Magic puddin’ pump pumps water 24/7 without electricity

  It’s magic.   It pumps water up to 200 metres above itself without electricity. Video Glockemann pump It uses the energy of flowing water to pump the water. I’ve stood in a very slow flowing creek at the bottom of a valley and seen it pump water up 65 metres to a rain tank at the top of the hill. It doesn’t pump fast but continuously. Wonderful design, wonderful ‘eyes’ in the designer for the gifts Earth has for us if we will look for... Read More

Be curious; see how I link Paul Keating, Roger Scruton, Rob Stokes MP and Gary Sturgess

In my Bathurst Burr column today I discuss curiousity and how it affects our culture and lives . . . and the lives of some folks we may know . . . former PM Paul Keating, Roger Scruton the UK philosopher, NSW MP Rob STokes and former Greiner Government brains trust Gary Sturgess . . . enjoy it here.     M  Read More

How to dig a drain under a path or road

Here’s how to put a drain to your garden and to get the drain below an existing path or other paved area.   This is a simple, easy-to-do way of getting water to your garden when a masonry or other hard surface is between your garden and your source of water. We might sum up this method as, “digging with water”. What’s not discussed here are safety issues which you’ll need to also resolve such as:  are there any electrical, gas or other services where you wish to... Read More

Spectacular 2 min vid about water, muck and little critters

It’s by the wonderful film-maker Emma: www.bing.com…   Wow; how good is that! Thanks, Emma. May the little critters be with you, M  Read More

Great new vid about how to make Chippo Plan real for us all

Mikey Leung tells stories on video.  He’s just made a beaut vid about our plan to make Chippo sustainable and the people who love it so much they’ve spent hours and hours putting it on a new web page for anyone to use to make the place where they live and work sustainable, too: youtu.be/SHkMh8wwlXY…   Thank you, Mikey – you’re terrific and so’s your vid. Join with us to make the Plan happen and watch the vid and go to the link there .... Read More

Sydney Water’s bright idea

Sydney Water's bright idea - tap water Sydney Water, the government owned business monopoly, has had a bright idea.   They’ve begun to provide empty, stylish glass bottles to cafes to serve tap water in.   The label on the bottle says, “Tap – a Sydney Water product”.   This is clever and will, I guess, re-position tap water in the minds of those eating out.  The bottle is solid and stylish.  The label is clear.  It will, I hope, make... Read More

Sustainable and unsustainable streets

A flooded street For some reading about recent thinking about how our climate is changing, this is a useful article: www.economist.com… The photo above is from that article. It shows an unsustainable street, and it seems how we live here in Chippo, and Australia generally, is partly the reason there are streets like those.  Hopefully, the work being done to trial sustainable streets in Chippendale will reduce the number of unsustainable streets elsewhere.  Read More

Floods, droughts and coal

For a discussion about the links, consequences and finance relating to coal, droughts and floods you may wish to have a look at my article in The Fifth Estate, here: www.thefifthestate.com… Time to turn off the coal, methinks, Michael  Read More

Understanding water: the developer and the elder

Here, in her own words, is a story my friend, Fran Bodkin, an elder of the Dharawal people, told me yesterday as we walked back from the opening of the garden for the Asylum Seekers Centre, Redfern, where Fran had advised on plants to provide food, and I’d provided a native stingless bee hive.. “ Okay, It was in the 1960s, the exact year I can’t remember, but it must have been before 1967. His name was Mr. Thomas.  He was into transport. Can’t remember his first... Read More

Burst water main today

Pine Lane water main floods From the mountains to Chippo to the sea Water bypassing trees, verge It was a strange sight in this early morning to see a torrent of water from a burst water main in Pine Lane. So much water wasted. If all the water that falls in our streets in a year were to fall in a couple of days this is how that water would look. The photos demonstrate how water is denied to trees, verge gardens and anything planted above the level of the gutter. On this hot day... Read More