, · \.~ .,.-;s._~.- . ·ii:' Over the years former agricultural land in and around Eugene has grown a new crop: houses. And they grow and spn;ad faster than the weeds..More and more of our food is trucked in from California and beyond. As the price of fuels go up so does the price of food.·In the area of food production many of the activities of the food component of the UICD grant reflect the notion of making Whiteaker a working model of the 'Edible City.' As the low-income residents.in the neighborhood face continually rising food prices, self-reliance in this area becomes most important. The Food component intends to maximize local production and reduce costs through four programs: • The Edible Tree Program is attempting to re-establish and develop localized tree and shrub based food production systems that are integrated into urban residential patterns. Existing trees will be rehabilitated and new trees planted. Community education C?f tree care and harvesting ~ill ensure the program's effectiveness. A youth business is intended to encourage teenagers to participate in the harvest and maintenance and thus earn their way. ' • The Neighborhood Farm Program is attempting the expansion of existing urban agriculture in Whiteaker. A vital part of this program is community building through cooperative activity such as composting, site preparation, rnaintenance, harvesting and food processing. All pos~ible garden sites will be identified and neighbors will be encouraged to acquire· block interiors (back yards or pieces of them) for a block's gardening or farming. The priority here is the acquisition and retention of the land before it is bought by outside developers. • The School Farms Program is developing "urb,an agriculture" as an integral part of the curriculum for Whiteaker's grade schools to ensure that sufficient gardening skills will be available for the above projects. Students, teachers, administrators and parents will be engaged i.n hands-on work in school farms. vation_is that such conditions are pretty uncommon. And I hear rumblings of EPA limitation of urban 'wood stove use because of worsening air quality standards. One alternative that might be wo·rth exploring is the use of charcoal. I'm uncertain about possible carbon monoxide problems, the saleability of the creosote and C?ther byproducts of charcoal produced in large quantities, and_the net energy produced relative to direct burning of wood, but some advantages do seem to exist. The possibility of less air poqution; ability to produce charcoal in low cost portable retorts now promoted by VITA and others; ability to make use of brush, slash, and otherwise unusable wood sources; better transportability; easier handling; possible simplification of burning appliances and/or elimination of chimneys may be worth looking into. For years I've been trying to get hold of one of the traditional Japanese "rentan" charcoa,l cooking stoves. A friend who had used them in rural Japan raved about them-they even have an oven that fits over the stove for baking. If you know where I can get one, let me know. • The Food Basics and.Nutrition Program will provide information through continuing neighborhood education and advice, enabling people to plan, plant, maintain, grow food and organize food delivery systems. Nutritional information will, help to ensure .that proper diets are planned in the early planting phases. In Eugene, as elsewhere, housing costs are skyrocketing. The supply of low-cost housing is steadily and rapidly decreasing as land values rise and older buildings make way for commercial endeavors and expensive apartment complexes. One tried and tested solution is for disa_dvantaged families to become owners rather than renters, by _pooling labor and resources into cooperative housing units. The Whiteaker neighborhood, through the NCAT grant, is working with ~he City of Eugene and using community development block grant funds to bring this solution to bear on the local situation. The Whiteaker Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) is conducting feasibility studies to determine the costs and availability of financing and of teal estate. They are also looking at the best form for cooperatives to take, i.e. the number of units in a cooperative, etc. Understanding that land acquisition is the critical factor, NEDCO has been designating sites for purchases. Since land prices are rapidly rising, a group of neighborhood people, working with a community-minded real estate firm, have gone ahead and purchased some land (1/2 acre to date) with the intent of holding it until NEDCO can take it over. It's a small step, but it's also a large foot in the door and·it is hoped that it will lead to further _acquisition for low-income housing. Sites purchased will be 'integrated into the food·and recycling compon_ents of the grant. Weatherization, rehabihtation and solar retrofitting will be arranged in cooperation with the Energy Services Company. NEDCO will be assisting neighbors in organizing co-op tenants and helping prepare them for living togeth~r with a democratic process and extended·sharing. ■ And finally, a word of caution about all the hoopla over "airtight" wood stoves. It appears that most well-maintained, good quality wood stoves burn with comparable efficiency. The benefit (and also cost) of air-tights is the ability to overload them and leave them bun:iing overnight. In some parts of the country that is a blessing. In others, night-heating is a waste of wood, no matter how it's done. And most stoves require some periodic looking-after as heating conditions change. In any case, take n;iost manufacturers' claims with more than a grain .of salt. We've burned a Vermont Castings · "Defiant" for two years now, .and in our opinion it's a relatively good stov.e, possibly one of the best. But even their literature claims its superiority becaus.e o{ its "longest flame ,path of any stove." That implies more radiating surface and 'thus more efficient heat transfer, but in reality that "flame path" winds back on itself arid across the back of the stove, contributing altnost nothing to the net radiating surface of the stove. The best answer still seems to be a close reading of Jay Shelton's Woodburner's Encyclopedia and figuring out what your sp~cific needs are. ■• . November 1979 RAIN Page 17
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz