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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
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from the editor
The United States of the World (or the Genius of Genghis)
By Stephen Morris technical. Once in a great while I think big picture. “Wouldn’t The world at the time was dominated by two great it be great,” I say to myself, “If we didn’t have all this cultures—Islam and the Chinese. Western Europe (and unpleasant disagreement in the world?” No nationalits predominant faith, Christianity) was mired in the ism, no religious extremism, no factionalism. What Dark Ages. The Europeans were downtrodden people if we were all one big country, huddled in primitive dwellings and our differences were more and caves. Why do you think it along the lines of the differences was the “dark” ages, as opposed He who lives by the sword, between Tennessee and Kanto the “enlightenment?” The sas as opposed to Palestine and Mongols stopped their Westdies by the sword, a Israel? What if we were a United ward migration when they sentiment from the Bible, States of the World? reached Europe, because they Turns out, it’s not a new couldn’t see anything worth but Genghis Khan died an idea. Genghis Khan was thinkconquering, plundering, or old man surrounded by ing along similar lines back in stealing. the 1300s when he swept down You are probably wonderloving family, his legacy from the steppes of Mongoing how I became such an firmly in place for the lia and conquered the known expert on world history workworld from the Pacific to the ing from my home office on next few centuries. Mediterranean. the banks of Gilead Brook Genghis (by the way, it’s corin the heart of Vermont. You rectly pronounced “jen-guss,” probably assumed that my as opposed to “gang-guss,” sounds a little softer) was extensive knowledge came from watching the “Marco raised in a Stone Age culture, impoverished and illiterPolo” series on Netflix. Only partially. I also read a ate. A Stone Age culture was not significantly different book Genghis Khan: and Making of the Modern World from what we promote today as “green living.” People by Jack Weatherford. Here are a few things I learned: lived self-sufficiently by taking full advantage of natu* Genghis Khan abolished the then widespread ral resources. They lived in autonomous, decentralized practice of torture. groups—local living at its finest—eating organic foods, * He embraced and encouraged religious freedom, with a barely detectable carbon footprint. Of course allowing his conquered people to maintain their culthey were living off small rodents and scavenged cartural traditions. casses, not shopping at Whole Foods, but let’s not get * His despised aristocratic privilege, and ran his kingdom as a meritocracy. * He was a lifelong learner who advanced the rights of women in Mongol society. * To manage his far-flung empire, Genghis Khan developed communications and management techniques far more advanced than known to humankind hitherto. In so doing, he deserves credit for ushering in what we now think of as the “modern world.” * He was the greatest military strategist ever, ruling a self-made kingdom of nearly 12-million square miles. His governing influence remained dominant for nearly seven centuries. Genius of Genghis - Continued page 6
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
contents
HOMEMADE BUTTER
FROM THE EDITOR Genius of Genghis ...................................................................4 VBSR 25th Anniversary ..........................................................7 Short Takes .............................................................................. 14
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Frugal Living ........................................................................... 30 Tree Warden ............................................................................ 34
ENERGY AND BUILDING Solar Syrup ............................................................................ 11 Modular Grow Dome ......................................................... 22 Build a Yurt .............................................................................. 26 Falling Oil Prices .................................................................... 37
HEALTH Use a Stand Up Desk ........................................................... 40 American Cider ..................................................................... 42 Honey As Medicine .............................................................. 45
MONEY Good Greed ............................................................................ 18
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from the editor
Genius of Genghis Why then, is his image synonymous with brutality, savagery, backwardness, and violence? Did he have a bad publicist? In fact, he had a very good publicist in his own time. It was part of his military strategy to culture a reputation so war-like and horrific that opponents would submit peaceably rather than endure the threatened atrocities. If you submitted to the Great Khan, he would treat you decently. If you resisted, however … gulp. Why is our image of Genghis Khan so starkly in contrast to the leader portrayed in Weatherby’s book? The answer is easy, the historians lied. Purposely, consciously, and deliberately the historians of the Western world created a false image of the greatest conqueror
in recorded history to suit personal and nationalistic needs. To back up this statement I will cite the use of the word “mongoloid” (meaning “in the manner or style a Mongol”) to describe a genetic birth defect that, in fact, has no relation or connection to the people referenced. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword, a sentiment from the Bible, but Genghis Khan died an old man surrounded by loving family, his legacy firmly in place for the next few centuries. His goal was to unite the whole world in one empire which sounds a lot like like the United States of the World. He didn’t fully succeed, but he came much closer than any other individual in history.
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Genghis Khan may have been illiterate, but he was wise, with some valuable lessons that the leaders of today’s world would do well to heed. Sure, he pillaged a few villages, but putting that aside, we can learn from the Great Khan how to be loyal, how to understand people, and how to induce and manage change in a world that seems to be changing faster and faster.
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
25th Anniversary
Why Here? Why Now? Why VBSR?
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Celebrates 25th Anniversary because he has always been here. Raised in the Northeast Kingdom (Hardwick) and a graduate of Lyndon State College, he moved in the opposite direction of the long-haired migrants and now lives in “the big city,” residing in Jericho and as a partner in the accounting firm of Davis & Hodgdon. Bret Hodgdon He has, however, witnessed first-hand the impact of Vermont’s changing business landscape with mushrooming organic food businesses that have made Hardwick a poster child for the nation’s trend towards local or25th Anniversary - Continued page 8
VBSR Member Spotlight
RESILIENT ARCHITECTURE An apartment destroyed by Irene...
Photo: John Sprung
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, the state’s second largest trade organization for businesses, is now 25 years young. How did it happen, and why here? Mike Burak says it all began with an article called “Taking Over Vermont” by Richard Pollak, published in the April, 1972 issue of Playboy. Pollak, tongue firmly in cheek wrote: “Suppose the nation’s alienated young decided to stage a takeover of Vermont. Not by staging a weekend rock festival at Rutland and Mike Burak then hanging around the Green Mountains like freaked-out trolls. Not by lacing the water supply with assorted chemical brain scramblers. Not even by trashing the 14-kt.-goldleaf dome off the Statehouse in Montpelier. Suppose they decided to do it by the book, within the system, the hard-hat-approved American way — by ballot.” “I thought it was a great vision,” says Burak, a native of Winooski who left his home state to complete a law degree at Harvard and to cut his legal teeth with Manhattan-based law firms before returning home. “The hippies would take over Vermont. I was all for it!” Yola Carlough did not read the Playboy article, nor would she necessarily describe herself as a hippie, but she did know that New York City, her home in 1973, was becoming a place of increasingly mean streets, plagued by crime, political and generational divisiveness. She migrated north to the Stowe area and found herself beguiled by the bucolic life of rural Vermont. She never intended the move to be permanent, but year-byyear she became more and more attached to Vermont, eventually securing a position as Director of Social Mission for two guys named Ben and Jerry making ice cream down the road in Waterbury. Bret Hodgdon is too young Yola Carlough to remember anything about a hippie migration. Plus, he didn’t need to be concerned about moving to Vermont,
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25th Anniversary
VT Businesses for Social Responsibility Continued from page 7
ganic foods. Imagine ... Emeril and the Food Channel coming to Hardwick! What Burak, Carlough, and Hodgdon have in common is that all three serve on the Board of Directors for the trade organization Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). With more than 750 active members, the organization is second in size only to the state Chamber of Commerce and is celebrating its 25th year. No other state boasts an organization anywhere near VBSR’s strength and vitality.
Why is that?
Russ Bennett
It’s the Culture
Explanations abound. Not everyone agrees on the meaning of “social responsibility,” let alone why the concept is so compelling in the Green Mountain State. On thing, however, is inarguable. Vermont is a state where people can agree to disagree.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of town meeting,” says Russ Bennett, whose flowing, shoulderlength, grey locks give him the look of an ex-rock ‘n roller … which, in fact, he is, having worked on the design and artistic direction for some of the largest outdoor music festivals in the country. His day job, however, is as the owner/ founder of Northland Design & Construction which specializes in energy-efficient, high-end residences. “At town meeting people say whatever is on their mind, and sometimes they says things that are completely outrageous. Melinda Moulton We may disagree, but there’s a recognition that we’re all in this thing together, so we have to get along.” Helping each other out, he points out, is an essential part of living in a small community, something that holds true for Vermont’s business community, too. “95% of all businesses fail in the first five years,” he points out. “We’ll all find ourselves in a ditch at some point, so we better be willing to help each other out,” he says, sounding like the veteran of many a mud season.
It’s the People
state,” not chosen as in anointed, but in the sense that so many people have chosen this as a place to live. Melinda Moulton, CEO of Main Street Landing, Burlington’s innovating lakeside commercial development says “The people of Vermont are locally-minded, community-invested, deeply involved in Vermont in the state’s future. They are strong and opinionated.” Bruce Seifer, a business and economic development consultant, who as an adviser in several of Burlington’s recent political administrations has had a front-row seat to the region’s economic development cites “Vermont’s healthy quality of life, an innovative entrepreneurial spirit, and live and let live approach to life” as factors. Mark Curran moved to Vermont in 1974 at the age of 20, primarily to ski. Four years later he opened a natural food store with partner Steve Birge. Eventually, the retail business morphed into wholesale distribution at Mark Curran just the time when Vermont was developing its reputation as a mecca for specialty food products. Black River Produce now has more than 150 employees. Curran was honored this past year as the winner of the Terry Ehrich Award, presented by VBSR to an outstanding entrepreneur. “This is a great place for business to prosper is due to the strong work ethic of Vermont’s employees,” he says. More than outstanding individuals, however, successful businesses need strong families and “There’s no better place to raise a family than Vermont.” He and his wife, Margie Straub have raised four sons, to prove his point. Christopher Miller, Social Mission Activism Manager and the current board chair at VBSR, also cites the lifestyle options: “In Vermont, it’s easy to encourage and foster proper work life balance. With so many outdoor opportunities so close to where we all live and work, it’s easy to jump from work to play, and back to work again. It’s good for employees which is in turn good for employers.” When he’s not working, Chris enjoys the outdoors, eating lots of local food, and has recently tried his hand at running marathons. Jennifer Chiodo Board member Jennifer Chi-
Vermont is sometimes referred to as “the chosen 8 •
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
25th Anniversary - Continued next page
25th Anniversary
Celebrates Their 25th Anniversary odo owns a consulting engineerdie was cast, and the Vermonters ing company whose mission is to would go it alone. reduce the environmental impact “We formed a steering comof Vermont’s buildings. “I love mittee,” says Heffernan and owning this company,” she says, did bylaws with help from our “because it provides the opportuattorney, Ken Merritt. We finally Chris Miller nity to share common goals that launched in ’91, a year after our make work rewarding and projoriginal organizational meeting.” ects and business successful.” She’s a Managing PrinBen & Jerry’s and the city of Burlington provided cipal in Cx Associates. seed capital to help the organization through its most The various strands of culture and personality formative years. The activities, then as now, were to converged at the dawn of a new decade, the provide education and networking opportuni1990s. By then the upstart, non-traditional ties for its members and to establish positions enterprises started by the migrating hippies in public policy that could be championed with were past adolescence, almost fully-grown, legislators in Montpelier. but not yet ready for middle age. They now The twist was that the VBSR positions were had the same networking needs as other often diametrically opposed to those of the businesses, but were not stylistically wellestablished business interests. While the latter suited for the buttoned-down, traditional group thought in terms resisting any legislaorganizations such as the Chamber of Comtion that restricted the ability of members to merce. A murmuring began about “a chamgenerate profits, the newcomers talked in terms Pat Heffernan ber for the rest of us.” of “sustainable jobs,” “livable wages,” and even The initial organizational meetings were “family leave.” Instead of bottom lines, says Don held in the offices of Seventh Generation, a mail order Mayer of Small Dog Electronics originally of Waitsmarketer of alternative lifestyle products, founded field, but now with stores in Rutland and Burlington, by Alan Newman, a Garden Way alumnus. Bruce “We ascribed to the ‘dual bottom line’ - i.e. profit and Seifer, then Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle’s Assistant socially responsible involvement. Over the years we Director of Economic Development, was part have refined this concept and now refer to of the formative group, along with Peg Devlyn ‘multiple or triple bottom lines.’” and Pat Heffernan (co-Presidents of MarketEarly policy decisions were key. The orgaing Partners, a Burlington agency, Ben Ptasnization would be about business, not social hnik (founder of the importing company Via agenda or style. There would be no screens Vermont), and Matt Rubin (Vermont Guardor criteria to determine who could join. You ian’s Business Person of the Year and leading pay your dues, you’re a member. Secondly, the proponent of building wind generators in the group would play actively in public policy. If Northeast Kingdom). you like the political and social positions the The group decided they were FOR social Dave Epstein group is taking, you are inclined to join. If you responsibility, although they stopped short of don’t, you won’t. It’s a process of self-selection. defining what “social responsibility” was. “We decided The message resonated. Mike Burak had dutifully the members would define the term over time by their tried going the traditional Chamber of Commerce actions,” says Bruce Seifer, “and that’s what seems to route, but was not satisfied. “Nothing against the have happened.” Chamber, but I found that only one side was ever repTheir name, initially, was Vermont Business Assoresented, the side that served the interests of the busiciation for Social Responsibility, but that was more ness owners and the bottom line. When I discovered than a mouthful. They explored joining a regional conVBSR it was like a breath of fresh air. There were other sortium of the national trade association, Businesses people like me who wanted to examine both sides of for Social Responsibility, and invited a representative issues.” to present options to the Vermonters. But, in the Dave Epstein, an architect and the managing princiwords of Pat Heffernan, the regional group “blew it!” pal at TruexCullins (TXC) is another long-time VBSR by wanting too large a percentage of membership dues 25th Anniversary - Continued page 10 and restricting political activity on the state level. The Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 9
25th AnniversAry
25th Anniversary
Continued from page 9
member whose story mirrors Burak’s. “I was going to a lot of different business association events, and they were speaking a different language. It reminded me of going to a frat party in college and feeling like I just didn’t belong. Then, when I went to my first VBSR spring conference, it was like I had finally found my people.”
No one remembers who first used the phrase “a chamber for the rest of us,” but suddenly the description fit. Today, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) is an unquestioned economic force. Membership stands at more than 750 Marshall Glickman businesses and organizations that collectively employ more than 35,000 Vermonters and generate more than an estimated $5.5 billion in annual revenues. While the jury is out on whether the concept of socially responsible business works at the mega-corporation level, no one disputes that the idea is thriving in Vermont. Social responsibility has taken its place alongside dirt roads, maple syrup, fall foliage, mud, and wacky ice cream flavors as commodities that distinguish Vermont from the rest of the world.
So Does Green Living Journal
25 Years of “Practical Information for Friends of the Environment” VBSR Member Spotlight In 1990 in the triangular corner where Vermont meets both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, an exstockbroker fresh from Wall St. was trying to figure out how to make a living. He had walked away from a successful, but emotionally hollow, stint as a stock and bond broker in Manhattan. He took his financial is proud to be a founding windfall to Vermont where he bought member of VBSR and we thank a piece of “the good life” not far from them for their over 25 years where legendary homesteaders Scott of service setting a course for and Helen Nearing had settled in the 1950s. He lived simply and frugala more mindful way of doing ly, partially by necessity, but also by business, where companies choice, making his decisions by fully act as partners with other considering not only his own needs, stakeholders to create a but those of the environment. brighter future for our state Eventually, the ex-stockbroker, and for the whole planet. Marshall Glickman, decided to start a print publication dedicated to providing “practical information for friends of the environment.” It could be managed from his home and launched without an outlay of a great deal of capital. He remembers “Green Living 25th Anniversary - Continued page 11 10 •
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
25th Anniversary Continued from page 10
always felt like a humble undertaking, done on a shoestring budget for the sake of its mission. The first issues were especially trying, as I did everything myself, including teaching myself design on a $39.99 software program that, frankly, stunk. (So did I, in design.) In time I got help in ad sales and design, eventually making the publication sustainable.” After 15 years at the helm, Glickman moved on to start Echo Point Books, a business that both sells the damaged books of other publishers but also publishes original titles, specializing in bringing “the best titles of the past into the future.” Marshall Glickman, now in his early 50s still has the look of a greyhound, tall, thin, with closecropped hair. Even though he has started two successful businesses, he retains the simple, grassroots values that have always been at the heart of green living. “As an ex-New Yorker, it was clear to me that you don’t move to Vermont to become rich and famous, but because you care about the quality of life.” With more than 15 employees, Echo Point is now one of the fastest-growing businesses in southern Vermont. Rich and famous? Not yet, but who knows? Marshall Glickman may figure out how to have the best of both worlds. (Editor’s note: I took over Green Living Journal in 2005, and have tried to maintain the course that Marshall established. I’ve also been an active participant in VBSR since the early 1990s. Therefore, I am doubly pleasured to be celebrating our mutual 25th anniversary throughout 2015. Let’s have a party! Stephen Morris)
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SOLAR ENERGY
Solar Syrup - Solar Comes To Sugarin’ By Bette Lambert “Sap’s running!” Second only to “Cows are out!” this exclamation brings a thrill to farmers in the spring. At Silloway Maple, in Randolph Center, Vermont, the call to go to the woods and tap the tree begins in February each year. The Silloway family has been sugaring since the 1940s, when Paul and his wife, Louise, bought a dairy farm, and sugared every spring. There have been many changes in technology over the years, but the end product is the same – pure maple syrup. The beginning of boiling is usually announced in the local newspaper, “Visitors are welcome at the Silloway sugarhouse.” This brings families to watch the clouds of sweet steam and sparks rising, and taste the delicious new, hot syrup. Last year, 2014, a new sugarhouse was designed and built, set facing the south, with a narrow northern roof, and a large southern exposure to accommodate seventy solar panels. On a bright, sunny day in January, the numbers were climbing, showing the overall amount generated. On even a cold day, the system can output just over 15,000 watts. Averaging throughout the year, this energy supplies the sugarhouse needs, and about half of the power used on the family dairy farm, just down the road. Paul Lambert, partner and manager at Silloway Maple, designed and built the sugarhouse, with John Mattern, of Integrity Energy, from East Bethel, Vermont. www.ienergyvt.com John and his business partner, Amos Post, designed and installed the solar system. The new sugarhouse has a second story, where the sap is stored prior to boiling, and visitors can stand above the arch for a spectacular view of the boiling process. Schoolchildren spread out blankets, and enjoy sugar on snow, and old fashioned raised doughnuts with syrup. A film telling the story of sugaring fills visitors in on the history of maple sugaring, and
12 •
the process involved. The Silloway/Lamberts fire the arch with wastewood from their logging operation. In recent years, Paul has branched out his stacking of wood to include several German Holzhaufens, large beehive shaped piles. The purchase of a reverse osmosis machine saves about 80% of the wood and labor required for boiling. This means a change from about sixty gallons of sap boiled to produce a gallon of syrup, to about eight. The raw sap passes through a membrane in the reverse osmosis machine, which removes much of the water. The new evaporator uses gasification, and has a series of preheater pipes inside of the steam pipe. There are many different aspects to the sugaring business, including expert thinning of the sugarbush to promote the healthiest trees with the largest crowns, laying out of the pipeline system for maximum efficiency, the vacuum systems and tanks for gathering the sap, and trucking the sap to the sugarhouse. There, the sap is processed through the
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
Solar Syrup - Continued on next page
Solar Syrup Continued from page 12
reverse osmosis machine, and, finally, boiled down into syrup. Modern sugarhouses are certified, and registered with the FDA. When the syrup reaches the proper density, it is drawn off off from the evaporator, and filtered, to remove any impurities and nitre, or sugar sand. Each batch of syrup is graded, by filling a bottle and comparing the color to permanently colored samples. The flavor is also checked. New names for the grades are Delicate (Fancy), Rich, and Robust. All are excellent, and it is only a matter of preference to decide which one you prefer. Silloway Maple enjoys an educational relationship with the local school, bringing a bus full of children to the dairy farm and sugarhouse each spring. They have an opportunity to see a maple tree being tapped, watch the syrup boiling, and try some of the hot, new syrup. It is exciting to have them learn where their dairy and maple products come from, and share the enthusiasm for agriculture. They come back again for Cow Day in the spring, when the Holsteins at Silloway Farms are let out to pasture for the first time of the year. Maple cream is made by boiling the lightest grade of syrup down to the soft ball stage, rapidly cooling, and stirring it until the sticky mass turns to a silkysmooth spread. Folks are amazed that nothing is added to this pure maple product. It is a favorite on toast and bagels, or on the traditional peanut butter and maple sandwich. Granulated maple sugar is made by boiling the syrup to a very high temperature, and then stirring until it turns to a fine sugar. It is then put through a sieve, and packaged. Many people are realizing the health benefits of maple as a natural sweetener over refined white sugar. Maple has antioxidants and minerals, and can be substituted easily in most recipes. Silloway Maple also makes maple candies, and maple sugar covered almonds. Much of their syrup is sold right from the farm, and visitors are welcome anytime. A sign on the sugarhouse door
directs people to call, as there is not a “staff ” member there at all times, but one of the family is available to come and show people around, tell about the sugaring operation, and offer products for sale. A unique facet of this family operation, is that twenty-four family members (counting little ones) live in six homes along a mile of dirt road. While the maple sugaring is managed by Paul Lambert, his mother Bette, David, Stuart and John Silloway are all owners as well. “Can you do the noon feeding? We need twenty dozen raised doughnuts! Can you bring more coffee to the sugarhouse?” Many needs are covered in the course of most days, by one family member or another. Indeed, when we consider the renewable resources, family is definitely the most important! The Silloway Maple business has a website, www.sillowaymaple.com, where their products can be ordered, and an educational and entertaining
facebook page. Recipes are shared, and you can get a look at what’s going on, on the farm. On March 28, from 10:00 – 6:00, and March 29, from 1:00 – 6:00, there will be an open sugarhouse, when all are welcome to visit. The address is 1033 Boudro Road, in Randolph Center, and the phone number to check on boiling times is 802-272-6249. Silloway Maple, “It Runs in the Family”. Bette Lambert grew up on a family dairy farm, only a mile down the road from her current home. She and her husband, dairy farmer Dan Lambert raised and homeschooled six children. “A Farm Wife’s Journal,” a collection of her columns published originally in The Herald, of Randolph is now available as a book. She considers “mother” to be her highest job title, but she also makes the value added products and does the marketing for Silloway Maple Products. (She also loves working in the woods herself.) More information at Sillowaymaple.com. Design Consultations
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 13
Stonework
SHORT TAKES We’re celebrating Green Living Journal’s 25th Anniversary by remembering some of the differences between our world now and then:
25 Things to Know about the World in 1990 1. David Dinkins is mayor of NYC 2. The Dow is at 2800 (a new high) 3. Les Miserables opens, as does Buddy, based on the life of Buddy
Holly 4. Premier of The Simpsons and Seinfeld 5. Mike Tyson loses Heavyweight crown to Buster Douglas, who loses to Evander Holyfield
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
6. The Who, Simon & Garfunkel, 4 Seasons, 4 Tops, Hank Ballard, Platters & Kinks inducted into Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 7. 64th manned space mission for U.S. returns to earth safely 8. President George H.W. Bush signs 1990 Clean Air Act 9. NeXT is the big thing at Apple; Microsoft struggles with Windows continue. 10. Thieves steal $500 million in art from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum 11. Gas at pump reaches $1.60, an all-time high 12. Driving Miss Daisy wins Oscar for best picture. 13. First images received from Hubble Telescope 14. Boris Yeltzin becomes President of Soviet Union 15. Margaret Thatcher resigns as Britain’s Prime Minister 16. Nelson Mandela freed. 17. Bobby Cox takes over as manager of Atlanta Braves. 18. Salman Rushdie sentenced to death by Iran. 19. Neither the Boston Red Sox nor the Chicago Cubs have won a World series since 1918. 20. Roseanne Barr grabs crotch while singing national anthem at baseball game 21. President Bush orders troops to invade Iraq in Operation Desert Storm. 22. Michael Milken sentenced to jail for security law violations 23. Amazon is not yet a gleam in the eye of Jeff Bezos. 24. “Millie’s Book” by Barbara Bush about the Presidential dog, becomes a national best-seller. 25. Mikhail Gorbachev awarded Nobel Peace Prize.
25 Things to Know About the World in 2015
1. No one even knows who is the heavyweight champion of the world. Mike Tyson is now an inspirational speaker and George Foreman runs a grill empire. 2. Gas is approaching $1.60/gallon, but it’s coming from the other direction. 3. The Simpsons is still going strong. 4. The stock market is near an all-time high, hovering close to 18,000. 5. The Berlin Wall has fallen, but so have the Twin design & landscape Towers. 6. George H.W. Bush is now the oldest living ex-President. His son, George W. is also an ex-President while son, Jeb, is considering a run for President. 7. You need four remote controls to operate your television. 8. Everything in the world is now made in China. 9. Saddam Hussein is long gone, but Middle East turmoil is worse than ever. 10. “Off-the-Grid” is now a term in the American Heritage Dictionary. 11. Amazon.com is the largest bookseller in the world. www.abounddesign.com 12. “Local” has replaced “organic” as the new ecological catch-phrase. 13. Farmer’s markets abound. 14. Solar “farms” dot the landscape. 15. Social Networking is now a dominant marketing force. 16. Hybrid cars are the dominant “environmental alternative.” Can electrics be far behind? 17. Internet-based companies have created “the new economy.” 18. The nation’s first black President is in his second term. 19. There are only two surviving Beatles. 20. Coyotes have been seen in Central Park. 21. The major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) are no longer the major networks. 22. Even your cell phone has a digital camera. 23. A seedless watermelon has been developed. 24. Apple now has a market capitalization of $650 billion dollars. 25. The Chicago Cub have still not won a World Series. The Red 2 Fiske Mass 2 FiskeAve, Ave, Greenfield, Greenfield, Mass Sox, meanwhile, have won 3.
Replacing Fossil & Nuclear Fuel One House & Business At A Time
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 15
SHORT TAKES Good Food Awards To Real Pickles And Vermont Creamery Dan Rosenberg and Addie Rose Holland of Greenfieldbased Real Pickles joined top artisan food producers from around the country on Thursday for the Good Food Awards ceremony at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Real Pickles was awarded a top honor at the event for their Organic Beet Kvass, a fermented beverage traditional to Eastern Europe. “One of our goals at Real Pickles has always been to promote the flavor and health benefits of fermented foods,” said Rosenberg. “Receiving a national honor like the Good Food Award helps us get this message out.” Real Pickles uses the traditional pickling process– without vinegar–to make its line of fermented vegetables. The Organic Beet Kvass is made with certified organic vegetables from northeast family farms, as are all of their products. Also recognized was Vermont Creamery Co-founder Allison Hooper, reflects: “We’ve never entered our cheese in the Good Food Awards before. Suffice to say, we love our cheese - and think they’re all winners. And while we certainly are proud of the awards we receive, the Good Food Awards stand for something a bit different - dare I say, something more? These awards go beyond the traditional measures of a winning cheese (taste, texture, smell, etc.), to recognize ‘exceptionally delicious food that supports social good’ - their words, not ours. “Most cheese competitions ask for basic information about the entries - where it’s from, what kind of milk, the style. Not the Good Food Awards. Their questions are unlike anything we’ve seen before - questions about where the milk comes from, how the animals are treated and how their feed is produced. It’s so exciting to be a cheesemaker at this point in our food history. Americans don’t just want cheese that
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tastes great. They tell us everyday that how our cheese is made matters as much as how it tastes. This excites us. It challenges us. But, challenge is opportunity and we’re up to the task”.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Stephen, I hope you enjoy this story about Mario’s visit to Vermont, and a bit about mine to Cuba. I suppose it could be titled “The Adventures of Mario and Paul (with a lotta help from our friends)”. Let’s hope it’s just the beginning of a long history of exchange. It was great fun to write, and the format is rich in content. Please pass it along! https://paulscheckel.creatavist.com/ Regards, Paul Scheckel, The Energy Guy
Congratulations to Hall of Famers
The cofounders of Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent weekly newspaper, have been chosen as two of this year’s inductees into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame. Pamela Polston and Paula Routly will be honored at a ceremony during the New England Newspaper and Press Association conference in February. According to the NENPA website, the Hall of Fame recognizes “industry heroes whose talent, hard work, and exceptional accomplishments provide inspiration to all New England journalists.” NENPA’s board of directors chooses inductees annually. Seven Days’ staff nominated Polston, associate publisher and coeditor, and Routly, publisher and coeditor, for the Hall of Fame. The two former arts writers and editors founded Seven Days in 1995, with $68,000 and a six-person staff. Nearly 20 years later, their company, Da Capo Publishing, produces five print publications and numerous events and digital offerings, all of which support more than 60 full- and part-time employees. Coeditor and associate publisher Polston manages the arts, food and features coverage in Seven Days. Publisher and coeditor Routly oversees the news operation and is in charge of finances and business development. Also cited for Hall of Fame induction is M. Dickey Drysdale, editor and publisher of The Herald of Randolph, Vermont, one of the nation’s most outstanding small town weeklies.
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
short tAKes The Safe Seed Pledge:
A Contract Between Gardeners and their Seed Suppliers
Contributed by Mike Dunton Although the science and technology behind genetic engineering was established by the late 1970s, it was not until 1980 when the government began allowing lifeforms to be patented that corporations realized that they were sitting on a goldmine. Simply speaking, by manipulating the DNA of living things, calling these organisms unique, and protecting them with patents, the industry of biotechnology and the commercialization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was born. For the first time in the history of humankind, small groups of individuals had the potential of controlling the food supply of the whole planet. With the protection that patents and vast storehouses of cash can afford, proliferation of GMOs into agricultural and the food supply was not only inevitable, it was rapid. These same corporations are also very aggressive about protecting their power and wealth. This is done to the point that consumers have very little opportunity to actually know what is in what they eat. As a 21st Century rule of thumb, if the food you are purchasing is processed and sold in a package, regardless of labels such as “natural,” you can assume that it contains GMOs. One way that concerned individuals have chosen to combat this issue is to take responsibility for at least a portion of their own personal food supply by gardening. By controlling the production of food from seed to table, uncertainty is eliminated. The weak link in this personal food production / gardening model is the actual starting point – the seed.
Enter the Safe Seed Pledge
Created in 1999 and managed by the Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG), the Safe Seed Pledge helps to connect non-GMO seed sellers with the growing number of concerned gardeners. The Pledge allows businesses and individuals to declare that they “do not knowingly
buy, sell or trade genetically engineered seeds,” thus assuring consumers of their commitment. CRG formally recognizes commercial vendors through their online directory at councilforresponsiblegenetics.org. Sellers are encouraged to promote their commitment to the Pledge through their seed catalogs, websites and other marketing materials. So far, over 100 commercial seed sellers have joined this growing movement for agricultural sustainability. By choosing to purchase your seeds from organizations that have made a promise against supplying GMO seeds, you are affirming to them that their decision is important. Your support also ensures that you will have a source for non-GMO seeds the next time you need to plant a garden. Mike Dunton is the founder of the Victory Seed Company and one of the early signers of the Safe Seed Pledge. The Victory Seed Company works to preserve rare, threatened, heirloom seeds and to keep them available to home gardeners. You can find them online at VictorySeeds.com.
Universal Recycling is Coming
By Bryn Oakleaf You’ve seen the chasing arrows symbol that indicates recycling many times by now. But have you seen the apple core symbol that indicates composting? The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, with the assistance of municipal and industry representatives, developed and adopted standardized recycling symbols. If you have not seen these around Vermont just yet, keep an eye out for them. With implementation of the Universal Recycling law, adopted in 2012, all Vermont residents and businesses will need to recycle and compost. If you’re already doing this, pat yourself on the back. You are ahead of the curve. If you are not quite there yet, you have a little more time to start. Beginning July 1, 2015 basic recyclables such as paper, plastics #1 and #2, aluminum and metal containers, and glass will be banned from the landfill in Vermont. With this comes the requirement for all transfer stations and haulers to provide collection service for these materials to ensure convenient and consistent services are available across the state.1 Starting in July 2020 food waste will be banned from the landfill as well. Convenient and consistent services from transfer stations and haulers for collection of this material will need to begin no later than July 2017. Having these services in place will make it easier to keep.
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 17
MONEY
GOOD GREED
By Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. (1934-2011) Since you’re reading the Green Living Journal it’s likely that you’ve already made the mental shift to sustainability, and if that’s the case, welcome! I believe that shift happens one mind at a time, one company, one technology, one university curriculum, one industry, one community at a time. Furthermore, I have never met a “former environmentalist.” It’s true! Once you understand the truth and complexity of our environmental challenges, you are forever changed. My story demonstrates that. And fortunately for us and for our planet, that collective mental shift seems to be happening quickly, particularly in the important field of green building. I well remember the first time I spoke before the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), back in 1995 in Big Sky, Montana. I counted heads in the audience; there were just 135 people in that room. When I shared the opening plenary at the USGBC meeting in Atlanta with Paul Hawken and Janine
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Benyus ten years later, there were 12,000 people there! Two years after that, in Chicago, over 22,000 registered and an estimated 40,000 showed up. In business, that is a growth curve to die for. Today, USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is emerging as the global model for green building standards. It’s truly an idea whose time has come, on a global scale. My 54 year-long working life has been spent in industry. I founded my company Interface, Inc., from absolute scratch, from just an idea 37 years ago – an idea that felt so right, so smart – to produce modular carpet in America for the emerging “Office of the Future.” Today we are a billion dollar global producer of InterfaceFLOR modular carpets and of broadloom carpets, (under the “Bentley Prince Street” brand), primarily for business and institutional interiors, as well as carpet tiles for the home, marketed under the FLOR® brand. We operate production facilities on four continents, with sales in 110 countries, and make about one-third of all the carpet tiles used on the Earth. So I’m an industrialist, – some might even say a “radical industrialist,” a handle which gave rise to the title of the book I wrote that was published in 2009, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist. You may know the story: I was convicted and transformed in 1994 by Paul Hawken’s bookThe Ecology of Commerce and his thesis that the largest, most pervasive, most powerful, influential and wealthy institution on Earth must lead humankind out of the environmental mess we are making. That institution is business and industry, which also is the biggest culprit in creating the mess—the precipitous decline Good Greed - Continued page 19
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MONEY Good Greed Continued from page 18 of the biosphere. That is my institution, and carpets, generally, are petro-intensive for material and energy, contribute to global warming, and use a lot of water in their production. Sixteen years ago, I said to a tiny, newly formed, environmental task force of Interface people, “If Hawken is right, and business and industry must lead, who will lead business and industry? Unless somebody leads, nobody will. Why not us?” So, for 16 years we at Interface have been climbing Mount Sustainability, – that point at the top symbolizing our goal: zero footprint. We call it “Mission Zero.” We are well on our way to meeting that 2020 goal … I’ll give you a progress report before I’m done here. Reading Hawken’s book nearly 16 years ago, I asked myself then, and I ask you now, how could a living planet – the rarest and most precious thing in the entire universe – lose its biosphere, its livability? We take it completely for granted and don’t want to believe for a second that we, i.e., our descendents, could possibly lose it. Though clearly there’s a broad awakening under way, there’s no denying that there is also a fair amount
Ray Anderson
of resistance to change. Why? Well, I think there’s more than just inertia or perverse incentives at work. Our culture is very much in the grip of some old, flawed views that stand in direct and violent contrast to sustainability, – flawed views that are reflected in, and fueled by, consumerism, our insatiable infatuation with stuff. Good Greed - Continued page 20
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money Good Greed Continued from page 19
that depend on – and comprise – nature itself, – the same natural world that we depend on and are part of, too. There is the flawed view that when accumulating There is the flawed view that treats the earth as all that stuff gets us into trouble, technology will see though it were an infinite source of raw materials to us through, even though the extractive, abusive attrifeed our industrial system, stock our shelves, fill our butes of technology – especially when coupled with houses, crowd our garages, and spill out into rented numbers-driven, unemotional, results- oriented, left storage units, or into landfills, waterways, oceans, and brain intelligence – got us into the fix to begin with. the air. And there is the flawed view that relies on the invisThere is the flawed view that adopts the annual (or ible hand of the market to be an honest broker, even quarterly) timeframe to measure the worth of an idea. though we know the market can be very dishonest. There is the flawed view that forgets to ask one simple Does the price of a pack of cigarettes reflect its true question when assessing the environmental costs of a cost? Not even close! How about the price tag on a business decision: What if everyone did it? lead-tainted toy from China? A box of contaminated • What if everyone discharged untreated wastewainfant formula? I don’t think so. And the price of a barter into the local river? rel of oil? Last time I looked, the oil companies weren’t • What if everyone sent hazardous waste to be burdeploying armies or naval forces to the Middle East to ied in the local landfill? protect the oil fi elds and tankers. You and I are doing • What if everyone left their office lights burning, that with our taxes. Our sons and our daughters are or truck engines running, or thermostats set too high doing it with their lives. The oil companies aren’t payor too low? ing the medical bills for all those folks breathing smog, What if everyone did it? either. Nor are they building the seawalls our coastal There is the flawed view that assumes this world is cities will need to keep the warming, rising ocean from ours to conquer and rule; that we can take whatever drowning them. Let all those be somebody else’s probwe want from it without regard for all the other species lem. Let our grandchildren foot that bill. Add up all the costs the oil companies are happy to have someone else pay on their behalf, and the price of a barrel of oil – even by today’s measure – is too low by $150, and maybe $200. It is infinitely too low if you’ve lost a son, a daughter, a husband, or a wife to war. I'm leaving for Central America soon. I'm looking for a good, nontoxic sunscreen and insect Here’s the thing: While a few of repellent. You cookin anything? - Jeannette us might enjoy the fruits of what Yes indeed. Take along the Camping Lotion and the Camping Spray. If you can only take one it should be the lotion. we think is a free market, we all I developed these products while working in malaria infested suffer the consequences of a rigged zones in Liberia, West Africa. They both contain the same awesome essential oil blend. The lotion lasts a solid 4 hours one, a market that is very good before renewal. The spray lasts about 40 minutes but is good when you need something quick and is good to go over your at setting prices, but has no conclothing and on your hat. Be sure to use the lotion on your ankles and exposed feet near cept at all of costs. A market that’s sunrise and sunset. Bring along 16oz of our Tea Tree Castile soap. Use it to wash hands, clothes, dishes, washing rigged to get someone else to pay out cuts and scrapes etc. If you are traveling in rural village areas this is not an option. Lots of the bills whenever and wherever a people will want to shake your hand. Bump fists instead. Be sure to pick up a 2oz tin of our shea butter. It works incredibly well on sunburns, scrapes gullible or unwary public allows it and bites and lips. Shea butter has a mild spf of 2-3 (naturally occurring). Bring a big floppy hat to happen. A system of economics like a TILLY hat as your first line of protection. I have never met a natural formulator who recommends the regular use of sunscreen on themselves or on their kids and I don’t either that idealizes the so-called Basic except for episodic protection in extreme conditions. Economic Problem as the driver of Best of Luck, travel in threes and bring emergency CIPRO antibiotics just in case. All the Best, all economic progress. The “probSoapman lem”? The gap between what we Stop by our outlet store at have and what we want; not need, 616 Exchange Street Middlebury, VT want. Visit www.VTSOAP.com and SAVE an additional 10% for seeing our ad in Green Living Journal Code: GLJCAMPING (Offer Good until 7/30/15)
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
Good Greed - Continued on next page
Good Greed So how should we look at the world, and ourselves, from the point of view of sustainability? How do we reshape the linear take-make-waste conveyor belt we’re stuck on and bend it into a closed loop circle? I believe there is a way that unleashes a force even greater than our passion for wants, powerful enough to overcome just about any inertia. What is that force? That force is something we used to be pretty good at—good old capitalist, enlightened selfinterest. It’s irresistible magnetic force that in a free society draws innovation and capital straight to opportunity, what we might call “good greed.” And I think it’s exactly the force that will compel business and industry to charge right to the top of Mount Sustainability. I know we’re not going to get this job done in just a few years. I know that bringing our companies, our universities, our governments, our families, and ourselves into balance with the earth’s natural systems is a huge challenge. But the payoff is nothing short of survival—while earning a solid, honest, ethical profit. It is one of the key things we hope to accomplish at Interface: to prove this new and better business model works, to demonstrate by our own example that reaching for sustainability can lead to bigger and more legitimate profits; and by doing so, to attract other companies around the world to the model. One result: an ever greener built environment. The good news is that we can do it one small, smart step at a time, each one paying its own way and laying the groundwork for the next. Each step will make us a
MONEY Continued from page 20
little less unsustainable, and simultaneously more profitable. In that kickoff speech years ago, borrowing from Hawken, I said that every company has to face three ecological challenges honestly and head-on: 1. What we take from the earth. 2. What we make, and what collateral damage we do in the making of it (pollution of all kinds). 3. What we waste along the way (in all forms), from the wellhead to the landfill. At Interface, we began scaling what we call Mount Sustainability on seven fronts: waste, emissions, energy, material flows, transportation, culture, and the redesign of commerce. We’ve made significant progress in 16 years—progress that can be replicated by, I daresay, any industrial company on earth. Here’s our report card: Today, we’re about 60 percent toward our “Mission Zero” goal— zero environmental footprint by 2020. Importantly, using a mix of alternative, renewable sources of energy, and other process efficiencies, we’ve cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 44 percent, leading to a 94 percent net reduction when factoring in offsets such as the use of landfill gas for process energy.
We have pioneered new industrial processes that allow us to recycle both the nylon face fiber and the vinyl backing of reclaimed carpet— ours and that of other manufacturers as well. Water usage is down 83 percent. As for costs, they’re actually down, not up. A zero-tolerance waste initiative has paid the way. Sixteen years later, we’ve reduced or avoided waste to the tune of $433 million, more than footing the bill for all the costs associated with greening our company. We’re doing it because it is smart, and because it is right. And when we succeed, we’ll never again need another drop of oil for our petrointensive industrial processes; and… We’ll be doing very well by doing good. That epitomizes my vision for Interface, and I know – just the way I knew carpet tiles were so right and so smart – that if we can get there, you can get there, too. Now, then, what if everybody did that? Article by Ray C. Anderson, chairman and founder of Interface, Inc., and author of Confessions of a Radical Industrialist. For more information, visit- www.interfaceglobal.com Sadly, Ray Anderson passed away in 2011.
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 21
ENERGY & BUILDING Build This Multipurpose, Portable “Modular Grow Dome' By Greg Garbos and Mike Bollinger Imagine having a single portable hoop house that you could use in winter to grow crops and start seedlings, and then employ again in summer to safely keep chickens on pasture. Using just one piece of equipment to accomplish these tasks and more is the goal of our new Modular Grow Dome
design, a collaboration between MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Four Season Tools (SmallFarmTools.com). Inspired in part by the ever-innovative work of Maine market gardener Eliot Coleman, we’ve outlined several options for building a sturdy, movable modular greenhouse for year-round gardening. From these options, you can choose the best fit based on whether you need a small unit for your backyard or want to connect a workplaces | new homes | renovations | additions | design series of domes to extend the seaenergy retrofits | institutions | schools | construction management son for larger-scale vegetable production. You can round up all the parts for these designs yourself, or let us gather everything you’ll need by purchasing a kit, which can be shipped via UPS or FedEx. The hoop houses are engineered in 12-foot and 15-foot widths Over 40 years of commitment to sustainable building. and are fitted with bracing, “ski
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Grow Dome - Continued page 23
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
You can use this easy-to-build structure for protecting crops or as a chicken tractor. Photo By Greg Garbos
Grow Dome Continued from page 22 tips” and anchoring, so they’re easy to move manually and simple to secure after being positioned. Most greenhouses on the market aren’t mobile. Plasticfilm hoop houses, also called “high tunnels,” are used primarily by market farmers and are large and stationary. Smaller glass or rigid-plastic greenhouses are often expensive and aren’t designed to be moved. Our Grow Domes are easily portable, however, and their movability is key to the units being suitable for multiple functions, including large-scale vegetable production. Mobile domes help mitigate problems with pest and disease buildup common in stationary greenhouses. They can rotate with your crops or provide a predatorresistant place to pasture poultry. The kits also allow for flexibility in size, so a unit can meet specific zoning size limits or be considered “temporary” on urban or residential lots subject to building restrictions. The domes on our City Bitty Farm in Kansas City, Missouri, for example, are less than 200 square feet, which is below the city’s requirement for a building permit. Grow Dome - Continued page 24
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ENERGY & BUILDING Grow Dome Continued from page 23 These dome frames are made from off-the-shelf steel pipe and fittings commonly used for chain-link fences. In addition to the framing, the kits include 6-millimeter, UV-resistant greenhouse film as well as special hardware and channels with spring wire that make it easy to install and replace both plastic and shade cloth as needed. Greenhouses are good for growing plants mostly in fall, winter and early spring. Pens for raising pastured broilers are necessary for only a few weeks in summer or fall. The Modular Grow Dome anticipates both uses. The plastic covering transmits plenty of light for plant growth, and if you use the unit to keep hens for eggs in winter, solar heat gain will keep the birds warm on sunny days. In spring, you could start seeds at the same time you brood some chicks. In summer, you can either move the unit into a shady area for poultry or replace the plastic with a shade cloth, all while experimenting with heat-loving summer crops. If you plan to use your dome for chickens, you should
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make it predator-resistant. Double-walled corrugated plastic — instead of greenhouse plastic — will keep predators out, but it’s quite pricey. Lining the inside of the dome with wire fencing or hardware cloth (both readily available at hardware or farm stores) is a more affordable alternative. Depending on how much predator pressure you have, you could also install some wire flaps around the perimeter to deter digging. As a single-unit hoop house, the 12-foot-wide dome provides space for three 30-inch beds separated by 1-1/2-foot-wide walkways. We also offer a 15-foot width for four 30-inch beds separated by 1-1/2-footwide walkways. If you want more growing space, you can hook two or more units together using the 4-footlong connector piece. You can use your units separately during the warmest months when protected growing Grow Dome - Continued page 25
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
ENERGY & BUILDING
Grow Dome
Continued from page 24
space may not be necessary, and then combine them as temperatures drop to create a spacious winter growing area. Long structures known as “caterpillar tunnels� are common for larger-scale vegetable production, but connecting multiple movable domes is a more flexible option that will allow you to reconfigure and relocate as needed, at a dramatically lower price per square foot. With such a cozy interior, you’ll be able to bring chickens to your farm earlier in spring. The unit provides refuge from the elements and can easily be moved from place to place by two to four adults or a small tractor. Such a setup lets you give birds new grazing ground at a moment’s notice. With this extra space and protection, market farmers could raise chickens year-round to sell eggs and meat. Our 15-foot-wide unit can provide even more protection from cold if combined with the low tunnels popularized by Eliot Coleman. Low tunnels are commonly constructed from 10-foot pieces of half-inch electrical conduit bent into half-circles, giving growers 6-foot-diameter tunnels that are 3 feet high. One low tunnel will cover two 30-inch-wide beds. So, in the slightly larger 15-foot-wide version, you’ll gain increased growing space plus the ability to install two low tunnels side by side, covered by fabric row cover. Coleman has discovered that placing these low tunnels inside a greenhouse furnishes your crops with temperatures that mimic those of nearly one full hardiness zone south of your location. Adequate ventilation is essential to avoid overheating within the domes. The end-wall design is a critical part of the ventilation strategy. Our design includes two end-wall choices: low-cost “scissor doors� that allow both ends of the hoop house to open as needed, or square, steel, prefabricated end walls sized for screen doors. You can cinch up the plastic on the sides of longer buildings on hot days to allow for airflow. For all movable buildings, sta-
bility in wind and snow is an important consideration. A Modular Grow Dome unit is held down by two T-posts at each corner. The posts are installed in opposing directions through welded rings bolted to the ski tips on the skids You could use your Modular Grow Dome as a shelter for ducks, turkeys or, with some reinforcing, larger animals, such as goats or pigs. Perhaps you need a warm spot to store compost to keep it thawed and ready for early spring use. Or maybe you’re imagining a warm, moisture-free place to plant seed flats, cure crops, dry seeds or store hay. These space-saving, simple and versatile units offer endless possibilities for backyard gardeners as well as large-scale market farmers Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more visit MotherEarthNews.com. Copyright 2014 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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enerGy & BUiLdinG
Build A Yurt
By Craig Boyer In 1996, I bought 10 acres in Saranac Lake, N.Y. At the time, I was living in Pennsylvania, but I had visited small town New York
several years before while visiting Paul Smith Forestry College, and I had always wanted to return. Following the death of my father and getting divorced, it seemed a good time to
The yurt base, accordion frame and the roof joists, which rest in slots in the center ring on top. Photo By Craig Boyer
Local farms,
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Stop by and check out local offerings like Michael Docter‘s psychedelic watermelon radishes from Winter Moon Farm in Hadley, MA rivervalleymarket.coop 26 •
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
start on my dream. Until I was able to move to Saranac Lake permanently, I worked many hours at a utility company and spent my vacations camping on the land with my two kids. Over the course of those vacations, I cut, stacked, and hauled trees, and put up a shed to store my tools. I also had plenty of time to decide what to build on the land when the time came. The idea to build a yurt came from an ad in MOTHER EARTH NEWS. For $18,500, I could purchase a tall-wall yurt package with three standard windows, an insulation package for the roof and walls, and French doors for the front and another door in back. (The basic Yurt - Continued page 27
enerGy & BUiLdinG Yurt Continued from page 26 kit with just the yurt, windows and one door would have been less than $9,400.) I did my homework, wrote to yurt companies, and decided this would be a great way to accomplish my goal. In 2009, when the company I was working for scaled down, I accepted a good severance package and decided to cash out and move to my land. I made a cabin out of the shed, closing off one end for sleeping quarters and making a temporary kitchen and bathroom at the other end. I put up tarps outside to collect rainwater and bought two rain barrels to store it in. I bought a second generator to use with the one I brought with me. My temporary living arrangement was ready. I laid out plans for the deck and
With a little planning — and insulation — a yurt can be a cozy home year-round. Photo By Craig Boyer
base for my yurt. I built it 4 feet off as well as an instant hot water prothe ground to make room underneath pane heater. Early on, I installed for utilities, such as the water tank all propane appliances, including a for collecting rainwater and storing Yurt - Continued page 28 water from a stream on the property,
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ENERGY & BUILDING
Yurt
Continued from page 27
propane refrigerator to store perishable food. To grade part of the property and pull out some tree stumps, I rented a track hoe. We kept getting heavy rain, so I also hired a contractor to finish grading the plot and driveway. He finished the job in four hours, including grading the road coming into the driveway. That July, I laid out my lines for the yurt and started digging post holes. I rented an auger for the digging, but knew there were going to be rock issues, as there’s a lot of glacial drop-off boulders here. Sure enough, I hit my first major rock trying to dig the first hole. Given the space I had to work with, there was nowhere to move the hole to, so I drilled a hole in the rock and set a bolt in it to act as a pin that would hold the post in place. After I figured out how to stabilize the first post, I continued digging away a little each day. I also needed to get a job, and both of these factors slowed the process a bit. I found work at a local lodge where I met Paul, a young man who needed some extra cash, so I
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offered him $20 an hour to help me. After he started, it was cool to see our progress as we worked in the mornings and on our two days off. I built and installed beams, 2-by-8s for the verticals and a 2-by-6 on top of those, to make a stable beam. My best friend, Dean, who’s an excellent framer and carpenter, helped me set more 2-by-8s on top of the beams going in the opposite direction to complete a frame for the floor. Two-by-eight sheets of waterproof, three-quarter-inch- thick lumber lies on top of the frame to make the sub floor. Dean also helped me get the 4-by-8 decking sheets on the deck, and then it was time to start working on the insulation under the deck. By then it was October and just starting to get cold at night. The shed wasn’t equipped to provide real warmth, so it was great when my neighbor offered me a room until the yurt was up. Every morning I would motivate myself to get over to the lot to keep plugging away. I didn’t yet have all the insulation installed when the opportunity came to get the guys together to put up the yurt, which had been sitting in crates in two locations. Dean brought his friends, and the five of us started uncrating and laying things out. A few people from work showed up, too, and the help was welcome. Having read the yurt directions numerous times, I figured I had a handle on everything. We started by setting space for double French doors for the front and back of the yurt, then unfolded and placed the accordion-style wood frame. Next we raised the roof joists, setting them in the ring at the top of the yurt that holds them in place. We framed it all in five hours.
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
ENERGY & BUILDING
A woodstove inside the yurt helps keep the home warm through the winter. Photo By Craig Boyer
Finally, we added the roof liner and insulation panels, then the roof cover. It was quite a process from start to finish, but it was all doable — and now I have my own yurt and land to live on. To anyone who wants to follow her or his dream: You just have to brave it and do it. I was scared of many things, but I confronted those doubts and made my dream a reality. Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more visit MotherEarthNews.com. Copyright 2014 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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MONEY
Frugal Living: Less Is By Gerry Strauss In Hollywood, bigger is better. Yet for actress Joelle Carter, simplicity is the key to living the good life. After becoming parents five years ago, Joelle and her husband, Andy, decided to ramp up their efforts to live and eat well, and they’ve created a life that’s tied to nature — from the food they grow in their garden to the herbal medicines they use for everything from calming allergy symptoms to traveling without stress.
Happy Home
Although she lives a decidedly un-Hollywood life, Joelle has been acting for years. Her debut was in an episode of “Law & Order” in 1996, and she’s made appearances in classic films such as “American Pie 2” and “High Fidelity.” Now a wife, mother and fixture on FX’s hit show “Justified,” Joelle’s life is busier than ever. Joelle and Andy don’t choose to live in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Instead, they lead a quiet life in a small, cozy and cheerful home where they spend much of their free time gardening and relaxing as a family. “We pretty much occupy every inch of space in our house,” Joelle says. “We have a lot of outdoor living space, so it makes our home feel bigger.” Joelle also lives by the “less is more” mantra when it comes to energy use — a solar panel installation consultant advised them against a solar array because their energy use is so low. “We’re lucky to live on top of a hill so if we keep the windows open we get a nice breeze,” she says. “We rarely use our air conditioner. When it’s cool, my husband won’t let me turn on the heater because he runs hot, so I’m in sweaters and scarves.”
Green at Heart
The concept of frugal living was instilled in Joelle by her father. “I’m not sure he knew he was ahead of his time — he mainly did it because he was cheap,” she says with a laugh. “He would walk the alleyways with our dog to see what people were throwing away, and he’d salvage things. We had a beach house, and he’d find old lawn furniture, reweave it and take it there. He was also a gardener and always mulched our waste.” That idea of reuse made its way into Joelle’s home, too. When a friend remodeled his house, he found a bunch of boulders. “We weren’t sure how we were going to use them, but we carried them all here,” Joelle says. “We ended up using them as décor around the yard. We also used them and some recycled tiles to make a fountain in our backyard for our little fish pond.” They built a reclaimed wood surround for their 30 •
An Eco-Smart bioethanol fireplace divides the kitchen from the living room, which houses a piano found on Craigslist. Photo By Annie Mcelwain
bioethanol fireplace out of lath saved from a torndown wall. They also installed recycled denim insulation to improve their home’s efficiency.
Good Food
An avid gardener, Joelle’s garden includes cherry tomatoes, acorn squash, three pepper varieties, cantaloupe, eggplant, artichoke and zucchini. And she doesn’t just reap nutritional rewards from her harvest, but emotional ones as well. The garden is part of how Joelle supplies her household with healthful food — one of the biggest components of their healthy lifestyle. They’re committed to a veggie-heavy diet for health reasons, but also because of the relationships between food, the environment and the kind treatment of animals. “They roll together,” Joelle says. “When I first met my husband he was a vegetarian. His main concern was the overconsumption of meat and the way it was raised. It was more about the abuse of animals than the vegetarian lifestyle.” Today, Joelle and her family stick to food that is responsibly produced. “We eat a lot of vegetables, whole grains, nuts and quinoa, and occasionally some meat if it is raised humanely, organic and hormonefree,” she says. While most Hollywood actresses may mean counting calories when they refer to a “diet,” Joelle means eating real, whole foods that are grown at home or locally.
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
MONEY
More In This Home Good Medicine
If eating well is the first step toward realizing the importance of what we put into our bodies, the next natural step is in preventive medicine. Joelle is constantly striving to learn more about natural, preventive medicine, growing many of her own herbs for use in both culinary and medicinal applications. “I create a vapor of herbs in a pot on the stove and steam with my head under a towel. This helps open up your sinuses and helps you feel like you can breathe again,” she says. Joelle also uses teas to help with her allergies and essential oils for their aromatherapy benefits. She’s such a fan of aromatherapy, she packed her essential oils when she traveled to Europe last summer. “We all relaxed with some lavender oil on the flight,” she says. “In Europe, herbs are used for pain relief and all kinds of different symptoms. I hope that modern medicine will meet up with alternative medicine in this country as well.” Excerpted from Mother Earth Living, a national magazine devoted to living wisely and living well. To read more visit MotherEarthLiving.com. Copyright 2014 by Ogden Publications Inc.
Because the backyard includes multiple levels, Joelle and her family were able to carve out distinct yet united spaces for gardening, eating and relaxing. Photo By Annie Mcelwain
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Joelle and her 4-year-old daughter tend one of several raised garden beds in the home’s backyard. The many outdoor living spaces make the small home feel larger, and growing and preparing their own food is one of Joelle’s family’s favorite ways to bond. Photo By Annie Mcelwain
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on the niGhtstAnd
Bad Atmosphere By Don Odgen Bad atmosphere is the culmination of decades worth of writing by Don Oogden focusing on aspects of climate change that moved him to put into words, feelings and thoughts evoked by “the greatest crisis of our time”. the preservation of forests, forest soils and even individual trees in the struggle to confront climate chaos is raised often in ogden’s work. as renowned environmentalist, bill mckibben remarks: “as we face the climate crisis, we need art as well as science to help us reach the deepest parts of ourselves and fight the necessary fight. thank heaven for the leadership of poets!” Ogden, known by many as d.o., has been active in environmental issues for most of his life. his poetry and commentaries have appeared in a wide variety of publications and on national and local radio. “this work is really just another manifestation of the outreach i’ve been doing all along”, d.o. notes. “poetry takes the critical issues surrounding the climate crisis deeper. i’m hoping people will internalize the information of climate disruption, not to become paralyzed and disempowered but instead to act upon their feelings creatively and productively, getting involved in the struggle to literally save the planet.
An excerpt from Bad Atmosphere:
Dirtworshippers On The Enviro Show we often refer to ourselves ironically as tree hugging dirtworshippers. Of course we do this to own the terms and deflate those Enemies of the Earth who use those words derisively. I have no problem hugging a tree now and then when the spirit moves me (it’s safer than hugging bears), perhaps just as some macho owner of a gas guzzling overpowered SUV may have no problem with fondly caressing his pathetic machine with a soapy sponge. As for dirtworshipping there is a whole other level involved. My co-host on the show, Glen Ayers, is a soil scientist and he often points out to our listeners that undisturbed soil in the woods and the lifeforms within it sequester even more CO2 than the trees above. In fact, soils are the largest terrestrial pool of carbon, storing some 22% or more of carbon. Forest soils in the U.S. have the potential to store from 48 to 185 million metric tons of CO2 per year. With this in mind. one can’t
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
ON THE NIGHTSTAND help but realize that dirt, like the trees the soil supports, helps us to live in balance on the plane……theoretically. Yet, when the soil and all the life within are disturbed, say by logging or development, all that stored CO2 is emitted back into the atmosphere. The worse the soil is disturbed the more CO2 is released. As you may have heard, us humans have managed to increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere to 400ppm (parts per million), something not seen since the Miocene Era some 15 million years ago, with no human soul in sight. Now, scientists and a good many of your neighbors are warning us that we must reduce these emissions (especially the even more destructive methane emissions) and store more CO2 if our children and grandchildren are to survive in any semblance of a livable world. Soils, the lifeforms within them, and the trees and understory must be preserved. All the old notions about new commercial or residential developments and so-called forestry need to be updated for the Climate Crisis. It’s been said that trees are our climate saviors, but so is the soil, dirt. It is a savior you can see, in fact you are standing on it.
Tattoo Charlie by Shepherd Ogden
Shepherd Ogden is perhaps best known as founder and president of The Cook’s Garden, a mail order seed and supply house in Londonderry, Vermont from 1983 until 2003. The Cook’s Garden was a early leader in the marketing of
certified organic garden seed in the United States and Canada He is the author of more than fifty magazine articles on all aspects of horticulture, agriculture and the environment. His articles on gardening and environmental issues have appeared in those magazines as well as Garden Design, Horticulture, Country Journal, Harrowsmith, Martha Stewart Living, Country Living, New England Living, Eating Well and the Boston Globe. Tattoo Charlie is part road story, part antiwar story, part coming of age story, the story of a generation caught on the fence between the 1960s and the 1970s. From Burlington VT to Big Sur in California, from Berkeley to Boston by way of Fort Sam in San Antonio and the big antiwar marches on Washington in 1969 and 1970, Tattoo Charlie paints a detailed portrait of times and places that are immortalized in popular music but fast fading from our cultural memory. They always say about the Sixties that if you can remember, you probably weren’t there, but this story is from someone who was there and does remember. Tattoo Charlie is available from online booksellers or as a Kindle download.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Schedule Household 2015 Series Summer Spring 2012 2011Series Series 2011 Saturday, 3/21/15 Saturday, 3/28/15 Saturday, Saturday, 3/24/12 7/93/19 Wednesday, 7/13 3/28/12 Saturday, 7/23 3/31/12 Saturday, Wednesday,3/25/15 3/23 Saturday, Saturday, 3/26 Saturday, 4/11/15 4/15/15 Saturday, 4/25/15 Saturday, Saturday, 4/14/12 8/13 8/17 4/18/12 Saturday, 8/27 4/28/12 Saturday, 4/9 Wednesday, Wednesday, 4/20 Saturday, Saturday, 4/30 Saturday, 5/9/15 5/13/15 Saturday, Saturday Saturday, 5/5/12 9/10 Wednesday 5/9/12 9/14 Satiurday 9/24 5/19/12 Saturday, 5/7 Wednesday, Wednesday, 5/11 Saturday, Saturday, 5/215/30/15 Saturday, 6/13/15 Wednesday, 6/17/15 Saturday, 6/20/15 Saturday Saturday, 6/9/12 10/8 Wednesday 6/13/12 10/12 Saturday, Satiurday 10/22 Saturday, 6/11 Wednesday, 6/15 Saturday, 6/256/23/12
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EDUCATION
The Tree Warden: An Interview with Geoff Beyer By Stephen Morris Living in the Green Mountains, surrounded by woodlands, we sometimes take trees for granted. Not Geoff Beyer. As the Montpelier Tree Warden, he has been the keeper of the trees in Montpelier for the last seven years, responsible for the health, care, and well-being of the approximately 5000 trees that line the town’s sixty miles of road. It’s not a full-time position, but something he fits in when he not busy with his full-time gig as Director of Parks and Recreation in the state capital, a job he has held for the past twenty years. He is not a trained forester, but holds a degree in natural sciences. He has worked for the Parks and Recreation Department for a total of 34 years.
As Tree Warden his top priority is public safety. He protects the trees from the people, but also the people from the trees. How does one become a “Tree Warden?” It’s a position appointed by the city manager subject to the approval of the city council. What does a Tree Warden do in the winter? I have to be very proactive in this position. That means year-round. I can’t sit around an office waiting for problems to come to me. I need to take action before things reach the problem stage. Sometimes judicious pruning now may prevent a situation becoming problematic several years in
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the future. Are you ever caught in a contest of conflicting interests between the needs of people and trees? Yes, all the time. Trees are crucial to our air quality, storm water control, traffic safety, and environmental aesthetics, and yet they can also provide hazards to public safety and municipal operations, including road crews. It’s my job to maintain a balance of all interests. What’s a real world example of conflicting interests? Trees are the responsibility of the landowner. Branches, however, pay no attention to property lines. This, naturally, can create tension between the person financially responsible for a tree’s maintenance and the person who benefits from the maintenance, Tree Warden - Continued page 35
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Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
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Tree Warden Continued from page 34 whether that’s another homeowner, the power company, or the city. There are always issues of who is responsible for what and who has to pay the bill. Sounds like a job qualification should be the wisdom of Solomon (laughs). Are their other issues that make it difficult for a Tree Warden to sleep at night? Yes, I worry about the Emerald Ash Borer. You’ve probably seen those purple contraptions hanging from certain trees in the spring. Those are to detect the Emerald Ash Borer, an exotic Asian beetle that was discovered in the Midwest a little more than a decade ago. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. We’re told that it’s not a matter of “if ” they arrive in Vermont, but “when.” Ash is one of our most prevalent species in Montpelier, so an infestation will have a devastating effect on the local ecology. If we can anticipate and effectively manage the situation, however, it will have a dramatic impact on the town both financially and aesthetically. There must be some pleasant parts to being a Tree Warden. You bet. We work with local youth groups to help them appreciate the vital role that trees play in our communities. By installing tree guards and grates, for instance, we protect trees from cars, bikes, and snow removal equipment, so that
Emerald Ash Borer
they can continue to provide soil conservation, shade, and beautification. I love promoting awareness and appreciation of this natural resource. Any trees in Montpelier that are personal favorites? We’ve got a few real treasures. There’s a Ginko that is large, ancient, and very rare to find, especially in an urban area this far north. Then, there is the towering Elm on Court Street that has somehow managed to survive the ravages of the Dutch Elm blight. I’d like to think that it’s still there because of some of the preventative actions that have been taken by me and previous tree wardens, but it’s likely that there is a strong genetic factor at work, too. With over 5000 roadside trees to actively manage, it’s impossible to know them all, but these are two that really stand tall.
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Falling Oil Prices and the Economics of Heating with Wood Staff compilation Green Living Journal Heating with wood is no longer just a stove thing. Wood pellet boilers have established themselves as a viable heating alternative, offering all the comfort and reliability people expect from conventional heating options. More than one million units are now in service worldwide. The recent drop in oil prices, in combination with regional pellet shortages, have caused some people to revisit the issue of solid fuel economics. There are important differences between wood pellets and the fossil fuels. Wood pellets can cost as much as 60% less, plus they are a sustainable, renewable, and carbon-neutral fuel source. They are made in dozens of locations throughout North America, so heating dollars stay in North America. Almost any home can be retrofitted with a wood pellet boiler, either as a stand-alone device, or in conjunction with a secondary boiler which serves as back up, or in some cases, as a supplementary heat source. Ironically, until recently, pellet boilers have been virtually non-existent in the US, but this is changing fast, with many sophisticated imported nd domestic products available to the homeowner. Despite the recent drop in oil prices, the fundamental advantages of heating with wood remain unchanged. Whether burned in an efficient wood stove or a sophisticated pellet system, homeowners can save significantly on their fossil fuel heating costs. And while oil prices have declined of late, the long term trends with heating oil and propane are in the midst of a well-established, inflationary trend. The return on investment for a wood pellet boiler, measured over a 15 year period, is still estimated to be almost 50% per year. Beyond the economic justifica-
tion, however, there are less tangible, but equally important, reasons to be heating with wood and wood pellets. Both stimulate the local economy by creating jobs and keeping money in the local economy. Wood improves energy security of the region where you live. It is also a carbon-neutral fuel that is sustainable. In the wake of last year’s gyrating fuel prices, pellet producers, trade organizations and industry stakehold-
ers are advising consumers to buy pellets early for next season. The Northeast expects seeing record demand this season, says the Pellet Fuels Institute and Biomass Thermal Energy Council. Those in the industry say it is important for consumers not to wait to buy pellets until it was/is cold enough to need them. Pellets Pellets- Continued page 38
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EDUCATION Pellets Continued from page 37 in the basement and dry wood in the shed are like money in the bank, and both will likely grow in value over time.
10 Good Reasons To Heat With Wood
Provided by the Wood Heat Organization 1. It’s a renewable energy resource Renewable means you don’t run out. Renewable means you don’t deplete the earth’s resources. Wood is energy from the sun, stored by the tree as it grows. When you burn wood you are releasing this stored energy. In the dark of winter, it’s like having a bit of summer sun on your hearth. 2. No global warming When fuels burn they release
carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Burning fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas is like pumping carbon dioxide from the center of the earth into the atmosphere – a one-way trip. Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. When wood burns, the carbon dioxide is released, only to be absorbed again by young trees. Because trees recycle carbon dioxide, wood burning just warms you, not the globe. 3. You’re in charge Stop writing checks every month to the energy utilities. Take control by heating with wood. In our climate, staying warm is right up there on the list of the most important things in life. Do you really want to leave something so important in the hands of a faceless corporation? 4. No more freezing in the dark The big, centralized energy sources are not very reliable. When a storm
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interrupts the electrical supply, all the conventional heating systems are useless; the fancy heat pump falls silent, the gas furnace can’t work. But the wood stove or fireplace keeps you warm and cozy and safe. Now a power failure is kind of fun; you get to use the candles. 5. Warms you like no other The radiant heat from a stove or fireplace is like the rays of the sun. It warms you through and through. Come in from the storm and stand near the fire rubbing your hands together. It’s one of life’s small pleasures. 6. The romance of the flame Sure it’s a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true. The soft glow of the fire is the favorite setting for an intimate conversation. It’s the place where friends and Pellets - Continued page 39
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Pellets Continued family gather to talk and laugh in comfort. Gazing into the fire, your imagination is free to soar on flights of fancy or probe the depths of the soul. Take a break from the harsh world outside – you’ll find solace there in the flames. 7. Raise your energy I.Q. Flick the switch, turn up the thermostat. Now, what did that cost? What impact did it have on the natural world? What sins were committed in getting that energy to you? You’re in touch when you heat with wood. That arm load will last the day. That log you placed on the fire is a tangible measure of the cost to the environment of keeping your family warm. It’s the wood heat way of knowledge. 8. Heat a space, save some energy Well-planned space heating saves energy. That stove or fireplace in the living room keeps you warm and cozy in the place you spend your time. The basement and bedrooms stay cool. Regardless of what you pay for energy, space heating with wood clips 25% right off the top 9. Invest in your community Spend a buck on oil, natural gas or electricity and you feed a corporate giant. Spend a buck on firewood and you feed a neighbor. Save a buck by heating with wood and you can spend that buck in your community. Heating with wood makes you richer in ways beyond counting. 10. It’s cheaper We almost forgot to mention it. Wood is the cheapest heating fuel you can use if you don’t live in a large city. Some people actually think the only reason we heat with wood is to save money. Poor souls, they miss so much of what is good in life. John Gulland, Wood Heat Organization
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 39
HEALTH
Use A Stand-Up Desk By Tabitha Alterman The afflictions of a sedentary lifestyle have been well-researched. What countermeasures might help? One is to work at a stand-up desk that can improve brain and heart function and lessen back pain — in short, offer better all-around health. And you don’t have to buy expensive commercial furniture: We’ve pulled together do-it-yourself solutions to the sitting desk problem in this article, and in “More DIY StandUp Desks.” Considered from an evolutionary perspective, sitting all day is an unnatural state for Homo sapiens. “The workplace sitting desk is the antithesis of our native habitat,” says environmental journalist Richard Manning. “The human species derives much of its refinement, advantage and ability — especially its big brain — from the basic fact that we are upright, agile apes.” Much of what we know about the consequences of being sedentary comes from studies that have examined television viewing. Recent research has confirmed what the TV-watching studies show: We burn more calories when we don’t sit — to the tune of hundreds per day. Barry Braun, professor of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University, says a person would have to replace about four hours of sitting with standing to gain the benefits of a 30-minute walk. ]Nevertheless, there may be orthopedic and postural benefits to standing aside from the caloric expenditure. Engaging our muscles and increasing blood flow by standing up can result in better muscle tone; improved blood sugar, circulation and posture; reduced injuries resulting from tight muscles; elevated cognition; and enhanced mood. Just by standing, a body’s metabolism becomes remarkably more effective. Depending on your budget, the kind of work you
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This stand-up desk built by the author to use in her home includes wall-mounted adjustable shelves. Photo By Tim Nauman
do and your inclination toward DIY projects, you have many stand-up desk options. Ready-made choices range from treadmills with attached computers to adjustable-height desks and extra-tall desks. When I began to look for stand-up desks a few years ago, I found, to my dismay, that many sleek options cost upward of $1,000. Eventually, I came across a $150 bright yellow, portable cart for audiovisual equipment, retrofitted with a keyboard tray. I consulted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendations for ergonomic workstations, and I learned that the top of a computer screen should be located at or just below eye level, with the keyboard positioned at about elbow level. Because my laptop setup didn’t meet those guidelines, I bought a separate keyboard so I could adjust its height, and so I could add a stack of books underneath my laptop to raise the screen to the appropriate height. If you’re not in a position to create a standing workstation from scratch, you can retrofit a traditional desk to become a stand-up desk, which is what several of my colleagues at Mother Earth News have done. Their innovation consists of stands to hold their monitors, plus a stand for the keyboard and mouse. What makes
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
HEALTH
To Boost Your Health the stands especially useful, says Managing Editor Jennifer Kongs, are their large openings that function as bookshelves and the smaller cubbies that can hold phones, staplers, notepads and the like. To build your own stands, calculate the heights you’ll need based on OSHA’s guidelines. The keyboard stand is essentially a box with an open base and a slightly overhanging top. The smaller monitor boxes are built with a shelf about 4 inches from the top I quickly realized that I am naturally inclined to perform certain tasks while standing (mostly familiar and administrative) and others while sitting (anything new or creative). Editors Amanda Sorell and Hannah Kincaid also prefer to sit for tasks requiring intense focus. Kongs, Sorell and Kincaid use extra-tall chairs that can be lowered to the proper height for seated work. “What I love about my desk,” says Kincaid, “is the ability to do whatever feels good in the moment without being restricted.” You can search used office-supply stores for deals on adjustable extra-tall chairs. Standing for too long at one stretch can be hard on your back. You can design an ergonomic workstation that includes both standing and sitting options. Use a cushioned floor mat and elevate one foot at a time on a footstool when standing. When setting up a standing workstation, think about the type of work you do. Do you use a laptop? Multiple monitors? Do you need plenty of surface area for paperwork? Space for books and office equipment? Your answers should help you decide whether you need an
Several MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors enjoy the benefits of standing up on the job, using wooden stands to elevate computers on their traditional office desks. Photo By Rebecca Martin
Floor. Padded floor mats will aid in your comfort. You may also find relief by using a footstool to elevate one foot at a time. Screen. Place the monitor 20 to 40 inches away from your body and directly in front of you so that your entire body faces forward. The top of your screen should be at or slightly below eye level. Keyboard and mouse. Your keyboard should be directly in front of your body, at a distance that keeps elbows by your side. You may find it necessary to install a keyboard tray and wrist rests. Optional chair. If you opt to use a tall or adjustable-height chair, This mobile standing workstation is made make sure that your thighs are parfrom an audiovisual cart that’s outfitted allel to the floor, and that your feet with a keyboard tray. Photo By Tim Nau- are supported by a footrest slightly man in front of your body, or that you can lower your chair to rest your adjustable standing desk, adjust- feet on the floor. able chair, portable desk, retrofits Excerpted from MOTHER or a combination. Be sure to imple- EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide ment the following OSHA guide- to Living Wisely. To read more visit lines for an ergonomic workstation: MotherEarthNews.com. Copyright Body. Your legs, torso, neck 2014 by Ogden Publications Inc. and head should be in line.
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 41
heALth
Good News for Traditional
By Bruce Ingram When my wife, Elaine, and I entered the front door of Foggy Ridge Cider in Dugspur, Virginia, our first impression was of the sweet smell of fermenting fruit. By the front door, we then gazed on an inviting tray of Winesaps with a printout touting the many virtues of this traditional apple variety. On a table near the back wall, we found a neat row of three signature varieties of hard cider sold by owner Diane Flynt, and with a quick glimpse to the right, we could see the steel tanks where apples were metamorphosing into hard cider. It was October, which meant cider-making season on this Blue Ridge Mountain farm. Diane, with the assistance of her husband, Chuck, was busy making cider, filling orders, scheduling workshops, and doing myriad orchard maintenance chores that go with tending more than 1,000 apple trees – all of them heirloom varieties (some 30 in all) popular from this country’s settlement to the mid-1900s, then forgotten for many decades. Now, traditional cider making with heritage apples is seeing a renaissance, and the Flynts are part of that
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revival. “One of Chuck’s and my missions here is to preserve and grow these uncommon varieties and show other people how they can do the same,” says Diane. “That’s one of the reasons why we offer grafting workshops and an annual fall identification day where folks can bring in apples from ‘Granddaddy’s orchard,’ have them identified, and later, hopefully, graft them themselves so as to preserve these varieties’ genetic diversity.” In the mid-1990s, the Flynts began looking for a farm where they could create an apple orchard for cider-making purposes. By 1998, the couple had selected this 220-acre Carroll County farm and planted their first varieties. After they purchased the farm, Diane journeyed to England to take a course in cider making and talked with heritage apple experts like North Carolina’s Creighton Lee Calhoun Jr. and Virginia’s Tom Burford. By 2004, the cider was flowing. “We only grow cider apples, all old-fashioned uncommon apples, chosen especially for cider making,” said Diane. “Using modern apples like Golden Delicious or Red Delicious for hard cider would be like using table grapes for fine wine. Excellent hard cider starts in the orchard, just like fine wine begins in the vineyard. “Colonial Americans drank lots of hard cider, actually more cider than water since it was safer. We strive to revive the traditional craft of cider making, but do so in a thoroughly modern way with state-of-the-art equipment and a modern cider facility.” Diane then left the room and came back with a plate of sliced cheddar cheese, cider and glasses. “Let’s try our Serious Cider first,” she says. “It’s very dry with only 0.4 percent residual sugar content and tastes very much like traditional British cider. The high tannin and acidity in this blend makes these apples impossible to eat out of hand – what folks used to call ‘spitters,’ because if you tasted them, you had to spit
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American Cider them out.” Diane added that Serious Cider goes best with foods like crab cakes, salty nuts and schnitzel. She says an important apple in the blend is Ashmead’s Kernel, which was the first variety the couple planted. This apple originated in the 1700s in England, and it’s understandable why supermarkets, which often value appearance over taste and utility, do not stock it. Ashmead’s Kernel is a small, greenish russet apple with a lumpy misshapen appearance. Despite its features, this variety excels when it comes to being pressed for juice and hard cider. With a strange name as well, the Ashmead’s Kernel fell into disuse when the modern supermarket era began and stores stocked apples with enticing names and bright colors (think Red Delicious) and the texture and flavor of moist cardboard (again, think Red Delicious). Next, Diane poured First Fruit with 1.2 percent residual sugar, which she described as being “more fruity and aromatic than Serious Cider,” yet is pleasingly tart rather than sweet. The primary variety for First Fruit is Hewe’s Crab crabapple. This variety originated sometime in the early 1700s in Virginia and was perhaps the most popular cider apple of the Colonial era. Unsurprisingly, this crabapple is seldom grown today, as it is small and light green with red stripes, and it flaunts a harsh taste. But in a cider press, the Hewe’s Crab produces bountiful juice of the highest quality. The hard cider from Hewe’s is said to have been a favorite of Thomas Jefferson “This is our most popular cider,” says Diane. “It’s very food friendly, and it goes great with aged cheeses.” Then she opened a bottle of
Sweet Stayman. She compared it – with its 2.3 percent residual sugar content – to a sweet Riesling or a medium-sweet American wine. “Sweet Stayman goes well with spicy Thai dishes or with barbecued meat of any kind,” she says. “Traditional North Carolina barbecue, which is vinegar based, particularly goes well with it. As one would expect, Sweet Stayman has as its main ingredient Stayman’s Winesap apples, a sport (that is a strain) of the Winesap. The Stayman was developed in the mid-1800s by Joseph Stayman of Leavenworth, Kansas. The Winesap probably originated in the 1700s in New Jersey and is generally acknowledged as being one of America’s most popu-
lar apples in the 1800s, holding that rank until the 1950s. Fortunately, Winesaps can often be purchased today at farmers’ markets, although they are rarely seen in a supermarket. Cider – whether hard or soft – conjures up fall images of hayrack rides and woodstoves, and cider making is quite easy once you have the right apple varieties on hand. Just like home brewing and other “old-fashioned” crafts, the renaissance is on, right here on the American homestead. Excerpted from GRIT, Celebrating Rural America Since 1882. To read more articles visit www.Grit. com. Copyright 2014 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 43
HEALTH
The History of Honey as Medicine By Dawn Combs I’m still inspired when someone comes up to our farmers market booth and asks if there is any truth in the idea that honey is a health food. For me, a beekeeper and honey enthusiast for 10 years, it’s difficult to imagine that people in the U.S. still think of honey as just a sweetener. Honey’s many medicinal benefits have been employed throughout recorded history, and today we know more than ever about its scientifically backed healing properties.
History of Honey
In North America, the honeybee we know today was an import, brought with European settlers in the 17th century. Before that, this continent had native bees that did not collect as much honey. The settlers who brought the bee here clearly understood her value. Yet at some point American culture came to doubt the medicinal quality of honey. Most likely this occurred when Western medicine
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came to the forefront and cast aspersions on folk healing. We are only now beginning to accept the value of honey as a medicine again with the help of modern medical studies that are returning honey to the hospital for the treatment of diabetic sores and burns, and into medicated bandages for everyday cuts. Despite our forgetfulness here in the West, the worldwide use of honey as medicine has continued uninterrupted since ancient times. In Egypt, honey figured prominently in the maintenance of life and preparations for death. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates used it as a base for most of his formulations, a practice continued in the works of the medical greats such as Galen and Dioscorides. We have more than 4,000 years of recorded use of honey as medicine from the ancient world to the present. It has even been successfully used as battlefield medicine from the time of The Iliad to as recently as World War I.
Types of Honey
Perhaps some of the reason people doubt the truth of honey’s healing powers lies in its variability. We still believe honey is honey. We know that it is antibacterial, but when someone in one part of the world touts honey as a cure-all for chest congestion, we doubt this lofty assertion rather than observing that their honey is collected in a grove of eucalyptus trees. Lab tests show that various types of honey differ in their amounts of vitamins and minerals because every honey sample is made up of a different compilation of nectars. Depending which plants bees are visiting, honey can take on “supercharged” levels of certain nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals. In the past several years, manuka honey has become popular. While this honey is every bit as fabulous as the marketing would have us believe, it’s not unique in its medicinal fortitude. Here in the U.S., one of our most medicinal honeys, buckwheat honey, is very dark and contains high levels of minerals and antibacterial activity, just like manuka honey.
Honey in the Medicine Cabinet
Try these effective ways to use honey to heal everyday ailments. • Allergies: Just a teaspoon a day of raw, local honey can decrease symptoms or prevent them altogether. For best results, start this regimen a month before your symptoms typically start to appear. • Arthritis: It may be the alkalinizing effect of a mixture of honey and vinegar that seems to relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis when used over a
Green Living Journal • Spring 2015
HEALTH Apply directly to the sore and cover with light gauze. • Diaper rash: No matter how bad the rash, honey was always the best remedy for my kids. Just a thin coating and a bit of naked time and it healed up like magic. • Diarrhea: Because it has a balancing effect on digestion, honey is useful for relieving both diarrhea and constipation. • Immune support: Routine eating of raw honey increases B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes, two types of white blood cells that improve immunity. • Insomnia: A spoonful of honey before bed can help support a peaceful night’s rest. • Leg cramps: A mix of honey and vinegar rubbed onto the legs before bed increases circulation and can help prevent leg cramps. • Minor burns: Spread honey liberally over the damaged skin of a burn and leave it open to the air. It’s best not to apply anything more than a very light gauze. • Nasal congestion: Add honey to a steam or simply spread it over the sinus areas on the face. Sinus congestion will drain quickly — be ready! • Sinusitis: Add a teaspoon to a cup of saline water and use it in a neti pot. Never use a neti pot while you are congested. • Sore throat: Let a spoonful of honey melt in your mouth or drink it in a cup of hot tea for fast relief from an itching and scratching throat. • Stomach ulcer: Honey inhibits H. pylori, the culprit behind most ulcers; eat 2 to 3 ounces a day for three months. We have more than 4,000 years of recorded use of honey as medicine from the ancient world to the present. Photo By Thomas Gibson
period of time. This mix is anti-inflammatory, used internally or externally.anti-inflammatory, used internally or externally. • Conjunctivitis (pink eye): Combine equal parts warm water and honey; stir to mix well. Allow the mix to cool, then apply as an eye wash. Be aware that honey can sting a bit. • Cough: Mix equal parts vinegar and honey, and add a twist of lemon. Drink a bit of this mixture every two to three hours. • Cuts: A dab of honey underneath a bandage may serve you better than any antibiotic cream on the market. • Diabetic sores: Honey is one of the only treatments that can help an unresponsive diabetic wound.
How to Buy Quality Honey
There is a myth that raw honey is solid. In truth, honey comes out of the comb as a liquid. Depending on the types of nectar and pollen, raw honey crystallizes at different speeds. Getting to know your beekeeper
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Spring 2015 • 45
Honey - Continued page 47
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Group by Annette Aberdale-Kendra pearls of a Sultana by Hinda Miller
Honey varieties come in a wide array of colors and textures, and offer different medicinal benefits, depending on factors such as the types of plants the bees visited, the quantity of water in the honey and how it was processed. Photo By Thomas Gibson
Honey Continued from page 45 is the best way to know whether you’re getting the end product you desire. Excerpted from Mother Earth Living, a national magazine devoted to living wisely and living well. To read more visit MotherEarthLiving.com. Copyright 2014 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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