Alternative Technology Assn Forums

1. 

   bashworth
   Member

   Thirty years ago when I first became interested in building and living in an environmentally friendly way it was still fairly alternative.

   Back in 1991 when I built a passive solar house in Maffra, Vic it was the first environmental house the builder had ever seen.

   These days as I walk around I see Solar Hot Water and PV cells on loads of roof tops.

   Even the retirement village where I live has over 70% of properties with panels on the roof.

   In Queensland I hear that all the rooftop solar panels = One Coal Fired Power Station.

   Should we now be the "Mainstream Technology Association?

   

   Posted Wednesday 3 May 2017 @ 10:25:10 pm from IP #
2. 

   munter
   Member

   I agree that really great progress has been made. It is confirmation that the movement has been heading in the right direction. Absolutely it should be a goal for positive, beneficial but "alternate" technologies be moved into the mainstream as that is where they will do the most good.

   It does raise questions about where a body like the ATA goes from there though. Once some of the ideas have achieved good mainstream success what is next? There have been threads in here on that topic in the past. My view is that while we have seen great "normalisation" of the alternative in the last decade there is still a long way to go. The full electrification of transport, the creation of a fully distributed generation electrical supply, the further improvement in energy efficiency of pretty much everything. There is so much to do.

   We should, however, occasionally celebrate the huge transition that has been achieved in the last decade though. Even 10 years ago I would not have thought it likely that I would generate as much electricity as I consume in my own house. Wow - how excellent is that!

   Posted Thursday 4 May 2017 @ 2:39:52 am from IP #
3. 

   dax
   Member

   In my opinion, alternative technology today, mostly revolves around energy storage and generation, in particular lithium storage. Being grid connected is not alternative at all and using lead acid batteries is not alternative, same with building materials. Today it's chemically saturated flimsy materials, so alternative would be natural materials and methods, like fixing with dowels and using on site timber and other materials.

   Built my first passive home was an earthen one and built that in 1976, had lots of people claiming it wouldn't work and then the same people being amazed that it worked so well. The entire cost was $180 and that was for cement and fuel to collect the windows, the rest was build off the land.

   Posted Thursday 4 May 2017 @ 4:34:58 am from IP #
4. 

   KayKay
   Member

   Hi bashworth and everyone else. Years ago one of my lecturers described technology as the tools humans use AND the ways they use them. Whether a good definition or not, it has stuck with me and affects the way I think about the word “technology”. To me it is not just whizz bang inventions but also their applications: furthermore it is also social structures and systems, as these are just another kind of thing humans invent to improve their lives.

   Right now, these ATA forums seem to me to follow an individualistic paradigm that is not always the best solution to (for example) a housing problem: a sort of “super-DIYer” ethic. (Or is it just me and the kinds of topics I read? Anyway.) It’s kind of strange because the contributors are passionate about sharing their knowledge to make our society and the world a better place – the whole point of these forums is for us to work together to overcome problems! – but the end feeling is all quite atomised.

   I think a new strand in the ATA forums would have more instances of groups of people cooperating to solve environmental issues, with examples of successes and failures. Topics for this new strand could be things like “ride sharing apps” as a heading in the “Transport” theme, or “co-building” under the “Sustainable Building” theme.

   For the record I have been a member of Urban Coup in Melbourne for a few years. However, I am beginning to suspect that large co-housing projects are not “mainstreamable” enough to provide affordable and environmental housing solutions on a society-wide scale, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. One problem is the herding cats phenomenon: they are simply too big. Another is that there is a tension between the square meterage cost of land and the density of a proposed development: if you can find a piece of land cheap enough, it is likely to be in an area the local council will require a lower density build project. I think projects like The green swing or Property Collectives may be a more achievable direction in co-building. ‘Cause you have highlighted something right there bashworth: we should be the mainstream!

   Posted Sunday 7 May 2017 @ 11:51:26 pm from IP #
5. 

   wlb
   Member

   At least the ATA was named back when people knew that Alternative and Alternate don't mean the same thing, AND Alternate had 2 different meanings and each of those had its own pronunciation, depending on the meaning. (Neither of which tends to be used today).

   Posted Friday 12 May 2017 @ 5:49:56 am from IP #

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