub-Saharan Nigeria, where food can quickly spoil in the heat without electric refrigeration. It is constructed by placing one earthenware pot inside a second, slightly larger pot, with a layer of wet sand in between:

“The device owes its cooling powers to a simple law of thermodynamics. When moisture comes into contact with dry air, it evaporates, causing an immediate drop in temperature. When the water in the sand between the two pots evaporates, the inner pot is kept cool, preserving the goods inside…

“…Abba's project has brought about major changes for many Nigerians: eggplants can last for 27 days rather than three, African spinach can be kept for 12 days instead of spoiling after one day, while tomatoes and peppers stay fresh for three weeks. Food hygiene standards and overall health are improving.”

So, back in the heat of New York City summer, I’m glad to say our food won’t spoil. But I still have a lot to figure out. Here are the major items on the list:

• Having at least a certain amount of artificial light when the sun goes down
• Keeping cool when the 100-degree days start
• Running some kind of laptop so I can still write the blog and research on the internet
• Doing the laundry without a washing machine

I’m hoping some of you out there have some really nifty ideas (which I’d love to hear in detail, as in, with instructions). Bear in mind that, while I do have access to the roof of the building, I doubt I can put a permanent solar panel up there. I do, on the other hand, have a window that gets full sun for the first half of the day. What do you reckon? Comment away!

 

 

Comments

[Gwyn]

If those pot in the pots work I will have an eco-marital negotiation and get one - we just discovered our fridge alone costs us $200 a quarter in electricity - try offset that!

[kjc]

In nearly every gardening catalog I've seen, there are solar lights for your walkway. They absorb sunshine during the day, then generate light at night. So there must be household versions.

AH! I Googled for "solar lamp" and this was my first link:
http://www.nextag.com/solar-lamp/search-html - then, searching on "solar battery" I found this place: http://store.sundancesolar.com/

I know that Ed Begley Jr. has connected his bicycle or stationary bike up such that it powers his toaster (well, actually, it charges his battery array, allowing him to use his toaster). Explanation here: http://www.livingwithed.net/energy.asp?target=33

(Sorry the links aren't clickable; typepad thinks I'm spamming you, so I took the HTML out to see if it would work this way.)

[Jennie]

Again, you make another really good point about how we really should be sleeping when it's dark outside. Goes without saying that people who live in the cold dark North are tired, cranky and depressed in the winter when they are keeping up the same sleeping habits they have in the summer with 20 hours of sunlight!

As for lighting, strategically placed candles with mirrors behind them shine more brightly than people give them credit for. And candle making is fun! At least it was when I was a 6 year old :-)

BTW, your project is riveting. I just started my own apartment compost on my 10 sq.ft balcony. Am already appalled by the amount of biodegradable material I would have chucked in the trash these last few days.

[Nicole]

You can use a product like Backpack Solar Panels to gather energy for the laptop.

Also, because we are in NYC, you'll still have a lot of general light in your apartment, that you wouldn't have in other places.

The pots are great! I heard about them several years ago. Just marvelous! I love simple - and beautiful! - technologies like that. You can use pots that are similar for keeping water cool as well, which will be nice for summertime.

When I lived in New Orleans, years ago, we had no A/C. And I lived there through the summer. It was very very hot. And muggy. One way to keep cool was to sit in the tub. Just fill the tub up maybe a quarter with cool water and sit down. My room mate and I (not involved) would keep on our shorts and tees and sit in there drinking coffee and reading. Kept us very cool!

You get used to the heat, honestly. The problem is when you work somewhere that keeps the office at 68 degrees.

Good luck! I am excited to hear about the next parts of your experiment!

[Carla]

There has been talk for some time of a hand cranked laptop which should cost about $100 geared towards people in third world countries, but nothing lately. If you could get your hands on that....(you can google it and lots of hits come up).

I love the earthenware pot idea and it is so true about the sleep when it's dark thing. I used to wonder how people in the "olden days" had so many babies. I guess now we know, lol! If only everyone could get back to our roots.

I've made a mini breakthrough this week. We emptied the garbage monday and we still haven't replaced the garbage bag. I put our true garbage in a certain spot in the open where I can see it and decide what truly is garbage. We were always diligent about recycling and composting, but I guess we were getting a little lax about throwing away a lot of things.

[Melson]

I think you could really use some battery-powered LED lights and a solar charger. I've seen models that also have a 12V socket (cigarette lighter style) to plug in a laptop or cell phone adapter.

You can do your laundry by hand: just soak it for a few hours (for example, at night) and use a plunger-style thing (see tinyurl.com/9lwzk) to get out all the dirt. And don't forget the good old bike-washer: tinyurl.com/2r496s

As for keeping cool, in the Internet Archive and at Cornell University there are a lot of cool old books describing handy farm devices (for example, www.archive.org/details/laborsavingdevic00widtrich or chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2848835). There is one showing a treadmill for a dog (tinyurl.com/2m8qc6) or sheep! (tinyurl.com/3x37la) to produce mechanical power, so you could hook up a fan to it.

But a better way to deal with the heat is to get used to it. My wife and I moved to the Caribbean two years ago, and at first we slept with the air conditioning on all night (we used to live in cold, cold Holland, so we really needed it!). After a few months we turned the air on half an hour before we went to bed and let a fan running at night. Now we sleep without any electrical equipment running. It's just a matter of letting your body adjust to the heat, I guess.

[SarahH]

I've experienced that second sleep some winters even with electricity -- I tend to automatically go to sleep with the sun, and if I can, I don't fight it. It really does make you feel much more rested, often on significantly less sleep than you'd get if you slept through the night.

Google seems to indicate that there are a number of hand-cranked washing machines such as http://www.laundry-alternative.com/ I don't know how well they work, but there seem to be some reviews up, and someone here must have used one.

This blog has been really inspiring me to do all those little things that I know I should really be doing :-)

[Marylynn Cote]

There was recently a 'go green' type issue of LouLou magazine in which they showed a solar panel for charging portable devices. Technically you can still use normal electricity if you are using green energy. A solar panel actually wouldn't be that hard to mount outside a window on a balcony or something depending on the position of your building. Here is a website with solar panels and prices: http://www.modernoutpost.com/gear/buying_solar_panels.html
This website sells solar panels and specifically show them being used for laptops: http://www.siliconsolar.com/portable-solar-power-systems.php

[Leslie]

For the past three years I have not used the A/C at home here in south Florida. When I was growing up we didn't have it and I don't remember the heat being a problem. Of course, I was running around in a bathing suit all day and was a barefoot, grubby urchin. As an adult, the biggest hurdle is becoming accustomed to sweating. At first it's uncomfortable but you do get used to it. Look around the world. Most people don't us A/C. They sweat. No big deal.

Since I was a child, one of the big changes is with clothing. Clothes used to be made with cooler woven fabrics. Today these knit t-shirts are the worst. If people dressed right they could easily turn their thermostats up five degrees in the summer.

If you do acquire some no-impact power, the best use for it might be a fan.

[PAartist]

The Amish (Pennsylvania Dutch) live without electricity, telephones, mechanized transportation, or *gasp!* Blackberries everyday. Here's a link to their "technology", including powering a computer with car batteries:
http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles/amish_tech.htm

[Greenpa]

Ho, boy, where to start... :-) I'll just stick with light here, though the rest are doable, for sure. Basically I've been living with light from a half-day of solar input for a long time- it's totally possible.

The equation is simple- the bigger the panel, the more energy you can catch. It does have to go into a battery; choosing one is not trivial.

Lights- you know, everybody has the idea that LEDs are the most efficient source- and it ain't so. I had the same impression, until it hit me one day "hm; I don't actually know the numbers here" - and looked it up. Turns out most of this optimism comes from researchers' statements like "we expect LEDs to EVENTUALLY be highly efficient..."

Standard incandescents are the least efficient, which is part of why LEDs popped into the flashlight market so quickly - your batteries last a LOT longer with the LEDs. But they're not very bright, are they?

At the moment, I don't think any LED available to the public is as efficient as a fluorescent; even the old ones.

However- there may be another problem with SOME fluorescent bulbs. Take a look here: http://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2007/04/more-clotheslines-poverty-and-compact.html

I just got rid of an old compact fluorescent I used as my bed-reading light- and am finally able to sleep again...

Your problem with light is not CAN it be done; but that there's a Chinese restaurant menu of WAYS it can be done, and eventually, you're going to have to choose. Have fun! :-)

[jessy]

real simple has some good handwashing tips, and also you can visit this site for even more tips on hand washing your clothing!

thanks for sharing so many of your experiences with everyone! i have learned so much from your project and from your site. in my home we have made so many changes to lower our impact - and we're going to keep making more changes, too!

you are such an inspiration! thank you!

[anna]

Laundry: I know you said "without a machine" but there are several hand-operated machines out there.

The Wonder Wash is one (http://www.laundry-alternative.com/washing.htm)
And Lehmans.com has both a similar model (called the "Wonder Clean Pressure Handwasher") and the more expensive "James Hand Washer."

Not to mention the old washboard, which is still around. (Lehmans has these too.)

I'm looking into buying one or another of these myself. I've already ditched laundry detergents in favor of homemade soap and washing soda.

[Dan]

Laundry is easy, hand wash or get something like the Wonder Clean to save time. You can even try an old fashioned wash board.

I wouldn't do solar panels, as it's probably a wash environmentally (the impact of making them probably offsets any savings for a good long time) Most/many people in the world still don't use juice - get used to it. The one exception being the laptop - OK maybe solar for that only.

When it gets hot in the summer, if you're really suffering you can try a swamp cooler. Needs juice though.

Your real problem is energy for cooking. I recommend getting a modern pressure cooker, which uses at least 1/3 the energy of conventional methods. You eat better too (bulk rice, grains, beans ...) Use your utilities for the PC (Pressure Cooker), and do your environmental volunteer work to offset that.

[rob]

laptop power saving ideas:

1. if you have a swappable cd drive, take it out.

2. get used to using the lowest brightness setting on your screen.

3. dump as much of your data and programs as you can. Switching to Linux will help, but isn't entirely necessary. See if you can get to a point where you can swap out your hard drive for a flash-based drive, like one that takes compact flash cards or if you have the money, a solid state disk.

Also, check out freeplay's hand-cranked devices for light (they have a new award winning lantern for $40) and power (they have a step-powered generator for under $300). Freeplay

[Susan Och]

So your windows must face east.

I've long envisioned a device that would clamp securely over a windowsill, perhaps held in place by the weight of the sash (closed). and provide a platform for a solar panel to power a laptop or charge a phone. I thought the technical problem would be the solar panel, but recently when I was doing some research for a friend in the Peace Corp I saw the backpack solar panels mentioned above, as well as some competing products.

The platform should be quickly removable, so you can relocate it to the window with the most sun. It also needs to be adjustable so that you can tilt it up or down to better match the angle of the sun. And of course it needs to be secure; you can't go dropping things on pedestrians.

The solar panel needs to have a generous cord, so that you can be working in shade while the solar panel collects sun.
You will find that insulated shages are a boon in the summer as they will keep your apartment from heating up in the morning sun. Your solar panel should prove adequate until, maybe, Halloween, when the sun really isn't that strong anymore. Or until the pigeons find it. Too bad you're a vegetarian.

[geminimama]

Oooh, washing diapers by hand will be quite a challenge. I tried, briefly, using one of those hand-crank types mentioned by other commenters. Let's just say it wasn't as effective as the advertising claimed, yet better than a washboard, I'd think. At least you don't have twins. There's always the diaperless baby techniques, but I believe that has to start when they're pretty little.

If you just need light to find your way to the bathroom at night, the handcrank LED flashlights are great. If you want to read in the dark, you could get an LED book-light and solar battery charger (I think both RealGoods and Campmor have these).

How will you cook? Is your stove gas? Does it have electronic ignition or pilot lights? Or will you be Coleman stove-cooking on the roof?

[geminimama]

One more thing...solar cooking. I have friends who do everything with their solar cooker, even can tomatoes and cook dried beans. They have one of the fancy models--Sun Oven, I think--but there are zillions of plans for homemade ovens online

[Kit]

There's a store on 5th Ave in Brooklyn, somewhere around Garfield or 1st St. (I don't remember what it's called, but it's on the west side of the street and specializes in eco-friendly stuff), that sells messenger bags with solar panels built in to them on the outside. If I remember correctly, it costs around $200. I believe you hook up your electronic device inside and it charges while it's in the bag. That way, you can charge your laptop as you scooter or bike back across the bridge to Manhattan!

[dare]

I own a Vortex hand crank blender ( search: GSI Outdoors). It has two speeds and can crush ice. A c-clamp to secure onto flat surfaces. The base, removable crank can be stored in the 48f fl. oz. (1.5L) pitcher. So far it has worked well. and it's easy to clean.
I also use a small LED pivoting lamp that runs on three D-cell batteries. I use rechargeable nickel-metal hydrate batteries. The lamp has 20 LED bulbs and works great for reading or near the computer. In the evening I rarely turn on the overhead lights. Not so good for lighting up a whole room though. The batteries last a long time before they need charging, and they get charged in a Universal Solar battery charger, which charges "AAA" "AA" "C" "D". Can charge, for example, "AA" in about 3-4 hours, a "D" in about 9-12 hours in full sun. The charger is compact, I have took it with on bike trips to charge batteries for bike lights, and the newer models have a meter to check battery strength.
I use a wonder washer, which was mentioned earlier, and rarely use a regular washer. It is a little more work, as I have to wring out the cloths by hand before drying. Cloths get hung up on a folding drying rack. Haven't used a dryer in over two years. The wonder washer can be used as a butter churn but I haven't tried that yet.

[Dena]

Here is non-electric washing machine. I've seen other types but can't locate them right now.

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/

Cheers,
Dena

[Marcia Putnam-Todd]

Well I was a little traumatized thinking of giving up electricity but once the dissociative experience passed I googled away some time. Just for fun visit Cyclean.biz. There is a picture of a pedal powered washing machine that looks like it was created by Red Green (for you fans I bet you had a good chuckle). Doesn't look horrible practical and you would have to make it. The best alternative seems to be the Electricity free Clothes Washer--go to Treehugger.com. It is small and works like a cross between a concrete mixer and a salad spinner. You operate it with your own hands.

Now about the light--can you use beeswax candles? I imagine that could be a local item. They also burn very cleanly and smell great. Can you use matches or butane lighter? hmm..curious. I guess you could try some kind of solar light--maybe camping equipment? I would think the candles make the least impact on the environment. Especially if you eat honey!

Good luck.

[Judith]

Your blog is such a great inspiration. Thanks! I just want to let people know that there are really good folding drying racks out there. I used the cheap white painted wire ones for years, and they would only last a few months, as one by one the cross bars broke off. They are only attach by the heavy coat of paint. Complained at my local Hardware store, and they had a stainless steel one in their catalogue. The horizontal bars go right into the frame, so they can take more weight and don't break. Nicer looking too, and at twice the price they are still cheap.

[Jess]

I am a graduate student studying primatology, and while most of my field research has been done at a research station with electricity, I know several other students that have studied in very remote locations with little or no access to electricity. Several of them have used portable solar panels to charge betteries that they used very successfully to charge laptops, rechargable batteries, and satellite phones. The solar panels were very efficient and even worked through months of little direct sunshine in the rain forest. This combined with using the most power saving settings on your laptop should easily allow you to continue writing.
As far as your laundry goes... soaking is key! A good long soak in water with some Dr. Bronner's will definitely make hand washing easier. Its always worked for me when I've been in the field.

[Crunchy Chicken]

For lighting, you can try a solar lantern like the Glowstar:

http://www.just-green.com/index.php?cPath=106_716

It's used in developing nations to provide just the kind of light you are looking for (about the same as a 60 watt tungsten), lasts about 6 hours and it can be used to charge your cell phone!