Most of the piece was a thoughtful review of a commercial kit, and ways to improve it or build your own that's better (and maybe greener). The last paragraph was tacked on to keep the editors happy; it had no real substance. Oh well, so it goes.

The life you lead at home determines 99.5% of your environmental impact; an emergency situation is hopefully a brief aberration. IMO, many environmentally responsible measures (using energy wisely, being less reliant on the day-to-day food and energy grids, buying durable goods, and not consuming more than you really need) go hand in hand with the subjects we discuss on this forum.

BTW, I always read the Treehugger Weekly Archives. They bring up all sorts of ideas, companies and technologies that are both useful and interesting to me. Being a grown-up, I can filter through the occasionally childish pronouncements without losing my cool.