May 2005 — Comfort Off-the-grid

Publisher's Message

Change Several people in positions of authority have mentioned to me that while reviewing what has been achieved in Germany, for instance, it becomes clear that we are "twenty" years behind in terms of renewable energy, conservation and resource recycling. The point being made to me is that I can't expect Canada or Toronto or the town where I live to quickly make up these many years. And yet that is what I expect our goal should and must be.

Building my own sustainable home has proven to me that we can leap-frog in policies, programs and technology. The models for the transformation process do exist. We have the advantage of being able to leverage this experience. At a technical level this is easily possible. In fact, it makes much of the transformation to renewable energy sources, conservation and resource recycling not only affordable but a competitive advantage. At a social level the transformation is not so simple. If we look at the European process it has take in excess of twenty or thirty years to become a major force. Nuclear power plant protests stopped construction on these sources of energy in the seventies, much as it did in the United States, especially as a result of the Three-Mile-Island disaster. At the early stages where protest results from major catastrophes, change is able to occur given the support from media attention to the issues. Sustaining the transformation process takes the perseverance of a large number of activists, idealists, and a few visionary leaders. The growth in the organization of these groups allows them to catch the next wave of transformation. While these groups are always moving the changes forward it is during the next disaster that large scale rapid change again becomes possible. Witness the renewed vigor of Germany to abandon nuclear power in favor of alternatives after the Chernobyl reactor meltdown in the eighties. Radioactive clouds over your home, being reported widely, with well founded concern re-activates peoples desire to act. With improved organizational infrastructure, ideas and technology the move towards renewable energy increases in depth of organization and speed once again.

We can choose to wait for catastrophes to awaken us. Or, we can look rationally at the clear evidence of disaster forming in the smog, wars, and aging nuclear reactors. By integrating the latest technology, leveraging the most successful social programs and adjusting economic policies as has proven successful in Germany, we can, and we must, reduce the transformation process to less than ten years. Many indicators suggest that we would be wise to take this easily accessible accelerated path. Poverty and inequality is the most serious threat to the peace required for transformation. Climate change has the potential to exact a terrible penalty at any moment in the form of massive changes in weather patterns that could disrupt the entire planets integrated ecosystems with disastrous consequences. And finally, the challenge of resource depletion, of oil, platinum, soil and water to name just a few, pose the next great challenge to our social and technological transformational abilities. Socially speaking it is our economic model that requires we adjust the levers now.

John Wilson, Founder of the Natural Life Network E-Mail: john.wilson@naturallifenetwork.com

Natural Living Journal John D. Wilson - Editor and Publisher Natural Living Journal Published by World Peace Communications Copyright ã 2005 John D. Wilson Our Web Site: www.NaturalLivingNetwork.comE-Mail: john.wilson@naturallifenetwork.comPhone: (519) 942-3266 ADVERTISING SALES: Leigh Geraghty, Advertising Representative, (519) 942-3266, leigh.geraghty@sympatico.caCONTRIBUTE: We are always looking for new, interesting and inspiring stories, pictures, and poetry, about people who are achieving a natural lifestyle. If you would like to contribute an article or story then please send us a note with your idea. Contact John Wilson by email at john.wilson@naturallifenetwork.comAll contents of this issue of Natural Living Journal are copyrighted by John Wilson, World Peace Communications, 2005. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

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Comfort Off-the-grid

It is likely that it is what we don't see coming that poses the greatest danger. In the case of renewable energy systems people have to confront the need to see beyond their back yard. It is one thing for a giant wind turbine to be built at the exhibition grounds or demonstration site. It is quite another for them to be visible from your back yard. Just imagine the shadows, dangers, and destruction to birds. These are very real concerns that we rightly have. However, it turns out that these visible concerns are smaller than the ones we can't see. In reality the coal plants a hundred kilometers away pose a far graver danger to our health, not to mention the birds, fish and other plants and animals.

What We Don't Have

The Ketchums live on a high hill on the edge of Hockley Valley. Their home is completely off-the-grid. The solar panels are clearly visible on the roof. It is what you don't see that is even more insightful. In the case of the Ketchum home in the Hockley hills you will find they DON'T have:

·Air conditioning (not needed because of earth sheltering)

Heating, Cooling and Ventilation

First of all the building was built partially underground to the top of the second floor on the north and east sides. This earth sheltering of the building on these especially vulnerable areas (north winds in the winter significantly increase heating requirements in a conventional home that is not protected by the earth or trees) has meant that it has never dropped below 10°C which is the year-round temperature of the earth below the frost line. Using this knowledge it is possible to ensure a consistent comfortable temperature in both the summer and the winter. The earth sheltering also keeps the building cool in the summer.

Because the building is sealed in winter, there is a ventilation system that circulates fresh air. A heat recovery ventilation unit transfers the heat from the exhaust air to the intake air.

The thermal mass of the building helps to produce a comfortable temperature. Cement, brick walls, tile floor, steel ceiling decks supporting cement all help keep the temperature constant for long periods. Thermal mass beneath the windows on the south side stores heat during the day in the summer and releases this heat in the evening and at night. In the summer a trellis on the south and west sides provides shade while growing grapes and kiwi vines. There are 174 sq. ft. of triple glazed, R8 heat-mirror windows which allow the short warming rays of the sun to heat interior surfaces, but prevent the long rays which surfaces give off from escaping.

The masonry oven provides heating and cooking with high efficiency. This 7 ton wood-fired masonry heater keeps the house at a comfortable temperature with one fire for 2-3 hours each afternoon and evening. Wood is brought by toboggan from the wood shed into the house. Drying cupboards in the main bedroom on the second floor utilize the heat from the two flues at the same time as they keep the upper bedroom warm.

Hot Water Heating

Hot water is heated by south-facing fins inside the skylights which send the heated water to a 90 gallon hot water storage tank via thermo-siphon (with no electrical pumps). This solar hot water heater is especially efficient since it resides inside the home rather than outside in the cold as with most solar hot water heating systems. There is also a loop in the hot water piping which goes through the fire box of the masonry heater to provide additional heat in the winter. By combining solar with the masonry wood heating system there is no need for a furnace.

Cooking and Refrigeration

A wood-fired kitchen cook stove is able to boil water in as little as 7 minutes. It has a small oven and provides immediate warmth in the kitchen area. The bake oven in the masonry heater will hold a large turkey. It keeps a steady 400°F when the masonry heater is on. There is a back-up propane gas fueled stove. Less than one 100 lb tank is used in six months. A 12 cu. ft. Sunfrost freezer and refrigerator runs on 12vdc and uses 55 watts per hour of electricity, nearly half that of a conventional light bulb. Cold room cupboards in the kitchen are open at the back to the cool mechanical room and provide storage for jams and butter.

Water

The two flat roofs feed rain water into a 9,000 liter cistern for washing. A dug well supplies drinking water (to a dedicated tap in the kitchen) using a submersible pump. All grey water is purified by the roots of the indoor garden plants before draining out to the wetland (see picture below). Because of the composting toilets there is no black water, but excess 'compost tea' is pumped to the wetland.

The wetland is planted with reeds and rushes to take up toxins. A rubber roofing membrane was spread in the space excavated for the wetland; the weeping tile grid was placed on top of it then covered by a peat, topsoil and gravel mix.

A small organic vegetable garden has been started on the south-west side of the property. Wherever possible, native species have been used in planting to provide low maintenance and resistance to drought. Instead of lawn grass, the Ketchums have used sheep's fescue which stays short requiring little if any trimming.

Solar Electric Systems

Solar electric photo voltaic panels ( 7 x 64 watt) charge 8 deep cycle golf cart batteries. A 400 watt wind generator is placed above the tree line behind the house. The gasoline powered electric generator used to construct the house in 1996-1998 has been wired into the system so that it can be used as a back-up if the batteries are low and there is no wind or sun. (In the winter of 2000-2001 it

providing continuous ventilation. Durisol blocks used in construction are made from cement and recycled wood chips from old pallets/skids. The wood shed is built largely with pallets from the construction. The mineral wool insulation used is made from waste slag from mines. Old hydro poles and a used rubber roofing membrane (for the wetland) has been very useful outside. The inside railing, newel posts and pickets were removed from a house that was torn down. The front door was rescued from being sent to the dump and re-finished. The dining table is composed of a 19thcentury B.C. fir beams taken from the demolished Corbey Distillery and made by Anthony Ketchum's cousin.

used approximately 55 liters of gas; i.e. one automobile fill-up).

The system is and has always been totally 'off-grid'. The refrigerator, cistern water pump and some fans run on 12 vdc for greater efficiency. Two 1,500 watt inverters change the 12 vdc current coming from the photo voltaic solar panels and wind generators to 120 volts AC. The submersible well pump runs on 240 volts AC and all lights, kitchen appliances, power tools and main ventilation fans run on regular 120 volts AC. The Ketchums do not use an electric toaster or hair dryer as they consume a great deal of power. If they wanted, they could have a small microwave oven, but in winter have constant heat in the bake oven and from the cook stove.

Construction

Dry-stacked Durisol blocks and mineral wool provide R40 insulation. The house is sealed in winter, with two 25 watt fans

There are no curtains or blinds. The windows are not draughty in winter. Natural light is made use of wherever possible. In 1998, the house was given the Honor Award from the Sustainable Energy Association of the north-east USA and Canada.

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Books About A New World Order

The biggest force slowing the broad based support for the changes required for sustainability are the "corporation" and the governments they control. How did we get to this point in such a brief time and how do we move towards a more equitable and sustainable future? Two books that bring home these important problems and how they can be overcome are The Corporation (also an award-winning documentary), and Alternatives to Economic Globalization. In terms of clarifying the problems and providing workable solutions, these two books provide invaluable information.

The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan

My main interest as a legal scholar is in how the law shapes and is shaped by social and economic forces. THE CORPORATION is a project that came out of this interest. In 1997 I published a book, JUST WORDS: CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL WRONGS, in which I argued that constitutional rights were becoming increasingly ineffective in protecting the ideals they embodied, such as freedom, equality and justice. One reason for this, I suggested, was that constitutions apply only to governments; they do not apply to the key institution of market capitalism-the corporation.

The problem was especially pressing because, with economic globalization in full swing, corporations were emerging as global governing institutions, dominating societies and governments throughout the world. At the same time, most people had, and have, very little understanding of their true institutional nature. So it made sense to ask-what is the nature of this new governing institution? And what are the consequences of its growing hold on society? I developed the idea that the corporation, deemed by the law to be a person, had a psychopathic personality, and that there was something quite bizarre, and dangerous, in such an institution wielding so much power.

Quotable

"Since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring began to expose the abuses of the modern industrial system, there has been a growing awareness that profit at the expense of Earth--of individuals, society, and the environment--is unsustainable. Joel Bakan has performed a valuable service to corporations everywhere by holding up a mirror for them to see their destructive selves as others see them. The clarion call for change is here for all who would listen." - Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, a multi-billion dollar company

Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible Editors John Cavanagh and Jerry Mander

After years of protest in opposition to corporate globalization, the International Forum on Globalization presents alternatives to corporate domination of the world economy more fully and thoughtfully than has ever been done before. This books includes some of the best of current thinking on alternatives for a sustainable future including:

The definitive document of the anti-corporate globalization movement - the consensus report of an alliance of leading activists, scholars, economists, researchers, and writers. This book offers a constructive, coherent, positive alternative to globalization-the very thing that the anti-corporate globalization movement is always accused of not putting forward. The International Forum on Globalization consists of the leaders of over 60 organizations in 25 countries - including such prominent organizations as Friends of the Earth, the Third World Network, the Sierra Club, the Institute for Policy Studies, Public Citizen, Rainforest Action Network, and Food First.

Quotable

"Globalization is not inevitable. Fortunately, there are alternatives and presenting them is the achievement of this book. Read it and be motivated: A better world IS possible." - Dennis J. Kucinich, United States Congressman -

Books About Power

Two books that I've read recently have brought home to me how important dealing with our sustainable energy problems will continue to be. In fact, the more I think about it the more that I see how much ideas like population controls, conservation, efficiency, organic farming, permaculture, urban transit systems, and solar power, are so critical to evolving our society. As the oil runs out, and as these books so ably demonstrate, it may be sooner that we expect. It will be to these ideas of sustainability, of Natural Living, that we will be forced to survive. As our ecological footprint shows oil has allowed us to exceed the sustainable capabilities of natural systems. With growing population levels we have already exceed what may be sustainable without oil. If we have any chance of surviving the next fifty to one hundred years it will be because we address these issues. Coming to terms with their reality is critical. So read these books and start taking action today.

War. Big Oil, and the Fight for the Planet: It's the Crude, Dude by Linda McQuaig

Who stands to gain or lose the most from climate change? The oil companies, the largest industry on the planet. When you add up all the subsidies provided ANNUALLY to oil and nuclear energy, you can clearly see how big a lie it is to say that renewable energy systems aren't economical. Subsidies to oil and nuclear including the car and airline industry, amounts to significantly more than $200 billion per year…and growing especially if you include the wars fought to protect these resources.

Let us say then that the subsidies to these industries reaches about $1 trillion over the last ten years, contributing massively, if not exclusively to climate change. Now, take away this $1 trillion in subsidies from the oil, nuclear, and transportation industries. Give the $1 trillion in subsidies to the conservation, efficiency, and sustainable renewable energy sector over the next ten years. Suddenly oil and nuclear look uneconomic, and the alternatives make perfect sense.

Quotable

"we've used up the earth's oil so rapidly and recklessly that we have not only jeopardized the viability of the planet (part one of the energy dilemma), but we have at the same time squandered much of this incredibly valuable on-time inheritance. This may sound like a contradiction. If oil is so bad for the earth's ecosystem, maybe we shouldn't care that it's running out. The problem is that we've built the modern world around it, relying on oil for transportation, industry, agriculture and just about every other thing we do, eat, wear, type, watch and move around in." - pg. 29, War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet: It's the Crude, Dude.

"…annual subsidies to the industry amounted to $14 billion in the U.S., $5.9 billion in Canada and a total of $59 billion in all the industrialized nations that make up the OECD." "nuclear industry, received $12 billion in annual subsidies in OECD countries." "The fossil fuel industry is also aided greatly by massive subsidies to the car and airline sectors …plus $135 billion a year in the U.S.-on the construction and maintenance of roads." - pg 299, War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet: It's the Crude, Dude.

Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World by Richard Heinberg

Rather than retaining any level of false optimism this book and the author take deadly aim at the priority issues we face and their terrible consequences.

Powerdown provides a visionary response to the coming energy famine, a clarion call to cooperative solutions based on the conviction that realism must trump self-delusion in matters of cultural survival. Ultimately there is hope if we are willing to look truth in the eye. If we have the strength to admit our problems we will find the solutions. Quotable

"Most of the wars of the twentieth century were fought over resources - in many cases, oil." Pg 21.

"The elites - corporate owners and managers, government officials, and military commanders - are people who have been selected for certain qualities: loyalty to the system, competitiveness, and hunger for power. Often they are literally bred for their roles. Like George W. Bush, they are people born to wealth and power, and raised to assume that privilege is their birthright. These are people who identify with the system and the status quo; they are constitutionally incapable of questioning assumptions.

Moreover, the elites are guided day-to-day by a set of incentives that are built into the system itself. Managers who pursue immediate gain get ahead, while those who make short-term sacrifices in order to preserve long-term stability are often at a disadvantage. Likewise, managers are rewarded who keep up appearances, who generate good news, and who exude confidence. Confessing errors accrues no benefit; instead, managers are encouraged to deny short-comings and to blame competitors and subordinates." Pg. 168.-

Reading

Home Power

For anyone who wants to get into the details of living with renewable energy this is the magazine for you. Each month this hands-on journal has off-the-grid and on-the-grid home owners tell their story in an easy to understand format. If you are interested in the technical details and comparing systems then this is the ultimate source of information. You can download a free copy off their web site each month in PDF format.

Web Site: www.homepower.com

Natural Life

This simple magazine covers a wide range of sustainable living topics. For ideas that we can all start using today this is the place to start. Each issue reaches far and wide for interesting stories with lots of ideas for living a more natural life style.

Web Site: www.naturallifemagazine.com

Natural Home

Each month this magazine features new and renovated homes that are seriously sustainable. Like other popular home and design magazines, you also get coverage of life issues, food, travel and other related topics, all with a "green" twist of course. Other departments include Good to Know, Green Events, New & Noteworthy, Try This, Nuts and Bolts, and Earth Mover Awards. If you want to be inspired by high-end homes with tons of creativity, and features like solar panels, this is a great magazine.

Web Site: www.naturalhomemagazine.com

Dwell: At Home in the Modern World

Small Change is what it takes over a period of time to make the big changes. Dwell magazine may just be about affecting big change in the mainstream. This slick magazine has a real ecological design supported focus while also insisting on homes that look good. "…Dwell has become proactive in its mission. The magazine isn't just writing about and showing photographs of the design of houses, she suggested, but is actually influencing the ways in which they are designed and built." The current issue takes aim at ideas such as smaller homes, prefab alternatives, and Dwell Home II, a sustainable house to be built in LA. Check out the amazing four-page pullout spread. The winning home includes passive solar, solar panels, and a green roof.

Web Site: www.dwellmag.com-

Join Us

Become a part of a community of people around the world dedicated to living in harmony with nature. We've created this network so that we can all share our ideas, experiences and knowledge. The changes we envision are revolutionary; however our goals are to make them the norm. The organization is about the practical, inspiring and real application of living gently on the earth so that our children may enjoy a clean, healthy and productive environment.

The simple point is that we all can "do" much more - and that means all of us or it won't work. For example:

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Ecovillages and the future of communities. For weekly updates, special offers, and additional products and services visit our web site: www.NaturalLifeNetwork.comHave a question? Ask us and we'll try and include a response in our next issue of the Natural Living Journal. Have an interesting story to tell that relates to natural living? Contact us any time with your questions, concerns or ideas at: john.wilson@naturallifenetwork.com-Order the Journal now! www.NaturalLifeNetwork.com