Urban Salvage & High-Tech Trash
Ultra Pods
Sprouts!
Why You Should Grow Your Own
Living Buildings
ECO-FASHION HANDBAGS Eeew - Cool! Black Soldier Flies · Lessons from Farm School Recycled Materials Art · Food · Book Reviews · Gardening · Local Notes · EV News
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A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Contents
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Publisher’s Page Green or Status? ..............................................................4 Local Notes . .........................................................................6 Building - Worlds Largest Living Building ................8 Nature Black Soldier Flies ......................................................... 10 Transportation Ultra Pods at Heathrow............................................... 11 Eco-Maintenance for Your Car.................................. 12 Eco-Fashion Chic Unique - Leather Handbags by BD503........ 13 RE-World e-Waste - Urban Salvage and High-tech Trash... 14 Re-Art - Secret Book Boxes......................................... 16 Gardening Five Reasons for Sprouting at Home ..................... 17 Electric Vehicle News First Electric Vehicle to Timberline ......................... 19 Food Under Pressure (The Amazing Pressure Cooker)...... 19 Education From Broccoli to Business Planning ...................... 22 Special BookSection What’s the Best Book You’ve Read Lately?........... 26 On the Nightstand........................................................ 28 Book Review Homegrown and Handmade ................................... 30 Books: A Living History................................................ 30 Events ................................................................................ 31 Classifieds ...................................................................... 31
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Green Living Journal
Publisher’s Page continued
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: Living Building: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens; Handbag: BD503; Pods: Ultra Global Ltd. Printed: with soy-based inks on Blue Heron recycled paper by Signature Graphics.
young mind, why didn’t we have one? Why was my uncle so special? Well kid, welcome to Facts of Life 101 - Social Classes, Status Symbols and Prestige. Once tuned in, I quickly became aware that status symbols permeated our suburban life. And in that part of the world, in the late 1940s, if you lived out on “The Island” in Nassau County, worked in Manhattan with a Murray Hill phone prefix, drove a Cadillac, shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue, and owned a 12 inch TV set (black and white mind you), then you had arrived. You may not have been wealthy, but you were living the American Dream and had all the right stuff to prove it. Ah, but time marches on, the world changes and so do our status symbols. Sometimes in ways that are impossible to understand. Take the emergence of the Volkswagen Beetle as a status symbol (but only if it was your second car) of the late 1950s and through the 1960s. It was everything that a Cadillac was not: cramped, underpowered, noisy, ugly, manual shift only and cheap. They sold like hot cakes and if you didn’t own one, well, you were slipping. Go figure. Time continued to march on and the soaring sixties gave way to years of crisis after crises in the last days of the twentieth century. The Beetle, as a second car was replaced by the SUV, and the F-150 pickup. The enormous Cadillac was pushed from the spotlight by an invasion of smaller but well engineered makes from Germany and Japan ( BMW, Mercedes and Luxus to name a few ). The middle class moved from their 1800 square foot homes to 3000 + square foot “snout houses” where their Mercedes could be seen by all the neighbors. The detached single car garage behind the house was replaced with three and four car bays built into the front of the house (“the ‘snout”). As we left the second millennium and entered the third, growing crises related to population, climate, oil, environment, terrorism, debt, recession, unemployment and war dominated the news media and our daily conversations. With all of these crises driving us to make changes perhaps the time has come to re-define our status symbols as well, but who or what controls our choices? Our homes and vehicles consume nearly half of all the energy used in the US, and much of that energy is derived from the burning of fossil fuels. So any reduction in energy consumption there, would have a corresponding reduction in the amount of fossil fuels burned. Just what we need to do to avert the crises of peak oil, air pollution and national security. Considering that, why isn’t a 2000 square foot home that produces more energy than it needs, more impressive and desirable than a 3000 square foot homes that doesn’t?
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Publisher’s Page Green or Status? By Gary Munkhoff It was big, it was shiny, it was beautiful, and it was love at first sight. That’s how my uncle’s brand new 1948 Cadillac struck me. To this 10 year old boy, whose first 7 years of life were shaped by adults living in a long, tough depression and then marching off to fight WW II, that Cadillac was something out of this world. The war was over, rationing was a memory, Dad was home and had a good job, as did most of the other ex-GIs in our neighborhood. So why didn’t everyone have one of those magnificent Cadillacs? Or, more importantly in my 4
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Publisher’s Page continued Why don’t solar panels, extra insulation and triple glazed windows rate as status symbols along side swimming pools, three car garages and square footage? Why isn’t a Nissan Leaf or a Chevrolet Volt, with their cutting edge electric technology, parked in your driveway more impressive and desirable than an oil burning, emissions spewing Mercedes that is still using the 100 year old technology that created our crises in the first place? Again, go figure. As I see it, it’s up to each one of us to create a whole new cadre of status symbols that will enhance our world, and that we can incorporate into our own individual lives. These can be as simple as a laundry line, food from a local farmer, or as grand as a net zero home or an electric car. It’s no longer about what your peers think of you. It’s all about what your grandchildren will think of you when they are adults, and living in the world that you left them.
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Local Notes continued
Local Notes
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PCC Seeks Net Zero in Newberg Center PCC’s brand new Newberg Center is the first higher education building in Oregon and one of the first nationwide to be on the path to becoming Net Zero and be awarded LEED Platinum certification. The center has five classrooms, a conPCCs Newberg Center ference room and administrative space to serve residents from Newberg, Sherwood and Dundee. The building is anticipated to be Net Zero, Carbon-Neutral – meaning it will generate the same amount of energy it expends – once additional solar panels are installed later this year. It currently is one of only a handful of academic facilities in the country considered “Net Zero-ready.
The green features of the Newberg Center include: • Bi-facial solar panels that harvest solar energy from the top and bottom of the panels at 25 kilowatts. A second phase will add 75-kilowatt panels to the roof. • The roof and ceilings have structurally insulated panels (SIP), which are two panels with insulated foam in between them. This provides more insulation than normal construction because there are less thermal breaks than using rafters and joists. • Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) equipment in each classroom and the office space. When outside temperatures are below 55 degrees, the HRV will bring in fresh outside air that is warmed by transferring heat from the hot air being exhausted from the space. • LED light fixtures in the parking lots, the only campus in the district to do this. The lamps cast light down and not into air to honor Newberg’s dark skies policy. Inside the center, all of the light fixtures are T5 bulbs, which are high-efficiency. • Bicycle parking is provided near the front entrance under the solar canopy and there are shower facilities to encourage people to ride. • A roof painted white to reflect the sun’s rays and thwart what the architects call “The Heat Island Effect.” This is where dark concrete and asphalt can make it 10 degrees warmer in cities than in natural areas. • Laptops (Netbooks) in the computer labs to save energy as these use less energy and heat up the room less. • Low-flow bathroom fixtures and hand dryers that use 1/10 of the energy of paper towels. • Skylights that are integrated into a sloped ceiling system designed to bring even and diffused light to the classroom and office spaces without the need for electric lights. More information here: http://www.pcc.edu/about/locations/newberg/
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A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Local Notes continued Earthen Hand Earthen Paints Distance Learning Learn Anytime —From the Comfort of Your house
Earthen Hand serves a growing number of people interested in natural building, earthen building, and permaculture techniques. Their workshops empower people with information and hands-on instruction for a self-reliant, ecological lifestyle. More info. at: http://earthenhand.com
On-the-Move Community Integration
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Local Notes continued as opposed to a site-based program, you’ll see groups out and about all year long. Ready and willing to lend a helping hand? You bet! In addition to On-the-Move’s community service ethic, the organization will be utilizing community volunteers for a new reading program that will be open to all adults with disabilities. The reading classes, funded in part through a grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust, will help individuals with special needs to improve their reading skills. So, if your company or organization is in need of volunteers, or you wish to volunteer, On-the-Move may be just right for you!
On-the-Move, one of the few programs of its kind in the Portland area, was founded in 2007 to combat the social isolation experienced by adults with disabilities. The participants with the Southeast-based nonprofit organization (and For more information, please contact: “Oregon Business 100 Best Green Companies”) volunteer info@onthemoveonline.org or call 503.287.0346. throughout our community, and recently shared a station with the Green Living Journal staff at the Muddy Boot Festival. PSU Offers Electric Vehicle Courses The Portland metro area is filled with volunteer opportuElectrical power and motors are technologies that have nities all year long. And while many of us are able to step up had decreasing emphasis in Electrical Engineering curand help, there is always a need for more. So, On-the-Move ricula over the last thirty years. In large part, this is due participants do their part as often as possible, volunteering to the general emphasis on semiconductors and digital everywhere from the Oregon Food Bank Learning Garden, techniques, with most electrical engineering jobs being in Depave, and the Oregon Zoo, to local fairs, festivals, and computer engineering, signal processing, and wireless comanimal shelters. These volunteer activities make On-themunication. The power and motor industries have tradiMove incredibly unique by helping to fill voids and contribtionally been less robust and less financially rewarding than ute to Portland’s community spirit. those working with computer technology. They have also But not too many people are aware that those with dishad a reputation as being unglamorous, less exciting, and abilities can and do fill many of these much-needed volless financially rewarding. unteer positions. In fact, most adults with special needs However, with the advent of “green” and “sustainable” possess greater competency levels than they are given credit technologies, there is an increased emphasis on these older for, and offer great potential to contribute to our commutechnologies and in many cases exciting new combinations nity. Because On-the-Move is a community-based program Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 15 Winter 2011 7
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Earthen Hand’s newest type of course allows you to study home made Earthen Paints and applications whenever you have time from your computer via their distance learning videos. These techniques are very accessible and easy to learn with this kind of guidance. Earthen Paints have been used for thousands of years to beautify human dwellings, and can produce a wide variety of colors and textures. They are non-toxic, ecological, and inexpensive to make. Online course includes email support. $50 registration is anytime and ongoing. Email workshops@ earthenhand.com to begin.
EARTH E ARTH-CENTRIC CENTRIC
Local Notes continued
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of modern and old technologies are evolving. As a result of this trend, Electrical Engineering departments need to begin the work, over the next few years, of bringing these technologies back into mainstream instruction and research. To that end Portland State University is offering a sequence of two classes on electric vehicles. The first term class will cover the basic theory of electric motors and motor control, as well as have extensive laboratory work. The second term class will continue with battery technology and other electric vehicle issues like balancing weight and drive, and fuel-cell and supercapacitor technologies. EV1 - January 4, thru March 15, 2012 – Introduction to electric drives and drive control, with emphasis on brushless DC and induction machines, - the most are relevant to electric vehicles. EV2 – March 29, thru June 2, 2012 - Study of electric vehicle systems. Topics include vehicle dynamics, weight and power trade-offs, electric drives and electronic control, system design, regenerative braking, hybrid drives, and energy storage technologies, including batteries, ultra-capacitors, and fuel cells. There will be an electric bicycle project, involving the design, implementation, and performance analysis of a BLDC/Li-ion drive system.
Building World’s Largest Living Building. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ new Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) will be one of the world’s first and largest living buildings when it opens in the spring of 2012. It is expected to meet not only the International Living Future Institute’s™ Living Building Challenge, but will exceed LEED® Platinum certification and serve as a pilot project for the new Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES) four star certification for landscapes.
Photo courtesy of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Visit their website: http://bit.ly/91H5af
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Building continued What is the Living Building Challenge?
Building continued
Sustainable features of the Center include: • Net-zero energy • Net-zero water • Revolutionary energy-efficiency • Passive design strategies to minimize building energy usage • Robust building envelope with exceptional insulation capabilities • Geothermal heating and cooling • Natural ventilation • Daylighting • Photovoltaic system to generate power from the sun • Vertical axis wind turbine to generate power from wind • Native plant landscape with nine different plant communities • Green roof featuring a permaculture garden • Lagoon system to manage stormwater • Constructed wetlands to treat sanitary water • Rainwater harvesting and reuse • Permeable paving • Rain gardens and bioswales • Green wall with “Plants that Clean the Air display • Interpretive, educational landscape trail and building displays • Innovative classroom space • Landscape research facility • Unique rental facility
More info: https://ilbi.org/lbc
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The Center is also intended to serve as an educational model, helping inspire people to connect more deeply with nature now as a means to live more sustainably into the future. By showing others that it is possible, for example, to construct a 24,350-square-foot complex designed to take advantage of the latest sustainable technologies and the region’s climate patterns, and thus reduce the annual energy consumption by about 55 percent, they hope to encourage them to replicate their efforts and to do the same.
The underlying principle of the Living Building Challenge is that the built environment should regard nature as the ultimate measuring stick for performance. The flower can be used as a metaphor to illustrate this idea. Like our buildings, neighborhoods and cities, a flower is rooted in place. Yet it is informed by its bioregion’s characteristics, generates energy from renewable resources, captures and treats water, and operates efficiently and for maximum beauty. These qualities epitomize ecological system flows and internalizing these processes is the key to sustainability. The Challenge is a cohesive standard – pulling together the most progressive thinking from the worlds of architecture, engineerPhoto courtesy of International Living ing, planning, landscape Future Institute design and policy. The Challenge is comprised of seven performance areas, or ‘Petals’: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Petals are subdivided into a total of twenty Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence. This compilation of Imperatives can be applied to almost every conceivable project type. Certification is based on actual, rather than modeled or anticipated, performance. Therefore, projects must be operational for at least twelve consecutive months prior to evaluation. Projects that achieve this level of performance can claim to be the ‘greenest’ anywhere, and will serve as role models for others that follow. The purpose of the Living Building Challenge is straightforward – it defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today and acts to diminish the gap between current limits and ideal solutions. Whether your project is a single building, a park, a college campus or even a complete neighborhood community, the Living Building Challenge provides a framework for design, construction and the symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment.
We Offer Organic Fertilizers Winterizer Fertilizer
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Black Soldier Flies or Me and My ‘Maggots’
At the 45 minute mark, the only evidence that there had been violence done was a brown stain where the meatloaf By Brian Woodward had briefly rested. (CSI take note.) Well now my brain started firing I love compost. overtime. Based on the merest suggestion Specifically, my compost, the prodthat the black soldier fly would eat almost uct of backyard alchemy. I fuss, fidget, any animal product, I got to thinking. I adjust and probably take as much pride in have a large fenced yard, ideal for dogs, rolling the finished product through my and occasionally I do dog-sitting to pick fingers as I do picking the vegetables that up some spare change. I have three cats as grow so healthily in my garden. well and a small downside to having dogs So it was with some alarm that I and cats is the feces that gets left around discovered a living intruder, actually a the yard. Which of course needs to be mass of living beasties that had commandisposed of quickly and properly. Caldeered the top layer of my compost pile. I lously tossing it into the wild area outside had recently taken to tossing my kitchen the property line is tempting, but the bad vegetable wastes into my compost bin kind of flies—bottle, house, etc., the true and connecting the dots, had only myvectors of disease that I had feared when self to blame (or credit?) for the sudden I first saw the larvae in my pile—still find appearance of a mass of brownish beige the dog or cat-doo, lay their eggs there maggots. Yuck! I recoiled. But instead of and the new and larger swarm of flies then immediately eradicating them, I calmed Photo courtesy of Open Source Ecology visit me and mine. down, researched them on the internet So I set up an experiment. I separated out a large numand finally decided that I had been blessed with the larvae ber of BSF larva into a separate bin, filled the bin half full of of the Black Soldier Fly. nearly-done compost to give them a place to rest and hide, Actually, I found they were quite the amazing little anistashed small garden trowels here and there for convenience mal. About an inch long, the larval stage is an eating machine. I could tell they loved my old vegetable leftovers and and started tossing in the dog and cat-doo as I came across it in my backyard. fruit rinds but when I read that they would eat meat scraps, And lo and behold, the poop disappeared. And so quickI violated my rule of no animal products in my compost ly that the green and bottle flies, if they were there, never pile and tried an experiment. I scraped together a walnuthad a chance to hatch. At least most of the time it disapsized ball of meatloaf fat and pan scrapings and placed it in peared. I discovered that larvae can quickly turn into inert on top of my compost pile. pupae which in due time hatch into the adult fly. And if a At first, not a larva in sight. At the half hour mark, as substantial number of the larvae do this at the same time… vigorously as it was moving, the meatloaf looked like it had Well, you then have to go back to flushing the doo down the returned to life. Gasp! A zombie! It had kind of a hypnotic toilet. circular motion… Oh, well. I can live with that. Yes. Where was I? 10
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Nature continued More on the Black Soldier Fly
More info here: http://bit.ly/nZMl12 Black Soldier Fly Blog http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/ The larvae are available locally at some farm supply stores.
Ultra Pods at Heathrow
Since April of this year, there is a whole new way to travel at London’s Heathrow Airport that just may catch on around the world. This Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system developed by Ultra Global Ltd of Bristol, UK has been well received by the passengers going from parking to Terminal 5. Speaking at the official launch, John Holland-Kaye, Commercial Director at Heathrow, said: “We’ve been listening carefully to our passengers as part of our plan to make every journey better at Heathrow. Passenger feedback has been amazing and positive Twitter comments abound. We love watching people’s reactions when they see the pods for the first time and then again when they step off just five minutes later at their destination. “The Heathrow pods offer a personal, comfortPhotos courtesy of Ultra Global Ltd able and reliable ride that More info at: http://www.ultraglobalprt.com/ is free of emissions. That’s why our excitement for this pioneering British technology is being shared by town planners, architects, other airports, business parks, campuses, retail and residential destinations from the US, Europe, India, Mexico and the UK, who believe that this system could revolutionise transport in urban environments.” Ultra pods are rubber-tired, battery-powered vehicles, easily capable of carrying 4 passengers and their luggage. Compliant with disability legislation and with a total carrying capacity of up to1000lbs, the Ultra pods are perfectly suited to accommodate wheelchairs, baby strollers and bicycles.
Herman Creek Building Available for Lease
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Commercial Property/Industrial Land AVAILABLE 541-374-8619 portofcascadelocks.org Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 15 Winter 2011
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The black soldier fly (BSF) seems to be found everywhere in North America. They are especially common where flies can get to a wet, rotting food source, garbage or other unsanitary conditions. The flies start life as eggs that hatch in between four days and three weeks’ time. The hatched eggs spend another two weeks to several months as larvae (also called grubs or maggots.) Larvae go through 5 developmental stages, (instars). This is the only time that the BSF eat. After they’ve completed their stint as grubs, they hole up in a sort of cocoon called a pupa. The time spent as pupae depends, just like the other stages, on temperature and environment, but if all goes well, adult files free themeselves from the pupae and live another five to eight days during which time they breed. The adults have BSF FAST FACTS no mouthparts and • Unlike common houseflies, cannot bite, but BSF are not attracted to hularvae have large and man habitation or foods. powerful chewing • Egg-bearing females are mouthparts with attracted to rotting food or which they shred manure. and devour waste • BSF don’t fly around as much quickly. They are voas houseflies and are very racious consumers of easy to catch and relocate. nitrogen-dominant Once inside a house, they do decaying materials, not avoid being picked up. such as kitchen food • They are sanitary and are not known to transmit disease. scraps and manures. • They do not bite or sting. Oregon State University Extension Service is experimenting with BSF in compost bins.
Transportation
Transportation continued
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Transportation continued The 22 pods replaced a pair of buses that used to make the 2.4-mile trip between the two lots 216 times a day. The Ultra system offers security and convenience by providing a nonstop journey that gives passengers exclusive use of their vehicle. Each pod is monitored by CCTV and a dedicated team of controllers are on hand to help at the push of a button. With a turning radius of only 16 ft and an empty weight of 1,870 lbs, the pods can navigate complex routes with lightweight infrastructure, and are virtually silent when running, producing little or no external vibration and zero emissions.
Eco-Maintenance for Your Car
By now all of us should be well aware of the negative impacts that driving a car has on the environment, and hopefully more and more of us are taking steps to reduce that impact. But driving a car is not the only cause for concern. There is also the potential for unseen problems
when we take our cars in for service. Fortunately, there is a way to be certain that the folks servicing your vehicle reach the highest standards in minimizing their environmental impact. Just be sure that your shop displays the Eco-Logical Business logo for the Automotive Services Program The program is sponsored by the North American Auto Trades Association (NATA) and the Pollution Prevention Outreach Team, a group of pollution prevention experts from eight Portland-area agencies. The goal of the program is to prevent and minimize pollution generated by small businesses in the statewide area. This is the first multi-media (air, water, solid waste) auto12
motive services certification program in the nation.
THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS
Certified businesses go beyond compliance with local environmental requirements and implement pollution prevention efforts in their work sites. Businesses are certified through an intensive application and evaluation process. During the certification process, businesses are evaluated in the areas of: • Hazardous waste management • Air quality and pollution • Spill prevention and response • Product and waste storage • Cleaning procedures • Purchasing/inventory management • Recycling procedures • Employee involvement and training • Drainage Systems • Energy And Water Use Technical assistance is provided to businesses for help in meeting and exceeding environmental standards and earning program certification. This free recognition program uses a certification checklist to evaluate and highlight those firms making the greatest strides toward sustainability. To be certified, the business must be doing all legally required checklist items and 80% of those electives that apply to their business operation. Most businesses ask for a technical assistance visit prior to the certification site visit. The certification lasts three years, and subsequent certification lasts five years.
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Eco-Fashion Chic & Unique - BD503 Designer Leather Handbags BD503 combines recycled leather with a wicked sense of style, new linings and allmetal hardware for one-of-a-kind handbags made right here, in Portland, Oregon. The creations are the inspired work of international accessories designer Bianca Pettinari, an Italian citizen who grew up in Oregon and who has originated collections for brands like DKNY, Coach and Calvin Klein. While only 17, Pettinari launched pursuit of her dream to design fashion accessories. She studied at Pratt Institute and Fashion Institute of Technology, then moved to Italy to continue her studies at Centro Formazione Professionale and Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design. “By the time I landed in Italy, I had some work experience in New York but I was a young outsider and I had to prove myself to break into the fashion industry there.” Pettinari explains, “One of my first jobs was working with DeVecchi designing handbags for Donna Karan Collection and following production at some of the best, small Italian manufacturers. The area around Florence has a long history of fine leather craftsmanship and I feel very lucky to have been able to learn from such skilled artisans”. Pettinari wants to provide fashion conscious consumers with a sustainable choice. She uses recycled leather for BD503 because of its classic beauty as well as the unique character that it lends to each handbag. “This is an exciting and important time to be working with recycled materials” says Pettinari’s partner, David Haines. “Using recycled materials doesn’t mean that products can’t look great. At BD503, appearance and fashion don’t have to be sacrificed as trade-offs for sustainability.” Re-purposing the leather makes more sense than manufacturing new, non-biodegradable petroleum-based synthetics in its place. Haines explains, “we looked at many materials for BD503 and found recycled leather was the best fit for achieving fashion with the smallest eco-footprint when compared to using new leather and even PVC or polyurethane which are widely marketed as vegan but cause real environmental problems” The leather used at BD503 comes from vintage leather garments in Italy and the U.S.A. as well as high-quality pre-consumer waste from manufacturing. After 20 years in Italy, Pettinari once again makes her home in Portland. She and Haines are passionate about BD503 as both a creative venture and because of the impact its work has on the world at large as well as the local community. BD503 sells online at www.bd503.com and at: EcoVibe Apparel, a Portland eco-fashion boutique committed to providing socially and environmentally conscious contemporary fashions for the everyday lifestyle http://ecovibeapparel.com Manifesto, a local shoe and accessory shop for men and women located in the Historic Mississippi District of North Portland, http://www.manifestoshoes.com Ped-X, a locally owned women’s shoe store located in the Alberta Arts District of Portland; http://www.pedxshoes.com. Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 15 Winter 2011
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Images courtesy of BD503
By Katie Cordrey
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e-Waste Urban Salvage and High-tech Trash IMS Electronics Recycling Processes E-waste in Vancouver, Washington
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Story/photos by Katie Cordrey
a $200 bulb, but nobody wants to spend money on the old technology, so they just throw it out. There is no market for it, so we recycle the components.” The combined lure of sleeker new technology and the 2009 digital TV conversion is evident in the e-waste stream. Though they may be in perfect e-WASTE working order, abandoned analog signal TVs and their unFAST FACTS wanted cousins, CRT computer monitors, are broken into their • Only 15-20% of ecomponent parts for EOL han- waste is recycled dling. From glass in the moni- • 41 discarded mobile tor, to the plastic in the case, to phones contain the the copper in the power supply, same amount of to the precious metals used in gold as a ton of ore. the circuitry, just about everything can be used. The cathode • Cathode tubes are tubes are sent to an Arizona fa- the most difficult cility where the lead is removed e-waste to recycle and the glass recycled. Plastics because their interiare made into pellets and the ors are coated with pellets are used to make new lead. plastic bottles and automobile parts. Wires are stripped, their • In the U. S., an estisheathing recycled and their mated 70% of heavy metal components reclaimed. metals in landfills Low-end circuit boards are comes from discardshredded, but high-end circuit ed electronics. boards are sent to a processing facility that gleans the gold and other materials. “Nothing is wasted,” say Powers, “Only wood components go to the landfill and only the CRT glass, because of the cost of removing the lead, doesn’t make a profit.” This careful decomposition strategy doesn’t just apply to TVs and old computer monitor screens. It is used to process printers, copiers, toasters, speakers, batteries, microwave ovens, computer keyboards and mice, weed whackers, and
IMS Electronics Recycling has been housed in a Port of Vancouver-owned building since 2007 and is home to an impressive operation that keeps countless tons of toxic and noxious materials from landfills and out of the hands of less conscientious recyclers. According to IMS’ Regional Business Development Representative, Jim Powers, e-waste comes from many sources: governJim Powers explains the IMS recycling process ments, businesses, individuals, and unusable charity donations are just a few. Many people have no idea what materials are in the electronics they discard or what happens to them once abandoned. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that nearly eighty-percent of the computers and computer peripherals sold in the US are sitting in closets and garages and will eventually end up in landfills, incinerators, or as exports to foreign countries. Once in faroff lands, particularly China, India, and Pakistan, electronic waste often creates hazardous working conditions for children and others Leroy Shannon disassembles a TV in a who attempt to extract matter of minutes valuable materials such as copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold using unsafe recycling practices. The problem is growing as cheap electronic devices become increasingly abundant. At IMS, electronics are methodically and safely broken down into their component parts and recycled, reused, or prepared for further end-of-life (EOL) processing by outside service providers. Powers explains that console TVs once reigned supreme, but with the advent of flat-screen and digital models, the cathode tube monsters fell out of favor. “Sometimes,” he says, “we’ll get a high-end projection TV that only needs 14 A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
e-Waste little as 8 minutes to tear down an LCD monitor, but not all the work is done by human hands. A large area is occupied by a state-of-the-art e-scrap management system that automatically senses and sorts materials that are fed to it. It separates plastics according to type and color and is able to distinguish circuit boards and metals from other e-waste. Once sorted, materials are routed to output chutes for collection or further handling. Some components are shredded into fine flakes and will be shipped to a downstream vendor for additional processing. When asked Automation helps manage e-scrap how his role at IMS is like his past experience working in the pest control industry, Powers replies that both are highly regulated, environmentally sensitive businesses. “But,” he adds, “this work has a lot more surprises. People stash all sorts of things inside computer cases, speakers, old TVs… They forget about it or their hiding place gets sent to the thrift store when they’re not home. We’ve found money, photos and even drugs. I just never came across that sort of thing working in pest control.” For more information about IMS and electronics recycling visit their website: http://www.ims-electronics.com/ Or check out Oregon E-cycles http://bit.ly/s0G4fB
Related Book Suggestion: High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health by Elizabeth Grosman
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even toys. Between 3-1/2 and 4 million pounds of e-waste are processed in the Vancouver facility each month. Unwanted old technology is scrapped, but many stillworking items like computers, are sold at weekly on-site auctions that are attended by refurbishers and resellers. Since many computers still have hard drive data, security is a serious concern. Before computers are sold, they are tested and data is deconstructed. “We have a process for everything,” Powers states. “What do you do with the toner still in the photocopier? Or the paper that comes in with a printer? How about batteries? And the boxes, we have to have boxes for sorting and shipping. Nothing is wasted. Even the boxes are recycled.” Powers also points out that IMS takes its commitment to environmental and personal safety so seriously that all downstream vendors, (the businesses that process the components that IMS does not,) are audited for good practices and standards by an independent outside agency. “We can’t guarantee what they do,” he confesses, “but we do our best to vet our vendors. We want to see this stuff safely processed and reused in the U.S. if possible.” Much of the disassembly at IMS is done by hand: It takes only 13 to 14 minutes to disassemble a 19-inch TV and as
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partment. After some artistic magic (read-in, “work”) the books are transformed into storage boxes and organizers ready to hold trinkets, treasures and other secret stuff. We think they’re great because they’re artisan-quality goods, made by a small environmentally conscientious regional producer, they use discards and cast-offs, and they’re a lot of fun! See the Book Box Company’s secret book boxes on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/secretstoragebooks and be prepared to be inspired!
After thieves robbed a family member, making off with all the money and jewelry hidden in the underwear drawer, Brian Egan was inspired to experiment with clever ways to hide small valuables. Using his woodworking know-how, Egan came up with what he thought was a great solution: hidden compartment boxes made not of wood, but of real books. His company, Book Box Company Inc., markets under several names: Book Boxes; Secret Storage Books; These are Not Books, Stash Books, Stash Boxes, Coffee Table Garage, and Storage Books from Black Creek, British Columbia, Canada. It’s a small staff. There’s the owner, Brian Egan, but Diane Melen is the manager. Chris Robinson $20.00 OFF on orders of $100 and more. Use code: GL does the bookkeeping, while Laurie Inglin and Karin Smith work on production under the supervision of Sheldon Robinson. The books used to make Book Boxes come from charities, recyclers, community organizations and publishers. They are put through a series of steps to harden the pages Laurie Inglin makes book boxes from to make them ready to be disused books. Photo courtesy of the Book Box Company Inc. cut for the secret com16 A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Gardening Five Reasons for Sprouting at Home By Suzanne Thomas Home sprouters aren’t limited to the few commercially grown sprouts sold in grocery stores. There are many types of seeds you can sprout in your kitchen year round: lentil, mung bean, radish, mustard, adzuki, sunflower, clover, quinoa, chia, flax, and more. Photo courtesy of Flickr user: I Believe I Can Fry Home sprouting opens the door to variety and to the following five benefits:
1. Living Superfood
2. Pure and Un-Processed Food
Always make sure your sprouting seeds are organic! With all the environmental toxins and chemicals our bodies are exposed to on a daily basis, sprouts offer a rare toxinfree food choice easily assimilated and utilized by your cells. Many raw food advocates believe you can detox your body, clean out accumulated garbage from fat cells, and rebuild a healthy glowing body with pure living food. The abundant nutrients in sprouts are the real deal, designed by Mother Nature.
3. Economically Responsible Anywhere Anytime.
Home sprouting provides fresh food year round for pennies on the dollar. Wheatgrass is commonly sold at juice bars in the United States for more than four dollars a shot, while homegrown wheatgrass costs 33 cents a shot. Alfalfa seeds cost around eight dollars a pound. One pound of alfalfa seed will produce more than ten pounds of alfalfa sprouts. That same eight dollars can get you four, two ounce packages of commercially grown sprouts. And since storebought sprouts have been harvested prematurely, shipped, and
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Sprouts are live, alkalizing superfoods exploding with energy and nutrients that literally make your meals come alive. Microgreens, the bigger greens such as sunflower greens and pea greens and grasses such as wheatgrass, barley grass and rye grass, are a very rich source of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll’s chemical structure is almost identical to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. While chlorophyll has magnesium in its center, hemoglobin contains iron.
Otherwise the chemical composition is the same. This is the reason why green drinks full of chlorophyll are good for re-building the blood.
Gardening continued shelved, they are not fresh and they don’t last very long. It pays to be a home sprouter!
4. Great for Weight Loss/Ideal Weight Management Sprouts are a low calorie food with a super high nutrient value. By including sprouts in our diet, we provide the body with the energy and nutrients it needs to cleanse, detoxify, and rebuild itself.
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5. The Rewards of Home Gardening
It is rewarding to be a home gardener and to eat your own fresh produce. Gardening is a green thing! It’s easier to sprout indoors where you can control the growing environment than it is to grow food in an outdoor garden where you are up against insects, animals, extreme temperatures, and long growing periods. Your sprouts will be ready from a few days to a few weeks depending on what type of seed you’re growing. For instance, lentil sprouts will be ready in two to three days, whereas greens like wheatgrass need to grow for two weeks. When I was living in Austin, Texas I spent hundreds of dollars constructing a garden and bringing in premium organic soil. I diligently watered my precious heirloom and cherry tomatoes for weeks. As they were ripening the birds came in. My dog, who loves to chase birds on walks, ignored
them. What kind of garden patrol is that? The next day I saw a squirrel with a yellow heirloom running up the pecan tree! I went inside and rinsed my sprouts and was so thankful for indoor gardening! At least I got to harvest my sprouts. They were still pulsing with life, an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals ready to nourish me and not the squirrel! Remember, sprouts are a time tested superfood that has been eaten for 5,000 years. When will you start your indoor garden? Suzanne Thomas is a health coach, sprouting advocate, and the author of Sproutology: The Ultimate Home Sprouting Guide. Suzanne credits sprouting at home to be a part of her total transformation of losing 30 lbs and regaining happiness with a practical raw food lifestyle. To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website www.bewellwithsue.com and sign up for her newsletter. Stay in touch on Facebook. Reprinted with permission. Editor’s Note: Sprouting supplies and books are available at Mirador Community Store, 2106 SE Division, 503-2315175 or http://MiradorCommunityStore.com Thanks to store owner Lynn Hanrahan for bringing this article to our attention. Sprouting seeds can be found at Peoples Coop, 3029 SE 21st Ave, 503-232-9051. http://Peoples.coop
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A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Electric Vehicle News First EV To Timberline Lodge
Food Under Pressure (The Amazing Pressure Cooker)
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By Joe Tullis By Tabitha Alterman On August 8th 2011, Joe and Parry Teeny of the Alan Most decent cooks could survive with nothing but a good Webb Auto Group in Vancouver, Washington drove a 2011 stockpot, a skillet and a sharp knife. Let’s be honest: No one Nissan Leaf to Timberline Lodge. We can’t be sure, but this really needs a melon baller, apple corer or asparagus steamer. was perhaps a first – the first pure electric vehicle to drive But an extra gadget makes itself worth your investment of up the mountain all the way money and space when it helps you eat healthier food in less to Timberline Lodge. They had just enough of a charge time for less money. The pressure cooker is that gadget. to get home as Joe and his Save, save, save cousin Parry pointed out in If anyone really knows how to cook, it’s the French, and this e-mail that they sent to that’s who invented the amazing apparatus known as the us upon their return. pressure cooker—French physician Denis Papin invented “It was very exciting the machine in 1679. Thanks to the laws of physics, water for us to be able to make it boiling in an open pan can never much exceed 212 degrees; to the lodge. It was just as pressure cookers speed cooking time by raising the boilexciting to be able to make it ing point to approximately 250 degrees. (For you scientific home! We left the lodge with types, the boiling point rises because the cooker increases only 5 miles remaining and the internal pressure, meaning it requires more energy for one bar of power. Thanks the liquid molecules to escape the surface and become gas.) to the onboard regeneraThe end result of this scientific wonder? Foods cook up to tive braking system on the Leaf we were able to regenerate 70 percent faster in a pressure cooker. enough power on the way down to make it 45 miles home Those quick cooking times also mean less energy use. in Troutdale with 6 miles to spare!” This is more than just a historical moment. It is probably also a glimpse of the future. R.L.K. and Company, operators of Timberline Lodge are currently working with ODOT to site a fast-charging EV station in the mountain town GettinG Back Government Camp, to allow electric vehicles to travel to community s tore to Basics… the mountain and beyond into Central Oregon. ODOT has recently awarded a contract to AeroVironment to expand • Grain mills • Water filters the EV charging network into rural Oregon. Natural Kitchen • Food preserving equipment “Electric vehicles are a huge part of Oregon’s future,” said • Kitchenware and gadgets & Home • Clothes drying racks Governor John Kitzhaber. “They will ensure that we can kick 2106 SE Division • Organic cotton bed & bath the fossil-fuel habit that hamstrings our economy and na…and much more! 503 • 231 • 5175 tional security, and deploying this infrastructure shows that miradorcommunitystore.com Mon–Sat 10–6 • Sun 11–5 we are, and will continue to be, a leader.” “Oregon is demonstrating tremendous leadership in advancing the ‘Green Highway,’” said Mike Bissonette, senior vice president of Efficient Energy Systems for AeroVironment. “We look forward to working with ODOT and other stakeholders to expand the charging network to support both local and long-distance travelers.” The future is almost here. Look for an EV fast-charging station on Mt. Hood sometime soon! Joe Tullis is the Public Affairs Director for Timberline Lodge. Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 15 Winter 2011 19
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Food continued better than their mushy, over salted, canned counterparts, and a pressure cooker lets you prepare them just as quickly. The bottom line is that any meal that begins with fresh, whole foods will taste better than meals that begin with processed ingredients, which you likely use to save time or money. With a pressure cooker, you can save time and money, but still start with whole, fresh foods, resulting in healthier and tastier meals.
Choosing a Cooker
Food continued Pressure cookers became popular in the United States during World War II as a means of conserving energy. What was true then is still true today: You’ll save as much as 60 to 70 percent of the cooking time, which means you’ll use about two-thirds less energy. Unless you’re using a solar cooker, there’s almost no way to use less energy while cooking. And energy savings translate into dollar savings. With so little energy needed, meals made in a pressure cooker can cost as little as one penny on your utility bill. Pressure cookers help save money in other ways, too. You can make less-expensive cuts of meat taste fabulous from the benefits of stewing. You can use dry, rather than canned, beans and vegetables. And you can cook fantastic meals with inexpensive staples such as pasta, whole grains, and dried fruits or mushrooms. Kuhn Rikon, a pressure cooker manufacturer, estimates you can save more than $325 a year with a pressure cooker — and most pressure cookers last 20 years or more! Finally, pressure cookers help make foods taste better. Many foods’ flavors benefit from slow cooking and stewing, which is essentially what you achieve in a pressure cooker in much less time. Some people find that they use less seasoning when pressure cooking, because roasting brings out more intense flavors. Dry beans and grains are infinitely 20
For most home uses, a standard-size, 6-quart pressure cooker is suitable. You’ll want to choose heavy-gauge stainless steel or enamel-coated carbon steel rather than aluminum, because aluminum can interact with foods and create off flavors. It’s also helpful to choose a model with a helping handle opposite the main handle for easier lifting. Modern pressure cookers are much safer than the first-generation models of the 1930s and ’40s, which lacked safety features and had many complicated parts. Modern versions include a valve that releases excess steam, preventing accidents, as well as a locking feature that will not let you remove the lid until the pressure is reduced. In addition, the new models seal in steam better, so less liquid is required. If you live above 3,500 feet, always increase cooking time by 10 percent. You’ll want to read the manufacturer’s manual and familiarize yourself with your pressure cooker’s main features. Excerpted from Natural Home & Garden magazine Copyright 2011 by Ogden Publications Inc. www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com.
Suggested Reading for More Information on Cooking with the Pressure Cooker
The Easy Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Diane Phillips
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Education
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From Broccoli to Business Planning: What We Learned at Farm School. By Alison Spaude-Filipczak My husband, Alan, and I wanted to become farmers. We wanted to make our livelihood growing food for a community and spend our future working a vegetable garden and tending animals. Overwhelmed and unsatisfied with the current industrial agriculture system, we were looking for a way to do something positive, to become a part of a sustainable future. That future was going to involve growing food. Inspired and passionate, we had only one problem: We didn’t know how to farm. Perhaps that’s not entirely true. Alan had spent a season working as an intern on a family farm in Vermont, and I had done some work exchanges for produce at a few different farms, but our skills were limited. We knew enough to know that we liked farming, but if there was any way our dream was going to become a reality, a farm-based education would be of paramount importance.
Making the connection
After spending some quality time with the sustainable farm internship database on ATTRA, (the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website), we discovered the Greenbank Farm Training Center (GFTC) on Whidbey Island in Washington State’s Puget Sound. Its eight-month training program looked perfect, so we applied and were accepted. The Greenbank Farm Training Center’s description fit our situation to a T. “Our program is designed for participants who, through experience, are committed to pursuing a career in sustainable agriculture and desire a formal and thorough academic and experiential education in the business and production aspects of small-scale sustainable farming.” Alan and I were looking for exactly that. Into the car our work pants went, and thus began the drive west 22
from our home state of Wisconsin. A large, bare field greeted us upon arrival. No cover crop. No fence. Almost no infrastructure. This field (it was too much of a struggle to call it a farm) was a fiveacre parcel of land that the Greenbank Farm Training Center had leased from the publicly owned Greenbank Farm, a 500-acre historic loganberry farm located in Photo by Alison Spaude-Filipczak the town of Greenbank. The GFTC was beginning its second season, and only a small portion of the field had been cultivated the year before. Our work would create this farm from the ground up. It was the perfect project for a bunch of young people dreaming about starting their own farms someday. The eight of us in the program hailed from all over the country and had different farming backgrounds and worldviews, brought together by the desire for the same skill – the skill to grow food in a way that benefits the earth, our communities and ourselves. Sebastian Aguilar, program director and a successful farmer who raised his family by working the earth and growing produce, was prepared to lead us down the path under his superior tutelage.
Digging in
During that first month of the program, we spent a lot of time building – infrastructure, relationships, farming skills. We assembled a greenhouse, constructed a fence around our field using T-posts and an old fishing net, marked the field into sections and rows, secured our water source, and ran electricity out to the field. Our leader demonstrated basic skills, like how to use different hoes correctly and efficiently. We acquired the skill and knowledge needed to germinate seeds in a greenhouse, and then how to water the seedlings correctly so they didn’t damp off or dry out.
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Education continued
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Agriculture and agribusiness – including its history, current state and future – made their way into the classroom, as did different methods for growing and marketing. The GFTC teaches all you need to know to start a small-scale organic farm, which includes learning everything from goal setting to reading soil tests. During the rainy, windy Washington spring months, our group created a crop plan by figuring out what and how much of each vegetable we were going to grow. It felt good to be taking action and making a plan, but there was one important element missing. While we were planning to grow thousands of pounds of vegetables, from arugula to zucchini, there weren’t enough customers. Only a few of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members from the previous year had renewed their weekly veg-
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Education continued etable subscriptions. We hoped to diversify our markets, but zero contracts were in place, verbal or written, for the 4,000 heads of lettuce and the hundreds of pounds of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes we were planning to grow.
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Implementing the plan
It was one of the many real-life lessons at the Greenbank Farm Training Center: You have to sink into the realities of farm business, or any business for that matter. If you have a service, you need someone to serve. We created posters and brochures, placing them at libraries and grocery stores around the island. We took out advertising space in the local newspapers; set up a table at events; and created a blog, a Facebook page and a newsletter. The group designed a logo, trying to brand ourselves, and screen-printed the image onto T-shirts that we wore around town, hoping to pique the interest of local foodies. Fortunately, it worked. By the end of May, 45 CSA members had signed up and paid (only five short of our goal), two grocery stores committed to buying produce, and a hospital came aboard, excited to serve organic, local vegetables from our farm at its cafeteria’s salad bar. We had a farmers’ market where we could sell vegetables and the organic bedding plants we had started in the greenhouse.
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Education continued Now that there was somewhere for the produce to go, the next step was to grow it well. As June hit, a rhythm set in and the weeks began to tick by. On Monday mornings, we walked our field, monitoring the plants, noticing changes and writing a weekly to-do list. On Tuesday and Friday mornings, our chores included harvesting, washing, assembling and delivering our CSA shares and harvested lettuce, carrots, Swiss chard and other veggies to our grocery store accounts. Wednesday and Thursday mornings were work time, and, in the afternoons, school was in session. One day a month, the group took a field trip to another farm to gain new insights and talk with different producers. On Fridays, we finished the last of our weekly tasks and spent the afternoons asking questions and taking turns giving presentations about agricultural topics. Saturdays were free, and the farmers’ market took top priority on Sunday. The classroom topics matched the projects in the field. After a lesson on compost, we built our composting system out of reused wood pallets, and we drove the tractor after our talk on tillage. Studies focused on different methods of irrigation right when the heat of summer hit. We covered cover crops while broadcasting a variety of grass and legume mixes onto the bare portions of the field.
Cooperative efforts
The eight of us had to work together to manage the field, so we made a schedule. We might be in charge of weeding one week and answering e-mails and phone calls from customers the next week. Changes in the field and the environment prompted constant learning and adaptation. Low fertility, cabbage root maggot and a cold summer were just a few of the issues endured. But this was our year, and sometimes as farmers you have to solve problems on the fly and adapt to the conditions. It was another real-world lesson: In farming, there are always things out of your control. As the days grew shorter and the season moved on, each of us became more efficient; we were faster weeders, quicker
24
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Education continued farm business, and we have stopped fantasizing about what our life could be like out on the farm. Instead, we are taking action and working toward our goal. We’ve moved home, to northern Wisconsin, where we want to raise a family and grow food. We rent a house in town, and plug away at jobs to save money so we can someday have those 10 acres in the country. For now, we are making connections in the community, getting to know other farmers, and I’ve joined the local beekeeping group. Alan has been getting friendly with the
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pickers and smarter farmers. Thankfully, the focus wasn’t always solely on production, which allowed us to participate in a variety of projects with several other organizations and businesses. Sebastian landed a seed-growing contract with High Mowing Organic Seed Co. We grew 45 pounds of organic Golden Frill mustard seed for High Mowing to sell in its catalog. The Organic Seed Alliance chose us to be one of its field sites for variety trials with the Northern Organic Variety Improvement Collaborative. The trials tested size, shape, color, taste and vigor of different varieties of sweet corn, butternut squash, snap peas, broccoli and carrots. We also hosted a seed-saving workshop, grew grain for our personal use, and experimented with more than 20 tomato varieties, trying to find the most suitable one. In addition to farming and classroom curriculum, each participant reported once a month on a book of his or her own choosing. This way, everyone didn’t have to read One Straw Revolution or Growing Great Garlic to reap the benefits of the wisdom within the pages. Each student also completed three research projects. Topics covered everything from starting a goat dairy to growing barley and hops for beer brewing to pastured poultry options. I researched shiitake mushroom production and beekeeping, agricultural ventures that interested me but weren’t covered in our curriculum. It wasn’t a matter of getting college credit; we were benefitting our futures and ourselves.
Stepping into the future
Our third and final research project was to write a business plan. On the recommendation of our program director, Alan and I wrote our plan as if it were eight to 10 years in the future. Our plan includes the essential information included in any business plan: vision, mission, values, goals, strategies to meet those goals, desired income, estimated labor hours, a market analysis, marketing strategies, cash-flow spread sheets, and crop plan. We created a living document that we’ll edit and modify as time goes by and our lives change. As for now, I’m confident this is something we could actually take to the bank. So, what now? On the program’s website, the Greenbank Farm Training Center’s staff states, “Our goal is to have participants acquire the skills and knowledge to confidently enter the growing field of sustainable agricultural producers.” Alan and I got what we wanted: the knowledge to start a farm business and the farming skills to succeed. Certain realities are required to operate a smallColumbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 15 Winter 2011
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Education continued folks at City Hall, checking on the laws relating to keeping chickens in the city. Next year, we won’t provide even half of our family’s income by being farmers, but that doesn’t mean we won’t grow food for our family and our community. We are looking into leasing small plots of land. My hive boxes are on order, and I have placed my bees on hold. Alan is planning to set up a small produce tent near the local gas station, possibly collaborating with other growers. It’s a small start, but we’re one step closer to our dream. Complete article at: grit.com/garden/crops/the-farm-school.aspx Excerpted from GRIT, Celebrating Rural America Since 1882. To read more articles from GRIT, please visit: www.Grit.com. Copyright 2011 by Ogden Publications Inc.
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Suggested Reading for More information on Farm Schools: Fields of Learning: The Student Farm Movement in North America (Culture of the Land) by Laura Sayre and Sean Clark
Special Book Section What’s the Best Book You’ve Read Lately? It seems like an innocent enough question, but when I posed it to myself, I was stumped. I read all the time; I love books; so why can’t I think of my most recent good book? Answer ... because I’ve been reading on a Kindle recently, and I’ve concluded that electronic reading devices suck the joy out of reading. They are tremendously convenient–It’s definitely cool to be carrying 50 or 60 books in your pocket–but they’re no damn fun. I can’t go to the local used book store without finding something that interests me, but I can’t find anything in Kindle’s free library that gets me past the first fifty pages. And the Kindle will read to you; you can even select a male or female voice, but either way you will be bored. This is an amazing gadget, but it’s not a book. Stephen Morris National editor and publisher of Green Living Journal
Biomimicry ~ Innovation Inspired by Nature
by Janine M. Benyus As a Designer, its eye-opening, thought provoking, and inspirational. It astounds me that with all of our technological and scientific knowledge, how we still rely on highly inefficient, energy and chemical intensive means for manufacturing products and materials, with oftentimes significant waste and harmful by-products... when examples in nature solve similar problems using only the resources immediately at hand....and in many cases we still don’t understand how. Timothy Buckley, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Principal Greenstone Architecture, PLLC www.greenstonearchitecture.com
2010 Lyndall GORDON: Lives like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family’s Feuds by Lyndall
Gordon (Penguin, 2011) Fascinating. Gordon’s meticulous research unravels the public facade, and slander within, of a noteworthy family. Beholden to patriarchal society for her livelihood, and keenly astute regarding her brother’s lover’s machinations, Emily Dickinson’s brilliance of prose is palpable and timeless. Tough read first few chapters, but well worth it! - Julie Lineberger, LineSync Architecture) 26
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Special Book Section continued Eureka! The Birth of Science by Andrew Gergory (Totem Books, 2001)
The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton (Pantheon Books, 2006).
A good read about architecture touting the need for us all, professional and layman, to pay more attention to the consequences of design and how it affects our lives on all levels physical, psychological to emotional. My favorite quote from the book is “Although this house may lack solutions to a great many of its occupants’ ills, its rooms nevertheless give evidence of a happiness to which architecture has made its distinctive contribution.” Scott M. H. Swanson / Architect (603) 924-8402 cell (603) 562-8406)
Food matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman I am a non-foodie type and found this to be a simple, appealing and practical guide to being mindful of food consumption. Bittman makes the case for why eating more greens and less meat and refined carbs stimulates weight loss, cuts your grocery bill and benefits our environment. He includes 75 recipes so even non-chef-types can succeed at wholesome home cooking. Valerie Garrett LEED AP Coordinator Green Development Resource Center and City of Portland Build It Green! Home Tour
I Walked to the Moon and Almost Everybody Waved by Ed Carlson with Claire Genus. This is a quirky and a bit out there account of the adventures of Ed Carlson who spent decades traveling the country with no money and only the wish to spread good will. The book is surprisingly inspiring. For a couple days after reading it (and it’s a very quick read), I felt altered by
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www.greenlivingpdx.com
This book describes the intelligence of the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians and Egyptians. The ancients didn’t have the technology to measure the natural phenomenon of earth, fire and water the way we do. They didn’t come up with the scientific explanations for their characteristics. Thus, they used Gods to explain the mysterious sides of the major elements. The important thing is that it never stopped them from using these elements to their advantage. Their grasp of the world around them and what made things work exhibited remarkable intelligence. I’m not sure that Freud’s explanation of human behavior is all that much more advanced than that found in Greek mythology. Joseph Cincotta, LineSync Architecture
this man’s extraordinary generosity and open-heartedness. I read it twice at least 10 years apart and had the same response each time. The book is now out of print, but I liked it so much, I will be republishing it soon Marshall Glickman, Green Living Books + Echo Point Books & Media
Special Books cont. The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw
Special Book Section cont.
www.greenlivingpdx.com
Once and Future King When I travel, I used to carry a metric buttload of books for those down times when only a book will do. Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of people reading on their mobile devices, but reading an electronic page doesn’t appeal. My favorite discovery is Audible books on my iTouch – available on all smartphones and some other mobile devices, too. My current book (that will last my wife and I through a couple of long car trips plus a couple of trans-Atlantic flights) is T. H. White’s “Once and Future King,” elegantly read by Neville Jason. So much more than Camelot or the Morte d’Arthur, this is a book about love and the tragedy of loving, governance, and the dawn of civilization as we know it. It is spiced with anachronism and fancy to make you smile in the darkest waiting room. The real prize is that Audible gives you one free book when you sign up (and you can un-sign up immediately after downloading!) Audible, now a bit of Amazon, has an awesome selection of classics (Middlemarch) and recent best-sellers. Michael Potts Green Living data wrangler
Pet Food Politics by Marion Nestle.
I love it when someone takes the time and effort to document the dark side of any industry that is slickly marketed, especially the pet food industry! Second book: “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.” Compared to Frederick Douglass, and his brothers and sisters, my life is so easy. I have the moral challenge and responsibility to move things forward, as he did. Chip Sammons, Holistic Pet Center, Clackamas, Oregon http://www.holisticpetcenter.com 28
Although I read this book years ago, the profound impact that it had on me will continue to influence my view of life and people for as long as I live. My folks were the perfect examples of what Brokaw was talking about. In the first years of the depression Dad’s family lost their Ford dealership and every thing they owned except for their car and what they could pack into it. Years later. at 35 and raising a family of four, Dad was called to active duty at the outbreak of WW II He served for the full duration, was mustered out without fanfare, and returned home to start over. In all the years thereafter neither one of them ever complained about the hardships they endured nor did they ever feel that the government or anyone else owed then anything. They had resolve, were willing to serve, and understood personal sacrifice, and they met the challenges of their time. Now the times are once more challenging us.. How will we measure up? Gary Munkhoff, Publisher Columbia River Edition, Green Living Journal
On The Nightstand Compiled by Stephen Morris
Happy Life
Poems by David Budbill (Copper Canyon Press, 2011). This man’s poems has graced the pages of Green Living Journal several times. It’s easy to see why. He has earned his reputation as America’s most readable poets. His work is profoundly simple and spare. He takes on the big subjects like the changing of the seasons, getting older, and becoming wise. His work is as refreshing as a mountain stream, because it is utterly devoid of pretention.
Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun
by Michael J. Caduto (Storey Publishing, 2011) 22 super-charged science projects for kids, including how to capture marsh gas and watch it burn. (That’s one that sounds like it could backfire. If you can burn it, you can probably explode it. Some of these are very basic (drying laundry on the clothes line, making sun tea), but others (turning an umbrella into a solar cooker) will keep kids of all ages engaged.
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
Live in Beautiful Goldendale and Klickitat County Washington
509.773.3400 goldendalechamber.org
Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages,Ramshackle Retreats, and Funky Forts
by Derek Diedricksen. Lyons Press, 2012 (Available from Amazon). This is not like any building book you’ve ever seen. Consisting almost entirely of the author’s hand-drawn blueprints for his micro-building projects, it is wacky, demented, and bizarre on every level. At the same time it is eye-opening, stimulating, funny, and utterly appealing. Diedrecksen lets it all hang out, and some of it even makes sense. Somewhere along the line, this guy’s feet will get nailed to the ground, and he might even re-invent the world. A great imagination stimulator. A unique gift for the builder in your life.
High on Business: the Life, Times, and Lessons of a Serial Entrepreneur
by Alan Newman (The Public Press, 2011). What Diedrecksen (above) is to building, Newman is to business, i.e a wacked-out, unconventional practitioner. The difference is that the former has a backyard full of brilliant ideas and half-finished projects, while Newman can point to ongoing business that are generating in excess of $350 million in annual sales. As a “serial entrepreneur” he is a specialist in start-up businesses, and his lessons are particularly appropriate to the young or fledgling entrepreneur. This book is as entertaining as it is instructive.
New Green Home Solutions
Dave Bonta and Stephen Snyder, (Gibbs Smith, 2008). Energy efficient meets beautiful meets contemporary design.
Under a Fig Tree
Sandy Levesque (2010), The universal story of the immigrant. A three generational tale of assimilating to America. This family happens to be Italian, but the story is shared by many nationalities. Includes delicious recipes.
The New Village Green
by the editors of Green Living Journal. (New Society, 2008). The big ideas that formed our world view of the environment made accessible by the people who make a living by developing “practical information for friends of the environment.”
The Home Energy Diet
Paul Scheckel (New Society, 2005). Tips for saving energy that make this book worth, if not its weight in gold, then at least dollar bills. Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 15 Winter 2011
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www.greenlivingpdx.com
Special Book Section continued
Book Review Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical
Guide to More Self-Reliant Living By Deborah Niemann
Our food system is dominated by industrial agriculture and has become economically and environmentally unsustainable. The incidence of diet-related diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease, has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. Whether you have forty acres and a mule or a condo with a balcony, you can do more than you think to safeguard your health, your money, and the planet. Homegrown and Handmade shows how making things from scratch and growing at least some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life. Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it’s packed with answers and solutions to help you: • Take control of your food supply from seed to plate • Raise small and medium livestock for fun, food, and fiber • Rediscover traditional skills to meet more of your family’s needs than you ever thought possible This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful selftaught modern homesteader, this well illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a simpler life. Deborah Niemann is a homesteader, writer, and self-suf-
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ficiency expert who presents extensively on topics including soapmaking, bread baking, cheesemaking, composting, and homeschooling. She and her family raise sheep, pigs, cattle, goats, chickens, and turkeys for meat, eggs, and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provides fruits and vegetables. Available from New Society Publishers: http://www.newsociety.com
Books: A Living History By Martyn Lyons From the first scribbling on papyrus to the emergence of the e-book, this wide-ranging overview of the history of the book provides a fascinating look at one of the most efficient, versatile, and enduring technologies ever developed. The author traces the evolution of the book from the rarefied world of the hand-copied and illuminated volume in ancient and medieval times, through the revolutionary impact of Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, to the rise of a publishing culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the subsequent impact of new technologies on this culture. Many of the great individual titles of the past two millennia are discussed as well as the range of book types and formats that have emerged in the last few hundred years, from serial and dime novels to paperbacks, children’s books, and Japanese manga. The volume ends with a discussion of the digital revolution in book production and distribution and the ramifications for book lovers, who can’t help but wonder whether the book will thrive—or even survive—in a form they recognize.
A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Winter 2011
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