Recycling: “a basic survival strategy”

Middle Paleolithic flint Levallois chip. Image Roulex_45.Recycling may be as old as humankind. At a recent conference on "The Origins of Recycling" Phys.Org interviewed several of the participants including archaeologist Avi Gopher of Tel Aviv University.

In a hominid cave near Tel Aviv, believed to have been variably occupied from 200,000 to 420,000 years ago, Gopher’s team “uncovered flint chips that had been reshaped into small blades to cut meat—a primitive form of cutlery.” Gopher noted:

“Some 10 percent of the tools found at the site were recycled in some way. It was not an occasional behavior; it was part of the way they did things, part of their way of life.” (emphasis added)

“…the early appearance of recycling highlights its role as a basic survival strategy.” (emphasis added)

Geothermal energy in Iceland

As noted the post Terra: The Formation of Iceland & its First Parliament, Iceland was created by an uplifting of the ocean floor at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (the fissure separating the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates) and by the mantel “hot spot” lying underneath the island. Deep down, Iceland contains a roiling cauldron that reaches the surface in thermal pools, mud pits, and volcanoes.

Iceland’s geothermal energy has been tapped since the country's origins and its use continues to grow. While hydropower remains an important source of renewable energy, according to the Iceland Energy Authority:

In 2009, roughly 84% of primary energy use in Iceland came from indigenous renewable resources. There of 66% was from geothermal.

The remaining 16% of Iceland’s energy comes from imported oil.

Almost 50% of the harvested geothermal energy is used for space heating of homes and buildings. Natural hot water is piped from wells taped into the Earth such as the one above we visited near Reykjavik. The pipe carrying hot water is surrounded by insulation contained within the visible larger pipe. Small sliders underneath the pipe's joints allow it to move slightly during weather extremes and changes in ground movement.

Icelander’s heat their swimming pools with geothermal energy with 90% of approximately 170 recreational swimming centers heated this way. Other uses include warm water for fish farming (primarily salmon, arctic char, and trout) and heat for greenhouses.

According to the IEA, geothermal energy is also used in snow melting and deicing of parking lots and sidewalks:

In downtown Reykjavik, a snow-melting system has been installed under the sidewalks and streets over an area of 50,000 m². About two thirds of the energy is from return water from space heating systems.

The use of geothermal energy in Iceland continues to grow while the use of other resources is decreasing: “The share of oil for heating continues to decrease and is at present at about 1%.”

The quote from Living Earth - Outline of the Geology of Iceland included in my previous post on Iceland is worth repeating:

Only in certain locations are there hot spots underneath the oceans where magma production is sufficient to allow islands to form, among the most significant being Iceland, the Galapagos islands and the Hawaiian islands.

Iceland is using its natural endowments to thrive. 

Quote: The environment & the generational balance of power

Attending the first ever White House Summit on Environmental Education shed light on what’s wrong with the environmental movement: the generational balance of power. While I am extremely honored to have been invited to attend, I cannot help but be disappointed that there were not enough young environmental leaders sitting at the table next to leaders of government, business, academia and NGOs.

Mitch Lowenthal - Environmental Education – It’s more than naming trees!

SUNDAY PALEO / October 2, 2011

Grand Teton National Park. Image: CyberMed, LLC

ENVIRONMENT

There Will Be Oil 
"The date of the predicted peak has moved over the years. It was once supposed to arrive by Thanksgiving 2005. Then the "unbridgeable supply demand gap" was expected "after 2007." Then it was to arrive in 2011. Now "there is a significant risk of a peak before 2020." - Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal embraces peak oil denialism 
"The thing is, Yergin has been demonstrably getting it wrong about oil for years. There are countless examples, well chronicled here, but he is so wrong, so often, that it only takes about 5 minutes with Google to find an egregious example." - Grist 

FITNESS

Strong Support for the Brain Benefits of Aerobic Activity 
"We concluded that you can make a very compelling argument for [aerobic] exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed." - Medscape Neurology 

Interval Training for Fat Loss 
"Are you looking to kick things up a notch this summer? Are your abs almost visible? Interval training can help you lose fat and improve your fitness. What’s not to like? Here are 4 reasons to incorporate interval training workouts." - Defined Wellness 

NUTRITION

Junk Food Looks More Tempting When Blood Sugar Drops 
"The researchers scanned the brains of 14 people (five obese and nine nonobese) while they looked at images of high-calorie foods (such as ice cream and hamburgers), low-calorie foods (salads and fruit) and nonfoods (a chair or a lamp). Participants were hooked up to an IV and their blood sugar (glucose) levels were manipulated." - MyHealthNewsDaily 

Feeding the flame: Some foods worsen inflammation – but the right diet can soothe body 
"The physical symptoms of chronic inflammation are wide, ranging from joint pain, gastrointestinal problems like bloating and diarrhea, skin problems and lack of energy. Experts warn that over time, low-grade, chronic inflammation can lead to more serious problems, such as Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, colon cancer and heart disease." - The Daily 

PALEO LIFESTYLE

Ken Korg Finally Gets It 
"The pantry has finally been purged. It was a big job, one Ken began immediately after that first chat with Valentina but only just finished because he had run out of garbage bags for all the old food (their pantry is a walk-in and just massive)." - Mark's Daily Apple 

RECIPES

Mint Lamburgers - Make it Paleo Recipe 
"These juicy burgers are just packed with flavor, and sit atop a crisp Greek salad. We think so highly of this recipe that we shared it with Liz (who writes Cave Girl Eats) and her "Cave Husband" when they spent a day with us at the beach this past summer." - The Food Lovers Primal Palate 

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Becoming Paleo, Part 1: The Yale Food Addiction Scale 
The Yale Food Addiction Scale is a survey designed to detect and measure the severity of food addiction. While food addiction’s not fully recognized by the medical establishment as a disorder, several studies have been conducted to explore the possibility of its existence. 

SUNDAY PALEO / August 28, 2011

Hurricane Irene spins fury along the East Coast. NASA 8.26.11

ANTHROPOLOGY

Ancient Dog Skull Shows Early Pet Domestication
"In general, dogs likely became domesticated when curious wolves began to hang around Stone Age people ... " - National Geographic Daily News

ENVIRONMENT

Iowa Now Gets 20% of Its Electricity from Wind
"Iowa has hit a pretty big milestone in wind energy generation -- the state now gets 20 percent of its electricity from wind power.  That's the highest percentage for any state in the U.S. and about on par with wind heavy nations like Denmark." - EcoGeek

RECIPES

Grilled Chicken Fajitas
"I love Mexican food, trouble is when you eat Mexican out a lot of times its loaded with corn, beans, rice, and cheese.  You can make delicious Paleo friendly Mexican food as well, and you won't even miss the rice and beans or the cheese and sour cream that would come along with this dish in a traditional Mexican restaurant." - Against the Grain

LIFESTYLE

Unplug Yourself before you Wreck Yourself!!   
"Ask yourself this, “Do we really need to know what’s happening in the world everywhere all of the time, and in reality how much of the information that we are being fed even accurate or life sustaining or even important?” - Everyday Paleo 

Couples Share Unhealthy Habits  
"The new study suggests the effect of marriage and cohabitation on health isn't always so rosy. The researchers report at least two ways this happens: one partner has bad habits and influences the other, or both may "sync up" their bad habits." - My Health News Daily 

MODERN DISEASES

Half of US Will Be Obese by 2030, Study Finds 
"That level of obesity would mean 7.8 million more cases of diabetes, along with 6.8 million cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, and 539,000 more cancer cases than what would be expected if obesity remained at its current level." -  My Health News Daily

NUTRITION

This Is The Healthiest Diet  
"The fact is that virtually our entire physiologies operate exquisitely when they are functioning in the native human ecological niche in which they evolved –employing both the diet and exercise level of a hunter-gatherer. By contrasting the diets, lifestyles and health of hunter-gatherers to contemporary, westernized societies, we can gain invaluable insight into complex diet/disease related questions." - The Paleo Diet

Monday Quote: Geothermal energy

By drilling three to five kilometres into the Earth, enormous resources of geothermal power can be tapped that are clean and can’t be exhausted. 

Luisa D’Amato
The Record