Raphael Schnurr's Blog – April 2011 Archive (12)

In this week, I have to try an alternative currency or exchange system for myself I have never used before. Not an easy mission, because I already use most of the “typical” ways to pay in the internet, for example credit card and Pay Pal. I paid in different currencies – like dollar, pounds and kroner - in addition to my local currency euro as well.

First try

As I wrote in my…

Money is convenient, because it can stand for any goods and simplifies its exchange. But there is one problem. The imprinted worth of the notes by the state persists, but the worth of goods, which you are able to buy with it, fades. Money only computes, if there is something to exchange. It has to be created where useful production goods are developed and it has to be withdrawn from circulation, if the goods become useless. New money should only be printed, if the useless production goods…

When I think about the World Water Day 2020, I think about something BIG. Something that everybody can see after it is finished for a long time. It has to be something concrete, something you can touch. Moreover it has to be impressive.

So, I imagined the following: We plan to lay out an artificial lake, which shows the lettering of “WOLRD WATER DAY”. A big event will be started and everyone, who will come there, will be part of this spectacular project. Needed tools will be provided…

When I browsed the internet to find awe-inspiring clean water projects, the following project crossed my path. It is no new process, but I did not read about this before.

In earth’s atmosphere a lot of moisture is bounded. There is about ten times more water in the air than in all rivers and lakes. It is possible to use this bounded water to appease the thirst of millions of people. Especially in regions, where humidity is very high. But how?

The necessary technology already…

This week, Marcel and I started another collaboration for the ACT3 mission. We thought about what we use every day and could be powered differently. It becomes clear quickly that it is our mobile phone. So, we had an electronic device to power - But how? Usually, we charge the battery via USB with the PC or we simply use the outlet. We consider about different ways, how we can generate power to charge our…

In 2020, I will celebrate my 33rd birthday with my best friends. Of course it will be a sunny day… it has to be! This birthday-party will stand under the motto “Sustainably Energized Party”. To implement this motto, I will try to use only sustainable energy resources for preparing food, powering music equipment, lightning and chilling drinks.

We will have a solar barbecue for sausages and steaks. Additionally, we will bake baguettes and breads in a solar oven. Parabolic dishes will…

When I investigated in the actual LEARN mission, I encountered an interesting way to generate electricity in plants which already exist almost everywhere in Germany. I took notice of a new kind of power plant at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Every year a jury loans sustainable entrepreneurs the “Watt d’Or”-Award. In 2010 the Swiss energy provider…

In this blog post I will try to design a new urban agriculture project for Brunswick, Germany. First of all let’s take a look at the map below. I took a screenshot of Brunswick and its surrounding area, within a radius of about 40 km. It is obvious, that most of the area is already used for agriculture (brown/orange). On that score we do not have to use the inner city for growing food or rather there is no need to do it.…

It is March 10, 2020 - 6:00 pm…

I am a little bit in a hurry. Actually, end of work had to be at 4:00 pm, but then there was the unexpected phone conference. I have to buy the ingredients for dinner with my wife and my children. I promised to get everything after work. But now it I am afraid that I am a little late. You might ask: “Why too late? Shops are open till late night, sometimes until midnight.” Yes this is true, nothing changed so far. But the range of goods in the shops is…

Most people are not aware of it – but food security is also a subject in Germany. In Germany we have thousands of people which live at the breadline, although we are a wealthy industrial country. To the count of needy people not only homeless people belong, but also pensioners, widower, singles and lone parents. Meanwhile hunger is part of their life and their situation appears to have no prospect.

When you take a look at the railway missions, soup kitchens and the food pantries e.g.…

The 4th of April 2020 will be a Saturday. It is in the morning hours. The sun already rose up. I crept out of the house quietly, because I did not want to rouse my wife and our children so early. Now I am near my home in the contiguous hills for a short morning mountain bike trip.

My family and I live in a nice situated suburb of the City where I work. I have a job at an automotive supplier, which manufactures efficient electric motors. There I collaborate on a project for our next…

I did not find one hero, but a wh*** community or rather an idea competition of German schools. The competition is named “Energiesparmeister” (=energy save masters). Content of this open competition is to think about saving energy, climate protection and starting projects with solutions for these problems. The competition is directed to school cla****. They show how to reach goals with ingenuity and commitment. Furthermore they want to motivate other people to start own…