We want to keep alive thatcreative· spark ... but ,we wai# 'fa.go, into new ventures with our eyes open;. .. • r l Wind Generators: Work well in some situations, but are expensive, high i;naintenance machines that produce very small amounts' of power in proportion to their cost. For example, a 200-watt Winco·g,enerator with a 10-foot tower costs roughly $600; batteries $200; in a relatively windy area you can run ~-few lights and a radio-the equivalent of about $10 worth of electricity from a power company per year. Further you cannot just plug in your lamps or radio. You must set up an expensive converter or buy all new direct . current (DC) appliances. Methane Digesters: Require a lot of manure; sludge ha,ndling is often a problem; they often show a net energy loss ;md have been known to explode. Methane digesters tend }Owor~. for large farming operations, or sewage plants, but do not seem.to be a feasible backyard or homestead source of generating energy. • "Alternative energy" is a phrase that has always troubled me. As if we wer:e going to have clean sources such ·as sun and wind for continued high American energy consumpti<;rn, P~rhaps the emphasis should be on less rather than alternative energy. Much can be done in improving ~n what _exists, ,~~ch '· as using heavy drapes in doorways and wmd~ws m the winter, employing natural ventilation rather than air conditioning in the summer, using a water-saving-shower head, insulating h:0t water heaters1 or using the sun af1:d wind to dry clothes _i~- . stead of electric dryers. If we begin to improve in areas such . as these, the useful devices and new inventions will sort ,themselves out"'as the y·ears pass. The good ones will be obvious, .·. and the useless o~eSwill drop by _the wayside. • • • What is the point of all this? Do I conclude that all of the how-to literature o~' alternfLtive .food/shelter/energy is u·ntrustworthy? Or that organic farming won't work, compost 1 privies lead to disease, and solar heating is a sham? Not at _- all. It's not that 1-thi'µk you shouldn't work with used materials. Or moV.e to the co.untr:y, or Save the kitchen sink wate:r. l 1 • But I dq think inexperienced people need to know what ·_ they're up against, an'd-not hyped along into undertaking ventures based on incomplete information. As we enter an era of· diminishing resources and escalating prices we need the_?_est possible information if we are to make any real progress.m providing for purselves. • · In retrospect, the '60s may have been a time of awakening.- of communicatio.n of new concepts, and the '70s the years of testing and reflection. The 1980s could be the time when we begin to apply what we have learned. We want to keep alive that creative Sf!a;rk that led ~o many of us to try domes, sol.ar. heaters, or organic farming. But we want to go into new yentures with ourJeyes open, with the benefit of past experience - and what ·others have learned. We can profit from honest disclosure of past mistakes. We are going to need sharper reponing, better editing, and 1more responsible publishing to produce the good information \\:e need now more tpan ever. \ - • © 1979, Shelter Publications.-Printed by Permission. Notes: .. , 1. Shelter JI, 1978, pp: 170-71,: 2, Domebaok One1 1970; Domebook 2, 19,71. (Both out of print.) ,·i . · • •:. •! r., 3. For details se.e Shfltrr, 1973, pp. 108-10,9, 112-14, 118-19, 136; and Sh.?.lte.r.H, pf 200-205. . . 1 ,, 4. 30 Energy-Effic.ient Houses, 1977, Wade & Ewensteiri, ·:.s 11' Rodale Press, p. xii. . · ,J,. . 5. Earth Sheltered.Housing' Pesign, Underground Space Center, University of Minnesota, 19.79. i December 1979 RAIN Page 9 SOLAR Protecting Solar Access for Residential Development, The American Planniµg Association, 1979, 154 pp., free from: National Solar Heating and Cooling Information Center P.O. Box 1607 • Rockville, MD 20850 When I first picked up this guidebook I thought the text would probably put me to sleep. However the clear present . tation and well organized format complete with boxed checklists and instructive diagrams made the material both understandable and easy to read. The manual explains techniques for pro- .tecting solar access through the use of ,zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, private agreements and tree planting and vegetation control. Individuals, particularly planners and attorneys, working with development land use issues, will find this parpphlet a valuable tool. Model legislation and local ordinances and information on shading patterns and shadow calculation are also included. -PC II HEALTH A Visual Encyclopedia of Unconventional Medicine-A Health Manual for the Whole Person, edited by Ann Hill, 1978, 240 pp., $6.95 from: Crown Publishers Inc., One.Park Ave. New York, NY 10016 It_is refreshing and unique t~,find a comprehens.iv~ reference to the natural Healing Arts that is authored by European practitio~ers. A Visual Encyclopedia is jµst such a book. Over 120 therapies and diagnostic approaches are presented by chiropractic, osteopathic and naruropathic physicians, as well as nutritionists, acupuncturists and lay healers. The book is laid out under major sections: Physical Therapies, Nutrition, Plant-Based Therapies, Mind and Spirit Therapies, etc., under which there ·are many smalle,r topic headings. Photos, drawings and charts are found on nearly every page. From Homeopathy to Nutrition, from Acupuncture to Herbalism, and from Aromatherapy to Bioenergetics, one finds history and philosophy as well as practical information. There is hardly an esoteric or unconventional therapy that is not included in A Visual Encyclopedia. This may be the only flaw in the text: that it attempts to cover too much material. The reader is left asking for more on • any one topic. Recommended for anyone interested in Natural Therapeuticspractitioner or lay person. -Steve Dubey/YI: II
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz