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The Science of Comfort
Why we feel comfortable, how can it influence sustainable design, and how hot you can survive "I'm freezing." "Are you kidding me? I'm...
tannerjanesky
Jun 2512 min read
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The Nitrogen Cycle
How it works and how we've changed it Without the nitrogen cycle, there would be no life as we know it. Plants can’t grow without...
tannerjanesky
Jun 1112 min read
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Incorporating Purpose
Business and Organizational Structures for Doing Good If you have an idea to do some good in the world beyond what your own physical...
tannerjanesky
May 289 min read
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Wood Finishes
A Guide to Finishes for Renewable Materials and their Durability, Health, and Sustainability Recently I've been exploring using natural...
tannerjanesky
May 167 min read
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Conditional Existence: Not Good, Not Bad
Everything that exists, whether in nature or society, arises not from moral value but from conditions that allow it, and our judgments of good or bad are simply the meanings we choose to assign. If we want to make a change in the world, we need to understand the conditions and dynamics that allow something to exist and change them.
tannerjanesky
May 1412 min read
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Building with Hemp
Once buried by politics, hemp is reemerging as a hero of sustainable building. Humans build lots of stuff. We need sustainable materials...
tannerjanesky
Apr 2610 min read
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The Carbon Offset Fallacy
Solving climate change one imaginary carbon credit at a time. Carbon offsets have become a popular tool for businesses and individuals...
tannerjanesky
Apr 2210 min read
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Do We Want Cheap Energy?
Why cheap, abundant energy is problematic—even if it's renewable. Cheap energy sounds like an obvious win. Who wouldn’t want lower bills...
tannerjanesky
Apr 227 min read
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Fossil Hydrocarbons: More Than Fuel
The many uses of fossil hydrocarbons, and what we do and don't have alternatives for. We tend to call the coal, oil, and natural gas...
tannerjanesky
Mar 1911 min read
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Composite Wood Products
How Composite Wood Saves Trees But Harms Our Health—But Doesn't Need To. When we think of wood, we often picture solid planks or logs. ...
tannerjanesky
Mar 87 min read
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America’s Most Useless Crop
The history, irony, and idiocracy of American lawns A lawn is a strange thing. It is a patch of land where nothing happens, a landscape...
tannerjanesky
Feb 57 min read
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Water Heaters and Power
The overlooked tankless water heater problem—plus heat pump, solar thermal, and point-of-use. When you take a shower and aren't freezing...
tannerjanesky
Jan 308 min read
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The Nuclear Debate
The Case For and Against Nuclear Energy As global electricity demand surges due to electrification, economic growth, and population...
tannerjanesky
Jan 209 min read
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Understanding Nuclear Power Plants
An overview of how different nuclear power plants work; or how to get electricity from rocks. Nuclear energy accounts for about 9% of the...
tannerjanesky
Jan 612 min read
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Electromagnetic Radiation Explained
A foundational concept of nearly everything that we often misunderstand Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is everywhere, and it may be one...
tannerjanesky
Dec 9, 20249 min read
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How Living Things Store Resources for Survival
What nature can teach us about designing resilient energy systems In nature, survival often depends on finding creative ways to store...
tannerjanesky
Nov 19, 20246 min read
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Carbon Capture & Storage
How it works, different methods, and do we need it? Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS, is a technology designed to capture carbon dioxide...
tannerjanesky
Nov 19, 20247 min read
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Food Production & Trophic Levels
The environmental impact of what you eat and how much it matters. In Part 1 , we covered what trophic levels are and how different...
tannerjanesky
Nov 6, 20246 min read
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Trophic Levels
Ecological efficiency and biomass distribution in nature. Trophic levels are the different positions that organisms occupy in a food...
tannerjanesky
Oct 24, 20245 min read
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Solar for Everyone
How Community Solar Projects Are Democratizing Energy In the past, solar energy was primarily available to single-family homeowners who...
tannerjanesky
Oct 15, 20244 min read
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