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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
Green Living Journall 100 Gilead Brook Road, Randolph VT 05060 Publisher/Editor: Stephen Morris 802.234.9101, (fax) 901.234.9101 editor@GreenLivingJournal.com Advertising Manager: Amelia Shea 603.924.0056 amelia@GreenLivingJournal.com
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From the Editor
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By Stephen Morris from the harsh, Vermont winter. Too often, after Recently, my oldest son, now a thirty-something taking fifteen minutes to properly bundle them, they’d living in New York City, referenced “The Snowpants feel the first puff of wintery chill and would be banging Rule.” on the door to get back in. “What’s that?” I asked. My son continued. “I’ve “What’s that?” he looked found The Snowpants Rule at me incredulously, “You can be applied in any number My definition of a “friend of the made it up!” of other situations, too. For environment” is a cheapskate “Remind me then.” instance there’s the Travel “When we were little kids Variation of The Snowpants who thoughtfully applies and we’d want to go out and Rule. It’s not worth traveling The Snowpants Rule to each play in the snow, you’d tell anywhere unless you are and every decision, us we couldn’t go out unless planning to stay there at least fully considering the resource we promised to stay out for the square of your travel time. at least as long as it took us So, don’t spend two hours requirements and payback. to put on our snowpants in going somewhere unless you the first place. The Snowpants are planning to stay there at Rule.” least four hours (2 x2=4). If it takes twelve hours of Ah-h-h, yes. My mind reeled me back across the travel time, you should spend 144 hours (12 x 12), or decades to packaging up my son and his brother in six days, there. It’s a very versatile rule.” hats, boots, mittens, and snowpants to be protected I’ve thought a lot about The Snowpants Rule since then. The concept is brilliant, not because I gave it a name, but because of its simplicity. Paraphrased, it is “think through your resource requirement before embarking on a project.” Duh, that’s a no-brainer, you say, but it’s amazing how many times we see it violated in real life. A few examples: • I was approached recently by someone wanting marketing assistance to increase volume on a product with a cost of $12 that they would sell at a retail of $16, giving retailers a 40% discount (netting $9.60). Since each transaction would be losing $2.40, increasing the volume wouldn’t help much. • A local restaurant failed because the owner finally realized that with the number of tables he had and the number of “turns” he could do each evening, he would never be able to cover his fixed costs. He did the math, but only after the fact. Join us for our Wedding & Event Sampler This brings to mind other cliches, such as “plan Cake Tastings Cake Cake Saturday Cake Cake Tastings Tastings Cake Tastings Tastings from Tastings every every every every Saturday Saturday every Saturday Saturday Saturday from from from from Cake Cake Tastings Tastings every every Saturday Saturday from Cake every Tastings Cake every Tastings Saturday every from Saturday from Saturday, March 22nd noon –from 4from pm your work and work your plan.” These are wise words Cake Tastings every Saturday 10am to 1pm 10am 10am Bakery. 10am 10am to 10am 1pm to10am 1pm to 1pm 1pm toin the in 1pm the in the Bakery. Bakery. inBakery. Bakery. the Bakery. Bakery. 10am toin 1pm to 1pm inthe the in the Bakery. Bakery. 10amintothe 1pm 10am into the to 1pm Bakery. in the that apply to many situations, but how often do we from 10am to 1pm in the Bakery. violate them? Another variation on the theme is what I think of as The Garden Rule. When planning a garden, complete your plan, then cut the garden size in half and cut it in half again. Seasoned gardeners have learned the hard way that what seems feasible when tilling in April may be a tangle of untended weeds 3189144
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The Snowpants Rule
The Snowpants Rule - Continued page 6 4 •
Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
Contents FROM THE EDITOR Editorial: The Snowpants Rule..................................4 Short Takes .......................................................................8 COOKING 10 Nutrition Tips ......................................................... 44 EDUCATION Getting Old ................................................................... 20 Great Debate ................................................................ 23 ENERGY AND BUILDING Aging-in-Place ............................................................. 11 Roofing Options .......................................................... 14 Cob Building ................................................................ 17 GARDENING Poop on Pee ................................................................. 33 Master of Mulch .......................................................... 42 HEALTH Natural Health Care Provider .................................... 35 MONEY Fine Feathered ............................................................. 30 Seedy Affair .................................................................. 40 ON THE NIGHTSTAND New Book ...................................................................... 28
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From the Editor The Snowpants Rule
Continued from page 4
come August. Another variation of The Snowpants Rule can help you in managing your investments. Remember the Tech Bubble? Fortunes were lost when decisions were fueled by greed, then losses were exacerbated by tumbling prices caused panic selling. Now, before making an investment I try to ask myself “What profit will I be satisfied with and how much am I willing to lose?” If you are disciplined enough to follow your own advice, you might occasionally leave money on the table, but you will also avoid the classic mistake of throwing good money after bad. I call this the Greed and Fear Rule. And what does this all have to do with Green Living? Everything, in my opinion. People who are “friends of the environment” are thought by some to be tree-hugging dilettantes who can afford to pay carriage-trade prices to drive their Priuses to the local co-op. My definition of a “friend of the environment” is a
cheapskate who thoughtfully applies The Snowpants Rule to each and every decision, fully considering the resource requirements and payback. Should I grow kidney beans in the garden when I can buy them for $0.79 a pound at the supermarket or $1.69 for the organic ones at the co-op? From a dollar and cents perspective, this is a no-brainer, but what if you factor in the fact that my out-of-pocket costs are zero because I saved seed from last year’s crop? What if I monetized the benefits to my health from the fresh air and exercise I get in the garden, or to my psyche from the rhythm of the shelling. Then there is the satisfaction from consuming something in March that came from your own soil and has been touched at least twice by your own hands. I can’t express these as numbers, but I promise I’m going to grow beans again! Please read the excellent letter-to-the-editor from Bill Christian in this issue. On one level it seems like he is taking exception to my “smaller is beautiful” position in my previous Losing My Religion editorial, but I see us simply taking different approaches to seeking the correct answer to the complex questions facing us. We’re both applying variations of The Snowpants Rule to better understand the world around us. Stephen Morris, Editor (And what do I do when I am not editing Green Living or planting beans? If it’s between March and October I’m probably obsessing at some level about another passion, the Boston Red Sox. Both the city of Boston and the Sox had epic summers in 2013. You can find the season summarized at: truckday2duckday. wordpress.com. Happy frittering! SM)
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
Letter to the Editor On Renewable Energy Advocates Going Too Far Dear Stephen, PV but to a lesser extent. A field of PV gone in no time at all. I can hardly Here is a quick response to your panels in an excellent spot will put out imagine the chaos, but cannibalism editorial Losing My Religion about more power per dollar. Many smaller comes to mind. What would you do the prospect of renewable energy PV systems are well-meaning but suf- if your child were actually starving? fer surprisingly high losses from minor advocates going too far. A fossil-free future will be I admire people who live simply, shading. Small PV is fine if you have a extremely difficult to achieve but off the grid, with ultra-low consump- really unshaded spot. must be achieved. I see no way to do tion. I am a “wanna be”, using wood So, if someone rigorously oppos- it without large wind. It is by far the and solar for most of my home and es large wind especially, I must ask most cost-effective renewable source. water heating. But I am a realist and “what is the alternative”? Do we close And cost is very, very important. It must point out some very important down all the hospitals, schools, facto- will also require less storage than PV, ries, stores, dentists, jobs, street lights, and storage will become an extremeconcerns. There are 35 million people in smart phone towers, internet, etc, etc, ly difficult and expensive problem for New England / New York. Most live etc? These can all be made more effi- us if renewables produce most or all in urban areas, and surprisingly, use cient, but cutting more than 50% will of our electricity. Thanks for listening and for profar less energy per person than those be very very hard. If all 315 million in rural areas who drive everywhere Americans went into the woods to ducing the inspirational and inforalone and heat stand-alone homes. live off the land without fossil fuel (for mative Green Living Journal. Bill Christian How do we provide enough energy ANYTHING), the land would collapse North Bennington, VT to meet their individually modest immediately. All trees would be cut but cumulatively vast electric needs? and every edible creature would be Wind power obeys an incredible economy of scale. Bigger is much, much better, as measured by cost per kWh produced and by output in general. The higher up you go, the better the wind, very dramatically, so tall towers on high ground are Custom Fabrication, Trim, Flashing, super performers. To provide the Supplies and Tool Rental for Contractors annual power of one large 2 MW mountaintop turbine with a capacOffering and installing: ity factor of 35% expected for a high Architectural Style ridge and tall tower, you would need • 24/26 Gauge Metal about 1400 “big” 5 kW residential On-site, custom roll forming • Aluminum units on tall (75 ft range, well above Durable, 24-gauge metal in trees) towers at capacity factor of • Copper 10% (because not on ridge lines, many not •colors Slate actually very high). There are not 20 oz copper Gutters really very many homes around 16 that and• Seamless could or would put up a 75 ft tower. Installed Solar ready • 1”to Snap Lock Panels Unfortunately, a 10 foot tower on specifications 96 Drive • 1”, 1 ½”, 2” Standing 96Technology Technology Drive your roof is silly if you actually want Brattleboro, VT 05301 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Seam Panels a significant amount of electricity, Slate, shingle and rubber 802-257-8180 802-257-8180 even in a good high location. And in Solarinstallations Ready 877-999-5539 repairs• and 877-999-5539 Vermont, hilltop homes are actually steelandnails@hotmail.com Specifications steelandnails@hotmail.com discouraged for various very good environmental reasons. www.tinroofers.com Same economy of scale applies to
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SHORT TAKES
More “By the Numbers” … Coffee Grounds
20 Uses for Coffee Grounds
Instead of dumping coffee grounds into the trash, put them to work around the house. Here are 20 creative ways to use coffee grounds in your home and garden. 1. Deodorize your hands, fridge, closet or car. Put dried grounds in an old margarine tub with holes poked in the top or in a cheesecloth sachet to absorb odors. Keep grounds in a can near the sink and scrub your hands with them to get rid of fish, onion or garlic smells when cooking. 2. Repair scratches and dings in dark wood furniture. Dip a cotton swab into wet grounds and apply to the damaged area; repeated swabbing will darken the color. 3. Remove grease and grime from stain-resistant pots, pans and tools. Place a few teaspoons of the slightly abrasive grounds on a rag, scrub the object and rinse thoroughly. 4. Contain fireplace ashes. Sprinkle damp grounds over ashes before sweeping them up to minimize the dust. 5. Make your own pin cushions. Fill a scrap of a closely woven wool with grounds and tie off with a rubber band. The oil in the grounds keeps pins from rusting. 6. Fertilize plants. Work coffee grounds into the soil of flower beds containing roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen,
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camellias and other acid-loving plants. Bonus: the grounds can help you grow the bluest hydrangeas-increasing the acidity of the soil helps them absorb aluminum, which creates a vibrant blue bloom. 7. Tenderize meat. Add a tablespoon of fresh coffee grounds to meat marinades. Besides tenderizing, it also gives the meat a mild smokiness. 8. Dye paper, fabric and Easter eggs. A soupy mix of grounds and water will give paper an antique parchment look or color fabric or eggs brown. 9. Repel insects. Mound grounds into a ring to create a protective border around plants, or sprinkle old grounds in places you don’t want ants, slugs or snails. 10. Sharpen garbage disposal blades. With the water running, add a tablespoon of grounds to a running disposal. 11. Grow mushrooms. Put mushroom spawn in a bucket of coffee grounds. 12. Make gardeners’ soap. Add one-third cup of coffee grounds to a melted bar of glycerin soap, reshape, then use to exfoliate dirt-caked hands. 13. Build a cockroach trap. Fill a can with two inches of moistened coffee grounds, then line the can’s rim with doublesided tape. The scent will draw roaches into the trap, and the tape will keep them there. 14. Add it as a secret ingredient to recipes. A hint of coffee in chili, ice cream and chocolate cake revs up the flavor. 15. Sow with carrots. Mix fresh grounds with the tiny seeds for added bulk to make sowing easier. The coffee aroma may also repel root maggots. 16. Create rich compost. Coffee grounds add nutrients like potassium and magnesium. 17. Make your own play dough. Mix a couple of cups of dried coffee grounds with a half a cup of salt and 1 to 2 cups of cornmeal. Add in enough warm water to get the dough to the right consistency. 18. Give your pet a flea bath. After shampooing your dog or cat, rub their wet fur down thoroughly with coffee grounds, working the grounds all the way to their skin. Rinse off the coffee grounds -- and any fleas. 19. Keep bait worms alive. Mix grounds into the soil in your bait box to keep your bait worms wiggling all day long. 20. Repel cats. Spread in flower beds to keep cats from using them as litter boxes, or sprinkle around houseplants to keep cats from eating them. Ellen Sturm Niz is an editor and writer working, parenting, and living in New York City. Follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Google+.
Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
SHORT TAKES By the Numbers: 20 Practical Uses For Coke Here are 20 practical uses of Coke as a domestic cleaner: preventdisease.com by John Summerly. Read more at: • Removes grease stains from clothing and fabric thoughtpursuits.com. • Removes rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminum foil. Also loosens rusty Valley Community Land Trust Offers bolts 99-Year Lease on Colrain Land • Removes blood stains from clothing and fabric. • Cleans oil stains from a garage floor; let the stain soak, The Valley Community Land Trust (VCLT) is seeking hose off. applications from individuals or families that would like • Kills slugs and snails; the acids kills them. to build their own home in Colrain, Massachusetts. VCLT • Cleans burnt pans; let the pan soak in the Coke, then is offering 99 year leases on two lots. By removing the rinse. cost of land from the initial cost of homebuilding and by holding an option to purchase the home when the lease • Descales a kettle (same method as with burnt pans) terminates, VCLT makes home ownership more affordable • Cleans car battery terminals by pouring a small amount in perpetuity. of Coke over each one. The Valley Community Land Trust is a grassroots • Cleans your engine; Coke distributors have been using community-based non-profit that holds land in trust this technique for decades. for current and future generations. VCLT promotes • Makes pennies shine; soaking old pennies in Coke will sustainable land stewardship and increased access to land remove the tarnish. and encourages the construction of small, affordable, • Cleans tile grout; pour onto kitchen floor, leave for a few ecological homes. Equal Opportunity Housing. Learn more minutes, wipe up. and apply at vclt.org or call 413-624-5128. • Dissolves a tooth; Use a sealed container…takes a while but it does work. • Removes gum from hair; dip into a small bowl of Coke, leave a few minutes. Gum will wipe off. • Removes stains from vitreous china. • Got a dirty pool? Adding two 2-liter bottles of Coke clears up rust. • You can remove (or fade) dye from hair by pouring diet Coke over it. “I hear a lot of talk about shea butter these • Remove marker stains from carpet. days. What is it and what is it good for?” Applying Coke, scrubbing and then On the edge of the Sahara in one of the harshest clean with soapy water will remove environments on earth grows a tree that looks like a small oak or olive tree. The nut from this shea tree marker stains. yields an oil that is solid at room temperature; hence • Cleans a toilet; pour around bowl, the name “butter”. leave for a while, flush clean. Shea butter contains unique anti-inflammatory complex sugars that penetrate the skin and work to heal tiny holes in the collagen • Coke and aluminum foil will bring underneath your facial skin. Shea butter is one of the few substances on earth that can actually postpone skin aging through daily use by shrinking and closing these Chrome to a high shine. holes which, left untreated will solidify and collapse causing permanent damage. • Strips paint off metal furniture. Soak Vermont Soap superfilters certified organic shea butter to remove latex and a towel in Coke and lay it on the paint impurities. Use shea nut butter every day as part of your routine. Find it in the Butter Bar, Green Gold Anti-Aging Moisturizer and in our convenient 2oz pocket tin. surface. Any natural vegetable oil has benefit when applied to your skin but shea butter is Now can you imagine what is does unique in it’s anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Vermont Soap...ALWAYS to your stomach lining? Who needs natural inside! Stop by our outlet store at the ‘household and cleaning’ section 616 Exchange Street Middlebury, VT at the hardware store when we have Coke? Visit www.VTSOAP.com and SAVE an additional 10% for seeing our Source: “20 Established Uses ad in Green Living Journal For Coca Cola Proves It Does Not Code: GreenLive234 (Offer Good until 8/21/14) Belong In The Human Body”, from Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 9
SHORT TAKES REC Solar and Integrated Solar Selected to Build 2.5 MW DC Solar Array in Brattleboro, Vermont National and local solar companies will partner to develop one of Vermont’s largest solar projects REC Solar, a national leader in solar electric system design and installation, and Integrated Solar, a Vermont renewable energy company, have been selected to build a 2.5-megawatt DC solar array in Brattleboro, Vermont. The system will be owned and operated by Winstanley Enterprises, a New England property owner. The project is a key part of Vermont’s initiative to reach 55 percent renewable energy by 2017. “REC Solar’s national footprint and 16 years of commercial solar experience, combined with Integrated Solar’s local expertise, made them ideal partners to develop this system. By bringing together these two companies, we’re on track to break ground on the Brattleboro array this spring,” said Adam Winstanley. REC Solar will serve as the lead contractor on the project, while Integrated Solar will install the system. “This system will provide enough power to bring
clean electricity to meet nine percent of Brattleboro’s annual energy needs – 40 percent during peak hours – while fueling local construction jobs,” said Andy Cay, president and owner of Integrated Solar. “REC Solar’s extensive experience developing commercial projects under a wide range of environmental conditions make them a great partner to build this system.” For more, visit ISASolar.com or call 802-257-7493.
Community-owned Solar Comes to Massachusetts
Clean Energy Collective (CEC), the company responsible for introducing the community-owned solar model to consumers and utilities across the country, is working on a new project to deliver solar power within the territories of Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), National Grid (NGrid), and NSTAR utility. The community solar model provides utility customers the workplaces + opportunity to own solar panels institutions + in a shared photovoltaic array, new homes + eliminating the need for standrenovations + alone systems. This makes solar additions + viable for new categories of cus1974 - 2014 tomers, including business, rentdesign + Celebrating 40 Years ers, people with challenging sites, energy retrofits + of Enduring Value and people with limited incomes construction who want to work their way into management solar gradually. Purchases can Call us today. The Hartsbrook School wright-builders.com be as few as a single panel. ResiEarly Childhood Learning Center (413) 586-8287 x104 Northampton, MA dential customers are afforded Kraus Fitch Architects the same rebates and incentives as rooftop system owners. Sometime called “solar gardens” or “solar farms,” the first was built in 2010 near El Jebel, Colorado. Since that time, CEC has built or has under development 29 community solar projects with 13 utility partners across 5 states, representing 14.1 MW Full service solar, including of community solar capacity. AllSUN TRACKER systems! Full Serving service solar, including More information can be found southwestern Vermont at masscommunitysolar.com or AllSUN (802) TRACKER systems! 375-6462 by calling (800) 646-0323. www.HotOnSolar.com
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
ENERGY & BUILDING Interior Home Adaptation for Aging-In-Place By Valerie Garrett Aging-In-Place (A-I-P) means remaining in your home and community as you age while remaining as independent as possible. When seniors are surveyed, they list remaining in their homes as their top priority. A-I-P and sustainable home design share much in common. Low-impact homes conserve water, energy and materials, have healthy air quality, lower carbon emissions, minimize waste, allow for household flexibility and frequently have space-efficient floor plans. The United States Administration on Aging projects by 2030 the number of seniors 65 and older in the will be almost double what it was in 2000. The fastest growing segment of the population is those 85 and older. Whether building new or adapting an existing dwelling here are some interior upgrades to consider for your own home. Basic rules of thumb are safety, minimal effort, comfort and longterm affordability including preparation for some anticipated memory, motion, sight and hearing impairment. Aging-In-Place design is incorporated into Universal Design which creates “environments usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.” Many A-I-P features can be incorporated or added with minimal impact benefitting those of any age, those who are physically disabled or temporarily impaired. For in-depth professional A-I-P design and construction assistance hire a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) found on the National Association of Home Builders’ website.
Basic home improvements
These can include a bedroom and full bath on the main level, 36-inch
Photo by Aging-in-Place.com
wide door openings, lever door handles, low-pile wool or recycled-content carpet or non-skid flooring with flush floor thresholds and non-glare surfaces.
Consider handrails on both sides of a stairway, wide hallways free of area rugs and large, operable windows for Aging-in-Place - Continued page 12
Making Old Buildings Feel Good
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 11
ENERGY & BUILDING Aging-in-Place
Continued from page 11
day lighting and views. Look for ways to incorporate salvaged, recycled-content and non-toxic materials where feasible. For comfort and ongoing affordability have above-code wall insulation and a zonal-control energy efficient heating system with programmable thermostat – such as a ductless mini-split heat pump. Rocker-type wall switches can be mounted 42-48 inches, and outlets mounted 15-18 inches, above the floor. Install hardwired carbon-monoxide and smoke detectors, bright interior and exterior lighting in ceilings, on walls and as task lighting. High-tech upgrades could include a blinking doorbell connected to the phone, voice-controls, an elevator, motion and daily-routine formaldehyde-free, low-emitting materisensors, smart phone keyless entry, als and salvaged wood. Upper cabinets video intercom and a security system with glass and interior lighting help with with panic button. memory- or sight-impairment and can Kitchen be hung three inches lower than regular Amenities can include an under- height for easy reach. Wire pull handles counter knee space for a wheelchair or are easier to use than knobs. Easy-reach seated cook. Install counters, a section storage includes roll-out shelf drawers, of counter or a pull-out work surface pull-out pantry shelving (chef ’s pantry), at a lower height of 34 inches, in lieu of pull-down shelves and lazy susans. Side36 inches. Surfaces should be non-slip by side refrigerators and wall-mount and easy to clean with minimal joints ovens offer ease of use. Smooth, Light-up or grout lines. Contrasting edges and cooktops that can be raised and lowered rounded corners at counters are pre- and large, easy read controls are helpful. ferred. Cabinetry options include pre- Exhaust fans should be down-draft or fab from sustainably-harvested wood, exterior-venting hoods to remove odors
Many people have a hard time talking about end-of-life issues, it’s easier to plan for weddings, vacations, etc. Together let’s begin the conversation... set your mind at ease.
Sustainable Aging ® ...gently planning ahead Joanna Rueter, MSW 802-380-0301
www.Sustainable – Aging.com 12 •
Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
and water vapor for healthy air quality. For energy efficiency choose EPA ENERGY STAR appliances, building materials, light fixtures and bulbs.
Bath
Typically the first area aging or mobility-impaired individuals experience challenges is the bath. Sliding or pocket doors can a good alternative if a swing door does not afford enough width. 180-degree (L-shaped) hinges allow doors to swing out of the path of a wheelchair. Doors into small rooms should open outwards so entry cannot be blocked from the inside. A regular tub opening can be replaced with an all-in-one acrylic shower surround fitted with a folddown seat, grab bars and hand-held low-flow shower hose. For wheelchairs, a large roll-in shower with no curb is needed. Clear floor space for a wheelchair to turn is 60 inches in diameter. Grab bars can be installed in showers, above tubs and beside commodes with wood blocking inside the walls. Single lever or touch controls for both the shower and wall-hung lavatory are easier to operate than dual knobs. Scald controls should be installed as well. Low-flow, or high efficiency, commodes with “comfort height” models, are available. Look for EPA WaterSense plumbing fixtures for low water use. Include a low-noise, high air-flow exhaust fan to ensure water vapor is moved to the exterior and mold risk is minimized. Models are available with motion sensors, humidistats or can be switched with the overhead light or on a timer. For baths, kitchens and laundries opt for non-skid flooring such as natural linoleum, fiberglass resilient flooring, matte or textured tile (available with recycled content.) Aging in Place - Continued page 13
Aging-in-Place
For Your Garden
Continued from page 12
Energy efficient and bright lighting is essential in every space, especially in the shower. Use compact fluorescent (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs rated for fixtures in damp areas. Valerie Garrett, LEED AP teaches a home adaptation class for Portland Community College Community Education and can be contacted at: valerie.garrett@pcc.edu. Valerie has a Texas architectural license and rehabilitates early Portland homes with resource-efficient upgrades.
An Aging-In-Place Village? An A-I-P Village is a geographic area of homeowners, renters and like-minded individuals coming together to access services and amenities while living independently in their homes. Volunteers and services come to members with the benefit of reduced costs due to the buying power of the Village community. Started in 2002, Boston’s Beacon Hill Village was the first Village in the United States. Currently Oregon has Villages in Bend and Ashland. Portland Metro now has several villages forming. To learn more visit: http:// www.VillagesNW.org.
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ENERGY & BUILDING
Eco-friendly Roofing Options
By Dan Chiras Most homeowners replace their roof shingles at some point. Exposed to sunlight, heat, cold, rain, wind, and sometimes snow, sleet and hail, conventional asphalt shingle roofs last 20 years, if you’re lucky. If you’d like a roof that will outlast a conventional asphalt shingle roof and is made from environmentally friendly roofing materials, consider the products outlined here. Many of them are virtually immune to hail. Green roofing products are many and varied, ranging from recycled-plastic shingles to recycled-metal roofs to sustainably harvested or reclaimed wood roofs. The best option for your home depends on the design of your home, local building codes and price. Among the most popular - and
Although this may look like a rustic shake roof, the shingles are made of 100 percent recycled material. Credit: Photo Courtesy of Re-New Wood
perhaps the “greenest” - of all roofing products are shingles made from recycled waste materials, such as plastic, rubber or wood fiber. Some products are made from clean post-consumer waste (waste
2 Fiske Ave, Greenfield, Mass
from homes), others from postindustrial waste (factory waste). Recycled-content shingles are amazingly durable, and they look nice, too. Recycled-content roof shingles help divert waste from landfills and reduce our need to extract and process raw materials, which lowers energy consumption and reduces pollution. Some of these products are recyclable, too, and many come with amazing 50-year warranties. A few even carry fire ratings that could lower your insurance rates. Wood shingles and shakes have long been a popular choice among builders and homeowners. Unfortunately, conventional wood shingles are made from oldgrowth western cedar. Although the amount of energy it takes to produce this product is relatively low, the harvest of old-growth trees is not sustainable in the long run. These shingles are also quite combustible and can no longer be used in areas where there is a risk of brush and forest fires. If you would like to install wood roof shingles and local building codes permit them, consider a Roofing Options - Continued page 15
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
ENERGY & BUILDING Roofing Options Continued from page 14 product made from reclaimed lumber. The Armster Reclaimed Lumber Co. in Connecticut, for example, makes roof shingles using wood reclaimed from mills, bridges, old water and wine tanks, and a number of other sources. This company acquires old wood throughout the country and makes an effort to process it locally - close to where you purchase the product - to reduce costs and transportation energy. Another environmentally friendly wood shingle is produced by Maibec Industries in eastern Canada. The company harvests sustainably grown (certified by the Forest Stewardship Council) eastern white cedar trees to produce shakes and shingles. These are most commonly used for siding, but they can be used for roofs, if installed according to the company’s recommendations. Slate is a natural material and produces an extremely durable roof tile - one that can last hundreds of years. Several companies offer slate tiles, and one company offers a 100- year warranty, a deal that will expire long after most of us.
It’s
Slate roofs can last hundreds of years with proper maintenance. Credit: Photo Courtesy of Gaf Materials Corporation
Mining slate and transporting it to market is an energy-intensive process, but several slate roof tile manufacturers offer salvaged slate and clay roof tiles. Durable Slate in Ohio sells both. Clay tiles also are a highly durable roofing material, although they won’t last as long as slate. Many metal roofing products include at least some Roofing Options - Continued page 16
Time to
Renovate Our Hanover Co-op!
Our Hanover store is now 50 years old. This coming April, all Co-op members will be asked to vote on financing a full list of important upgrades for this building.
ANNUAL MEETING
Why do we need to change ANYTHING about our Co-op?
April 5
Building & Equipment Issues
Customer Service
Sustainability
• Structural repairs that require long-term solutions for replacement or redesign
• Improve education and information access • Upgrade light fixtures, add windows for natural light • Widen the aisles and simplify the floor plan— Easier to shop
• Install energy-efficient
Worker & Shopper Environment
• Improve ventilation and install reliable refrigeration cases • Feature fresh products • Enhance comfort
mechanical and electrical systems • Insulate the exterior walls • Replace outdated refrigerants
Find more details online at www.coopfoodstore.coop/news/plan-2014
3 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Member Vote during April Richard W. Black Community Center 48 Lebanon Street, Hanover
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 15
ENERGY & BUILDING
Roofing Options Continued from page 16
recycled material, but one advantage of metal roofing is that it can be recycled at the end of its life. Because metal roofs can last up to 50 years, roofing replacement is less frequent, which means less waste in the long run. They offer exceptional durability and fire-resistance, and they’re ideal for those who want to collect rainwater from their roofs to water gardens (or for household uses). You don’t have to worry about chemicals that might leach from a conventional asphalt roof. Standing-seam metal roofs work nicely as the base for thin-film photovoltaic panels, too. Metal roofs are great in snowy climates because they allow snow to slide off, which prevents ice dams from forming. (Ice dams can damage roofs of improperly insulated homes.) To protect walkways from snow sliding off the roof, you’ll need to install snow bars or a similar device over walkways, garage doors and entryways. Rustic Shingles, produced by Classic Metal Roofing Systems are made from recycled aluminum (mostly
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When this standing-seam metal roof is no longer in service (after about 50 years!), the metal can be recycled. Credit: Photo Courtesy of Amsi
beverage cans). The shingles resemble wood shakes and come in 11 colors. MetalWorks steel shingles from Tamko Building Products contain as much as 50 percent recycled steel and are designed to look like wood or slate. Shingles by Zappone Manufacturing are made from either 100 percent recycled aluminum or 85 percent recycled copper. Another recycled roof material is reinforced rubber shingles made from old steel-belted radial tires. The material is coated with ground slate for texture and comes in a variety of colors. A big advantage to this material is a long life and a 50-year warranty, including against hail and other extreme weather. Verify with your local building department that rubber roofs are permitted in your area before choosing this option. Roofing is not a job for the inexperienced. It involves working at dangerous heights - possibly on steep slopes - and lifting heavy materials. Roofing requires a considerable amount of knowledge and skill, too. So, unless you’ve done this kind of work before, are skilled in carpentry, and perhaps have guidance from a professional roofer, this is a job best left to the pros. Read up on safety precautions before you consider doing any roof work, and never work alone. There’s a wide variety of eco-friendly roofing products, so compare your options carefully. Be sure to check the materials’ fire ratings, hail ratings and warranties. Call your insurance agent to see whether the product you’re considering will qualify you for a discount on your homeowner’s insurance. To re-roof your home, you’ll likely need to obtain a building permit and pass an inspection. Be sure your building department approves the shingle product you’ve selected before you lay your money down! Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles or to subscribe call (800) 234-3368. Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc.
Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
ENERGY & BUILDING
Cob Building Basics: DIY House of Earth and Straw By Chris McClellan In early 1999, a young woman from Florida happened across an article online about the recent revival of an ancient British method for sculpting dirt houses. Intrigued, she used her savings to travel to Vermont for a five-day workshop, where she learned how to mix clay, sand and straw by foot, and then knead lumps of the stuff into solid walls nearly as durable as concrete. After returning to Florida, she and some friends used the techniques she had learned to build a small pottery shed in her parents’ backyard. Christina Ott had discovered cob building. Cob building gets its name from the Old English term for Gain building experience by enrolling in a workshop. Find one near you at www. “lump,” which refers to the lumps CobCottage.com/workshops and www.NBNetwork.org/Events/Calendar. Photo By of clay-rich soil that were mixed Chris McClellan with straw and then stomped into place to create monolithic earthen walls. FREE RADON TEST KITS — TEST YOUR HOME! Building with earth has a long and successful history. Cob construction is particularly easy to learn, requires no fancy equipment, uses local materials, and can be done in small batches as time allows ― making it extremely accessible to has elevated radon, an invisible gas that FREE RADONlevels TESTof KITS — TEST YOUR HOME! a wide range of people. causes lung cancer. Findofout what the radon level In the U.K., tens of thousands has elevated levels radon, an invisible of cob buildings are still lived in, is ingas yourthat home. Request a free test kit. causes lung cancer. Find out some of them more than 500 years old. When the British immigrated healthvermont.gov /enviro/rad/documents/radonrequest.pdf what the radon level is in your home. to the United States, Australia and Call: 800-‐439-‐8550 New Zealand in the 1700s and e-‐mail: radon@state.vt.us has elevated levels of radon, an invisible gas that 1800s, they brought the technique with them. In Africa, the Arabian causes lung cancer. Find out what the radon level Peninsula, parts of Asia and what is is in your home. Request a free test kit. now the southwestern United States, cob was developed independently healthvermont.gov/enviro/rad/documents/radonrequest.pdf by indigenous people. In Yemen, Call: 800-‐439-‐8550 cob buildings stand that are nine e-‐mail: radon@state.vt.us Cob Building - Continued page 18
One in 8 homes in Vermont
One in 8 homes in Vermont Request a free test kit.
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ENERGY & BUILDING
Cob Building Continued from page 17
stories tall and more than 700 years old. better-insulating materials for exterior walls. Today, building your own house is the exception Anecdotal evidence and recent testing show cob to the norm, and it is almost unheard of to build with walls are highly resistant to earthquakes. Unlike local materials. Instead, houses are built by specialists cement or adobe, which tend to shake apart in an using expensive tools and expensive, highly refined earthquake, lumps of cob are woven together in the materials extracted and building process to form transported long distances, one large mass reinoften at great ecological cost. forced by straw fiber. Industrial materials have Also, unlike cement, many benefits - performance, cob is easily repaired predictability, speed and ease with the same material of installation - but they have it was built from, and if in common that they must torn down, there is no create a profit for the compawaste to be disposed of nies that manufacture them. - only earth that can be In the county where Ott returned to the ground lives, low-income housing or soaked in water and is often a crumbling trailer reused to build another home that is difficult to heat room or house. and cool and expensive to Outside Coquille, maintain. As she sits next to Native Oregon grasses colonize the living room on this backOre., stands a constantthe woodstove in her cozy yard storage shed. Photo By Chris Mcclellan ly evolving collection cob house, she explains that a quick fire in the mornof test buildings affectionately known as “Cobville.” ing warms the cob walls and will often keep the house Sculpted cob garden walls weave around and between warm for a day or more. She uses less than a cord of the tiny cottages, giving each its own sense of space. wood per year. For less than what many people spend This is the headquarters of the Cob Cottage Company, on a down payment, Ott has a house, and it performs which is largely responsible for the re-emergence of well even by modern standards. cob building in the United States. Founded by Ianto Cob’s thermal performance varies by climate Evans, his wife, Linda Smiley, and Michael G. Smith, region. While cob is a relatively poor insulator, it Cob Cottage Company started with the radical idea also has the ability to absorb large quantities of heat. that, with a little direction, almost anyone can learn These properties are valuable in regions such as the how to build a cob house. Southwest, but would be a disadvantage in the chilly Evans, a spry Welshman now in his 70s, has reiNortheast, for example, where heat gains will quickly magined the cob of his birthplace in a more efficient be lost. This weakness of cob can be solved by building Cob Building - Continued page 19 interior walls of cob for mass heat storage while using
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
ENERGY & BUILDING Cob Building Continued from page 18 workshops are more popuform. The traditional Britlar than ever. On her first ish cob method, which was building project, Ott’s most generally to stomp lumps steadfast supporter was an of whatever clay soil was unemployed single mother handy into place, relied on who went on to build her thick walls for strength. own cob house after her “Oregon cob,” by confirst home was destroyed trast, effectively does more by a hurricane. Together, with less. Builders make they built a building while thinner but significantly chatting and watching stronger walls by tightly kids run around the yard. controlling the clay-andA construction site is not sand mix and using lots a playground, but withof straw for reinforceout the noise and danger ment. “We have created of heavy machinery and in Oregon cob an almost- Cob sculpture can add artistic elements to existing homes. Here, a mosaic of broken tiles is incorporated to add color without nails littering the free building material most and intrigue. Photo By Chris Mcclellan ground, a cob-building site people can manufacture for themselves. It has fluidity of form, and it’s healthy, is a great deal more family-friendly. non-polluting and local. The buildings it inspires are Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Origsculptural, snug and permanent,” Evans says. Because inal Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles visit you can provide much of the construction labor yourMotherEarthNews.com or call (800) 234-3368. Copyself, cob is very affordable. right 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc. But Evans speaks of cob and “natural building” (a term he helped popularize) less in terms of cobconstruction methods and more in terms of the social movement it has become. “Building your own house for less than $10,000 is revolutionary, and, yes, you can do it,” he says. “Millions of people in other countries and our own ancestors have proven that.” Evans has seen firsthand the way people are empowered by building their own houses from earth. Thirty years after its founding, Cob Cottage Company has much progress to report. Evans, Smiley and Smith’s book, The Hand-Sculpted House, has sold more than 30,000 copies worldwide. TheirCobWeb newsletter documents 18 years of experiments and advances (and failures) in cob technology, and it Want to build your own home without is available at CobCottage.com. Multiple nonprofits, having to buy any land first? Want to be a such as the Natural Building Network, continue to promote cob building and work with code officials to part of a community organization? Apply streamline the approval process. Every year, natural today for a 99-year lease on VCLT land in builders host regional colloquia to swap techniques Colrain, MA. Equal Housing Opportunity. and foster camaraderie. Some travel hundreds of miles and sleep in tents to help each other with projects. Learn more at Cob Cottage Company alumni are building and teaching all over the world. Despite the downturn in the global economy - or maybe because of it - cob
VCLT.ORG
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EDUCATION
New Wrinkles on Getting Old ... or Compiled by Stephen Morris In terms of resource consumption, nothing is quite as wasteful as death. Consider that in a typical year cemeteries in the United States require: 830,000 gallons of embalming fluid. 1.64 million tons of reinforced concrete for burial vaults. 90,000 tons of steel for caskets. 30 million board feet of hardwood for caskets. 2,700 tons of copper and bronze. This does not even consider the pollution resulting from gasoline powered lawn mowers and maintenance equipment, and tons of pesticide and fertilizers required to keep our cemeteries looking like golf courses. Then, there is the financial drain. The average burial in this country checks in at $7,000. These statistics come courtesy of ecoMemorial.org, one of several organizations that offer alternatives to conventional burial. For less than $500 they will take your remains and make them part of a mangrove forest restoration in Belize or rebuild a coral reef. You have to provide the “cremains,” however. As environmental awareness grows, some new options have become available, although the death industry in America is too entrenched to release their stranglehold on well-developed revenue streams. (It is a story often told. Those folks who have a monopoly have no financial incentive to embrace change. We’re still a long way from the world that author Bill McKibben describes when he says he’d like his friends to “put his corpse into a canvas bag, drag it into the woods, and dump it.” Personally, I’d like to be composted, but I can see some issues with that, too.) There’s no doubt that death will be a “booming” business as baby boomers careen towards the end of life, but how this will translate to burial and/or corpse disposal practices is surrounded by confusion and unanswered questions. Sustainable practices go by a variety of descriptive names, including Green Funeral, Green Memorial, ecoFuneral, Ecological Burial, Living Memorial, Green Burial, and Natural Burial. Not surprisingly, there are now services offered to manage your online, virtual presence after you are part of the coral reef or launched into space. Can the day be far away when we can Tweet from the great beyond? A variety of entrepreneurs are now offering products and services to help you cope with the Great Beyond. At Celestis.com you can find information for blasting your remains into outer space, promising to return remains to the stars from whence they came. Their next trip is scheduled for April 14. New England Burials at Sea offers East Coasters from Maine to Miami the option of having ashes or full bodies disposed of at sea. With ships leaving from a variety of ports, they are fully insured, follow all US Coast Guard regulations, and offer a range of products, including “full-service hospitality package,” that takes all the muss and fuss out of the grieving process. 20 •
A Portable Memorial … Kinen Ishi As we become more aware of the consequences of resource depletion, it is not surprising that large chunks of carved marble or granite are falling out of favor, and being replaced by more personal and more elegant options. Vermont stone sculptor, Chris Curtis, offers one called Kinen Ishi (pronounced “kihNEN EE-shee:” Japanese for “commemorative stone”) These are a palm-sized memorial art objects, made of a naturally smooth black Japanese river stone and inlaid sterling silver. Contained inside the stone and under the spot of sterling silver are the cremation ashes of your loved one. Other small memorabilia, such as a lock of hair, grass clippings from the grave site, or grains of sand from a favorite beach can also be used. Sculptor Christopher Curtis carefully pieces together these memorial art commemorative stones, and every piece is handmade with great respect for you and your loved one. Transport these stones anywhere, place them in any location and keep them close for your own comfort. Many choose to keep them in a high profile position in the home, such as on the mantle. Others opt to take them to their office so that they can be reminded about those they care about during stressful work hours. Still others place them in gardens around the home, or hide them at the beloved’s favorite place outdoors. Additional information at kinenishi.com or call 802.585.2055.
Greenhaven Preserve outside Columbia, South Carolina eschews the use of vaults in favor of caskets made of biodegradable materials, or even a simple shroud. They also offer advice on non-toxic body preservation. The concept of “green burials” in its many forms is better developed in the U.K. A leading proponent is Greenfield Creations, a company that says there are now more than 260 burial sites around that offer an alternative to traditional cemeteries. “Natural meadows and woodland burial sites provide a natural environment with no traditional headstones or memorials. The burial grounds welcome all, regardless of religion, faith or belief. They can be used following a traditional church funeral service and many have the facilities for a service within the grounds. You can also scatter or bury ashes following a cremation service. These sites provide a tranquil environment where family members can visit to remember their loved ones.”
Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
EDUCATION
Keeping the F-U-N in “Funeral” Greenfield Creations will also sell you a coffin made of cardboard or wicker. They even feature a “coffin of the week”. While many of these options are appealing, they come with a variety of individual challenges which can be difficult to sort through. If you want a burial at Greenhaven, for instance, you’ll have to figure out how to preserve and to transport the body to South Carolina. The director of your local funeral home will probably not be of much assistance. There is a trade organization called the Green Burial Council, but it is barely ten years old, still in its infancy. “Green Burial” like organic farming or non-toxic living is one of those ancient practices that needs to be re-discovered for our modern age.
A Few Good Books
Grave Matters follows families who found in “green” burial a more natural, more economic, and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off on offer at the local funeral parlor. Eschewing chemical embalming and fancy caskets, elaborate and costly funerals, they have embraced a range of natural options, new and old, that are redefining a better American way of death. Environmental journalist Mark Harris examines this new green burial underground, leading you into natural cemeteries and domestic graveyards, taking you aboard boats from which ashes and memorial “reef balls” are cast into the sea. He follows a family that conducts a home funeral, one that delivers a loved one to the crematory, and another that hires a carpenter to build a pine coffin. Final Rights: Abuse of consumers by the funeral industry has only worsened in the decades since Jessica Mitford’s landmark expose The American Way of death. Families are exploited financially at a time of intense grief, prepaid funeral money vanishes into thin air. Body parts are sold on the black market. In eight states, families are denied the healing that can come from personal involvement in caring for their dead. But a funeral consumer movement is awakening. As with natural childbirth and hospice, Americans are asserting their right to take charge of a major event in their lives. Many still want the help
of a funeral director-but to assist, not to direct. And many are handling it themselves, with home burials, green burials, or direct arrangements with a crematory. Joshua Slocum and Lisa Carlson are the two most prominent leaders of that movement. In Final Rights, they provide the information consumers need to take back their rights under existing law, while proposing legal changes that could benefit all Americans who will plan or pay for a funeral The American Way of Death Revisited: Only the scathing wit and searching intelligence of Jessica Mitford could turn an exposé of the American funeral industry into a book that is at once deadly serious and side-splittingly funny. When first published in 1963 this landmark of investigative journalism became a runaway bestseller and resulted in legislation to protect grieving families from the unscrupulous sales practices of those in “the dismal trade.” Just before her death in 1996, Mitford thoroughly revised and updated her classic study. The American Way of Death Revisited confronts new trends, including the success of the profession’s lobbyists in Washington, inflated cremation costs, the telemarketing of pay-in-advance graves, and the effects of monopolies in a death-care industry now dominated by multinational corporations. With its hard-nosed consumer activism and a satiric vision out of Evelyn Waugh’s novel The Loved One, The American Way of Death Revisited will not fail to inform, delight, and disturb. The Whole Death Catalog: In the tradition of Mary Roach’s bestselling Stiff and Jessica Mitford’s classic exposé The American Way of Death comes this meticulously researched, refreshingly irreverent, and lavishly illustrated look at death from acclaimed author Harold Schechter. With his trademark fearlessness and bracing sense of humor, Schechter digs deep into a wealth of sources to unearth a treasure trove of surprising facts, amusing anecdotes, practical information, and timeless wisdom about that undiscovered country to which we will all one day travel. Topics include: • Death anxiety–is your fear of death normal or off the scale? New Wrinkles - Continued page 22
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 21
EDUCATION
New Wrinkles Continued from page 21 • You can’t take it with you . . . or can you? Wacky wills and bizarre bequests • The hospice experience–going out in comfort and style • Deathbed and funeral etiquette–how to help the dying and mourn the dead with dignity • Death on demand–why the right-to-die movement may be the next big thing • “Good-bye everybody”–famous last
words • The embalmer’s art–all dressed up and nowhere to go • Behind the scenes at your local funeral home • Alternative burial choices–from coral reefs to outer space Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thou-
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
sand years, cadavers-some willingly, some unwittingly-have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. I Died Laughing: This is a very funny book, even though it also includes some serious consumer information. Lisa Carlson has collected cartoons, jokes, funny quotations, humorous last words, and a wide range of other old and new material. As the advice columnist Dear Abby remarked, “This book proves that dying can be a laughing matter.” At the end of each section, Carlson has a page or two of information and advice for those who may someday have the job of arranging a funeral for a friend or relative, or who may be contemplating the arrangements they prefer when they die. Half the profits from sale of the book will be contributed to the work of the national nonprofit consumer organization, Funeral Consumers Alliance. Funerals to Die For: True stories that put the, er, “fun” back into funerals! The hereafter may still be part of the great unknown, but with Funerals to Die For you can unearth the rich-and often, dark – history of funeral rites. From getting a portrait painted with a loved one’s ashes to purchasing a safety coffin complete with bells and breathing tubes, this book takes you on a whirlwind tour of funeral customs and trivia from all over the globe.
EDUCATION The Great Debate ... A Tale of Two Pea Fences
By Stephen Morris farming. Now, let’s talk about my pea around Memorial Day. My pea fence (Editor’s note: this is a “golden oldie,” fence. does not come from the local lumber having been published previously in My pea fence is a study in “just supply or Home Depot, but is clipped Green Living several years ago. The enough.” Unlike Sam, who installs his from the extremities of saplings that a message is just a relevant today.) pea fence before he’s planted his peas, my neighbor has allowed me to thin from My neighbor, Sam, and I agree pea fence goes in when the plants have his land. on politics, religion, and government. just reached the height where they are Two Pea Fences - Continued page 25 We have the same outlooks on the just about to topple over. This happens economy and the innate nature of the human species. We even root for the same baseball team and are cardcarrying members of the Red Sox Nation. Where we part way is on pea fences. This can be an emotion charged subject and discussions can get ugly. Turn the page if you do not have the stomach for a bare-fisted discussion of pea fences. Sam’s pea fence is meant for the ages. Each spring he pulls out the metal fence posts and drives them into the just-thawed earth with a sledge hammer. Then he rolls out the chicken wire that has been in storage since last Graduate Program Graduate Program summer. He lays it out straight and in Community Mental in Community Mental true, and when he finally steps back to & Mental admire his work, he sees aHealth fence that &Health Mental will let his peas grow skyward, straight Health Counseling Health Counseling and true. He sees a thing of beauty. I see the Classes meet one weekend a month prison camp at Stalag 17. Classes meet one weekend a month The advantages of Sam’s pea fence • Nationally recognized, competency-based program Classes meet one weekend aweekend month Burlington, Vermont • Nationallyin competency-based program Classes meet one arecognized, month in and Burlington, VTclasses are (in his view) economy, aesthetics, 48- and 60-credit Master’s degree continuing education Classes meet•one weekend a month inoptions Burlington, Vermont Preparation for licensure as a mental health or professional •Manchester, 48- and 60-credit Master’NH s degree options and continuing education classes and yield. He gets about six years out and •for Preparation for licensure as a mental healthororprofessional professional counselor Preparation licensure as Maine, aVermont mental health counselor in New Hampshire, Maine, and other states. of his chicken wire and ten from his in New Hampshire, Vermont and other states • Preparation for licensure as a mental health or professional counselor Preparation for licensure as a mental health or professional counselor in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and other states. in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and other states posts. I don’t know that he tracks his Accepting applications for February 2014 counselor in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont andadministration other states. Specializations focused on clinical services and in costs methodically, but his claim that Accepting applications for February 2014 Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (Qualifi ed applicants accepted through May) Specializations focused on clinical services and administration Accepting applications through June for Burlington, VTin for Children, Youth and Families or Adults. it costs “only a few dollars a year” are Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (Qualifi ed applicants accepted through May) And for September Manchester, NH probably safe. He loves the neatness for Children,in Youth and Families or Adults. focused on clinical services and of his fence, the angularity.Specializations The peas Accepting applications now for administration in Integrated Community Mental are cooperative, growing straight up Specializations focused on clinical services and Manchester, NH, Burlington, VT Health and Substance Abuse Services for Children, at right angles to the earth. As for Accepting applications now for administration in Integrated Community Mental and Brunswick, ME Youth and Families or Adults. the yield, Sam claims that the vertical Manchester, Burlington, VT Health and Substance Abuse Services forNH,Children, configuration maximizes the harvest Youth and Families or Adults. and Brunswick, ME of solar energy and, therefore, his Phone: 800.730.5542 | E-mail: pcmhadmissions@snhu.edu | www.snhu.edu/fosters1 800.730.5542 | pcmhadmissions@snhu.edu | snhu.edu/pcmh harvest. It’s hard to argue with his logic, but Phone: 800.730.5542 | E-mail: pcmhadmissions@snhu.edu | www.snhu.edu/fosters1 | pcmhadmissions@snhu.edu | snhu.edu/pcmh 6h-snhu121813.indd 800.730.5542 1 12/12/13 2:03 PM it’s also the logic that guides factory
of Sciencein in MasterMaster of Science
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 23 6h-snhu121813.indd 1
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EDUCATION 2 Pea Fences Continued from page 23
Twigs. That’s what they are. 12” to 36” inches in height, I press them into the soft soil, creating a spiderwork of wood tendrils above the peas. It doesn’t take long for the peas to catch on, especially since I plant in pods rather than rows. My reasoning is that my peas are a community, not an army like Sam’s, and they like having their roots intertwined with their breathren. I have no idea what I’m talking about. There’s not a lot of science to this. I am largely a self-taught gardener. My peas grow, maybe I should say sprawl, because they move out as well as up. I have to stick in remedial twigs where things seem to be breaking down. Occasionally, I have to create little superstructures out of garden twine to give an errant pea something to cling to. When the harvest is complete, Sam’s fence stands straight and tall, ready to withstand the next earthquake. Mine is on the brink of collapse, its purpose served. The spent pea plants will go into the compost. The twigs will be employed to prop up sagging beans, and the garden twine (no dye) will find new life trussing tomatoes to their stakes. like using the twine from1/2 the page peas for the tomatoes. 1-2I page 2012:Green Living 04/24/12 3:18 PM
I like the fact that my pea fence costs me next to nothing. I like that when the garden is mostly over, the twigs of the pea fence will find their way into the outdoor fireplace, and the flames that lick from them will roast my marshmallows. Afterwards, the ashes will go directly into the compost. This is all lost on Sam. He thinks that I am both cheap and an idiot. I see it as an epic philosophic debate, a continuation of the Biblical question of whether or not Man has Dominion. (Pronounce these three words as if in an echo chamber.) My view is that we’re here to work with nature, not to dominate it. It’s also an example of “systems thinking,” the process of understanding how things influence one another other within an ecosystems where various elements such as air, water, movement, plant and animals work together to survive or perish. Sam, poor fellow, is only concerned with solving the problem of sagging peas. My solution may not result in taller peas, but its total effect on the garden is more benign. Systems thinking is not a single idea, but rather a set of practices within a framework based on the belief that component parts can best be understood in the context of Page 1
Two Pea Fences - Continued page 26
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EDUCATION 2 Pea Fences
includes a shelf where she can rest her wine glass when she goes out to harvest her bounty of sun-dried clothes at the end of a sunny day. (Believe it or not, we’ve actually had relationships with each other and with other systems, not people stop by the house so they could see her wine glass in isolation. shelf.) The most commented-upon article I’ve ever written Now, that’s a perfect example of “systems thinking” in was one that described my partner Sandy’s laundry “system.” practice This is a complex collection of lines, pulleys, expandable When you hear people moan about the health care racks, and cleaning materials so detailed that it even “system,” the federal income tax “system,” or the criminal justice “system,” what they are really caring about are systems that are too big for any individual (such as the President) or group of individuals (such as Congress or the BREAST THERMOGRAPHY Supreme Court) to control. They’ve become balls of bandages riddled by FDA Cleared 97% Sensitivity loopholes, corruption, and special Pain-free Affordable Ann J. Barker, RN, LMT, CTT NE Journal of Medicine interests. These are not systems, but “…millions over-diagnosed with mammography…” bureaucratic boondoggles. 603-897-9645 American Cancer Society Maybe they will get inspired by www.btiscan.com “Radiation is cumulative and any level may cause cancer…” some of the examples on these pages. Brattleboro, VT Ann Nashua, J. Barker,NH RN,•LMT, CTT Maybe they will learn that small is, 603-897-9645 www.btiscan.com Groton, MA Brattleboro, VT • Groton, MA • Nashua, NH indeed, beautiful. Continued from page 25
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ON THE NIGHTSTAND My CIA: Memories of a Secret Career By Christopher David Costanzo (Note: This book hardly qualifies as “practical information for Friends of the Environment,” with the CIA playing such a central role in assorted conspiracy theories, we thought it would be good to have an inside look into the workings of the agency. And yes, the author is a friend. SM) Review by Stephen Morris This is not the book you’d expect from a CIA careerist, especially someone from the clandestine service. You might expect a whiff of smug arrogance, the suggestion of intrigue and mystery, or the implication of great importance. What Costanzo delivers, however, is a no-holds-barred portrait of a oncegreat organization that is undone by a combination of internal arrogance and organizational indifference. Costanzo enters the clandestine service with as a “foreign service brat,” speaking four languages, with a solid education form a Well-Known Eastern College, and a stint in the Marine Corps under his belt. He has great faith in the integrity of federal institutions. What he encounters, however, is an organization already in decline, bloated by cronyism, and unwilling to play by its own rules. He is at his best when he discusses his “tradecraft,” the practices of clandestine activity. Costanzo’s tradecraft, however, is a far cry from Hollywood’s. His is marked by discipline and tedium as he works a boring cover job so that he can identify and build trust with someone who might eventually be recruited as an agent. Recruitment, as Costanzo tells us a bit too frequently, is the sine qua non of clandestine operations. Early on in his career, however, Costanzo encounters conflict between his goals as a line officer in operations and the administrative support, or lack thereof. Promised promotions do not occur. Performance evaluations are innuendo rather than assessment. Costanzo pulls no punches in describing his superiors, stating flatly “They certainly provided no effective tutelage and no leadership or support.” Costanzo’s vitriol can be brutal. Top management consists of “self-serving bureaucrats” too tired and lazy to accept new ideas. The organizational portrait is one of “the service’s downward spiral of incompetance” managed by posturing and turf wars to protect personal balliwicks. This is an institution “slouching toward mediocrity.” 28 •
Costanzo is equally brutal and frank when discussing himself. He becomes a burr under the bureaucratic saddle early in his career and refuses to play by the unwritten rules of the internal politics. He manages to advance in his career, but becomes increasing disaffected along the way. By the time of his retirement in 1991, he is thoroughly jaded and disillusioned. The leavening factor, for the reader in this book is humor, perhaps more accurately described as very clever sarcasm and hyperbole. Prohibited by the Agency from identifying real places and people, the author pulls from the Thesaurus of Scatology, serving in countries such as Latrinia and Cesspoolia. He uses capital letters to lampoon Pompous People so that you never have to guess where the author stands. Ironically, the CIA on the silver screen is the source of ultimate knowledge and state-of-the-art gadgetry, the rogue agency behind Every Known Conspiracy. The CIA of Costanzo’s book, however, is merely an “ineffective and poorly-managed” agency, populated by “whining complainers, career grievers, and others bent on milking the system.” The situation may be best-described in the words of Dick Helms, the director credited by Costanzo as responsible for much of the bloat and deterioration. When asked why the organization did not focus on fewer and more important missions instead of the crap sapping the agency’s diminished resources Helms replied “If we eliminate the crap, we wouldn’t have much left.” Now, more than twenty years removed from the service, Costanzo makes no pretense of being knowledgeable about the current state of the CIA. He speculates that it must be better because “His” CIA had nowhere to go but up. This book is smartly written and richly detailed. There’s nothing warm and fuzzy about the author, the agency, or even the U.S. government. The story comes across as brutally honest and credible. The silver lining comes from the fact that we remain free to tell such a tale. That’s not always the case in a place like Latrinia.
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Fine Feathered
By Jessica Kellner When it comes to living the good life with sustainability and style in mind, Jessica McKay of Birdhouse Interior Design wrote the book … or the blog, as the case may be. Her blog COOP, written and edited by herself, husband Christopher Van Buskirk and a handful of contributors, is “all about dropping pretense, getting our hands dirty and still enjoying the finer things in life,” a philosophy that’s helped Jessica build a thriving community of artists, artisans, cooks and writers, as well as a bustling interior design business, in the heart of Omaha, Neb.
what she wanted to do full time. She and Christopher sold their home - at 2,400 square feet and three stories, it was much more space than they could use - and used the money to buy a 1½-story brick Tudor home and launch Jessica’s business, Birdhouse Interior Design. At Birdhouse, Jessica puts to work a love of vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces, a predilection inspired by her mother. “I’m lucky because my mother has great taste, and in my family we have always had cool antiques,” Jessica says. “I would go to auctions with her once in a while, and I always liked that. I like the history of things.”
Out of the Nest
Flock Together
As her fledgling business got off In a way, Jessica’s life today came the ground, Jessica discovered that about because of ties she built within her taste for the well-patinaed became the community. Raised in New the lynchpin to her design aesthetic. Mexico, Jessica came to Omaha after Before she got into professional design, graduating college with degrees in art she chose secondhand because it was and sociology. She met her husband, easy on the budget, she says. “Then I Christopher, and the two bought a The portrait in the dining room is Jessica’s started realizing it adds so much more 1910 American Foursquare home in favorite piece of art in the house. She personality and character to the space a historic neighborhood. “It needed found the vintage wood pedestal table when you mix in those pieces because love,” Jessica says. “It had been partially at a local antique shop and the Eames- they feel more one-of-a-kind,” she says. inspired dining room chairs, originally renovated in the ’60s and it was so used in a Nebraska school, at a flea mar- Now when she takes on a new project, bad. We completely renovated it and ket. The Sputnik chandelier is from eBay. her first step is to visit the house to see Photo By Dana Damewood restored it to its former glory.” what the clients have, figure out the The reinvigorated home was put on design direction, then determine which a home tour, and people started asking how she had done things they already own that can work. “Either I’ll push various parts of the house. “I started helping people, and clients to keep something they already have and reupholster then I started a design blog to chronicle what I was doing,” it or paint it or rework it somehow, or I’ll find really greatshe says. Jessica fell in love with helping others see how quality vintage pieces,” she says. they could renovate their spaces, and she realized it was She also helps create custom pieces for her projects, a task made possible by her well-established network of White cedar from GOODRIDGE LUMBER, White cedar from GOODRIDGE LUMBER, INC.INC. local artists and artisans. Around the Vermont’s Vermont’s NortheastNortheast Kingdom! From Kingdom! tingthe40 Yea elebtheraFrom C same time she opened her design firm, rs! time cedar logscedar enterlogs the enter the time Jessica and Christopher leased a small sawmill yard until they sawmill yard until they leave as finished leave asproducts, finished products, studio space in an up-and-coming From time cedar logs enter the Goodridge familythe family the Goodridge part of downtown Omaha, where the sawmill yard until they are all actively White Cedar Log Log Homes & Log&& Siding White Cedar Homes LogSiding Siding are allinvolved actively involved White Cedar Log Homes Log Rough and Finished White Cedar Lumber in the manufacturing leave as finished products, graphic designers, photographers and Rough and Finished Cedar Lumber• T+V Groove in the manufacturing Rough and Finished White CedarWhite Lumber • Decking Decking ● T+V Groove ● Shiplap ● Square Edge Edge process and look forward theand Goodridge family are Decking T+V Groove ● Shiplap ● Square Shiplap Perma-Chink • Square●Edge • Perma-Chink Products for Log Homes process look forward designers could showcase their work. Products for Log Homes to assisting youall with Perma-Chink Products for Log Homes actively involved in the www.goodridgelumber.com www.goodridgelumber.com to assisting you with www.goodridgelumber.com your white cedar project. Jessica had already started renovating manufacturing process and your white cedar project. Bailey-Hazen Road Route14, 14Albany, Bailey-Hazen Road ••Road Route Goodridge LumberBailey-Hazen • Route 14VT Goodridge look forward to assisting you secondhand furniture finds. “It was Albany, Vermont LumberAlbany, Vermont quality lumber and yourand white cedar project. 802-755-6298 qualitywith lumber 802-755-6298 802-755-6298service since 1974.
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
Fine Feathered - Continued page 31
MONEY Fine Feathered kind of a small showroom,” she says. “We kept some of the furniture we had revamped there, and we would host local art shows.” Although she and Christopher gave up the studio as her design firm grew, it proved a solid longterm investment. Today, Jessica often turns to her relationships with artists and artisans to create custom pieces - often made of reclaimed materials - for clients’ projects. “I’ve found some really amazing furniture makers locally,” she says. “They go all around Nebraska and Iowa when people are tearing things down, then we come up with a design together of something cool we can create or an installation. We did this ombre wood wall in a commercial conference room recently. We’ve made tables and all kinds of
Continued from page 30
Chris and Jessica found this wingback chair in an antique shop and had it reupholstered. They had the curtains made. Photo By Dana Damewood
stuff. I’m very interested in creating in that way.” Jessica also does a lot of shopping for vintage pieces, either specifically for projects she’s working on or for gems she knows she’ll use in the future. She says finding high-quality vintage pieces is becoming easier all the time thanks to an increase in secondhand stores and constant access to items nationwide via eBay and Craigslist. The secondhand buying bug and a design business that makes good use of the bounty means Jessica rarely says no to an amazing find. “I constantly have stuff I buy for myself or with the idea of reworking them for clients,” she says. “Our basement is full of old furniture that just needs a little bit of love.” Fine Feathered - Continued page 32
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 31
MONEY Fine Feathered
Continued from page 30
Who Will Help Me Bake the Bread?
Much as Jessica found the path to design via friends and family connections, her husband Christopher returned to his roots with a career change several years ago. Formerly employed in the financial industry, Christopher grew up spending lots of time in the kitchen in his hometown of Shenandoah, Iowa. “His family grew up cooking a lot and it’s a really big deal for them,” Jessica says. “They like to gather, and food is a fun way to share. His mother has cataloged decades’ worth of family recipes, and his father has always baked breads on the side as a hobby.” Having inherited his dad’s knack for baking, Christopher had been a hobbyist bread baker for years. After the financial crash in 2008 left him without a job, he started focusing more and more on his culinary interests, finally deciding to take a few classes and make it a profession. Today, he works at Ferd’s Bake Shop in Omaha’s Broadmoor Market and is in culinary school. Christopher and Jessica’s shared love for food and
cooking also led them to garden. Several years ago, Christopher’s bread-baking hobby spawned their first attempts at growing their own food in a culinary herb garden. “Christopher was starting to make herb breads, and herbs are so expensive and it seemed so wasteful when you go to the store and buy that package that dies in a second,” Jessica says. “So we started planting containers on the side of the house so we had fresh herbs.” The two loved the fresh ingredients and the money they saved, so when they moved into their second house, which had a gigantic backyard with nothing in it, they decided to expand the garden. “We liked the idea of trying to put in a vegetable garden,” Jessica says. “It helps us live more within our means and it tastes better.” They now grow tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños (“I’m from New Mexico so I have to have some spice!” Jessica says), radishes, garlic, scallions, raspberries and strawberries, along with a large container herb garden. They also have a backyard coop and chickens, which provide them with fresh eggs Jessica describes as “the most delicious things ever.”
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As they both grew into new careers, Jessica and Christopher found that they were also growing a strong community of friends with similar interests. “We both love to cook, so that grew into us making up recipes and getting excited to share with other people,” Jessica says. Long dinner parties where guests dined on meals made from garden produce and talked about local art and design became the perfect incubator to hatch a new project. Somewhere between the talk about garden greens and vintage style, Jessica had a vision for a new platform where she and her friends could share some of their ideas. “I had always blogged about design for Birdhouse,” Jessica says. But she liked the idea of extending that experience. “Birdhouse focuses on accessible design and sustainability, and mixing high and low budget-wise, and we like communicating that idea,” Jessica says. Growing vegetables, baking bread, supporting local art, renovating secondhand furnishings, wearing vintage fashion: It all seemed to play into the same theme. “We asked a few people to get together and contribute. It all just kind of came together,” Jessica says. Excerpted from Mother Earth Living. To read more articles please visit MotherEarthLiving.com. Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc.
Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
GARDENING
The Straight Poop on Pee By Ron Krupp Can I put human urine in my compost pile or share it with others? The answer is yes and are you looking for a new source of fertilizer for your garden? Again, the answer is yes. Urine luck on both accounts. On a community level, The Rich Earth Institute (REI) of Brattleboro collected 3,000 gallons of urine from 350 people in 2013 to be spread on the fields of Fair Winds Farm. The REI Urine Brigade solicited volunteers in the community. Rebecca Rueter, a board member of Rich Earth invited members of the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus to contribute. Storage takes place in large receptacles along with lively conversations at the Brattleboro collection site. The “ick’ factor of collecting urine is a potential barrier for some folks, but many people seem willing to adopt new urine diverting technologies. Some of the urine donors did not have access to urine diverting toilets and so they had to create simple devices to collect and deliver the urine. There are actually toilets that separate the “pee” from the “poop.” On June 10th, 2012, 170 volunteers provided and recycled 600 gallons of urine to Fair Winds Farm. The farmer, Jay Bailey, is using his farmland as a test site. The urine is collected, transported, sanitized and applied as fertilizer to the hay field. As mentioned earlier, the project expanded to 3,000 gallons in 2013. This project was funded with grants by the USDA. A study found that the urine provided the same amount of fertilizer as synthetic chemical fertilizers to the strips of farmland for hay production. Human urine contains larger quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium than human manure. Extracting nutrient-laden urine from our wastewater stream could greatly reduce potable water consumption as well as alleviate pollution to our waterways. It will also create a source of local, inexpensive and abundant fertilizer. Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been collecting 2 quarts of urine each day – depositing the liquid waste in my compost pile behind my house close to Lake Champlain, but not that close. When I had a farm in Saxton’s River in the 1970s, I had a two-seater I used extensively and mixed the ingredients into my windrows of animal compost and organic matter for
the hayfield and gardens. By the way, did you know that the average human produces 8 pounds of nitrogen and 1 pound of phosphorous in their urine each year. And that Americans produce 30 billion gallons of urine annually and use 1.2 trillion gallons of drinkable water each year to flush it away or 4000 gallons per person. Finally, urine contains over 5,000 grams of fertilizer per person, enough to grow all the vegetables one needs for a year. So folks, why not get involved. For photos of REI, go to the Brattleboro Reformer, for photos of the Rich Earth Institute. REI received the first USDA grant of its kind in the U.S. Contact Kim Nace, the director of REI for more information on how you can get involved in your own community. Ron Krupp is the author of The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening. Reach him at woodchuck37@hotmail. com.
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HEALTH How to Find a Natural Health-Care Provider By Jaclyn Chasse If you aspire to live a natural lifestyle, it makes sense to find a health-care practitioner who understands, supports and prescribes in line with your values and practices. While providers of alternative medicine used to be considered on the fringes of the health-care system, times have changed. Today, nearly 40 percent of Americans report using some form of complementary medicine, and integrative, natural health-care providers can be found in almost every locale, offering effective care to help you stay healthy and address many conditions. As a naturopathic physician, I have the pleasure of working directly with practitioners from many backgrounds. Each offers a unique perspective. But the growing popularity of complementary medicine means more and more practitioners have appeared on the market. Your biggest challenge when choosing natural medicine is identifying a trustworthy, experienced provider you want to work with. The best choice depends upon your health needs and what you’re looking for from your provider.
Questions to Ask Any Natural Health-Care Provider When interviewing any potential natural medicine practitioner, start by analyzing these three important factors. 1. Ask about their training and credentials. Most fields of natural medicine have associated degrees, licenses or accrediting organizations. Ask where and how a practitioner was trained and for how long, as well as about her professional experience, particularly with the medical issues you face. I recommend choosing practitioners with a minimum of three years’ experience. If you ever sense a practitioner isn’t being straight with you or is inflating her experience, move on. 2. Determine which level of medical expertise you need. If you’re looking for someone to manage your medical care, diagnose disease or treat an advanced condition, you will want a naturopathic physician or medical doctor who specializes in integrative medicine. Such professionals can manage drugs if needed and make referrals to specialists more seamlessly. If you’re looking for suggestions for how to improve your health (for example, to lose weight); manage less-serious conditions; or want to seek a second opinion while retaining your relationship with your primary-care doctor, you may consider a provider with less AT THE medical training but more training in specific modalities. (I think of BOOTH #83 this difference as medical care versus consultative advice.) 3. Find someone you can partner with. Many patients come to me because they say they aren’t feeling heard or understood by their original doctor. They may feel their symptoms Electric and N Solar Electric and haven’t been taken seriously, that Hot Water Water Systems Systems they don’t get the time they need with Hot their doctor, or that their doctor talks N Home Heating Indoor/Outdoor down to them. No matter what type of natural health-care provider you Wood Boilers Systems choose, find someone who inspires N Wood and and you to live healthier and who can help you find the path to get there. Pellet Stoves Naturopathic physicians Naturopathic physicians (NDs) are the natural medicine equivalent %MERALD 3TREET +EENE .( s (603) 358-3444 of family doctors. They can provide
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Natural Health-Care - Continued page 31
HEALTH Natural Health-Care standard exams, order lab tests and treat illnesses with natural medicines as well as pharmaceutical drugs. What do they treat? NDs typically act as primary-care providers for those oriented toward natural medicine - they can handle health care from birth through adulthood, from annual exams to disease care. They often use a combination of natural therapies to treat health conditions. NDs are most commonly seen for digestive complaints, fatigue, thyroid imbalance and women’s health concerns, but they can treat many conditions. What should I ask? Ask your ND whether she is licensed by the state, as NDs are required to train in fouryear medical schools where they study both conventional and natural medicine. They are also extensively trained in nutrition, herbal medicine, physical medicine (including spinal manipulations), conventional medicine (including pharmaceutical drugs) and counseling techniques, so ask whether she has experience treating your condition. If you’re looking for a specific treatment, ask in advance whether she offers this treatment when appropriate. Many NDs take standard health insurance. Author’s note: It’s nearly impossible to encompass the
breadth of health-care practitioners. Just because I didn’t detail Ayurveda, massage or any other modality doesn’t mean these practitioners can’t potentially offer value to you. Excerpted a national magazine devoted to living wisely and living well. To read more articles please visit MotherEarthLiving.com . Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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MONEY A Seedy Affair ... The Economic Alternative By Stephen Morris This is a titillating story, but only for gardeners. Many residents on my road have home vegetable gardens. You know this because in late August you can see wheelbarrows beside driveways filled with oblong, green baseball bats with hand-scribbled signs “Free Zucchini. Take them ... Please!” One year someone tried “Free Zucchini. Take them ... or else!” Then, every spring, we plant too many zucchinis again, and we will this year, too, but this year we collectively got smart and decided if they were going to plant too many zucchinis, they may as well save a little money on the seeds. It was with this in mind that we
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gathered on a cold, January night to place a collective seed order. “Seeds keep getting more expensive, especially if you want organic. And supplies are limited, so if you wait too late you can find your preferred varieties sold out for the year,” says Zach McDermott, a professional landscaper who specializes in growing Blue Hubbard squash in his garden. After shedding coats and putting out tea, coffee, and sugary goodies, the group settled in for business. The first item was easy- to decide which company from which to order. With one of the nation’s fastest-growing, organic seed companies located just up the road in Wolcott, Vermont (High Mowing), it was easy to decide to buy local. The economics of seed packaging are eye-opening. A single package of Detroit Dark Red Beets, costs $2.75 and contains 1/16 ounce of seed. Do the math and this works out to a whopping $704.00 per pound. The next size option is a 1 ounce package for $4.30 ($68.80 per pound, or the equivalent of $0.27 per packet. The next size option up is 1/4 pound (4 ounces) for $7.40. This brings the per pound cost down to $29.60 and the packet equivalent to $0.12. Can someone check the math? For $0.12 a package can anyone afford not to garden? High Mowing sells a package of Black Seeded Simpson lettuce for $2.75 (1/32 of an ounce). A half-ounce packet is $5.50, and two ounces are $7.00. This translates to per pound costs of $1408/$176/$56 and single packet prices of $2.75/$0.34/$0.11. Said differently, the same amount of lettuce seed that cost $2.75 in a single package only costs $0.11 if Seedy Affair - Continued page 41
MONEY Seedy Affair Continued from page 40 purchased as part of a two-ounce bulk order, a savings of 96%! In addition to deciding which company to order from and figuring out what to do with all the savings the group had to: 1. Decide which vegetable varieties to order. 2. Collect the individual orders and translate them into the nearest bulk quantity. 3. Calculate the costs per individual. (Don’t forget to include shipping.) 4. Place the order 5. Divide and package the seeds when they arrived This last function was accomplished by purchasing a quantity of small, brown envelopes at the local five and dime (two cents each), then dumping the seeds onto a large white plate (for visibility), then separating them into piles that approximate the percentage of each individual’s order. We considered more scientific methods of measuring out the seeds, but ultimately concluded that eye-balling was accurate enough. The whole process made us feel like we were doing something deliciously illicit. Talk about guilty pleasures! There were a few wrinkles. In some cases the economies were reversed. A package of zucchini seeds cost $2.75, but contains 20 seeds, and any gardener can tell you that 20 zucchini plants will result in pick-up trucks, not wheelbarrows, parked out by the “Free” signs. By sharing a single packet among 5 people, we were able to reduce the “unit cost” to $0.55. Then there was the issue of onions, ordered from a separate source, but offering the same economies of scale. Expect to see a lot of Lancelot Leeks vying for the Blue Ribbon in next year’s county fair. None of the attendees qualified as spreadsheet whizzes, but luckily an operation like this can be managed with a legal pad, calculator, and 9th grade algebra skills. It’s easy to envision the development of a more sophisticated spreadsheet that would automate the clerical part of the process. The seeds are now nestled comfortably in their envelopes, awaiting the arrival of spring. No one at the “seedy affair” could think of a way to calculate our collective savings, but our best guess is that we each paid about 1/3 of what it would cost us to order on our own. But saving money wasn’t only what it was all about. Here are a few comments heard as people put on the coats and boots, preparing to face a cold January night:
“It was a fun thing to do on a winter night. I would have come even without the seed part.” “It got me psyched for spring. Looking at the seed catalogs is fun, but this was even better.” “Ginny’s coffee cake was great!” “I think I might have ordered enough spinach seed to start my own farm.” “When do the onions arrive?” We jump-started the garden, saved some significant money, and got to swap gardening tips with the neighbors. That’s a win-win-win for this seedy affair.
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2014 • 41
GARDENING
Master of Mulch
By Stephen Morris, M.M. (Master of Mulch) People are always asking me “What is the best newspaper in the state?” As a seasoned media pro, it’s natural for people to seek my professional insight. Actually, I’m lying to you. No one has ever asked my opinion about newspapers. Not once. It is a subject about which I have thought deeply (well, deeply for me). When comparing papers, I disregard the political orientation or the quality of writing, design, layout, and photography. I have one criterion-the paper’s suitability for mulching. Of all spring rituals-sugaring, opening day of trout season, sliding off the dirt road into a ditch, the first creemee, my personal favorite is “the laying of the papers” when I mulch around the perennials in the garden. I’ll explain. We used to recycle our newspapers at the landfill. Then I took the Master Gardener course offered by the State College Extension Service where I learned the merits of mulching, the gardening practice whereby you control weeds by laying down a layer of lightimpenetrable organic material such as sawdust, compost, straw, bark chips, or dead fish (not recommended). Mulching appeals on several levels. Every weed that doesn’t grow is a weed that doesn’t have to be pulled. Mulching can be done in that cold, wet period before you can plant anything. (Some people refer to this period as “May.”) Mulching improves the soil, and, finally, mulching saves you a trip to the recycling center. Because I passed my final exam, I am entitled to the rights and privileges conferred upon one who successfully satisfies the requirements of an institution of higher learning. Therefore, I insist on being addressed
by my title, “Master.” Some people think I take my new credentials too seriously, but I’m the same humble guy I’ve always been, although I have begun referring to myself in the third-person. Because of my specialty is mulch, my full title is “Master of Mulch,” but to my friends, I’m simply “Master.” A generous person, I walk around the neighborhood dispensing free advice such as “Master thinks you shouldn’t have planted that tree there,” or “Master says cabbage will never grow in that spot.” Recipients are so respectful of my credentials that the response is usually respectful silence, often accompanied by a gesture that I interpret to mean “You’re #1” (although … don’t most people use the index finger for this?). Mulching is not rocket science. Any moron can design a rocket. While anyone can lay a newspaper on the ground, very few can do it in an efficient, Master of Mulch kinda way. It starts with how the newspapers are stacked for storage over the winter. My partner in life, an otherwise intelligent woman, has had to be completely re-trained when it comes to newspaper management. She attacks a newspaper like a terrier in a roomful of rats. When she’s done snapping, folding, and clipping she leaves the spent newspaper in a haphazard pile, as if it’s a piece of trash. Master doesn’t like this, because crumpled newspaper doesn’t lay down flat on the ground. The ideal newspapers for mulch have never been read. They lay flat as my hair after I haven’t showered for a few days. If you insist on reading newspapers, they should be crisply refolded, sections separated, color inserts removed, and stacked with folds to the left. Master has explained this patiently to his partner. She, in turn, says Master should get a life. She has also suggested that Master do things with newspapers that are not physically possible. Laying down the papers provides a great opportunity to review the previous year, although not in chronological order. This spring while mulching the blackberries on a gray March afternoon, these are a few headlines that catch my eye. “New Brewery Opening.” Hm-m-m. I’ll have to check that out. “Hello Flu Season!” That Swine Flu thing kind of petered out, didn’t it? Some would call these stories “yesterday’s news,” but I think of them as nicely composted. Some stories I missed the first time around; some I have forgotten about; some deserve to be forgotten. Collectively, however, they comprise a discombobulated collage of Master of Mulch - Continued page 43
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
GARDENING Master of Mulch Continued from page 42 life since the garden was last in bloom. I think it would be a good idea for the television networks to begin composting the evening news. On we go to the blueberries. The months scrolls by in jumbled order. “Another Democrat Enters Fray.” Yawn. “Police Discover Burglary Loot.” Whoa. I missed that. Wait ... no I didn’t. That’s this week’s paper that I haven’t read yet. Master must review newspaper rules with partner! Which brings us back to the question of the best newspaper in the state, mulchingly speaking. If your area still has a “standard,” as opposed to tabloid, sized paper left, that’s your winner. The thick, rectangular sections will gobble up garden turf, smothering those weeds
Through May 26
before they get a foothold. The Wall St. Journal would be a mulcher’s dream with two drawbacks ... it costs too much, plus the old stories are no fun to read. This publication, Green Living Journal, is free, which solves one problem, but its 8 ½ x 11” magazine-type format is like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces are too small or your fingers too big. Local arts & entertainment weeklies are often the compromise best choice. They are frequently tabloids that lie flat even in a moderate wind. (Master has learned the hard way that mulching in the wind is a bad idea.) Moreover, they are free, so if you get caught short, you can just go pick-up another armful. And, if you want to take a break, you can read those titillating classifieds to see if you recognize someone you know. The Master has spoken.
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COOKING
10 Nutrition Tips to Boost Health By Jo Robinson I’ve spent the past 10 years combing through scientific studies for little-known, but important nutritional information about fruits and vegetables. I’ve discovered a great deal of valuable research that has yet to filter down to consumers. Follow these 10 tips to get the most from your food.
1. Eat Heavy Breathers First
Fresh fruits and vegetables continue to respire, or “breathe,” even when stored in the depths of your refrigerator. Some fruits and vegetables respire more quickly than others - I call these “heavy breathers.” These are the foods you should aim to eat as soon as possible after you harvest them or bring them home from the market. Foods that fall into this category include artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cherries, corn, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, parsley, raspberries, scallions, snap beans, spinach and strawberries.
2. Fresh and Picked Ripe
Soft vegetables and fruits, such as berries, will
provide incomparable flavor and nutrition if grown at home or bought from a local farmer. These foods are easily damaged during mechanical harvest, shipping and storage. Berries are naturals for the home garden because they’re delicate and can spoil in a matter of days. Treat yourself to a feast of flavors by growing these at home or embarking on a “U-pick” session at a local farm.
3. Taste the Rainbow
So-called “novelty” vegetables, such as blue potatoes, purple cauliflower and red carrots, are beginning to show up more often in supermarkets, farmers markets and seed catalogs. We’ve bred out the rich hues in favor of white, green and orange. Unwittingly, when we got rid of the blue, purple and red, we were casting away anthocyanins - potent antioxidants that may reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and memory loss. Reclaim these benefits by buying deeply colored fruits and vegetables at the market or growing them in your garden.
4. Chill Out
Commercial growers know produce stays fresher longer if it’s chilled right after harvest. We would do well to follow that example. Rather than leaving a basket of freshly harvested lettuce or kale sitting on your back porch, bring it in, dunk the greens in ice water, dry them off, and store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Meat and dairy must be refrigerated ASAP but the heat in a car can also spur the growth of potentially deadly bacteria on fresh produce. Make a habit of shopping for food after you’ve completed all of your other errands. Take along an ice chest if you have a long journey home.
5. Make Mine Crunchy
Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage should be cooked lightly. If they cook for more than five minutes, their natural sweetness disappears, and “off ” flavors and sulfurous fumes begin to develop. To shorten the cooking time, chop the vegetables into smaller pieces. Follow these steps to perfectly steam broccoli: Cut the broccoli into egg-sized clumps and arrange them stem-side-down in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. Put on the lid, and set a timer for four minutes. As soon as the timer rings, take off the lid, remove the broccoli from the heat and arrange it in a serving dish. 10 Nutrition Tips - Continued page 45
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2014
COOKING
and Flavor of Fresh Food foods you eat raw. Use hotter, more pungent onion varieties in all other foods. If you cook them for just five minutes, they will become sweet and mild without losing any nutrients. Red onions can be either sweet or hot. You can tell them apart at a glance because the hotter ones are oval or round while the milder, “hamburger” onions are flat and wide. ‘Red Baron’ is a small variety with vibrant burgundy bulbs that are extra-high in antioxidants. Scallions (or green onions) are better for your health, because the green part of the vegetable is more nutritious than the white bulb. The same is true for leeks.
6. Health Benefits From Garlic
To get the biggest health boost from garlic, chop it, slice it or press it, and then let it rest for 10 minutes on your cutting board. Here’s why: Allicin is the main healing ingredient in garlic, and this healthful nutrient forms when two compounds in the clove mingle together. This mingling happens when we bite, chop, slice or press garlic. The reaction of allicin in
9. Leaf Lettuce Rules
Purple, yellow and red carrot varieties offer the most nutrients. Choose purple varieties of produce when possible. Photo By Jo Robinson
garlic takes about 10 minutes to complete, but it stops short if you expose the garlic to heat before the time has elapsed.
7. Smaller May Be Better
Neighborhood bragging rights typically come from growing the biggest fruits and vegetables on the block, but new research shows that smaller varieties may be more nutritious. This is especially true for tomatoes: The smaller and darker red the tomato, the more lycopene it has per ounce. Small tomatoes are also higher in sugar and have a more intense “tomato” flavor than slicing or beefsteak varieties.
Of the four main types of lettuce - leaf lettuce, crisphead (iceberg and the like), romaine and bibb - leaf lettuce is the most nutritious. The reason has to do with the arrangement of its leaves. The sun is essential for plant growth, but it also emits damaging UV rays. Plants protect themselves from the harmful part of the sun’s spectrum by creating a chemical sunscreen in 10 Nutrition Tips - Continued page 46
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8. Onion Nutrition
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COOKING 10 Nutrition Tips Continued from page 45 shades of red, purple or reddish brown. When we eat the plants, those same chemicals go to work protecting us from UV light and diseases that result from UV exposure. The plant’s protection becomes our protection.
10. Check the Stems
Grapes and cherries sold in supermarkets are sometimes weeks old, yet they still look fresh. To
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determine their true age- and thus their health potentiallook at the stems, not the fruit. Fresh grapes and cherries have bright green, flexible stems. If they’ve been stored for weeks, the stems will have turned brown and started to wither. Take care not to overcook broccoli, Excerpted from asparagus, cabbage and cauliflower, MOTHER EARTH or you will lose a lot of nutritionNEWS, the Origi- al value. Only lightly steam brocnal Guide to Liv- coli when you cook it, and eat it ing Wisely. To read raw when possible.Photo By Teresa more articles from Kasprzycka MOTHER EARTH NEWS, please visit MotherEarthNews.com or call (800) 234-3368. Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc.By Kris Wetherbee
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ItAtwas refreshing to find there is a time when traditional atpublishing least one publisher who a lot more about is governed by cares ‘the bottom line," whether a book and your best bethas is to write a cookbook something interesting or yourself orrename worthwhile to say, Stephen King, the than about whether Public Press provides the topic or author has an alternative! sure-fi re “box ce” St. Peter on a offi pogo appeal. A publisher stick! The Public with values! Public Press is the Go best!” Press!” – Alec Hastings
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