IN Volume VII No.9 Home Built Wind Sy~tems Involuntary Self-Reliance Born Again Indian Wars $1.50 No Advertising
Page 2 RAIN July 1981 LETTERS Dear RAIN: Jim McPhee? Shades of Jim Cheever, Jim Updike, and Karl Vonnegut. Please let your readers know that John McPhee wrote the excellent New Yorker article on small hydro. The name may stir some positive connections in their minds, for McPhee is a wellknown and widely admired writer. That aside, I enjoyed Car:lotta's article , immensely. Your work is,invaluable; Best, • • . -·· One of your many friends in Ne~ Hampshire Dear Showering Down, Happy May Day! Thanks for sending some of those April showers our way. We've been having precipitation almost every day for the last week, relieving me from the responsibility of watering my gardens. Also, putting my drought concerns on the back burne'r for a little while at least. • Here in Mass. we're planting nut trees and berry bushes on public lands and grafting apples to dwarf root-stocks to plant next year. So far the state Fruition program has distributed close to 1000 plants-walnuts, raspberries, blueberries, chestnuts arid so forth. We've also got a group going through Boston Urban Gardeners (BUG) that's examining permaculture concepts for city gar9erts, presently concentratiqg on plants for 'natural fencing hoping·to build up something like the great European hedgerows with many varieties of plants creating multifarious habitats. We go slowly, one seed at a time. The solar scene is happening too. Urban Solar Energy Association has about 850 members now and its last public meeting drew over 100 people to talk about greenhouses. USEA got a grant to continue its ··.RAIN: 1Volume VII No. 9 Journal of Appropriate T ~chnology RAIN is a national information access journal ma,king connections for people seeking more simple and satisfying lifestyles, working to make their communities and regions economically self-reliant, building a society that is durable, just and ecologicklly sound. RAIN STAFF: 'Laura Stuchinsky, Mark Roseland, Carlotta Collette, John Ferrell, Kevin Bell, Steve Johnson, Steve Rudman, Nancy Cosper, Scott Andros. Linnea Gilson, Graphics and Layout. RAIN, Journal of Appropriate Technology, is published 10 times yearly by the Rain Umbrella, Inc., a non-profit corporation located at 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, Oregon 97210, telephone 503/227-5110. Copyright© 1981 Rain Umbrella, Inc. No part may be:reprinted without w~tten permission. Typesefting: Irish Setter Printing : Times Litho Cover Photograph: Ancil Nance
Solar Action Campaign with a series of barnraisings. Three of them have been dorie so far with two of the local TV stations coverii:ig the first one. All these barn-raisings·seem to be air heating systems, which is nice, but I'm anxious to start building a greenhouse or two. I'~e been doing my best to publicize solar by producing a series of public service announcements for TV, four 10-second blips . that show people a south-facing window as a solar collector, a south-facing porch as a greenhouse, air heaters, and a breadbox or batch water heater. They are currently play-. ingon two local channels and I've just delivered them to three more. I figure that it is important to put the image out and show people that solar is not some pie in the sky but a very everyday present pos,sibility. I ?lean, that starlight falls to earth don't it? Let it keep us warm. . I wish that the solar community could put • together a public education campaign using such public service announcements on TV. Solar Lobby is gettiqg involved in producing . some PSAs but only to rebut the nuclear industries' schlock or to advertise their own organization. Whayne DiUeyhay at Critical Mass is supposedly involved in a Safe Energy Communication Council, but I haven't heard from them what they are considering. Oddly enough, I saw a ~SA produced by the~lumi- •num Association thatwas everything I would want a solar spot to be. Its theme was "be a window manager" and it dealt with ·using a window as a solar collector, making it more efficient by caulking and selling it, adding double-glazing (aluminum_s!orm windows of course),.and using night insulation. All in 30 seconds. The more we can put such vital information out, the more people will use "it and the less they will believe the propaganda that tells them solar is only available in the future. • • All my best, George Mckray Cambridge, MA Dear RAIN,, I want to use this chance to say thanks. The whole magazine-content, graphics,· photos and the rest-are really excellent. I don't share your enthusiasm for Illich, however. He seems to me far too well fitted to the Mexican intellectual mania-lofty ·pronouncements with eyes cast down on the pobres, but palms up to take the largesse from the ricos. His instituto in Cuernavaca, I submit, fits exactly this theme. Twentyfive miles away some unpublicized priests are organizing farm cooperatives and co-op . banks for a small village with moderate successes-mind you I'm an intense anti-cleri- . cal: but the point is the quiet organizing of economically sub-marginal folks is more potent,than all the pontificating from a guy living·on donations from the Echeverria family (last president of Mexico) among others. Regards, Doug Elliott Worland, WY Dear RAIN, Regarding·the Jetstream wood furnacethere's been lots of publicity about the commercial designs licensed from the original design concept. Plans for building one your,- self, although not quite as compact or elegant, can be obtained from Hill at University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Ask for "Design, Construction and Performance of Stick-Wood Fired Furnace for Residential and Small Commercial Applications." Enclose $2.00. Dave Brook Anchorage, Alaska Dear Laura, Thanks for your letter of April 4, with copies of recent RAIN articles and letters regarding appropriate technology in international context. No one should be arguing that new (or improved traditional) technologies are the p!imary answer to the problems of the poor in the Third World, just as no one should be arguing that political change is the only answer to those problems. In fact, political change and access to appropriate technolo- . gies (and many other things) are needed. The advantages to be gained by the poor, for example in the rural Philippines, through the use of appropriate technologies are substantial, though ultimately limited by the political system. Ad the advantages to be gained through the Tanzanian political system are in fact severely limited by the bureaucracy (inappropriate institutions) and the lack of available technologies with which the Tanzanians can meet their own needs. Those who see only one path for useful work are not · opening their eyes wide enough. The use of the term "appropriate technology transfer'~ is troubling. "Technology transfer'' and ''appropriate technology'' have distinctly different historical origins and implications. The former term is used by people who assume that the poor need the technology of the rich, with all the hierarchical organizational patterns, unequal income.distribution, and negative environmental consequences that come with it. The latter term has been used by people who believe that-low-cost technologies can be adapted or developed to fit local cultural patterns, local resources and skills, environmental needs and constraints, and come out of and contribJuly 1981 RAIN Page 3 ute to a process of local problem-solving that has profound political implications. No doubt the term "A.T." has suffered some erosion .in integrity (a process we noted nearly 5 years ago), but the task for those who believe in democratic, participatory development processes is to defend the term and its useful connotations, not surrender it to those for whom it is one more buzzword to spice up warmed-over conventional development• stew. The "10 questions to ask about a development-project" you reprint are recognized as important by almost any group doing useful ~ork-indeed, these questions came from small groups <;loing thoughtful work overseas; they were compiled, not dreamed up, by the IFDP. Dickson's book The Politics of Alternative Technolo,gy is indeed a thoughtful, significant work. • Best wishes, Ken Darrow Volunteers in Asia •Stanford, ·california Hullo, you wonderful Rainmakers, I was just about to write y'all a letter to · find out what I can do for "the movement burnout" case I seem to be turning into. How is it that you always seem to know just what I need to make me feel better? We just got the April RAIN, well a bit slow, but that's just post-control; there are at least half a dozeri that I'd love to have and certainly a few that I'll order. Thanks for being around. You are all wonderful. Peace, Leah Warn World Information Service on Energy Amsterdam, Netherlands Correc~on Last month we lost track of the credit for the Lovins piece, Soft Path Hits Hard Times. It ended up at the end of the Coyote article. Wrong! The Lovins article was reprinted with permission from ruralamerica, Feb.I Mar. '81, $10/yr. from Rural America, Inc., 1346 Connecticut Ave. N. W., Washington, DC20036. Also, we neglected to tell you that Tom Athanasiou, who wrote "Strategic Solar: The Renewable War Debate" in the June issue, works with the Community Memory Project in Berkeley, CA.
Page 4 RAIN July 1981 BOILING OVER IN BEAN TOWN by Mark Roseland Not long ago I spoke at a conference on the East Coast and enroute found myself as fortune would have it, in San Francisco, Newark, New York and Boston all in the same weekend-a great temptation for superficial comparisons which I'm still trying to resist. Having lived in Boston for many years, however (where horse is pronounced "hoss" and people say "so don't I" when they mean "I do, too"), I could clearly see in the days I stayed there some of the changes that have taken place in that town since the "new conservatism" has come into power. • Bostori not only has to put up with the Reagan Administration and the Co'ngress, but Massachusetts Governor Ed King-one of the more reactionary governors in the nation-and Mayor Kevin White. It's amazing how anyone as unpopular as "Honk If You Hate (Kevin) White" can be mayor of a major city, but that's another story. Everyone's known for years that some members of the City Council and the School Committee are on the take, but not until the disclosure of recent investigative findings did anyone realize the extent of the corruption. •Combine that with soaring inflation, a rising cost of living, add Proposition 2½ (analogous to California's Proposition 13), and you have a recipe for a city in trouble. Prop 2½ doesn't start until July, so what I observed in Boston was only a dark glimpse of what's to come. Cutbacks. Budget cuts. Words we hear.a lot these days. We're told we won't feel the effects until next year. I'm not sure there's gonna be a next year for places like Boston. When I arrived in Boston they were literally out of money to run the school system. After a lot of screaming and yelling the city obtained $10 million from the state to run the school system-for 10 days-if the police or fire departments didn't convince everyone that they should get that money. They sure were persuasive. Most of the police and fire stations in several sections of the city were closed (a mayoral decision), but not completely. Instead, allnight vigils were being held and many stations were being occupied-by middle-aged, middle-class whites, 'the very people who voted for King and Reagan! Every grown man who ever fantasized playing Adam-12 was getting his chance to operate the radio and • switchboard. The actual cops, meanwhile, with supportive residents of their districts, were out blocking traffic and causing major slow-_ downs and tie-ups on the expressways during rush hour! (Mayor White was actually caught in one of these tie-ups in the Callahan Tunnel on his way to Logan Airport to pick up, of all people, Ann Landers-hey, I don't make the news, I just report it-and had to talk with these angry folks face-to-face. That mus(ve been a sight!) All the while the Left is standing by helplessly, watching in dis·- belief, trying to figure out what to say or do, realizing that many of the tactics these people are using were employed 10 or 15 years ago by blacks, women, students, poor people and other criminals. Only this time it's "law-abiding citizens" who are breaking the law. While the city seemed to take on all the qualities of a Fellini movie, it wa·s talking with people I kn·ew that really brought home the effects of Reaganomics on individuals and families. I've known the Martin [names changedJ family for years. Albert is an electronics engineer, Jean is a schoolteacher, both mid-50s and,white. T,hey live in a small house in Newton, a bedroom suburb of Boston, and have two kids, both recent college graduates. One kid has medical problems requiring expensive treatment and medicines, and has been unable to find a decent job. The oth·er is working for VISTA. After years of secure employment along Rt. 128 (where most o_f Boston's electronics ,industry is located), Albert was out of work for a long time, as there were simply no jobs around for someone with his talents and experience. A few months ago he finally landed a disappointing but tolerable job, though it's on the swing shift so he only sees Jean on weekends despite the fact that they live in the same house. Jean has long,considered her position as a kindergarten teacher in the Boston school system very secure. Since she works in Roxbury, a high-unemployment, high-crime, mostly black section, she did not feel safe with her unreliable old car, so last winter bought a newer one. Now she's out of work, as are so many of Boston's teachers. There's more. Grandpa Bob; Jean's 78-year-old father, an able and independent character if ever you met one, lives in Boston. His apartment is being turned into a condo. So are most of the other apartments in his area. There is ·no place to turn, no place to move to, so the family feels pressured now to buy Grandpa Bob's condo. The strain on these people's faces is quite visible. This family is about to bust. They are, if anything, better off than most. It can't last. If it does, the hell that's gonna break loose is gonna make all this look like a picnic. The West can only hope t,!iat the crisis in Boston and the East Coast will force a national rethinking before the full effects of the "new conservatism" is felt here. What we're experiencing now is only a drop in the bucket.OD
Helping Ourselves: Local Solutions to Global Problems, by BruceStokes, 1981, 160 pp., published by W_.W. Norton & Company, available for $6.00 ppd. ,from: RAIN 2270 NW Irving Portland, OR 97210 In this superb synthesis of self-help concepts and strategies, Bruce Stokes of Worldwatch Institute begins with a central paradox of the citizens' movement: if power gravitates toward those who solve problems, and many of today's most pressing global problems-in the areas of energy,·shelter, food, health, pqpulation and industrial productivity-are best solved by people working together at the local level, then why do citizen activists so often seem to be poised on the edge of their opportunities while the power and the problems remain in other hands? Stokes outlines some of the obstacles to self-help and in so doing seems to be speaking directly to the current American experience (see Steve Rudman's article below.) In fact, what he describes are barriers common to community projects in many countries: habits of dependency fostered by entrenched professional and managerial elites; failure of govern~ ments to provide sufficient seed capital or technical assistance; and a myopic tendency of self-h~lp organizations to "go it alone" rather than seeking out complementary relationships with other groups. The good news is that increasing numbers of innovative people in all parts of the world are breaking through these barriers to create models for effective local action. Community gardens are contributing to food security in countries as diverse as China, Britain and 'Indonesia. Self-help housing, both in American inner cities and in Third World squatter . settlements, is meeting the needs of people for whom affordable shelter might otherwise be impossible. Community-based preventive health care efforts are emerging to counter the potential effects both of sedentary lifestyles in industrial societies and of contagious diseases in developing countries. As such successful models multiply, the benefits of self-help programs in terms of better fed, better housed, healthier people will be increasingly visible, but Stokes believes the ultimate social and political ramifications of such programs may prove to be much are) : July 1981 RAIN Page 5 greater: , The most important benefits of these activities ... will not be more housin,g or better nutrition, but the values articulated in the process of meeting basic human needs. These values will outlive society's deeds. They will shape people's sense of their own abilities, determine their future success in solving problems, and ultimately enable individuals and communities to gain greater control overtheir lives . ... No longer powerless, they can begin to create societies that are truly democratic. . For those of us presently caught up in the challenge and frustration of Reagan-era pseudo-self-reliance, Helping Ourselves has special significance. Its inspiring examples of successful local projects in countries all across the political spectrum indicate that what we are trying to accomplish in our own towns and neighborhoods is really part of a worldwide movement which transcends ephemeral political trends and has a momentum of its own. As global problems continue to grow jn-complexity, the need for local solutions and citizen empowerment can only grow more clear. - JF Self-reliance won't evolve in a vacuum. Simplicity is not simply found. These things must compete in the real world in order to survive and the immediate forecast is bleak. The key now is for concerned citizens and community groups to plan strategies that address the impending Reagan cuts before the full effects hit the streets in six months or so. Our intent with this article is to sketch out a community-based analysis and possible agenda, however preliminary, in the hope of stimulating ideas and action. Watch for our follow-up article this fall on Innovations for Financing Social Change. Supply Side Economics: Federal regulations and taxes are major obstacles to economic growth, and federal government spending is the main cause of inflation. by Steve Rudman By now we've all seen how astonishingly fast the Reagan bandwagon marched double-time through Congress drumming up carte blanche support for their budget and tax cut program supposedly needed to deal with the "worst economic crisis" since the great de-. pression. Underlying the Reagan proposals currently in Congress are several fundamental assumptions that suggest a radical shift in the roles of government and private enterprise not seen since the advent of the "New Deal" almost fifty years ago. Here are some of the major premises of Reaganomics simply put (as they usually We have to at least try to turn the empty rhetoric into community realities Guns vs. Butter: Massive expansion of the U.S. defense system is the only effective way to stabilize the international scene. cont.-
Page 6 RAIN July 1981 . . ) • Reagan-style Federalism: State and local governments are more efficient and equitable in the distribution of public funds and services than the federal government. Trickle-down Theory: Private sector initiatives can replace government in a number of roles. Social needs, not only economic . growth (profits), will be met through a major shift in resources to the private (corporate) sector. , Capitalizing on the post-election honeymoon period and the general discontent with government, Reagan interpreted his mandate as one of cutting back on federal involvement in meeting human. needs. ·Its clear the budget reductions will fall disproportionately .on the low-income. This brutally hones! agenda ensures that the rich get richer at the expense of the poor. In response to public outcries that the so-called"safety net" for the "truly needy" is insufficient, Reagan simply repeats his formula about how the inflation rate will drop and the economy will boom, and then everyone will be better off. It will only hurt in the short term. Cutting Through·the Rhetoric Bruce Stokes, in his timely new book, Helping Ourselves: Local Solutions to Global Problems, presents a strong case remin~ing us of perhaps the only viable alternative to the "Voodoo Reaganomics"..;_community self-reliance. It is clear-Ly time for a change. Just like a stream that carves a new channel if the old one is blocked, societies need to circumvent existing institutions that have proved ineffective. A new approach to problem solving'and a new set of values are needed in this era of energy shortages and stagnating economies. Self-help efforts, in . which individuals_and communities take greater control over the issues that affect their lives, constitute a more effective way of dealing with. many of today's problems. By breaking up issues into their component parts and dealing with them at the local level, interdependent problems can once again become.manageable. Stokes' synthesis of both obstacles and opportunities to community self-help approaches provides us with an excellent framework to analyze the Administration's decentra}ist rhetoric, identify the gaps, absurdities and loopholes and perhaps even "Out-Reagan" Reagan. For example, the book's major premise is that self-help activities "present a unique opportunity for the traditional conser- _vative virtues of individual initiative and-strong community organizations to form the basis of a progressive movement to mold more self-reliant and democratic societies." ( emphasis added) During the campaign, Candidate Reagan spoke of the need for an "American Renewal," evidently based on nee-populist themes such as civic pride, individual initiative, local control and volunteerism. Reagan stated: "The neighborhood scale is a human scale-a place where the real spirit of the community can develop. What America's neighborhoods need is not a massive delivery of service from government, but a massive rebirth of opportunity." (After reading that you almost wonder if Reagan is a closet RAIN reader!) The point is that the President's budget slashing contradicts his attack ori welfare and preference for local control. The proposed cuts run deep into many programs with a local "opportunity" focus, e.g., sharp reductions or elimination of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, Legal Services Corp., Neighborhood Self Help Development Fund, Community Services Administration, etc. In total, several billion will be slashed from these "opportunity" programs designed to facilitate self-determination in depressed areas and among lower income people. Stokes again helps us see clea~ly. A sense of control over the issues that affect people's daily lives is a topic of growing political importance in the United States and other countries. Conservatives argue that this requires a limit on the role ofbig government, while liberals attest to the necessity of curtailing big business. But in the past these remedies have often resulted in nothing more than a reshuffling of power between the state and corporations. If individuals and communitie,s are to gain The Administration would like us to -~elieve that community groups willmagically be able to work with local governments and the private sector to solve social problems. greater control over their lives, then they must do so by empowering themselves. Stokes is not alone, of course, in focusing on citizen empowerment as the central philosophical issue. A few years ago, the American Enterprise_Institute, a conservative think tank, conducted a well-received policy study, To Empower People. They concluded that "mediating structures,/' deftned as "those institutions (family, church, neighborhood; and voluntary groups) standing between the individual in her/his private life and the large institutions of public life," are essential to .a vital democracy. Their propositions were that, minimally, public policy should no longer undercut and damage mediating structures. Ana furthermore, whenever possible, mediating structures should be utilized for the realization of social goals. Stokes agrees and takes us one step further: "Individuals and communities cannot always create local solutions to global problems entirely on their own. Public policies in support of self-help efforts are often necessary to overcome obstacles that stand in the path of people helping themselves." This is where the Reagan rhetoric falls apart. The Administration would like us to believe that, like magic, neighborhood/community groups will suddenly be able to work with local governments and the private sector to solve social problems. These folks have never
been involved in community,self-help efforts. Nowhere in the current proposals is there a mention of strong policy commitments and cofumuni.ty capacity-building efforts (seed and technical assistance) to assist citizens, especially the former !'clients of the state" dropped overnight, to assume more responsibility in meeting their needs. There is little reason to expect that states and localities can spend money more wisely than the federal government, particularly on such a fast timetable. Without some national support encouraging community selfhelp, the net effect of the budget cuts will most likely result in an increas.ed dependency on government assistance, only this time it will be on state and local governments instead of the federal bureaucracy . Reagan-Style F·ederalism Much of former Governor Reagan's local control rhetoric boils down to a States' Rights platform. Acccordingly, the Administration proposes to consolidate more than 80 separate federal grant programs into several large block grants, e.g., education, health, human services, to the states-. The catch is that the block grant funding would equal only about 75 percent of the dollars currently going to the categorical grant programs they replace. The claim is that this merely reflects the savings added from "flexibility" and the allegedly greater efficiency of state and local governments when Uncle Sam isn't breathing down their backs with all those "unnecessary- regulations. " . The fact is that there is little reason to expect that States and localities can sp~nd money more wisely than the federal government, particularly on such a fast timetable (the Reagan forces are hard at work pushing for an October 1, 1981, start-up date). Moreover, given double-digit inflation, the real effects of the across-the-board cuts are more like 35 percent instead of 25 percent. Finally, when you throw in the administrative'overhead the states will need to run these programs, it's certain that there will be more cutbacks in 1 valuable programs. There are serveral implications here for community organizations. The block grant concept is not new. Nixon started it in 1972 with general revenue sharing. Later there was the Comprehensive Employment Tre:1ining Act (CETA) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and a few others. The record of local govern- , ment's experience in managing these block grants has not been very good, especial!y upon comparison with legislated goals and regulations. The bottom line, as many citizen gn:mps know only too well, is that block grants basically become a highly sought after slice of • the very political local budget process pie. It is important to remember that the whole concept of categorical grants and programs grew out of the single-issue movement politics (environment, women, civil rights, welfare recipients) of the last 15 years. LBJ's Great Society, given the flows of its top-down centralist approach, was based,on the belief that there were urgent nationJuly 1981 RAIN Page 7 al problems that state and local officials could not and would not address. What is really significant is not so much how funds are distributed, (federal vs, state and local, categorical vs. block) but who benefits. Camouflaged as "cutting through bureaucratic red tape to allow greater community control," the Admini,stration is rushing to untie and deregulate many grant requirements that are essential from a community-based perspective, e.g., citizen participation, affirmative action, targeting of funds to low-income populationsall dealing with accountabililty, equity, and equal opportunity issues. A Community Agenda There appears to be two genei:al responses from community groups to the Reaganomics crisis and challenge. Unfortunately, the more likely scenario (at least for the short term) is that we'll fall for the bait and fight each other for our piece of the shrinking pie. However, the more intriguing possibility is that we'll go beyond the parochial attitudes that have characterized much of the "community sector," leaving us rather powerless to relate to either the public or private sectors. As Bruce Stokes points out: "In order to overcome these difficulties, self-help programs can best grow out of a political p~ocess of dialogue and confrontation at the local level in which citizens shape the progr~ms meant to help the,m.. . Projects must be controlled by the people they are meant to serve, and programs must be founded on local partnerships between the powerful and the powerless that are based on jointly defined goals." The most pressing gap that remains to be filled is to find ways to coalesce around the "common ground" we share and link the disparate community self-help efforts together by building partnerships between groups that have skills and experiences with those that have unmet needs. Through ·well-planned and articulated local selfreliance strategies, broad-based community coalitions can be , formed not only for political actions but for new resource-sharing ,What is really significant is not so much how funds are distributed, but who benefits. consortiums to eff,ectively deliver neighborhood-bas.ed.services. (On an upbeat note, it seems that many communities are in the · embryonic stages of developing comprehensive strategies for action. In Portland, Oregon, for instance, about 200 citizen activists recently gathered to discuss their shared needs and visions, and the possibilities of forming a long-range progressive agenda-an"Alliance for Social Change.'') With regard t·o government funding, Congressional Legislators must be persuaded not to untie block grants from critical stipulations concerning citizen accountability and equal opportunity. At the state and local levels, strong community organizing and especially citizen monitoring efforts can ensure that some community concerns will be met and that some equitable distribution of funds are restored. ' Still, survival for many groups in the near future will be very tough. Grass-roots fund raising efforts will certainly be needed. For the longer term, making the political connection to self-help efforts . cont.--
Page 8 RAIN July 1981 is the answer. As Bruce Stokes indicates: The opportunity will always exist for the establishment to manipulate self-help programs, and to use them to absolve those in power of responsibility for problems that t;ire manifestly beyond individual and community control. The inherent political potential of self-help efforts is the bes_,t insurance against this prospect. As individuals and communities solve local problems they gain power. Morever, citizens learn political skills-how to organize a meeting, how to build a coalition, and how to e~ert their influence. They can use this power and these talents to assert their legitimate role in the solution of society's problems and to force governments to act in the public interest. Finally, a host of issues dealing with the private sector need to be explored. It will mean holding the Reaganomics tric;kle-downers to their promise. We have to at least try to turn the empty rhetoric into community realities since the lack of government funds have to be dealt with. Pressure must be put on corporations and foundations to support local self-help initiatives. Additionally, incentives (credits and deductions) would increase individual contributions, and workplace solicitations (Alternative United Ways) could work in some communities. It will take many more innovative ideas since it is highly unrealistic to expect the private sector to pick up the government's slack in a time of increased unemployment and continued inflation. The Reagan rise to power was clearly related to public disillusionment with the status quo. When the last hurrah of the "supply • side" begins to fade, many more people will realize that our problems are not simply a result of a big government but rather a system that emphasizes wealth and power instead of people and human values. Out of the midst of this very immediate threat will rise an unprecedented opportunity for us to be prepared with an alternative. OD Neighborhood Improvement .Voucher Plan There's lots of talk about a Reaga.n Neighborhood Policy, but so far very little, if anything, has actually been proposed. Even the new buzz-word, "Enterprise Zone" -the so-called supply side cure for stopping urban decay-seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle for now. One of the more intriguing possibilities on the horizon concerning neighborhood fiscal empowerment is the Neighborhood Improvement Voucher Plan. This option is being pushed primarily by John McClaughry, a member of the White House Domestic PMicy Staff and former coordinator of the Reagan-Bush Neighborhood Policy Advisor.y Group. It's interesting to note that McClaughry, a strong decentralist ideologue, was formerly the director for the Institute for Liberfy and Communiti in Vermont and a member of the New World Alliance. Although no action has been taken on this plan as yet, here are the basics of the plan as described in a fact sheet from the ReaganBush Committee. On October 17, 1980, Governor Reagan proposed that the Department of Housing and Urban Development in his Administration would carry out a neighborhood improvement voucher demonstration project. The purpose of the voucher plan is to put tax resources back into the pockets of neighborhood residents and let them-not bureaucrats-decide how the money can best be used for neighborhood improvement projects. Under the present Community Development.Block Grant program some $3.8 billion a year is granted to cities, which in turn use the money for broadly defined community developmenfprojects subject to federal program requirements. In many cities neighborhood organizations have been supported by CDBG funds from the city government.. There are, however, problems with this approach. There is the , legitimacy problem-deciding whether the organization really represents neighborhood people. There is the accountability problem-policing the use of the funds to comply with extensive federal and city guidelines. There i~ the cooptation problem-destroying the political independence of the neighborhood organization by making them financially dependent on City Hall for their funds. Where Washington makes a grant directly to a neighborhood group, as in the Neighborhood Self Help Program, all of these problems are present along with the additional problem of coordination with City Hall. The Neighborhood Improvement Voucher Plan solves all these problems by channeling the funds back to individual residents, and letting them decide which of many public and private projects in their neighborhood is worthy of their support. As presently envisioned, each resident would receive a voucher which, when partially matched by the resident's own contribution, could be deposited to the account of any of dozens of self-help projects or public programs aimed at direct neighborhood benefit. For example, suppose'the federal matching ratio was 4: 1 in a given neighborhood (it could vary with the income level of the neighborhood). A resident could take the voucher, add $10 of his or her own m<?ney, and deposit it at a local bank, savings and loan, or credit union to the account of a favored project. When the deposit period closed, the bank would distribute funds collected among the various organizations or projects, as directed by ~he depositors. The federal government would add $40 for each $10 deposited. The range of projects or organizations which might Ve eligible to receive funds under this program is practically boundless. It could include Neighborhood Housing Services, a local economic development corporation, neighborhood chamber of commerce, Police Athletic League, church youth programs, drug abuse prevention programs, city st~eet lighting program, police foot patrol, firefighting improvement, community beautification, appropriate technology projects, recycling centers, community gardens, urban land trusts, wall murals, youth centers, tool libraries, library enrichment programs, crime patrols, neighborhood newspaper, multiseivice centers, neighborhood assemblies, small business support programs, cooperatives, etc. It is anticipated that the availability of voucher funds'would stimulate a great outpouring of neighborhood improvem·ent activity. ' Organizations would campaign actively for the "votes" of neighborhood residents. In so doing, they would make residents aware of the ongoing activities and encourage them to join in making their neighborhood a better place. We have lots of questions about this type of approach. Are there any eligibility requirements? Any targeting to low-income neighborhoods? Do low-income citizens have the ten dollars to be matched in the first place? Will the net effect be to support neighborhood country clubs for the rich? And what about the positive aspects of government funding? Mc_Claughry doesn't deal with the fact that HUD's Neighborhood Self Help Development program (already killed by the Administration) did an admirable job in leveraging private funds. It's estimated that for every million dollars it invested, $16 million was contributed from local resources. Isn't that a pretty good return on public money? -SR
July 1-981 RAIN Page 9 SELF-RELIANCE ACCESS Citizen Participation Center for Community Change 1000 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC 20007 One of the most experienced national support organizations offering technical assistance to low-income community groups. A pioneer in the field of citizen monitoring efforts, they are currently working on the proposed state block grants. Publications include: Monitor, $15/year for individuals, $25/ year for institutions and community groups. The March 1981 issue of this newsletter had an excellent'overview of the Reagan Administration's proposed budget and tax cuts. Citizen Action Guides: "Citizen Involvement in Community Development;" "General Revenue Sharing: Influencing Local Budget;" "Citizen Involvement in the Local Budget Process, $1.50 eacn. These are a part of a series of valuable how-to guides intended to help citizens and community groups monitor local and federal public programs and take part in government policy and budget decisions. ODDITIES -- --- The End of the Road, by John Margolies, 1981, 98pp., $12.95 from: Penguin Books 625 Madison Ave. New York, NY10022 True appreciation of the declining quality of American kitsch requires a careful look at some of the great monuments to consumer junk cultUie of the.past. Although Margolies has failed to include-a number of such great classics as the Los Angeles Brown Derby, the I-5 Eat the Clock, and the immortal Ant Farm Cadillac Ranch, this collection of the best of the worst of our nation's roadside regalia stands as a \andmark tribute to bad taste. -KB Working Group for Community Development Reform 1000 Wisconsin Ave., NW Washington, DC 20007 202/338-6382 "Monitoring Community Development· A Summary of the Citizens' Evaluation of the Community Development Block Grant Program." This report of the National Citizens Monitoring Project reflects research conducted by citizen groups in 36 cities and counties around the country. Very useful analysis of local government handling of block grant funds in light of federal standards. Available free. Fundraising "The Federal Government and the Nonprofit Sector: Implications of the Reagan Budget Proposals," $6.00 from: The Urban Institute 2100 M Street NW Washington, DC ~0037 A recently publish~d study analyzing the budget cuts concluding that the philanthropic community and private sector will not likely be.able to pick up the slack. The Grantsmanship Center News 1031 South Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90015 Subscriptions are $20/year, published bimonthly. Lots of interesting and useful information for non-profit organizations. For the price, it can't be beat. The Grass-Roots Fundraising Book The Youth Project , 1555 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20036 Still probably the best resource on non-grant fundraising for comi;nunity groups around. $5.75 prepaid. National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy .81018th St., #408, NW Washington, DC 20006 202/347-5340 The leaders in the field of foundation reform efforts and workplace fundraising alternatives. Write or call for more info. Campus Drive-In Theatre, El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, California From The End of the Road
_ Page 10 RAIN July 1981 FOOD The Natural Healing Cookbook, by Mark Bricklin and Sharon Claessens, 1981, 460 pp., $19.95 hardcover, from: Rodale Press, Inc. Organic Park Emmaus, PA 18049 There are so many cookbooks out on the market, appealing to a wide variety of health needs, life-styles, and eating habits, that most new arrivals raise little notice. Yet there is alwa·ys the pleasant exception. The Natural Healing Cookbook is one to watch for, particularly if it comes out in paperback. Mark Bricklin, editor of Prevention magazine, and Sharon Claessens, have produced a cookbook that combines the best qualiti~s of a culinary guide-flavorful appealing rec- . ipes, storage and c~oking tips, all simply organized and easy to read-with a scientifically designed diet for better health. Each chapter focuses on a distinct health problem, e.g., blood·pressure, stress, digestion, or cancer, and the kinds of foods that are believed to be preventive or healing in relation to that problem. Re~ipes that feature these foods follow the text, il!cluding detailed references drawn from conventional as well as alternative methods of healing. "In moving toward an anti-cancer diet, we are not following a fad, but rather turning away from a fad-the fad of 'factory food' which has been in existence for only 100 years and is suspected of contributing to many chronic diseases other than c;ancer." While the emphasis is on creating a healthful diet, the culinary and personal appeal of the book remains undaunted. Recipes such as Haddock Sou££le, recommended for people with heart problems, made my mouth water. Six versions of muesli-a_tasty nonsweetened alternative to granola-are also included. Choo Choo Muesli gets its name from two characteristics: "one, it makes you use your jaws, and two, it goes through you like a freight train." Choo Choo Muesli is helpful for lowering blood pressure, improving digestion, soothing nerves and accelerating recuperation from illness. Other well-known and less well-known facts about nutrition are packed between these pages, such as: . • a high carbohydrate snack eaten 1/2 hour ACCESS before bedtime induces restful sleep. • fish oil has been shown to slightly decrease the blood's ability to dot-helpful for those prone to heart disease. •• • pepper (both white and black) is a "mild co-carcinogen," which means it can work with piore potent substances to promote the development of cancer. • 2½ cups of co~fee can produce symptoms indistinguishable from "anxiety neurosis"-headaches, irritability, irregular heartbeat, etc. Heavier coffee dril)-king can deplete vitamin B, thiamine, resulting in loss of memory, depression, fatigue, and feelings of inadequacy. The Natural Healing Cookbook is an excellent all-around guide to making eating both delightful and healthful. A worthwhile addition to your bookshelf. -LS I½" x 5½n x 2~r drawer impport' .~,,. ,._ .. ,.ud sidr ,. J( 51-'i" x 20- nailer cleat 18½" x 20½" raised pand From Build Your Harvest Kitchen Build Your Harvest Kitchen, edited by William H. Hylton, 1980, 640pp., $19.95; Home Food Systems, edited by Roger B. Yepson, Jr., 1981, 475pp., $13.95 Both from: Rodale Press Organic Park . Emmaus, PA 18049 The room I think of when I see "harvest kitchen" is not a kitchen at all. I think of the .Auembliq the Buie Bue Cabinet face fnme ' --~-..-- ¾" x I W x 21 ¾" rail :¾" x I½" x 313/,i" stile ¾" x 4¼" x 22¾" front basement where our third stove (the upstairs kitchen held a gas range and a wood cook stove) served for overflow holiday cooking, and where the canning, rootbeer making, water-boiling for dyeing clothes, and other large tasks that could otherwise disrupt the kitchen itself for days on end were carried out. We were a big family and even our large kitch~n didn't quite suffice. There's a little section of this Rodale winner called simply "Who Are You?" Simple though it may be, it is the heart of this book. This is the inventory, the visioning part of
the book where you decide whether your kitchen will be the focus for large gatherings or only intimate ones. The center for regular canning, freezing, drying as well as cooking sessions, or the room for an occasional quick toast and coffee. Once you've determined your kitchen lifestyle the rest of the book will help you put it together. If you're truly a do-it-yourself novice, this book will encourage you, teach you the language and toqls to use, walk you through the basics, and nudge you into attempting even fairly major work. Even if you're old hat at this stuff, you'll probably learn something here. In fact, the biggest problem with this book may be its "thoroughness." With instructions for everything from cheeseboards to central heating, I think their claim "there's no more complete book on kitchen building available," is justified. Now, moving from the walls and plumbing to the functionings ... Want to make your own yogurt, raise some livestock, or grind your own grain? Perhaps you'd just like to know how to sharpen a knife or evaluate food processors? Or what to do with quail eggs? • From nutrition to antique tools, from herbs to tofu, from adobe ovens to microwaves-this is the "Whole Earth Catalogue" of wholesome living. Even fast food freaks would enjoy a little rambling around in this treasure-trove. It can't h~rt you. - CC Commerical Nuclear Power Plants, 1981, 64pp., single c.opies free from: NUS Corporation 4 Research Place Rockville, MD 20850 NUS has been involved in the development of nuclear power for 20 years. Their experience shows in this excellent summary of the specifiq1tions ·an9 official status of every nuclear plant in the country that is currently operating or .under construction..The pictµre is not as grim as _they make it appear--;,it is unlikely that many of the plants described as under construction will be completed. If you want to find out what's up with nu~es these days, this the best scorecard around.-KB The Killing ofKaren Silkwood, by Richard Rashke, 1981, 407pp., $11.95 from: Houghton Mifflin Company 2 Park Street • BostQn, MA 02107 . As a symbol of the anti--nu'clear and ~omen'~ movements, K<l,r~n:1:Silhyoo~ has become a ·' familiar figure;·and many @f us know at least the bare outlines of her case: how she worked at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant in Oklahoma, became involved in plant safety issues as a union activist, and was killed in a mysterious auto accident while on her way to talk to a New York Times reporter in 1974. But there's a whole lot more to the story than that. An obviously tenacious researcher, a_uthor Richard Rashke interviewed many of the people who knew Silkwood or were involved in the investigations which followed her death. He also plowed through more than 25,000 pages of FBI documents, legal briefs, transcripts of Congressional hearings and other papers relating to the Silkwood case. What he uncovered was a large cast of shoddy characters and enough tales of government/corporate shenanigans to rival Watergate. Rashke doesn't reveal who killed Karen Silkwood.in this book (although he does giv~ us an important clue). What he does reveal is more than we ever wanted to know about how our system works when its power and its plutonium are threatened. - JF ------ ---- ---------. ------------ AGRICULTURE From Home Food Systems New Roots for Agriculture, by Wes Jac;kson, 1980, 168 pp., $4.95 from: Friends of the Earth 124 Sp.ear St. San Francisco, CA 94105 As the costs of capital and energy intensive agriculture become more apparent, organic farming techniques for traditional food crops;-.. ~re gaining acceptance at every level of • American agriculture. Although that may appear.to indicate t~at we are on ()Ur way towards a fundamental shift in the nature of agriculture, improved techniques for growJuly 1981 RAIN Page 11 ing annual crops could be just the beginning. The development of a bioregionally-oriented permaculture, combining recent advances in plant genetics and farming practices with the techniques of sustainable rural cultures worldwide, promises an explosion of creativity as exciting andrevolutio~ary in its impliC<J~i_o~s a~.~ world that rins on renewabl~i ",.· energy. New Roots for Agriculture is on that permaculture frontier. Focusing primarily on the Midwest and Great Plains, it is both an indictment of the basic nature of tillage agriculture and a vision of what a regional sustainable agriculture could be. Jackson believes that tillage represents a continuous and substantial drain on the earth's resources, drawing heavily on fossil fuels and feedstocks in an ultimately futile attempt to compensate.for the destruction of our soil , and water reserves. That net drain has continued despite the rich insights of a few , prophets such as John Wesley Powell, despite the outstanding efforts of regional movements and organizations dedicated to preservation of the land, and despite the few examples of sustainable tillage that exist today. To suggest that the solution to the agricultural problem simply requires following the example of the ecologically correct around us today is a little like suggesting that if more people were like citizen Doe who displays good conduct, no police or military would be needed. Well, both the police and military do exist and both are signs offailure within and of civilization. Anll so it has always been. But should we not be constantly looking for ways to make them unnecessary? Should we not strive to create an agriculture which makes unnecessary the example of exemplary people within the current agricultural tradition? . The longer.term solutions are both cultural and agricultural, ranging from the development of small farms operating on a regionally appropriate scale to the introduction of new plant varieties and species sU<;h as high yield perennial grain crops. Jackson's analysis tends to be somewhat narrow at times. For e_xample, his assertion that an immediate halt to pesticide use without a replacement by some kind of pest management program would not s~riously impact the-national food supply fails to recognize that the loss-of an additional 10 percent or so of our food crops would have serious short-term repercussions in a world that is heavily reliant on American food exports. Jackson has also inclqded a vehement diatribe against the use of food crops for ethanol production. Although his conclu- , sions are gen~rally valid.within the context of his argument( the c.ase against alcohol fuels is not nearly as open and shut as he would have us believe. The~.e shortcomings do nothing to detract from Jackson's basic these, however. New Roots for A$,:iculture promises to spark some healthy cl.iscussion in agricultural circles. -KB
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