RAIN Journal of :ppropriate Technology NATIVE AMERICANS &AJ. p.8 BIKES,TRIKES,&MOPEDS p.12-15 CHINAGAS p.16 $1.50- No Advertising Vol. V, No.4 January 1979
Page 2 RAIN January 1979 APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY Farallones Institute has produced a good series of construction plans which include materials lists and assembly instructions for the following: window greenhouse, solar oven, fly trap, compost bins, cool closet, container garden, cold frame- all available for $. 7 5 each ; solar greenhouse and rahbit and chicken shelter plans for $1.25 each. Associate members ($25 annual fee) receive choice of 5 of the above free with membership. Also available from them are fact sheets geared to the general public on integrated house management areas such as composting and insulating doors and windows. Write to them for a complete publications list, class and workshop information, apprenticeships, and tours of their superb demonstration house at: Integral Urban House 1516 Fifth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 - LS access Women in Solar & A.T. Conference What a joyful sight it was to see all those strong, secure, involved fem ale faces talking about appropriate technology!-especially for those of us accustomed to being almost the only woman in the room. There were techniciRns- women who know how to build solar collectors, design adobe homes, and manage a biogas plant. There were bureaucrats- women who know how to thread their ways among the delicacies of budgets and proposals. There were librarians and informationsharers, health advocates and community organizers. Some of us were experts, some of us were looking for ways to fit in. For those of you who wonderedbarely a vituperative word against men was heard. We talked about the hows and whys of our particular fields of expertise, we exchanged perspectives on the trials and benefits of working within a largely male movement, we shared personal stories on how we got where we are (some with formal training, many by hard work and good luck), and we rejoiced in the feeling of such sisterly solidarity. Many of the women on the panels were speaking in front of an audience for the first time. It was exciting to hear how articulate and wellinformed we all were. It was an event I hope will be duplicated in many regions and would love to see happen again next year. Thanks again to Elizabeth Coppinger and Liz Stewart of Ecotope Group for putting it on. - LdeM Sad word has reached us of the demise of the Lane County Office of Appropriate Technology in Eugene, Oregon- the first county-level office of its kind. It's not totally dead yet, but conservative county commissioners have changed its name to the Energy Management Office (or some such), cut its staff from ten to one, and are generally making life difficult. We'll try to have a more in-depth report on its problems and successes in a future issue. -LdeM
Ferrocement Water Tanks, S. B. Watt; 1978, $8.95.from: • International Scholar-ly Book Service P.O. Box 555 Forest Grove, OR 97116 Anot~er good guide from I,TDG, for plannmg, designing and building lowcost ferrocement water tanks and jars. Focuses on a series of alternative designs fr~m many. countries employing makeshift or no formwork. Detailed lists of necessary materials, photo-Construction guides, necessary theory and design details. A well done approach. -TB SOLAR A Solar Greenhouse Guide for the Northwest, Ecotope Group, 1978, 66 pp., $5.00 from: Ecotope Group • 2332 East Madison Seattle, WA 98112 A few weeks ago I participated in ~n attached solar greenhouse workshop ' organized by some friends. Preliminary work resulted in the pouring of the foundation and the gathering of the required materials. The actual construc- ~ion of the greenhouse took place durmg-the workshop weekend in the fashion of an old barn-raising. This manual was relied upon heavily 'in the design and construction phases. So I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that it works. The Solar Greenhouse Guide has the usual sections on heat loss calculations and sun path charts, but what makes it stand out is the step-by-step constn!ction explanation with appropriate illustrations. Sample architectural . drawi?gs, materials and tools list, plus a sect10n on food production provides everything else you need to know. The only additional information that might be necessary is the bas~c carpentry . skills of one or two friends. -PC Solar Energy for Lane County, edited by Joyce Theios, 1978, 32 pp., free from: • . Lane County Office of Appropriate Technology 125 East 8th Ave. Eugen~, OR 97401 This local office of appropriate technology has published another excellent res<!mrce to encourage, educate and assist its community in the use of alternative energy systems. It is a basic ·overview of solar applications with r~sources, glossary and good illustra- , t10ns. We'd be in great shape if every county could provide s'uch easy ac'cess to information as relevant as this. -LS Dear Inundation, .. •..•If you have the time, please check your library for the microfilms of Scientific American (and its supplement). Page 376 of the June 15, 1878 issue had the best piece on solar ovens I have seen. It is about one W. Adams and his ~or he:) ex'periments wi~h such cooking m India. Tbe illustration accompanying the text is very similar to a currently marketed solar oven. On page 214 of the October 3, 1885, issue is a report from La Nature in which a passive device using ammonia as .a primary in a series of flat plat~s pumps water. At ; RAIN's office is at 2270 N.W. Irving, Por~land, OR ?7210. Ph: (503).227-5110.. RAIN Phil Conti Linda Sawaya Yale Lansky Nandie Szabo/ STAFF: Steven Ames Lane deMoll Tom Bender Copyright© 1979 RAIN Umbrella Inc. Contributing Edit~r: Lee Johnson Typesetting: I_rish Setter Printing: Times Litho Auteµil (Hemingway and others wrote about the racetrack at this suburb of • Paris) a system consisting of 40 sq. y~rds of collector pumped 792 gallons of water 65 feet, or so I gather from the article. Passive pumps for trickle downs and other kinds of flat plates? How about micro/mini hydro household systems? . New Alchemy is going to have a benefit concert/harvest festival with Paul Winter Con~ort on the 30th. We will all sing with the wolves in a bio- • shelter. Yours, George Mokray Cambridge, Massachusetts I ! I • : I I : ' I I ,. : _ J IT -- .. ............. "" c C :, 0 u QJ j "' 0 ....
Page 4 RAIN January 1979 DEMOCRACY-IS Somewhere in the dim, dark reaches of the last half century we loosened a crucial grip on control of our lives-the right to determine how much and for what tax money would be extracted from our pockets and emptied into bottomless government coffers. Federal problems seemed so far away, our elected officials seemed trustworthy, and inevitably more knowledge- , able about what was needed to deal with large problems than we are. And we shared a dream that a government that could win a world war and develop an atomic bomb could legislate or regulate or delegate away the intractable problems we couldn't bother to get honest enough to resolve. The right to le'{y income and other taxes without local approval was a vast transfer of power from individuals to government, as we are now learning. The continued funding of government agencies today rests on their plea~ing Congress, not taxpayers. Congress has the power to attempt to resolve (or meddle with) any problems- to do most anything it wants - at the federal level ·without asking if we wish it done or feel that to be the best way to do it. •• It's not just federal agencies that are affected. Federal funding for state and local projects, such as freeways, sewage plants, hospitals and schools is set up purposefully to be hard to re- .fuse and to influence use of local funds. If you don't approve a dam or freeway or urban renewal project for which government funding is available, do you get a tax reduction or refund instead? Ha! Your money goes to someone who is willing to spend it! As a result, control of our state and local governments, academic, medical and transportation programs has largely followed the power of our federal tax d9llar. Our city and state governments have chafed under federal regulations, but inevitably have found fe'deral dollars safer and easier to go after than going directly to local taxpayers for funds. They also quickly found that such funding sources freed them to pursue their own institutional vision of Utopia without interference from the different dreams of their constituents. It's not only appalling to discover how far our local governments have put us as individuals and as communities into debt for ill conceived sports palaces, convention centers, utility, urban renewal and other projects-it's also appalling to learn how little say we have in preventing projects and expenditures . we don't want. Over one third of the bu_dget of many cities now goes merely to pay finance charges •on such projects. The bankers profit handsomely. We pay equally handsomely. The question remains one of control. • Old party p;litics seem to have shifted around in response to this problem and the trends that have developed because of it. The old conservative stood for personal rights and privileges (particularly those of the more privileged) while the liberal stood for social equity through governmental action. The souring of that sweet dream has brought forth new coalitions straight from Gulliver's Tra_vels, the Litt,le Enders-people who seek social equity through individual responsibility and community effort aligned with those who seek personal gain through the same means against the Big Enders, who believe in getting at action from the big end of the egg-those who look yet to big government for personal or social salvation. -ATWO· by Tom Bender
• WAY STREET But one message seems clear today-people are tired of expensive, unresponsive and self-serving institutions-parti~ularly ones to which we are allowed no alternative. People are demanding control over their tax money and what is done with it. Local tax revolts, for whatever reason, only aggravate the problem- for as we can see in California, our institutional tendency is for the larger bureaucracy to bail out the smaller (and gain control of it) rather than to face and make basic changes in ho~ we do things. Citizen participation in determining governmental actions may sound like some foggy, sweet ideal, until we realize that according to most reports, China, with a population of nearly a billion people, is already doing just that. Production goals, government programs and community development are arrived at through negotiation and discussion in village, district, county and national meetings, and go all the way back to the individual for ratification, according to reports in Fanshen, by William Hinton. If true and the system does work, we've.been vastly out-democratized! WORK Democracy in the Workplace, 1977, 98 pp., $5.00 plus $.50 postage from: Strongforce 2121 Decatur Pl., N.W., Washington, DC 20008 Democracy at Work, Daniel Zwerdling, 1978, 190 pp., $5.00 plus $.50 postage from: Association for Self Management • c/o 1414 Spring Road N.W. • Washington, DC 20010 Worker control, self management, cooperative, collective- these are key words in describing a significant move towards changing our lives, our economic system, our jobs, our politics. It is a strong and challenging step that many people are taking to become less exploite,d and re·gain control of our lives and environment. These two books are excellent complementary sources to encourage and enrich that expe(_ience. Democracy in the'Workplace lays out the practical and philosophical questions that we need to consider in beginning the process of self management-~rom organizational, educational, to legal, marketing and financial aspects, as well as a basic folder for starting a self-managed business and case study of a farm January 1979 RAIN .Page 5 Actually, none of this is really any different from the powers we already have to vote on state and local bond issues as well as many special programs. We don't have that option with federal programs and taxes. Why-not? If we can't regain that power, we've got to regain control at the other end of the tube. A process that could accomplish some of these goals at that end would be a referendum/rebate system in which a state refusing to par_ticipate in a federal-funded freeway program or a community voting down a federally funded fluoridation program would get the allocated funds refunded to. the affected taxpayers. Is it an unreasonable dream to have your vote count on the CIA budget, nuclear power, neutron bombs and governm~nt salaries? No real balance of power in our society can be achieved unless we regain balance between collective needs and local and individual control'over governmental budget and tax powers used to fulfill those needs. Dreams, budgets, programs, and taxes need to be developed through dialogue between all_ levels of government and the people ourselves, as governments inevitably serve different ends than people, and to remain a democracy, the power mu~t remain with the people. D .5 :>- u cd '"' u 0 e V 0 e 0 ,!: workers production co-op, making this a very comprehensive sourcebook. , Democracy at Work presents experiences of cooperatives or worker controlled businesses throughout the world which provide rich learning from the experiences of tryose involved. Also a clarification of what "workplace democracy" means and a discussion of labor unions in relation to worker self-management. Both books have excellent resource information, and I highly recommend them. -LS Non-Profit Food Stores, 1977, 64 pp., $3.00 plus $.50 postage, from: Str.ongforce 2121 Decatur Pl., N.W. Washington, DC 20008 Another exceilent handbook from the Strongforce people that documents community-worker controlled businesses. The experiences of workers in four food co-ops are shared in this manual, which provide insight into the difficulties and joys of participating in the process of worker management. (Boston Food Co-op, U.A.W. Worker's Market in Detroit, New Haven Food Co-Op, and Common Market Cooperative in Denver.) There's also a section on operating community food stores as well as a good resource list. - LS
Page 6 RAIN January 1979 -WOOD Wood-Fueled Power Generation: A Potential Source of Energy for Northern Michigan, Michigan Public Service Comm_ission, 1977, free from: Fuels Planning Office Department of Commerce 6545 Mercantile Way P.O. Box 3022 Lansing, MI 48909 More and more states are turning to their local renewable energy resources and discovering, as Michigan does in this study, that they can provide a large percentage of even today's excessive energy use. So far so good. But most such studies are focussed muc::h too narrowly to provide really meaningful answers or even to raise significant questions forcefully enough tQ get additional inquiry·into them to occur. Using this report as an example, it finds wood waste supplies in northern Michigan to be more thaµ adequate to provide the region~s present electrical demand. But it doesn't examine necessary' actions to ensure continued future availability: maintaining soil fertility and organics, prevention of overcutting, forest zoning, replanting and mana__gement for sustained yield. It doesn't question if there are more desirable uses, such as furniture making, specialty wood products and firewood, for considerable amounts of "waste wood." It does not compare the use . of wood for electrical generation with other less expei:isive uses of wood for energy-dir~ct wood heat or co-generation of steam for industrial or space heat with steam for electrical , generation, or explore how much demand for the more expensive electrical energy could be reduced by use of such alternatives. It suggests that' energy plantations might increase energy prbductivity of the forests, without examining whether the combined value from timber and waste-wood energy in multiple-use forestry is preferable. Although wood-electric appeared competitive in small decentralized plants, neither simple means of improving boiler efficiency (preheating the •wood chips ' with exhaust·gases 110 redu'ce moisture content) nor the costs' of distribution, reserves requirements and systems reliability were included beyond a mention that they weren't examined. A good study in itself, with good references, that shows the considerable experience and proven reliability of wood/ electric systems that now exist, and within its scope a good discussion of their competitive economics. But unless the questions are knowingly being addressed in ·related studies, the responsibility remains it:1 studies such as this to at least clearly indicate what issues have not been addressed and require further study. There is a danger with studies suc_h as this that do not begin to think more compreqensively. They can lead us to use the right energy sour~es to continue to do the wrong things rather tha.n shift to patterns appropriate to such new conditions. -TB Russian Type Masonry Fireplace-Stove Plans, $5 from: Timeless Products, Inc. Box 143-J7 Roxbury, CT 06783 Plans for building your own Russian type masonry fireplacestove with unique features: 36 hrs. per load, 100,000 BTU per hr., cooking and hot water, separate fireplace, ten form variations. (Info from Country journal, July '78) -M~rjorie Posner, Alsea, Orngon • There have been many efforts to improve fireplace efficie~cy over the decades. They range from the "Rumford" design in masonry fireplaces to prefabricated steel air circulating µnits and a wide variety of heat exchangers which sit in the existing fireplace cavity. At best, the efficiency achieved by these techniques barely approaches 50 percent of the efficiency of the average free-standing woodstove. At this time, one of my greatest concerns is the lack of durability ;ind safety in fireplace heat exchangers. These units are usu~lly constructed of steel tubing (round or square). The rate of deterioration of the tubing (often doubling as the wood grate) is often quite rapid. Failure of a blower fan motor, or a temporary interruption of electrical service, can greatly accelerate deterioration of the air-cooled steel tube. The eventual result of the steel tube failure is a spray of hot ashes and embers onto the home carpet. I ~ecommend avoiding heat exchange contraptions constructed in this manner. Another method of utilizing fireplace chimneys is the installation of a fireplace-stove insert in the fireplace opening. ·One disadvantage ·of this idea is that chimney cleaning is made very difficult or nearly impossible. The entire unit may need to'be completely removed for chimney sweeping. Some products are advertised as being "permanent installations" and are .securely fastened in_plac;e. Chimney cleaning is a regular, needed maintenance chore which should not ,be hindered or discouraged. I also have yet to find a fireplace-stove insert incorporating the necessary features required for efficient wood combustion. Glass windows usually le~k air, steel doors and door frames warp (leaking more air), etc. If possible, I'd avoid these ill-conceived contraptions. Vertical view of fireplace cover installation The best utifization of masonry fireplaces is-the use of the chimney as an exhaust vehic.Je. If the chimney is located on an exterior wall, it's reasonable to assume that the creosote accumulation will be greater thari if it were enclosed inside the • building. A free-standing, efficient wood-burning stove can be installed in such a manner that ·the fireplace heat loss is diminished and the efficient wood burner provides a large share of the heat required to make your home comfortable. Whatever the method of installation, one basic require·ment must be met. No air should be allowed to enter the chimney without passing through the stove. Using the taller kinds of vertical exhausting stoves, it is necessary to put a new flue opening above the fireplace opening. Some local codes may require this form of installation. if the stove exhausts horizontally at a level not ex~eeding the height of the fireplace opening, it is usually possible to exhaust through the fireplace cavity into the chimney. • A major advantage of exhausting the stove through the fireplace opening is that no cosmetic dama~e is done to the face of the fireplace. This type~of fireplace closure is easily removed for chimney cleaning.
January 1979 RAIN Page 7 ,___"""'"'!'____________________~-------------------------------------.... 1. The first step in closing off the face of the fireplace is ' to have a sheet metal shop cut a piece of 16-gauge "black" sheet metal to cover the fireplace front. It should extend two inches past the edge of the opening so that it overlaps the brick face. A slight "kink" should be put in the edge of the metal. , 2. 16-gauge sheet metal is needed for constructing a 1-1/2" sheet 90-degree angle (like angle iron) to be fastened on the inside of the fireplace opening. 3. The angle is fastened to the masonry by drillin;g holes in the brick mortar and using screw or bolt anchors (at least 2) on each side and at the bottom. Usually the bottom angle must be altered to fit the slight angle or height changes where the hearth and fireplace floor meet. The sheet angle, fastened across the top, is held in place by bolts fastened to the steel lintel. If there are no existing threaded holes, you must drill and tap at least two. and exhausted into the fireplace cavity, produced a violent inferno in which the Fisher stove was catapulted into the living room along with the fireplace cover. At the same time, a raging creosite fire was consuming the debris in the fireplace cavity and in the chimney. To enter the chimney above the fireplace opening , simply follow the previous instructions for covering the fireplace front, eliminating instructions 6 and 7. It's now necessary to place a new opening in the chimney. If the brick chimney is exposed with no combustibles nearby, a new connector pipe opening can be achieved with an electric drill, a masonry drill bit and a hammer and chisel. The first step is to outline the proposed opening with a series of s1:p.all holes drilled in the masonry. The next step is to carefully chisel out the center pf the .outline. Using mortar mix, a thimble l • 1/2" sheet angle Smokepipe should extend through cavity and rise above damper or Bolt or screw fasten to anchor in brick m smoke shelf. 2" air clearance required (Metalbestos) Wall spacer Undamaged fireplace face If possible, wire the smokepipe into position so it can facilitate easy removal of the fireplace cover. It's best to have a Cosmetic trim collar Metalbestos insulated chimney section extending minimum 2" into room.· islip joint directly behind the fireplace cover. TurnYoilr fireplace Into an Asset - . - by Bill Day, 4. Fiberglass tape (usually used to insulate pipes or tubing) can be used as an air gasket between the sheet steel fireplace cover and the masonry front. If necessary, small pieces can be stuffed in each mortar joint if the joint is recessed over ?116". 5. Sheet metal screws placed 1" from the corner of the opening and approximately every 6" are used to fasten the cover to the sheet angle. 6. A saber saw with a metal cutting blade is used to cut a hole correctly sized and positioned for your stove's exhaust. Often, it will be necessary to trim out soµ1e of the sheet angle fastened to the lintel to allow clearance for your stovepipe. 7. When inserting the smokepipe, be sure it extends through the fireplace cavity and up past the smokeshelf or damper. Usually squeezing the round pipe to an oval will allow it to pass a narrow damper opening. Creosote dep,osits in the fireplace cavity result from not following this final instruction. More dangerous problems could result from a suddenly ignited accumulation of volatile gases in the fireplace cavity. Lyle Lamont, former building official in Eugene, Oregon, recently explained how a Fisher stove, .combined wit:h a fireplace cover can theµ be inserted and cemented iri place to provide a smooth , ~eceptacle for the single wall connector pipe. A chimney conceakd behind lath and plaster, sheetrock, paneling, or a 4" wall partition will require extra work. I recommend using a piece of insulated (not triple wall) chimney material to provide adequate protection from comb~stibles. (Verify your ~ocal code requirements before beginning your project.) Instead of a thimble embedded in the chimney, the insulated connector is positioned so that the inside edge is flush with the inside of the chimney flue and extends at least two inches past the wall or partition into the room. The air space clearances suggested by the' chimney manufacturer should be rigidly maintained. A wall spacer is used to provide extra support and' seal off the wall opening. T-rim pieces are availab,le for cosmetic trim. &,emember that the diameter of insulated chimney is larger than the corresponding size of single wall connector pipe and will require a larger·hole i'n the masonry.. Please check with your local Fire Department or building qfficials to determine if your plans have their approval.
Page 8 RAIN January 1979 • Native communities in the United States and Canada possess a surprisingly low number of people participating in any form of material production. In most cases, people are not producing the thi°ngs the community needs. They are on the bottom rung of the economic ladder, and they are trapped there by the enormous grants and the welfare system which is the • reservation economy. Conditions may be better materially under the welfare economy than they were during the period of "benign neglect," but the basic problems remain unaddressed. Part of what has happened is that the motivation to address those problems has been removed for a lot of people. When asked about the future, most of the federally funded people respond that the U.S. has a "trust responsibility" to Indians. They think the fed~ral funding will keep coming in forever. .. "Cultures are inconceivable without an economic base. EveQ spiritual life revolves to a consider~ble extent around the ways that people see their lives - supported." • The massive federal funding ·which has flooded into Indian reservations in recent years has created jobs and has brought accompanying social problems. On the Yakima Nation, everyone who wants a job has one. Yet, Yakima also has the highest adolescent suicide rate and the highest alcoholism and drug abuse rates in the long history of that nation. People who believe that employment and employment alone is a key to solving social problems need to examine the record in the Indian country. The social problems bear a visible association. with the increas,ed federal funding. It is much more difficult to see that the funding has added much to these communities' abilities at self-reliance, however. A quick review of the grant proposals will reveal that the • federal dollars were intended to stimulate skill development and motivation which was supposed to lead to self-reliance among Native people. It hasn't worked. Indeed, even the attempts at real models of economic development have followed ·the route of the Economic Development Assistance/, Bureau of Indian Affairs efforts to make reservations into tourist areas, efforts which cost staggering amounts of money and which ended, in almost every case, in utter failure ..The BIA p9licy of "self-reliance" has been, in the kindest possible words, unenlightened... You have to experience the welfare .economy set up by federal agencies on reservations to truly understand its power to destroy cultures and people's lives. It is as intense a microcosm of the destruction-prone larger economy as you will ever find. • That's why when Native Americans start reaching out to reestablish their economic primacy- and hence their culturesthere's a lesson in it for us all. The Autumn '78 Akwesasne Notes article "Regaining Control Over Our Lives," excerpted here, has helped forge strong new connections between the goal of Native self-determination and the use ofappropriate technologies. Its themes are better 'deta.iled in the Sept.!Oct. issue of Self-Reliance, which notes examples of Native selfsufficiency projects across the country. Everywhere, there are people seeking to Mend the Hoop. -SA ✓ Economic policies such as industrializatiop were introduced to Native communities with the full weight of the federal government:. The major target of those programs was the replacement and destruction of the traditional economics, and to that end,· the programs were surprisingly successful. Today, the growing lands of the Pueblo lie fallow and abandoned, the grazing lands of the Oglalas are leased to white ranchers, and the fields of the Senecas are rented·to,commercial farmersnon-Indian commercial farmers.... What the BIA has accomplished is that many Native communities presently suffer almost total dependence on federal , funding for their very existence. If the _funding can claim 'any success at all, it is in the area of acculturation. Communities which 40 years ago were almost entirely self-sufficient are today virtually assimilated into the U.S. economy... Culture and economy are inseparable. A lot of people today have come to accept the BIA definition of culture as referring to music, dress and language. But cultures are inconceivable without an economic base. Even spiritual life revolves to a considerable extent around the ways that people see their lives supported. Indeed, it is arguable that peoples' personal relationships and their relationships to their environment are molded by the ways in which they meet their needs, and the manifestation of those ways is what we ·call culture. In the absence of culture, there can be no economy. In the absence of economy, there is no culture. All that remains is the memory of cultl:lre. People who promote music and costume-making in urban cultural centers are not promoting culture, they are Native Economies THE PROMISE OF APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
promoting the memory of culture. One of the alarming aspects of the loss of culture (of acculturation) is that in the absence· of processes which meet peoples' needs, social disintegration occurs. That is why acculturation is associated with alcoholism, suicide, family disintegration, an_d all the other social ills that the.federal government has programs to control. It is a model of the process of colonialism. First they create the problem, then they offer prescriptions as remedies... The logical response to that process is that Native people must develop, or redevelop, their own economies. To develop a Native economy (and almost everyone is in favor of that, at least rhetorically), we are immediately forced to deal with overall questions concerning what is called technology. At the moment, technology is too often treated as a given. All technology, so we are told, is Western technology. If you are talking about providing housing, a lot of people think that there is only one technology which builds houses. In truth, there are many technologies, and many kinds of housing. ·People who are serious about the need to develop a Native economy are faced with the problem of becoming familiar with the technol_ogies which meet their needs. "Native communities don't need 16-foot combines, they need food to eat. They don't need plywood factories, they need homes. There is a need, on a very practical level, for people to begin to think small.'' • The idea that Nativ~ people can adapt technology is not new, but there are lessons to be learned about the social impact of new technologies. Technologies can alter culture. Consider for a moment the introduction of the horse to the Native peoples of the Plains. The horse actually arrived among many Native groups ahead of the Europeans. But the horse was an agent of profound cultural change. Horses made it possible for large numbers of people to live on the Plains. Native people.adopted the 'horse wholeheartedly. They became very adept. breeders of horses, pr9ducing breeds which were improved for their own purposes. The Apaloosa is an example of that... There is a need for social change in the Native communities today, but there are many pitfalls-and pr'oblems involved. Native people need to adopt some new forms of doing things which provide an alternative to the federal funding system which promotes environmental exploitation of a destructive nature, and BIA paternalism. When we look into the arena of technologies, we find that the alternative grabbag is filled to the brim. There are so many technological possibili_~ies that it staggers the mind. The choices must be made with an eye January 1979 RAIN Page 9 to goals, presumably the enhancement of community wellbeing, cultural values, and local ecology. That horse keeps coming back to mind. It provided a new possibility for life on the Plains. One must ask, what kind of technology is needed now? What would bring to Native people the possibility of a new life on the territories they now inhabit? What would revitalize and strengthen the people now? The focus pretty clearly needs to be local production for local consumption. A given community of people need to look at their resources.with an eye to meeting their needs themselves. When we speak of technologies of food production, we must understand that the food which is produced must be intended for consumption by the group producing it. The prospects of the sale of surplus must be secondary. The same principles need to be applied to forest products, fibers, minerals.,The need is to produce for ourselves with our own (or our adapted) techniques on our own territories. And we need to consider a lot of economic _networking. There exists the materials on Native territories to build homes, heat those homes1 grow food, and develop a wide array of locally produced products. Native communities don't need 16' combines, they need food to eat. They don't need plywood factories, they need homes. And there'is a need, dn a very practical level1 for people to begin to think small. We should adopt a theme-small is beautiful. A great number of Native peopl'e today ar,e looking to the U.S. government for.assistance ·in these problems, but there is a low level of understanding about the processes at work. People can't invoke Native sovereignty in one breath and demand that the U.S. enact its "trust responsibility" in the next. The trust responsibility of a policy which states that Native people are legal d<:!pendents of the U.S. government. A people qmnot enact sovereignty when they are in fact dependent'on federal _dollars for their every need, from housing to education to food on the table. All of these issues ar~ intertwined. T0 develop economic self-reliance (or even economic independence), a people m·ust exercise sovereignty. To exercise sovereignty, the Native nations must achieve economic self-reliance. To do any of these things, they must control all elements of their own lives. The true value of appropriate technology is that it can be the process (including both hardware and software) by which that control is practiced. Appropriate technology is "appropriate" to Native people only if it returns to them control over their lives. What Native people need to develop are technologies appropriate to the exercise of sovereignty. Returning to people real_control over their lives must be the primary goal of Native people if they are to survive in these times. D Reprinted by permission from Akwesasne Notes. For a subscription send your donatio.n to Notes, Mohawk Nation, via Rooseveltown, NY 13683.
Page 10 RAIN January 1979 AGRICULTURE Books about Food and Land, from: Earthwork 3410 19th St. San Francisco, CA 94110 The people at' Earthwork continue to clo good things to get the word out about food and land issues. This catalog of the materials they sell mail order also acts as a thorough bibliography on agribusiness, farming, farmworkers, nutrition and more. It's a simple, easy way to get hold of lots of helpful materjals. They also sell to co-ops for resale. Check it out. -LdeM • Journal of the New ZeaJand Tree _Crop Association, edited by D. H. Ryde, 84 pp., bi-annual, $6/year subscription for membership from: , New Zealand Tree Crop Assn. Mr. D. J. Davies Crop Research Division, D.S.I.R. Lincoln, Canterbury, NEW ZEALAND A grassroots organization with regional branches shares information among its members via this journal which includes plant exchanges, recipes, bibliography and current tree information useful for tree people not only in New Zealand, since ma·ny crops suitable there are precisely those suited to the Pacific Coastal Regions. (Thanks to Peter W. Butcher, Research Assistant, NZTCA)-LS .(lgribusiness Manual, $5.00 from: Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Room 566 4 7 5 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10027 A valuable adjunct to Food First, this collection of background papers on corporate responsibility for world hunger is heartening to see. It indicates that the churches are moving out of their band-aid/charity approach ·to world hunger to recognizing the causes of it and beginning to take the actions that are our responsibility. The National Council of Churches is cited in the manual as listing four root causes of hunger: unjust economic systems, inefficient food production, population growth, and patterns of consumption among the affluent. Corporations or corporate-related activity is cited as contributing to three of these four causes. Excellent background papers cover food production, commodity trade, agricultural inputs, nutrition of processed foods, U.S. farmer/consumer responses, and theological reflections and actions. Interesting data throughout-supermarke'ts who always voice • their low profit margins (only 1-3 per- . cent of sales) actually get H. percent return on investment-considerably ab<:>Ve averages for other industries. Also interesting report on church ac- .tions to requir~ disclosure of largest 30 voting stockholders of corporations (not their front organizations). A valuable research/study guide for community and church groups and • even you and me. -TB BAD GUYS The Hidden History of the Korean War, I. F. Stone, 1952, $5.95 from: Monthly Review Press 62 West 14th Street New York, NY 10011 This book exploded into 1!1Y consciousness how much we can be taken in by our own propaganda, how powerfully it affects the course of the world whether we consider people to be basically good or basically evil, and how the willful acts of a single person (one of us) can (and did) cause and lead us into an unwanted war. I grew up believing the Korean War to have been a just one. No longer. Stone courageously exposed and brought together a stinging indictment of General MacArthur's successful efforts to get us into a war with Korea, and his willful attempts to expand tl;ie war into a general nuclear ' combat with China and Russia. Stone's • long repressed picture of the Korean War and the shams-behind it shines a new light on the U.S. It shows Vietnam to be not an anomaly but a repeating pattern of intervention in the affairs of others for the profit of certain American special ~nterests. It shows a recurrfng -· weakness in our inability to ·support and live by the principles we propoundsupporting oppressive and inhumane governments in other countries in exchange for allowing us to commit economic pillage of those countries. And it shows clearly what we need to learn and practice to be able to live with selfrespect and the respect of others. -TB ,,, .,....._
January 1979 RAIN Page 11 GOLD MINES Five Y_ears_ ago ther_e were few publications putting forth the kinds of , t:chnz~al ~nformation needed to help us make the changes towards right livelihood- and _Rai? helpe1 fill that need. The last few years have se:~ many publications spring up that are covering the details of specific areas, such as energy, with excellent articles. Here we want to give you access to the best ofwhat we come across and to continue this access in subsequent issues. -LS ' Energy Self-Reliance in D.C. !V1ore than 85 percent of every energy dollar spent in Washington, D.C., is lost from the community. Like their earlier study on the community economics of MacDonald's Hamburger joints, this current study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance has revealed a kind of trade deficit that can and does drain the economy of even the wealthiest community. The antidote in this case is simple-spend your energy dollars for conservation an~ solar energy, where a large percentage of the dollars can stay m the community providing jobs and income. For details, see the Nov.-Dec. '78 Self-Reliance ($8/ year from ILSR, 1717 18th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20009). The next phase of the study will document the potentials of those solar/conservation alternatives. -TB ~eighborhood Healt~ Centers have proven to be a less expensive and more effective alternative to much of our traditional patterns of health care. A 28 percent drop in infant mortality rates, 50 percent reduction in the number of days children spend in hospitals, 60 percent drop in incidence of rheumatic fever in children, and a 25 percent reduction in total use of hospitals have been reported in areas served by various neighb_orhood health centers. In addition, those centers have provided employment and paraprofessional training for several thousand people in low-income neighborhoods. Although pressures from the traditional medical practitioners and cuts in federal funding are shutting them down, they represent a wise community investment, particularly where doctors are in short supply and/or unaffordable. Details and resources in Nov.-Dec. '78 Self-Reliance. -TB Industrial Waste Recycling-Special report in Sept.-Oct. '78 Compost Science/Land Utilization ($15/year from Box 351, Emmaus, PA_ 18049). Covers industrial waste exchanges in the U.S., a survey of uses for organic industrial wastes, and replanting of mining wastes in England. -TB Flow of Energy Dollars Washington DC, excluding the U.S. Government, 1977 "Rape-An Unusual Opinion" by Crescent Dragon Wagon. S,ome of the feedback from this article saw it as glorifying ra~e_in some way. I found it a very moving (though at times ch~lhng) acco~nt of one woman's successful attempt to turn a_ hfe-~hre.atenmg and potentially emotionally crippling situation mto a growth experience much in the same way we grew from the experiences of our house fire. It hurts to read these things but it is so wonderful when we can openly and courageously share such lessons with each other. Read it and the feedback with her responses in the August, 1978, and ~oilowing two issues of New ,Age, $16/year ($1. 75 for a single issue) from Subscriptions, P.O. Box 4921, Manchester, NH 03108. -LdeM Annual Solar Storage A report on e~isting projects and research studies for storing s~mmer sunsh~ne for 100 percent winter heating. The additional storage is four-fold cheaper per unit volume than . collectors per unit area, and storage effectiveness improves with volume. See Acorn, Nov. 1978 ($6/year from Acorn/ GS_U, Park Forest So., IL 60466). The issue also has a good ~rude on water conservation in Elmhurst, IL, which has cut its water use by 15 percent, increased sewage capacity by 4,800 people, and saved itself $400,000 in the bargain! Cancer Series Peter Barry Chowka has been keeping close watch on cancer research at the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute and has done an excellent series of articles on their shenanigans. It's an important topic. Part I of "Cancer: Metaphor for Modern Times" appeared in March, 1977, Part II in A~ril, 1977, Part III in January, 1978, Part IV in July and a piece on Mammography in the October 1978 issue of East West Journal ($12/year, $1.50/single issue) from P.O. Box 505, Whitinsville, MA 01588. Chowka is also a contributing editor for New Age and often has articles on cancer issues there as well. - LdeM from Self-Reliance Electricity Natural Gas Fuel Oil $40,000,000 Gasoline Total More On California Tenants & 13 The November/December issue of Ways and Means contains an update o_f community action and recent legislation developments proposed to equalize the benefits of Proposition 13 tax relief in that state (see also Rain, Dec. 1978). Contact Gary Lowe, coordinator of CHAIN (California Housing Action Amount Spent $288,958,000 Amount Retained in Government 21,106,288 Taxes Amount Retained 6,507,513 in DC Wages Dividend 1,471,057 Goods & Service 1,739,600 Proprietors Net Income Total Retained 31,043,872 Percent Retained 11 $77,852,914 4,926,400 5,902,763 385,518 705,000 12,060,657 15 1,953,967 453,669 Insignificant 502,967 2,939,931 7 $158,791,000 $565,601,914 25,215,464 53,202,119 7,401,268 20,265,213 Insignificant 1,306,455 34,126,062 21 1,856,575 2,444,600 1,809,422 80,178,522' 14 and Information Network), 304 S. Broadway, Suite 224, Los Angeles, CA 9.0013 for more information. Subscriptions to Ways & Means are $10/year, $20/year for institutions, from 1901 Que St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009. -LS
Page 12 RAIN January 1979 Small Vehicles for Transit and Transport Not only have the low prices of land and fuels in the United States encouraged diffuse settlement of the population and heavy reliance upon automobiles and trucks to provide transit and transport, but these primary effects have in turn produced a secondary effect of relegating the bicycle and motorcycle to the position of being very nearly playthings. These smaller vehicles might have withstood the challenge of long intra- and inter-city distances in this country had it been the only factor working against them. But, as the use of the auto has been encouraged by new construction not designed for use of vehicles of lower mass and more modest speeds, bikers have been forced to constantly compete with larger motorized vehicles for road space as well. Yet there have been forces at work, and there are forces which will continue to work to modify this scene. Not only are small automobiles and trucks becoming increasingly practical, but it is likely that some varieties of vehicles smaller than cars and with fewer wheels will also find increasing use under favorable conditions in parts of the United States. As petroleum prices rise to moderate cost by international standards, as some lanes and paths are dedicated to small vehicles, and as some steps are taken to make cities more liveable, it behooves us to look at parallel experiences in parts of Europe to see what technology is available and adaptable and to see under what conditions small vehicles for individual transit and small goods transport work well. Small vehicles of generally elegant design are scattered here and there about Europe, in the cities and on the farms, fitting into particular niches as the local conditions dictate. While some old and heavy pedal-powered machines are roundly cursed by former users from their cars as an occasional remaining specimen rolls by, others are still in widespread use by postal services or city street and maintenance workers. An assortment of bicycles, tricycles, small trailers, mopeds and motorized carts fill a variety of transit and transport needs which lie between those served by foot and those which require four wheels and a four cylinder engine. Variations of some of these vehicles could find application in the United States, where the climate and terrain are not impediments and where several of a number of inducements are present: e.g. high fuel prices, average trips of short distance under modest load, concentrated areas of small-goods deliveries, dedication of traffic lanes to non-motorized or small vehicles, differentials in purchase prices, insurance and maintenance costs between small and large vehicles, and prohibition of or disincentives to the use of larger vehicles in sections of cities. Living on tighter resources and in more densely populated, historically defined urban areas has given many European countries a certain kind of advantage in transitioning to the post-petroleum era. From his travels around Europe and Scandinavia, Gregg Shadduck has pulled together a stimulating overview of the use there of intermediate technology for small- scale transit and transport. While we would do well to pick up on these models, Gregg notes: "I don't think it really too healthy ifpeople want to run offand buy these machines. Just borrow ideas and build what's needed here." Gregg can be reached at 1286 Carriage Dr., Eagan, Minnesota, 55123. -SA Following are descriptions of a number of small vehicles and the names and addresses of several manufacturers. The manufacturers are listed as a point of information and not with the intent of suggesting that these designs are appropriate for import or that it would be desirable to import them rather than constructing the machines locally or regionally. But a number of the machines certainly suggest designs and applications which could be adopted or modified to suit local needs. Bicycles The old balloon-tire, the practical three-speed and the trendy ten-speed bicycles are familiar to nearly everyone. Not so familiar are some delivery bicycles which are able to carry anything from letters to 100kg loads of produce. Several postal services in northern Europe commonly use sturdy bicycles for neighborhood delivery of mail. These bicycles are usually step-through models with ready kick-stands and front luggage racks mounted to the frame (not to the handlebars or front axle) thereby eliminating the instability caused by a shifting load in a turn. Non-governmental versions are often used in parcel delivery and can be made in the same form, but are more often seen with double top frame tubes, forming a nice spot in which to paint the owner's name. Raleigh makes such a model available overseas, Schwinn makes a large and sturdy bike in this country, the "Short John" is familiar in Denmark (Smith & Co., Kochsgade 31, 5100 Odense), and other makes are found in other locations. The "Long John" is a more exceptional kind of delivery bicycle in which the front wheel is removed about a meter from the remainder of the bicycle and a cargo platform (100kg capacity) is interposed. The special difficulties of powering the single-speed bike have reduced it to special order status at Smith & Co., where it costs approximatey DKr 2000 or $375. FewerThanFourWheels, "Long John" freighter bike made by Smith & Co., Odense, Denmark. The Swedish 3-wheel moped, the Crescent. J
Trailers for Bicycles and Mopeds Two-wheeled trailers in any of a number of configurations can be pulled behind bicycles and mopeds. The trailers are commonly made of steel tubing with wooden or metal bot~ toms, but two less utilitarian American models and a Swedish design use fabric over steel tubing. The trailers require technical expertise no greater than that of a good high school shop project to build, yet sell at prices of over $100 and often nearer the equivalent of $200. The straightforward constr~ction and high cost make good arguments for local produc~10n or for home construction from kits. Manufacturers of trailer prototypes exist all over Europe, particularly Austria and Switzerland, but also in Germany, France, Sweden and the Netherlands; they can be located in a number of European catalogues or by doing a little in-depth reference library wo~k. The Swiss postal service is using what is pro?ably ~he ultimate bicycle-trailer combination. The sturdy bicycle is a step-through design fitted with large tires, a drum brake on the front wheel, and a three-speed rear hub with coaster brake. The trailer which it pulls is made of aluminum, divided into compartments, provided with handles so that it may be used as a push cart, and fitted with hand-actuate_d drum brakes. For several Swiss-made trailers, consult Alternatzv Katalog 2 (SFr 27 from BIKU, Post-fach 223, CH 3098 Koniz). Trailers are most often secured to the towing bicycle or moped by a ball hitch, which range fro_m simple an~ functional stampings from Austria to elegant castmgs from Switzerland under the Inca and Haerri names (ca. SFr 15-35 or $10-25, from Inca SA, La Chaux-de-Fonds or Injecta AG, 5723 Teufenthal). Tricycles An adult's enlarged version of the child's trike is manufactured by Schwinn and can be helpful to those who find it hard to balance a bicycle. Of more general interest are tricycles with January 1979 RAIN Page 13 two steering wheels forward on an articulated frame and a single driven wheel aft. The payload area between the front wheels is sufficiently large to be useful to delivery services, groundskeepers, or (in the student quarter of Leiden) to poor but energetic people who are moving their earthly goods from one residence to another. The "Monark" model is built in Sweden by Monark-Crescen AB (Kyrkog 15, 432 00 Varberg) while a larger type is reportedly still being made in the Netherlands, perhaps by De "Elephant" Fabrieken in Eindhoven. Motorized Tricycles The humble moped, held by law and popular opinion to be somewhere between fish and fowl, can be elevated to respectable status by replacing the front wheel with a pair of wheels with a cargo platform above them. This yields a particularly handy and versatile vehicle both for delivery work and in-supporting laborers. I know of three manufacturers. There are probably more. Monark-Crescent AB, Kyrkog 15, 432 00 Varberg, Sweden Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Kiirtner Ring 7, 1011 Vienna, Austria N.V. "Cyrus", Rijwiel-en Motorrijielfabriek, Helbeek 28, P.B. 21, Venlo, Netherlands These moped tricycles are elegantly suited to a tight urban landscape. Their counterparts which are suited to rural work are found in the two-wheeled tractor ("roto-tiller") conversions of Greece, in which either a cart ·is added behind the tractor to yield a tricycle configuration or the tractor's powerplant is added to a three-wheeled cart. The cart can then roll on down the road to or from the field and the engine can be removed to perform fieldwork. An excepti~nally rugged and strong vehicle can be constructed by attachmg a two-wheeled trailer with a live axle to a two-wheeled tractor. The tractor powers not only its own tires but also the rear tires through splined shafts and a gearbox. The obvious beauty of ~hese hybrids is their adaptability in performing several agricultural chores. Less obvious is the real.ization that the components of the vehicles may be manufactured on a local, regional, or national scale as appropriate and that the final configuration of an individual unit can be determined by the owner and ass em bled locally. The largest of the motorized tricycles are the urban trucks of Italy and Greece. They are approximately equivalent in size to the smallest of the imported pickups found in the U.S., though slower and unsuited to interc~ty transp_ort._ They ~re quite compact units, have good carryi_ng _capacity_ m rela~_1on to their size and weight, and with their tight turnmg radu are well suited to congested or narrow streets. They are real workhorses and appear with many different engine configurations. LessThanFourCylinders by Gregg Shadduck Two-wheel tractor and trailer in Greece. hr,•p-.,.,h,,•P1 n10torized cart which the engine and gearing assembly has been removed and is powering the two-wheeled tractor in the background. Crete.
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