RAIN Journal of Appropriate Technology October 1978 Vol. V, No. 1 $1.50-No Advertising ;; ,. ~ ci. Q,I Q,I ~
Page 2 RAIN October 1978 APPROPRIATE · TECHNOLOGY Appropriate Technology Resources, Report Series No. 30, 1978, 55<1 from: Citizens Energy Project 1413 K Street, N.W. 8th Floor Washington, DC 20005 This seven-page pamphlet is a nice short introduction to appropriate technology that you might want to have handy to give to people who come into your office or to show to people at a booth. It describes the general concepts, gives examples of projects and lists basic groups, periodicals and books. - LdeM A.T. Small Grants Program for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, Program Announcement and Grant Application Form, available from: U.S. Dept. of Energy Region X 1992 Federal Bldg. 915 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA 98174 Finally, a DOE appropriate energy technology grants program for our region run out of our region with regional a.t. people making sure it is done right. Those eligible for grants to $50,000 include: individuals, local non-profits, local governments, Indian tribes and small businesses. Although there's $144,500 in management money to run the program, our region gets only about $300,000 ... meaning administration amounts to 48 percent of the total grant monies. Ironically, the administrative dollars can only be used for program management and cannot, we're told, be transferred to the grant side so that more good ideas can be funded. We can only hope that next year's grant monies are allocated according to this year's overwhelming number of good proposals. -LJ RAIN "Summary of Projects funded in Region IX Appropriate Energy Technology Grants Program," 1978, GPO: 1978-789-159/1015, free from: Catole Gates U.S. Dept. of Energy Appropriate Energy Grants Program Oakland, CA 94612 Describes over 100 projects which received grants in the a.t. pilot program run during 1977-78 in the states of Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii and the Pacific Trust Territories. Extremely useful to anyone considering trying for an a.t. grant during 1978-79. - LJ Invention Management, monthly, 8 pp., $48.00 per year from: Institute for Invention and Innovation, Inc. 85 Irving St. Arlington, MA 02174 Patents, licensing, product development and other topics of interest to the inventor are in each issue. Perhaps you can get your local inventor's resource center to subscribe. -LJ Information Service on Industrial Equipment (ACE Service) Industrial Information Section Industrial Services and Institutions Division United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) P.O. Box 707 A-1011 Vienna, Austria This United Nations service publishes a number of information/access sheets on technologies and equipment available in developing countries in recycling, industrial and farm equipment, etc. A series on comparable alternatives for grain storage facilities, grain dryers, hotmix asphalt plants, low-cost roofing, etc. is particularly useful in presenting a range of alternatives available for each need. Write above address for more information on the series of publications available. -TB Resources for Appropriate Technology in Santa Clara County; a sourcebook prepared by the Santa Clara County Office of Appropriate Technology, 1978, 106 pp., available to residents of that county free plus 50<1 .postage from: Santa Clara County Office of Appropriate Technology P.O. Box 5651 San Jose, CA 95150 The folks at Santa Clara Office of Appropriate Technology have done a fine job of putting together a regi9nal sourcebook (a la Rainbook) that is chock full of information, as well as being an exemplary model for other counties in the nation. The section on food and agriculture is appropriately . one of the strongest sections in a book that is geared towards a once completely agricultural community. As the Santa Clara Valley has been radically developed from a lovely orchard/plant/food producing paradise to a smoggy caroriented apartment slurb, this sourcebook lists the important groups, tools, books, and people to connect with in surviving there in a positive way. - LS International A.T. Group Update It seems like keeping in touch with our overseas counterparts is unusually difficult, what with mail delays, language barriers and so forth. Nevertheless, RAIN would like to update and broaden its contact with foreign organizations, movements and journals that are involved in a.t.- particularly those located in overdeveloped nations like our own, • where the tools and ideas being developed would be more transferable to the circumstances in this country-and vice versa. In a future issue we will try to update you all on just what is happening abroad. ·Our readers, here and overseas, could help us out greatly by forwarding literature and contact persons to us, or by showing a copy of RAIN to their foreign friends. Let's make some international networking happen. Tak sa mycket. -SA
SOLAR Special Report: HUD Solar Status, by Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, 1978, free from: • Status Mail Box 1607 Rockville, MD 20850 This preliminary ·report outlines the progress of national solar standard~ efforts. It covers the current status of testing labs, the importance of .. •warranties, and the initial steps of setting up a certification system. -LJ P.lac e a. thermometer in $ Sunset Homeowner's Guide to Solar Heating, edited by Holly Antolini, 19,78, 96 pp., $2.95 from: Lane Publishing Co. Menlo Park, CA 94025 This is one of the b.est values I've seen yet among all the existing introductory solar home books. Covering all aspects of passive and active solar water and space heating in short technology summaries and exemplary homes, there are 70 drawings and 36 color photos that illuminate a wealth of easy-to-read info in non-technical language. Includes a ·well-thought-ou.t bibliography, a useful glossary and a compr~hensive. Maybe .it should have been titled "Everything You Wanted to Know About Solar Heating But Other Books All Cost Too Much to Buy." -LJ Paint botri boxes whi'te, or. cover them both wi'th white po.per. ~Qc.n • box and put them ~ ~ in fu< sun. i!V 1 .• • '~.=it 1111.... II !,•~-=., Record t~e tern pefO.t\Jrcs after 10 liY\inutcs, 20 minutes, a.nd 30 minutes. W,ho..t do you find? . c~~•- OTHER IDEAS TO-EXPLORE: c ' Tr~ thi& experln'le"t <1t different 'times durit19 the clot Doe'i> ti\is rnct\<.e a.nj diffe;et1ce? Acid o.~ overl'lo.r19 to bot~ bolles i Doe,;, #\is mAAe on) d.;ffe-rence? Ho\/,/ "!,/Ould the overhCln9 Cl.ffec.t -this exptrime,rt Q.t d.if1ere.,t -+,meio of~"e?inGJ --· - T,y COlrdbo..nL ~ • , o,u:r.l.,iqu « /· ,..,._, 0 (_) tiffere"~sixt5 "---'- -1 - 1.. to ,ec .if it ... i.e .,___..,.- & J.iffef'tflte. \JolllJ. o.. \-\ol..lSe witl-. a.. uJ~;+e roof be. c.ooler then 0.:. ~ v&e uf, ii-10-. , d<:\.rk roof ? W\.io..t a.bout" a.d.d. i ti~ irillulcttio,i iD 'flle. roof <1.Ni/or WQ.il:;? A,,J. whd::r dbout pO;."!>o;.i~ e. ~ed;".J o.Mc.oolil'\~ with ti,e wivid.ows, .l·,tft.<e<i+ c.olor!>, a.>'ld.. +-ree:;? RAIN's office is at 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, OR 97210. Ph: (503) 227-5110. RAIN PhU Conti Linda Sawaya Lee Johnson STAFF: Steven Ames Lane deMoll Tom B.ender I Copyright © 1978 RAJN Umbrella Inc. Reprint by permission only ·I \ Typesetting:, Irish Setter Printing: Times Litho October 1978 RAIN Page 3 1 Heat~-ttn,.,.jl ,:b:,r, window 1 N+- ~s Drawing 40: G,.enllouH IINflng EarT11 p[a,,ti"',j be<:!., water-fill,, <!>-h!el dru-. ma-i ve fla>r, and hP""e UJIIII all "'~ "'un" lieaAttached solar.greenhouse is wonder worker: it heats itself by gathering and storing sun's heat, reradiating it at night; it also adds heat to main house by conduction thri waif and convection through doors, windows. If greenhouse's temperature swing is ' great, main house may be.if16Ulated from greenhouse, closed off at night to prevent , heat loss to gradually cooling greenhouse. If greenhouse-stores enough heat, or if ~ between house and greenhouse acts as Tromba wall (see page 17), house need not shut off, but may gather additional nighttime heat from green/louse. C.C.,vac:t~ Gurr~t pull~ GM air -ttlro<>9h ppen-riorth window, ~overllan9 p t... ve11t,. ,t:, reJea,-e ' _ h<:>tairfro"1 ~ N+- ---+-.S Drawing 41,: G,.enllo11H coo/Ing H,:,tairef.Gal pullin9 more e if fnorn 9reenl .,.,.,.~ 6reenh<>u.e heated t>,;'"' hdt air ri,-efo To avoid summer overheating, greenhouse's vents and windows, high on east and ~ sides and across front of overhang, are opened. Sun's heat creates "chimney effec hot air rises out of grHnhouse, pulling cooler air by convection In through house's , windows, 4C(OSS room, and through open doors and windows into greenhouse. Opa, overhang s,,.des house to prevent heat buildup in wall (especially tmponant If wall is not insulated from house). from SUNSET HOMEQWNER'S GUID COMMUNITY "The Ax of God Strikes Like Lightning" Rick Fields, New Age, April 1978, $1.50 from: New Age 32 Station Street Brookline, MA 02146 Community vs. Developers, Sausalito, CA, Round Seven-in which the Assistant District Attorney is quoted as saying, "I. don't give a shit what the law .is ... we're going to do this project." See who the officials answer to when the bucks are on (or under) ·the table. See a scruffy but real community win another round in the endless fight for survival. See "Acts of God" occur before your eyes. See if we can do better than this! -TB .
Page 4 RAIN October 1978 _ [ ~r?IOr\ pt.O~~., ] rTIIU'-C>blOI (~,w,r~ PIU>PUC.."TS ) >--====..i.l.:====!l--=====-===---< ~lot\ c:::::::l==::;:=::s::ai--==-..... ~ =~anon ,fi,rhltttr......... ~=====--"-~.i~ ........ .wa dM,hU.f1on A.-,~,"''·~=~ Compost Fertilizer and Biogas Production from Human and Farm Wastes in the People's Republic of China, .ed. by Michael E. McGarry and Jill Stai,nforth, 94 pp., 1978, $5:oo printed, $1.00 microfiche from: International Development Research Centre Postal Address: Box 8500 Ottawa, CANADA KlG 3H9 This is the first thorough description of the long rumored proliferation of biogas plants in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The book is·a well edited version of papers " ... franslated from the Chinese and ... published in response to an increasing number of questions on Chinese practices and experiences in biogas production, excreta use a,nd,compos'ting." The PRC biogas plants are significantly different from the Gobar/Indian type biogas plants. The use of a fixed cover, concrete tank and rectilinear shape with no piping distinguish the PRC design. ' This unique plug flow design uses no restrictive plumbing like those of the Gobar type. Instead a generous channel opening for both the "intake chamber" and the "outlet chamber" allow an easily accessible and clog-free passage for the mixture of pig manure, crop residues and human fecal material. A one meter (35 cu. ft. or about 250 gallons) digester is generally sufficient to provide cooking gas for a family of five. The digesters are beiow·groun'd and require no heating. Operating temperature varies from 10° to 24° C. (50° to 75° F.) with .correspondingly higher gas production in the su.mmer when excess gas is used for cooking the animal feed. For hygienic purposes the digesters have proven significant in their reduction of parasite eggs, schistosome flukes, and hookworms. Liquid excreta is constantly removed for crop fertilizer since the digester is fed frequently with slug loads to mainta,in continuous treatment and gas production. The digeste!s are emptied and the accumulated -sludge is removed by hand once a year. The PRC digesters are the simplest and most appropriate small-scale systems I have seen. These could be significant in altering future toifet and septic practices both in,developing , and developed countries which are seeking simple but effective waste treatment. These are dearly unique and exceptional. We owe thanks to Dr. McGarry for his reporting of this excellent work. -KS the gasworl<s by Ken Smith . We have been twisting Ken Smith's arm for a bioconversion update, and these book reviews are the first squeezings. As his time and our space allow, Ken will also answer reader question-s on the growth, conversion, utilization and end-uses of energy from biological process.es. Ken is presently manager of the California Office of Appropriate Technology design team, having co-founded Ecotope Group, Inc., ofSeattle, wEich built a 1 oo;ooo gallon dairy methane plant under his direction. Ifyou've questions on his specialty, anaerobic digestion (methane gas production from organic decomposition in the absence of oxygen), or on alcohol pr,oduction or biomass farming, write him directly at OAT, 1530-lOth St., Sacramento, CA 95814.
Methane. Generation from Human, Animal and Agricultural . Wastes, Report by the Panel on Methane Generation for the Nationa! Academy of Sciences under contract AID/csd-2584, tas~ ?rder No.. 1_., 131 _pp., 1977, free to Institutionally Affiliated Rec1p1<:nts (m government, education or research) from: - Commission on International Relations (JH215) National ~cademy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue Washington, DC 20418 The book has value to those who may be considering the adoption of the Indian, Gobar-type digestion system. I personally feel that these are not the best units and that several technologies being developed in this q:mntry and elsewhere are more cost effective designs and readily adaptable to third world applications. Planners and practitioners may well be advised to not base their entire program in this area on the Gobar System. There is much to be learned if the development of bio-gas is viewed as experimental rather than demonstrable. The book is very good in its presentation of "Biological Mechanism;" the section on "Safety" is a good outline of the issues but leaves much to be desired in terms of how to apply the hardwa,re necessary for safe operations. _ The book is dated, but nonetheless us_eful. It is time they started a new study to update this artifact. The document is lacking in comprehensive and up-to-date information due to its heavy reliance on the Indian experience. There are brief mentions of the Taiwan experience as well as other South Pacific examples but little if any of this work is des~ribed beyond mention in the introduction. There is a glaring lack of recent developments in this country which would have a great impact on the technology. Other missing examples include the commercial units operating in Australia and New Zealand. 1 ' This lack of reporting on recent development is probably due to ·the lack of any appropria'te technology representation on their panel of "experts." It is an excellent panel except for its one-sided professional bias toward civil/waste treatment engineering. -KS □ EQUILIBRATION AND MIXING CHAMBER SLATTED FLOOR -FOR CATTLE October 1978 RAIN Page 5 The Compleat BioGas Handbook, David House, 403 pp., March 1978, $8.00 from: At Home Everywhere c/o VA.HID Rt. 2, Box 259 Aurora, OR 97002 Atten.tion: Rita Dog The Compleat BioGas Handbook is a book which I read and reviewed with great interest and mixed feelings. It is for the mo~t part simplistic, naive and funky in its approach. It is tediously-wordy, extremely basic and yet at times brilliant in its frequent extraction of rare and obscure tidbits of important observations from the voluminous literature·on the subject of anaerobic digestion (methane gas production from the controlled decay of organic matter in the absence of air). . _It is ar,pare?tly aimed at a "Do-It-Yourself, BackyardTmkerer audience, but its real value is more for the seasoned veteran of_this technology. Significant statements are frequently not documented, leaving the reader to trust the author on ?is word. The bibliography is thorough, but poorly described m terms of real access to the information. There is a great deal of practical information and formulas which are extracted from erygineering handbooks. This material is weU presented. Much of the actual design suggestions, h_owever, may prq~e-to be misleading t? the novice. Fiftyfive gallon drum digesters are for experimental work and , hardly practical for other than novelty demonstration of the technology. Heating requirements based on gas production , and surface-to-volume ratios flag the practicality of 55-gallon drum digesters. Finally there is too little emphasis on gas handling safety. The danger of-digesters in occupied space is disregarded. Di- • gesters·in enclosed spaces such as greenhouses, temperature control rooms and near their use (say, next to a ~tove) are extremely hazardous. Because of the potential of digester gas leakage and c_ombrnation of that gas with confined space air, , all enclosures for digesters or gas handling equipment should have controlled ventilation with gas alarm ,sensors for imme- _ diate warning and removal of explosive vapors. -KS FRESH MANURE BIOGAS PLANT lUC'(CLE WATER Dl&UTIO MAN URI: FIGURE 111-2 Biogas plant for the ,cneration of meth~e fro·m night-soil and cattlHhed waatea. from METHANE GENERATION FROM HUMAN, ANIMAL AND AGR-ICUL,TURAL WASTES from THE COMPLEAT BIOGAS HANDBOOK
Page 6 RAIN October 1978 LAND Current Demographic'Changes in Regions of the 'United States, Peter A. Morrison, Rand Paper Series No. P-6000, Nov. 1977, 37 pp.; $3.00 (send payment with order) from: ' Publications Dept. The Rand Corporatio11 1700 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90406 If you're curious where people have been moving to and why, or if you're about to move and are looking for still uncrowded parts of the country, you'll find this a fascinating guide to onceand-future Ecotopias. This is the first mapping and analysis, via a fine-tooth sieve, of national county-level data formed into 26 economic-cultural subregions by Calvin Beale at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, that dearly illustrates how migration has become a powerful influence in determining which areas of the nation grow and which do not. It's always a pleasure to see excellent, tech~ nical work explained without profes•- sional jargon and in a popular, c~nversational style that makes expertise less intimidating to the uninitiated. Rand has a number of inexpensive (about 9<.t/page) papers available to the public. Ask for their free annotated bibliography in the topic you're interested in. - LJ Windfalls for Wipeouts, Donald Hagman and Dean Misczynski, 1978, $23.95 from: • American Society of Plannjng Officials 1313 E. 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637 Whenever a subway or freeway 1s built with our tax dollars, someone pockets the increase ·in \lalue of land near the exits and entrances, and the small businesses ~nd apartment renters that are forced out take frequently catastrophic losses. Many efforts have been made to figure out how to compensate the losses and recapture the windfall pr~fits made. This report covers such efforts in a number of countries and proposals for local and federal acti•ons in.the U.S. An outrageously expensive paperbackparticularly when its research was paid for by a 'HUD grant. -TB . The End ofthe Road, David Burwell and Mary Ann Wilner, 1977, $3.50 from: National Wildlife Federation 1412 16th Street N.W. Washington, DC 20036 or Environmental Action Foundation 1345 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washirtgt°.n, DC 20036 A citizen's handbook for .freewayfighting, planning transportation alternatives and understanding the labyrinthine maze of special interests and legislation that makes up our transportation policy. Lack real discussion of alternatives to transportation, but covers other alternative planning and financing, and details of organizing and court action against freeways. -TB "O Beautiful For Spacious Roada That Spread From Slum To Slum" from THE END OF THE ROAD Land Use Controls in the United States, National Resources Defense Council, 1977, $7.95 from: Dial Press ' 245 E. 47tp Street New York, NY 10017 A sourcebook on what means currently exist in the U.S. for controlling or influencing the use of land-laws and programs on various governmental levels, with specific discussion of how citizens can impact the development and application of those laws. -TB FORESTRY Forest Farming, J. Sholto Douglas and Robert A. de J. Hart, 1978, $8.95 from: Rodale Press Emmaus, PA 18049 When this book first came out in its 1976 British edition, we hailed it as an important new slant on world hunger problems as well as soil and water con- • servation. It still is. There are no details here, but it lays out the concept~al framework for the planting of food trees on otherwise unarable land. Reading it makes lights go on in you~ mind. . Thanks to Rodale for this ,easily available American edition-now if they could just get it out in paperback. -LdeM The DUMP HEAP (Diverse Unsung Miracle Plants for Healthy Evolution Among People), $S/year for four issues published coincidental with the equinoxes and solstices, from: Box 236 Lagunitas, CA-94938 DUMP HEAT 2, Summer 1978, focuses on Trees in Forests, Farms and Gardens. It includes a good list of Tree People," a national cross section of groups working on·food producing trees from ra,re food trees to dwarf fruit- and nutbearing trees. Also included is a tree bibliography and useful list of nurseries where dwarf and food producing root- ·stock is available. I am amazed as I l~}Ok through this 16-page journal that every important tree book that I've heard about or come across at RAIN is mentioned. This is an important resource for anyone interested in intensive care of fruit trees or food producing urban forestry. DUMP HEAP also sponsors,informal seminars. Some future issues_: solar shelters for plants and people, permaculture and land trusts. -LS Oakland Tree Task Force 1419 Bro~dway, Rm. 721 Oakland, CA 94612 The Oakland Tree Task Force is a great model of an ad hoc coalition of citizens working on urban reforestation. It's an important part of making where we are paradise. The OTTF and other street tree planting projects could now m·ove us a little closer to paradise by planting food and nut producing trees, rather than ornamentals. Then we'd have food in urban areas (where costs of, fresh seasonal fruit and nuts are practically putting these essential components of a healthy diet into a category of luxury items) and cleaner air; com-
~ N~tch a·b~ve bud-forces bud to grow into a branch. Use a sharp knife. October 1978 RAIN Page 7 Summer Pinching 1. First Pinch, when summer shoot is 10-12 inches long. New shoot will develop here. ~ Notch ·below bud--encouragn bud to form a fruit spur. Wf.lEfE" 10 fiND R<orr ~ ... munity revitalization, noise red.uction, energy cons~rvation (a single isolated mature tree,transpiring 100 gal. of H20/day provides the cooling equivalent of nine average room air conditioners operating at 8,000 BTU/hour -running 12 hours/day), air purification, places to use greywater, recycling urban wasteland (Los Angeles has 100,000 vacant lots!) as well as school . grounds, airports, rights of way, providing wildlife habitat, watershed protection. -LS • ENVIRONMEN,T To Save a Whale: The Voyages of ( Greehpeace, Robert Hunter and Rex Wyler, .1978, 119 pp., $6.95 soft cover, from: Chronicle Books 870 Market St., Suite 915 San Francisco, CA 94102 This is the story of Greenpeace and the •eco.,guerillas who have for several years been defending our Cetacean -friends from the international whaling industry. In a .succinct collection ,of narratives and photography, To Save a Whale rightly captures the feel of the early Greenpeace voyages-their verve and compassion, and the daring seiaborn direct-action maneuvers used to prevent the whales -from being hunted to extinction. But these missions of Greenpeace went much farther than whalesthey were clearly a metaphor for our own species' struggle to survive itself in some balance with Creation. Says Robert Hunter: "Suddenly we see ourselves face-to-(ace with an alien intelligence right here on plal).et earth. . And perhaps we have heard the signals· that mark the end of childhood of the human race. Perhaps we have begun to . break the bonds of our humanness, and to accept ourselves, not separate from, but as a part of wild nature." -SA Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Envi,ronment, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anne H. Ehrlich, John P. Holdren, 1977, 1003 pp., $19.95 softcover, from: W. H. Freeman and Company 660 Market.St. San Francisco, CA 94104 I'm rarely impressed by textbooks, but. Ecoscience, the updated and expanded version ofan earlier work, is a vastly comprehensive primer a:nd an invaluable source b-ook for anyone involved ip environmental issues. In one mammoth volume the authors link the basic concep.ts of natural processes 'with the sub2. Second · Pinch, re-move when new shoot is 3·4 incht!s long-. from DUMP HEAP 2 jects of popul~tion and renewable resources, energy and materials, environmental disruption and imperatives of human survival. Unlike some of the earlier works, Ecoscie,nce emphasizes strategies for positive-albeit somewhat limited- societal changes. An excellent resource tool. If you're inclined to groan at the price tag, I'd suggest waiting until semester's end at your local university anq buying a used copy at the bookstore. -SA An Environmentalist's Primer on Weather Modification, Eric I. Hemel and Clifford G._Holderness, 106 pp. plus appendic~s, $2.00 soft cover from: Stanford Environmental Law Society Stanford Law School Stanford, CA 94305 Weather modification is becoming bigger business in response to the increased pressure for more water in large~scale agriculture and-yes-energy develop- ' ment. Yet our experience with its predictable use and environmental side effects is very limited. Recent reports (see Acres, US.A., September, 1978) have linked weather mod with crosscontinental climatic effects, including severe.flash flooding, loss of life and property destruction. It seems some weather disasters are much less than Acts of God. This environmentalist's primer is an introduction to weather_ mod issues, focusing on its cost/benefit ' economics, environmental consequences, and practical discussions on legal and legislative tactics for its effective control. Somewhat cautious in its approach, this book is nevertheless well laid-out and provides a good starting point for people who would like to get involved. -SA
Page 8 RAIN October 1978 Ten percent of industrial process heat could be solar-derived by 2000, according to "Solar Energy for Agriculture & Industrial Process Heat" (ERDA 76-78). The Mitre Corporation predicts that by 2000 solar process heat will supply 2 quads, or 23 percent of its potential market at an average cost of $4.50 per mbtu compared to $4.30 for.coal, $5.90 for oil and $16 for electricity. Economics of solar process heat is , tied to temperature. About a quarter of all industrial process heat is below 177°F., nearly with_in range of flat plate collectors, while 40 percent (8 percent of national energy,use) is below 350~F. A not y1et released study by the Cong. Ofc. of Technology Assessment (contact Henry Kelly, 212/224-5681) predicted that below 350° solar would be competitive with oil if oil's price increased 50 percent and with gas if gas's price doubled. Kelly pointed out that cheap liquid fuels have resulted in higher than necessary temperatures for process heat, and that no study has looked for areas where industry could reduce temperatures. • For greatest efficiency, the app;opriate solar technology sho1;1ld be used to achieve a given temperature-. The simple solar "shallow ponds" are capable of producing 150°, suitable for low-temperature industry; familiar flat plate collectors can raise liquids dose to boiling; evacuated tube collectors can bring.tempeqtures to nearly 300°.; and concentrating collectors can produce around 500°. For processes which must have electricity (8 percent national energy budget, see Lovins, Foreign Affairs, Oct. 76), wind, photovoltaics, or steam generated from wood or biomass may be suitable, depending on circumstances. Solar can be more attractive to business than homeowners because 1).businesses use life-cycle costing and are not intimidated by high first cost;_2) industries use process heat all year and 'collect three times as m.uch heat annually per unit area as homeowners. , • Passive solar is cheapest for low-temperature industry. Shallow ponds are being used for uranium milling in NM in a prototype system at $7/sq. ft. At about $5/sq. ft.-, cost would be equivalent to $14/bbl oil. Warehouse heating with by David Holzman . The good folks at Citizens' Energy Project in D.C. keep turning out some of the best coverage of energy developments around. This excerpt from their monthly newsletter, People and Energy, is a good reminder·tbat household bot water ~eaters and home.beati_ng ovly scratch the surface ofwhat is·already happening with solq.r energy. People & Energy is $JO/year from Citizens' Energy Project, 1413 K St.,.N. W., 8th Floor_, Washington, DC 20005. Write also for list of other publications. -TB passive Kalwall panels is on the rise. A 120,000 sq. ft. building at Plover, Wisconsin, the biggest in the state, is 95 percent solar heated; and a 1920s vintage factory in Manchester, New Hampshire, was retrofitted; and a waste-water treatment facility in Maine is passively heated (contact Solar c·omponents Div., Kalwall Corp., 88 Pine St., Manchester, NH 03103). Most of the collectors used for both household and industry are flat plate collectors. The largest solar hot water system • in the country is a flat plate system for an industrial laundry. 6500 sq. ft. of collectors supply ~6 percent of the energy to heat 66,000 gallons daily to 180° at the Red Star Industrial Service in Fresno, California. In Canton, Michigan, .40 percent heating for a 50,000 board-foot capacity lumber kiln with . 2500 sq. ft. of collector. Solar flat plate collectors pasteurize beer at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis and they bottle coke in Ohio. · The DOE-sponsored Campbell's Soup canning plant system in Sacramento, California, uses flat plate collectors in tandem with parabolic collectors-which provide a final boost to 180- • 190°. A 20,000 gallon tank stores water for the night shift. The Nexcel Corporation uses concentrating collectors to make concentrating collectors at their Arizona plant (contact Geo. Branch, 11711 Dublin Blvd, Duplin, CA 94566). Biomass can also provide direct process heat, or steam for process or electricity. Wood current,ly provides half as much energy nationwide as nuclear plants, and biomass could supply three quads for industry by 2000 (see program announcement for the Biomass Program, available from DOE). It's well on its way. In Hawaii, the Hilo Coast Processing Company (Pepeekeo Mill, HI) supplies 20 percent of the Big Island's electricity for U/kwh from steam generated by burning dried sugar cane.· At Eugene, Oregon, the Eugene Water & Electric Board fuels its 33 Mw generator with forest residues, saving $2.16 million annually over oil~burning. Air pollution has been reduced. The 2~-residerit hamlet of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, will soon be burning wood to generate electricity, as Burlington, Vermont's utility is doing. (21 of these are in Biomass Energy Success Stories, No. HCP/T0285-01; inquire price from USGPO, Washington, DC 20402). Methanol, which has. been used in car engines, is a candidate for driving turbines. AMAX & TPM (a United Tech: subsidiary) tested methanol in a.turbine for 12 hours at up to 18.5 Mw, finding that nitrogen emissions and maintenance costs could be lower. Biogas of Colorado (562 Kendall Ct., Arvada, 80002) is.producing pipeline quality methane from catt.le waste (P&E 2/78). Wind could generate a quad for industry by 2000, much inore by 2020 according to Frank Eldridge of Mitre Corp. . Few government programs exist to encourage solar use in ii:tdus~ry. DOE's '78 budget is a paltry $8 million, large chunks of which go to.programs tha.t are less cost-effective than they ~ould be. Rep. Bedell (D-IA) is trying to set up a loan program m the Small Business Administration for solar, conservation and other alternative energies (HR 11-713, contact Marie Yager • in Bedell's office at 202/225-5476). •
ENERGY Nuclear Power: A Ct;ise of Indecent Exposure, John Berger, 9 pp., WIN magazine, June 22., 1978, 40¢Jssue, $15/year from: 503-Atlanti'c Ave., 5th floor Bro_oklyn, NY 11217 Indecent, indeed! This article by the author of Nuclear Powe.r: the Unviable Option is based on a speech delivered at an April educational forum organized by the Crabshell Alliance. It is one of the clearest, to-the-point discussions I have seen of the myriad problems attached to .nuclear power genera.tion, and an excellent persuasion piece t<;> hand to your baffled acquair.::ances who still cling to th(: myths of "clean" nuclear energy or electricity "too cheap to meter." Th~ discussions of the health hazards attributable to low-level radio.- activity are particularly startling. Economic arguments may have the most political clout, but the health factor is an iceberg just starting to surface. -SA The Energy Showh $2.75 fromi The New Western Energy Show 226 Power Block Heiena, MT 59601 Here it is, f9lks, the script and musi'c for one of the several shows put on by the razzle-dazzle troupe touring Montana (and a few other places where you might be lucky enough to see them). It's perfect for putting on in classrooms, city parks, or home stages anywhere. Use it as a _beginning and then write your own. If you don't know aboqt the New Western Energy Show, read the October, ·1977, issue of RAIN (Vol. IV, No. 1) or write-them for informati~n. -LdeM "Counteract,". a British political theatre group, .is now researching and writing a play about nuclear energy. Send information and ideas to: Jenni Wittµian (-CANTO) " 38 Northways College Crescent London NW? ENGLAND from THE ENERGY SHOW October 1978 RAIN Page 9 .National Energy Information Center, 202/566-9820 This is not a.WATS line, but if you.call collect, they will return your call. Maintained by FEA, the center will an,swer your general energy _questions or refer you to someone who can. Statistical information can usually be handled over the phone; more general requests may be supplemented by the center's pamphlets. Denver P:ublic Library's Conservation Library 303/837-5994 (you can call collect) If you live in the ten-state Rocky Plains Region-that's Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and •South Dakoxa-and you have guestions about energy or environmental con- • cerns but don't know where to begin looking for answers, call the Conservation Library. It acts as a referral service and can put you in touch with someone who can be of specific help. There is a wide variety of data available for those of you who can visit in person. Energy Information Center 415/556-7328 Funded by ERDA,·the Environmental . Protection Agency (EPA), and the Federal Energy Administration (FEA), the Energy Information Center was established primarily for San Francisco and nearby suburbs. Alternative energy technology-especially solar-is its area of expertise. The center has information on obta'ining grants and funding for solar and alternative technology endeavors. It also handles questions by mail and offers a free information packet on solar energy. Write to: Energy Information Center, 215 ,Freemont, San Francisco, CA 94105. Center for. Energy and Mineral Res<>urces 713/845-8025 Working out of Texas A&M University and funded by the State Energy Office, the center welcomes-,general or specific energy questions. It mails materials and brochures to supplement phone responses, maintains a mailing list and publishes a monthly newsletter. You can also write to the center at: Center for Energy and Mineral Resources, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. (Courtesy Energy Conservation Project, Nat'l Recreation & Park Association)
Page 10 RAIN October 1978 AGRICULTURE Small Farm Marketing: 31 Farms in Maine, _David Vail and Michael Rozyne, 1978, Idea Paper No. 9, 50¢ from: Maine Small Farm Project Department of Economics Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME 04011 The -Family Farm in California, Report of the Small Farm Viability Project, 1977, from:' ' • • Attn: Bill Myers Economic Development Divisi~n State of California 1 Sacramento, CA Take a look at the_se two reports together if you'd like to get a sense of what size and bureaucracy do for solving problems. Admittedly, Californi'a agricultural problems are_far different from Maine's. And the Small Farm Viability Project report contains a wea,lth of valuable information-most notably the results of a study led by Isao Fujimoto at UC-Davis that expanded,t9 130 communities in the San J oaq·uin Valley the classic A_rvin and Dinubia study of Walter Goldschmidt. Vail's group merely went out and talked with 31 successful small farmers fo Maine, talked with •them about the problems they had had to overcome, and shared the insights of other.farmers they had talked with. The significant difference, though, is the form of the recommendations. Vail suggests concrete actions based on specific and real experiences of the people Final ,e1ec11on of pton1tnq oreoi was mode Soulh of lhe heavy 1,ne whoch 1ndocolH thmot,c hm,tohuns ~ Areas sa,101>IP. tor Guoyule productl~n involved. The California report consistently appeals to the bureaucracy-.-for the Extension Service to do this, for the universities to do that, for a commission to be set up here, for the governor's ·office to have a special' small farm representative there. Almost all , ring hollow-they lack a clear sense of the problems and the lever.age points to affect them, and enough sensitivity to people to recognize that such institutional structures and directives alone · are useless and that the crucial element is having the right people with the , right skills, enthusiasm a:nd experience in the right place. The record of bureaucracies achieving that is rather dismal. Together the reports say "Get out in the field, and look to the people, not the government to solve your problems." --TB • Title 4 of the Family Farm Development Act (HR ,10716) was signed into law in August providing FMHA ownership loans for small farmers at low 5 percent · •interest levels, "ballooned" payments for lower initial principal and interest payments,-and funds f~r farm production cooperatives and small farmers otherwise unable to obtain credit through other private and public , sources. This program ·will help to address the credit needs of the 1.6 million farmers with less than $20,000 gross sales. For more information_on Title 4 or the remaining eight proposed titles yet unpassed, 'write to Rep. George E: Brown, Jr., 2342 Rayburn Bldg., Wash-:.. ington, DC 205~5. -SA 10() --=--:~__.:.-. \tAl f o, MIL(t from GUAYULE "A Perspective on Cropland Avail- , ability," AER-406 to ESCS Publications, free from: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rm. 0054-S Washingt-0n, DC 20250 This recent study identifies 15 million acres of high potential land with no limitation to development which • could be converted to crop production. The study analyzes th'e amount,. location and quality of land with cropland potential, by region, and outlines future research needs for conversion of non-cropland to cropland. -LJ • Guayule: An Alternative So~rce of Natural Rubber, National Academy of Sciences, 1977, NTIS No. PB264170, $5.00 The Winged Bean: A High Protein Crop for the Tropics, National Academy of Sciences, 1975, NTIS No. PB 243-442, $4.00 Single c~pies of both.reports are free if requested on government-, educational or research institutional letterhead, from: Commission on International Relations (J H 215) National Academy of SciencesNational Research Council 2101 Constitution Avenue Washington, DC 20418 Two more of the commendable reports from NAS on overlooke~ agricultural potentials-The Winged Bean is a classic in the series-eas_ily grown, leguminous (producing its own 'nitrogen from the , air), edible and highly nutritious leaves, flowers, roots, seed pods and seeds. An.uncommonly valuable plant for many tropical areas. Guayule has more direct implications for the U.S. A desert shrub that,produces natural rubber, it is a potential-domestic product that can replace our-current (719,000 tons, $500 million in 1974) import of natural ru~ber from foreign countries. Interestingly, more than 3 million pounds of guayule ,natural rubber were produced • in the U.S. during WWII. This report covers resear_ch on guayule since that time-processing techniques, biological research, and a survey ,of condition~ that suggest renewed potential for commercial application: exhaustion of petrochemical sources for synthetic rubber, • limited ecological base for tree-originated rubber, increased poten,tial for political,, economic, or biological restriction of that supply in face of -growing · -worldwide rubber demand, and of course our own import-export trade imbalances. ~TB
STEPP.ING STONES Table of Contents PART I-THE PARTY'S OVER Introduction Speak to the Earth and It Shall Teach Thee-C. R. Ashbee Changing Possibilities-Tom Bender Lessons-Stewart Brand Net Energy It Takes Energy to Get Energy-Wilson Clark Energy, Ecology and Economics-Howard T. Odum Cosmic Economics-Joel Schatz & Tom Bender Value and Values Clothesline Paradox-Steve Baer Household Economy-Scott Burns Buddhist Economics-£. F. Schumacher Conscious Culture of Poverty-£. F. Schumacher New Values-Tom Bender Technology for What and for Whom Radical Monopoly-Ivan Illich Isn't Nature Neutra~? - Frances Moore Lappe & Joseph Collins Time to Stop- £. F. Schumacher Technology with a Human Face-£. F. Schumacher PART II-APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY DEFINITIONS Introduction from A.T. and State Government-Sim VanderRyn from Big and/or Little?- Wilson Clark from Towards a Liberatory Technology-Murray Bookchin from Rainbook-Tom Bender Nature of Tools-Ivan Illich Horsedrawn Tools and the Doctrine of Labor-SavingWendell Berry Size On Size-Leopold Kohr Testimony to the Senate Small Business CommitteeBarry Stein The Briarpatch Network-Andy Alpine Sustainability The Soil and Health-Sir Albert Howard Forest Farming-]. Sholto Douglas & Robert Hart Biotechnology-John Todd The Road Not Taken-Amory Lovins Simplicity Voluntary Simplicity-Richard Gregg On Citizenship and Conscience-Wendell Berry Building with Mudbrick-Hassan Fathy An Ecologically Sound Architecture Is PossibleMalcolm Wells PART Ill-BEYOND APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY Introduction Flight from Freedom-Karl Hess Why Big Business Loves A.T.-Tom Bender Can Americans Convert to Lower Energy Use?- Margaret Mead Nurturing a Responsible Agriculture-Gil Friend Independent Cities: Changing the Nature of Economic Development-David Morris . Neighborhood Energy: Designing for Democracy in the 1980s-Lee Johnson Getting through the Looking Glass-Tom Bender RESOURCES INDEX October 1978 RAIN Page 11 We are now taking orders for Stepping Stones: Appropriate Technology and Beyond-the a.t. reader edited by L<1,ne deMoll and Gigi Coe this summer. As you can tell from the table of contents it is a collection of classic essays that have appeared over the past several years, plus five new pieces on new directions and possibilities. It's perfect as a text for classes or for anyone wanting some in-depth philosophical background on this strange beast called appropriate technology. The book will be out sometime in November, so send us your $7.95 today. Bookstores and other bulk orders should go directly to our publishers-Schocken Books, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. detail from STEPPING STONES POSTER Ever wonder how all our wacky ideas fit together? As you can see from our cover this month, Diane Schatz has come through once again with a vision that combines lots of appropriate technologies into an amazing landscape. It was done as the cover for Stepping Stones, and RAIN is making it available for $3 as a full-sized poster- companion to our Urban and .Suburban Ecotopia posters. How can anyone resist it? -LdeM
Page 12 RAIN October 1978 Assembly of the MINI-MISTER is as follows : a. Cement the two caps (2 & 3) to the tube with ABS cement. b. Drill a hole in the clean-out (4) to receive the insert (6). Place the insert in the hole and fasten the nut (7). Push the bicycle valve (8) snug onto the insert. c. Screw the completed assembly into one end of the reservoir. d. Drill a hole in the second clean-out (S)to receive the insert (9). Place the insert in the hole and fasten the nut (10). Push the end of the hose (13) over the insert and tighten the hose clamp (11) over the hose. e. Insert the other end of the hose onto the control valve (14) and tighten a hose clamp (12) over the hose. f. Screw the adapter assembly (15,16) into the control valve (14). g. Screw the nozzle (17) into the adapter assembly. h. Now screw the entire assembly into the other end of the reservoir. Nozzles:•Steinen Spray Nozzle Model TM21 1/8" available from: Masdom Corporation Ltd. 83 Sunrise Avenue Toronto, Ontario M4A lBl Or, •Bete F 700 available from: Bete Fog Nozzle, Inc. Box 311 Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301 We recommend either one of these nozzles which have a flow rate of 0.3-0.4 liters per minute. 1 2 3 t • I Commercial "mist" showers that use pressurized air to atomize water have been recently promoted for their water conserving value. There is a substantial energy tradeoff, however, both to operate the pump and for heating to offset the considerable evaporative cooling caused by the atomizing. In water-rich areas it's hardly worth considering. Hot, arid climates are a different story. The Minimum Cost Housing Group, well-known for their path-breaking Stop the Five-Gallon Flush, is carrying on development of low cost mist showers, with the ultimate aim of avoiding the need for the intricate and expensive plumbing connected with our present bathing habits. The Do-It-Yourself lt is possible to build a small portable mist shower for well under ten dollars. StC'p One UnscrPw the c]enn-out at the hkycle vnlve Pml of th£' p(pP and filJ thl-' resl'rvolr with water. RP place the clean-out snu~gly. It would be possible to utilize a Volkswagen windshield washer reservoir, which already has a built-in pressure valve, but as a car accessory this is quite expensive (about $20 for the reservoir alone). Instead we have developed a design that uses ABS (or PVC, though this costs more) plastic tubing and closures. The main component is a piece of Step Two Pressurize the reservoir; either manually with a foot-pump (less work) or a handoperated pump, or mechanically from a garage air pump, pressurized cannister or electric pump. The pressure should be 1-2 atmospheres(J5-JOpsi). 75 mm (3") diameter tubing. This forms the reservoir whose capacity will depend on the length of the tube: 50 cm (20") contains about 2.3 litres (0.5 gallons) Stl'P Three With reservoir in vl'rticaJ posit.Ion you nrP now rf'ndy tn showc•r. A Wt'll conslructc•d Mlni-MIRtl'r should mnintaln Its pres,rnre for somt> tlm1•. GOODTHINGS Handtool Handbook for Woodworking, R. J. Decristoforo, 1977, $4.95 from: H.P. Books P.O. Box 5367 Tucson, AZ 85703 The finest introduction to the use of handtools I've seen-an incredible amount of valuable information and useful tips in a very usable form for either a beginner or experienced woodworker. -TB Potpourri, Incense, and Other Fragrant Concoctions, Ann Tucker, 1972, $2.45 from: Workman Publishing Co. 231 E. 51st St. New York, NY 10022 Somewhere between land planning, tax relief and nuclear power we occasionally lose sight of some of the lovely treats that make life special. Here's a nice reminder for our noses-the art of perfumary-the nature of scent, ingredients of perfume, extracting the scents of flowers, roots, etc., and how to use them to make incense, scented candles, perfume and other nice-smelling things. -TB of water. Music of the Whole Earth, David Reck, 1977, $9.95 from: Charles Scribner's Sons 597 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017 Every time I hear the typical "Western" explanations of music-confidently expounding octaves and notes and such things as THE structure of music, I remember the sliding sounds of trombone and singing and waterfalls, and see us again projecting our accidents of our own musical history and ignorance as . the whole universe of the possible. This book is a delightful exception. It takes us about as far through an understanding of our planet's music as is possible .
• er1ence Mini-Mister shown here may find many uses in desert climates. It saves 96 percent of the water used in a normal shower. Cheap, portable, and solar heatable (just hang it up in the sun), its only drawback is need for a bicycle pump to pressurize. These plans are excerpted from a new Minimum Cost Housing Group report on their mist research and available water conserving showers: Water Conservation and the Mist Experience, 1978, $4.00 (Canadian) from: Minimum Cost Housing Group School of Architecture McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada -TB The ends of the pipe are closed with threaded clean-out caps, also of ABS plastic, which are cemented. A bicycle pump valve is attached to one of the caps, while a vinyl hose is attached to the other. At the end of this hose is the hand-operated control valve and handle, to which the atomizer nozzle is fixed. The vinyl hose can be made as long as desired, usually about 1.8 meters (6'). ABS plastic is an ideal material for the MINI-MISTER since it can be easily cut and drilled, is non-corrosive and readily cleaned, and can be glued and sealed with available plumbers' products. When not in use the hose and handle can be stored inside the reservoir. intellectually and reminds us that the intellect misses the mark with music about as far as it can with anything. It doesn't go beyond into where the real power and meaning of music is, but that's okay for now. It shows the similarities and differences of the wonderful instruments of various cultures, the different ways sounds are put together into "music" in different societies, and what different people value and try to do through their music. Gives a base from which to construct some new synthesis. -TB ~I) ~ 16 ~15 @,7 &), &6 Q e-:=:3 ~ ® 1.0 iYll Fireplaces, Ken Kern and Steve Magers, t'978, $7.00 from: Owner Builder Publications P.O. Box 550 Oakhurst, CA 93644 October 1978 RAIN Page 13 Mini-Mister PARTS LIST 1. TUBE, ABS 75 mm()") diameter Length as required (approx. 50 cm,2C 2. THREADED CAP, ABS 3. THREADED CAP, ABS 4. CLEAN-OUT, ABS S. CLEAN-OUT, ABS 6. INSERT, COPPER OR BRASS 7. NUT, COPPER OR BRASS 8. BICYCLE VALVE 9. INSERT, COPPER OR BRASS 10. NUT, COPPER OR BRASS 11. HOSE CLAMP 12. HOSE CLAMP 13. HOSE, VINYL 6. 3 mm (1/4") diameter Length as required (approx. 1.8m, 6' 14. CHAPIN CONTROL VALVE 15. ADAPTER ASSEMBLY, COPPER OR BRASS 16. ADAPTER ASSEMBLY, COPPER OR BRASS 17. ATOMIZER NOZZLE, BRASS Almost all of these parts are available from plwnbing suppliers. The ABS parts are for water drains and could be of PVC plastic as well, though ABS is cheaper. The hose and control valve could -be common garden variety... depending on the ingenuity of the builder. Mer.-,.1., r='-fe e.,P,-.,NS10..:) C.1-4,.,,..,E:,e!'ll., .--1e.,...,..1.. r:,~e.s,c,,,:_ l~"lff...,.Cla.l)
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