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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Green Living Journall 100 Gilead Brook Road, Randolph VT 05060 Publisher/Editor: Stephen Morris 802.234.9101, (fax) 901.234.9101 editor@GreenLivingJournal.com Advertising Manager: Amelia Shea 603.924.0056 amelia@GreenLivingJournal.com
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Cover design by Nancy Cassidy Printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper Green Living Journal is a publication of The Public Press LLC. It is published quarterly and distributed free of charge in the Connecticut River Valley region of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. While Green Living encourages readers to patronize our advertisers, we cannot be held responsible for individual advertising claims. Green Living Journal is published in several other local editions around the country. To inquire about starting a local edition of Green Living, contact Stephen Morris. Subscriptions are $9.95 per year. Copyright © 2013 by The Public Press LLC.
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From the Editor
Who Am I and Why Am I Here? By Stephen Morris I’ve reached the legacy period in life, in which we try to figure out who we are, where we came from, and why we were put on this planet. I haven’t given much thought to these questions previously. It’s been enough to get up, put my pants on one leg at a time, then put one foot in front of the other in the eternal quest to meet the next deadline. (Yikes! Gotta finish my Green Living editorial!) With this noble purpose in mind, my wife and I set off for Scotland to discover my ancestral roots. Total disclosure: I don’t really know how Scottish I am. My surname is “Morris,” which is the 32nd most common name in America. This is fact. I know because I Googled it. The origin of the name is either “of the moors,” meaning that I come from “a broad area of open land that is not good for farming” (Merriam-Webster). Alternatively, it could mean that I am Moorish, i.e. from Northern Africa, as in Othello. In other places the name is reported as a derivative of Mars, the Greek god of war, or it can be an anglicized version of the French
“Maurice,” as in Chevalier. Am I making progress? And that’s just my father’s side. My mother’s side of the family, which I carry in my middle name of Hunter, offers an easier identity hook. It is obvious that a Hunter exists to put meat on the table. Family lore, which gets pretty fuzzy when you go back more than two generations, places the family 4 •
in the Ayrshire district of the Scottish lowlands. Assisted by my good friends Google and Wikipedia, I soon discovered an organization called Clan Hunter USA. I have a Clan! I am somebody! Not just some North African living in open lands not good for farming. Moreover, the clan has a motto (Cursum Perficio- I will complete the course, meaning the hunt), a tartan, and even a castle! The clan can date its roots to 1107, when WillielmoVenator (translation “William the Hunter”) was granted lands by King David I in the years following the Norman Conquest. The mighty Hunters fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence, and they defended their homestead against repeated threats from the Vikings. The castle dates from 1374 when the British Crown granted a charter for lands for the whopping annual sum of one silver penny. We arrived in Edinburgh (Edin-burrah, not “burg” as in Pittsburg) and immediately beat a path to a tourist shop featuring all manner of Tartan chotchkes. “I’m a Hunter,” I told the store clerk. “So am I,” she answered, “it’s about the most common name in Scot-
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Who Am I - Continued page 6
Contents FROM THE EDITOR Editorial: Who Am I.......................................................4 Short Takes .......................................................................7 COOKING Super Simple Supper ................................................ 45 EDUCATION Finding Findhorn ........................................................ 21 ENERGY AND BUILDING Sunnyside Solar .............................................................9 Relocating a House .................................................... 11 Built to Last ................................................................... 15 Our Own Home ........................................................... 17 GARDENING Outdoor Stove ............................................................. 40 HEALTH Natural Cold Remedies .............................................. 34 MONEY Cooperative Option ................................................... 23 Green-Up Portfolio ..................................................... 30 Work-from-Home ....................................................... 32 ON THE NIGHTSTAND New Books .................................................................... 28
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From the Editor Who am I
Continued from page 4
land, kind of like ‘Smith.’” Undeterred, I purchased coasters, key rings, postcards, refrigerator magnets, and even shot glasses festooned with the clan markings. Yes, the shot glass cost $17.00, but where else are you going to find a shot glass with Cursum Perficio on it? A few days later we were in the village of West Kilbride to personally tour the ancestral home. Keep in mind, there is not a single scrap of evidence to connect me with this place, family, or clan, other than the Scottish proverb that says “he who would have a gown of gold is sure to get a sleeve o’it.” This was my sleeve. Oh, there have been a few changes since 1107, notably the grounds upon which Hunter Castle (called “Hunterston”) sits were at one point taken by the British equivalent of eminent domain, and not one, but two nuclear power plants were built just beyond the tree line visible from the castle ramparts. (Perhaps there’s a connection to the fact that I’ve devoted my professional life to promoting all things green and renewable.) I’ve also taken a crash course in Scottish history, enough to know that the misty look that comes over the eyes of Scottish-Americans when they sip a wee dram and blubber about the “auld sod” is based on something other than fact. Scotland lost its independence at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Bonnie Prince Charlie, a wannabe King, had rallied the Highland forces into what proved to be a suicidal attack against the disciplined English forces. Although the prevailing image is of kilt-clad Highlanders brandishing swords and shouting Braveheart-worthy war screams, the truth is that the battle lasted barely an hour and was an utter rout for the Scots. The Prince stayed well clear of the front lines, escaped and went on to live as a degenerate exile on the European continent. The vanquished Highlanders, by contrast went into an extended period of poverty and cultural repression. Scotland, at this time, was a country of hereditary land owners (lairds) and subsistence farmers (crofters), who rented their modest holdings from the lairds. This system worked when times were good and the crofters could afford their rent, but throw in the occasional potato famine and the lairds began to think that it was more profitable to have sheep rather than those pesky crofters on their lands. In what has become known 6 •
as The Clearances, the crofters were evicted, often by force, and sought asylum in places like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. This, in all likelihood, is my legacy. The Hunter family still has the castle and estate, but my people were the ones who got the boot. Even though I’ve paid my $35 membership fee to become an official member of Clan Hunter USA, I am one of the huddled masses whose ancestors were deemed less valuable than sheep. Scotland regained a measure of independence in 1999 when the country established their own Parliament. People there still grumble about Culloden and Bonnie Prince Charlie being the rightful heir to the throne, but I’ve let it go. I’m glad to be in America publishing “practical information for friends of the environment.” To that I raise a glass with a wee dram and say “Cursum Pacificio!” PS– One of the very cool things we did in Scotland was to attend a traditional music festival in the seaside town of Dunbar, a town whose claim to fame is tied to being the birthplace of John Muir who is widely renown as the father of environmentalism, is now celebrated with statues, civic monuments, and a museum. When his family emigrated to America, however, they were impoverished and looking for opportunity, as were, most likely, my Hunter forebears. Stephen Morris is national editor of Green Living Journal and really doesn’t have a clue where he came from.
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Short Takes Words to Live by from the Green Devotional: Active Prayers for a Healthy Planet By Karen Speerstra .
God appears to you not in person but in action. ~Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, Erik Erikson, Gandhi’s Truth When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.~Ethiopian proverb First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.~Mahatma Gandhi Don’t confuse activity with effective action. We don’t have time to get lost or distracted. ~Betsy Taylor We live in a time when the greatest form of courage is to act as if our lives made a difference. ~William Sullivan, The Secret of the Incas If we cannot see the wholeness in the world then we cannot take actions which are consistent with the wholeness which exists. ~David Bohm, Fragmentation and Wholeness If the world were a town of 1000 people there would be 564 Asians, 210 Europeans, 86 Africans, 80 South Americans and 60 North Americans. 700 people would be illiterate and 500 would be hungry. About 250 people would be consuming 70% of the energy, 75% of all metals, and 86% of the wood.~Margaret Lulic Chindogu is a Japanese word for all the useless things we might be tempted to buy—windshield wipers for your spectacles…slippers with mops underneath so that you can polish the floor as you walk around the house…Technology thrives on chindogu. ~Charles Handy, The Hungry Spirit
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ENERGY & BUILDING
The Resurrection of Sunnyside Solar The Gentle Electric Company is back, bringing good things from Light!
By Dave Bonta When Richard Gottleib died in 2012 it was assumed to be the end of an era. He and his wife, Carol, ran Sunnyside Solar for 30 years out of their home in Guilford selling their first PV panel in 1983! Together, they have helped over 600 folks go solar as students, installers, or homeowners. Their story started in the Chelsea House Folklore Center, a red barn on the edge of West Brattleboro. It was there Richard met Carol during one of her famous country dances. Back in 1979 folks came from all around southern Vermont to “promenade” the night away at the Chelsea House. Today, the Chelsea Royal diner still sports the Chelsea moniker, inspired by the Joni Mitchell’s song, Chelsea Morning. Carol & Richard married at the Chelsea House in 1979. After the songs and the dancing ceased in 1981, Richard and Carol decided to dedicate their skills and labors to promoting renewable energy and off-the-grid living, specializing in solar and photovoltaic installations. Richard’s initial experience with photovoltaic’s came from the space program. He worked on the booster system for the Vanguard satellite, installing the solar cells that powered the space temperature signal while in orbit. Richard was as colorful as he was innovative. He ran several campaign for governor as the candidate of the Liberty Union Party. He provided solar systems for high profile celebrities such as Pete Seeger, Ben Cohen, and Jerry
Greenfield.. He was a featured speaker at numerous events and conferences such as NESEA Northeast Solar Energy Association), REV (Renewable Energy Vermont), Solarfest, and most recently, Green Island of Bellows Falls. Not surprisingly, his memorial service was a Who’s Who of solar. As a solar pioneer Richard Gottleib had earned the respect of everyone in the industry. It was left to Carol, his wife and business partner, to figure out the future of the business. For the Gottleibs and many other renewable energy pioneers, the business was more about environmental advocacy and responsibility than a commercial enterprise. The industry to which they had given birth was now growing up, and Carol had to figure if Sunnyside had a role in the future of solar. And the answer is ... YES. Sunnyside is now back, working in partnership with the USA Solar Store brand and Co-op Power of Southern Vermont. There are now 39 USA Solar Stores around the country, including Green Energy Options in Keene, NH, the Energy Emporium in Enfield, NH, and the Greenfield (MA) Solar Store. Backed by the buying power and brand support of USA Solar, the reboot of Sunnyside is complete. The store held its Grand Opening on October 26 with new products and familiar faces. You are encouraged to visit and say hello to Carol at the store’s new location at ... (dramatic drum roll) ... Chelsea House, 499 Marlboro Road, West Brattleboro. (Open 10 am to 6 pm, telephone 802.376.3838.) Dave Bonta is President of USA Solar Store
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Short takes Open Enrollment for Business Energy Action Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) has announced that year two open enrollment for the Business Energy Action challenge has begun and runs through the end of 2013. Business Energy Action is dedicated to helping companies reduce their energy consumption by 5% per year for three years. Year one has yielded some great success,” said Andrea Cohen, Executive Director of VBSR. “We’ve been able to support over 50 local businesses as they reduce the energy needed to power their lights, heating and cooling, and equipment. The technical support and tools provided by Business Energy Action help companies chart a course of action that will yield the
greatest savings and ROI.” Although Business Energy Action is a program of VBSR, companies don’t need to be members of the organization to participate. Open enrollment will go through the end of the year and is open to any Vermont business, large or small. Founded in 1990, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) is a non-profit, statewide business trade organization with a mission to advance business ethics that value multiple bottom lines: economic, social, and environmen-
tal. VBSR members employ more than 13% of Vermont’s workforce and generate more than 4 billion dollars in revenue annually. The organization helps members set a high standard for protecting the natural, human and economic environments of state residents, while remaining profitable. Their mission is advanced through education, public influence and workplace quality. More information from: julia@jandrewsmarketing. com or at vbsr.org.
Sterling College Announces New Minor in Climate Justice Beginning in September of 2013, Sterling College will be the first college in the nation to offer a 15-credit minor in Climate Justice for undergraduate
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
students. Students pursuing a minor in Climate Justice will explore environmental and social justice issues that are created by climate change. Through developing a strong understanding of ecology, climate science, economics, policy and law, and social and environmental justice issues, students will become uniquely qualified to construct effective responses to climate change. The minor was designed to deepen and enrich the four academic majors at Sterling College: Sustainable Agriculture, Ecology, Outdoor Education, and Environmental Humanities. Students are also able to self-design a major. President Matthew Derr said, “We continue to leverage our leadership in sustainability, experiential learning, and our practitioner faculty to create a robust and comprehensive program that looks at the liberal arts through the lens of ecology.” More information from the Admission Office at 800-6483591, or admission@sterlingcollege.edu.or cfeuerstein@sterlingcollege.edu
ENERGY & BUILDING
Ultimate Recycling: Relocating a House By Megan E. Phelps Buying and moving a house is a possibility for anyone who finds the perfect piece of land that doesn’t include the perfect house. This scenario is especially common for homesteaders - if you’re interested in gardening, farming or raising animals, you’ll probably have to look long and hard to find land that meets your needs. Odds are not high of also getting a good house with the land you choose. Houses are torn down all the time to make way for new highways, suburban developments or large institutions, such as an expanding hospital or university. These buildings are often sold for a song - or given away - on the Even large, unconventional structures can be moved Photo courtesy Ron Holland condition that they’re moved off Housemoving the property. The catch is that you have to pay to move a house, and even if you already own the land, you’ll GAIN YOUR ENERGY have to figure in the costs of a new foundation, plumbINDEPENDENCE ing, utility hookups, and any other amenities. Still, moving a house can make financial sense. That was the case for Glenn and Denise Bowman. In 2006, they bought a home that was built in about 1840 and moved it to a rural property in Clarksville, Md. The house had been a fixture in their community, but it was on land owned by an auto dealership whose owners wanted to expand their business. If the house wasn’t moved, it was going to be demolished. Relocating a House - Continued page 12
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After falling in love with the house, the Bowmans just couldn’t let that happen. So, working through a local historic preservation organization, the couple got in touch with the building’s owners and bought it for a bargain price of $1, just enough to make it an official sale. The cost to relocate the house 3 miles was much higher - about $55,000 just for the move. That’s at the high end of what people pay for a move, mainly because the house was a three-story structure. Every move is different depending on the distance, house and locations involved. Some houses are simply easier to move than others, explains Natalie Hammer, who runs Atlas Enterprises in Forest City, Iowa, with her husband, Chris Holland. Their typical price range for relocating a house is $8,000 to $30,000, but the cost will vary regionally. “It depends on the size of the house, how hard it is to get it up and onto the wheels, and how far you’re going,” she says. “It’s not a per-mile thing; it’s how difficult it is, and how heavy it is. The heavier it is, the more equipment you need.”
Monroe Becker, who works for the structural moving company Unruh House Moving in Moundridge, Kan., says typical costs for the jobs he works on are $10,000 to $14,000, but would be a lot higher if the houses included brick. His company doesn’t work with brick because it requires additional equipment and expenses, but Becker estimates it costs three times more than moving a non-brick home. Moving one-story homes is cheapest and easiest, Hammer says, because they can usually fit under any power lines. For a two- or three-story house, the utility company has to be present to lift up the wires during the move. Other obstacles include traffic lights (which may have to be temporarily removed) and tree branches (which sometimes have to be trimmed back). All of this is doable with the necessary permits, but adds to the cost. For this reason, Hammer says Atlas Enterprises’ typical distance for moving a two-story house is no farther than 10 to 15 miles, but a one-story house can go 100 miles or more. Relocating a House - Continued page 13
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For all of the reasons mentioned, you want your desired house to be close to the property you want to move it to. Finding an affordable house in your area may take some legwork, but a good place to start is looking for big development projects that may be displacing homes. Hammer recommends contacting your state highway department, because houses are frequently condemned during roadway expansions. She also suggests taking out a want ad to try to find other under-the-radar homes for sale. For example, Hammer’s company often works with people who have built a new house on their country property, and then decide to sell the property’s existing house to anyone willing to move it away. After you have the house, you’ll need to find an experienced house-moving company. Start by checkQuality Products and Services ing local listings, or you can find an online directory for your Hearth and Home of house movers through the International Association of Structural Movers. 802 254-4208 or 800 362-2424532 The house-moving industry doesn’t have any regu532 Putney Road, Ste. 101, Brattleboro, VT 05301 lated certifications, so look for a company with lots www.friendsofthesun.com of experience, reliable references and good insurance. Any reputable company should have no problem providAd 5-16663-2013.indd 1 5/14/13 ing this information. By opting for less experienced movers, you may end up with structural damage to AT THE the house and be stuck with the expenses. With an experienced mover, BOOTH #83 however, the house will hardly be disturbed. In fact, Becker says Unruh often moves houses with the furniture still inside. He recommends taking the china out of the china cabinet, but says their Electric and N Solar Electric and goal is to be able to leave a glass of water on a table without spilling it. Hot Water Water Systems Systems Hot “With a good mover, damage is not something to be scared of,� he says. N Home Heating Indoor/Outdoor “It’s a very smooth operation.� Wood Boilers Systems Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide N Wood and and to Living Wisely. To read more Pellet Stoves articles from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, please visit www.MotherEarthNews.com or call (800) 2343368 to subscribe. Copyright 2013 %MERALD 3TREET +EENE .( s (603) 358-3444 by Ogden Publications Inc. GEOSOLARSTORE GMAIL COM s WWW GEOSOLARSTORE COM Now thru the end of the month
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ENERGY & BUILDING
Built to Last
By Allison Martin The Emerick family lives at the end of the road in their picturesque Portland, Ore., neighborhood, their house nestled on a wooded lot surrounded by 50 acres of forest— downtown Portland. On a typical morning, Melody and Brian set off for their shared architecture practice, Emerick Architects P.C., on their bikes, while their two daughters — Lily, 15, and Iris, 13—walk the mile to their school, meeting up with friends along the way. In the evenings, it’s all about the big dinner. The family comes together in the airy, open kitchen to cook dinner from scratch, then gathers around the big dining room table, built from a tree cut down during construction of the house. “That’s my favorite. I love how we sit around the big table
Low-maintenance plants such as black-eyed Susan, ferns and sedges fit in with the surrounding woods and mean the Emericks don’t have to spend time mowing the lawn. Photo by David Papazian
and talk,” Melody said. Thanks to A House in the Woods their five backyard chickens, housed The hub of this family tableaux out back in a coop Brian, Lily and is the house, and it facilitates all the Iris built with leftover materials things the Emericks value in their from the home’s construction, it’s Built to Last - Continued page 15 often omelets on the table.
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
ENERGY & BUILDING Built to Last Continued from page 14
Indoor-Outdoor Living
Brian and Melody incorporated many of their firm’s design goals into building their home, but paramount among them was enabling indoor/outdoor living to take advantage of the mild Oregon climate. This was especially important to the couple for their own home, because their family loves spending time in nature— Melody works in her vegetable garden, Brian loves to
lifestyle—family, friends, nature. It’s hard to imagine, but the home’s amazing wooded lot had languished on the market for more than 30 years before the Emericks happened upon it in 2007. Where others saw challenges, the Emericks saw a vision. “The most common question people ask when they come in the house is: Built to Last - Continued page 16 ‘How did you get this lot?’” Melody said. “It was on the market for 30 years, but I think nobody knew quite what to do with it.” Although it’s at the end of an established neighborNow Booking Custom Summer Locally Sourced hood, the lot didn’t have a road to it or services such Orders with locally harvested timbers for your new house, barn & as electrical. Plus, the wooded space is under environLumber For even garden beds mental protection, so restrictions limited how much All Your Building In stock-All Natural Processed of the lot could be used for the home. “We own an Bark Mulch, no dye Projects acre, but we could only disturb 5,000 square feet—for 1x/2x boards in stock, limited the home, the yard, the driveway, everything,” Melody • Buy Local, Stay Local availability said. “We couldn’t cut down trees for a view, but we 107 Lower Cemetery Road in Langdon, NH 603-835-2424 liked that. For us, the view is the trees.” www.greatbrookforestproducts.com 107 Lower Cemetery Roadsales@greatbrookforestproducts.com in Langdon, NH 03602 Making homes that work with their sites is a fun603-835-2424/603-835-6222-fax damental principle of Melody and Brian’s architecture sales@greatbrookforestproducts.com • www.greatbrookforestproducts.com philosophy. Their firm, which has nine employees and is in its 14th year, focuses on crafting quality, long-lasting buildings and spaces. “We like to think our buildings will last a long time, and Celebrating Proudly Celebrating Proudly Celebrating Proudly we design for that,” Melody said. Celebrating our As they typically do when working on a building, Melody and Brian ininBusiness Business Business visited the lot often, in taking time to really get to know the site. “We Proud would go up there every Proudrecipient recipientofof Proudweekend recipient of for a year, to pull ivy out and just Business BusinessNH NHMagazine’s Magazine’s2011 2011 Business NH Magazine’s 2011 get to know it,” Melody said. Brian and Melody navigated around the space constraints and sought harmony with their forestBest Green Product. for Best Green Product Best Green Product. Best Green Product. forfor ed lot by designingforsmaller rooms than in many newly built homes; the master bedroom, typically a grand affair in new homes, is just big enough to fit a queen bed and www.neforestproducts.com www.neforestproducts.com www.neforestproducts.com a couple of nightstands. But the 315 vaulted ceilings lend an airy feel to 315Sawmill SawmillRd. Rd. 315 Sawmill Rd. the modestly sized rooms, and the Rt.Rt.3131 Rt. 31 extra-large windows let that prized Greenfield, view of the trees shine. “We wanted Greenfield,NHNH Greenfield, NH it to feel like a tree house,” Melody 603/547-3207 603.547.3207 603/547-3207 603/547-3207 said.
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ENERGY & BUILDING Built to Last
Continued from page 15
fly-fish, and the whole family enjoys camping, hiking, running and riding bikes. Expansive bifold doors help the Emericks open their lifestyle to their outdoor spaces. A wall of glass doors folds away to create a giant doorway, allowing the house to flow effortlessly into the outdoor living space. The floor of the tiled deck is at the same level as the dining room floor so the transition is smooth— plus it’s easy to carry platters of food out for alfresco meals. During summer and into fall, the Emericks keep the large doors open so their outdoor space becomes an extension of the house. A dining area and barbecue make the deck the de facto dining room for family meals, and the mature trees keep it from getting overly hot. Because so little of the lot was disturbed, the backyard is native forest, giving plenty of opportunity to spot deer and other wildlife from the deck. A staircase connects the deck to the lower porch, ideal for watching thunderstorms thanks to its cozy position beneath the deck. The lower porch spills into a terrace with a fire pit and the lounge area, perfect for putting your feet up and reading a book. “We use all these spaces as outdoor rooms,” Melody said. “The fire pit is where we gather most mild evenings, whether just Brian and I, as a family or with guests that stop by. You feel like you are at a park with how private it is. You can’t see any people or houses, just the forest.”
Building Light
Environmentally sensitive building just makes sense to the Emericks. “That is part of having a building last a long timereally being sensitive to the surroundings,” Melody said. To lessen the burden of the building
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process on the land, they used advanced framing, in which stud placement is planned strategically, reducing the amount of wood required. They also installed bioswales, an alternative to storm sewers. Rather than watching rainwater filter into the city’s sewer system, the runoff nurtures a patch of native plantings. The house is LEED-certified (it meets gold status), and was the first LEED stand-alone residence in Portland. But rather than flashy cutting-edge technologies, the Emericks relied on smart design, natural materials and clever reuse to earn the distinction. Their home doesn’t use air conditioning or much electric light thanks to a layout that emphasizes cross ventilation and large, FSC-certified double-hung windows. They opted for simple, local Oregon wide oak flooring and reclaimed wood from a big walnut tree that was cut down in Portland—destined to be firewood until the Emericks found it—for detail work, such as the mantel.
Nature-Inspired
When they’re looking for inspiration for projects, Brian and Melody often turn to the features of the Northwest—the mountains, ocean and treesand this held true when they designed their house. The natural, local materials they chose is part of that, but it’s also about the livability of their house. The house is located on a popular walking path, so in the evenings, while the girls do the dishes, Brian and Melody can pop right out the door for a walk in the woods. They are close enough to work, school and the farmers market for a walk or quick bike ride. Friends might come over for homemade pizza or a barbecue on a weeknight, and there is enough room for Iris and Lily’s band to practice in the basement. “We love to have people over,” Melody said. Despite all the love, work and ideas that went into designing their ideal dwelling, for the Emericks, it’s the people and memories that make their house come alive. “We get asked all the time what we’d change and what we love, but it’s our home,” Melody said. “It’s where we’ve hosted Thanksgiving for all our extended family every year, where our daughters bring their friends, where we toss the softball around. What makes a place beautiful at the end of the day is memories, and we have a lot of fun in this house.” Excerpted from Mother Earth Living. To read more articles, please visit MotherEarthLiving.com or call (800) 340-5846. Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc.
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
ENERGY & BUILDING For Less Than $35K, We Built Our Own Home By Bill Hakanson Since 1970, we’ve dreamed of improving the quality of our lives and being self-sufficient. And after spending most of our careers in the city, we finally got our chance in 2005 when 13 acres in northwest Pennsylvania—10 of which were once part of a cornfield—came our way. Our first challenge was to erect a building we could live in during the spring, summer and fall, and store our garden equipment in during the winter months. Eventually we expect to live in Pennsylvania yearround, but for now we enjoy exploring the South during the winters, leaving Pennsylvania after the harvest and returning in time for spring planting. The corrugated arch-style building that we used is based on a British design dating back to World War I. In the United States, this style building was first manufactured on Quonset Point in Rhode Island during World War II in response to the need for lightweight, portable buildings that could be assembled without skilled labor. The source of our 40-foot-by-40-foot building was SteelMaster, a company founded in 1982. Our building, an S Model, was manufactured out of 22-gauge Galvalume steel. One of the features I like about this type of building is the absence of posts and beams. The corrugated, arched wall design is self-supporting. The result is one large 40-foot-by-40-foot open square with an 18-foot peak. To withstand wind and weather and secure the 30-year warranty, these steel buildings must be attached to the earth, either by narrow concrete footers along the base of both sides of the structure, block or wood walls erected to support the structure, or a concrete slab the full width and length of the building. We chose to install a full slab featuring an 8-inchby-12-inch perimeter concrete beam. This is called a “floating” slab, as it sits on a foot of gravel. Our building is situated on a slope, so water can escape from under the concrete slab should any get underneath. Inside the perimeter beam, the concrete is the standard 6 inches thick. SteelMaster provides approved engineering drawings customized to your needs, and they research and ensure compliance with all applicable codes. The components of the building were delivered on three pallets. Looking at the small load, I couldn’t Our Own Home - Continued page 18
The Hakansons’ Quonset-style home in Pennsylvania.. Photo By Bill Hakanson
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ENERGY & BUILDING Our Own Home Continued from page 17 The dedicated workforce was the critical component in my decision to hire a contractor. The other construction requirements included a scaffolding system and a cordless, rechargeable, electric impact drill. I was fortunate to find a local company that had experience erecting a Quonset-style building. Even then, erecting the shell took a three-man crew two weeks to complete. That’s 240 labor hours. The building I purchased included three sides. The fourth side, made of wood, was erected by an Amish contractor. His construction crew completed the job for two-thirds of what the other contractor wanted. White cedar cedar from from GOODRIDGE LUMBER, White cedar from GOODRIDGE LUMBER, INC.INC. White Vermont’s Northeast Vermont’s Northeast Vermont’s Northeast It took the three-man Amish crew Kingdom! From theFrom From Kingdom! the the Kingdom! time cedar logscedar entercedar the enter time logs time logsthe enter the four days to finish the south wall, sawmill yard until theyuntil sawmill yard they sawmill yard until they leave as finished leave leave asproducts, finished products, including installing the windows as finished products, the Goodridge family the Goodridge family family are the Goodridge are all actively White Cedar Log Log Homes & Log Siding and doors. White Cedar Homes Log Siding are allinvolved actively involved White Cedar Log Homes && Log Siding all actively involved in the Rough and Finished White Lumber the manufacturing Rough and Finished White Cedar Lumber• T+V in Rough and Finished White CedarCedar Lumber • Decking Groove in themanufacturing manufacturing process and Decking ● T+V●Groove ● Shiplap ● Square Edge Edge process and look This south wall includes seven forward Decking T+V Groove ● Shiplap ● Square Shiplap Perma-Chink • Square Edge • Perma-Chink Products for Log Homes process and look forward Products for Log Homes to assisting youlook with forward to assisting Perma-Chink Products for Log Homes www.goodridgelumber.com www.goodridgelumber.com to assisting you with you with your white 3-foot-by-6-foot double-hung winwww.goodridgelumber.com your white cedar project.
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ENERGY & BUILDING Our Own Home Continued from page 18 dows, a double door, a single door, and a 2-foot-by-3-foot office window. The large windows provide passive solar warmth in the interior space and heat the concrete slab. To supplement the passive solar heating elements, we installed radiant heat in the concrete floor and a super-efficient Vogelzang Durango woodstove. The south-end addition included the interior load-bearing wall, the stairs, the second floor, the electrical wiring, the plumbing, kitchen cabinet and countertop installations, exterior decks, and lots of other interior and exterior work. The next big issues were water and sewage. My research included visits to the county water resources department and talks with neighbors. Most folks have deep wells or springs. Some have both. Even though we get about 40 inches of rain each year, lots of folks around here have water problems during dry spells, and supplement their water needs with tanks carried in the backs of their pickup trucks, or with water deliveries from companies such as Culligan. This discovery led me to the idea of capturing rain in a cistern and using it for non-potable purposes ― the building was even designed with drip lips at the slab level. Once our metal building was up, I was amazed at how much rainwater could be captured! One square foot of rain, 1-inch deep, provides .625 gallons of water. That might not sound like much by itself, but it translates to 40,000 gallons of water per year that falls on our building. We also installed rain gutters at the ground level of the building. That water is channeled through pipes into a 1,000-gallon concrete cistern buried underground. A shallow-well jet pump brings the water into the house from the cistern and feeds it into the PVC plumbing system for the kitchen and bathroom. On the sewage side of the equation, we installed a BioLet composting toilet, reducing water usage substantially. The BioLet 20 Deluxe, designed in Sweden, uses a nominal amount of electricity to power a fan and heater that aid the decomposition process. In the
near future, we expect to invest in a solar panel to power the toilet, which the company offers. In addition, we distribute graywater to the fruit and nut trees next to our home through a system of underground pipes. This is a pay-as-you-go project, and we’ve kept costs to a minimum. We explore all options before spending. We will have no debt related to the farmstead, and expect to generate some income from our labors through the sale of our excess crops, shiitake mushrooms and honey. Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more visit MotherEarthNews. com or call (800) 234-3368. Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc. USA Solar Store is Proud to announce the opening of its newest member Sunnyside Solar Store
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EDUCATION
Finding Findhorn
By Stephen Morris Findhorn is a tiny fishing village on the east coast of Scotland about 30 miles south of Inverness, the capital of the Highlands. It is also the home to an intentional community that has been in existence for over fifty years and that has achieved legendary status within the world of environmentalists. It’s the kind of place that inspires pilgrimages, and I made mine, wanting to see first-hand a community regarded by many as a Mecca of sustainability. That’s the problem. Places that inspire hyperbole, such as “legendary status,” often have difficulty living up to their reputations. Finding Findhorn, literally, is not difficult. Just take the A-8 from Inverness towards Aberdeen. You can even stop along the way to visit the castles of Cawdor and Brodie. It was in this salty seaside village that Eileen and Peter Caddy stopped at a caravan park with their Canadian friend Dorothy Maclean in May, 1963. This quiet campground, saturated by the sea mist,
made for a peaceful retreat for a trio who shared deep spirituality and unemployment. One morning during her daily meditation Dorothy received an insight from within: “The forces of nature are something to be felt into, to be reached out to. One of the jobs for you as my free child is to sense the Nature forces such as the wind, to perceive its essence and purpose for me, and to be positive and harmonise with that essence.” This became the seed that grew into the Findhorn of today, a thriving community of 350 people from all continents, backgrounds and walks of life. Was it God (or god? Or “GodCommunity Mental Health & Mental Health Counseling dess”?) who (that?) spoke to DorCommunity Mental Health & Mental Health Counseling othy? Was it mystical? Magical? Classes meet one weekend a month Classes meet one weekend a month Imaginary? These are unanswer• Nationally recognized, competency-based program able questions that inspire the • Nationally recognized, competency-based program people who to trek to Findhorn, • Offering Master’s degreeand options and continuing education classes • Offering Master’s degree options continuing education classes or Lourdes, or Mecca. What one Classes meet one weekend a month in Burlington, VT and Manchester, •forPreparation for licensure as a professional mental healthNH • Preparation licensure as a professional mental health encounters upon arrival at the conClasses meet one weekend a month and certification as a substance abuse counselor • Nationally recognized, competency-based counselor andcounselor certification asprogram a substance abuse counselor temporary community depends • Offering Master’s degree options and continuing education classes • Nationally recognized, competency-based program Specializations focused on clinical services and administration on one’s personal orientation. For focused on clinical services and administration • Specializations Preparation for licensure as a professional mental health counselor and certification as in Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse example Dorothy Maclean’s tiny a substance abuse counselor Services for Children, Youth and Families Adults. Services for Children, Youth and Families or Adults. • Offering Master’s degree options and continuing education classes Specializations focused on clinical services and administration inor Integrated trailer is still preserved in its parkCommunity Mental Health and Substance Abuse ing place, adjacent to her garden. Services for Children,for Youth and Families or •Accepting Preparation licensure a Adults. professional mental health applications now for as now Accepting applications for It can be perceived as a symbol of Manchester, NH, Burlington, counselor and certification as a VT substance abuse counselor Accepting applications now for Manchester, NH,VTBurlington, simplicity from which the world and Brunswick, ME Manchester, NH, Burlington, VTME and Brunswick, famous Findhorn “Learning Cenand Brunswick, ME focused on clinical services and administration Specializations ter” (the British government will
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Findhorn - Continued page 21
EDUCATION Findhorn Continued from page 20 not allow Findhorn to refer to itself as an “education center”) was born. On the other hand, a more jaundiced eye might see the caravan, not inaccurately, as a “dumpy trailer.” Similarly, Dorothy’s surrounding garden is nice and whimsical, but not overly impressive, especially if you’ve just come from the nearby Brodie Castle. The garden, both in concept and practice, has been integral to Findhorn’s development as a special place. Peter Caddy was especially adept at growing giant vegetables, and the became well-known for producing forty pound cabbages. Today, in an era of thousand pound pumpkins at state fairs everywhere, we know that giant vegetable are possible through the input of rich nutrients. When Caddy showed off his forty pounders, however, they were attributed to the magic of Findhorn, and Caddy did nothing to dispel such mystical associations. From the foundation’s website: Feeding six people on unemployment benefit was difficult, so Peter decided to start growing vegetables. The land in the caravan park was sandy and dry but he persevered. Dorothy discovered she was able to intuitively contact the overlighting spirits of plants – which she called angels, and then devas – who gave her instructions on how to make the most of their fledgling garden. She and Peter translated this guidance into action, and with amazing results. From the barren sandy soil of the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park grew huge plants, herbs and flowers of dozens of kinds, most famously the now-legendary 40-pound cabbages. Word spread, horticultural experts came and were stunned, and the garden at Findhorn became famous. “We don’t grow forty pound cabbages any longer,” our guide told us. Pressed as to why, he responded levelly “We don’t need to.” My conclusion is the forty pound cabbages were a marketing gimmick to attract attention, and they worked like a charm. It is the attention that is no longer needed. In fact, just the opposite is true. The community has marketed itself so well that they need to protect themselves from starry-eyed newcomers looking to fill spiritual voids. The community has accomplished this largely by packaging their knowledge into learning
products such as workshops, classes, and events that are available to the public, offered at several campuses throughout Scotland. Learn more at findhorn.org. Below are some of the many organization’s legitimate achievements and honors: It is at the heart of the largest single intentional community in the UK It is a major center for holistic education serving 9,000 visitors a year from over 50 countries Findhorn has an ecological footprint that is half the national (UK) average, with a 250kW biomass boiler that reduces carbon emissions by 80 tons a year, 55 ecologically-benign buildings, and 4 wind turbines Sewage treatment is handled by a biological Living Machine sewage treatment The community is publisher of the UK’s first technical guide to ecological housing The village has its own bank and community currency The village also boasts a Best Practice designation from the United Nations Center for Human Settlements. Findhorn is one of the places on the planet where its founders try to get it right, meaning to create a place that is unfettered by the myriad complications of our evolved world. There has been no shortage of different approaches to creating the ideal place. To name a few: the Biosphere in Southern Arizona; Arcosanti, north of Phoenix; Gaviotas on the savannahs of Colombia; Brazil’s sustainable city of Curitiba; Omega Institute and Kripalu in New York; Forest Farm, the home of Scott and Helen Nearing on the coast of Maine; Celebration, Florida created by the masterminds at the Disney Corporation; and even Disney World itself. Almost without exception, these communities tend to have in common that they are started by charismatic visionaries, who have the ability to inspire true believers, then the communication skills to tell the story. Sometimes the charismatic leader proves to have feet of clay, and the fine line between “church” and “cult” becomes lost. The guide who showed us around the ecovillage downplayed the more mystical elements of the community, emphasizing instead the stark reality of what happens when varying interpretations of spiritual and intentional come into conflict. Almost every exam-
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 21
Findhorn - Continued page 22
Findhorn Continued from page 22
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ple of the community’s accomplishments are counter balanced by a cautionary tale. “We’ve had to learn to get along with ourselves, as well as others around us,” he said, noting that the relationship with the residents of the surrounding area was particularly problematic until “we cut our hair, and our kids started going to school together” that the relationship with the greater community improved. My visit to Findhorn surfaced some of the same thoughts I had when visiting Disney World less than a year ago. Findhorn, at its best, is an inspiring place that demonstrates what motivated people can accomplish with the realm of sustainable living. If you plan to spend time there, however, don’t wear those rose colored glasses expecting to find butterflies of every piece of luscious fruit. As with anything in nature, even perfection has blemishes. Magic, as with beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
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MONEY
The Cooperative Option By Erbin Crowell The United Nations International Year of Cooperatives was celebrated in 2012. It’s been about five years since I first sat down with Real Pickles’ cofounder Dan Rosenberg at his home in Montague, MA. As he considered the future of his company, Dan was interested in knowing more about the co-operative business model and its potential for preserving Real Pickles’ unique mission over time. For my part, I wanted to better understand the perspectives of entrepreneurs like Dan who were uncomfortable with the traditional paths of business succession. Could co-ops offer a viable alternative for business owners who see success as defined more broadly than just the bottom line? My partner Kristin Howard – now Real Pickles’ sales manager and a founding worker-owner – and I had recently left Equal Exchange, a worker co-op and pioneer in fairly traded products, where we had been member-owners for a combined two decades. My
experience developing new initiatives within a rapidly growing co-op had been profound on a personal level. It had also demonstrated to me how co-ops could have a dramatic impact on the economy by working together across the food system. I wanted to be part of making the experience available to more people, and growing the wider co-operative economy. This path had led me to studies in co-operative management and work with organizations including the Co-operative Fund of New England, the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops, and finally the Neighboring Food Co-op Association. A basic challenge for the co-operative movement is that it has been largely overlooked by universities, economic development organizations, and local governments. It is easy to go through one’s academic career without learning anything about this business model, despite the global impact of co-ops. When young entrepreneurs seek out support for starting or growing a business, the co-operative model is rarely Cooperatives - Continued page 24
Co-op Community Commitment Each week, our Co-op Food Stores donate two tons of food to Willing Hands. From fresh produce to meat, dairy products to baked goods, we’re sharing with people in need around the region. Shop at co-ops and keep more money and food working for your local community. www.coopfoodstore.coop
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 23
MONEY Cooperatives Continued from page 23
values and principles, the co-operative legal structure prioritizes social needs and goals above the accumulation of profit. Based on the principle of one member, offered as an option. Basic legal and financial support one vote, co-ops are very real examples of the kind of is weak at best. economic democracy that people are clamoring for in And yet, co-operatives have succeeded. For examthe wake of this global recession. ple, more than a billion people around the world are Food co-ops in our region are an illustration of co-op members—more than directly own stock in the potential of this model. For the past three years, publicly traded corporations. Co-ops also employ I have served as executive director of the Neighboring more people than multinationals. And in the quest for Food Co-op Association (NFCA), a network of over food security, co-operatives have been recognized as 35 food co-ops and start-ups across New England. lifeline for small farmers and consumers in the develThese are community businesses, locally owned by oping world. more than 80,000 people. Success is not measured In recent years, co-ops have been recognized for by investor dividends, but by factors such as environtheir performance during the global recession that mental impact, benefits to members, and employment. began in 2008 and continues to cause massive unemBecause they are not focused on maximization of ployment, dramatic shifts in wealth and austerity. Coprofit, co-ops have been innovators in the food system ops have proven extraordinarily resilient during this and pioneers in healthy foods, organic products and period, preserving jobs, wealth and community infraFair Trade. structure. And their global contribution to human Food co-ops have also been leaders in the redevelopment, poverty reduction and sustainability led localization of economies, illustrated by the fact that the United Nations to declare 2012 the International the members of the NFCA purchase over $30 million Year of Co-ops. in local products each year. In communities across GrnLine11-12 Page 1 In additionGL1-3pg to being10/6/10 driven 1:23 by a PM distinct set of our region, food co-ops serve as anchors for local producers and as places to experiment with new products. However, a central challenge for food co-ops, and for the “buy local” movement in general, is that the purchasing power we invest in the local economy does not always stay in the community. For example, our members and customers have Great green stocking stuffers are now on line invested millions of their consumer like Wrap-N-Mat reusable sandwich bags, dollars in socially responsible busi100% recycled paper pencils, Equal Exchange fair-trade and organic chocolate bars, cocoa nesses, only to see them bought and tea; Chico recycled plastic shopping bags, out by large multinational corporaorganic and fair-trade Peace Coffees, GreenDisk tions. In this sense, local econorecycled content DVD/CD cases, and Lemongrass Zen foaming hand soap from Vermont Organics. mies often serve as a testing ground Customer service available weekdays for the investor-driven economy. 8:30 to 5:00 PM EST Entrepreneurs create new products at 800-641-1117. and services and those businesses that demonstrate sufficient potential to generate profits for investors are absorbed into this market economy through investor buy-outs, initial public offerings (IPOs) or paper & office supplies • event compostables • tissue & towel products purchase by a larger corporation. remanufactured cartridges • natural cleaning products • fair trade foods As a result, the capital, creativity
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Cooperatives - Continued page 25
Cooperatives Continued from page 24 and infrastructure created by local entrepreneurs are extracted from local communities, and the stakeholders who helped create that market value are left behind. Another challenge for the local movement is business succession. What happens when an entrepreneur decides to retire or simply move on to something new? As we invest our consumer dollars in local businesses, are there ways to ensure that those businesses don’t fade away or get sold to corporate interests? Is there a way to engage other stakeholders—workers, producers, consumers and the wider community—in the mission and long-term success of local enterprises so that they are more sustainable and accountable to the people who depend on them? This question has been at the root of the co-operative movement since its beginnings. In response to the concentration of wealth and control that characterized the Industrial Revolution, community activists created a democratic business model, rooted in social values, and oriented toward the meeting of human needs rather than accumulation of profit. For the first food co-ops, the goal was food security and rooting a Cooperatives - Continued page 26 1-2 page 2012:Green Living 1/2 page 04/24/12 3:18 PM
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MoNEY Cooperatives
Continued from page 25
source of healthy, affordable food in the community. For farmers, it was pooling resources to invest in the shared infrastructure needed to compete with larger growers and corporations. And for workers, it was gaining more control over our work-lives so that a company couldn’t just up and leave in search of higher profits. Certainly, these goals speak to many entrepreneurs today for whom the ideals of economic democracy, sustainability and human fulfillment are integral to their vision of success. What has been missing is a roadmap for succession that provides an alternative to the traditional corporate buyout. Real Pickles founders, Dan and Addie Rose, may have part of the
answer. Five years after we sat down to talk co-ops, their company is on the cutting edge of a trend toward a new way of thinking about the basic purpose and priorities of local business. For an emerging group of entrepreneurs, conversion to a cooperative structure may be driven by the desire to root their business in the community, to safeguard their mission, or simply to share ownership, risk and reward with their coworkers. For others, “co-operation” was always what they had in mind – they just needed a formal business structure for it. This is not to say that there is not an important role for outside investors in this effort. What is needed is a new way of thinking about this role. Some have used the term “social
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investor,” and “slow” or “patient” capital. Tom Webb, former manager of the Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions Program at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, has called for something a little more specific: “co-operative capital.” For Webb, the financial crisis of 2008 and the accompanying global recession has demonstrated the problems of an economic system built on maximization of profit. “We need capital that is socially constructive rather than destructive and more stabilizing rather than destabilizing,” he writes. “We need capital that is restrained, limited and controlled and directed to meeting human need rather than human greed.” In fact, some of the most successful contemporary co-ops have relied on this kind of capital to grow their businesses. Equal Exchange and Organic Valley, for example, offer investment opportunities for non-member individuals and organizations. This capital is constructive in that it is driven by social and environmental impacts as opposed to maximization of return; it is restrained because investment shares are non-voting, with control
Monadnock Food Co-op 34 Cypress Street Keene, NH
Open 7 Days a Week 603-355-8008 www.monadnockfood.coop 26 •
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Cooperatives - Continued page 27
Cooperatives Continued from page 26
remaining with the membership; and it is stabilizing in that share value is based on cash value rather than the theoretical market valuation employed by the stock market and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), rooting wealth in the community. Over time, many have insisted that investors would not accept these limitations on their influence and returns. And yet, year after year these co-ops have had little trouble attracting sufficient capital to support their growth. What is particularly exciting about Real Pickles is that they have demonstrated a model in which people can invest in the conversion of a privately held business into a co-operative enterprise. Essentially, investors are using their financial resources to secure a business within the local co-operative economy, as opposed to the market economy. This represents a compelling shift in our conception of what is possible. Over the years, food co-ops across the Northeast have invested substantial purchasing power in the success of local businesses like Real Pickles. And I am proud that the Neighboring Food Co-op Association has been able to play a small part in the transition of the company, becoming an investor in Real Pickles as
part of our vision of “a more healthy, just and sustainable food system, and a vibrant community of cooperative enterprise.” On a personal level, it has been inspiring to work with the member-owners of this new co-op in this process. In my role as the first staff person for the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops, I began to see the importance of co-op led development and the potential of peer-to-peer collaboration in supporting the success of co-operative enterprises. While my primary work is now with the NFCA, there is a clear overlap in the vision of our food co-ops and that of companies like Real Pickles. Moving forward, my hope is that co-ops and local entrepreneurs will be able to see the potential in this kind of collaboration in growing the co-operative movement in our region. Erbin Crowell, Executive Director of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) and local expert on cooperative business, earned his Master of Management: Co-op & Credit Unions from St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia and serves on the boards of the National Co-operative Business Association and the New England Farmers Union. He lives in Buckland, MA, with his partner Kristin Howard and their son Elias, and may be contacted at erbin@nfca.coop.
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 27
ON THE NIGHTSTAND Design for an Empathic World Reconnecting People, Nature, and Self By Sim Van Der Ryn Despite an uncertain economy, the market for green building is exploding. The US green building market has expanded dramatically since 2008 and is projected to double in size by 2015 (from $42 billion in construction starts to $135 billion). But green-building pioneer Sim Van der Ryn says, “greening” our buildings is not enough. He advocates for “empathic design”, in which a designer not only works in concert with nature, but with an understanding of and empathy for the end user and for ones self. It is not just one of these connections, but all three that are necessary to design for a future that is more humane, equitable, and resilient. Sim’s lifelong focus has been in shifting the paradigm in architecture and design. Instead of thinking about design primarily in relation to the infrastructure we live in and with—everything from buildings to wireless routing—he advocates for a focus on the people who use and are affected by this infrastructure. Basic design must include a real understanding of human ecology or end-user preferences.
Understanding ones motivations and spirituality, Sim believes, is critical to designing with empathy for natural and human communities. In Design for an Empathic World Van der Ryn shares his thoughts and experience about the design of our world today. With a focus on the strengths and weaknesses in our approach to the design of our communities, regions, and buildings he looks at promising trends and projects that demonstrate how we can help create a better world for others and ourselves. Architects, urban designers, and students of architecture will all enjoy this beautifully illustrated book drawing on a rich and revered career of a noted leader in their field. The journey described in Design for an Empathic World will help to inspire change and foster the collaboration and thoughtfulness necessary to achieve a more empathic future.
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DARK LEGACY – JFK and 9-11 Nov. 22nd, 2013 will mark 50 years since the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy; December 23rd will mark 100 years for the FED Watch films exposing these conspiracies and see how they are related to the events of 9-11 and evidence of a moon landing hoax Plus a solution via a direct democracy initiative. Available Online and free for public forums For more on events, visit: Valley911truth.org For life's survival in the 21st Century www.
FlybyNews.com 28 •
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
ON THE NIGHTSTAND The Story of the Human Body In this landmark book of popular science, Daniel E. Lieberman—chair of the department of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a leader in the field—gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years, even as it shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning this paradox: greater longevity but increased chronic disease. The Story of the Human Body brilliantly illuminates as never before the major transformations that contributed key adaptations to the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the advent of hunting and gathering, leading to our superlative endurance athleticism; the development of a very large brain; and the incipience of cultural proficiencies. Lieberman also elucidates how cultural evolution differs from
biological evolution, and how our bodies were further transformed during the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. While these ongoing changes have brought about many benefits, they have also created conditions to which our bodies are not entirely adapted, Lieberman argues, resulting in the growing incidence of obesity and new but avoidable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Lieberman proposes that many of these chronic illnesses persist and in some cases are intensifying because of “dysevolution,” a pernicious dynamic whereby only the symptoms rather than the causes of these maladies are treated. And finally—provocatively—he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment.
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 29
MoNEY Some Thoughts Before You Green-up Your Portfolio By Todd Walker With all the talk of divestment in the air, many investors are looking to rid themselves of investments in fossil fuel based companies – or other offensive firms such as GMO producers, big banks, armament manufactures, nuclear power, tobacco, gambling and alcoholic beverage companies. But before you sell everything at once and go green, it’s important to fully understand the possible financial ramifications. As a firm specializing in socially responsible investing, while we’re as enthusiastic as our clients to create new socially responsible portfolios, at the same time as financial professionals it’s our duty to advise them of the potential problems of moving too quickly, and to recommend the wisest ways to green up portfolios. Actually, before you make wholesale changes to any investment portfolio – green or not – you should always consider these factors: Taxes. Gains on securities are subject to capital
gains taxes of up to 23.8% (depending on your income), if they have been held for more than one year. (Gains on those held less than a year are taxed at ordinary income tax rates.) So, instead of selling in one swoop, you may want to sell appreciated securities over several years to mitigate capital gains taxes. Another tactic is to use any security losses to eliminate gains. One thing many people don’t realize until too late is that on securities that are given to you when the donor is alive you usually assume the original “cost basis” of those securities. In other words, the original purchase price of the securities is used in calculating the tax. So, before you sell a bunch of securities given to you by your parents/ grandparents during their lives, you should consider the potentially huge tax hit. Securities inherited from a will follow different rules, and typically there are no gains taxes on sales in a qualified retirement plan such as an IRA. The best idea is to always consult your accountant before selling or buying securities if you are uncertain of the IRS rules.
“What is Castile Liquid Soap used for?” Castile Liquid Soap refers to a family of vegetable oil soaps made with potassium hydroxide. This is what turns plant oils, which make you greasy, into soap; which makes you clean. Long before synthetic detergents were invented, the royalty and the wealthy of Europe used fine liquid soaps from Castile-La Mancha in central Spain. Made from natural coconut and olive oils, these liquid soaps were the product of choice for body, hair, laundry, dishes, hands, floors and surface cleaning for a hundred years. Now that we bathe more than once a month, people with fine pores and dry skin may find straight castile soap too strong for regular bathing. However, modified Castile style liquid soaps are the bases from which Vermont Soap crafts our hand foamers, Liquid Sunshine cleaners and concentrates; and our own moisturizing shower gels. Always Certified Organic for your safety and the safety of the planet. When you see the Vermont Soap brand it is always Natural Inside!
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Asset Allocation is vital to long-term performance, which is why investment professionals diversify portfolios into certain percentages of large company stocks, small-company stocks, bonds, etc. So when you green up your portfolio you need to keep your recommended asset allocation in sight. Consider, for example, that selling big oil stocks (large company) and reinvesting in alternative energy stocks (usually small companies) will add investment risk to your portfolio since small stocks are more volatile. Still could be a sound idea, but you need to keep your mix and risk in mind. Dividend Income. Are you depending on your portfolio for income? Then something else to consider is that many high-dividend “non-social” blue chip stocks such as fossil fuels, utilities and
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30 •
Asset Allocation.
Green-up - Continued page 31 River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
MONEY Green-up
Continued from page 30
tobacco/alcohol are often found in inherited income portfolios. Before you sell them realize that this will reduce your income unless you replace them with greener income alternatives – which do exist. Timing. The current market environment is another factor to think about. For example, those who sold everything in 2008 may now regret it, since the market has largely recovered since then. Recently bonds have been under pressure. The point is that you should not ignore what’s going on in the marketplace when you sell/buy. Fees. Depending on the type of investment account you own, what it costs to realign your portfolio might also be a consideration. While transaction costs may be low in a fee-based account (where commissions are waived in lieu of an annual management fee), in a commission account your costs may be 2-5% on both sales and purchases. One solution to this is to convert to a fee-based account before you green up. Research. Finally, it goes without saying that both sales and especially security purchases should be carefully researched before proceeding. If you are dedicated to SRI, this requires both economic and social screening. It’s important to invest with your heart, but as with most things in life, let the head have a say, too. So, as you divest, divest intelligently! Whether you invest on your own or use a financial advisor, make sure to include all these critical steps as part of any portfolio realignment. That way you won’t unnecessarily lose green … as you go green!
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Todd Walker is a Financial Advisor Representative based in Wells, VT with Progressive Asset Management Group, the socially responsible investment division of Financial West Group (FWG), Member FINRA/SIPC. He can be reached at 802-325-2200, twalker@fwg.com or PAMGVermont.com Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction: 55 Main St., Suite 415, Newmarket, NH 03857.
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 31
MONEY
Start a Work-From-Home
From Mother Earth News, By Mother Earth News Readers Self-employment is a dream shared by many people, but finding the right work-at-home job can be daunting. We asked our readers to tell us their successful home-based business ideas. Despite their different ways of making money, these home-business veterans offer similar advice: Be creative, be patient, listen to your customers, learn from your failures, and have a backup plan for dealing with the inevitable setbacks. Their stories provide inspiration for other startups. Many of our readers’ home-based business ideas grew out of a hobby, and these entrepreneurs urge you to choose something you have a passion for. They’re convinced that a work-from-home business will be rewarding if it provides a way to do what makes you happy.
Exotic Vegetables
When I bought my current home, there was a
handmade greenhouse that had become a giant litter box. I cleaned it up and started a huge garden. Friends began buying my pepper and tomato plants, and they encouraged me to sell the extras at the farmers market. So, I did. People are always passing through Bloomington because it’s a college town. Out-of-towners asked how they could buy my exotic chile and tomato plants from their homes, and my mail-order business was born. I’ve operated it for 21 years now, shipping pepper, tomato and tomatillo bedding plants across the country. My business, now at http://www.thechilewoman.com/, grew beyond my dreams and has become my full-time occupation. There is nothing more satisfying than the one-minute commute to my greenhouses. Susan Welsand, Bloomington, Ind.
Yurt Camping
Things were looking grim when my job was eliminated in 2004. Putting our heads together, my business partner and I planned a getaway destination in an under-served tourist area: the Mountain Loop area in western Washington state. Our goal was to open a guest ranch that offered yurt camping for hikers. We like to say we were heading for the hills but taking the public with us! We bought 17 acres, built a log home, yurt and barn, and established pastures for alpacas. Paca Pride Guest Ranch opened in 2010. We’re online at http:// www.pacapride.com/, and offer yurt bookings and retail sales of alpaca yarn, hats, scarves, socks and more. David Capocci, Granite Falls, Wash.
Bed-and-Breakfast
After coming through a long and difficult divorce, I returned to live alone in the passive solar home on my 8-acre organic farm. My place was 2 miles from an amusement park that attracted many overnighters, so I converted the house into a bed-and-breakfast that accepted small children. The kids would gather eggs from my chicken house, pick blueberries from my patch and fish in my pond. I advertised all-you-can-eat breakfasts and guests getting to “sleep on sun-dried sheets.” I gradually worked out of extreme poverty. I sold the farm at age 76 and later married a lady who had once said, “I could never sleep with total strangers in my house!” Alvin Smith, Frisco, Texas
32 •
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Work-From-Home - Continued page 33
MONEY Work-From-Home Continued from page 32
Fiber Arts
I took up weaving because I wanted to have a retirement hobby. I started by gathering yarn and introducing myself to a wonderful local woman who owns beautiful alpacas. I helped her with shearing, and she taught me all about processing fiber. I became such a passionate weaver, spinner and crocheter that my friends started ordering my shawls and hats. I booked myself to appear at local fairs and craft shows, calling my business http://www. wovenwoolwear.ca/. Now I give lessons on basic weaving, spinning, crocheting and knitting, and I sell fiber and yarn on Craigslist. It’s been a wonderful journey, and there’s always something new to learn. Fran Kwiecien, Courtenay, B.C.
Goat Harnesses
In my small work-from-home business, http:// www.bilesharness.com/, I make and sell equipment for working goats—harnesses, pack saddles and other tack. I got started 14 years ago when I needed a proper harness for the 17 working goats I use to do jobs around the farm. When I couldn’t find a goat harness on the market with proper breeching, or one that was adjustable for various goat bodies, it led me to make my own. I use the equipment almost daily, so I know what works. The best advice I can give to people hoping to start a home business is to find a niche and do what you know. If you have a passion for what you do, it won’t be such a daunting task. I love working goats! Bambi Iles, Aptos, Calif.
Handyman Business
For years, my wife told me I should start a business because I know how to fix things. About five years ago,
I started Honey-Do-List. What I like best about my work-from-home business is that I can make my own schedule. Always find out which permits, licenses, certifications and insurance certificates are required in your area. When you’re having a good month, remember to plan ahead for the bad months. Don’t go overboard on buying tools—rent an expensive tool that you’ll use only once a month or less. Don’t spend all your profits on advertising. Visit local real estate offices to leave a business card, and post your cards on bulletin boards at local diners and coffee shops. Place an ad in your local free press. Give discounts to senior citizens or offer a free half-hour of work in return for referrals. Rick Rounds, Brasher Falls, N.Y.
Wooden Toys
My desire to start a home business, combined with my boyhood love for woodcraft, helped me decide to make and sell small wooden toys. I started with simple, animal-shaped pull toys, and I contacted tourist-based gift stores about selling them. I learned some bitter lessons when store managers mocked what I had to offer, but some of them suggested improvements and gave me ideas for items that would appeal to people looking for unique, educational toys. By learning to accept criticism, I have built up a successful workfrom-home business with about 20 items. My biggest buyer is Lehman’s, which ships our handmade toys to 152 countries. Elias Keim, Fultonville, N.Y . Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles from MOT Read more: http://www.ogdenpubs.com/Syndication/ articles/Feature_Stories/21621.aspx#ixzz2hbdAcLfy
Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 33
Health
Natural Cold Remedies
By Dr. Sara Norris, ND Cold season is upon us. Contrary to what pharmaceutical companies would like us to believe, natural options are usually far more effective at beating a cold than over-thecounter medicines such as Sudafed and Nyquil, which treat only symptoms. Many cost-effective potent herbs are available to stop a cold or flu in its tracks. This article provides some natural options that I give my patients to help restore their family members’ health during cold and flu season. Simplify your diet. Your body needs all the energy it can muster to fight off the bacteria or virus that is causing your sickness. To reduce the time it takes to heal you should dramatically simplify your diet. Try to stick to vegan options, including well-cooked veggies, broths, and complex carbs. These foods are easy to digest, and thus your body can use its energy on your immune system rather than on digestion. Avoid dairy, which increases phlegm and congestion and is particularly harmful when there is a wet cough or sinus congestion. One of my favorite recipes is a simple homemade soup called Bieler broth. Ingredients: 2 medium zucchini Handful green beans, spinach or kale 2 stalks celery Handful chopped parsley Garlic to taste, I use 2-3 crushed cloves Method: 1. Boil the zucchini, greens, garlic, and celery in water until soft, about 20 minutes. 2. Blend vegetables, steaming water and parsley for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Enjoy while warm for best taste. Rest immediately. You’re immune system is most
effective when it’s in a parasympathetic, or “rest and relax,” mode. When you are on the go, your body increases the stress hormone cortisol, which suppresses your immune system. So, at the first sign of a cold, go to bed earlier and ratchet your stress down a notch. Don’t suppress a healthy rise in temperature. One of the most effective ways that our body can heal from a bacterial or viral infection is to raise its temperature. Many bacteria and viruses cannot survive at temps higher than 98.6 degrees, which is why our body temperature rises when we are sick. Some high fevers are not safe and this number varies with the person’s age and health status. Reduce use of acetaminophen (Tylenol). Research has shown that acetaminophen, a typical ingredient in overthe-counter medications, can lengthen a cold by an average of 3 days. Although it may provide temporary relief from body aches, it will lower your body temperature and therefore prolong your sickness. Most over-thecounter cold medication contain acetaminophen. Save acetaminophen for infections that raise your temperature to an uncomfortable or unsafe level. A tepid bath is a more gentle approach to lowering a temperature in the meantime. Consult your primary care provider to determine what temperature is safe for you and your family. Elderberry, the god(dess) of immune supportive herbs. Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) has an impressive resume. Studies show that it increases white blood cells and thus the overall effectiveness of the immune system. It has even been shown to be effective against serious immune offenders such as the infamous H1N1 virus. I choose this herb early on in a cold when sinus congestion, dry cough, and throat pain show up. This herb comes in many forms, including a tincture for adults and yummy syrups and Cold Remedies - Continued page 35
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
Cold Remedies Continued from page 34
tablets for kids. Starting elderberry early in your cold will help to reduce the duration of symptoms. Oregon graperoot. This herb is best for swollen tonsils and sore throats. It is an antimicrobial that works well when there is a lot of mucous in the throat. Combine Oregon graperoot with a small amount of Myrrh or clove oil to numb the throat while it does its work on the viruses or bacteria. This herb has a bitter flavor and can take some creativity to give to kids. Astragalus. This is a great herb for people who get sick frequently. It helps build the immune system over time, and can be taken when someone around you gets sick, before you have any signs of a cold. Kids generally don’t need this herb, but the chronically stressed or overworked adult will benefit from occasional use during the cold season. Vitamin C. Vitamin C primarily helps reduce symptoms that are created by the immune system while fighting an infection. It is supportive of and does not reduce the effectiveness of any other treatment, but will make healing smoother. For adults take 500-1,000 mg every 1-3 hours, up to 6,000 mg a day. Cut back if you experience loose stools. Homemade cough syrup. This recipe is easy to make
and stores for a long time in your fridge. The combination of onion and honey helps to thin mucous and calm a cough, and honey is naturally anti-microbial. To make: Chop 1-2 white or yellow onions and place in a double boiler. Add 1/2 cup of honey (or enough to cover the onion) and the juice of 1 lemon and cook slowly on low heat for several hours. Add garlic, another immune stimulant, if you tolerate the flavor. Strain the mixture and take by the tablespoon from every 1/4 hour to every few hours, as needed. Add alcohol in the form of an herbal tincture (Lomatium, Oregon graperoot, Elderberry) to preserve the syrup if it is not used up over several days. Refrigerate. Consult your naturopathic physician, herbalist, or integrative medical doctor. The above recommendations will get you started, but if you have any questions consult a health care provider trained in natural remedies. Dr. Sara Norris, ND is a Naturopathic Physician who practices at Mountain View Natural Medicine in South Burlington, Vermont. Her practice is in family medicine, and she prides herself on offering both conventional and natural treatment options for her patients. Her patients love her compassion, care, and the breathe of medical knowledge she brings to their appointments. See mountianviewnaturalmedicine.com for more information. www.pvsquared.coop
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WE ARE sEEkINg CoMMIssIoNEd INdEPENdENT FIEld REPREsENTATIvEs • APPly TodAy Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 39
GARDENing Build an Outdoor Stove, Oven, Grill and Smoker By Owen Geiger My co-workers and I wanted to design a highly efficient, multi-purpose stove that uses little firewood (or charcoal) and retains heat for baking and cooking. So, we included a thick insulation layer of lightweight perlite/cement between the firebox and surrounding concrete block, and we included a removable door. This design holds the heat in the firebox where it’s needed. (Perlite is the porous white stuff often found in potting soils. You can buy this mined mineral product at garden centers.) You can build the outdoor oven in stages, a few hours at a time. (You’ll need a few days between some steps.) Check local building codes before you start building. The oven is made
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from materials you can buy at local hardware or building stores. You may be able to find some of the materials at a salvage yard, too. Even if you only use it to bake bread, you can save enough money in one year to more than pay for the $300 cost. Ideally, the stove is built to a comfortable height with concrete countertop space on each side, plus a roof to protect against the elements. Having an outdoor sink and storage space nearby is also convenient. Our outdoor oven requires a fire in the firebox for about 45 minutes to one hour to reach a baking temperature of 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Or, if you want to grill, you can start in less than half an hour. Another key design element is the firebox size. Properly sized fireboxes heat up quickly, have improved combustion, produce less smoke and stay hotter longer. We measured cookie sheets, bread pans, medium and large roasting pans, canners and baking dishes to arrive at our optimal firebox size of 13 inches wide by 28 inches deep by 13 1/2 inches high. If you like to cook, you’ll love this stove. Our favorite cooking technique involves cooking foods in rapid succession at dinnertime. We like to start out with pizza when the oven is about 500 degrees. The pizza bakes in about three minutes. After that, the oven has cooled to 350 to 400 degrees—perfect for baking bread. (The temperature of the air in the oven drops momentarily when Outdoor Stove - Continued page 41
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Outdoor Stove Continued from page 40
you open the door, but the brick is still hot and maintains temperature.) Sometimes we throw in some potatoes at this stage if we want baked potatoes. When the bread is done after about an hour, we bake various combinations of veggies (and sometimes dessert). You can bake a lot of food from one firing. Another efficient method is to grill meat and veggies before the baking phase. In addition to all the other cooking options, you can cook in a Dutch oven placed inside the firebox. Dutchoven cooking is ideal for stews, chili, roasts, certain types of breads and rolls, beans and some desserts. It’s more efficient to use the Dutch oven inside the outdoor oven than outside on a campfire because it requires fewer coals. After you’ve selected and cleared your site, build a foundation to support the stove. A low-cost rubble trench foundation is recommended for most situations. The specifics will vary due to climate and soil conditions, but a rubble trench is usually 18 to 24 inches deep and filled with gravel, or gravel and stone. If you’re building the stove in a harsh climate with strong freeze-thaw cycles, add a French drain (a small valley filled with stones) to remove moisture. Raise the building site if necessary to avoid moisture problems. For our rubble trench foundation, we used chunks of recycled broken concrete, also known as “urbancrete,” instead of stone. Concrete chunks from flatwork slabs, such as sidewalks and driveways, work best. They can be recycled and stacked like stone. Stack these up in layers to the top of the trench. Fill gaps with gravel and then tamp solid. On top of the rubble trench, pour a 3 1/2-inch by 40-inch by 40-inch concrete pad. This will create a strong, level foundation for your stove. Make sure the pad is level and square.
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Outdoor Stove - Continued page 42
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Outdoor Stove Continued from page 41
layer gently. Go easy on the tamping so as not to strain the concrete block joints. All you’re trying to do is settle the materials. Complete the base by pouring a 4-inch layer of lightweight cement level with the top of the block base. This creates a strong, insulated layer under your firebox. also contain high of high-fructose cornassyrup Perlite is perfect forlevels high-heat applications such this. andAfter other ingredients that are certainly not good for about five days, the lightweight concrete should us, socured whenever possible, pure darkbuilding chocolate, have sufficiently andchoose you can begin the minimally processed with high-quality ingredients. firebox with firebrick. Place a half-inch layer of fine, clean Chocolate makers are looking for ways to minimize sand on top of the lightweight cement. We screened our the loss of flavanols in processing cacao into tasty treats. own sand (one two-gallon bucket) through fine mesh. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart and Vascular Use a straight edge to make it as level as possible. Precise Health department recommends opting for dark leveling is achocolate critical step thatproducts determines the with accuracy of over milk and made cocoa the firebox. powder that has not undergone Dutch processing. The The first of firebrick creates the hearth. Standard package on layer chocolate bars sometimes indicates if the firebrick size is 2 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches by 9 inches. cocoa powder has been Dutch-processed, so begin by The frontthere. row of firebricks is perpendicular to may the other looking The chocolate maker’s website also firebricks extends 2 inches beyond the concrete offer moreand information. block. This makes to sweep and ashes into a Excerpted fromit easy Mother Earthcoals Living, a national bucket. We added half-inch concrete shims under magazine that provides practicalboard ideas, inspiring the front edge stability, where sandhealthy, would fall away. examples and for expert opinions about beautiful All firebricks are placed without mortar so they are homes and lifestyles. To read more articles from Mother Earth Living, please visit www.MotherEarthLiving.com. Outdoor StoveInc. - Continued page 43 Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications
HEALTH
The next step is to build a concrete-block base two courses high with ladder reinforcement (a wire mesh designed to add strength and preventfrom cracking) Continued page 33between each course. Use 4-inch by 8-inch by 16-inch blocks with authors that people consumed astudy few half blocksfound as needed. Be surewho to lay the blockthe as most cacao had a 37 percent reduction in overall perfectly plumb, straight and square as possible. Allow a 31strength. percent reduction tocardiovascular dry for two daysdisease, or so to gain in Fill diabetes andwith a 29 percent reduction stroke the base gravel or a mixture of in sand and compared with people who ate the least. The CDSR gravel. Fill the base with two 6-inch layers, tamping each analysis found evidence in 20 different studies that cacao consumption can moderately reduce blood pressure.
Chocolate
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Of course, the health benefits of chocolate are dependent on the quality of the source. The more flavanols a chocolate product contains, the better it will be for your heart and your blood pressure. Flavanols are contained in cacao, which is found in higher proportions in dark chocolate that has not been highly processed. The more processed a chocolate product is, the fewer flavanols it likely contains. Dutch-processed cocoa, for example, has been treated with an alkali specifically to reduce the acidic flavor, which reduces the potency of the flavanols. Also keep in mind that many candies that contain chocolate
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GARDENING Outdoor Stove Continued from page 42 free to expand and contract. The placement technique dry for two to three days. involves carefully sliding each firebrick straight down— The next step is to build the countertop.We were looking for an inexpensive way to make concrete countertops one against the other—into place to avoid gaps. After the and came up with a pretty good solution at a fraction of first course is set, use the end of your hammer handle to the cost of custom made countertops —about $20 instead tap on any high spots until all firebricks are flush with of $2,000. (This cost is for 12 1/2 lineal feet of 25 1/2-inch each other. countertops.) Measure the front of the base and find the center, We used 100 percent scrap materials for forming, which should be about 20 inches from either side. Start about a half bag of cement, some quarter-inch rebar, and the first layer of firebricks by placing two bricks on either baling wire, sand, gravel and iron oxide pigment. Forms side of the center of the base, making sure that the brick consisted of leftover eighth-inch cement board and scrap hang over the front about 2 inches. wood. We placed rebar in a grid pattern and then poured Continue stacking firebricks for the sides of the firebox. These are stacked on edge. The firebox is easy to concrete on top. Create an eighth-inch space between build and the bricks can be stacked in about one hour. chimney and countertop with a removable shim to allow You may encounter a few firebricks that are not perfectly for expansion and contraction. sized. Buy a few extra so you have spares. It’s important to Building the chimney is straightforward. There is a keep everything plumb, square and level, and all firebricks damper within easy reach to control air flow and save flush with each other, with no gaps. firewood; open it up when starting fires, and close it down At this point, you can put the steel shelf (lintel for when baking so all the heat doesn’t shoot up the chimney. chimney) in place. It measures 14 3/4 inches by 18 A cap on top of the stovepipe keeps out rain and snow, inches by 1 1/2 inches (the sides are 1 1/2 inches high) Outdoor Stove - Continued page 44h and is made of quarter-inch steel. The most important measurement is the inside width, which for our shelf was 14 1/4 inches. This allows firebricks to fit perfectly without being cut. The steel parts are joined with six spot welds: three per side, on the bottom so they don’t interfere with placing the firebrick. With a cutting torch, cut a 6-inch diameter hole in the center for the stovepipe. With the steel shelf in place, flush with each side, set the remaining firebricks in place to form the chimney base. To form the outside of the oven, set the remaining two courses of concrete blocks (with ladder reinTeen Adventure Trips forcement between courses), being Connecticut Lakes • Acadia • Green Mountains careful not to bump the firebricks. Around the firebox opening (where Cape Cod • White Mountains • Newfoundland the concrete blocks meet the firebricks), leave an eighth-inch space One- and Two- Week Overnight Camp to allow for expansion and contracLeaders-in-Training tion. We stacked CEBs (compressed Family Camp (for ALL ages) earth blocks) temporarily inside the (866) 627-2267 firebox to keep them in place. Bricks www.massaudubon.org/wildwood would work just as well. Let the block Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 43
Outdoor Stove Continued from page 43
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and a boot (or collar), along with some silicone, seals the connection on the roof. The stovepipe is in sections to facilitate removal and cleaning. The gap between the stovepipe and chimney base is filled with lightweight cement. All you need to turn your outdoor oven into a smoker is a grill grate (or typical oven grate) about (midheight) in the firebox. Simply drill four holes in the firebrick lining the firebox, insert steel pins in holes and add the shelf. You can also suspend a drip pan from the grate with wire. The door is the key feature needed for baking. We built a 2-inch-thick insulated door of sixteenth-inch steel filled with perlite. This is another firewood saving feature. The front piece of the door forms a lip that hangs over the firebox opening about half an inch to help reduce air leaks. The large wooden handle doesn’t get too hot to touch and enables the door to be installed and removed with one hand. There are no hinges; the door wedges into place. We added an adjustable vent to control airflow and spray painted the door with heat paint. Based on our experience, a 1 3/4-inch hole in the door seems to be the perfect size. If you’d prefer a simpler method for building the door, make a thick hardwood door with a piece of metal on the inside, allowing about a quarter-inch air gap between wood and metal. You could rabbet the edges for a tighter seal. Also, a thermometer built into the door would be a nice feature. Wait a few days for the tile to cure before firing up the stove for the first time. We started with a small fire and gradually, one fire per day, built increasingly larger fires in order to drive out any remaining moisture. Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, please visit www.MotherEarthNews.com or call (800) 234-3368 to subscribe. Copyright 2013 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
COOKING
Super Simple Suppers
Comforting Soups, Stews, Chowders & More
By Natalie K. Gould Fall is a time of rejuvenation after the busy summer and spring seasons. Everything slows down in preparation for winter, from the garden to time spent outside and how we cook. We’re eager to have a simmering pot of stew on the stove, warming both heart and home. Slow-cooking allows for ingredients to be thrown together, and several hours later, voilà, a flavorful, filling meal. Soup recipes are a dime a dozen, but we searched through our archives for the best of the best from-scratch variations. Here are a handful of time-tested, rustic recipes that are sure to stick to your ribs this fall and winter. Any of these recipes are made even better with homemade broths, home-canned vegetables and local meat. You can find more soup, stew and broth recipes at www.Grit.com/Soups-and-Stews.
3. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 9 hours, or until beef and vegetables are tender. No stirring is necessary during cooking. 4. Stir well. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve hot. Yields 6 (11/2-cup) servings.
Potato, Corn and Cheese Chowder
3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced 3 cups water 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil Simple Supper - Continued page 46
Wild Mushroom Beef Stew
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves 3/4 cup beef broth 1/4 cup tomato paste 1/4 cup dry red wine 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound red potatoes, 11/2-inch diameter, cut into quarters 8 ounces assorted fresh mushrooms, such as shii take, cremini and oyster, cut into quarters 1 cup baby carrots Fresh parsley, optional 1. Place beef in 41/2- to 51/2-quart slow-cooker. In small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Sprinkle over beef in slow-cooker, and toss to coat. 2. In another small bowl, combine broth, tomato paste, wine and garlic; mix well. Pour over beef mixture. Add potatoes, mushrooms and carrots, and mix well.
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 45
CookING Simple Supper Continued from page 45 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 11/2 cups milk 11/2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, or 1 teaspoon dried chives 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated 1. In large saucepan or Dutch oven, place potatoes, water, bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon salt; boil until potatoes are barely tender. 2. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, sauté onion in oil until tender and nearly transparent. Add a few tablespoons of water if
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onions begin to stick. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly. Pour mixture slowly into cooked potatoes and water. Stir in corn. Add cumin, chives, parsley, nutmeg, pepper and remaining salt. Simmer over very low heat for about 15 minutes. 3. Add cheese and stir until completely melted. Serve immediately. 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup diced smoked ham 1 smoked sausage, sliced 1/2inch thick 1 pound boneless pork loin, cubed 11/2 cups chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 large green pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 2 bay leaves 11/2 teaspoons salt 11/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon thyme 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped 8 ounces tomato sauce 141/2 ounces chicken broth 1/2 cup chopped green onion 2 cups rice, uncooked 1. In large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in ham, sausage and pork; sauté until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in onion, celery and green pepper; sauté until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, hot pepper sauce, bay leaves, salt, oregano, white pepper, black pepper and thyme. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pan. 2. Stir in tomatoes, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in green onion and rice. 3. Cover and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately. Yields 10 servings.
River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013
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Visit us online at GreenLivingJournal.com • Green Living • Winter 2013 • 47
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River Valley Green Living Journal • Winter 2013