Juraj Mikurcik

Orangey blue winter sunrise

Colours of winter sunrise

Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot I knew that a revolution in our understanding of soil could change the world. Then came a eureka moment – and the birth of the Earth Rover Program, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

1. Some good news at last. This week’s column is about the amazing thing a couple of us stumbled into three years ago, which we’ve now developed into a global research programme. It doesn’t change everything, of course, but it could help change quite a lot. + 🧵 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

🌾 A recent Vakgroep Strobouw visit included three biobased projects in the Achterhoek, including the retreat centre ‘the place to – Be’ on the Slangenburg estate.

#strawbuilding #esba

black new house, black old barn and a field of wheat, with blue sky background

One of EcoCocon's former clients is an arable farmer not far from London, let me know if you still need help.

agreed, there's nothing wrong with small homes

Following Schleusner.de, Claytech.de is now also introducing a solar-dried clay #drywall panel. Together with the rapidly renewable fiber inside this will make it climate-neutral, instead of fossil heated drying. #earthbuilding #bauwende #biobased

oh dear 🤦

London seems to be a hot spot for new passivhaus homes 👌

No confusion here

💯 driver's fault

I'd like to think UK. But it may be Australia? Or...

Looks like it can only be improved! Good luck with it.

UK farmers lose £800m after heat and drought cause one of worst harvests on record Many now concerned about ability to make living in fast-changing climate after one of worst grain harvests recorded

2025 was heat and drought. 2024 was incessant rain

Three of the five worst British harvests on record have now occurred since 2020

Some farmers are asking whether the growing impacts of the climate crisis are making it too financially risky to sow their crops

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

YouTube video by Glyn Hudson Installing a SCOP 5 Heat Pump in My House - Design, Install & Monitoring

A must watch for anyone thinking of getting a heat pump for their older home.

Fantastic to see another @glynhudson.bsky.social project swapping an old oil 🔥 boiler for a super efficient and clean heat pump ⚡

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz0W...

Emergency response needed to prevent climate breakdown, warn experts Scientists sounded the alarm on the dire consequences of continued inaction at a briefing in London, warning that we could be heading for "unprecedented societal and ecological collapse"

“We have to plan realistically for a future others cannot see or would rather not wish to imagine. A future which would have untold consequences if it came to pass. And just because you don’t like the risk, does not mean it will go away or can be ignored”

www.newscientist.com/article/2506...

Commission presents new Bioeconomy Strategy to drive green growth, competitiveness and resilience across Europe Today, the Commission adopted a new Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy, charting a way forward to build a clean, competitive and resilient European economy.

The European Union commits to a bioeconomy strategy - putting biobased materials, and their supply chains at the heart of the economy - thereby recognising the value that nature can provide. This is good news - and the UK must follow suit or risk falling further behind. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Homes England standard adopts passive house principles for new housing

Homes England standard adopts passive house principles for new housing 🥳

From the latest issue of @phplus.bsky.social

Long view of rolling landscape with sunrise and orange sky

Good morning orange sky ☀️

Looks like a success 👌

YouTube video by Thrive in Construction Podcast with Darren Evans Straw, Circularity and the One Question Nobody’s Asking

Barratt Homes (major UK developer)
x
EcoCocon (straw wall system)
x
Cradle Cradle

Good discussion exploring the real-world barriers and opportunities to embedding circularity, regenerative design, and healthy materials into mainstream construction

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwV_...

150k, that was 8 years ago. Would probably be double that now

the best and most useful carbon capture and sequestration program that not only sequesters carbon *but also* saves money (and further reduces operational carbon because it's building insulation)...

is ecococon's passivhaus prefab exterior wall panels.

youtu.be/aHXUpv4nDgU?...

🤯

carpentry apprentices learning to build straw modules

I am a straw builder because it's fun and 1000% worth the effort.
The future is right here and it's comfy and regenerative.
I will share my knowledge about building passive house modules and retrofit #strawhouse panels on the 1. December. It's free. You can do this. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

bsky.app/profile/jura...

We tend to run it on low setting all year round and just open windows more in warmer seasons (except in heatwaves when we keep them shut to prevent overheating)

graph showing indoor and outdoor relative humidity levels in a home ventilated with MVHR system

That's why a continuous ventilation is so useful to have in winter. Our indoor RH vs outdoor RH readings for this month for info, running a continuous MVHR system

Dehum probably cheaper to run and it can also get rid of other moisture from cooking, showering, breathing etc. Or have a decent MEV/ MVHR ventilation system installed.

and that water has to go somewhere

Yep, cooking, washing, showering, breathing...just normal living. I reckon poor ventilation is the main culprit in most cases of mould in homes.

Fantastic, I bet it makes a huge difference to indoor comfort and health