LOW-TECH MAGAZINE

Low-tech Magazine Has Moved

As of June 8, 2023, we will no longer update this website (www.lowtechmagazine.com). New articles and comments will only appear on the solar-powered website of Low-tech Magazine, if the weather allows it. The old website remains online until we have moved all articles, which we plan for July 2023. Once we have finished the migration, this website disappears, and the web address will point to the solar website. Subscribers do not have to do anything: they will keep receiving newsletters and feed updates.

Can We Make Bicycles Sustainable Again?

Cycling is the most sustainable form of transportation, but the bicycle is becoming increasingly damaging to the environment. The energy and material used for its production go up while its life expectancy decreases.

What if We Replace Guns and Bullets with Bows and Arrows?

The bicycle and the bow are both highly efficient, human-powered technologies that could substitute for two very harmful alternatives: the car and the firearm. Why do we promote one but not the other?

When Lethal Weapons Grew on Trees

While manufacturing modern firearms and bullets depends on a global supply chain and fossil fuels, bows and arrows can be made anywhere out of anything, using only human power and simple hand tools.

How to Build a Practical Household Bike Generator

We built a pedal-powered generator and controller, which is practical to use as an energy source and exercise machine in a household — and which you can integrate into a solar PV system. We provide detailed plans to build your own, using basic skills and common hand tools.

The Revenge of the Hot Water Bottle

Imagine a personal heating system that works indoors as well as outdoors, can be taken anywhere, requires little energy, and is independent of any infrastructure. It exists – and is hundreds of years old. The hot water bottle could save a great deal of energy and money without sacrificing thermal comfort.

Hot water bottles work both indoors and outdoors. Illustration: Marie Verdeil.