RAIN A MONTHLY BULLETIN BOARD VOLUME II NUMBER 1 OCTOBER, 1975 This magazine is published in the most livable city in the U.S. INSIDE: Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach Conscious Culture of Poverty by E. F. Schumacher Agriculture · Appropriate Technology • Recycling . Video • Community • Energy • Wind • Solar • Land Use · Energy Conserving · Lifestyles
Page 2 RAIN Sept/Oct 1975 RAIN is supported by your subscriptions and a grant from the N.W. Area Foundation, administered through the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, OR 97210, 227-5110. RAIN I Full Circle Staff Tom Bender Lane DeMoll Lee Johnson Steve Johnson Nancy Lee Anne McLaughlin Mary Wells With much thanks to patient Michele Pells for keeping track of our readers. Typesetting: Irish Setter Printing: Times Litho EDITORIAL SIGNPOSTS Suggestions for people sending stuff for publication in RAIN: There's nothing hard and fast around here but trying to catch ourselves by surprise one night and define our shared intuitions we came up with the following editorial signposts: We wish to share with people information that is: workable ... novel ... successful ... practical ... perceptive ... loving/humorous ... integral ... cosmic ... down-to-earth ... fitting, .. . appropriate . . . sane .. . infertilating .. . hopeful .. . encouraging .. . non-redundant (don't reinvent the wheel) ... way over there there's someone else doing what you are doing .. . we try to find seeds ... RAIN helps things grow . . . interests that dovetail . . . information rather than opinions .. . not trippy ... have them send photos and graphics .. . they should look at what things we're looking for in future issues ... they should look at past issues of RAIN ... include comparisons to other books/ projects . . . not stuff that gets known through major news media .. . include address, phone, price, who is it designed for ... They should send the stuff to other places as well, like Tilth, Epilog, Mother Earth News, Environmental Action Bulletin, Alternative Sources of Energy, AERO, Workbook, etc. An EPA-sponsored study rating the quality of life in 243 metropolitan areas across the country found only Portland among the 65 metropolitan areas with populations of more than 500,000 to achieve an outstanding rating in all categories rated. RAIN DROPS Future issues: In the next issue we want to do special collections on: • Employment (examples of environment-enhancing, energy-conserving kinds of livelihoods, and groups working in those areas, etc.) • Personal changes (the relation of perception/mental tone and environmental enhancement; "becoming," not "having") • Library journals (and other small access journals) • Plants and energy conservation • Looking down from above (aerial photographs, the world from above, etc. • Wood heat In upcoming issues we're also looking for information about: your favorite example of appropriate technology, health insurance, regional resource inventories, craft/small industry newsletters; local/by region sources of information for urban and rural farming; learning exchanges; public interest ... research groups; and a directory of video/cable projects, books, etc., especially in the N.W. Please send us your ideas. Deadline is about the 20th of each month )Please also note that for items for the calendar.) €GRICULTURE·FOO~ Eugene Food Action Council P.O. Box 1255 Eugene, OR 97401 Some exciting developments this summer in Eugene as the council sponsored the first community food conference. Groups formed at the conference are working on 1) forming a theater group to work with groups on food and health, 2) more "large" scale distribution of food among organic/ natural foods distributors, 3) a lobbying group, 4) an urban farm learning site, 5) skill resource sharing newsletter, and otherwise disseminating information through existing networks. A directory and resource inventory were prepared among conference members; and recently (Sept. 27) they held a harvest festival, where demonstrations included heating with wood, food preservation, natural foods bake-off, square dancing, a bicycle-powered blender. •Weare out of RAIN, Vol. I, issues 1-<6. We will make reprints at 25</, a page. • If you have moved or are about to move, tell us; this saves us ten cents and keeps you from losing an issue of RAIN. See subscription & Change of Address Form, p. 31. • Please remember to send a self-addressed stamped envelope in writing to people listed; especially when they obviously have little or no budget and are not in the information & referral business. • PLEASE INCLUDE PAYMENT, AS WE DO NOT BILL. • What do you think? Should we tell you who reviews what? Initials after reviews? • Letters you send us may be quoted in the newsletter. Tell us when you feel you'd rather people didn't know. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: It has been rather traumatic changing over to subscription. We keep changing our rates because we really don't know what's fair. We try to be responsive to special circumstances, so contact us before giving up. (Subscription Form, p. 31) IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements) 3 Chemin de la Bergerie 91700 Ste. Genevieve des Bois, France American contact: Rodale Press 33 East Minor Emmaus, PA 18049 Primarily a vehicle of communication for member groups. Exhaustive listings each month of new books and periodicals in the field. Last issue of newsletter had article on a growing international seed bank. Important crossAtlantic network. ($13 individual and $26 institutional membership rates.) Southern Institute for Alternative Agriculture is in the formative process, at the pre-funded state looking for input according to Elizabeth Gottschalk, cofounder. (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Fla. 32307.) The Institute would research, disseminate, demonstrate: low-energy agriculture, organic gardening, general environmental education, and aid for the small farmer. continued on page 4
Sept/Oct 1975 RAIN Page 3 In Ecotopia's Big Woods Ecotopia, by Ernest Callenbach, Banyon Tree Books, 1517 Francisco St., Berekely, CA 94703. Ecotopia is a singular work, like the wheel it looks obvious. of course, but even these are nicely angled odd things. It felt like I had felt a new feeling when I read it. I remembered how to ask (What can we make the world into?). • "' A steady state, spiritual rather than economic conscious society. It's more like a kit than any Utopia I've reador like a ten-year plan. ... Yes, flawed, Somehow looking at the earth from - : the moon, even second hand, teaches ,.,. you something about your neighbor.•;~· We_need big pictures. Ecotopia is a umque one. Healdsburg, May 17. Wood is a major factor in the topsyturvy Ecotopian economy, as the source not only of lumber and paper but also of some of the remarkable plastics that Ecotopian scientists have developed. Ecotopians in the city and country alike take a deep and lasting interest in wood. They love to smell it, feel it, carve it, polish it. Inquiries about why they persist in using such an outdated material (which of course has been entirely obsoleted by aluminum and plastics in the United States) receive heated replies. To ensure a stable long-term supply of wood, the Ecotopians early reforested enormous areas that had been cut over by logging companies before Independence. They also planted trees on many hundreds of thousands of acres that had once been cleared for orchards or fields, but had gone wild or lay unused because of the exodus of people from the country into the cities. I have now been able to visit one of the forest camps that carry out lumbering and tree-planting, and have observed how far the Ecotopians carry their love of trees. They do no clearcutting at all, and their forests contain not only mixed ages but also mixed species of trees. They argue that the costs of mature-tree cutting are actually less per board foot than clearcutting-but that even if they weren't, it would still be desirable because of less insect damage, less erosion, and more rapid growth of timber. But such arguments are probably only a sophisticated rationale for attitudes that can almost be called tree worship- and I would not be surprised, as I probe further into Ecotopian life, to discover practices that would strengthen this hypothesis. (I have seen fierce-looking totem poles outside dwellings, for instance.) Certainly the Ecotopian lumber industry has one practice that must seem barbarian to its customers: the unlucky person or group wishing to build a timber structure must first arrange to go out to a forest camp and do "forest service"-a period of labor during which, according to the theory, they are supposed to contribute enough to the growth of new trees to replace the wood they are about to consume. This system must be enormously wasteful in terms of economic inefficiency and disruption, but that seems to disturb the Ecotopians- at least those who live in and run the lumber camps-not a bit. The actual harvesting of timber is conducted with surprising efficiency, considering the general laxness of Ecotopian work habits. There is much goofing off in the forest camps, but when a crew is at work, they work faster and more cooperatively than any workmen I have ever seen. They cut trees and trim them with a strange, almost religious respect: showing the emotional intensity and care we might use in preparing a ballet. I was told that in rougher country ox-teams and even horses are used in lumbering, just as they were in Gold Rush times. And in many areas a tethered balloon and cables hoist the cut trees and carry them to nearby logging roads. But in the camp I visited (which may be a showplace) the basic machine is a large electric tractor with four huge rubber tires. These are said to tear up the forest floor even less than oxen, which have to drag timber out on some kind of sled. Though heavy, these tractors are surprisingly maneuverable since both front and rear wheels steer. They have a protected operator's cabin amidship; on one end there is a prehensile extension bearing a chain saw large enough to cut through all but the hugest trees, and mounted so it can cut them off only a few inches above ground level. (This is of course pleasant aesthetically, but it is also claimed that is saves some millions of board feet of lumber each year, and helps in management of the forest floor.) This saw can also cut tr~es into loadable lengths. On the other end of the tractor is a huge claw device that can pick up a log, twirl it around lengthwise over the tractor, and carry it to the logging road where big diesel trucks wait to be loaded. Ecotopian foresters claim that this machinery enables them to log safely even in dry weather, since there are no exhausts likely to set fire to undergrowth. It does seem to be true that their methods disturb the forest very little-it continues to look natural and attractive. Several types of trees usually grow in stands together, which is supposed to encourage wildlife and cut the chances of disastrous insect and fungi invasions. Curiously, a few dead trees are left standing-as homes for insect-gobbling woodpeckers!- and there are occasional forest meadows to provide habitats for deer and other animals. The older trees seed young ones naturally, so the foresters generally now only do artificial planting in areas they are trying to reforest. The dense forest canopy keeps the forest floor cool and moist, and pleasant to walk in. Although it rained for a few hours during my stay, I noticed that the stream passing near the camp did not become muddy-evidently it is true, as they claim, that Ecotopian lumbering leaves the topsoil intact, cuts down erosion, and preserves fish. (I didn't actually see any fish-but then I am the kind of person who seldom sees fish anywhere.) The lumber camps themselves do not have sawmills, though they possess portable devices with which they can saw rough boards in small quantities for their own needs. The main squaring and sawing of timber, and the production of slabs for pulp, takes place at mills located in more open country, which buy logs from the forest camps. The resulting boards are then sold, almost entirely in the county-sized area just around the mill. Lumber sales are solely domestic; Ecotopia ceased lumcontinued on page 4
Page 4 RAIN Sept/Oct 1975 continued from page 3 ber export immediately after Independence. It is claimed that, since the U.S. formerly exported half as much lumber as was used in housing, much of it from the West, some surplus actually existed from the beginning of the new nation. Ecotopian foresters argue that their policies have, since then, more than doubled their per capita resources of timber. There are, however, no present plans for a resumption of export. Interestingly enough, the Ecotopians themselves have a debate in progress about the huge diesel trucks they use to haul logs. Several forest workers apologized to me that they are still dependent on these noisy, smelly, hulking diesels. Yet there are people all over them at the end of the work day, shining them up-one of the few outlets still allowed in this carless society for man's love of powerful machinery. One truck I saw has lost its bumper, and the replacement is a large, sturdy piece of wood. As they wear out, the trucks will be eliminated in favor of electric vehicles. Meanwhile, people argue hotly over the bumpers-extremist ideologues saying that the bumpers (which are actually stainless steel, not chrome plate) should all be replaced with wood, and the traditionalists maintaining that the trucks should be treated as museum relics and kept in original condition. The factions seem about equally matched, which means that the traditionalists have won so far-since a change on such a "drastic" matter is only carried out if there is a virtual consensus. Our economists would surely find the Ecotopian lumber industry a labyrinth of contradictions. An observer like myself can come only to general conclusions. Certainly Ecotopians regard trees as being alive in almost a human senseonce I saw a quite ordinary-looking young man, not visibly drugged, lean against a large oak and mutter "Brother Tree!" AGRICULTURE-FOOD continued from page 2 The Handmade Greenhouse: from windowsill to backyard, by Richard Nicholls, 128 pp., $4.95 from Running Press 38 S. 19th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 And equally certainly, lumber in Ecotopia is cheap and plentiful, whatever the unorthodox means used to produce it. Wood therefore takes the place that aluminum, bitumino~s facings, and many other modern materials occupy with us. An important by-product of the Ecotopian forestry policies is that extensive areas, too steep or rugged to be lumbered without causing erosion, have been assigned wilderness status. There all logging and fire roads have been eradicated. Such areas are now used only for camping and as wildlife preserves, and a higher risk of forest fire is apparently accepted. It is interesting, by the way, that such Ecotopian forests are uncannily quiet compan;d to ours, since they have no trail-bikes, all-terrain vehicles, airplanes overhead, nor snowmobiles in the winter. Nor can you get around in them rapidly, since foot trails are the only way to get anywhere. Has Ecotopian livestock or agricultural production suffered because of the conversion of so much land to forest? Apparently not; vegetables, grains and meat are reasonably cheap, and beef cattle are common features of the landscape, though they are never concentrated in forced-feeding fattening lots. Thus an almost dead occupation, that of cowboy, has come back. And cattle ranches in the Sierra foothills have reverted to the old summer practice of driving their stock up to the high valleys where they pasture on ,wet mountain meadow grass. Grasslands research is said to be leading to the sowing of more native strains, which are better adapted to the climate and resist the incursion of thistles. Pasture irrigation is practiced only in a few areas, and only for milking herds. But the true love of the Ecotopians is their forests, which they tend with so much care and manage in the prescribed stable-state manner. There they can claim much success in their campaign to return nature to a natural condition. Comparative Efficiency of Energy Use in Crop Production, by G.H. Heichel, free bulletin no. 739, Nov. 73, from Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station New Haven, CT 06504 Makes you feel you could build it yourself by giving you all the information. Assumes no previous building experience, presents specific plans and detailed instructions for building different greenhouses ranging from $2 to $1500. Lists sources of tools and supplies. Emphasis on kind of greenhouse to build for certain types of plans, how to equip it properly, maintain an ecological environment for good results, the correct treatment and control of "hothouse" plants. Comprehensive, useful bibliography. We need this one in hip-pocket paperback size. The Plant Doctor, by Richard Nicholls, 1975, 108 pp. $3.95 plus postage from: Full of useful numbers, ending with suggestions for increased energy efficiency via green manure fertilizingthe manure spreader returns!-and using crop residue for fuel. Long and comprehensive bibliography. Ask for their publications list. A big union is getting into the food co-op movement, according to an article by Jack Crellin in the Detroit Free Press. The United Auto Workers' local 600the union's biggest local-has advanced $30,000 for members to buy farm produce, which will be made available on a non-profit basis to UAW members and others. It's called Workers' Market No. 1. (Environmental Action Bulletin) Running Press 38 South 19th St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 A generalized and somewhat prissy plant primer highlighting disease and pest control. Chapter 2 is handy in that it contains a simplified version of all the possible causes of dysfunction listed under each major symptom with page references to the text. There are certain omissions: the section on selection of appropriate pots makes no note of the hazards of unvarnished copper pots; there is almost no mention of recommended light levels for isolated plasticenclosed ailing plants; constant use of Latin names leaves you wondering where the glossary went. Obviously Richard is a cactus man, as his best insights pertain to this plant type. The book also covers growing seeds, wick watering and terrariums and has an intriguing bibliography. (C.E.Weinstein) The Food Co-Op Project 64 East Lake St. Chicago, IL 60601 In collaboration with the Illinois Assoc. of Community Action Agencies, has produced a good introductory guide to starting a food cooperative. $1.00. You'll need localized information, but this will help you remember the parts that keep them together. They've also just completed the 4th edition of the Food Cooperative Directory, a nationwide listing of about 2,000 food stores, warehouses, bakeries, resource organizations. ($3.00 for that and their newsletter Nooz). When I visited there this summer, I was also impressed with their on-site range of information on co-ops, rural organizations, farming, community projects.
Sept/Oct 1975 RAIN Page 5 Mapping the Northwest This map was handdrawn by our good friend Bob Benson. We are going to overlay it (larger size) issue by issue with locations of important places and connections, starting with energy/environment centers. Send us information of places we should include. Agriculture/Energy Project Reports Center for the Biology of Natural Systems Box 1126 Washington University St. Louis, MO 63130 (314) 863-0100, x. 4983/x. 4994. Barry Commoner's team has completed six excellent studies which are available free: CBNS-AE-1 : Effect of Recent Energy Price Increases on Field Crop Production Costs, Dec. '74, 108 pp. CBNS-AE-2 : Vulnerability of Crop Production to Energy Problems (simplified version of CBNS-AE-1), Jan. '75, 34 pp. CBNS-AE-3: Agricultural Resources Consumed in Beef Production, June '75,41pp. CBNS-AE-4: A Comparison of the Production, Economic Returns and Energy Intensiveness of Corn Belt Farms That Do and Do Not Use Inorganic Fertilizers and Pesticides, July '75, 62 pp. CBNS-AE-5: Energy in Corn Belt Production, July '75, 15 pp. CBNS-AE-6 : A Comparison of Organic and Conventional Farms in the Corn Belt, July '75, 27 pp. (simplified version of CBNS-AE-4). Washington Cooperative Federation 102 N.E. 43rd St. Seattle, WA 98105 The federation is an association of food buying clubs and food co-op stores throughout Washington. We are sporadically printing a newsletter and doing some joint bulk buys, as well as trying to get organized and define our goals, structure and membership. Meetings of all co-ops interested are held every couple of months to work on these things; there is also a rotating committee structure to work on specific projects. We would particularly like to hear from co-ops in Washington that aren't on the mailing list and/or who haven't been receiving the newsletter. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance 1717 18th St. N.W. Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-4108 Has a striking (don't put it up on a bright green; it will pull tacks and walk away); 24"x30" The Urban Farmer, jam-packed with basic information on about SO vegetable crops, information including pound yield per 10' row, protein, companion plants, depth to plant, nutrients, ph range, and more. $2.00. They also have published some results on vegetable yields using different methods of farming (hydroponic, organic, British, US, etc.). Newsletter is expected to begin this fall.
( APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY ) Farallones Institute 15290 Coleman Valley Rd. Occidental, CA 95465 Sim VanderRyn and David Katz, Directors There is sure a lot happening at the 80acre rural site in Occidental- 26 students · and 11 faculty people of all ages living together for the summer (with a month's advance work by the faculty), have built a solar shower, clivus toilet, composting privy (a second, modified one is in the works), an organic garden, and a kitchen; they've carved beautiful wooden stools for their outside dining area and a sink for the shower-growing out of courses and workshops on carving, joinery and blacksmithing. Cinva-ram bricks are being tested on the second privy foundation. Work has started on a blacksmith shop, a design studio and other structures (everyone presently sleeps under the stars), as well as a grey water system for the garden. They're even tackling such sticklers as health and building inspectors-meticulously explaining the compost privy system and working through the problems of moving local authorities along. With so much happening, their overall planning is a bit haphazard, and integration of "whole systems" could go much further. Their work schedule has been heavy- generally up at 6 a.m. (some up at 5 to meditate in a beautiful outdoor zendo) and hasn't left them much time to read and reflect and plan. The energy is high, and one of the best things was the community feelingeveryone helps in the kitchen on a rotating basis and trades off on other jobs necessary for a community of 40+ to operate. A number of people, including Wilson Clark, J.B. Blunk (who started the wood carving), and China expertauthor Orville Schell (recently returned from a 3-month work trip to China) have given workshops and short courses. My favorite time was a warm loving circle every night just before supper. The summer session is over now, but a core group of people are staying on. It feels like an excellent way to get experience in the practical aspects of alternative energy systems, building and agriculture, as well as cooperative living. (LdM) Farallones Institute-Urban Site Helga and Bill Olkowski, Directors The Urban Site is equally exciting, though we were only there an hour. They've just about finished renovating a run-down Victorian house to include Handcarved sinks at Farallones Rural Site (use solar-heated water) a greenhouse, design studio, clivus, National Film Board of Canada solar water heater complete with com- Trudy Kamphuis plicated testing capabilities (in true Cali- 344 12th Ave. S.W. fornia style, they've made no provisions Calgary, Alberta for space heat- though there is a wood (403) 231-5332 stove in the kitchen), a peculiar semi- Dear RAIN: Enclosed is a raft of maJapanese bath and living space. An or- terial related to distribution of the New ganic garden is thriving as are rabbits, Alchemists film put out by Challenge chickens and compost pile on the tiny for Change of the National Film Board urban lot. The heavy emphasis is on of Canada. I have had trouble trying to urban biological systems rather than reach you by phone, so this is the energy generation- there was a good general intention in words. balance in the garden between scien- I am working to set up a network of tific documentation/experimentation, alternatives information particular to demonstrating urban gardening possi- western Canada and thought this might bilities, and the elegance of natural perhaps be of interest to you. It is under systems. The amount of time, effort the auspices of Challenge for Change, and dollars spent on the architectural and in the next few months I am hoping modification seems a bit overdone, but to contact as many people as possible it probably speaks well to Bay Area ur- interested in seeing or talking about the banites. This is certainly one of the film and others along a similar vein. best urban projects in existence! (Workshops so far set up are in Calgary, (LdM) Alderflats, potentially in Lethbridge and various communities in the Kootenays and eastern B.C.) Contact me at the film board offices in Calgary. On the other side, I would appreciate being put on the mailing list for RAIN to tie into establishing a communication network here (will send the final info when it gets done if you like). There are some problems taking films across borders, but there is a National Film Board office in San Francisco QJ (Canadian Travel Film Library, Suite 1l 1600, 44 Montgomery St., San Fran- ~ cisco, CA 94104, (415) 981-1448. T. § Johnston) that would have access to the E-- films in lieu perhaps. ~ Hoping to hear from you. Trudy o': Kamphuis. ... QJ -0 C: QJ i:Q e 0 f-, 0 0 .c ~
The Community Services Administration (formerly OEO) is in the process of trying to set up a National Center for Appropriate Technology with initial funding of $3 million. A planning committee, including Community Action Agency people from different parts of the country and a.t. people such as Gene Eccli, Tom Bender, Helga and Bill Olkowski, Travis Price, Kye Cochran and John Borrego, has met twice in August. The small center is to use 75% of its funds as grants for innovative development and demonstration projects that· will benefit low income communities. Grants will be under $10,000 so as to discourage large interests from making eyes at the money. The small staff, based in Butte, Montana, will evaluate and disseminate information on a.t., open up other federal programs so that low income people get a fair share of the government energy r&d, conduct training sessions, etc. The center will also fund regional coordinators to keep itself as decentralized as possible. Sam Love (formerly of Environmental Action and Editor of the Feb. 1975 Futurist on a.t.) is writing the proposal. The center has great potential both because of the welcome (and long overdue) federal government support of a.t. and because of the strong existing network of local community action organizations around the country-many of whom are already implementing a.t. ideas for poor people. Thorny political problems remain to be solved before anything gets off the ground, but they're off to a good startwe '11 keep you posted. (LdeM) more academically oriented than programs at Community Technology, Max's Pot, Farallones, or New Alchemy. Hosted by Murray Bookchin, and with workshops by visitors such as Karl Hess, Stewart Brand, Wilson Clark, Eugene Eccli, Bob Reines and others, the program had a large enrollment of 15 people, despite high tuition-most of which .went to keep the rest of the college afloat. The by now usual range of solar collectors, wind mills, methane generators, aquaculture ponds and organic gardens were nearing completion by the time we were there in mid-August. The ambitious organic garden pointed up one of the recurring problems of academic schedules- when the crops are ready, the students have left. The nice thing about the redundancy of such energy experiments is that each group tries some different combinations. Goddard folk were using septic tanks for solar heat water storage-but also for algae . and aquaculture. The highlights of their experiments for us were the number of energy-conserving experiments applied to an old farmhouse by a group working with Eugene Eccli- insulating curtains, through-wall solar heaters, ducted outside combustion air and thermo-grate for a fireplace, etc. The thinking in the program seemed heavily and uncritically based on a single philosophical approach-"anarchical communism"-and might well benefit by more comparative analysis of other societal structure such as traditional Asian societies, present-day China or Vietnam, Cuba or Scandinavia. Along with other new learning/working centers, the Goddard program points the direction to some more meaningful and workable learning processes. (TGB) Ekoteket c/o The Museum of Modern Art Skeppsholfnen Stockholm, Sweden An information center, public library and information gathering system on alternative technologies and ways of habitation based on ecologically adapted technologies. They are now trying to t locate, monitor and acquire the most ] relevant and interesting books, periodi- ~ cals and reports in this area. If you have E methane info to share, send it to Keith ~ Elkin at Ekoteket. 0 0 f Earth Cyders Through-the-wall solar heater at Goddard The Social Ecology Program at Goddard College became one of the primary East Coast focuses this summer for people wanting to learn how to build their own intellectual and personal skill "lifeboats." The program seemed generally to be Rt. 1 Edwall, WA 99008 (509) 236-2353 Earth Cyders is setting up a small farm methane and wind irrigation system with the help of a grant from Hunger Action Center in Olympia. Three twomonth apprenticeships or two three- ... (IJ -0 c:: (IJ r:o E 0 r' 0 0 ..c:: Q., Sept/Oct 1975 RAIN Page 7 month apprenticeships are being offered to persons who want to learn about alternative energy systems, organic farming and communal living while helping with this project. Persons interested in being apprenticed either this fall or next spring should contact us. A Simple Portable Shower Using a pump type 3-1/2 gallon garden sprayer and a sink hose sprayer head with the hose. This is a good way to have a shower in an area where there is little or no water. John A. McGeorge (11 Ells St., Norwalk, CT 06850) sent us a handy description of the one he uses; available on request. Send selfaddressed, stamped envelope and donation, if possible. Community Environmental Council 109 East de la Guerra Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 962-2210 An environmental resource center similar to Institute for Local Self Reliance. As well as publishing Survival Times- a good energy-environment journal, they are involved in the community garden project, with preparations being made for a permanent outdoor environmental education center (La Mesa project) on a 5-acre site. "The center will combine environmentally sound building concepts, organic agriculture and alternative energy." Also working with local health officials on the installation of Clivus Multrum toilets. ($12 membership, $6 sturlents) Solar Sustenance Project Rt. 1, Box 107A Santa Fe, NM 87501 Bill Yanda, Director A design for an attached solar greenhouse (well insulated, with thermal storage capacities) that provides yearround food production and supplementary heat for rural low-income families in the high altitudes of Northern New Mexico. So inexpensive, attractive, easy to construct and maintain from indigenous materials that 11 experimental greenhouses have spawned at least 50 owner-built ones... . A perfect a.t. example! Write for a clear, detailed report (11 pages).
Page 8 RAIN Sept/Oct 1975 €RCHITECTURE ) SECA ( Service for Energy Conservation in Architecture) c/o Boston Architectural Center 320 Newbury St. Boston, MA 02115 24-hour a day clearinghouse phone line for energy conservation information relating to the industry that supports it. Acts as a referral service drawing on professional expertise. Earth Covered Building for Energy Conservation Conference Proceedings. Write: Frank L. Moreland, Director Center for Energy Policy Studies Inst. of Urban Affairs Univ. of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX 76019 Covers life-cycle costs, finance and insurance implications, social and behavioral aspects, energy and material consumption patterns, aesthetics, interfaces with city networks, political and legal considerations, technical considerations, environmental impact, implementation strategies. This is the next item for your shelves after Mike Ohler's (Rt. 1, Bonner's Ferry, ID 83805) Mother Earth News story on his $50 underground home in northern Idaho, and Royce LaNier's book Geotecture. :;.3* ':~-,, . Retrofitting Existing Housing for Energy Conservation: An Economic Analysis, National Bureau of Standards Building Science Series 64, $1.35 from U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20402 An excellent technical analysis comparing the economic desirability of different combinations of adding additional insulation, storm windows, and weatherstripping to existing houses. The first study available which analyzes for a wide range of energy costs as well as climatic conditions. It also.contains a model that can be used to calculate what combinations will give homeowners the greatest savings in investing different amounts of money in energy conservation measures for their homes. Grassy Brook Village. Reprinted with permission from Grassy Brook Village, Inc. Regional Climate Analyses, published by the American Institute of Architects and House Beautiful periodically in the A.I.A. Bulletin from 1949 to 1952. Presently available from: Xerox University Microfilms 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 $15 paperback, $5 microfilm This series of studies of the climate of 15 representative cities and regions of the country is the most useful single source of climate information available for building. It contains detailed graphic information on range of temperature, hours of sunshine, hot and cold days, degree days, clear and cloudy days, solar heat, sun height, hourly direction of the sun, wind direction and strength, precipitation, snow precipitation days, maximum rate of rainfall, relative humidity, and vapor pressures, as well as qualitative analysis of special architectural implications. Beautifully clear graphic presentation conveys immense amounts of information without having to burrow through volumes of tables, charts and graphs. The A.I.A. and House Beautiful should be commended for having sponsored a pioneering study of this quality. If all our professions would make documents such as this, which make sensitive and technically correct action possible for large numbers of people, widely available at reasonable prices, they could contribute far more to our quality of life than their professional activities themselves. The present price of Regional Climatic Analyses, however, is unreasonably high. Why pay $15 for it? You could Xerox the whole 200 pages yourself for $10, or the section on your region for 60¢. It only costs around 85¢ a copy to print a document this size, or only 6¢ for a single region. Xerox it yourself, or write the A.I.A. (1735 New York Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20006) and request they come out with a reasonably priced edition. Living Within Our Means, by Richard D. Blasej and Philip M. Moriarty. Send $1 plus SASE to Grassy Brook Village RFD No. 2, Box 39 Newfa11e, VT 05 345 Subtitled "Towards the development of the small, self-contained community as a focus for ecologically-sound housing on a comprehensible, human scale," this is a practical and philosophical rationale for Grassy Brook Village, a proposed energy-aware & resourceconscious condominium in Brookline, Vt. A perceptive and powerful companion to Sharing Smaller Pies by Tom Bender, it questions whether "more is better" and asserts the worth of a new way, a clearer relationship of humanity and nature in which the link between what we do, how we live, and the consequences are re-established. €0MINDEX ) THE COMINDEX INDEX, which follows, was sent to us by Bob Wallace. As long as I've known Bob, he's been doing this list: It is in our in-process directory and, we feel, makes a good base for a periodic section on computers. Comindex Bob Wallace P.O. Box 5415 Seattle, WA 98105 Design, networking, and services in the computer field. These machines can be a useful medium for community communications, can relieve some of the paperwork for alternative groups, and can be enjoyable as a hobby. Comindex is gathering information in these areas
(especially for the Northwest)'and will be publishing several directories. In addition, keysort _cards are being developed for low-budget filing, mailing list, and directory production. Would appreciate any information on people-oriented and innovative computer projects, or notes from those in the Northwest w.ho are into computers as a tool for social change or building their own machines. Community Computer Services Project 1877 West Fourth Avenue Vancouver, BC (604) 733-8310 Open: Mon:Fri, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. To explore computer use for: an electronic bulletin board (community memory) and information exchange; a social service file retrieval and cataloguing service; an interactive, computer mapping facility, a learning exchange; a computerized research service oriented toward community problems. Key Words: mailing list, social research, local data-base, information network, learning exchange, community-memory, people's access, computer-utility, information retrieval, education, privacy politics. Only funded to.June 30, 1975. The Learning Rxchange 1320 Commercial Drive Vancouver, BC (604) 253-8113 Open: Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. A computerized service to develop listings of: community edu<;:ation resources; teachers and resource people; people seeking others with common learning interests; learning tools, spaces ,and events. Staff is actively canvassing individuals and groups in the community to encourage them to list on the L.E. Key Words: social research, local data-base, information network, learning exchange, community memory, people's access, computer-utility, education. Peter and Linda Bergeron White Mountain Communications Co. 9547 Wallingford Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98103 522-1891 , Interests: closed syst. technology, psychology, psychical research, education, video, musical composition, "living efficiently ... with joy." Projects: computerized astro. charting and dietary planning, Alternative Elementary School III (w/in Seattle Pub. Schools). Needs: unlimited access to info. Resources: skills, elec. typewriter, ,computer terminal (after 5/1/75), banjo, misc. electronic equip., unusual library & pamphlets. Fantasies: to establish a self-sufficient tech.-oriented community (maybe on the moon); an educational _ syst. involving family/community, not just children, no separation. Infact 1877 West Fourth Avenue Vancouver, BC V6J 1M4 (604) 733-8310 Open: Mon-Fri, 10 a-;m. - 4 p.m. Registered society in Vancouver,_British ·colurn,bia, Canada. Interested in community use of computers for,information services, information processing and communication. Resources: two terminals, access to U.BC computer (both temporary), community mem-· ory (program), computerized Directory of Social Services. Projects: The Learning Exchange, 1320 Co'mmercial Dr.; Community Computer Services, 1877 W. 4th Ave. Key Words: mailing list, local data-base, information network, learning exchange, ~ommunity memo_ry, people's access, computer-utility, information retrieval. I - The Computer ~n the Community, Report No. One, IIPS (Inter-Institutional Policy Simulator) and Community Information. A report on a two-month demonstration of a computer-based, community information system held at the,V~ncouver Public Library, Mar/April 1974. A cooperative venture of the IIPS Project, City of Vancouver, Community Information Centre and the Vancouver Public Library. Key Words: social research, lo~al data-base, q>mputer-utility, infor-· mation network. Jerr.y Barenholtz 870 W. ·19th Ave. Vancouver, BC (604) 873-2387 Building a computer language & graphics facility for artists, on a PDP-11/40. Hope to expand to video and music synthesis. Looking for contact with people sharing computer art fantasies or experience. Into computer-aided · design, community memory, social research, education. Also associat~d with Infact. Barry de Ville, Dymaxion Rese~ch Ltd. Box 105 3-Armdale ' Halifax, Nova Scotia (902) 429-3175 R~search, design, and implement data systems with ~onviviality and integration in mind. Specialize in: cataloging Sept/Oct 197 5 RAIN Page 9 and retrieval of visuals; social surveys; c·ommunity consensus polling; and technology impact studies. Designs alternatives, offers hardware access, and provides totally integr.ated systtms. Robert Ellis Smith, Publisher Privacy Journal P.O. Box 8844 Washington, DC 20003 , (202) -547-2865, 9-5: 30 EDT Privacy journal publishes monthly 8page newsletter on privacy and computer data collection; also provide research services on privacy/computers. $15 per year. Publisher: Rol;>ert Ellis Smith . . "A Practical, Low-Cost, Home/School Microproce1sor System," IEEE Magazine, 8/74 Computer 585 5 Naples Plaza, Suite 301 Long Beach, CA 90803 This article, by Joe Weisbecker of RCA labs, describes a.computer costing under $500 for home, recreational and educational use. Basic FRED system is the RCA COSMAC microprocessor, 1K RAM, 16 pushbuttons, a TV set, and an audio cassette player. Applications include utility programs (such as a calculator), school drills, games and puzzles, and experimental/user programs (such as simulation, music, etc.). Lists about 85 such applications for cheap microcomputers. 11 pages, 88¢ from Comindex. "Conference on Living/Learning Information Exchanges." Northwestern Univ~rsity Computers and Teaching 2003 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL 60201 (312) 492-5367 The conference was November 1973 and included conferencing via computer between Resource One in San Franccisco and Northwester,n. Paper is a list of participants (with addresses) and a printout of the on-line dialog. 22 pages; free from above, or $1.76 from Comindex. MIT Community Dialog Project Prof. Thomas B. Sheridan MIT 1-108 Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 253-2228 This project studies the facilitation of group meetings using electronic voting aids and other procedures. It evaluates this technique as a function of the topic, participants, and moderator of the group. Also into cable-TV citizen participation. fJ-3 pages; ? from Prof. Sheridan or $3 .44 from Comindex. continued on page 10
Page•10 RAIN Sept/Oct 1975 COMINDEX continued from page 9 Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz 2222 S.E. Nehalem Street Portland, Oregon 97202 (503) 232-8976 Consulting in the areas of data and information processing, computer and cyber-. netic systems design and analysis, and statistical·analysis. Current areas of work: feedback balloting, simulation/ gaming with or without computers, skill banks, computer models (dynamic, energetic, ~conometric, cellular, etc.), · design of large-scale ·systems to promote citizen involvement and participation. We have a 10/30 cps CRT termin:,i.l and use several commercial and public time-sharing services. We need to keep up with what other people are doing, and find outlets for our talents and experience. Carl C. Clark Commission for the Advancement of Public Interest Organizations 1875 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20009 (202) 462-0505 Operates "Information Resources for Public Interest," an on-line information system available on National CSS and p·eriodically printed in book form ($10). Also does "Public Intere~t Reference Library". and "Citizens' Drinking Water Coalition." Bill Smith 808 University Blvd., Apt. 2 Silver Spring, MD 20903 Offers windplant·design service. Computer program and sample output for stamped, addressed envelope; windplant design for $5 and 7 variables (such as mean wind speed, power needed, etc.) The Computer Hobbyist Box 295 Cary,_NC 27511 (919) 467-3145 evenings (919) 851-7223 evenings Monthly, $6/year. Back issues 504 each (started Dec. '74).. Excellent technical newsletter. 8008 graphics system, surplus ind subscriber parts available, tutorial articles, construction articles, cassette interface. Micro-8 Computer User Group Newsletter (Hal Singer, ed~) Cabrillo Computer Center 4350 Constellation Road Lompoc, CA 93436 (805) 733-3501 (t':45-4: 30 PST) (805) 735-1596 (evenings) Newsletter, subscriber information exchange. $6 for 6 issues._New product news, circuits and ideas from s~bscribers, survey articles, standardization of. 8008 interfaces, kit evaluations and many other things. Very good. LCG ~ngineering_ 1807 Delaware St. Berkeley, CA 94703 Lee Felsenstein and Efrim_Lipkin are working toward helping people use computers. Lee is working on the "Tom Swift Terminal," a _modular, convivial, bus-oriented CRT terminal (description, ,504). Efrim is actively developing the Community Memory public data base. LCG also publishes the Journal of Communication, dealing with community memory and public access, for $1/issue. · People's Computer Company P.O. Box 310 ; Menlo Park, CA 94025 Publishes an excellen_t newsletter covering educational computer use (including reviews of DEC and HP systems), game programs ,in BASIC, microcomputer kits and news, and general computer hobbyist topics. $5/year (5 issues). Amateur Computer Society Newsletter Stephen B. G~ay 260 Noroton Ave. Darien, CT 06820 For people building their own digital computer. Short notes on kits, surplus parts,-swaps, letters, etc. More on surplus computer conversion and building from scratch. $5 for at least 8 issues; comes·out every 2 or 3 months. 34+ back issues available. 6 pages per issue. Byte Carl Helmers, Editor Box .378 Belmont, MA 02178 Subscriptions: c/o Green Publishing Inc. Peterborough, NH 03458 This is a new magazine, edited by Carl Helmers, who previously did the ExperiThe Digital Group menter's Computer System, a newsletter P-.O. Box 6528 containing pla~s for an 8008 system . Denver, CO 80209 (may still be available). Will cover the Active amateur computer group. Month- computer hobbyist field: projects, surly newsletter, $12/year. Into hardware/ ' plus equipment, games, practical applisoftware support for 8008 and 8080 cations, tutorials, etc. $12/year. systems-; plans for cassette, CRT, calculator, Mark-8 modifications, 1K operating system, ham radio support. Some boards and kits. Cla,ssified ads. Excel- 'lent info. The Logic Press 260 Godwin Ave. Wyckoff, NJ 07481 . Publishes Logic Newsletter, Robotics, and other newsletters (sample issues $1, L.N. $9 for 10 issues). Covers logical design and applications, formal logic, microprocessor news, book reviews, etc. General in scope; not much specific microprocessor circuitry. Homebrew Computer Club Fred Moore, newsletter editor 558 Santa Cruz Ave. · Menlo Park, CA 9402 5 Bay area computer builder's club. Into community memory and computers helping people, as well as technical ideas and circuits. Test equipment and design help available. Send a dollar to get the -newsletter · Popular Computing Box 272 Calabasas, CA 91302 Monthly covering computing theory, number theory, calculators, the "art of computing," other mathematical articles. $15/year; back issues $2 each or 2 for $3: Creative Computing · Ideametrics P.O. Box 789-M Morristown, NJ 07960 1 Bi-monthly; subscriptions: institutional $15/yr; individual, $8/yr; student, $6/ yr. Into educational and recreational computing: games, computers and society, mathematics, humor, computer aided instruction,·tutorial articles, graphics, more. 48 pages, back issues $1.5·0. . CONDUIT/Pipeline P.O. Box 388 Iowa "City, IA 52240 Professional journal (free; NSF funded) covering educational uses of computers and investigating the transfer of educational materials from school to school. University oriented. Computer Lib/Dream Machines Hugo's Book Service Box 2622 Chicago, IL 60690 This 'large-format book is by Ted Nelson, listed separately. Half of it explains the basics of computers, ranging widely from how they work, what they can do, what languages and data structures are, to computer myths and games. The flip side describes many state-of1the-art systems in areas such as video synthesis, non-linear text data structures, artificial intelligence, graphic dis-, plays, and others. 128 pages., 10"x14", $7.00. Brochure, maybe free from Hugo's, 3M from Comindex. Note: The OMSI Community Resource Center and Software development group is not listed; we will be writing up a full des~ription in upcoming issue.
Sept/Oct 1975 RAIN Page 11 ENERGY GEN.ERAL The Dos and·Don'ts of Methane, by Al Rutan, available from: Juicy Pre_ss 1809 Portland Ave. , Minneapolis, MN 55404 , A good, basic methane primer to be read along with Methane Digesters for Fuel Gas & Fertilizer, which contains more technical data. Al's book would be especially useful in familiarizing someone with all the work necessary in digester construction. New ideas on scum removal, heating, mixing. Cold Regions Experiments with An- _ aerobic Digestion for Small Farms and Homesteads, by George Oberst. Biofuels Box 609 Noxon, MT 5985 3 Inquire on price. You should read Meth- · - ane Digesters first, then this. More on the capital costs for meaningful gas production, suggested that the pollution . control and fertilizer value be included along with gas production. The Energy Cycle Electric Utility Expansion Plan~ for 1975-1984, Federal Power Commission Staff Summary, issued June 30, 1975, reported in the July 4, 1975, FPC News, available from: Office of Public Information FPC Washington, D.C. 20426. States that projected national energy requirements for the next 10 years will increase at an average· annual rate of 6.73% rather than the 7.43% projected in the 1974 report. This is the first such report including me:1tion of new power generation by solar energy, fuel cells and .magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The Energy Problem: A Sensible Solution for Right Now, by the National Oil Fuel Institute, available free from: NOFI 60 East 42nd St. New York, NY 10017 Advocates "avoiding the expense and risk of a crash nuclear program" by "practical, attainable conservation" and "prompt, environmentally safe domestic energy development." NOFI is composed of thousands of independent oil dealers who supply 70% of the oil used in American homes and businesses. The Institute states that their program of conservation and safe domestic energy research & develop_ment "will cost a tiny fra:ction of a nuclear program," and that "we must not commit all our time and money to a hoped-for nuclear solution so costly that we must forego all othe'r alternatives." Energy Alternatives: A Comparative Analysis and MERES and the Analysis ofEnergy Alternatives, prepared for the Council on Environmental Quality, ERDA, EPA, FEA, FPC, DOI and NSF by Science and P~blic Policy Program, Univ. of.Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma; available for $7 .45 and 65</,, respectively, from Assistant Public Printer Government Printfng Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Energy Alternatives is 704 pages thorougtily describing existing and emerging energy technologies and resource systems, their environmental impact, their , _efficiencies and.their costs. Covers geothermal, organic waste conversion and solar energy, as well as conventional technologies. Good section on energy consumption and conservation. An example of a project, its environmental impact and a comparison of the project to other alternatives is provided. The first excellent basic reference doc:ument to include Howard T. Qdum's energetics or net energy analysis (ch_. 15-"Procedures for Comp;i.rip.g the Energy Efficiencies of Energy Alternatives"); it also mentions the groundbreaking information provided by Transition , the Oregon Energy Study 1 (appendix to cl). 15). MERES (Matrix of Environmental Residuals for Energy Systems) is a computerized data b~se specifying the water pollution, air pollution, solid waste, land use and occupational health effects of present and future energy systems. The 15-pg. summary clarifies its use and availability. Energy Extension Service (EES) Plans are now being formulated by ERDA to establish a system through which the public will be informed of new energy technologies developed by ERDA. Patterned after the Agricultural · Extension Service, EES would provide expertise, information, consultation & receive advice on the natur~ of energy use and related problems by sponsoring short courses, workshops, conferences, specialized publications. Information would be provided·to individuals, businesses and local and state governments, primarily on new energy conservation techniques and alternative energy systems. For details, write EES, ERDA, Washington, D.C. 20545. (Ftom Sept. 15, 1975, Government R&D Report, $80/year for 22 issues, P.O. Box 2841 MIT Station, Cambridge, MA 02139) pipe less The Basic Layout of the Hydraulic Ram Skookum Columbia Hydraulic Rams, · used to irrigate, pump domestic or municipal water supplies, are available for $297 (1" drive pipe, 100-2100 gal. per day capacity) to $760 (3" drive, 70020,000 gpd) from the Skookum Co., which also manufactures logging equipment. Although repair is rarely necessary, since most rams are simply and ruggedly made, Skookum maintains a complete line of spare parts, which an~ shipped air mail for installation by your local _ machine shop. For free brochure explaining how a ram works, how to figure size needed and capacity of water that can be pumped, write ' Rick Gustafson, The Skookum Co. 8524 N. Crawford Portland, OR 97203 . (503) 286-3627 Southern Oregon A.lremative Energy Exchange now in formation. For details, , contact Chuck James, Rt. 1, Box 7, Jacksonville, OR 97530. continued on page 12
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