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    Andrew Rollinson bio

    Andrew Rollinson of Blushful Earth has an MSc in Energy and Environment, and a PhD in philosophy. He is a renewable energy specialist who has worked on small-scale renewable energy projects, and collaborated on sustainable engineering systems in many parts of the world. He is author of our book, Gasification: succeeding with small-scale systems.

    Articles by

    Andrew Rollinson

    How we sank a well on our property

    Andrew Rollinson 06-Sep-2024

    Prior to industrialisation, all villages will have once had at least one well, before commercialisation of the water supply. In many villages, wells were communal, with residents perhaps sharing the costs of having it built, and then manually looking after its upkeep. Read more

    Biochar on trial: what scientific research tells us so far

    Andrew Rollinson 25-Jul-2019

    Working wonders or potentially harmful? Dr Andrew Rollinson examines the scientific research surrounding biochar to date, including his own personal experiments. Read more

    Why pyrolysis and ‘plastic to fuels’ is not a solution to the plastics problem

    Andrew Rollinson 04-Dec-2018

    Energy engineer Dr Andrew Rollinson sets out the case as to why pyrolysis and ‘plastic to fuels’ is not a sustainable solution to the plastics problem. Read more

    Joy in enough: awakening to a new economics

    Andrew Rollinson 23-Jan-2018

    On 18th November last year there was a one-day workshop in Sheffield called “Joy in Enough – Awakening to a New Economics”. It was delivered by Green Christian who are a multi-denominational charity that have been operating for over thirty years. Read more

    How the corporate goldrush for incineration, gasification and pyrolysis of waste generates more consumption, more waste and more pollution

    Andrew Rollinson 10-Mar-2017

    ‘When waste to energy companies propose to build incineration/gasification plants they stipulate that contracts be in place which lock-in local authorities to providing them with a fixed tonnage of waste over the lifetime of the plant (often about 25 years). Read more

    Stargazers of the world unite: how seeing the Milky Way in a clear, unpolluted sky can change your life

    Andrew Rollinson 24-Nov-2016

    Having grown up in the industrial West Riding of Yorkshire, I was 22 when I first saw the Milky Way. It wasn’t my fault; there was too much light pollution. In places such as this, you may think that on a moonless and cloudless night you can see the stars Read more

    In praise of the elder tree, and how to make delicious elderberry wine really easily

    Andrew Rollinson 21-Jul-2016

    Common Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a familiar sight on railway embankments, urban waste ground, and in hedgerows. This small tree thrives in particular in the north and midlands of England, growing rapidly when cut back and giving off a discomforting dusty smell in the process, along with also being very difficult to dig up. Read more

    Strange but true: energy efficiency actually increases overall energy use

    Andrew Rollinson 17-Feb-2016

    In the 1960 film School for Scoundrels, which is based on the Stephen Potter “Gamesmanship” books, there is a scene where Ian Carmichael (formerly one of life’s failures) is playing tennis with Terry Thomas. Carmichael has just finished a course in lifemanship Read more

    The price of the average wedding is now over £20k; how to do it for much less and give the finger to ‘Brides’ magazine

    Andrew Rollinson 13-Oct-2015

    Flanked by an advert for the Ocean Club honeymoon resort in the Bahamas, with young bride and groom toasting a glass of champagne, Brides – “the UK’s number 1 bridal magazine” announces to its readers that “Planning your wedding starts here” Read more

    Restoring a Victorian water wheel to generate hydro-electricity and produce local organic flour

    Andrew Rollinson 12-Apr-2015

    When building works were completed on the Queen’s Mill in 1888, it became the world’s largest water powered stone grinding flour mill. The water wheel was a 20 foot diameter piece of iron and timber Victorian engineering, large for its type and with high efficiency features. Read more

    Are we ‘silenced by economic power’? Paris 2015 and the Hartwell Paper

    Andrew Rollinson 19-Oct-2014

    In December 2011, South Africa welcomed the United Nations Framing Convention on Climate Change. The host city was Durban, where a number of years before, and just after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela had Read more

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