tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17632798246130519372024-02-21T02:49:55.305-05:00Green New Yorkers(A blog about being greener, one New Yorker at a time.)Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-28182585895779943152014-05-31T23:44:00.000-04:002014-06-03T22:54:49.850-04:00How Sustainable is the Essex Farm Model?<b>Kristin Kimball's memoir, <i>The Dirty Life</i>, is a page turner.</b> It is also so deep in insights about economic philosophy, culture and community, life transformations, and of course, farming, that it bears rereading over and over again. The most beautiful part of their story is the character of the
relationships they forge in the community. Kristin refers to a "larger loving-kindness" at work in the center of their community, their farm, and their own lives.<br />
<br />
Kristin and her husband Mark are deeply committed to making their farm truly sustainable. Mark asks passionately<span style="color: lime;"> <span style="color: red;">"<i>who can catch the most sunlight and keep it?</i>" "All life is fueled
by the sun. How can we sustain seven billion people using available
sunlight? Can we do it here on this farm, for 100 people, or 200
people, or 8000 people? ... We capture the sun with plants and we let go of that sun
with breath and fire. All we need to do is make sure we are capturing
more sun than we breathe or burn."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;">"We live on the sun’s savings account: fossil fuel. That’s sunlight in
plants that just didn’t get to be breathed or burned when those crazy
microbes and plants of the Cambrian and post Cambian eras died and went
into the earth. We discover this coal and oil and it makes it so easy to
be us. A barrel of oil can do the work of ten years hard physical
labor. Only one drawback (just kidding, there’s lots of drawbacks):
suddenly we’re letting all of that CO2 into the air...So back to the challenge: <i>who can catch the most sunlight and keep it? </i>A farm has the ability not only to be carbon neutral – that is, catching as much carbon as we release – but to be a carbon <i>sink</i>,
so our net energy capture exceeds our net energy release. Net energy
profit will live in the soil organic matter, which makes for healthier
soil, which makes it easier for us to grow more plants and catch more
energy." </span>http://www.kristinkimball.com/blog/?p=66<br />
<br />
How well has Essex Farm been doing in capturing the most sunlight and keeping it? How can we tell? Essex Farm, with its use of draft horses, seems to be mainly inspired by the Amish model. Is the Amish farming model good enough since it predates machinery powered by fossil fuel? How does it compare with the Permaculture design model?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The case of the Misato Rose:</b><br />
In the book, Kristin describes their first planting of Misato Rose radish. They had a beautiful bountiful harvest. By 2012 week 45, in the Farm Blog, Kristin mentions that the Misato Rose was unusable, riddled with worm holes. Hmmm...this is a bad progression, a growing imbalance between predatory insects and their plant prey over time with the pests winning, an indication of a nonsustainable design. http://www.kristinkimball.com/blog/?m=201301&paged=2<br />
<br />
<b>The Soil and the Fields:</b><br />
Kritstin notes that plowing is an act of violence, ripping into the Earth, disrupting whole communities of soil life. Planting annual crops in plowed rows means (1) lots of bare ground and (2) a maximum of only one or two crops per season. Permaculture on the other hand copies Nature in keeping the ground covered year round with sun catching, water retentive, nutrient building, plants. These plants stack in space and time to yield multiple crops.<br />
<br />
<b>The Water:</b><br />
The Essex Farm fields are sometimes too wet and drainage was installed. Permaculturists like Sepp Holzer, in contrast, would use the excess water as a resource, building swales for water retention and seasonal ponds to raise fish. The fish in turn would feed on insects that would otherwise be pests.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Farm Animals:</b><br />
Kristin is refreshingly honest about their problems with farm animals. The prevalence of injuries among the cattle due to goring led to them to disbud (remove the horns) from young animals. Their chickens occasionally descended into cannibalism. These are signs of overcrowding. Sepp Holzer gives his animals sufficient space in rugged outdoor shelters and is able to leave their horns and beaks intact.<br />
<br />
<b>Overgrazing:</b><br />
Kristin and Mark rotated their grazing but violated Joel Salatin's "Law of the Second Bite" by leaving thier animals too long on the same grass, a practice that damages pasture. http://sailorssmallfarm.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/joel-salatin-workshop-part-3-grass/<br />
<br />
<b></b>
<b>The Farm Membership:</b><br />
Mark's vision of a whole diet, free choice CSA charged on a means-based
sliding scale going down as low as zero depends on 100% mutual honesty,
trust, and cooperation. (Can't see this working in NYC, lol!)Ten years
later, has it proved to a sound idea? Kristin writes that almost everyone
they knew thought the project would fail, although they continued to be
helpful. The outstanding character demonstrated by all the parties involved, from the
landowner Lars Kulleseid, the Essex community, the farm Members, the farm workers, even the farm animals in some instances, and of course Mark and Kristin, has been a
fulfillment of Mark's "wingnut" ideal of human goodness and generosity.
In many of Kristin's Blogs, she is extending thanks to someone or other
for their helpfulness. Essex Farm grew from feeding 7 members in 2004 to
over 200 members in 2014.<b> </b><br />
Yet a nagging question remains...has the cost been consistent with sustainability?<br />
2004 Full Price - $2700 per year for the first adult in a household.<br />
2014 Full Price - $3700 per year for the first adult in a household.<br />
<br />
Kristen notes that they struggle to pay their workers and to cover their costs. If a farm is able to store "net energy profit" in the soil and improve fertility from year to year, shouldn't stable or lower prices be the trend?<br />
<br />
<b>The Energy Challenge:</b><br />
From Kristen's Sept 19, 2012 Blog - <span style="color: red;">"Our current conclusion is pretty simple. If we pay our employees a
living wage with health insurance, and use draft horses for our work,
then we need some sort of external subsidy. This is an issue, by the
way, even on farms that are not powered by horses – so many small local
producers are economically viable only because of free or cheap ‘intern’
labor; health insurance, which we began offering our employees this
year, is almost unheard of. And certainly we are not alone in trying to
find ways to pay for an environmental benefit that is usually
externalized, invisibly, through the use of fossil fuel. To quote Bill
McKibben’s striking statistic, one barrel of oil contains the same
amount of energy as ten years of manual labor. The oil costs about a
hundred bucks. Ten years of a living wage is somewhere between a quarter
and half a million." </span><a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://www.kristinkimball.com/blog/?p=219" target="_blank">http://www.kristinkimball.com/blog/?p=219</a><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Can this energy challenge be surmounted? Permaculture's answer lies in <b><i>letting Nature's wealth building processes be the subsidy</i></b>...<b>not</b> robbing from the past in the form of fossil fuel and <b>not</b> borrowing from the future in the form of public and private debt.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Kristen writes <span style="color: red;">"Farmers toil.</span> <span style="color: red;">Nature laughs. Farmers weep. That's your history of agriculture in a nutshell."</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Does it need to stay this way? In future Blogs, we'll profile farms and gardens that are designed to <b><i>cooperate with Nature. </i></b></span></span>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-45854354292614862022014-04-30T22:41:00.001-04:002014-04-30T23:12:20.323-04:00Can We Be Proactive in Improving Our Health?<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Our nation is embarking on a controversial health care experiment.</b> </span>Can the Affordable Care Act aka. Obamacare succeed in reducing overall costs while covering more people? Or will it accelerate our country towards bankruptcy without improving our overall health? It remains to be seen. Meanwhile the biggest elephant in the room is largely ignored - namely that we can take proactive steps as individuals to improve our own health and keep our healthcare costs down.<br />
<br />
<b>Dr. Colin Cambell's research on diet and health</b> started in 1980, culminating in the publishing of The China Study in 2005. <a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study</a> <br />
<br />
<b>The book:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1932100660/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=31697403636&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=931428392591389644&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3la7mjf8yj_b" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/dp/1932100660/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=31697403636&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=931428392591389644&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3la7mjf8yj_b</a><br />
<br /><b></b>
<b>The cheatsheet:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2011/09/23/china-study-cheat-sheet-10-things-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank">http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2011/09/23/china-study-cheat-sheet-10-things-you-need-to-know/</a><br />
<i><b>1. American health statistics are scary.</b></i> You may
feel fit as a fiddle, but the country is unwell. Almost a third of
adults over 20 are obese; one out of thirteen people have diabetes; and
heart disease kills one out of every three Americans. We also pay more
for our health care than any other country, and we don’t have better
health to show for it.<br />
<i><b>2. Animal protein promotes the growth of cancer.</b> </i>The
book author T. Colin Campbell, PhD., grew up on a dairy farm, so he
regularly enjoyed a wholesome glass of milk. Not anymore. In multiple,
peer-reviewed animal studies, researchers discovered that they could
actually turn the growth of cancer cells on and off by raising and
lowering doses of casein, the main protein found in cow’s milk.<br />
<i><b>3. Pesticides are gross, but none switch on cancer like poor nutrition.</b></i>
The food you eat affects the way your cells interact with carcinogens,
making them more or less dangerous. “The results of these, and many
other studies, showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling
cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen.”<br />
<i><b>4. The study findings are bulletproof.</b> </i>After years
of controversial lab results on animals, the researchers had to see how
they played out in humans. The study they created included 367
variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults (who completed
questionnaires, blood tests, etc.). “When we were done, we had more than
8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet,
and disease variables.” In other words, there’s no arguing with the
findings, Meat Council of America. Sorry.<br />
<i><b>5. The results are simple: Eat plants for health.</b></i>
“People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic
disease. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest.”<br />
<i><b>6. Heart disease can be reversed through nutrition.</b></i>
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., a physician and researcher at the best
cardiac center in the country, The Cleveland Clinic, treated 18
patients with established coronary disease with a whole foods,
plant-based diet. Not only did the intervention stop the progression of
the disease, but 70 percent of the patients saw an opening of their
clogged arteries. Dr. Dean Ornish, a graduate of Harvard Medical School,
completed a similar study with consistent results.<br />
<i><b>7. Carbs are not the enemy</b>.</i> Highly-processed,
refined carbohydrates are bad for you. But plant foods are full of
healthy carbs. Research shows that diets like the Atkins or South Beach
can actually cause dangerous side effects. While they may result in
short-term weight loss, you’ll be sacrificing long-term health.<br />
<i><b>8. Plants are powerful.</b> </i>It’s not just cancer and
heart disease that respond to a whole foods, plant-based diet. It may
also help protect you from diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone,
kidney, eye, and brain diseases.<br />
<b><i>9. You don’t have to tailor your diet for specific health benefits</i>.</b>
Eating healthy can seem segmented—broccoli will prevent breast cancer,
carrots are good for eyes, did you get enough vitamin C today?
“Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease will support
health across the board.”<br />
<i><b>10. Plants do it better.</b></i> “There are virtually no
nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants.”
Protein (YES, PROTEIN!), fiber, vitamins, minerals—you name it, they’ve
got it, and the health benefits. <i>—by Lisa Elaine Held</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><img alt="let food be thy medice" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2657" src="http://i0.wp.com/www.plantbasedjunkies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/let-food-be-thy-medice.jpg?resize=300%2C300" height="300" width="300" /><br />
<br />
<b>The cookbook:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-China-Study-Cookbook-Plant-Based/dp/1937856755#reader_1937856755" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/The-China-Study-Cookbook-Plant-Based/dp/1937856755#reader_1937856755</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Some sample meals and recipes:</b><br />
<i><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/news/diet_vegetarianvegan" target="_blank">http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/news/diet_vegetarianvegan</a></i><br />
<br />
I tried out the Campbell/Esselstyn/China Study way of eating for 5 weeks as a Spring detox. Reading Dr.
Campbell's book, <i>Whole</i>,
finally convinced me. It wasn't easy to eat only whole vegan foods
without added salt, sugar, or oils, lol. Which did I miss the most? Ice
cream? Chocolate? Meat? Cheese? Fried foods? I missed all of the above but...I did feel noticeably better. I've made some permanent changes in my ongoing food habits and plan to revisit the whole food vegan approach periodically.<br />
<br />
Is the China Study the last word on how to be healthy? Hardly, here's one of the many interesting critiques http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cancer/the-china-study-vs-the-china-study/ Still, the responsibility of seeking healthier lifestyles rests on us as individuals and our choices will undoubtedly affect the outcome of the ACA.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-84862140890969346762014-03-31T01:05:00.000-04:002014-06-11T12:02:54.268-04:00Water, Water, Everywhere, How About a Drop to Drink?<br />
Have you gotten a set of <b>Paul Wheaton's Permaculture Playing cards</b> yet? Many of the topics featured on these beautiful and sneakily educational cards have a bearing on natural water management strategies. Order on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=permaculture+playing+cards&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=34605160968&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6333367102266184621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1og2faxrn7_b">here</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3CghFLT_1RMdy3tgLUemRBTb0vu7SfVHmeUgLd3_ejkx8Nd-lxw9LL6xL8i_4DjyOZDkIUZRGtJ5hHTC7ZU7Y9W86e0u3VLT4FuSC-eBojIcZxW_Au7ZW40BjbYUqK9M2IFWKeLJKJBI/s1600/permaculture-playing-cards1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3CghFLT_1RMdy3tgLUemRBTb0vu7SfVHmeUgLd3_ejkx8Nd-lxw9LL6xL8i_4DjyOZDkIUZRGtJ5hHTC7ZU7Y9W86e0u3VLT4FuSC-eBojIcZxW_Au7ZW40BjbYUqK9M2IFWKeLJKJBI/s1600/permaculture-playing-cards1.jpg" height="279" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
Ace of Clubs: <b>Hugelkultur </b>http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/<b><br /></b><br />
King of Spades: <b>Sepp Holzer </b>http://www.holzeragroecology.com/<b><br /></b><br />
Queen of Clubs: <b>Greening Deserts</b><br />
Jack of Spades: <b>Mike Oehler</b><br />
Jack of Hearts: <b>Willie Smits</b><br />
Jack of Clubs: <b>Allan Savory</b><br />
Jack of Diamonds: <b>Art Ludwig</b><br />
Ten of Spades: <b>Paddock Shift Systems</b><br />
Ten of Hearts: <b>Greywater</b><br />
Nine of Clubs: <b>Jean Pain</b><br />
Eight of Spades: <b>Natural Swimming Pool</b><br />
Eight of Clubs: <b>Tefa</b><br />
Eight of Diamonds: <b>The Man Who Planted Trees</b><br />
Seven of Hearts: <b>Pigs</b><br />
Seven of Clubs: <b>Pee</b><br />
Seven of Diamonds: <b>Replacing Irrigation with </b><b>Permaculture</b>;<br />
Six of Spades: <b>Ben Law</b><br />
Five of Clubs: <b>Beyond Compost</b><br />
Five of Diamonds: <b>Wind and Berms</b>;<br />
Three of Spades: <b>Food Forest</b><br />
Three of Clubs: <b>Dry Outhouse</b><br />
<br />
<br />
The difficulty of accessing fresh potable water in many parts of the world including our West Coast has become an increasingly serious problem. Can this problem be solved with Permaculture inspired solutions?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-1115871891442018982014-02-28T23:30:00.000-05:002014-03-05T21:17:02.549-05:00No It's NOT About the Delta Smelt!<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<b>The current water crisis in Southern California </b>has been many years in the making yet many of the parties involved still miss the point that water is a precious resource that needs to be managed wisely. It's shocking to see misinformation all over the news media. Here is a compilation of resources to clarify the situation:<br />
<br />
<b>There really isn't enough water to go around.</b> <span style="color: #008a17;"><span style="color: black;">Northern California had only 6.12" of rainfall last year, LA had only 3.6". Contrast this with the approximately 50"s of annual rainfall we get in NYC. <a href="http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/california-record-driest-year-20131115">http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/california-record-driest-year-20131115</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<b>The story about the Delta smelt is a red herring.</b> The core question is "are we growing the right food in the right places and with the best technology possible to reduce water use?"<br />
<a href="http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-02-17/fantasizing-about-california-or-already-here-5-shocking-drought-facts-to-make-you-rethink-the-golden-state">http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-02-17/fantasizing-about-california-or-already-here-5-shocking-drought-facts-to-make-you-rethink-the-golden-state</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57552641-90/rationing-percent-voluntary-district.html.csp?page=1">http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57552641-90/rationing-percent-voluntary-district.html.csp?page=1</a><br />
<br />
<b>"History tells us that a defining moment in our use of the earth's water came with....the harnessing of fossil fuels during the Industrial Revolution</b>...water mining took hold in arid and semiarid lands...an orgy of consumption ensued...amid alarming signs...that the supply of underground water is finite and not being replaced at anything like a sustainable rate. Yet most of us...still take water for granted and live in a state of denial...California is a case in point..."<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"> </span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind </span>by
<span class="author notFaded" data-width="">
<a class="a-link-normal" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Brian+Fagan&search-alias=books&text=Brian+Fagan&sort=relevancerank">Brian Fagan</a></span></span></i></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elixir-A-History-Water-Humankind/dp/B008PHJPV0"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i>http://www.amazon.com/Elixir-A-History-Water-Humankind/dp/B008PHJPV0</span></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-53055c8a/turbine/la-1773638-me-0214-obamadrought2-wjs-jpg-20140219/2048/2048x1187" height="184" id="irc_mi" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soil plowed for monoculture of annual crops - a recipe for disaster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">On a brighter note, in Davis, California, ecologically designed <i>Village Homes</i> benefits from bioswales that capture rainwater runoff and support a forest of fruit and nut trees.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="irc_mut" height="213" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjXUZKi9s9VCU7WXxOn0x440rpkvH-SrcDRC0OagTs-5IpcdP7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from Panoramio.com (23122266)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #008a17;">This is a recent interview with the Village Homes architect, Michael Corbett</span><span style="color: #008a17;"><br /></span><span style="color: #008a17;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI3XXbsTizQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI3XXbsTizQ</a></span><span style="color: #008a17;"><br /></span><span style="color: #008a17;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #008a17;">From the Village Homes website:</span><br />
<span style="color: #008a17;"> </span><span style="color: #008a17;"><a href="http://www.villagehomesdavis.org/public/about" target="_blank">http://www.villagehomesdavis.org/public/about</a></span><span style="color: #008a17;"><br /></span><span style="color: #008a17;"></span><span style="color: #008a17;"><b>Natural Drainage</b></span><span style="color: #008a17;"> — The common areas also contain
Village Homes' innovative natural drainage system, a network of creek
beds, swales, and pond areas that allow rainwater to be absorbed into
the ground rather than carried away through storm drains. Besides
helping to store moisture in the soil, this system provides a visually
interesting backdrop for landscape design.</span><span style="color: #008a17;"><br /></span><span style="color: #008a17;">
</span><span style="color: #008a17;"><b>Edible Landscaping</b></span><span style="color: #008a17;"> — Fruit and nut trees and
vineyards form a large element of the landscaping in Village Homes and
contribute significantly to the provender of residents. More than thirty
varieties of fruit trees were originally planted, and as a result some
fruit is ripe and ready to eat nearly every month of the year.</span><span style="color: #008a17;"><br /></span><span style="color: #008a17;"><b>Orientation</b></span><span style="color: #008a17;"> — All streets trend east-west and all lots
are oriented north-south. This orientation (which has become standard
practice in Davis and elsewhere) helps the houses with passive solar
designs make full use of the sun's energy.</span><br />
<br />
Government subsidies for
farmers and consumers just send fake money chasing
scarce goods. It will only raise prices while exacerbating the
Federal Debt. Can we turn more of our neighborhoods into ecologically well designed food forests like Village Homes? Can we design <i>with </i>Nature to create and preserve lasting wealth? A look at some of the projects underway worldwide will be the subject of a future Blog.<br />
<br />
*Related: The Aug 2013 post addressed the pattern of drought/forest fires/flooding/erosion in California:<br />
<a href="http://greennewyorkersmeetup.blogspot.com/2013/08/forest-fires-insights-from-sepp-holzer.html" target="_blank">http://greennewyorkersmeetup.blogspot.com/2013/08/forest-fires-insights-from-sepp-holzer.html</a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-38223431980848720182014-01-31T23:44:00.001-05:002014-02-06T17:03:30.687-05:00Is this Winter's Icy Weather a Reprieve from Global Warming?<div dir="ltr">
The term Polar Vortex has been on every newscaster's lips recently. Is the cold a reprieve from global warming?<br />
<br />
Here's Rush Limbaugh's take:<br />
<a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2014/01/06/left_creates_polar_vortex_to_make_you_think_winter_is_caused_by_global_warming" target="_blank">http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2014/01/06/left_creates_polar_vortex_to_make_you_think_winter_is_caused_by_global_warming</a><br />
<i><span style="color: #2672ec;">I want everything to be legit, you know, up and up. Global warming is
a great example. It's a full-fledged, now documented hoax. Yet if you
listen to the news media, it's still in full swing, and it explains this
cold snap. I have here in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers a
website. It's Business Insider, of all things, that explains the polar
vortex.
</span></i><i><span style="color: #2672ec;">Now, I want to read this to you.<span style="color: #d24726;"> "As tundra-like temperatures and
wind chills as cold as 70 below zero fan out across the country,
everyone is blaming the 'polar vortex.' Polar vortexes, though, are
nothing new. They occur seasonally at the North Pole, and their
formation resembles that of hurricanes in more tropical regions:
fast-moving winds build up around a calm center.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #d24726;">
</span></i><i><span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: #d24726;">"Unlike a hurricane, these are frigid polar winds, circling the
Arctic at more than 100 miles per hour. The spinning winds typically
trap this cold air in the Arctic. But the problem comes when the polar
vortex weakens or splits apart, essentially flinging these cold wind
patterns out of the Arctic and into our backyards. NOAA scientists have
suggested,"</span> which means they don't have the foggiest idea.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #2672ec;">
</span></i><i><span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: #d24726;">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration </span><span style="color: #d24726;">"scientists have
suggested that warming temperatures in the Arctic may be responsible for
the weakening of the polar vortex." </span>So, you see, it's magic!
Supposedly, man-made global warming is causing record cold, because
warming temperatures may be responsible for the weakening of the polar
vortex -- and when the polar vortex weakens, it's more likely to break
apart and become a factor in our winter weather.</span></i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/20100428-melting-arctic20ice.jpg" height="389" id="irc_mi" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 86px;" width="428" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="_Le irc_hol" data-ved="0CAQQjB0" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=btSJkR_0ogJbsM&tbnid=vkWc00s6-0CT7M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.treehugger.com%2Fnatural-sciences%2Farctic-sea-ice-loss-confirmed-as-main-cause-of-faster-polar-warming.html&ei=yn_sUo_yB8jTsATbyYCgBQ&bvm=bv.60444564,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNGE-jAhD6SUiG20YdaLZ2AKTaWrPA&ust=1391317312524793"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">www.treehugger.com</span></a><span class="_Rl"></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;">Rush Limbaugh is so sure Arctic ice hasn't diminished that it sounds as if he has been there to see for himself, lol. Unfortunately for those of us who wish we didn't need to face a global Climate Change crisis, there is thorough and reliable documentation of Arctic ice melt. In addition, </span></span><span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;">there will be many opportunities to view displays of weakening </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;">vortices when the figure</span></span> skaters perform in the upcoming Winter Olympics. <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/07/260455201/what-is-the-polar-vortex-and-why-is-it-doing-this-to-us">http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/07/260455201/what-is-the-polar-vortex-and-why-is-it-doing-this-to-us</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Screen Shot 2014-01-13 at 10.23.17 PM" class="" src="http://www.liveweatherblogs.com/blogimages11/blogimages11/Screen_Shot_2014-01-13_at_10.23.17_PM.png" height="261" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; opacity: 1;" width="250" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.liveweatherblogs.com/index.php?option=com_community&view=groups&task=viewdiscussion&groupid=44&topicid=69425&Itemid=179Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #2672ec;"><span style="color: black;">Anyhoo,
my hopes for a Winter garden full of chickweed, Asian cabbage, and
fava beans have been iced. Something of concern to all of us regardless of political views is that extreme weather is bad for our ability to grow food. I've been paying closer attention to Sepp
Holzer's Alpine farming methods:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2672ec;"><a href="http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/visit-sepp-holzers-permaculture-farm" target="_blank">http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/visit-sepp-holzers-permaculture-farm</a></span><br />
<i><span style="color: #008a17;">Visit Sepp Holzer's amazing, biodiverse farm 1500 metres (almost 5000
feet) on an Austrian mountain. Most neighbouring farmers mainly 'farm'
monocultural spruce plantations, Sepp is able to produce an incredible
range of crops through the creation of microclimates and his unique
water management systems. Sepp builds water retaining ponds and lake
systems high up on the mountain which have become thriving aquacultures
producing fish for the table as well as wildlife habitats teeming with
biodiversity. The water creates microclimates around the banks where
Sepp is able to grow an abundant edible landscape of fruit and nut
orchards plus heritage vegetable and grain crops planted along the
banks. In a cold Alpine climate you can find oranges, lemons and kiwis
growing, as well as numerous other fruits and vegetables.</span></i><br />
<br />
In
my little urban garden, I'll be able to use stones, mirrors in lieu of
ponds, and small scale Hugelkulture. What changes are needed in our commercial farming system? Where there's food there's hope ;-)</div>
Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-50672966441799413362013-12-31T03:02:00.000-05:002014-01-02T04:31:09.605-05:00Aiming for a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New YearAt this time of year, many of us are sending and receiving wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year. What can help us achieve and
maintain these desirable states?<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: lime;"><b>Happiness</b></span><br />
<br />
The late Dr
David Servan-Schreiber lists <i>positive social connections and an active interest in matters higher than ourselves</i> as essential human needs on a par with the physical needs for food, water, and shelter.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Instinct-Heal-Depression-Anxiety-Without/dp/1594861587/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388471285&sr=1-1#reader_1594861587"> http://www.amazon.com/Instinct-Heal-Depression-Anxiety-Without/dp/1594861587/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388471285&sr=1-1#reader_1594861587</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Let's use our Green New Yorker Meetup group to increase our connections and our involvement and t</i><i>hereby our happiness ;-)</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: lime;"><b>Health</b></span><br />
<br />
Dr Servan-Schreiber's observation; <br />
"Every single place where American diet has spread has seen massive increases in <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/obesity" title="Psychology Today looks at Obesity">obesity</a>
rates and cancer rates. Japan is increasing consumption of red meat and
dairy products and seeing an enormous increase in obesity and great
increases in prostate cancer and breast cancer, which were extremely
rare before." http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainstorm/200904/david-servan-schreiber-cheating-death<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Dr Schreiber, who kept his own brain cancer at bay for 19 years, gives us 19 simple anticancer and prohealth rules:</i></span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-servanschreiber-md-phd/20-new-anticancer-rules_b_450166.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-servanschreiber-md-phd/20-new-anticancer-rules_b_450166.html</a><br />
<br />
His book:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anticancer-A-New-Way-Life/dp/0670021644">http://www.amazon.com/Anticancer-A-New-Way-Life/dp/0670021644</a><br />
<br />
(Dr Servan-Schreiber has been roundly crticized by the medical
establishment for "going over to the woo". Despite this I remain a very
big fan of this version of "woo"!)<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: lime;"><b>Prosperity</b></span><br />
<br />
Does it seem as though our current economy is geared towards wealth destruction? Is it easy to think of ways our society increases the GDP in the short term while actually decreasing human living standards in the longer term?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="background-color: lime;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">In contrast, designing a way of living based on the way natural systems capture and use resources leads to prosperity that is genuine and sustainable.</span></i></span></span><a href="http://shadesofgreeninc.org/about/what-is-permaculture/"><span style="color: lime;"> </span>http://shadesofgreeninc.org/about/what-is-permaculture/</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>Wishing everyone an exciting and successful journey towards Happiness, Health, and Prosperity in 2014!</i></b><br />
<img class="irc_mut" height="271" id="irc_mi" src="http://shadesofgreeninc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/PermaculturePrinciples.jpg" style="margin-top: 59px;" width="400" />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-11105730294501538972013-11-30T22:27:00.001-05:002014-01-01T23:53:35.725-05:00Investing in Agriculture for the Long Term: Finding Hope in a Hungry World via Permacuture Design<b>Stefan Sobkowiak</b> has been designing a permaculture orchard at Miracle Farms in Quebec:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/78527630">http://vimeo.com/78527630</a><br />
<br />
<b>How different is Stefan's orchard from conventional monoculture?</b><br />
There is an explosion of biodiversity. In the 5 acre orchard, soon to be extended to 12 acres, there are over 100 cultivars of apples, plus several types of plums, pears, cherries, and countless other fruits and vegetables. Pests and diseases, which are typically host specific, are limited in their ability to spread. Natural predators of the pests are flourishing because of the welcoming habitat. There is no need to use expensive and toxic chemicals. The trees are partnered with plants that are nitrogen fixers and nutrient accumulators. There is no need to fertilize. Productivity and quality increase as costs decrease. A <i>miracle</i> indeed!<br />
<br />
A documentary film based on Stefan's work, <b>The Permaculture Orchard : Beyond Organic</b>, about this type of farming is on the way. Let's be sure to catch the release of this film next Spring.<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oasselin/the-permaculture-orchard-beyond-organic">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oasselin/the-permaculture-orchard-beyond-organic</a><br />
<br />
The paraphrasing of Howard Buffett's new book, Forty Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, is intentional. Howard, sadly, is a fan of big machinery, fossil fuel inputs, irrigation, Monsanto, and monoculture.<br />
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-22/howard-buffett-finds-40-chances-to-get-philanthropy-right.html">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-22/howard-buffett-finds-40-chances-to-get-philanthropy-right.html</a><br />
Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for enlightenment in Howard's references to "biologically-based nutrient management, and use of legume-based cover crops". <br />
<a href="http://www.thehowardgbuffettfoundation.org/initiatives/ukulima-farm/">http://www.thehowardgbuffettfoundation.org/initiatives/ukulima-farm/</a><br />
<br />
<i><b>In any case, the most convincing way to promote sustainable
regenerative agricultural design is to demonstrate it in real orchards,
farms, and gardens the way Stefan is doing! We can participate in a small way by dropping off our food waste for composting to improve our soil. Have you taken a composting class yet?</b></i><br />
<img class="irc_mut" height="180" id="irc_mi" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/001/299/392/7833eb799bb2846c20aea556dacc4e82_large.jpg?1383925683" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 110px;" width="320" /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stefan Sobkowiak</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-4550610176053983712013-10-31T22:25:00.001-04:002014-01-02T04:39:42.788-05:00October 2013: A Month that Highlights the Importance of ResilienceWhew! Still scarred by the ravages of Sandy, we also got to suffer through the spectacle of our
beloved country facing the inability to pay basic bills without an
increase in its credit limit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMtxcEQPE5_yfciDk7eNEynuySi6P1OuEJsF8x1cMucmowyUGNLfJGyOlUyNIhfLy9k5EEb_sDQfOHn7xG98ZbeOz8-DrGM0LOhmfwr4m-FenVNtgRgNKVtvLGdaEJpBPEAaRxbUhvEA9/s1600/Messenger+from+Sandy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMtxcEQPE5_yfciDk7eNEynuySi6P1OuEJsF8x1cMucmowyUGNLfJGyOlUyNIhfLy9k5EEb_sDQfOHn7xG98ZbeOz8-DrGM0LOhmfwr4m-FenVNtgRgNKVtvLGdaEJpBPEAaRxbUhvEA9/s320/Messenger+from+Sandy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A messenger from Nature!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What can we do to make our own lives more resilient when we live within a culture that fails to design infrastructure that cooperates with natural forces and also fails to manage wealth meaningfully for the long term?<br />
<br />
Permaculturist Peter Bane recommends establishing a home based "garden farm". After all, real wealth on Earth basically originates with the capture of energy from the sun by living plants. (No land? Not an insurmountable problem in our city. Check out <a href="https://596acres.org/">https://596acres.org/</a> for some ideas!) To borrow his words, if enough of us become proficient in the skills needed for garden farming, we will progress towards collectively creating "a new commonwealth that can vouchsafe dignity and freedom from want to all of us". <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Permaculture-Handbook-Farming-Country/dp/0865716668">http://www.amazon.com/The-Permaculture-Handbook-Farming-Country/dp/0865716668</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates give a detailed description of their garden farm project in Holyoke MA:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Lot-One-Tenth-Making-Edible/dp/1603583998">http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Lot-One-Tenth-Making-Edible/dp/1603583998 </a><br />
<br />
How do we get started? Green New Yorkers Meetup regularly posts local opportunities to learn and practice basic wealth creating and wealth preserving skills such as home composting, growing food, caring for trees, preparing herbal remedies, preserving food, harvesting rainwater, repurposing salvage, conserving fossil fuel energy, home design, and much more! <a href="http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/">http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/</a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-6594164313261950622013-09-30T16:30:00.002-04:002013-09-30T22:46:17.463-04:00Tree Guards: the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Dangerous<br />
<b>We need trees as our partners</b> to beautify our streets, temper the Summer
heat, and, most importantly, to clean the air we breath. What can we do
to protect our precious trees?<br />
<br />
A well designed tree guard keeps
people, dogs, and objects out of the tree pit but leaves plenty of
room on the street side to allow cars to open their doors and passengers
to step out. It allows rainwater to flow into the pit to feed the tree.
The pickets are staggered so no one will be tempted to place anything
on them. The pits can either mulched or planted with small bulbs or
shallow rooted annuals and small herbaceous perennials. Here is the plant list from NYC's Parks Dept. <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/tree-care/planting">http://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/tree-care/planting</a> Signe and Guiliana
from the W 150 St Block Association in Manhattan point out that it is ideal when the
neighbors and their children take an active interest in building and
caring for the tree guards to protect the trees. Who can refuse when a child asks you not to let your dog poop or pee in the tree pit? <a class="" href="https://www.facebook.com/unify150" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/unify150</a><br />
<br />
<b>Here's an example of a "Good" tree guard:</b><br />
Note that for the newest tree
guards, the NYC Parks Dept would like to omit the streetside rail.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="fancybox-image" height="320" src="http://www.west150nyc.com/uploads/1/6/4/4/16444648/9594723_orig.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.west150nyc.com/photos.html</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>An unprotected tree:</b><br />
Stones block rainwater and compact the soil in this treepit and the lack of any tree guard invites intrusions such as this bicycle.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIDWNirH68ePCIZdZhatuLv0fj6hTj8oz3YLSynFhdeDyKD4MwRSdTHUOp-AfKuddZzayyxxYGwaNYiVRseXQ99SIoH9f1MG34KI84ZFloVi3FtrXPYlGzo7yppphdypUYhrRJlPLxKfu/s1600/Tree+bike+stand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIDWNirH68ePCIZdZhatuLv0fj6hTj8oz3YLSynFhdeDyKD4MwRSdTHUOp-AfKuddZzayyxxYGwaNYiVRseXQ99SIoH9f1MG34KI84ZFloVi3FtrXPYlGzo7yppphdypUYhrRJlPLxKfu/s320/Tree+bike+stand.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken on Church Ave in Flatbush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>A "Bad" tree guard</b> like this one, however, is at risk of damage from
annoyed or unaware drivers and their passengers. In addition, the stones
around the perimeter are blocking the flow of rainwater.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiUCGtKJgsjzGsGOXmjD1A7LucqQEngxxw9JHXAJdQR_k39xRorFaTQkPp4-9h5v5BtGLVzQuZPnE3Yyff013BlFATEA3FvG-yToKJgbuoQBZfj4Mo2FtbnNR4U82rdTLGBg4RftqIltm/s1600/Bad+tree+guard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiUCGtKJgsjzGsGOXmjD1A7LucqQEngxxw9JHXAJdQR_k39xRorFaTQkPp4-9h5v5BtGLVzQuZPnE3Yyff013BlFATEA3FvG-yToKJgbuoQBZfj4Mo2FtbnNR4U82rdTLGBg4RftqIltm/s1600/Bad+tree+guard.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tree+gaurds+photo&qpvt=tree+gaurds+photo&FORM=IGRE" target="_blank">http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tree+gaurds+photo&qpvt=tree+gaurds+photo&FORM=IGRE</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>A "Killer" tree pit grill</b> is strangling this unfortunate tree:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7K7gV7-uhP-XZ0pIJxxZHSJ94n0L2ix5BQ4Za1eCbCXxJincPIfzGq18b4R0UjtXBZb5BUDUYGjqc6wGg-llLGoIUiPtvwEQG3J5U5zOAHvFDS6gQtVjKw1YZNhCNzcEiP8n8cO_iEej/s1600/Tree+grill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7K7gV7-uhP-XZ0pIJxxZHSJ94n0L2ix5BQ4Za1eCbCXxJincPIfzGq18b4R0UjtXBZb5BUDUYGjqc6wGg-llLGoIUiPtvwEQG3J5U5zOAHvFDS6gQtVjKw1YZNhCNzcEiP8n8cO_iEej/s320/Tree+grill.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken on Church Ave in Flatbush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Sadly, almost all the tree pits and tree guards we see in our city are
in urgent need of improvement. What can we do for the trees near our
homes, schools, and workplaces? <a href="http://stewardship.nycparks.org/add_trees.php">http://stewardship.nycparks.org/add_trees.php</a><br />
<br />
Citizen's Committee for New York City offers <i>FREE</i> workshops on how to construct suitable tree pit guards <i>and</i> invites New Yorkers to file for grants to cover the cost of materials.<br />
<a href="http://www.citizensnyc.org/" target="_blank">http://www.citizensnyc.org/</a> <a href="http://www.citizensnyc.org/grants" target="_blank">http://www.citizensnyc.org/grants</a><br />
Note that permits are required before any work is done near a city tree. <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/forestry/tree-work-permit">http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/forestry/tree-work-permit</a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>How about helping a tree near you?</i></span></b><br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-29201395974904195192013-08-31T23:49:00.005-04:002014-01-02T04:22:19.551-05:00Forest Fires: Insights From "Rebel Farmer" Sepp Holzer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Why are we experiencing devastating forest fires and what can we do to mitigate their damage?</span></b></div>
<h1 class="parseasinTitle ">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span id="btAsinTitle">Desert or Paradise: Restoring Endangered Landscapes Using Water Management, Including Lake and Pond Construction</span> by </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sepp Holzer</span> </span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Desert-Paradise-Endangered-Landscapes-Construction/dp/1603584641">http://www.amazon.com/Desert-Paradise-Endangered-Landscapes-Construction/dp/1603584641</a></span></span></h1>
<h1 class="parseasinTitle ">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"So called natural disasters and their consequences are created by humans." "Floods,forest
fires, desertification, and loss of biodiversity are the logical
consequences of the mistakes made by humans for generations." What sort of mistakes is Sepp Holzer thinking of? </span></span></h1>
<h1 class="parseasinTitle " style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <b>Water Management</b></span></span></h1>
<h1 class="parseasinTitle " style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Water is the basis for life and is infinitely reuseable. Holzer retains water from snow melt in the Austrian Alps with a system of lakes and ponds. Polycultures of trees, shrubs, and crops are nourished by the water and in turn protect and improve the soil.</span></span></h1>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h1 class="parseasinTitle ">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></h1>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRGaDY0Cv-8c2Yzz5OLhcZE3ylF8fntaCogdzHmUtx8KyvlbS_btMM-JZ6UVZ08V0WkNMEfaAPYS326wZ0gZ5dtqB8CZRfq9Lr9KToc39VMUVAbJQyCT7ycTVBExrxDOJR8StHuZsD_9s/s1600/SH+Krameterhof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRGaDY0Cv-8c2Yzz5OLhcZE3ylF8fntaCogdzHmUtx8KyvlbS_btMM-JZ6UVZ08V0WkNMEfaAPYS326wZ0gZ5dtqB8CZRfq9Lr9KToc39VMUVAbJQyCT7ycTVBExrxDOJR8StHuZsD_9s/s1600/SH+Krameterhof.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Krameterhof&FORM=RESTAB#a<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
contrast, in California, water is quickly drained away from upland
watersheds for use in the cities. Owens lake and more recently, the
briny Mono lake, have seen their waters diverted. The surrounding ecosystems have suffered as a result. Is diversion of water one of the steps leading to the Yosemite Rim Fire?</span> Sepp Holzer states that mature healthy trees do not burn, only trees that are already sickened.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">After the Fires Come the Floods</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The mixed vegetation in a natural forest, with its many layers of canopy and roots, protects and maintain soil. After wholesale destruction in a large scale forest fire, the regrowth may not be sufficient to keep soil intact in the next season's rainfall or snow melt, hence floods and mudslides commonly follow.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">How Sepp Holzer Restores a Forest and Prevents Flooding</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">He brings in the pigs! The pigs do what they do best - root around preparing the ravaged soil for the mixture of seeds that Holzer scatters. Holzer also piles up the remaining wood along the contours of the land covering them with soil forming Hugelkultur mounds which store moisture and nourish young growth</span>.<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, Holzer's strategy is to observe ecological relationships and let nature do
the work.</span></i><br />
<a href="http://malikaci.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/sepp-holzer-tamera-ecology/">http://malikaci.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/sepp-holzer-tamera-ecology/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="wTdWb8r3fUIh7M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_JotPpd5_G49GU8BWesElMoluHhexJLvcGXMHhXfe-coLkg4S" style="height: 181px; margin-left: -2px; margin-right: -2px; margin-top: 0px; width: 279px;" /> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-17749056174873462672013-07-31T23:35:00.002-04:002014-03-03T03:51:38.968-05:00Can We Heal the Economy and Enhance Our Own Lives...by Growing More Food???<span style="font-size: large;">Huh? Is this a simplistic idea?</span><br />
<br />
Today we have a staggering percentage of Americans on government programs such as Food Stamps and Medicaid. At the same time our government is loaded with debt and facing huge upcoming expenses promised by programs initiated decades ago.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuo23gbmVZfttXwG_9WpHVRbWOv5aYOfG8_dR8j99oX1e3bkSad7Tz7f9pqG3mMpP187kA27jYvYIk5ylrEC9oCGUuNU8rDYSroNcXdD3OJCqaAlG_-OheZCnWT1Wh4rlX7VYJD3GFDh9/s1600/Food+Stamps.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuo23gbmVZfttXwG_9WpHVRbWOv5aYOfG8_dR8j99oX1e3bkSad7Tz7f9pqG3mMpP187kA27jYvYIk5ylrEC9oCGUuNU8rDYSroNcXdD3OJCqaAlG_-OheZCnWT1Wh4rlX7VYJD3GFDh9/s400/Food+Stamps.png" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
How to cope? Austerity measures? Higher taxes? Neither strategy is likely to be politically acceptable.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now consider the following progression instead:</span><br />
<br />
Let's tap into "Nature's Money" by turning compostables into fertile soil, harvest rainwater, and reuse gray water in the garden, save our own seed and propagate our own plants, then, with the help of a team of like minded friends...<br />
Together we can become healthier and more self reliant...<br />
<br />
So...even if our earnings are low, <i>our expenses can be</i> <i>even lower!</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha92dNwJJjFnJLWtuxeYYJ8__3evqZXa0UAyLampVJyGi-689AgaZv70_JIHTtmRc67yeYhfurvq3YoLbaETqC7sESd6t7qCtu_Bp-vXwOg-u_R7gqWdRZWz0DdsfMvnf8v9tuGZ6-5c55/s1600/Grapes2011+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha92dNwJJjFnJLWtuxeYYJ8__3evqZXa0UAyLampVJyGi-689AgaZv70_JIHTtmRc67yeYhfurvq3YoLbaETqC7sESd6t7qCtu_Bp-vXwOg-u_R7gqWdRZWz0DdsfMvnf8v9tuGZ6-5c55/s200/Grapes2011+1.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Can <i>this kind of austerity</i> feel more like <i>luxury?</i><br />
Can a <i>self reliant citizenry</i> be the basis for <i>lower government costs and less need for taxes?</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm trying this strategy out in my personal life. Please join me!</span><br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-88787032792366877712013-06-30T23:45:00.002-04:002014-01-02T04:36:17.614-05:00Farming: Garden of Eden or Hell On Earth?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Many cultures have a prehistoric tradition of origin in a</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Garden of Plenty</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Yet modern day agriculture involves daily drudgery for low pay:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">a <b><i>Hell On Earth</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> How did this come about?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And why is it called "Progress"???</span></div>
<br />
<b>Michael Pollan writes in <i>Botany of Desire</i></b> <i>"an American farmer today grows enough food each year to feed a hundred people, Yet that achievement - that power over nature - has come at a price. The modern industrial farmer cannot grow that much food without large quantities chemical fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and fuel. This expensive set of 'inputs,' as they're called, saddles the farmer with debt, jeopardizes his health, erodes his soil and ruins its fertility, pollutes the groundwater, and compromises the safety of the food we eat." <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-World/dp/0375760393">http://www.amazon.com/The-Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-World/dp/0375760393</a></i><br />
<br />
<b>The farm workers' lot is far worse than that of farm owners:</b><br />
Out of 2.5 million workers on America’s farms it is estimated that up to 500,000 are children.<br />
<a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://afop.org/children-in-the-fields/learn-the-facts/#AFOP_estimates" target="_blank">http://afop.org/children-in-the-fields/learn-the-facts/#AFOP_estimates</a><br />
What are their lives like?<br />
<a href="http://theharvestfilm.com/facts" target="_blank">http://theharvestfilm.com/facts</a><br />
<i>"Farmworker women ‘have it all,’ but not in the good kind of way,”</i> says
Levy Schroeder, director of Health & Safety Programs at AFOP. <i>“They
work in one of the most dangerous and lowest paid jobs—earning even less
than their poorly paid male colleagues. They are also responsible for
the care of their families and households, often rising first to prepare
breakfasts and lunches, followed by 10- to 12-hour days in the field,
and then dinner preparation, laundry, and seeing to any other needs of
their families.”</i><br />
<a href="http://afop.org/2013/04/17/the-hidden-faces-of-farmworker-women/" target="_blank">http://afop.org/2013/04/17/the-hidden-faces-of-farmworker-women/</a><br />
<br />
<b>Can we bring farming back to Eden? Bill Mollison tells us we can!</b><br />
"Mollison developed permaculture after spending decades in the
rainforests and deserts of Australia studying ecosystems. He observed
that plants naturally group themselves in mutually beneficial
communities. He used this idea to develop a different approach to
agriculture and community design, one that seeks to place the right
elements together so they sustain and support each other."<br />
Mollison:<i> "Catch the water off your roof. Grow your own food. Make
your own energy. It’s insanely easy to do all that. It takes you less
time to grow your food than to walk down to the supermarket to buy it.
Ask any good organic gardener who mulches how much time he spends on his
garden and he’ll say, 'Oh, a few minutes every week.'" </i><a href="http://www.scottlondon.com/interviews/mollison.html">http://www.scottlondon.com/interviews/mollison.html</a> <br />
<i>"if you’re an optimist, you could say (permaculture design) is an attempt to actually create a Garden of Eden." </i><a href="http://www.context.org/iclib/ic28/mollison/">http://www.context.org/iclib/ic28/mollison/</a><br />
<br />
<b>How can we begin to learn to apply permaculture design and get more of our food from a modern day Garden of Eden? </b><br />
The volunteer opportunities at local community gardens are a start:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmilingHogsheadRanch">https://www.facebook.com/SmilingHogsheadRanch</a> <br />
<a href="http://hspsfarm.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-events.html">http://hspsfarm.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-events.html</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nybg.org/green_up/work_event.php">http://www.nybg.org/green_up/work_event.php</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlccTN6LbHS0mXvFEOi51quZkj6DtJmrnhhqZJ2sz3mVgj8TY7Y4kShmI2ixcttI5S8PQDm2zmv3WxV0A43V7Kx7MHCfbW8JRlcQVISTS5C62a024Kppz179q_O6S7k6IpufTaqMmsPJpu/s1600/Hogs+beds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlccTN6LbHS0mXvFEOi51quZkj6DtJmrnhhqZJ2sz3mVgj8TY7Y4kShmI2ixcttI5S8PQDm2zmv3WxV0A43V7Kx7MHCfbW8JRlcQVISTS5C62a024Kppz179q_O6S7k6IpufTaqMmsPJpu/s320/Hogs+beds.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling Hogshead Ranch, Long Island City</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Enjoy the Summer and its bounty!</b></span></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-30034821971191456642013-05-31T01:06:00.004-04:002013-05-31T01:14:58.638-04:00A Disturbing Milestone: 400 ppm CO2<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>During May 2013, </b>for the first time, NOAA's Mauna Loa observatory recorded an average
daily CO2 concentration above 400 parts per million. This is indeed a sobering
milestone.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> The Keeling Curve:</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s2.hubimg.com/u/5782381_f260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://s2.hubimg.com/u/5782381_f260.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h1 class="title">
<span style="font-size: large;">Scientists almost unanimously agree that human activity is to blame for climate change</span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h1>
<h1 class="title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/science/130516/unanimity-among-scientists-over-cause-climate-change-study">http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/science/130516/unanimity-among-scientists-over-cause-climate-change-study</a> </span></h1>
<br />
<br />
<div class="subtitle text-component" data-component="text" data-name="components.name" data-text-type="heading" data-use-font="true">
<div class="content content2" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div>
<b>Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org: </b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="text text-component" data-component="text" data-name="components.description" data-use-font="true">
<div class="content content2" style="font-family: Lato;">
<div>
<i>"We're
in new territory for human beings--it's been millions of years since
there's been this much carbon in the atmosphere. The only question now
is whether the relentless rise in carbon can be matched by a relentless
rise in the activism necessary to stop it." </i></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="subtitle text-component" data-component="text" data-name="components.name" data-text-type="heading" data-use-font="true">
<div class="content content2" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div>
<b>Dr. James Hansen, former NASA Climatologist:</b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="text text-component" data-component="text" data-name="components.description" data-use-font="true">
<div class="content content2" style="font-family: Lato;">
<div>
<i>"If
humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which
civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted,
paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will
need to be reduced ... to at most 350 ppm." </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"We've got work to do, and there's not a moment to lose."</span></b><i> </i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
From <a href="http://400.350.org/">400.350.org</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-10339311085624541802013-04-22T23:21:00.002-04:002013-04-23T09:19:49.897-04:00Earth Day 2013: How Green Are Our Lifestyles and Habits?<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="167" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Earth_flag_PD.jpg/250px-Earth_flag_PD.jpg" width="250" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first Earth Day</span></span>, April 22, 1970, was organized by its principal founder, Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, as an <span style="color: #38761d;">environmental teach-in</span>. Teach-ins differ from seminars in that they are meant to be spontaneous, action oriented, and energized from the grassroots.What have we learned and what actions have we taken in our city since 1970?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">"The opportunity for a gradual but complete break with our
destructive environmental history and a new beginning is at hand…. We
can measure up to the challenge if we have the will to do so—that is the
only question. I am optimistic that this generation will have the foresight
and the will to begin the task of forging a sustainable society."</span> </b> http://www.nelsonearthday.net/nelson/index.htm<br />
<br />
What can we do as individuals to be part of forging a sustainable society? NYC currently provides a cornucopia of opportunities for training in sustainable living! Taking part in programs which help our members gain a
broad range of <b><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i>practical</i></span></b><span style="color: #00b050;"> </span>green knowledge and experience is like going to <i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Boot Camp</span></i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Some Green New Yorkers Bootcamp Highlights:</b></span></span><br />
<i>GrowNYC</i> recycle volunteer orientation<br />
<i>GrowNYC</i> green market volunteer orientation<br />
<i>NYC Compost Project </i>classes<br />
East River Blueway Tour with <i>LESEC</i><br />
Tour <i>Greenpoint Sewage Plant and Digester Eggs</i><br />
Volunteer at an urban farm - <i>BK Farmyards, Eagle St Rooftop Farm, Smiling Hogshead Ranch,</i> etc<br />
<i>Just Food</i> and <i>Green Thumb</i> classes - urban farming, chicken care, CSA organization, canning, pickling<br />
<i>GreenHomeNYC</i> forums, career workshops, and green building tours<br />
* Volunteer at <i>Build It Green</i><br />
*Volunteer for oyster planting projects<br />
*<i>Solar City </i>Workshops<br />
*Parks or shoreline cleanup<br />
<br />
*on our radar for future Meetups<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">How far along are <i>you</i> in your Green Boot Camp training? </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-6198190182977074282013-03-01T23:30:00.001-05:002013-04-23T09:24:05.920-04:00Can We Cut Our Budgets and Raise Our Quality of Life at the Same Time?<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's official, the sequester has begun.</b></span> Federal spending cuts have been ordered, $85 billion "across-the-board", about 10% of the budget. The press has been bombarding us with projections about how disruptive and damaging will this cut may<b> </b>be to the economy and to us.<br />
<br />
The question comes to mind: Can <i>anyone</i> cut an already tight budget in ways that <i>improve</i> rather than degrade their quality of life? Fortunately many people are already well on the way to building a lifestyle <i>at the</i> <i>individual level</i> that improves their quality of life while reducing the cost.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Some <span style="font-size: small;">wealth building cost cutting </span>strategies at the individual and household levels:</b></span><br />
<br />
Cutting<b> <span style="color: #38761d;">Food</span></b> Costs<br />
Up to 25% of the food purchased spoils without being eaten. Can we improve our food inventory control to prevent waste? How much of our food can we grow ourselves either at a community garden or on our own land? (http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2013/02/07/what-food-do-we-throw-out-how-to-stop-food-waste-at-home/)<br />
<br />
Cutting <span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Health</b> <b>Care</b></span> Costs<br />
Many of our health problems relate to our diet and lifestyle choices. Can we eat more vegetables and berries and less meat? Can we get more exercise to improve fitness?<br />
<br />
Cutting<b> <span style="color: #38761d;">Utility</span></b> Costs<br />
Do we need our homes to be quite so hot in the Winter? So cold in the Summer? Can we reduce drafts with some DIY caulking? Can we use fans instead of A/C in the Summer? Can we make better use of passive solar benefits the way our pets and wild animals do?<br />
<br />
Cutting<b> <span style="color: #38761d;">Education</span></b> Costs<br />
Can we make better use of the many FREE internet resources such as Khan Academy and Coursera? Let's remember that Abraham Lincoln's formal education consisted of only 12 months of classes with various itinerant teachers.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Some of the organizations that help us to help ourselves:</b></span><br />
<br />
Green Thumb <a href="http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/">http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/</a><br />
Just Food <a href="http://www.justfood.org/">http://www.justfood.org/</a><br />
NYC Compost Project <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/compost/compostproj.shtml">http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/compost/compostproj.shtml</a><br />
GreenHomeNYC <a href="http://greenhomenyc.org/">http://greenhomenyc.org/</a><br />
Khan Academy <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/">https://www.khanacademy.org/</a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>A wealth building low-cost business initiative:</b></span><br />
<br />
On the drawing board - Greg Todd's proposal to set up bike carting of compostable waste from coffee shops and small food related businesses <a href="http://www.nycpermaculture.info/events/105698722/">http://www.nycpermaculture.info/events/105698722/</a><br />
Let's have more businesses that make use of <i>Nature's Money </i>please!<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Can it work?</span></b><br />
<br />
A few decades ago an American president turned down the thermostat at
the White House and wore warm sweaters. He lost the next election by a
landslide (and the Federal debt burden jumped under his successor). Does
it seem as if each president after that has avoided calling on us, the American people, to make sacrifices together even for vitally important common causes? Why aren't we being challenged to our full potential?<br />
<br />
Imagine a nation of people so capable of taking care of our own needs that there is no longer much demand for Federal or State subsidy programs. From such a position of strength, we can reasonably demand<i> lower</i> <i>tax rates</i>. Increased self sufficiency from the grassroots level on up may be just the kind of start we need towards a better future!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">While we work on our end.... </span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMeIX6qfQCslE_c8XO9NldtVkZbooKSE7DSDilhQLN91DXq9mpoJNI4cp76In2clxdp-8UQwMzfulNuMFn269AxI6O9Uuc-EDv3Zuqc8mOKhEoGqnnvQmbln5tOCrEuMwxghrE67qG1OL/s1600/Where+to+cut+budget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMeIX6qfQCslE_c8XO9NldtVkZbooKSE7DSDilhQLN91DXq9mpoJNI4cp76In2clxdp-8UQwMzfulNuMFn269AxI6O9Uuc-EDv3Zuqc8mOKhEoGqnnvQmbln5tOCrEuMwxghrE67qG1OL/s320/Where+to+cut+budget.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How about cutting a 'little off the top'?</b></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsmLPK6hxrgfj9iqx1x9KtJiQFDBO8S2WxaiFpVknxD6ef9-gvl-HXUAx7l-FR2C2JLk5-KULkSTAoCRySztNFCaNKaE481rN7fiKQGJ4At0P60drN41r-u5LFQ8fMnWbyASvWekDIW-G/s1600/2-person+saw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsmLPK6hxrgfj9iqx1x9KtJiQFDBO8S2WxaiFpVknxD6ef9-gvl-HXUAx7l-FR2C2JLk5-KULkSTAoCRySztNFCaNKaE481rN7fiKQGJ4At0P60drN41r-u5LFQ8fMnWbyASvWekDIW-G/s320/2-person+saw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cooperating together will get the job done!</b></span><br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>To paraphrase Ben Franklin, a "penny saved" is a penny we don't need to earn, and a penny we didn't earn is not taxable. Yay!</b></span></span></div>
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-70147620873831150172013-02-13T22:18:00.001-05:002014-01-02T02:13:49.801-05:00How the Most Affordable Food Became the Most CostlyToday, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Lenten Season for many Christians. Many other religions and cultures also have seasonal periods of austerity and sacrifice which typically include restricted food choices.<br />
<br />
For Lent, sacrifice traditionally means going meat free, eating seafood instead. The "Fish on Friday" tradition likewise is a respectful sacrificial observance. Huh??? But my supermarket circulars show <i>much higher prices for seafood than meat!?!?</i> Yes seafood has become a much more luxurious and costly food since the time when these traditions originated. (Many types of fruits and vegetables are also higher in price than some types of meat - but that's a subject for a future Blog.)<br />
<br />
In the time of Jesus and his apostles, the poor ate fish because it was <i>abundant and cheap.</i><br />
What has happened to our rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans and the life in them in the last several decades?<br />
<br />
Pollution and Infrastructure<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Overfishing<br />
<br />
<br />
Deep Ocean Trawlers<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-44305119010880753992013-01-30T23:40:00.000-05:002014-01-02T01:45:38.340-05:00Measuring Our Fossil Fuel Use<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img align="right" height="362" src="http://engineering.columbia.edu/files/engineering/map.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://engineering.columbia.edu/model-created-map-energy-use-nyc-buildings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>Henry Gifford</b> often points out the we need to <i>measure</i> our energy use if we want to <i>manage</i> it <span style="font-size: small;">su</span>ccessfully.<br />
<br />
January
is an excellent month to look over our energy bills for the past year,
comparing it with the average use of fellow New Yorkers. We can set
goals for the new year and decide on strategies to achieve them.<br />
<br />
Here, where many people don't have private cars, our buildings account for two-thirds of the energy used by the city.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Drilling down to the unit level, take a look at the following table. Note these default values represent a <i>very high rate of energy use.</i> Nevertheless our energy cutting needs to start with measurement, so let's fill in our own table of monthly energy use.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Convert therms to kWh by a factor of 29.3</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>or use the conversion calculator at</i> <a href="http://www.unitconversion.org/energy/therms-to-kilowatt-hours-conversion.html.">http://www.unitconversion.org/energy/therms-to-kilowatt-hours-conversion.html. </a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Convert Btu to kWh by a factor of 0.000293</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>or use the calculator at</i> <a href="http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/energy/BTU_to_kWh.htm.">http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/energy/BTU_to_kWh.htm.</a></span></div>
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" dir="LTR" style="width: 593px;"><tbody>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Default Values for Residential Tenant Space Column 1 </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></b></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Column 2 </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></b></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Column 3 </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="29" valign="TOP" width="57%"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Month </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></b></td>
<td height="29" valign="TOP" width="22%"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Tenant-paid electrical energy use (kWh/unit) </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></b></td>
<td height="29" valign="TOP" width="22%"><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Tenant-paid heating energy use (kWh/unit) </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">January </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">420 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">1454 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">February </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">370 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">1238 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">March </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">350 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">1022 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">April </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">340 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">562 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">May </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">360 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">202 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">June </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">430 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">29 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">July </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">530 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">0 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">August </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">570 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">0 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">September </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">440 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">58 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">October </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">360 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">360 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">November </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">350 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">749 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td height="11" valign="TOP" width="57%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">December </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">380 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
<td height="11" valign="TOP" width="22%"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div align="CENTER">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">1209 </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Arial; font-size: small;">
</span></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Values are based on averaged New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority data for multi-family residential buildings in
New York City from 2006 – 2009 and correspond to the 25th percentile of
building energy performance<span style="font-family: Arial,Arial;"><b>. </b></span>http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/downloads/pdf/040111_final_benchmarking_rule.pdf</span><br />
<a href="http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/FAQ.html"></a><br />
Some strategies for reducing home energy use - <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/Save-Money-On-Energy.aspx#axzz2MXy3Z1ff">http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/Save-Money-On-Energy.aspx#axzz2MXy3Z1ff</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Notice how clever some nonhuman New Yorkers are in energy management:</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDU7hzSHelku7v3X-RLAkiYyHq_HqZrzeVQilbt9UUZ9NzI7uf2O0D2Udb3gEYGB864k1XeTHsZOss_0J66mTXr5YodWKGVsTjH-1_mc4qL5WUVgzKhfkZCic5DBXjnYwjZfdvfKJQqH0p/s1600/Pigeon+roost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDU7hzSHelku7v3X-RLAkiYyHq_HqZrzeVQilbt9UUZ9NzI7uf2O0D2Udb3gEYGB864k1XeTHsZOss_0J66mTXr5YodWKGVsTjH-1_mc4qL5WUVgzKhfkZCic5DBXjnYwjZfdvfKJQqH0p/s320/Pigeon+roost.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NYC pigeons know have to make use of passive solar gain and thermal mass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_cG5ZfIew4aR0FRKkcbDTJfFifY9rB95_ElVj7BH-vz7E-IDaFrFPcIBlT-U0Tnt2SnrLR5BS09idsrv6vYKBHau8sYDMwT4Sz5XVLPVDwqE6og5H5B_XfbzLk6A0c_a7gkMpWZZO1A4/s1600/P+Poop+Jan+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_cG5ZfIew4aR0FRKkcbDTJfFifY9rB95_ElVj7BH-vz7E-IDaFrFPcIBlT-U0Tnt2SnrLR5BS09idsrv6vYKBHau8sYDMwT4Sz5XVLPVDwqE6og5H5B_XfbzLk6A0c_a7gkMpWZZO1A4/s200/P+Poop+Jan+2013.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other hand, designing a pigeon roost over a pedestrian walkway...well...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Typical <span style="font-size: small;">B</span>uildings </b></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #444444;"></span> </span></span>are energy wasters in their construction and operation.<i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Resilient <span style="font-size: small;">B</span>uildings</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> are environmentally friendly and energy efficient to the point where they can maintain livable conditions even in the event of extended loss of power or
heating fuel.<a href="http://www.resilientdesign.org/resilient-design-strategies/">http://www.resilientdesign.org/resilient-design-strategies/</a></span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;">T</span>he Passive House </span></span></b><span style="color: #444444;">standard for
building heating and cooling is met with only 15 kWh per sq meter per year
(approximately 4750 Btu per sq foot per year or .0475 therms per sq foot
per year). </span><a href="http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/FAQ.html"> http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/FAQ.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Net Zero<span style="font-size: small;"> B</span>uildings </span></b><span style="color: #444444;">have zero net energy consumption and zero net carbon emissions on an annual basis</span><b><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_building">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_building</a><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Living<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Buildings </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">are environmentally sound, generate their own energy, capture and treat all of their water, operate efficiently, and are aesthetically pleasing. <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-living-building">http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-living-building</a></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Where are <i>we</i> in the spectrum of home energy usage? What can <i>we</i> do to improve?</b></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;">_______________</span><span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;">_____</span>____</span>_______<span style="font-size: small;">_____</span>_<span style="font-size: small;">__</span></span><span style="color: #7f6000;">___________</span><span style="color: lime;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">_</span>_________<span style="font-size: small;">_<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">_</span>_____</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">T</span>ypical Energy Use</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: orange;"> Resilient <span style="font-size: small;">Building</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Passive House</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: lime;">Net Zero<span style="color: #b00000;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span> <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Li<span style="font-size: xx-small;">ving Building</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody></tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-10787302979551901542012-12-24T02:05:00.000-05:002013-09-30T22:14:07.697-04:00Reflecting on Ethics for a Better WorldAs our year comes to a close in a season normally filled with joy and celebration, many hearts are heavy because of the toll both of natural disasters and human tragedies. Is it possible for humans to live in harmony with the Earth and with each other?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">Care of People</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">Care of the Earth</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">Having a Surplus to Share</span></div>
<br />
Who in today's world follows these three principles? Actually there are so very many that we can list.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Some of the organizations and businesses:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">New York Cares</span> http://www.newyorkcares.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Occupy Sandy</span> http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Khan Academy</span> https://www.khanacademy.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Acumen Fund </span> http://www.acumenfund.org/ten/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">The Working World</span> http://www.theworkingworld.org/us/what-we-do/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Habitat for Humanity</span> http://www.habitatnyc.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">NY Restoration Project</span> http://www.nyrp.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Just Food </span> http://justfood.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="background-color: #38761d;"><span style="background-color: #38761d;"><span style="background-color: #38761d;"></span></span></span>Green Thumb</span> http://greenthumbnyc.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">City Harvest </span> http://www.cityharvest.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Polyface Farms</span> http://www.polyfacefarms.com/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage</span> http://www.dancingrabbit.org/<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Some of the individuals:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Joe Leuken</span><b> </b>(http://now.msn.com/joe-lueken-supermarket-boss-transfers-ownership-of-business-to-employees)<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Salman Khan</span>
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2012/11/02/one-man-one-computer-10-million-students-how-khan-academy-is-reinventing-education/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Jacqueline Novogratz </span> http://www.forbes.com/sites/helencoster/2011/11/30/novogratz/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Brendan Martin</span> https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/brendan-martin<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Vicki Robin</span> (and deceased partner <span style="color: #38761d;">Joe Dominguez</span>) http://ymoyl.wordpress.com/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Bette Midler</span> http://www.nyrp.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Dr. John Todd <span style="color: black;">http://toddecological.com/</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Colin Beavan</span> http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/about-colin-beavan.html<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Cecil Scheib</span> http://roadtripnation.com/CecilScheib<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Will Allen<b> </b></span> http://www.growingpower.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Joel Salatin</span><b> </b>http://www.polyfacefarms.com/story/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Henry Gifford </span> http://www.energysavingscience.com/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Chris Benedict</span> http://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/iss/innovators/chris-benedict<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Gennaro Brooks-Church</span> http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-gennaro-brooks-church-founder-of-eco-brooklyn<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Bill Mollison</span> http://www.scottlondon.com/interviews/mollison.html</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">David Holmgren</span><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.holmgren.com.au/</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sepp Holzer</span></span> http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/011217.html</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Rob Hopkins </span> http://www.ted.com/speakers/rob_hopkins.html</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span><br />
There are so many many more (including my <span style="font-size: small;">wonderful </span>colleagues at Green New Yorkers Meetup!) Which organizations and individuals would <i>you</i> like to add?<br />
<br />
Coincidentally ;-), t<span style="font-size: small;">he</span><span style="font-size: small;"> three ethics: <i><a href="http://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics_earth.php" target="_blank">earth care</a></i>, <i><a href="http://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics_people.php" target="_blank">people care</a></i> and <i><a href="http://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics_share.php" target="_blank">fair share</a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i> form the foundation for <span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;">P</span></span>ermaculture <span style="font-size: small;">D</span>esign.<i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i> http://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics.php </span><br />
<br />
Can we ever have a modern global society based on these principles rather than the currently popular but highly destructive Social Darwinism? Let's start with Permaculture education and practice. From there we can build a community of social and business networks with likeminded people.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Local Permaculture Teachers:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Claudia Joseph</span> http://permaculture-exchange.org/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Andrew Faust</span> http://www.homebiome.com/<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Julie Welch</span> http://www.linkedin.com/pub/julie-welch/5/231/584<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Revolutions have started this way.</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>On with the Permaculture Revolution!</b></i></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/images/ethical_principles_image2.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" usemap="#Map" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/ethics.php</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-490551071128661252012-11-30T01:23:00.001-05:002013-01-03T22:57:03.046-05:00Strategies for Resilience in a Post Sandy Era<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="248" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Atlantic_hurricane_tracks_1980-2005.jpg/200px-Atlantic_hurricane_tracks_1980-2005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracks of all tropical cyclones in the northern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean" title="Atlantic Ocean">Atlantic Ocean</a> between 1980 and 2005<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclone_basins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
An insurance company has aired advertisements saying "You didn't choose to be in the path of Sandy..." Sadly for us, this isn't quite true. We <i>have </i>chosen to live in a known tropical cyclone zone. We <i>have not</i> designed our homes, buildings, subway stations, and subway tunnels to be storm resistant. We <i>have</i> destroyed the original natural storm barriers, namely oyster reefs and salt marsh flats. And despite many warnings, we <i>did not adequately prepare</i> before Sandy struck.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ny-mostly-ignored-reports-warning-superstorm</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Where are you on the Flood Zone map? Addresses in NYC can be checked on http://gis.nyc.gov/oem/he/index.html<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="297" id="il_fi" src="http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2012/10/200%20West%20evacuated.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-10-28/new-york-mayor-orders-evacuation-zone-residents</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Climate scientist, Dr. Trenberth, <span style="font-size: small;">has been</span> harshly attacked<span style="color: #b08500;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span> by climate change deniers for his
projection that the risk of <span style="color: #b08500;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">harm from</span> </span></span>severe <span style="color: #b09600;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">weather<span style="font-size: small;">,</span> including</span> </span></span>hurricanes, would increase. <b><i>Branding Dr. Trenberth an "alarmist" his
critics went further to assert that infrastructure investments to
mitigate hurricane damage were unnecessary and a waste of money.</i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Hopefully our tristate area will listen to Dr. Trenberth and not his critics.</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Municipal Initiatives:</b></span></span><br />
Reassess <span style="color: #0b5394;">building codes </span>and evacuation
zone borders<br />
<span style="color: #000025;"><span style="font-size: small;">Determine how best <span style="color: #000025;"><span style="font-size: small;">to <span style="color: #0b5394;">f</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;">lood-proof power and transportation
networks</span><br />
Make sure our <span style="color: #0b5394;">vulnerable populations</span>, especially those in hospitals and nursing homes, are provided for<br />
Decide<b> </b>how to
<span style="color: #0b5394;">protect the coast</span> with levees, dunes, natural structures, or a combination<br />
Determine how to <span style="color: #0b5394;">fund the many projects</span> that will be needed!<br />
<br />
Paying for the infrastructure changes we need will be expensive indeed...<i>however</i>...experts estimate that a dollar spent for prevention will save 4 dollars of damage! <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Permaculture Principle #11 says "use edges and value the marginal<span style="font-size: small;">"<span style="font-size: small;">.<span style="font-size: small;">..the interface<span style="font-size: small;"> between two ecosystems <span style="font-size: small;">can be</span> particularly valu<span style="font-size: small;">a<span style="font-size: small;">ble and productive. I<span style="font-size: small;"> believe</span> <span style="font-size: small;">that</span><i><span style="font-size: small;"> d</span>esigning with <span style="font-size: small;">n</span>ature </i>instead of waging war with nature<span style="font-size: small;"> will be the <span style="font-size: small;">best solution.<span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Will our leaders agree?</span> </span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;">http://www.permacultureprinciples.com<span style="font-size: small;">/</span>principle_11.php</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><img alt="Principle 11: Use edges & value the marginal. Proverb: Don’t think you are on the right track just because it’s a well-beaten path." height="152" src="http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/images/principle_11.gif" title="Principle 11: Use edges & value the marginal. Proverb: Don’t think you are on the right track just because it’s a well-beaten path." width="200" /><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Individual Initiatives:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">We need our trusted friends and family...and they need us.<b> </b></span>In emergencies, we help each other with places to stay, child care, sharing cars, food, supplies,<b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">internet access,</span> and so much more.<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">It's good to know how things work. </span>How to light a stove or oven when we have gas but not electric. How to flush a toilet without running water. How to compost food and yard waste, even sewage waste... etc.<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">It's important to stay healthy and fit if possible.</span> We are better off if we can walk, bike, climb stairs, carry heavy stuff, perhaps cut fallen tree limbs, shovel sand<span style="font-size: small;">...</span><span style="font-size: small;">etc.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Above all</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">, </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">being willing to creatively use and respond to change,</span> <span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: small;">which is <span style="font-size: small;">P</span>ermaculture <span style="font-size: small;">P</span>rinciple #12</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">, <span style="font-size: small;">will</span> lead to positive results! http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/principle_12.php</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><img alt="Principle 12: Creatively use & respond to change. Proverb: Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be." height="152" src="http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/images/principle_12.gif" title="Principle 12: Creatively use & respond to change. Proverb: Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be." width="200" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Greenies, what would you add to the list?</b><br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-42636304251657282472012-10-31T23:27:00.000-04:002012-12-31T00:01:20.288-05:00Connecting the Dots Between Climate Change and Extreme WeatherIs smoking related to cancer? Does diet affect health? Today we recognize as fact that these are indeed related.<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span>Yet in the past, many business and political leaders fostered controversy and doubt about these issues for decades letting millions of people make harmful choices.<br />
<br />
Similarly, today, many business and political leaders want doubt and controversy to shroud the question of whether there are dots to connect between extreme weather, climate change, and the fossil fuel industry that pumps carbon into our atmosphere.<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">(Dr Tre<span style="font-size: small;">n</span>be<span style="font-size: small;">r</span>th is one of the climate scientists <span style="font-size: small;">roundly vilified<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: black;">and branded an "alarmist" for his call to plan for and adapt to <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #005500;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">a</span> </span></span>changin<span style="font-size: small;">g</span> climate.)</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><b><br /></b><br />
<br />
As millions of people from the Caribbean to the U.S. and up to Canada suffer heartbreaking devastation from the unprecedented destruction of SuperStorm Sandy, we must address this issue in order to map a course for our future. Do we assume storms like Hurricanes Katrina, Irene, and Sandy are just a matter of natural variability of "normal" weather so that we should simply rebuild and live life as "usual" or do we recognize that the Earth has changed and that we need to <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b><i>live differently</i></b></span> to adapt to the new conditions?<br />
<br />
Scientists choose their words carefully and so Climate Deniers think<i> </i>scientists<i> </i>are testifying that recent weather disasters are completely unrelated to Climate Change.<br />
<br />
NOT SO!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">FACT*:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Dr. Trenberth) "human-induced global warming has been raising the overall temperature of
the surface ocean, by about one degree Fahrenheit since the 1970s. So
global warming very likely contributed a notable fraction of the energy
on which the storm (Sandy) thrived — perhaps as much as 10 percent"</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">FACT*: </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">"The ocean is rising relentlessly, and scientists say this is a direct
consequence of global warming. Warm water expands, just as warm air
does, and the warming of the ocean is one factor behind the rise.
Another is that land ice the world over is starting to melt as the
climate grows warmer, dumping extra water into the ocean."</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">FACT*:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Dr. Emanuel) "coastal flooding on a scale
that once happened only once or twice per century — the scale of Sandy,
in other words — will become much more commonplace within the coming
decades."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">FACT**:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Dr. Hoerling)
"There is a nice historical record of the tide level at the Battery just
below Manhattan that goes back to 1850s. And that time series, which is
fairly complete up to current, shows a rise in the total sea level of
about one foot in the 150 years of that record. Now,
we have 14-foot rise related to Sandy. So one foot out of 14 may not be
something that is critical. But it may very well be in the sense that
that last foot may be the foot that moved the water into very prone
areas."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small;">*From NYT Green Blogs - http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/1</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-small;">0/30/<span style="color: #3d85c6;">did-global-warming-contribute-to-hurricane-sandys-devastation/?ref=globalwarming</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">**From NPR interview - http://www.npr.org/2012/10/31/164055672/is-climate-change-responsible-for-sandy</span></span><br />
<br />
Dr. Trenberth sums up the misunderstanding succinctly: "The answer to the oft-asked question of whether an event is caused by climate change
is that it is the wrong question. All weather events are affected by
climate change because the environment in which they occur is warmer and
moister than it used to be."
He illustrates by pointing out that steroids in a baseball player's
system do not cause home runs all by themselves but do make home runs
more likely. UC Berkeley linguist George Lakoff describes this confusion as arising from the public's misunderstanding
of the difference between "direct causation" and "systemic causation".<sup> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy</sup><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy#cite_note-36"></a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy#cite_note-35"></a></sup> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Please submit <i>your</i> photos to http://connect.climatedots.org/</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddJUz6UAFzb5_Uv8kg6U5lfp9AJHesLh6G6-kxzmIDoposptSdgdWn-pbpgFDW587uilUhEvJKUbqcYB41kPpPX5qRpIh5AXUhU6xJXT1qARg6ewIG8NClD_AEiReR2JtAl6A3f8Op7Ga/s1600/End+Climate+Silence+(360.org).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddJUz6UAFzb5_Uv8kg6U5lfp9AJHesLh6G6-kxzmIDoposptSdgdWn-pbpgFDW587uilUhEvJKUbqcYB41kPpPX5qRpIh5AXUhU6xJXT1qARg6ewIG8NClD_AEiReR2JtAl6A3f8Op7Ga/s320/End+Climate+Silence+(360.org).jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 350.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Join Green New Yorkers Meetup in signing up for</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Al Gore's 24 hours of Climate Reality Project (Nov 14)</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"> http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/events/84322082/</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-23427555359871604862012-09-30T23:45:00.000-04:002012-12-30T02:15:28.520-05:00A Holistic Approach to the Healthcare Crisis<div dir="ltr">
The debate is currently raging in the political, business, and public arenas over the best approach to medical insurance coverage for Americans. It is abundantly clear that our health care costs are painfully high and growing unsustainably!</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeExxqOql_1b2dI9D_bkJXKqkRIiZWNBh8dal9h1aGWaGHbAO3E_sm_c0PWcs8A-e3EwbVXK8S77Mk2mCrl_yhx4a9hssv6nHezS9ASWAT4lEK4nBhyNxkUMoCsoyzBh47u_1AVvR5Mz6/s1600/Healthcare+spending.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeExxqOql_1b2dI9D_bkJXKqkRIiZWNBh8dal9h1aGWaGHbAO3E_sm_c0PWcs8A-e3EwbVXK8S77Mk2mCrl_yhx4a9hssv6nHezS9ASWAT4lEK4nBhyNxkUMoCsoyzBh47u_1AVvR5Mz6/s400/Healthcare+spending.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Conspicuously absent is the recognition that the concept of insurance by
definition is about covering eventualities that are unlikely to take
place. <br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>We need to do everything we can to make illness an unlikely event in our lives!</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i><i>If we become healthier as a nation we will solve the healthcare crisis! </i> </i></span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>Can we accomplish such a challenge?</i></span></b></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Fortunately many highly qualified doctors have pointed to holistic ways to achieve excellent health <b><i>without</i></b> costly medical interventions.<br />
<br />
Take a look:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><i>Dr. David Servan-Schreiber</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Credentials: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.instincttoheal.org/article.php3?id_article=19#education"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.instincttoheal.org/article.php3?id_article=19#education</span></a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>ANTICANCER LIFESTYLE</b></i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.anticancerbook.com/">http://www.anticancerbook.com/</a></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<i><b>MENTAL HEALTH</b></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.instincttoheal.org/">http://www.instincttoheal.org/</a></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: small;"><i><b>Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Credentials:</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldwell_Esselstyn">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldwell_Esselstyn</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<i><b>CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH</b></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://www.heartattackproof.com/">http://www.heartattackproof.com/</a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><i>Dr. Joel Furhman</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">Credentials: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_furhman">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_furhman</a></span><br />
<i><b>DIABETES PREVENTION</b></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<i><b>SUPERIMMUNITY</b></i></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.drfuhrman.com/">http://www.drfuhrman.com/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Dr. Mehmet Oz</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">Credentials: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmet_Oz">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmet_Oz</a></span><br />
<b><i>COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE</i></b><br />
<a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/">http://www.doctoroz.com/</a><br />
<br />
Although these esteemed doctors differ on many of their recommendations (I'm very sure I've never eaten a meal that Dr. Esselstyn would approve of...LOL), they all concur with the gist of Dr. Furhman's statement about nutrition in America:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">"Those who eat the standard American Diet with an overabundance of calories but a very low nutrient per calorie intake are in a chronically malnourished condition. This combination of being overweight yet malnourished is the true life threatening epidemic in the modern world resulting in a medical care crisis and avoidable medical tragedies. With the ubiquitous consumption of low nutrient processed foods, nutritional deficiency has become the norm."</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></b></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAKJ_j6-D5rvOtnXNGoQ3J3JYAq05jTTNB99dPefgsi7Wqpqo7U5allwTnaA4gh_5F-kIcEvP3DaC20Mp6kTTBUMKa6lS-y-YTTD6zJjhtcnuumlIxBXRi6LAeXk9VWszj6RvWpyosR1F/s1600/Dr.+Fuhrman%27s+foodplate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAKJ_j6-D5rvOtnXNGoQ3J3JYAq05jTTNB99dPefgsi7Wqpqo7U5allwTnaA4gh_5F-kIcEvP3DaC20Mp6kTTBUMKa6lS-y-YTTD6zJjhtcnuumlIxBXRi6LAeXk9VWszj6RvWpyosR1F/s320/Dr.+Fuhrman%27s+foodplate.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i> </i></span></b></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">"Health = Nutrients/Calories"</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
How do we avoid the outsized medical expenses currently typical near the
end of our lives? Scott Nearing, famous for demonstrating how to live
simply, also shows us a way of graciously exiting our earthly lives. In
the words of his wife, Helen, he "quietly breathed away his life at
home in Maine 3 weeks after his 100th birthday. He went with dignity,
purposely fasting, after a long and good life."<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Leaving-Good-Helen-Nearing/dp/0930031636#reader_0930031636</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/0156004968/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_sims_3#reader_0156004968</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>Are we willing to accept the challenge</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>of<span style="font-size: large;"> attaining</span> good health and long life</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>with <span style="font-size: large;">low healthcare costs</span>?</i></span></b></span></div>
Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-76479111039220220652012-08-31T03:23:00.000-04:002012-12-31T23:37:17.914-05:00"Slowing the Rise of Oceans and Healing the Planet"<br />
From Mitt Romney's August 30th acceptance speech:<br />
<i>"President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the
oceans."
</i> (LAUGHTER from delegates)
<i>"And to heal the planet." </i>(LAUGHTER from delegates)<i> "My promise is to help you and your
family."
</i> (APPLAUSE from delegates)
(<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/30/transcript-mitt-romney-speech-at-rnc/">http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/30/transcript-mitt-romney-speech-at-rnc/</a>)
<br />
<br />
I'm saddened and dismayed that so many politicians and their supporters still don't get it :-(<br />
<br />
The increasing imbalance of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere since the 18th century Industrial Revolution is a well documented fact. The coincidental timing of Hurricane Isaac with the start of the Republican Convention seemed to me to be a dramatic wake up call. The Summer of drought, crop failure, and forest fires have amply demonstrated the harm to human habitation that Climate Change causes. Yet environmental concerns were offhandedly belittled by the candidates and delegates alike.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuels">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuels</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kstObGRCfC193MZkUA2WDm_q1tnLObQuuKcNhhl1xVXpyWlUjyKGfY6fIVNAfXtILTH8Odr_adAtlsMj2MoNk3LycmeeF7pRVz_5Genq0MREnJ7B3TD7KM1ExoR2U9tfaAHDMQ_fwy67/s1600/350px-Global_Carbon_Emissions_svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kstObGRCfC193MZkUA2WDm_q1tnLObQuuKcNhhl1xVXpyWlUjyKGfY6fIVNAfXtILTH8Odr_adAtlsMj2MoNk3LycmeeF7pRVz_5Genq0MREnJ7B3TD7KM1ExoR2U9tfaAHDMQ_fwy67/s400/350px-Global_Carbon_Emissions_svg.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarTSw85-97TxQQpOgYsHzedWfa31Wxzquyttn4h5Ewb-z5bibfipd8ultrt8nr7BhAm9er6QmtCKHtcq0VROqF-o4zIr9HBLWwXuGdWLk1av5-Dkh437ltwAI3zPdkZ6IN5qkioIpVugV/s1600/350px-Carbon_Dioxide_400kyr.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarTSw85-97TxQQpOgYsHzedWfa31Wxzquyttn4h5Ewb-z5bibfipd8ultrt8nr7BhAm9er6QmtCKHtcq0VROqF-o4zIr9HBLWwXuGdWLk1av5-Dkh437ltwAI3zPdkZ6IN5qkioIpVugV/s400/350px-Carbon_Dioxide_400kyr.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Did it ever make sense to burn precious nonrenewable fossil resources at all? When we hear of lottery winners blowing off their fortunes in a short time by going on wild spending sprees we are not filled with admiration are we? Yet, while surrounded by renewable sun, wind, and biomass energy sources, we as a society have proceeded during the last 262 years to wantonly destroy irreplaceable fossil materials and to do so in a manner that harms our habitat.
<br />
<br />
Extracting fossil resources at the current stage of difficulty is analogous to the choice of the young teenager in China who sold one of his kidneys to buy an iPad and iPhone. The young teen became ill after his operation and his furious mother smashed his gadgets. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-teen-sells-kidney-buy-iphone-ipad-072601309.html" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-teen-sells-kidney-buy-iphone-ipad-072601309.html</a> Removing mountaintops for coal, extracting oil from tarsands, building the Keystone XL pipeline over the precious Ogallala acquifer, fracking for natural gas by contaminating water, air, and soil, these procedures amount to damaging the Earth's vital organs. We harm our future to enjoy a brief interval of wastefulness.<br />
<br />
The promised "jobs" and "energy independence" will undoubtedly come from
unrestrained drilling and fracking if these political factions have
their way. This way of "helping" us and our families is akin to
enlisting us to dig our own graves. Yes, we are expected to be elated
about sharing in anthropomorphic suicide.<br />
<br />
Rob Hopkins is from the region where the Industrial Revolution began. <span style="font-size: small;">In</span> his TED presentation about Transitioning to a World Without Oil,<span style="font-size: small;"> he <span style="font-size: small;">reminds us that the ch<span style="font-size: small;">e<span style="font-size: small;">a<span style="font-size: small;">p</span> <span style="font-size: small;">oil</span></span></span> our world depends on is running out and </span>points us to a future <span style="font-size: small;">beyond oil</span></span>:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8meWY0W40OA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8meWY0W40OA</a>
<br />
<br />
There is a better way and we have the tools to implement it!<br />
Grassroots Transition Town movements are implementing an "energy descent plan" and preparing to "power down":<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQF09NG00V8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQF09NG00V8</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Towns">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Towns</a><br />
<br />
Rob Hopkins sums up with a quote from Arundhati Roy: "Another world is not only possible, she's on her way and on a quiet day I can hear her breathing."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Greenies, what kind of future do you want to build?</b></i></span>
Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-72660629012567986472012-07-04T21:48:00.001-04:002012-12-30T01:57:40.015-05:00Another World Is Possible: 4 videos for July 4th<br />
This July 4th week, as we celebrate the world's oldest democracy, let's reflect on the many positive grassroots initiatives that are underway.<br />
<br />
Please view these 4 videos:<br />
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<br />
<b>Andrew Faust:</b> "Another world is possible!"</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivd_BqKtDzY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivd_BqKtDzY</a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<br />
<b>Nic Esposito:</b> "Right here, right now, I think we humans beings are at our most just, most humane, most Earth conscious, than we have ever been before on this planet."</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jibmiiu2uw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jibmiiu2uw</a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<br />
<b>Penny Livingston-Stark:</b> "The good news is, the solutions are here, they are available on every scale."</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJwLz_AFG8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJwLz_AFG8</a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<b>Charlie Hoxie:</b> Passive Passion, a documentary film "introducing the Passive House standard, a design method that incorporates insulation, air tightness, and heat recovery ventilation to achieve staggering reductions in the energy required to heat and cool a building". </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<a href="http://www.foursevenfive.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=30&chapter=1">http://www.foursevenfive.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=30&chapter=1</a></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<div align="LEFT">
In 1976 a computer simulation team led by Wayne Schick at the Small Homes Council at University of Illinois Urbana developed a design called the </div>
<div align="LEFT">
<i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Lo-Cal </span></i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">house. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> The house was never built, but its design features pioneered the key design facets of today's Passive Houses.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=H4mEKu4jD6sC&pg=PA513&lpg=PA513&dq=low+calorie+house+small+homes+council+urbana+champaign+illinois&source=bl&ots=KhCZGCOhfo&sig=2SF5gGqXwzVd_YuQCWllxP6q8Q8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_aL-T9vmIIa16wGn2bnXBg&ved=0CFUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false">http://books.google.com/books?id=H4mEKu4jD6sC&pg=PA513&lpg=PA513&dq=low+calorie+house+small+homes+council+urbana+champaign+illinois&source=bl&ots=KhCZGCOhfo&sig=2SF5gGqXwzVd_YuQCWllxP6q8Q8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_aL-T9vmIIa16wGn2bnXBg&ved=0CFUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false</a></span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
Fast forward to 2012, New York architect, Gennaro Brooks-Church is currently building an Earthship House on Manhattan's Lower East Side.<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="earthship Earthship and Passive House" class="size-full wp-image-4025" height="200" src="http://ecobrooklyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/earthship.gif" title="earthship" width="158" /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<div>
<a href="http://ecobrooklyn.com/earthship-passive-house/">http://ecobrooklyn.com/earthship-passive-house/</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Wow!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy the fireworks!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-69973456750210534242012-04-22T09:59:00.003-04:002012-12-24T02:15:21.655-05:00It's Earth Day!It's Earth Day again, an observance/protest that began in 1970.<br />
<br />
Have we made progress? Yes, in many ways.<br />
Have matters become even more critical? Yes, sadly, in many more ways. <a href="http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement">http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement</a><br />
<br />
Here's a 2 pronged approach I plan to take today:<br />
<br />
<b>*How much can we reduce our fossil fuel footprint?</b><br />
<b>
</b>Architect Chris Benedict <a href="http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/photos/4077822/">http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/photos/4077822/</a> recommends reducing our home energy use to the Passive House standard. She states that this drastic reduction is needed in order for renewable sources of energy to be sufficient for our needs.<br />
<br />
Today we have the opportunity to tour a Brooklyn brownstone retrofitted by architect Jeremy Shannon to the PH standard.
<a href="http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/events/61492462/">http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/events/61492462/</a>
<br />
<br />
<b>How a strong a message can we send to political and business leaders?</b><br />
Today we can join the "Rally to Retake Earth Day"
<a href="http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/events/61613292/">http://www.meetup.com/GreenNewYorkers/events/61613292/</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Greenies, what are your plans for today?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">_____________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
*Oops, I didn't mean to give an impression that I thought it would be easy or cost effective to retrofit all of our homes to the PH standard in the near future.<br />
<br />
It is a long term goal that I think we must <i>start</i> working towards <i>ASAP</i>. Plus, applying the principles PH is based on can reduce our fossil fuel needs <i>within our existing infrastructure</i>.<br />
<br />
Examples?<br />
<br />
<b>Summer:</b> Keep the Western window shades closed all day, keep the Eastern window shades closed in the mornings. Use ceiling fans instead of air conditioners. On cool nights that aren't muggy, bring the cool air inside with fans. Don't use the oven on hot days.<br />
<br />
<b>Winter:</b> Let the Sun in from the West and South! Add insulation to the North windows. Look for and seal up air leaks in windows and doors. Open windows for ventilation when the sun is shining.<br />
<br />
In a small home less fuel is needed for the smaller space. In a larger home establishing a seasonal pattern of use is helpful. A tiled basement family room is a cool sanctuary in Summer and the West facing den is the place to read a book in Winter. Spaces we aren't using don't need to be heated or cooled to the max.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Think of what cats do to be comfortable. Yes, cats are energy experts ;-)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMABdebLo2ODMe-DX5eIazsKXmfuaguQ_4UKRLafm4eUekfPrtk2Hnp20rwcpQ7t6KdrCjxc89wWpWcm4HS6vzUlnRVG3lVK0qKjnwmqSme_gAGERzmonZFLp07YqweVucZz3hejFpUAe-/s1600/charlotte-2010heat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMABdebLo2ODMe-DX5eIazsKXmfuaguQ_4UKRLafm4eUekfPrtk2Hnp20rwcpQ7t6KdrCjxc89wWpWcm4HS6vzUlnRVG3lVK0qKjnwmqSme_gAGERzmonZFLp07YqweVucZz3hejFpUAe-/s320/charlotte-2010heat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On a hot Summer day this kitty</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
stayed in the middle of the house and stretched out on the vinyl kitchen floor.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4UfchB6O5ZvcW-l6ztDdQxtmOlZxQNWwNDl-Bhz6lrl6DrQDhyphenhyphen0Zrdu6I0_PoZmJUPrF-c16AScMKDAn2fTFGFNkP42xy3dCdQXzzDBj7aiSIFF-cCgvnASGnf7S1nKUYbzuChMWj8CF/s1600/catinwinter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4UfchB6O5ZvcW-l6ztDdQxtmOlZxQNWwNDl-Bhz6lrl6DrQDhyphenhyphen0Zrdu6I0_PoZmJUPrF-c16AScMKDAn2fTFGFNkP42xy3dCdQXzzDBj7aiSIFF-cCgvnASGnf7S1nKUYbzuChMWj8CF/s200/catinwinter.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On a cold but sunny Winter afternoon</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
she curled up in the armchair by a Western window. </div>
<br />
How much difference can small low cost DIY measures make? In my own home, the average daily gas use went down from a max of 6 therms in the Winter of 2004 to only 2.5 therms in the Winter of 2009. In January of 2010, the furnace (1965 vintage) and hot water heater (2002 vintage) were replaced which brought the average daily gas use to below 2 therms in the Winter and to .5 therm in the summer. Electricity use is about 5 KWH per day at the Summer max. I don't have any air conditioners. In short, it's entirely possible to make some progress towards fossil fuel independence without costly investments.
<br />
<br />
<b>There's no time to lose. Let's change our energy habits ASAP!</b>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10975273694209354868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763279824613051937.post-57307838846317153742012-03-26T10:48:00.002-04:002013-01-01T19:42:19.022-05:00From Nuclear to Ecological EngineeringA couple of years ago I left a good-paying government job in nonproliferation to first write a book and then pursue a career change. I had a MS in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2007 and worked for almost three years at this government job. <br />
<br />
Why did I do this? And why did I go into nuclear engineering in the first place? At the time, I was interested in two areas within the field: 1) nonproliferation and 2) nuclear waste. Nonproliferation seemed interesting to me because I could potentially work in a technical field but related to ethics - to hopefully contribute to a safer world. 2) Nuclear waste is of course one of the biggest issues with nuclear power, and a solution to that would be great. <br />
<br />
In graduate school (and this could just be representative of where I happened to be), I didn't find the particularly progressive atmosphere I was hoping for. (Perhaps Berkeley would have been better!!!) Some people were simply gung-ho for nuclear power, with little changing from our current culture's excessive and wasteful energy usage other than what source it comes from. Other people were more into research and other applications of nuclear technology, for which there are many very solidly good uses. <br />
<br />
After working in nonproliferation for awhile, I realized I had difficulty keeping up a high level of interest in the affairs of all sorts of different countries pertaining to their programs and speculation about their attention. There was lots of concern about terrorist use of materials - where I worked, not so much nuclear bombs, but just pure radioactive material that could possibly be spread around a city creating a whole mess of a problem, even though there would be few deaths. This is called a dirty bomb. It just didn't fit with me to worry so much about a relatively remote chance of such a terrorist threat, even though it would be scary, and I'm glad overall that other people are doing something about it. It's a pretty nonpartisan topic. <br />
<br />
So during this time, I discovered two fascinating books. Joseph Jenkins' "The Humanure Handbook" and Michael Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma". The first opened up to me the world of microorganisms, and an understanding of the resources inherent in our waste. All waste in nature is recycled, yet when we throw away our wastes we not only lose their value, they actually become pollutants and disease carriers because we concentrate them and mix them with all sorts of other stuff. Omnivore's Dilemma had a bit of a sciency feel and it taught me about the complex and beautiful ecology and patterns of nature, and how synergistic agriculture could be far more productive, beautiful, and actually beneficial to nature. I learned about why fertilizers and standard huge-scale agriculture is so damaging, and it was a fun and exciting read packed full of interesting knowledge. <br />
<br />
I finally saw that there was plenty of science and engineering in these fields, and a great need for more precision and quantifiable information to counteract the well-meaning but very subjective fluffy trends in the environmental movements. Many schools had Environmental Engineering programs, but they tended to simply solve the symptoms of the problems we create, instead of really look back to the beginning of the system and try to solve them there more holistically. I found an Ecological Engineering program that was focused much more on true sustainability, wary of "greenwash" or misleading green advertising/propaganda, and where I could study things like urban sustainability, microorganisms, and even poo! (This is what's composted in humanure). They have a great Engineers Without Borders group, and in 2010 I went to Haiti to volunteer with a non-profit that does ecological sanitation there. <br />
<br />
The composting of human wastes is a simple, beautiful, not as smelly as you'd imagine, and awfully effective way of dealing with human waste, challenges of fertility, and preventing illness due to poor sanitation. It doesn't require expensive plumbing, water for flushing, sewage treatment plants, and it doesn't treat the nutrients in our waste as well...waste! For instance, the function of our urinary tract (how we pee) is to get rid of excess nitrogen in our body. That is the only way we get rid of nitrogen, so wow, it makes sense that our urine is an extremely rich source of nitrogen fertilizer! In fact, Sweden is really into using urine as fertilizer, and in many developing countries it's a really important and free source of fertilizer. <br />
<br />
Especially with Haiti's poor soil, erosion, and cholera epidemics, ecological sanitation has promise to literally save tens of thousands of lives, provide people with the dignity of having a place to go to the bathroom without poisoning themselves, and to create high-quality fertilizer to help Haiti be self-sufficient in food. <br />
<br />
So these are some of the things I'm excited about, and why I wanted to switch to Ecological Engineering. I'll get to study these things, make cool synergistic systems, learn about biogas (making natural gas from human wastes and food wastes), and so forth. In the urban environment, these also have a lot of potential. If we all got natural gas from our wastes, it would be free and we wouldn't have to do all this shale oil and gas extraction that is more environmentally damaging even than other fossil fuels. Green New Yorkers is leading a CSO trip soon. Think if we got natural gas from our human waste, which then becomes fertilizer, instead of flushing it down the toilets and into the rivers when it rains! <br />
<br />
It's about common sense and learning to see and use what's right in front of us. There's nothing weird about the fact that we poo and pee. Every living thing does, or creates waste in some other way, and there's always another living thing that thrives off that waste, breaking it back down into the ingredients of life to keep the cycle going. <br />
<br />
I feel fortunate to have found the right field for me, and I can't wait to be around people who know so much more about it all than me! <br />
<br />
I remember reading an article in the NY Times about a project to interview elderly people and ask them to reflect on what's most important in their lives. A huge percentage of them said, that after thinking about it, it's so extremely important to have a job that you care about, find important, and have fun with. So although I've had financial and other setbacks, I think it's a good investment for my future, and hopefully the future of the planet! <br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed my post and some of my story. I move to Syracuse this summer to begin a Ph.D. program in Ecological Engineering.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0