Me thinks the solar tumble dryer is good idea.

I've been wondering about the solar tumble dryer and perhaps it would have a bigger effect than I thought.

If only Americans would hang their laundry out to dry – and commit 16 other acts of environmental kindness – they could slash US carbon dioxide emissions by 7.4 per cent by 2019.

"This study is the best estimate we have to date of how effectively behavioural change could cut US greenhouse gas emissions," says Ruth Rettie, who leadsProject Charm, a group based at Kingston University in London that investigates ways in which people's behaviour could be influenced.

"Everyday household practices – for example tumble drying or using air conditioning – are resistant to change because they are embedded in conceptions of comfort and convenience," says Rettie. "But with the right combination of policy tools and social marketing, interventions can result in major behaviour changes."

check out original paper.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/10/23/0908738106

$1billion for clean energy technology

"Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros has pledged to invest more than $1bn (£625m) of his own money in clean energytechnology to tackle climate change. Speaking in Copenhagen on Saturday evening, the Hungarian-born Soros also announced the foundation of the Climate Policy Initiative, which he will fund with $10m annually for the next decade."

Makes you wonder how this money is going to go. If you believe we must survive then we we must have new generation technology ( or clean up technology ) so someone would make a huge sum out of this.

Space notions

There has been talk about a mission to an asteroid. The problem is getting there and back in a space ship no bigger than a large transit van. OK astronauts can handle this for a week on the moon mission or in orbit but for the months that it would take to get to an asteroid or mars.

OK so my solution is to reinvent the old skylab trick.

Once the upper stage has been used up, instead of discarding it the command module ( or equivalent) disconnects turns around then docs with the now empty tank. The final stage is now emptied, flushed and the pressurised. The astronauts now enter the final stage using the the command module as the life support.

Certain elements are pre-installed (electrical wiring ) but other elements are installed from the the command module ( canvas walls )- good occupational therapy. This space would be without windows and would be minimal in terms of shielding (crew might sleep in the command module behind a wall of water). So not perfect but certainly much less cramped than the command module.

On reaching the asteroid, the crew then retreat to the command module finally throw the final stage away.

Problems ? Practically no deep space shielding as mentioned and you have to use more fuel doing course corrections.