How to Make Tea
And how to move water
According to Google this is how you make tea:
Fill the kettle with water.
Boil the kettle.
Place a teabag in your favourite mug.
Pour boiling water into your favourite mug.
Brew the tea for a few moments.
Remove and dispose of the teabag.
Add milk.
Add sugar.
I live off-grid. When I make tea, I also have to:
Check the Rayburn is hot (if not: fetch wood; chop wood; burn wood).
Check there is water in the tank (if not: pump water using solar power).
Pumping water, it turns out, takes a lot of electricity. On dull winter days I have to choose between water and the Internet.
And all tea-water needs pumping from somewhere.
Systems thinking means thinking about the bigger picture. It means asking questions like
Where do the water, teabags, milk, sugar, kettle, mug, and electricity come from?
Where do used tea bags go?
Who ate all the biscuits?
When you think in systems, you learn new stuff. I used to think that water just flowed from reservoirs into houses. Turns out almost 3% of UK energy is used pumping and pressurising water.
Something to think about over your next cuppa.
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Dan 🗿 Peakrill Press 🍄 Mycoleum