( APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY ) Farallones Institute 15290 Coleman Valley Rd. Occidental, CA 95465 Sim VanderRyn and David Katz, Directors There is sure a lot happening at the 80acre rural site in Occidental- 26 students · and 11 faculty people of all ages living together for the summer (with a month's advance work by the faculty), have built a solar shower, clivus toilet, composting privy (a second, modified one is in the works), an organic garden, and a kitchen; they've carved beautiful wooden stools for their outside dining area and a sink for the shower-growing out of courses and workshops on carving, joinery and blacksmithing. Cinva-ram bricks are being tested on the second privy foundation. Work has started on a blacksmith shop, a design studio and other structures (everyone presently sleeps under the stars), as well as a grey water system for the garden. They're even tackling such sticklers as health and building inspectors-meticulously explaining the compost privy system and working through the problems of moving local authorities along. With so much happening, their overall planning is a bit haphazard, and integration of "whole systems" could go much further. Their work schedule has been heavy- generally up at 6 a.m. (some up at 5 to meditate in a beautiful outdoor zendo) and hasn't left them much time to read and reflect and plan. The energy is high, and one of the best things was the community feelingeveryone helps in the kitchen on a rotating basis and trades off on other jobs necessary for a community of 40+ to operate. A number of people, including Wilson Clark, J.B. Blunk (who started the wood carving), and China expertauthor Orville Schell (recently returned from a 3-month work trip to China) have given workshops and short courses. My favorite time was a warm loving circle every night just before supper. The summer session is over now, but a core group of people are staying on. It feels like an excellent way to get experience in the practical aspects of alternative energy systems, building and agriculture, as well as cooperative living. (LdM) Farallones Institute-Urban Site Helga and Bill Olkowski, Directors The Urban Site is equally exciting, though we were only there an hour. They've just about finished renovating a run-down Victorian house to include Handcarved sinks at Farallones Rural Site (use solar-heated water) a greenhouse, design studio, clivus, National Film Board of Canada solar water heater complete with com- Trudy Kamphuis plicated testing capabilities (in true Cali- 344 12th Ave. S.W. fornia style, they've made no provisions Calgary, Alberta for space heat- though there is a wood (403) 231-5332 stove in the kitchen), a peculiar semi- Dear RAIN: Enclosed is a raft of maJapanese bath and living space. An or- terial related to distribution of the New ganic garden is thriving as are rabbits, Alchemists film put out by Challenge chickens and compost pile on the tiny for Change of the National Film Board urban lot. The heavy emphasis is on of Canada. I have had trouble trying to urban biological systems rather than reach you by phone, so this is the energy generation- there was a good general intention in words. balance in the garden between scien- I am working to set up a network of tific documentation/experimentation, alternatives information particular to demonstrating urban gardening possi- western Canada and thought this might bilities, and the elegance of natural perhaps be of interest to you. It is under systems. The amount of time, effort the auspices of Challenge for Change, and dollars spent on the architectural and in the next few months I am hoping modification seems a bit overdone, but to contact as many people as possible it probably speaks well to Bay Area ur- interested in seeing or talking about the banites. This is certainly one of the film and others along a similar vein. best urban projects in existence! (Workshops so far set up are in Calgary, (LdM) Alderflats, potentially in Lethbridge and various communities in the Kootenays and eastern B.C.) Contact me at the film board offices in Calgary. On the other side, I would appreciate being put on the mailing list for RAIN to tie into establishing a communication network here (will send the final info when it gets done if you like). There are some problems taking films across borders, but there is a National Film Board office in San Francisco QJ (Canadian Travel Film Library, Suite 1l 1600, 44 Montgomery St., San Fran- ~ cisco, CA 94104, (415) 981-1448. T. § Johnston) that would have access to the E-- films in lieu perhaps. ~ Hoping to hear from you. Trudy o': Kamphuis. ... QJ -0 C: QJ i:Q e 0 f-, 0 0 .c ~
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