Wise, Wacky & Whiz-bang! Great Ideas from MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Here’s a look back at just some of the useful and fascinating ideas from 40 years of your original guide to living wisely.

February/March 2010
By The MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editors 
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Issue No. 1, January 1970 — the first issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.
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Since our first issue back in 1970 right up through today, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has featured advice for wiser living. We’ve published great project ideas for DIY solar collectors, tips for gardening and raising livestock, the best ideas for creating a greener home, wacky ideas for personal transportation, creative recipes, and much more.
Here is a selection of our greatest (or wackiest, depending on your perspective) articles from the past 40 years.

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Alternative Fuels: Chicken Poop, Wood Chips and ...

The Marvelous Chicken-powered Motorcar (1971)

Forget about gas, diesel or ethanol. Power your car with chicken manure! Mother has always published information about green transportation — from using alternative fuels to improving gas mileage. Perhaps one of our most unusual ideas was using chicken manure to power a vehicle. But first, you need to convert that manure into methane. To learn how, see How to Build a 100 cu. ft./day Methane Gas Plant (1971).

Propane Conversion: How to Make LPG Cars (1972)

Learn how to convert a non-fuel-injected vehicle (such as a chartreuse microbus, if you have one) to run on liquid propane gas (LPG), methane or natural gas.

An Amazing 75-MPG Hybrid Electric Car (1979) 

Long before the Toyota Prius arrived, Mother Earth News readers learned about gasoline-electric hybrid cars and how to convert an Opel GT into one. We still offer conversion blueprints via our website!

Mother’s Woodburning Truck (1981) 

Did you know you can use wood chips to fire up your vehicle’s engine? This technique was used during World War II and refined by Mother Earth News in the ’70s and ’80s. If you have access to waste wood, why not fuel an old truck with it? This method really works.

Leaning Toward the Future: The 3VG (1983) 

It’s a car. No, it’s a motorcycle. Wait, it’s the fuel-efficient, three-wheel 3VG! This futuristic prototype took several years for the editors to develop. Today, Aptera Motors is building a similar vehicle. For details, read Debate Arises on 3 Wheeler.

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