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A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournalpdx.com d Fall 2012
Contents
Issue 18 c Green Living Journal d Fall 2012
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Publisher’s Page What Was That About the Good Old Days?.................5 Local Notes . .........................................................................6 Business - Co-ops Build a Better World.................... 10 Building Simplicity Is the Way ................................................... 13 Passive Solar Design Basics . ..................................... 14 Transportation - Studded Tires.................................. 16 Electric Vehicle News 3rd Annual John Day or Bust EV Caravan ............ 17 RE-World Re-Art: Astute ‘Adoornment ‘.................................... 18 Eco-Fashion - Inner (tube) Beauty............................ 19 Health - Walk It Off . ........................................................ 20 Recycle - The Mysteries of Recycling: Part I............ 22 Gardening - Perennial Vegetables ............................ 23 Food - Make Your Own Herbal Soda at Home . ..... 26 Education - An Ecology Based Education ............ 28 Events................................................................................... 30 Classifieds . ........................................................................ 30
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Green Living Journal P. O. Box 677, Cascade Locks, OR 97014 Publisher: Columbia River Press LLC PDX Editorial Team: Katie Cordrey, Gary Munkhoff Susan Place 541.374.5454 gary@greenlivingjournal.com Advertising: Susan Place 541.374.5454 crads@greenlivingjournal.com Prepress/Graphics/Ad Production: Katie Cordrey iByte Company info@ibytecompany.com 509.493.1250 National Editor: Stephen Morris ed@greenlivingjournal.com Webmaster: Michael Potts Michael@thepublicpress.com Distribution : Ambling Bear, Portland Pedal Power Cover Photos: Simple Life courtesy Flickr user Rosino; We Own It courtesy of People’s Co-op Printed: with soy-based inks on recycled paper by Signature Graphics. The Portland edition of the Green Living Journal is published quarterly and 20,000 copies are distributed free of charge throughout the Portland-Vancouver metro area.
We encourage our readers to patronize our advertisers, but we are not responsible for any advertising claims. Subscriptions $9.95 per year. Copyright Š 2012 Columbia River Press LLC The Green Living Journal Family is Proud to be a Member
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A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournalpdx.com d Fall 2012
Publisher’s Page What Was That About the Good Old Days? By Gary Munkhoff Facts don’t always support our notion of reality. This is especially true as we romanticize about the good old days of yesteryear. We recently received this very interesting U.S. Forest Service letter written in 1932. The timing could not have been more perfect for the beginning of our series on recycling and municipal solid waste. The letter was written by A. I. Wang, Forest Ranger in Cascade Locks, and is addressed to T. H. Sher-
rard, who was the Forest Supervisor for the Mt. Hood National Forest. The reference to tidewater might seem odd to us today, but in 1932, Bonneville Dam did not exist. Seems that 80 years later we are still looking for “some other method of disposal” There are two other letters in response to this, but we lack space for them. The curious can read them on our blog: http://greenlivingpdx.blogspot.com
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Local Notes
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Northwest Earth Institute’s EcoChallenge October 1-15, 2012 Change can be tough, and sometimes it takes a kick-start to make it happen. Every October, the NWEI challenges you to choose one action to reduce your environmental impact and stick with it for two weeks. As an individual or with a team, you pick a category— water, trash, energy, food or transportation—and set a goal that stretches your comfort zone and makes a difference for you and the planet. The EcoChallenge is an opportunity to change your life for good. Common wisdom says it takes two weeks to change a habit: if you can stick with a new behavior for 14 days in a row, you’re a lot more likely to keep it up forever. EcoChallengers share their progress online, and the combination of collective inspiration, camaraderie and friendly peer pressure makes change a little easier--and a lot more fun. You choose your EcoChallenge. Rich parked his car for two weeks. Mark went on a 100-mile diet. Carrie cut her family’s trash by 80%. Steve set up a grey water system and saved 150 gallons of water. What will you do? Register online at www.ecochallenge.org
New Life for Old Materials Metro has set up an online commercial building materials exchange called BoneyardNW. The goal is to facilitate the buying and selling of used commercial building materials and create a culture of building material reuse in the Portland Metro area. When used building materials are sold and reused instead of disposed, this reduces the quantities of construction and demolition debris going into landfills and helps meet the region’s recycling goals. The Metro region has several retail locations that specialize in the buying and selling of used residential building materials, but very few outlets for used commercial building materials. This lack of options, combined with the large amount of commercial construction in the region, results in huge quantities of usable commercial building materials going to the landfill. http://www.boneyardnw.com 6
Sisters Electric Vehicle Company Benefits from USDA Grant
The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development office in Oregon has awarded a grant of $20,000 to help strengthen an emerging cluster of businesses that produce electric vehicles in Central Oregon, with a goal of creating 10 jobs within two years. The grant was awarded to a nonprofit economic development organization, Drive Oregon, through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program. One of the primary beneficiaries of the grant will be Venus Motors Company, based in Sisters, OR. The funding will help pay for marketing expenses, including travel to conferences and trade shows and visits to prospective vehicle purchasers. Venus Motors sources chassis from BH Workman & Sons in Prineville and body parts from FiberFab in LaPine; both suppliers are expected to add jobs as demand for Venus products increases. Jay Bower of Venus Motors stated, “as a small rural business, it can be expensive for us to travel to trade shows. At the same time, we know our customers want to be able to see and touch our products. This grant, and the assistance of USDA and Drive Oregon, will help us increase sales and create more jobs here in central Oregon.” http://www.venus-ev.com
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Local Notes
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Barnwood Industries’ Material to be Distributed by Weyerhaeuser Co.
Weyerhaeuser Company, is now the exclusive distributor of Barnwood Industries reclaimed wood in northern California. They anticipate expanding distribution soon to other markets. Barnwood Industries of Bend salvages and reclaims vintage wood from old barns and other aged wooden structures for reuse in home and building projects. Materials include reclaimed beams, timbers, wood flooring, doors, cabinets and millwork. Providing wood products with distinctive charm and character, the company honors the legacy of historic structures, many of which date back to the 1800s. The products bring a sense of historic charm and enduring quality to homes and buildings, and can help meet green building goals by reusing building materials. http://www.barnwoodindustries.com
Hawthorne Auto Chosen for Think EV Warranty Repairs Hawthorne Auto Clinic at 4307 SE Hawthorne Blvd has announced that they are now Portland’s authorized local warranty repair facility for the Think City electric car.
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Owners Jim Hauser and Liz Dally have been strong advocates for the adoption of electric drive vehicles and have been working on both hybrid and battery electric vehicles for many years. Not only do they provide training for their mechanics, but they are also working with Portland Community College to develop electric drive training courses for students. Think has delivered 20 cars to Oregon, with 60 more on the way. http://hawthorneauto.com
OCOM Opens New Campus On September 12th Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) opened its new campus and clinic in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown. A weekend community celebration at the downtown building begins Friday, October 5th with a ribboncutting Ceremony from 3pm-5pm, followed by a Clinic Open House on Saturday, October 6th from 10am – 2pm. Renovating the building to LEED Gold standards aligns the utility of the building with OCOM’s commitment to create greater health for patients, students, faculty, and staff. Noteworthy features include the 5th floor green roof, access to views and daylight in 90% of interior spaces, and optimal
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Local Notes Greening That Printer Business leaders are realizing the sustainability advantages as well as the long-term economic benefits of shifting more things to an eco-conscious choice. Small things in your office such as reusable kitchen supplies and recycled paper can be adjusted quite easily.
What about your printer? Typically, it’s on all day, using energy, consuming paper, putting toxins in the air and creating waste from all the spent cartridges A more environmentally friendly option is in the form of solid ink technology. First invented by Tektronix in Wilsonville, OR in 1986, it was brought to market in 1991. In
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energy and water efficiency including motion-sensing fixtures and sectionby-section adjustable temperature zones. Originally built in 1912 as the Globe Hotel, the new facility will bring more than 350 faculty, staff, students and patients into the neighborhood on a daily basis. Clinic services include master’s and doctoral resident acupuncture appointments; private practitioner acupuncture appointments; Tui Na and Shiatsu massage; Chinese herbs and herbal consultations; public qigong classes; and weekend specialty clinics focused on chronic conditions. Founded in 1983, OCOM is a professional graduate school that offers two specialized degree programs — Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM) and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM). OCOM’s mission is to transform health care by educating highly skilled and compassionate practitioners, providing exemplary patient care, and engaging in innovative research. The college’s 1,050 graduates practice, teach and research Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in 37 states around the country, and have provided an estimated 10 million treatments over the past 29 years.
Local Notes 2000 Xerox acquired the technology and introduced the ColorQube product line. Solid Ink as used in the ColorCube products has a unique property that allows it to remain in solid form until heated to a specific temperature. It then instantly turns to liquid, and turns back to solid after being printed. So why is it so sustainable? Solid Ink sticks are a non-toxic resin, much like crayons, and come in a small box made of recycled content. It is the only consumable on the machine compared to the toner, drums, fusers and other moving parts on a normal laser device. This results in a 90% reduction in waste. Storage space and shipping costs are all reduced as well. It is a tremendous improvement from typical laser devices without sacrificing functionality, color quality, consistency or speed.
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http://www.ctx-xerox.com/solidink
Center for Earth Leadership Hits Five Year Mark In 2007, Portland’s well-known environmental couple,
They created a six-session interactive course on how to be an effective agent of change within a personal circle of influence – a neighborhood, school, workplace, center of faith, community, etc. After completing the course, participants receive ongoing training and support through the Center’s Agent of Change Network Having completed the agent of change course, parents from 50 elementary schools are now involved in our Portland and Beaverton Eco-School Network and taking the lead to introduce sustainable practices and raise ecoawareness. These networks welcome new parents on an ongoing basis. The Center’s Green Lifestyle Program includes four initiatives to support citizens who wish to stay abreast of cutting-edge personal practices: (1) 135 Home Eco-Parties have been organized, (2) 49 Path to Zero Waste presentations have been presented in the workplace at noon, (3) 49 monthly eco-tips have been published for redistribution by about 100 organizations, and (4) 15 detailed fact sheets have been posted on the Center’s website. The Center also creates excitement through innovative Ad Hoc Projects . An example was the forming of Portlanders for Outdoor School to reverse a decision by Portland Public Schools to close Outdoor School next school year. http://earthleaders.org
Business Co-ops Build a Better World Jeanne and Dick Roy, formed the Center for Earth Leadership. The singular purpose: to accelerate the transition to an Earth-centered culture through the efforts of intentional citizen agents of change working from the ground up.
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by Erbin Crowell
In the wake of a global recession that continues to devastate communities and livelihoods, people are hungry for alternatives to corporate greed and stock market speculation. As we look at challenges such as climate change, unemployment and growing disparities of wealth and ownership, many of us feel discouraged and unsure of how we can make business more accountable to our communities and our visions for more just, sustainable, and resilient economies. As we seek to build a better world, wouldn’t it be great
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournalpdx.com d Fall 2012
Business ment is receiving renewed attention from the United Nations. Reflecting on the global recession and the threat it posed to international stability and poverty reduction, the UN recognized that co-ops offered a solution and declared 2012 the International Year of Co-operative. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon puts it more simply: “Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility.” So, what is a co-operative? Simply put, it is a business that is equitably owned and democratically controlled by its members for their common good, the good of the community and to accomplish a shared goal or purpose. In contrast to investor-driven business models, co-ops are driven by the needs and goals of their members,
Business and guided by the common good. Any surplus left over at the end of the year is distributed among members, not according to their investment, but in proportion to their use of the business, or is reinvested in further development of the enterprise. And unlike non-profits, co-ops are owned by and accountable to their members. Co-ops are also more common than one might think. The ICA estimates that about 1 billion people worldwide are members of co-ops — more than directly own stock in publicly traded corporations. Globally, more people are employed by co-ops than multinationals. Although more
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if we had a business model that was democratic, based on the principle of “one person, one vote” rather than “one dollar, one vote”? What if it was also rooted in our communities, owned by the people who use its products or services and depend on it for a livelihood? What if it was valuesbased, designed to put the common good before private gain? And would it be asking too much for this business model to be resilient in times of economic crisis, preserving local jobs and infrastructure? Of course, these are not new questions. As in our own time, the 1800s saw dramatic shifts in the global economy, characterized by staggering shifts in wealth, concentration of wealth and power, and severe unemployment. And, similarly, there was a search for alternatives that would enable people to have more control over their lives and communities. For working people, a central challenge of the time was ensuring access to healthy, affordable food. In 1844, a small group of weavers, unionists, and democracy activists took matters into their own hands by founding a modest, community-owned grocery store in the North of England. Their Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers established a set of economic principles that changed the world. Today, the co-operative move-
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Business than one in four Americans are members of about 29,000 co-ops in the US, the co-operative business model is largely ignored by business schools and academic institutions. Co-ops are not perfect. Like any democratic organization, co-ops must balance the sometimes conflicting needs and goals of their members. They also must survive in a competitive marketplace, which may involve compromises. However, in our pursuit of a more just, democratic, and sustainable economy, co-ops may be our best bet. “Cooperatives are arguably the single most successful initiative for taking people out of poverty with dignity that the world has ever seen,” argues Dame Pauline Green, president of the ICA. “What’s more, it is a business model that puts people at the center of the economic model, rather than at uting to more stable food systems, infrastructure, employits mercy!” ment, and services. What’s more, they separate community Taken together, co-ops bring some distinct strengths to wealth from the speculative markets efforts to build a thriving and resilient that have shaken our global economy. regional economy. For example, coCo-ops are both a viable model of Local Food Co-ops operative enterprises: enterprise and concrete expressions of • are democratic, achieving scale Alberta Cooperative Grocery economic democracy, self-help, and without sacrificing local owner1500 NE Alberta St social enterprise — a way of doing ship and control. Food Front Cooperative Grocery business that puts people and com• are difficult to move or buy-out, 2375 NW Thurman St munity first. In short, co-ops build rooting business in the coma better world. And there are many 6344 SW Capitol Hwy munity. ways to get involved in this vision for • are values-based, emphasizing People’s Food Co-op a more co-operative future. the common good as opposed 3029SE 21st Ave Erbin Crowell is Executive Director to private gain. Vancouver Food Cooperative of the Neighboring Food Co-op • are flexible and innovative and 1002 Main St (Vancouver, WA) Association, a network of 30 food cocan be applied to almost any ops and start-ups in New England. community need or goal. He serves on the boards of the CoRegional Co-ops • are resilient and have a low operative Fund of New England and business failure rate compared Tillamook Cheese the National Co-operative Business to other business models. Diamond Fruit Growers Association. For all of these reasons, co-ops http:// http://www.ncba.coop/ strengthen our communities, contrib-
Business
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Building Simplicity Is the Way By Patrick Sughrue
“Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.” - Plato “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo da Vinci “A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.” - Eleanor Roosevelt ‘Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.” – Oscar Wilde Patrick Sughrue owns Structures NW assisting clients in realizing their goal for simple living. http://www.structuresnw.com
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When I started my journey beyond the borders of my upbringing, I learned that simplicity was the way. I built a cabin on the back of a flatbed truck with a six-cylinder engine. You know, the kind of engine where you could see the parts and knew what they did. I found my way to a cabin in a canyon with a spring, a cow and an outdoor shower. I learned to make bread in a wood cook stove, to churn butter and raise honeybees. I went to work and came home tired from a day well spent on producing something tangible. I know simplicity is the way, but like lots of people from my generation, I forgot and bought back into the system. Before you know it, you are working 50 hours a week at something that has little relevance to living, and you have a big mortgage and little time. One step at a time, our society has gone from the simple to the complex. This is especially true of our housing. Today, instead of starting out with a 600-800 sq ft, $5000 house like our parents did, we are told a starter house is 2300 sq ft and we need to sign on the dotted line for a $250,000 mortgage. Sure, this feeds the system and makes our economy go round, but it drives us nuts as we work harder and harder to keep up with the mortgage payments and the credit card purchases needed to fill the house and garage. What if we said no to the system and only built what we needed to live a comfortable life? What if 400 – 500 sq ft per person was a genuine goal? A simple house is one that does not take all your time or money to pay for and maintain. A single story home is easier to build and maintain than a two story one. A simple roof line is easier than one that is chopped up. A green built home will use less of your
income for energy, water and other resources. Then, what if you could work four days a week to meet all your needs, instead of five or six? Those extra days could be spent in the garden, or playing with the kids. I know our economy wouldn’t grow at the rate “they” tell us we need, but what if… simplicity was the way? What if we had time to enjoy summer festivals, live music, a good book in winter, or time to see your grand kids? I think simplicity is the way.
Building Passive Solar Design Basics
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By David Wright Passive solar design begins with the simple idea that you can build a house that uses natural heating, cooling, ventilation and daylighting. These homes require much less fossil fuel energy to heat and cool than conventional homes do, which is better for the environment and saves homeowners money. Passive solar homes are comfortable to live in because they are designed to radiate heat in winter, maintain a comfortable year-round temperature, ventilate naturally, and let in plenty of natural light. I became interested in sustainable design, specifically passive solar design, as a young architect — first while working in the Peace Corps in Africa, and later while working professionally in New Mexico. The details of any particular passive solar home design depend on the climate and the specifics of the site. Over the course of my 35year career, I’ve designed a variety of passive solar houses throughout the country using different configurations of south-facing windows, sunrooms and other passive solar design features. What follows are the principles used to design any passive solar home.
House Orientation and Window Placement
The first consideration for optimizing passive solar energy is to select a house site with adequate solar exposure. For solar heating in winter, a good measure of solar exposure is to have at least four hours of direct solar gain on the winter solstice. The best orientation is to have the “solar” side of the house face within 15 degrees of true south. In climates where summer heat is a major concern, it’s a good idea to aim the solar windows a little east of south to get morning sun in winter and avoid the intense western sun in the warm season. Typically, you would locate the day-use rooms, such as a living room or family room, on the south portion of the home’s floor plan to allow the greatest amount of solar
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Building energy to penetrate these rooms on winter days. This layout also allows you to take advantage of the sunlight and view of the outdoors. The “shell” of the house is composed of exterior insulated walls and “glazing,” or windows. In a conventional home, the window area is equally distributed on all four sides of the home, or the majority of the window area may be focused on the direction with the best view. For a passive solar design, one would locate more of the window area on the south side, which has the best solar access. Some windows would be placed on the east and west sides of the house for daylighting and cross-ventilation with only a few windows to the north. The glazing is important. Choose high-quality, tightly constructed windows to reduce air infiltration. At a minimum, use double-insulated glass. Some of my favorite highquality windows are Loewen metal-clad wood windows, but all-vinyl windows are more economical and perform well. Double glazing is adequate for most climates, although in locations with severe winter conditions, triple glazing is advisable to reduce heat loss and condensation on the glass. I usually recommend clear double glass for solar-oriented windows and “low-e” glazing on the other sides. Low-e glazing limits incoming heat in summer and reduces heat
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Building loss from the inside in winter. Using clear glass on the south wall windows allows more of the sun’s energy to warm the house in winter, when the sun will be able to enter the house through the south-facing windows. In colder climates, using insulative window drapes or blinds at night helps reduce overnight heat loss and increase comfort.
Natural Ventilation and Cooling
Adding Insulation and Thermal Mass
Insulation is a vital part of any energy-efficient home. I have been using structural insulated panels (SIPs) in most of my designs for many years. SIPs are sandwich panels with solid polystyrene (styrofoam) in the middle and oriented strand board structurally laminated to each side. One of the advantages of SIPs is that, if properly used, they are almost airtight, so a home will have minimal air infiltration. Keep in mind that you would also likely need to use mechanical ventilation, such as an energy recovery ventilator, for an airtight house to maintain indoor air quality while also maximizing energy efficiency. Other options for wall and roof insulation include batts, granular loose-fill insulation and sprayed-on foam. The minimum R-factor in most climate zones should be R-19 walls and R-31 roofs. With SIPs, I like to use a minimum of 6-inch walls (R-24) and 8-inch roof panels (R-31). It’s also important to use perimeter-edge insulation if building with concrete slab on grade, particularly if you’re using radiant floor heating. Another key to making passive solar
design work properly is thermal mass. Think of thermal mass as a sponge that absorbs solar heat during the day and slowly releases it at night. In general, the more distributed the thermal mass, the better. I often use masonry interior walls, stone veneer and dense interior plaster to absorb heat throughout the house. Another good way to add thermal mass is with an exposed, darkstained concrete floor. The thermal mass keeps a home from overheating during the day and stores heat for nighttime comfort. Concrete floors and other types of mass also help with summer cooling if you flush out the heat during the cooler nights. Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, please visit www.MotherEarthNews.com. Copyright 2012 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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In summer, you may want shade over the south-facing windows to avoid overheating. At this time of year, the sun will be at a higher angle in the sky, so with a well-designed roof overhang, you can let in the sun during winter while blocking it in summer. A porch outside these windows can also provide shading, or you can use open beams with solar shade cloth, lattice or any kind of sun filtering material added as needed for seasonal shading. It is a good idea for a solar facade to be somewhat flexible to adapt to variable weather conditions. Deciduous trees and vines can also be used to provide shade during summer. Be sure to consider cross-ventilation, too. Windows and doors should be placed carefully around the house to naturally ventilate and cool each room. I also use vent skylights high in the vaulted ceiling to allow daylighting and create natural “stack-effect cooling,” which is what happens when the hot air rises up and out. Interior windows, doors and transoms can facilitate natural convective airflow throughout the house. To supplement, I use Casablanca-type ceiling fans to mix the warm air in winter and provide air movement in summer. In cool or moderate climates, a passive solar house will not require any air conditioning and will be comfortable inside simply with natural nighttime ventilation cooling. When the outdoor temperature drops below the inside temperature, you just open up the house and let it breathe. By morning, it will be nice and cool inside. In designs
with limited natural ventilation, a whole-house fan can be used. In hotter, drier climates, you might consider an evaporative cooler to supplement cooling. In cold climates, I recommend heat-recovery ventilators (HRV). These units expel stale air and bring in fresh air through an air-to-air heat exchanger, recovering more than 60 percent of the heat from the exhaust air. These systems are important in snow country, where windows and doors are kept shut in winter and houses are thermally tight. Heatrecovery ventilators can be on a timer or indoor air-quality sensor to prevent over-ventilating, and with a little creative design, you can replace bathroom fans with this one central unit.
Transportation Studded Tires
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By Jeff Bernards Studded tires have bothered me for years. The driving on ruts, the road noise, the dangerous hydroplaning, and the costs to repair the roads are all concerns for me. As a citizen activist, I contacted my legislator and the Oregon Department of Transportation, but couldn’t get any justifiable answers as to why studded tires are still legal. According to an Oregon legislative fact sheet, only 10 percent of drivers use studded tires west of the Cascades, yet they cut road life by 50 percent. They were banned in Minnesota in the 1970s and if any state has winter weather, its Minnesota. The more research Photo Courtesy of Flickr User - royal_briol I did, the more I learned it is more than just ruts and money, it’s also about the environment. Asphalt is made from oil, and if road life is cut in half, then we’re drilling, transporting, and refining twice as much oil when studded tires are used. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the average studded tire over its life chews up one-half to three-fourths of a ton of asphalt. That’s a fine dust that is in our air, on our land and eventually washed into our rivers and oceans. A Swedish study found that the toxic dust created by studded tires is 60 to 100 times higher than from regular tires. Stockholm air contains higher levels of harmful PM10 particles — tiny ones that are one to 10 micrometers — than Los Angeles because of studded tires. Tests have shown the dust to be the size that can lodge in your lungs. “These particles can also have inflammatory and toxic effect,” says Doug Brugge, professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts School of Medicine in Boston. Japan banned studded tires in 1990 because of the toxic dust that was created. That’s when Bridgestone Tire developed the Blizzak all-weather snow and ice tire. An Alaskan 16
study reported that the Blizzak outperformed studded tires in a wider range of winter driving conditions. Almost everyone I met who has switched to the stud-less snow tire says they would never go back to using studded tires. They say they felt safer. Concern with climate change is the biggest reason I pursued a 2012 ballot initiative to ban studded tires. Consuming and using a limited and expensive resource like oil will have negative consequences both for the environment and state budgets. Studies have shown that both gas mileage and tire life are reduced on rough roads versus smooth roads, so it becomes a carbon footprint issue. Studded tire users claim their safety is most important and I feel the same way. Driving on rain-filled ruts is dangerous for all of us, year round. However, the Washington State Department of Transportation estimates that the need for studded tires occurs in only one percent of driving conditions. That equates to three to four days a year, which just doesn’t justify driving for five months with studded tires. Driving slower and using all-weather snow and ice tires during wintery conditions would solve that safety issue. Under extreme conditions, such as those encountered when driving to Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, etc, chains are the safest option. Spending money to pay for roads has its own carbon footprint that needs to be considered when evaluating the impact of studded tires. Everything in our lives travels over the roads: our jobs, our food, and consumer goods. Until that changes, it’s in all our interest to protect our valuable infrastructure. In 1996, an Oregon State University study suggested a ban first, then suggested a $140 fee to lessen the burden on the 84 percent of Oregonians that don’t use studded tires. My personal feeling is that with the advent of modern snow and ice tires, studded tires are obsolete. Jeff Bernards of Portland was chief petitioner of a 2012 ballot initiative that would have banned the use of studded tires in Oregon. Bernards’ group is taking this issue to the 2013 legislature. http://preservingoregonroads.com
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Electric Vehicle News 3rd Annual John Day or Bust EV Caravan By Diane Henkels
Electric Vehicle News
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Imagine three Nissan Leafs (one red, one white, and one blue), and a couple of converted Toyota Yarises (one with a splashy Monavie ad), all caravanning 290 miles from Portland to John Day, OR. We were taking our electric vehicles (EVs) to SolWest, a yearly enduring renewable energy and sustainability fair, to show them off at the three day event. The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA), offered me a carpool since I’d given up owning an automobile in December 2011. Besides, I wanted to learn more about these EVs. The OEVA, which advocates for electric vehicle use in Oregon, was well represented with engineers, an equipment dealer, and a DIY car converter, all jazzed to share the fun and driving puzzles of the trip. A puzzle it was, too, since we pass no fast charging stations in eastern Oregon. The Nissan Leaf has a range of about 100 miles, where the Yaris can go about 40 miles more, so deciding how and when to stop for the five vehicles was an exercise in flexibility. After topping off on Electric Avenue (a.k.a. Portland State University’s fast charging station in downtown Portland), OEVA picked me up in and we headed east. First fueling stop was Cascade Locks where I learned that RV parks generally have 240 Volt outlets, the equivalent of a Level 2 charging station, which can recharge a Leaf zero to full in about six hours. A few leisurely hours there included a look at an EV “tool kit” consisting of several plug-in adapters and related tools. After Cascade Locks, we stopped briefly in Hood River to check out the new Level 2 charger, but it was not yet operational. Apparently there is also a
DC Quick Charger (Level 3) in Hood River which charges to 80% in one half hour. We’ll have to look for it on another trip. Onward to Dufur. We made it to the RV park in Dufur, but encountered circuit breaker problems which we overcame by rearranging the vehicles. We dined in a local restaurant, buying and browsing the local store and paid the RV park manager $5 apiece for our share of the power used. Condon was our next destination for a charging stop, so we mostly coasted down from Dufur to I-84 topping off the already almost full batteries. Then some unexpected excitement, for as we headed east to Biggs, we passed by the flames of a large brush fire across the river. At Biggs we turned south, and climbed up on the plateau dotted red with wind turbine lights. The instrument panel showed our available range starting to drop. With our hill-climbing, we’d dropped to five miles of range left, so we slowed our speed from the 55 mile speed limit to 35-39 miles per hour to gain a few extra miles. I wondered what we’d do if we ran out of juice. At midnight, with all the gas stations closed, three Leafs took turns plugging into the 240 and 110 volt sockets available at Grey and Sun, a green building and solar store. A
EV News
Re-Art Astute ‘Adoornment’
Cabinet Doors Become Artist’s Canvas By Katie Cordrey
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Photo Courtesy of Dave Densley, Media Perfection LLC.
neat sign posted there read, “Honor System, Charging $.50 per kW”. We dutifully paid $7 for 14 kW that would get us the 20 miles to Fossil , and at 1 am we departed. Arriving in Fossil around 1:40 am we pulled into In the Sticks Juniper Saw Mill, to recharge. The Yarises, with their longer range, had already arrived and were charging from the mill’s two outlets. We rearranged vehicles, and at 2 am, I put up my tent and went to sleep. I barely heard the car motors as they rearranged again, maximizing the plug configuration to fuel the cars simultaneously. Six hours later we gathered for breakfast, with one Leaf driving into town as our EV ambassador, while the rest of us walked. We had a great breakfast at the Timber Wolf Café. Leaving Fossil, we made our way along the John Day River past the layered sandstone walls of the John Day Fossil beds. We stopped in Dayville to charge at a large garage of a SolWest friend, went to lunch, and bought stamps at the local post office. Thirty-two hours after we left Portland, most of us made it to John Day and on time. One converted Yaris missed, as it had no range indicator and ran out of charge. He arrived later. We were also joined by an EV coming from Bend and an e-Veepster. In the end we measured about 67 kW for a Leaf to travel one-way (290 miles). I’ll enjoy the memory of this trip, especially as I am sure this picture will change as more DC quick chargers and other Level 3 charging stations are deployed. Up from two EVs last year, OEVA is working towards the day when EVs will come from all parts to join at SolWest, demonstrating the practicality of EVs in beautiful, remote, and spacious Eastern Oregon.
Bright colors, a love of nature, a sense of delight, and a practiced hand all contribute to the look and feel of Elizabeth See’s oil paintings. At first glance, her work appears to be rendered on traditional materials. Closer examination will reveal that she uses discarded cabinet doors and cut-offs from woodworking production as the canvas for her art. The BZ Corner, WA artist takes repurposing seriously and is constantly on the hunt for scrap wood and disused cabinetry. Befriending nature by keeping usable materials from the landfill is as much a part of her as is sitting quietly studying the subjects of her paintings. Elizabeth participated in the Cracked Pots Art Show for the first time in 2012, but her work is well-known in The Gorge where she makes her home. Show locations and current works are usually listed on her blog at: http://elizabethseepaints.blogspot.com
Diane Henkels, Attorney, Cleantech Law Partners http://www.cleantechlawpartners.com 18
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Eco-Fashion Inner (tube) Beauty
Artful Accessories from Recycled Bicycle Inner Tubes By Katie Cordrey
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When Julia Garretson looks at bicycle inner tubes, she sees jewelry. When others look at her jewelry, they see- well... Jewelry. As a member of Portland’s Trillium Artisan Etsy Team, Julia is one of several local artisans dedicated to using recycled materials in her work. The end result is a wonderful collection of handmade paper and jewelry which she markets locally as well as online. Having grown up in Massachusetts, the clever craftswoman brought her passion for making things with her hands to Portland. Here, she graduated from Oregon College of Art and Craft with a degree in metalsmithing. The talented artists forges, welds, builds with cob, makes lampshades, and teaches. Did we mention that she also takes part in the Cracked Pots Art Show? Just looking at Julia’s work is happy-making. The fact that it is made from materials that might otherwise be clogging up the landfill is a windfall worth wearing. This is definitely adornment that won’t leave the wearer feeling flat. For more information about Julia Garretson’s work, visit her Etsy shop online at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/JuliaGarretson
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Health Walk It Off By Ginevra Holtkamp You probably know walking is good for your waistline, but do you know walking may also lower stress levels, improve mood and reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease? Walking — even only moderately — provides a host of health benefits, and it’s a gentle, low-impact form of exercise accessible to almost everyone. If you’ve been inactive and tire easily, the Mayo Clinic recommends starting with short daily sessions of five to 10 minutes and building up to 15 minutes twice a week. Then, gradually work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes of walking almost every day of the week. If you’re having trouble getting motivated, these six surprising health benefits of walking will help you take the first step.
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1. C’mon Get Happy
Pick up your feet and pick up your spirits. Psychologist James Blumenthal and his colleagues at the Duke University Medical Center have been studying the effects of exercise in relieving symptoms of depression for more than a decade. Their research shows that exercising for 30 minutes three times a week is as effective as taking antidepressants and that
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continued exercise greatly reduces the chances of depression returning.
2. Live Long and Prosper
Even small amounts of physical activity can add up to big health benefits. According to a recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet, just 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise such as brisk walking can add years to your life. Researchers analyzed the health records and reported activity levels of more than 400,000 people from 1996 to 2008. After taking into account differences in age, weight, sex and a range of health-related indicators, they found on average people who exercised 15 minutes a day had a 14 percent reduced risk of death and a three-year longer life expectancy. Every additional 15 minutes of daily moderate exercise further reduced the risk of death by four percent.
3. Bring Back the Spark
If your libido is lacking, vigorous walking may be an appealing remedy. In her book A Tired Woman’s Guide to Passionate Sex, Laurie B. Mintz recommends revving up your sex drive with exercise. “Exercise increases blood flow all over the body — including to the genitals — which results in enhanced sexual pleasure,” she said. Mintz suggests
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Health doubling your pleasure by focusing on the sexual thoughts and sensations that can occur during exercise. “Be in the moment,” she said. “Zone in on your body and your movements, and you may feel a stronger desire for sex.”
4. Get Some Shut-Eye
Tired of being tired? A study published in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity found people sleep better and feel more alert during the day if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, or about 30 minutes five days a week. Some researchers think physical activity improves sleep by helping reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and others suggest simply burning more energy during the day makes you more tired at night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends exercising at least three hours before bedtime to give your body time to cool down.
5. Stay Sharp
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Walking can strengthen your body and your mind. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found moderate exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in forming memories. Researchers randomly placed 120 sedentary people in one of two groups. One group walked 40 minutes a day, three times a week. The other was limited to less aerobic exercise such as stretching. After a year, brain scans showed that among the walkers, the hippocampus had expanded by about two percent. In the others, its volume had decreased by about 1.4 percent.
6. Beat Breast Cancer
Working up a sweat may help prevent breast cancer. In a study from the Women’s Health Initiative, postmenopausal women who walked briskly as little as 1.25 to 2.5 hours a week reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 18 percent compared with inactive women. In another study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Yale researchers found that women who walked briskly for two to three hours a week after being diagnosed with breast cancer had a 45 percent greater chance of survival. Excerpted from Natural Home & Garden. Copyright 2012 by Ogden Publications Inc.
http://www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com
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Re-Cycle The Mysteries of Recycling: Part I Understanding the Problem By Gary Munkhoff What’s so mysterious about recycling? We dutifully put our waste paper, cardboard, empty cans, plastic containers, and glass jars into our recycle containers and then set them at the curb. Some of the more conscientious of us even give some thought to the rules for what can be recycled and how it should be sorted. Others don’t. Then we all go about our daily lives thinking that we are building a more sustainable world by turning our waste into someone else’s treasure. Seems simple enough. Ah, if only that were true.
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Historical Perspective
Recycling, as we think of it today, didn’t come into existence until the early 1970’s. Even then, it didn’t really catch the nation’s attention until 1987, when the ill-fated garbage barge named Mobro 4000 sailed from Islip, Long Island, NY. Loaded with 3,100 tons of garbage, and trash, the barge traveled down the east coast, along the Gulf coast to Mexico, and finally to Belize in Central America looking for a landfill that would accept its cargo. No one wanted the Mobro 4000’s garbage, and so it was hauled all the way back to New York, where it was met with a restraining order. A legal battle ensued. Seven months later, the trash was finally incinerated in Brooklyn. The story was front-page news for weeks and became the wake up call for many communities that we were all in danger of being buried in our own trash. Recycling efforts
But to really understand our problems with waste we have to go back to a time long before the Mobro 4000 ever left port. The case can be made that the need for modern recycling began on December 7, 1941. World War II forged cataclysmic changes that totally reshaped how the human race interacted with the natural world. Driven by a frantic need to develop weapons capable of destroying life and property on a scale unimaginable by anyone up to this point, the world’s governments reacted quickly. Mankind’s brightest minds combined with unlimited resources were wildly successful in opening a Pandora’s box of technological advancements and high production techniques. These were unlike anything ever seen and whose impacts on the environment were not understood. In fact, their impact was not even considered relevant. “Win at any cost” was the only option. The war ended, but there was no closing the lid on the box. The war’s chemical and nuclear technologies were quickly redirected into creating plastics, synthetic fibers, fertilizers, pesticides, power plants, and thousands of other products to make our lives more comfortable and enjoyable. Remember that prior to WWII, the American consumer endured 12 years of the Great Depression when thrift, shortages, and making do without were the order of the day. All these new products, combined with the war’s highspeed production facilities, set the stage for the consumer boom that gave rise to the Fabulous Fifties, the Soaring Sixties, and eventually a barge named Mobro 4000. This new peacetime economy’s efficiency and productivity brought consumer goods to market in high quantities and at low prices. Americans quickly bought into the idea that disposable goods were the way to a life of ease and plenty. The “throw it out and buy another rather than repair it” mentality, along with a rapidly growing population, proved to be the perfect recipe for creating mountains of garbage.
The Problem
And boy do Americans create a lot of garbage. We are talking about hundreds of millions of tons per year, and the collection, hauling, and disposing of this mountain of
The Coast Guard vessel Cape Fox brings EPA and DEC personnel to the Mobro 4000 to inspect the barge’s solid waste. Photo courtesy of John E. Conover, Jr., P.E.
began in earnest, and by the year 2000, at least half of all Americans could leave their bottles, cans and newspaper at the curb. Progress continues, and in 2010, Oregonians recovered 50% of their waste, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. 22
Seattle’s waste headed for the Arlington, OR landfill. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Slideshow Bruce
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Re-Cycle
Gardening Perennial Vegetables: Grow More Food With Less Work By Vicki Mattern Suppose a new agricultural breakthrough promised higher yields, a longer growing season and much less work. These claims can become real benefits for those willing to make a change to a way of gardening that more closely mimics nature.
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municipal solid waste (as it is now called) presents a formidable challenge. The problem grows each year as shown by the data compiled by The U.S. Environmental Protection agency. In 1960, each one of us threw out 2.68 pounds of waste every day, but by 2010, we were each throwing away 4.43 pounds of waste daily. With our population growth over the same 50-year period, the grand total of waste generated in 2010 was 250 million tons. As if this huge amount of waste is not enough of a problem in itself, we also have to contend with the fact that the vast majority of what we discard today is composed of materials and chemical compounds that did not exist 60 years ago. Some experts estimate that there are 30,000 to 40,000 chemical compounds that we are exposed to today that did not exist prior to WWII. These materials are not only resistant to being broken down naturally, but their very chemical makeup can wreak havoc with the biological processes of most living creatures that come in contact with them. “Another man’s treasure” in this mess is hard to find. So the question is: why can’t a nation that put a man on the moon in 10 years, solve its messy garbage problem in 30 years? Stay tuned for Part II: The Business of Recycling
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Gardening Nature’s ecosystems always include not only annual vegetables, but also perennials — edible roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, and fruits that produce year after year. Besides fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, more than 100 species of perennial vegetables grow well in North America. By growing perennials, you’ll create a more diverse garden that ultimately needs less from you. You’ll spend less time working and more time harvesting. “It’s as close to zero-work gardening as you can get,” says Eric Toensmeier, author of Perennial Vegetables. “Our perennial vegetable beds planted 11 years ago still bear food, and all we do is add compost and mulch once a year.”
3 Ways to Incorporate Garden Perennials
1. Push the Envelope. “One method to begin perennial edible gardening is to expand the edges of an already established garden,” says Bethann Weick, garden educator at D Acres, an organic permaculture farm and educational homestead in Dorchester, NH. Perennial vegetables do well in beds devoted only to perennials because their extensive root systems grow undisturbed by digging and cultivating. However, inter-planting with annuals can also be a successful strategy and one way to control erosion in your perennial garden. If space or conditions won’t allow you to expand your garden’s edges, you can experiment and create a perennial vegetable border within the bounds of your existing vegetable garden. 2. Dive into Edible Landscaping. If you already grow a perennial ornamental border or foundation shrubs, consider integrating some perennial vegetables, such as sea kale or sorrel. Many have attractive leaves or flowers, and they won’t become so aggressive that they overtake ornamentals. If your gardening space is limited, try growing perennial vegetables — especially greens — in containers.
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Take advantage of currently unused areas of your landscape, matching the conditions to the appropriate perennial edibles. 3. Pioneer a Plant Community. If you’re already growing perennial vegetables and want to take garden diversification to the next level, consider permaculture gardening. Like nature’s ecosystems, this approach promotes greater partnerships between plants, soil, insects and wildlife. In permaculture designs, edible vegetables, herbs, fruiting shrubs and vines grow as an understory to taller fruit and nut trees. The technique is sometimes called “layering.”
Best Perennials
Based on expert recommendations, the following are widely adapted perennial vegetables selected for their flavor, productivity and versatility. 1. Ramps, or Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum). This onion relative grows wild in deciduous forests east of the Mississippi, emerging in spring. Leaves and bulbs are both edible. Grow in a shady border in moist loam, or naturalize beneath trees. Hardy to Zone 4. 2. Groundnut (Apios Americana). Native to eastern North America, this nitrogen-fixing, 6-foot vine bears highprotein tubers that taste like nutty-flavored potatoes. Grow the vines as Native Americans did: near a shrub (as support) in a moist site that receives full sun or partial shade. Harvest in fall. Hardy to Zone 3. 3. Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis). This familiar plant is long-lived and productive, bearing delicious green or purple shoots in spring. Asparagus thrives in full sun and moist, welldrained soil. For best production, plant male hybrids. Hardy to Zone 3. 4. Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonushenricus). A traditional European vegetable known for its tasty shoots, leaves and flower buds, this spinach relative grows in full sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Plant seeds in compost-enriched soil, and harvest the tender shoots in spring. Hardy to Zone 3. 5. Sea Kale (Crambe maritime). Sometimes grown as an ornamental, this coastal native bears gray-blue leaves
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Gardening and white flowers on 3-foot-tall plants. Cover the plants in spring and harvest the blanched, hazelnut-flavored shoots when they are about 6 inches tall. The young leaves and flowers are edible, too. Plant nicked seeds in moist, welldrained soil in full sun. Hardy to Zone 4. 6. Jerusalem Artichoke, or Sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Grown by Native Americans, sunchokes bear sunflower-
Gardening Happy Returns From Perennial Gardens
Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. Copyright 2011 by Ogden Publications Inc. http://www.MotherEarthNews.com
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like blooms on 6- to 12-foot stems. The crisp, sweet tuber can be eaten raw and used like potatoes. An added bonus: Sunchokes attract beneficial insects. Plant tubers in full sun and well-drained soil. Harvest in fall and winter. Hardy to Zone 2. 7. Lovage (Levisticum officinale). The young leaves and stems of this 6-foot-tall perennial are an excellent substitute for celery in springtime soups. The seeds and roots are also edible, and the umbel flowers attract beneficial insects. Lovage thrives in average garden soil, in sun or partial shade. Hardy to Zone 4. 8. Rhubarb (Rheum x cultorum). Although most people think of rhubarb for dessert, the reddish stems have a long history of use as a vegetable in soups in Asia. Caution: Don’t eat the leaves or roots, which are poisonous. Plant rhubarb roots in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Harvest in spring. Hardy to Zone 1. 9. French Sorrel (Rumex acetosa). The lance-shaped leaves of sorrel add a wonderful, lemony tang to salads and soups, and they can be harvested from early spring to late fall. Look for sorrel transplants in the herbs section at your local nursery. Sorrel grows in sun or shade and average soil. Hardy to Zone 3. 10. Crosnes, or Chinese Artichoke (Stachys affinis). Also known as mintroot, this little-known mint relative sets out runners that form a dense, 12-inch-high ground cover. The small, white tubers are crisp and sweet, and add a great crunch to salads. Harvest the tubers annually for best plant growth (just leave a few for the following year). Grow crosnes in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. Hardy to Zone 5.
Keeping your perennial plantings going isn’t much different from caring for annual crops. In fact, after they’ve been established, perennial vegetables practically care for themselves. “These plants have deeper root systems, so they need fewer outside resources — such as fertilizer and water — than annual crops usually need,” says Toensmeier. With its increased diversity, your garden should have fewer insect and disease problems. For added insurance against pests, Weick interplants calendula and other flowering plants to attract beneficial insects. Otherwise, maintenance is simple. Feed perennials annually with compost or another organic fertilizer, replenish the mulch each spring, and remove any weeds that sneak in. Consider these measures a small investment, because “planting perennial edibles is planting for the future,” Weick says. “Over time, you’ll put in less work and harvest more food, while building diversity and stewarding the land for future generations.”
Food Make Your Own Herbal Soda at Home
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By Kathryn Kingsbury
the only way to acquire beer was to make it yourself, the art of small beers also went through a revival and, in some corners of the country, it stuck.
With soft drinks as much a part of the junk-food panHow to Make Homemade Pop theon as burgers and fries, it’s hard to imagine that physiDid you know? Old cookbooks are a rich source of soft cians once promoted drink recipes. An 1887 edition of the White House Cook the drinks as cures for Book, a compilation of recipes used by first ladies from all sorts of ailments. In Martha Washington through Julia Grant, includes hop beer, the late 1800s, drugginger beer, spruce beer and sassafras mead. gists frequently served Root Beer up root beer for overall Note about sassafras root: Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) well-being, ginger ale root, which is used in this root beer recipe, has been banned for nausea and Cocaby the FDA as a flavoring in root beer because its oil conCola for headaches and tains about 80 percent safrole, a carcinogen (if used regularhangovers. ly, in large quantities, over a long period) and liver toxin. If Of course, the sodas you are concerned or plan to drink this beverage regularly, a of yesteryear were ensafrole-free extract is available. Herbalists suggest pregnant tirely different creatures women avoid sarsaparilla (Smilax spp). from the ones we find Root beer extracts, usually in an amount suitable for five on our supermarket gallons of beverage, are available from herb and spice purshelves today. They were made from natural veyors. These yield a drink that’s very close in flavor to comPhoto Courtesy Of Flickr User - gsz mercial root beers. Making your own infusions, however, ingredients — the roots, leaves, flowers and barks of plants credited with health ben- allows for experimentation and a distinctive “house” brew. Ours is less sweet than most. MAKES ABOUT 1 GALLON efits. But pharmacists would not leave well 5 quarts water enough alone. Many had received trainWhat You’ll Need 1/4 ounce hops ing as chemists, and they couldn’t resist • Large soup or spaghetti pot 1/2 ounce dried burdock root the urge to experiment with different • Funnel 1/2 ounce dried yellow dock root chemical combinations to produce ar• Glass bottles with screw-on caps 1/2 ounce dried sarsaparilla root tificial colorings and flavorings. By the and/or bail-top beer bottles, 1/2 ounce dried sassafras root early 1900s, synthesized flavorings were (sterilized) 1/2 ounce dried spikenard root taking over the soda world. • Sugar 1 1/2 cups sugar Fortunately, the art of making your • Herbs 1/8 teaspoon granulated yeast own soda from plants was not com• Yeast pletely lost. For centuries, homemakers 1. Simmer herbs in water for 30 had been stirring up batches of “small minutes. Add sugar, stir to dissolve and beers” — low-alcostrain into a crock. Cool to lukewarm, add yeast and stir hol, bubbly drinks well. Cover crock and leave to ferment for about an hour. — right alongside 2. Funnel into sterilized bottles (old beer or soft drink homebrewed beer. bottles will do), and cap tightly. Metal caps, caps applied Small beers, such as with a crimping tool or wire-hinged caps are best. If you root beer and ginger cork your bottles, tie or wire the corks down firmly and ale, allowed chilstore bottles on their side to encourage sealing. Use only dren and workers to sturdy, returnable-type beer bottles or champagne bottles, enjoy the refreshing as those with twist-top caps are not strong enough. foaminess of beer Spruce Beer without the drunkIn her small classic, The Country of the Pointed Firs, enness. During Sarah Orne Jewett writes of a 19th-century New England Prohibition, when 26
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournalpdx.com d Fall 2012
Food herbalist whose spruce beer is the stuff of which memories are made. Our version is less complex and more tonic, but very refreshing. MAKES 1 GALLON 2 quarts fresh spruce tips, packed 1 gallon water 1/2 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon yeast 1. Simmer spruce tips in water for 1 hour. 2. Strain out spruce, then stir in sugar and let cool to lukewarm. 3. Add yeast, let stand 1 hour, then bottle as for root beer.
Ginger Beer
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The Swedes make a soft “beer” that’s flavored only with lemons; the addition of pungent fresh gingerroot makes a refreshing, thirst-quenching beverage. We’ve seen recipes that also add a sprig or two of rosemary. MAKES ABOUT 1 GALLON 1 ounce fresh gingerroot, chopped coarsely 1 lemon, thinly sliced 1 gallon water 2 cups sugar 1/8 teaspoon yeast 1. Place gingerroot and lemon slices in a large kettle and bruise them with a potato masher. 2. Add water, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, add sugar, and stir until dissolved. 3. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in yeast, and let stand for about an hour. Bottle as described for root beer and store in a cool place. Excerpted from The Herb Companion, a national magazine devoted to growing, cooking and healing with herbs. Copyright 2012 by Ogden Publications Inc. http:// herbcompanion.com
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Education There’s a whole lot of stuff I think we don’t need to know. The things that we do need to know are going to pertain to basics like growing food, building shelter, creating local economies that work, and capturing energy. The remedy Orr proposes would teach interrelatedness through schools that are fundamentally rooted in a sense of place. He spoke with Super Consciousness Magazine (SC) about an education that empowers students to be creative and make decisions that enable a renewable future.
Education An Ecology Based Education
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Interview with David W. Orr What is the purpose of education? What exactly are we trying to achieve by sending kids to school for twelve years? Dr. David Orr, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, sees a direct connection between how we teach children and the disastrous impacts of our dependence on fossil fuels. A pioneer in the ecological literacy movement, he believes that all education should be ecologically based, from the design of the campus to the curriculum itself. “All education is environmental education,” says Orr. “Students either learn that they are a part of or apart from the natural world.” He points out that some of the worst atrocities in modern memory, including those perpetuated in Nazi Germany, were carried out by highly educated people. “Much of what has gone wrong with the world is the result of education that alienates us from life in the name of human domination . . . and unleashes on the world minds ignorant of their own ignorance,” he says. One result is the abuse of the environment, leading to an accelerated rate of climate change.
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SC: You’ve said the dependency on oil is a zero sum game which encourages competition. How do you see that impacting education? DO: I think that our civilization is different than any previous civilization because of its connection with oil and coal. On the positive side, that created the civilization we have with all its benefits. Oil gave us the illusion of mobility. In our access to highways and so forth, the charm of the countryside, rural lives, rural places, urban neighborhoods, the fabric of life was surrendered in the search for velocity. If you took fossil fuels out of the human fixture in the twentieth century, we would have educated people radically differently. I don’t think we would have ever made the split between liberal arts and practical arts. SC: It seems that part of the issue is that we need to rethink education and yet the whole crop of teachers that we currently have were all educated according to the status quo. How can we go about retraining the educators themselves? DO: The kind of people that go into teaching care about kids, and go into it initially with a lot of idealism and a lot of energy and the system typically grinds them down. It’s pretty clear society puts priorities in building giant stadiums downtown, not in taking care of its schools. Having said that, I think one proposal is to take all of the standards and tests and toss ‘em out the window and allow much greater local control of the schools. You know there was no test that could have tested students in Plato’s
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Education
Education
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terms of the climate crisis in terms of academy. There’s no test that was apecological literacy. Have you seen any propriate to someone like Abraham progress on that? Lincoln. I am a believer in a lot more DO: Yes, I think there is progress. I spontaneity. wrote an article in Chronicle of Higher I think that humans are natural Education proposing climate neutrallearners at all levels. We like to solve ity as a goal for colleges and universiproblems. I don’t think you beat it ties and that was about 1999 or 2000, into them. Kids are going to be creand there now is an organization that ative. Teaching to the test has killed a got more than 500 signatures of college lot of creativity in this country. We used to learn a lot as kids grow- presidents pledging their institutions to go carbon neutral. ing up on farms, or around farms, SC: In terms of taking back our or from the village blacksmith, kids power related to education specifically, learned about metal working and all what can individuals do? sorts of practical skills that had liberal DO: I think we have to learn what arts kind of connotations. It wasn’t it is we’re trying to do. Are we trying to just being on the farm. You learned all equip somebody to be a good, dependkinds of metaphorical thinking and able member of the economy or to bepractical things, and ways to relate come a person of considerable stature things that appeared not to be conand potential? If our goal is more to nected. Our kids now don’t learn anything like that, in that way, and I think educe, or to draw forth, then I think it’s the creativity of young people has been a very different kind of education and empowering. Taking back the power tragically lost. They’re instantly smart in some ways is a matter of discoverabout electronic devices and almost as dumb as they are smart about practical ing the power that we have inside ourselves. It’s the power of creativity, things. SC: What are some of the things you it’s the power of discernment, it’s the of knowing what to do when you’re power of moral character. It is the pow- empowered just aren’t there. believe everyone should know when er to be creative, and it is the power to they graduate? SC: ”All education is environmenseize power, to make decisions. DO: In facing the realities of more tal education.” What does that mean That’s a much messier process expensive fossil fuels and climate exactly? because some people will be given the change which are coming at us very DO: It’s the great out-of-doors that opportunity and will become destrucquickly, the things we need to know shaped the human mind. I can’t imagtive in the process. But the best kind of ine the mind like we have emerging in are going to pertain to basics like education I can think of is rather more an indoor setting or something like a growing food, building shelter, creatlike a combination of Buddhism and ing local economies that work, capshopping mall. And I think our capaMarie Montessori. It has a lot of freeturing energy, and, in our spare time, bilities were honed by tens of thoudom and it has to begin early because reading Shakespeare, writing poetry sands of years in the savannah and in if all of a sudden you say to kids in and doing those things that make life forests and looking at the night sky. their sophomore year of college, “now meaningful. But I think that we’re I think that shaped our religion, our we’re going to give you this freedom,” going to have to learn very quickly. philosophy, our fears, our animosities, We’re going to need to know or relearn they won’t know how to handle it. the heights and depths of the human When it doesn’t start early that a whole lot of things that we forgot. character. These are places in which we means that people like me that teach Things our great-grandparents knew find ourselves. in the college level basically do a lot of but we thought we’d risen beyond. This article appeared originally on remedial education and sometimes it We’re going to have to relearn how http://www.superconsciousness.com works and sometimes it doesn’t. More to enjoy physical work again. and is used by permission. It has been often than not I think it really doesn’t SC: You mentioned that you believe edited for length. Super Consciousness work because the habits of indepenevery school, every college and every is “The Voice for Human Potential”. dence and creativity and the habits university needs to take a stand on Issue 18 c Green Living Journal d Fall 2012 29
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A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournalpdx.com d Fall 2012
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