IN Wood Furnaces Banking on Solar DECEMBER 19 8 0 The Synfuels Connection Volume VI I No.3 $1.50 No Advertising
• Page 2 RAIN December 1980 Hello and Welcome to former People and Energy subscribers. We're as sad as you are to see such a fine journal fold. P&E was always one of those resources we felt we could tum to for solid information. We hope you enjoy reading RAIN . .. let us know. David Holtzman, P&E's former editor, asked us to let you know that you can still reach him if you need to. He hasn't been receiving anything you may have sent to P& E. Write him instead at 161616th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Or phone him at 202/265-6132. -Rainmakers Dear Rain, As a former apprentice at the University of California at Santa Cruz Farm and Garden (UCSC F&G) Project (where Biodynamic/ French Intensive was first taught by Alan Chadwick) I feel compelled to make a few comments regarding Michael Stusser's critique of BFI (Rain Aug/Sept '80). In essence, I agreed with his major points; BFI is a laborintensive, time-consuming, and sophisticated approach to gardening. Anyone who naively believes that a $20,000 annual gross can be obtained by gardening one tenth of an acre with a four-month vacation probably also believes in the stork. Such statistics are the result of misplaced zeal and hyperbole. Also, I too feel that BFI has more value as a metaphor for shaping value systems than as a vehicle to rescue the world from famine. However, one point that I felt was poorly made was pointing to the Santa Cruz Project as an example of the bloated economic projections made for BFI. The F&G Project is an educational facility closely linked° with the environmental studies oriented college (College Eight) at UCSC and is not a commercial, production-oriented facility. BFI serves well as a vehicle for expanding individual sensitivity to the,natural world and developing social responsibility-two lessons Alan Chadwick generously offered and which continue to be a vital part of the experience in Santa Cruz. Wishing you a long, fruitful life, I am yours, in peace, Patrick Holden Sperryville, VA Dear Rain, We are a group of folks in a 100-yearold dilapidated Edinburgh tenement building, trying to work out an alternative developmentally as well as ecologically conscious lifestyle for the inner city. We're involved in various forms of "outreach" including trying to initiate local skill-sharing, etc., employment in local help for unemployed (-able), retired, etc., and also act as a "showhouse" for more rational lifestyles. The last objective has involved insulating, installing (carrying up 4 flights of stairs!) 1 ½ tons of wood-burning stove/water heater, collecting scrap wood from skips, eating vegetarian, trying to avoid electric (nuclear) gadgets, etc. Our next main project is probably a solar water heater of some sort . . . "Rain" sounds like the kind of info we ought to have on our shoulders for some of . the things we want to do; I hope we can subscribe. Yours Mark Blaxter Edinburgh, Scotland Dear Rain, Michael Stusser's article, "Critiquing Intensive Agriculture" (Vol. VI, No. 10), fails to come to grips with the problems _of the real RAIN world. The basic problem of this planet is that most people live in urban and suburban areas where there is little land available for growing food. The increasing costs of transportation and refrigeration make our current system of shipping vegetables across the country and around the world no longer feasible. While the methods of Masanobu Fukuoka were able to produce grain and fruit for market, the scattered wild vegetables with bitter taste are not what will satisfy the urban and suburban needs of this planet. Biodynamic French-intensive agriculture seeks to be able to provide vegetables for the world's urban and suburban people. It is also the choice of myself and many others for rural use. Natural methods may be fine for romantics who wish to go back to the land and who will have acres of land to deal with, but it does not address the global problem of food production. I was an apprentice of John Jeavon's and I know that I personally w~s able to dig and prepare 100 ft2 of garden bed in under an hour. This was using the U-bar, a tool which John and his team has successfully developed into a major time saver. I also know that the amount of compost we used was 8 ft3 per 100 ft2 . Our research showed that this amount was sustainable with careful crop selection. I'd like to know how much compost is required to have the luxury of not having to work the soil for vegetable production, and how much additional area it would take to produce that much material. Quantified research will be necessary to determine this, and no amount of name calling can replace it (French expensive, French pretentious, Biomaniacal). Over a period of 8 years, John, staff members, and apprentices have carefully recorded daily produce yields, bed preparation methods, amount of compost used, and other Journal of Appropriate Technology RAIN is a national information access journal making 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 ecologically sound. RAIN STAFF: Laura Stuchinsky, Mark Roseland, Carlotta Collette, John Ferrell, Kevin Bell. I 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© 1980 Rain Umbrella, Inc. No part may be reprinted without written permission. Typesetting: Irish Setter Printing: Times Litho Cover Photograph: Ancil Nance
observations for each bed of crops put in. Additionally, factors such as the amount of compostable material available from different crops, quality of compost, nutritional quality of crops (changes in 'protein content), amount of.water used, and other factors have been studied. From these studies, various theoretical models have been created to show possibilities for supplying one's own income, complete diet, fiber for clothing, and wood for fuel. Among these models is the $20,000 from 1/10 of an acre projection. This model was constructed by calculating optimum yield per plant, optimum plants per bed, optimum crops per bed per year, and optimum number of beds_that could be cared for by one person. Optimum was based on highend data that John believed to be duplicatable. While this is clearly not a model of statistical prediction, it is a useful projection and one that I believe can be fulfilled in the near future. The thing that is needed is for gardening folks to do what the solar folks have been doing, and move out of the world of romantic notions and into the real world. As the letter in the same issue from Steve Baer pointed out, what is needed is for folks to take their good intentions, knowledge learned from scientific investigations, and hard work, and go out and try to make a business out of it. I believe that John Jeavon's work goes a long ways to creating a blueprint for this. If a conference, even one made up of wellknown folks, wants me to "buy" some other system of gardening, they're going to haye to do more than call the system that I use names and complain about how much hard work it is. They are going to have to.do the same sort of quantified research that John Jeavons has done, over quite a number of years, and come up with some data. To the attendants of the Farallones conference, I ask, what good does it do to try and discredit one of the fe"Y folks doing quantifiable research, especially when you've presented none of your own for comparison. •David Duhon Vinton, LA Dear Friends, I sure am glad I don't live on the West Coast. Your (Aug. I Sept.) articles on Permanence and Critiquing Intensive Agric_ulture ~ere about as unbalanced a piece of reporting I've seen-the result of competing radical agriculture institutions, I suspect (Fa~allones Institute versus Ecology Action of the Midpeninsula) . Basically, if one r~ads between the lines, one finds that the "old is bad" and the "new is good" according to your articles. John Jeavons' work is underrated and Bill Mollison's work is overrated. Very hip. Very faddish. Silly. Time will tell that Mollison's claims of economic return on tree cropping are as unrelated to experience as Jeavons' claim of $10,000 or $20,000 from 1/10 acre. Tree crops, like Biodynamic French intensive agriculture, are technologies that are still largely untested-exciting ideas and eiperiments are going on here, and it is just a damn shame that they should be presented as better or worse than one another. It is self-serving, in-house bickering that keeps q1dical technology frozen in a state of confusion among its proponents. The point of biodynamic french intensive and tree cropping is that they are affordable to poor people who have little money for machines and petrochemicals, they are environmentally sound, and they provide a basis for selfreliance in a world where most technology creates dependence. Both Mollison and ·Jeavons have made unrealistic claims regarding the cash returns of their technologies, and this is unfortunate-but unjustified claims like this certainly should not be the focus of interest in their work. Please pass this letter along to Michael Stusser and to your writter CC. I have not commented on Stusser's critiques: 1) "deep digging can have the effect of working against itself" (if done after good tilth is achieved), and 2) that organic materials may be hard to find. The first point is important for fanatics to hear, but most people I know who are into biodynamic French intensive December 1980 RAIN Page 3 are by nature conservative in their approach to developing soil balance and fertilitythey do as much as is needed and no more, and they go by their own experience with their own soil rather than following anyone's cookbook. The second comment is self-defeating and calls into qµestion what is meant by agriculture itself. Agriculture is not a "natural" system-hunting and gathering is the only truly sustainable form of food "production." It is true that urban and suburban people have a hard time finding lots of organic materials, but rural people do not (a point which is overlooked). Little outreach has been done to rural people, particularly people living in mountainous areas where there is little flat land for cultivation-another result of the bias of those who promote new agricultural technologies. Enclosed please find $15 for a one-year subscription to RAIN. !'think you've got a great magazine, and hope you'll use a little more sense in the thinking you'll promote about new agricultural technology. Best, Lindsay Jones Agricultural Marketing Project Jacksboro, TN Dear David and Lindsay I I want to respond to both of your letters primarily to head off criticism directed at the people and organizations represented at the conference/workshop described. It's my understanding that workshops like this are opportunities for people to gather, share experiences both good and bad, and generally raise their technologies a bit through critiquing each other's work. In this context, critiquing should not be construed as competition, but rather the opposite-cooperation. The people at Farallones who structured this event, and those of us who attended, were not hosting a dog race between B.F.I. and Permaculture. All of us had spent enough time trying to "grow our own" to be able to agree that "self-serving, in-house bickering" ends up being counter-productive. Evaluation, and most important, self-evaluation, are essential to any technology, including agriculture. There are no bonanza winners in advancing a science in this way. There is, instead, the opportunity to work together to explore information and resources and apply tliem as needed. -Carlotta
Page 4 RAIN December 1980 Banking On,The-Sun By Peter Barnes Normally when you deposit money in a bank, you have no idea what the bank does with your money. For all you know, your savings could be loaned to large corporations and used for purposes that are of little social or environmental benefit. Many banks now are inviting people to invest in money market certificates. These certificates are, in fact, good investments. They pay high interest and are federally insured up to $40,000. Usually · there is a $10,000 minimum deposit and a six-month minimum term. The interest rates on these moneimarket certificates are pegged to the yields of United States Treasury bills. Therefore, many banks refer to them as T-bills, even though they are in fact savings deposits rather than government notes. Solar T-Bills Most banks offer standard T-bill accounts. But now one savings and loan institution, Continental Savings in San Francisco, offers a unique new savings account called the Solar T-Bill account. A Solar T-Bill at Continental Savings is just like an ordinary TBill, with one very important difference: it is deposited in a special account called the Safe 'Energy Fund. And deposits in this fund go to provide affordable long-term financing for people who convert their buildings to solar energy. So when you open a Solar T-Bill account, you know exactly how your money will be put to work. Why the Safe Energy Fund was established The idea for the Safe Energy Fund goes back to 1978 when the Solar Center in San Francisco received a small foundation grant to develop a model solar financing plan. (The Solar Center is an employee-owned and managed firm that designs and installs both passive and active solar energy systems around the Bay Area.) The problem, as Solar Center staffpersons saw it, was that solar could not be used widely until the monthly cost of energy from the sun was made comparable to the monthly cost of energy from fossil fuels and nuclear power plants. This required a financing plan to spread out the initial installation cost of a solar system over its lifetime. Solar Center staffers talked with many financial experts, including Jerome Dodson, president of Continental Savings. Continental already had established a reputation as an-innovative "S & L" association, and it had also demonstrated a com·mitment to solar energy by contracting for the design and installation of a solar·space heating system for its main office at Church & Market Streets in San Francisco. Continental agreed to be the vehicle for a model solar financing program~the first of its kind in America-and in October 1979 the Safe Energy Fund was born. In the short time since then, more than $250,000 in Solar T-Bills have been deposited in the Safe Energy Fund. How the fund works Like conventional bank loans for ordinary property improvements, solar loans out of the Safe Energy Fund are secured by deeds of trust on the buildings that are being solarized. But unlike regular bank loans, Continental's solar loans.are designed to make the monthly cost of solar energy immediately competitive with the monthly cost of electricity or natural gas. Thus, the term on Continental's solar loans is 20 years. This is five to ten years longer than most property improvement loans. And the interest on the loans is just 1 ½ percent above the average interest paid to Safe Energy Fund depositors: a formula that results in a solar loan rate that is currently below the rate charged by most major banks to their prime corporate customers. Through the combination of below-market interest rates, a 20year loan term, and federal and state tax benefits for solar users, the net monthly cost for solar energy can now be made less than the monthly cost for the equivalent amount of electricity and natural gas. Advantages of Solar T-Bills •Besides providing the financing needed to convert buildings from conventional to solar energy, Solar T-Bill·accounts provide these advantages: • They are fully insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation for up to $40,000 per beneficiary. • Deposits and withdrawals can be made entirely by mail. • There are no sales fees, brokerage commissions, management or advisory fees of any sort. • T-Bills mature in just 26 weeks. A depositor's money is not tied up for an extended time. • Solar T-Bills at Continental earn the same high interest paid by 4 ' ,
December 1980 RAIN Page 5 any bank or savings and loan association on six-month T-bill accounts. Since the establishment of the Safe Energy ~und in October l 979, the average interest rate paid to Solar T-Bill depositors has been about 12 percent. mum deposit term is 2 ½ years; the interest paid currently is ap- , Keep in mind the following facts: proximately 11 percent. • Solar T-Bill or T-Note, the Safe Energy Fund is a way for investors to join in the effort to reduce our dependence on imported fuels and on dangerous energy sources such as nuclear power. • As with all T-Bills, the minimum deposit is $10,000, and the minimum term is 26 weeks (or six months). There is an interest penalty for early withdrawal. If enough of us make intelligent use of our savings, the result with be an intelligent shift to clean, safe, renewable energy from thesun. DO • • Interest will be posted and paid at the end of each 26-week term, unless one chooses to re-deposit the interest. • Depositors 'are notified 15 days prior to the maturing of their deposits. At that time they can decide whether to renew the deposit or withdraw it without penalty. For more information on·how to invest in Solar T-Bills or Solar TNotes at Continental Savings & Loan, write to Peter Barnes at The Solar Center, 62 Townsend Street, San Francisco, California 94107. (Phone is 415-957-9660.) • Interest paid on Solar T-Bill will be the highest permissible in- Or better yet-for readers who do not live in the San Francisco area-show this article to your local banker or savings and loan or credit union officer. Suggest that they follow Continental Savings' example, so that you can invest in solar energy in your own community. terest on the date the deposit is received. • A less expensive option: Solar T-Notes If $10,000 is too steep, there is another option for smaller savers: the Solar T-Note. Like Solar T-Bills, these are earmarked for the Safe Energy Fund, and they are fully insured by the FSLIC. Author Peter Barnes is a former journalist who has turned to full-time solar energy activism. He is president of the Solar Center. With a Solar T-Note, the minimum deposit is $1,000; the miniSOLAR Reprinted with permission from AERO Sun-Times. Subscriptions $12/yr. from AERO, 424 Stapleton Building, Billings, MT59101. Active Solar Energy System Design Practice Manual, 1979, 234 pp., paper copy $14.00, microfiche $3.50 from: National Technical Information Service U.S. Department of Commerce Springfield, VA 22161 Designing an active solar system is only half the job. If the components are not carefully chosen and assembled, your system will cost more to build, require constant maintenance, and (if it's a liquid collector) probably leak like a sieve at the worst possible time. . This book has the best practical information on active systems that I've seen to date for both air and water systems. The book shows up to a dozen solutions for any given problem, such as choosing a collector, installing an array, mounting systems, storage, vents and dampers, safety equipment, plumbing, heat exchanger design and installation, pumps, etcetera. It lists the strong and weak points of each solution, and includes a clear schematic of each detail. -Gail Katz Model-TEA Solar Heating Construction Manual, by Peter L. Temple and Jennifer A. Adams, 1980, 247 pp., $27.50, information free from: Total Environmental Action Church Hill Harrisville, NH ~3450 Total Environmental Action (TEA) has come u'p with a site built air collector/ rock storage design that is suitable for both new and retrofit installation. This is a detailed, dear construction 'manual for their system. It includes step-by-step instructions with ; excellent drawings showing each detail. The control modes are well explained and documented. The book also includes a complete hardware list, down to the stainless steel screws for the absorber plate, and indicates which operations a professional should be hired to perform. The appendix on materials selection is generally applicable to any active site-built system. With this book I could buHd the system. It does its job. -Gail Katz ri,.-o .,;.•ws of the solar motor built by Mouchot for the Paris Expositiorr . This gianl machi11~ pumped 500 gallons of water per hour, and even powered an ic~-,..'!ker. - FromA Golden Thread A Golden Thread:,2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology, by Keri Butti and John Perlin, 1980, 289 pp., $15.95 from: Van Nostrand Reinhold 135 West 50th Street Ne,w York, NY 10020 In September 1878 visitors to the Universal ·Exposition in Paris were treated to a most unusual sight: a solar-powered machine pumping water, distilling alcohol, cooking food and making ice. Three years later the French government commissioned a study of the new technology's commercial potential. The conclusion: solar wasn't practical in France. Sound familiar? You'll encounter an amazing amount of deja vu in A Golden Thread. You'll learn about solar homes in ancient Greece, solar baths in early Rome, solar greenhouses in eighteenth century Europe, and a thriving solar water heater industry in pre-World War I California. You'll read how the solar housing market took off in the U.S. in the 1940s-but quickly plummeted-and how a Presidential commission urged the rapid development of solar in 1952-and was universally ignored. There are lessons to be pondered here: energy shortsightedness has been a recurring disease and solar fascination has always proved fickle. The sun has repea.tedly gained ascendancy when traditional energy sources (such as firewood in ancient Greece) have been in short supply, and fr has been repeatedly forgotten when more·"convenient" sources (such as natural gas in California) have come on the scene. A Golden Thread allows us to reflect on these things while enjoying a remarkable collection of drawings and photographs combined with an exceptionally readable text. -JF
Page 6 RAIN December 1980 -GOOD THINGS Reading should be an adventure, not just a commute to some desired location. Whether you are reading for la11ghter or learning, depart on your journey without an itinerary, let the story unfold to you, and you can unfold with" it. The books described below willcarpet your p~th with knowledge, laughter, tears, and intrigue. -Cathy Macdonald The Next Who.le _Earth Catalog, edited by Stewart Brand, $12.50 from: Random House 201 East 50th Street New York, NY 10022 What do you get when you cross the yellow pages, the New York Review of Books, a novel, and years of the kind of accessing the CoEvolution Quarterly has been noted for? You guessed it: The Next Whole Earth Catalog. It's time to give The Last Whole Earth Catalog a rest and seek out new adventures in the 607 pages and 325 subjects of The • Next. It's like taking a subway: you can catch a ride in composting, stop off in vernacular architecture, and eventually pull in to candlemaking-and there's always another train ready to depart. My first stops were in the sections on maps, plants, and RAIN (can't help a few biases), and I found all to be full of good sources and helpful descriptions. Just think: if you read one subject a day, you wouldn't run out for nearly a year, and if you reaa a page a day, you'd be set for two. But chances are you'll read it over and over until there is a One After The Next Whole Earth Catalog. Still Life With Woodpecker, by Tom Rob- 'bins, 1980, paper, $6.95 from: Bantam Books 666 Fifth Avenue New York, NY10019 What can you learn from a redheaded princess, a beakless woodpecker, a pack of Camel cigarettes, and a Remington SL3? More than you'd expect when they are all accomplices in Tom Robbins' latest adventure, Still Life With Woodpecker. Don't look for the-current statistics on woodstoves or commentary on the effects of big business on our government and economy. You won't find them. What you will find is more important. Robbins' books, in case they haven't yet hit your nightstand, express the philosophy of a romantic individualist. In Still Life, he contrasts this approach to life with that of social activism, and the differences are literally and figuratively explosive. Look out Ralph Nader! Robbins also places high value on ere- ,,. ativity and it's obvious in his prose. In an interview I once read, he said something to the effect of, "I like to write sentences like cherry tomatoes: when you pu_t them in your mouth, you never know which way they'll squirt." Believe me, each of his books is a hothouse of ideas. Northwest readers will.find his descriptions of our rainy country to be especially endearing. So read this one for pleasure, but don't be surprised if it stirs up some questions in your mind about life, love and "the problem with redheads." Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, by Jane Roberts, 1979, $7.95 from: Delacorte Press/Eleanor Friede 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza New York, NY 10017 If this were the '80s answer to Dick and Jane and See Spot Run, I'd feel less nervous about the year 2000. How many times have you heard grown-ups say, "shush, reme:rnber there are children in the room," when something touchy is being discussed, or, better yet, "never mind, you'll find out about it • From Emir's Education when you grow up." The world might be a healthier and happier place if some of these taboo subjects were kept in the open. Jane Roberts, author of Seth Speaks and many other books aimed at helping grown-ups with the questions of life and death, has now devoted ~his book to giving kids a head start on the same subjects. Emir learns abou.t lies, truth, conscience, inspiration, seasons, and death. He travels to the land of.the gods, leaves his body, talks to alligators, and learns that the simplest solutions to problems are always the ones that work with nature rather than against it. The images and illustrations are wonderful enough to keep any child, no matter what age, entranced. ! Cathy is a consulting ecologist with the Nature Conservancy in Portland. Longtime RAIN readers may remember her from her previous incarnation as a Rainmaker (1977). We are happy to welcome her back as a co_ntributor.
POPULATION "City Limits: Emerging Constraints on Urban Growth" by Kathleen Newland, Worldwatch Paper #38, August 1980, -$2.00 from: Worldwatch Institute 1776 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. • Washington, DC 20036 By the year 2000 more than half the world's people will be living in cities. Six;ty of these cities will have populations of five million or ~ore and 12 of the 15 largest will be in Third World countries. These startling Unit~d Nations projections point up not only th~ dimensions of near-term global population growth, but a distorted pattern of development which Worldwatch researcher Kathleen Newland contends could prove to be "costly, inefficient, and perhaps unsustainable." It strikes some observers as odd that millions of people in the Third World are choosing to leave the countryside and live in the crowded slums of cities whose industries cart absorb only a small fraction of them, "but make no mistake," says Newland, "people migrate to the cities because, all things considered, they expect to be better off there.'' Public investment is concentrated in urban. areas as are hospitals and schools, water and electrical systems. Jobs, when found, pay much more than the rural average. There are . trade-offs, though: one is ever-stiffening competition in an already overcrowded job market. Another is a greater vulnerability to price increases and supply disruptions of food and fuel. In an era of growing resource shortages and worldwide population growth, this urban vulnerability can only increase. .Many planners and policymakers treat, urbanization as an irresistable force and equate it with economic prosperity, says Newland, when in reality long-term prosperity must derive from a healthy agricultural base. That would suggest a shift of investment priorities from the cities to the countryside, and Newland outlines some appropriate technology applications for such investment. Rural networks of labor-intensive industries could be developed to process agricultural goods and make inexpensive products for farmers. The farmers would, in turn, have new markets among the industrial workers. Additional rural jobs could derive from small-scale renewable energy projects, and the resulting low-cost power would enhance the economic viability of rural industry. Such measures have merit in themselves and might be successful in ste~ming the rural exodus to the cities, but in the absence of vigorous family planning efforts, urban growth would still continue at a rapid pace. Like many recent population-related studies, this one is ultimately not very hopeful, but Newland does suggest that a serious commitment to rural development coupled with a sensible population policy would at least permit urban growth to proceed "at a more deliberate and orderly pace." -JF Population and Its Problems, by George· V. Zito, 1979, $9.95 from: • Human Sciences Press 72 Fifth Avenue New York, NY10011 This basic textbook of demographic concepts and tools is oriented (in the words of the author) toward "those whose interest in demography is only peripheral to their interest in American society-in general." It is readable for someone just becoming interested in demographics and enlightening for those who have worked with, but not formally studied, demographic tools. The author From Earthworks ENERGY Women's Energy Tool Kit, by Joan . Byalin, 1980, 77 pp., from: Consumer Action Now 355 Lexington Ave. New York, NY10017 Why a·"Women's Energy Tool Kit"? Because women aren't brought up to recognize tools, to know a sill plate from a parting stop, or to be able to ask for good advice in a manner which will get them good advice. The "Tool Kit" may be sin;iplistic, particul~rly as regards heat loss and energy savings, but in general it's an excellent guide to weatherization techniques for anyone. The book covers ca~lking, weatherstripping, homemade storm windows and window curtains, shading, insulating, choosing contractors, financing, career opportunities, and more. Obviously in 75 pages there's a lot skimmed over and the reading list at the back should be given more tha:n a passing glance. Venting in attics, f~r example,.is critical and yet only December 1980 RAIN Page 7 spends considerable time applying population data to the social problems associated with marriage, divorce, crime, and scarcity, and his analysis of the effects of the post-war baby boom will be of particular interest to members of that generation. According to . Zito, the baby boom children who, as adults, have found incredible competition for jobs and housing, both from their peers and from the larger population, will continue to play the role of "invaders" in our society throughout their lifespans. In looking at population pyramids, they will always appear as the big, and somewhat troubling, bulge. -Jane Peters Jane is on the Board of Responsible Urban Neighborhood Technology, a Portland-based appropriate technology group which is involved in an integral urban house project. barely mentioned. Still, it'd make a great gift ' for anyone about to begin managing energy use at horn~. -CC ENVIRONMENT . Earthworks: Ten Years on the Environmen.tal Front, edited by Mary Lou Van Deventer, 1980, 268 pp., $8.95 from: Friends of the Earth Books 124 Spear Street San Francisco, CA 941~5 Here, under one cover, is the best writing to appear in Friends of the Earth's excellent newspaper, Not Man Apart, since its beginning in 1970. Included are dozens of articles on wilderness preservation, the limits to growth, the promise of renewable energy, and the anti-nuclear struggle. Among the writers are Amory Lovins, Garrett Hardin, Lester Brown, Frances Moore Lappe, and Edward Abbey. Earthworks is a special treat to read and a fitting celebration of Friends of the Earth's tenth anniversary. -JF
Page 8 RAIN December 1980 R£v1s£D RAINPAPER No. 1, CONSUMER GumE To WooosTovEs Bill Day 16 pp., Rl·visl·d Nov. 1980, $3.00 No mattn how you split it, wood is re-emerging as an important factor in home heating. To help insure the wood energy transition is one committed to safety and efficiency, wood stove consumerist Bill Day has closely monitored the avail- , - ·,..,.,""' "...~' II 1,~,,,~,l~~ •WnJKr- .,....N,_ .. ..,..._. ~ •w.-l fuff...... ! ...... ~ Ill 1 ability and rdiability of these products. His newly-revised and expanded Consumer Guide is a compilation of his articles in RAIN, covering the selection, installation and rL·pair of woodstoves, wood cookstoves and wood furnaces. Include? are help-, ful notes on fireplace retrofits and chimney maintenance. Essential reading for those of you interested in this revitalized energy alternative. by Bill Day and Kurt Schloth As the use of wood fuel returns to its position as America's leading source of domestic heating, we are seeing a definite trend toward more sophistication·in its use. Wood fired furnaces have some definite advantages. Large furnace fireboxes and truly automatic temperature controls require less frequent attention (labor) and often offer greater heating capacity than do free-standing wood burners. Usually the furnace system is concealed and is not part of the home decor. Wood and multi-fuel furnaces are finding a greatly e:xpanded market here in the late '70s. A number of manufacturers are now in production. Some of the best products seem to be imports whose outstanding quality follows the trend established by the importation of European free-standing stoves. Except for a very few, the bulk of the products manufactured in the USA are of relatively poor construction. Good data for quality and efficiency comparisqn are lacking. Initial costs associated with installation of a central furnace are much greater than those \\'.ith installation of free-standing wood stoves. The central furnace is only a portion of the capital expense; The chimney, sheet metal ductwork, and installation labor may exceed the cost of your furnace. Choosing a low efficiency or short-lived furnace is a very expensive mistake. Here are a few ideas which may help you determine how to spend furnace dollars. 1. Look for a knowledgeable person or company to buy from. People who have no inventory or are short-changed on· knowledge are likely ro be expensive and in the long run simple mistakes and poor advice in this area might cost as much as two thousand dollars to correct. If possible; try to find someone to deal with whose experience began-before 1973. (1973 was the year that "get rich quick artis.ts" entered the wood-fuel~d appliance field.) 2. Examine the products offered. Higher quality furnaces are likely to use a great deal of cast iron in their construction. Cast iron lasts longer when used for firebox parts. Steel warps and shows heat fatigue quickly. , , 3. Positively eliminate from consideration any furnace J '.I ·Jf .,/( whose doors or door -frames are not cast iron. When steel is used for e·ither the feed door or door frame, warpage is likely to cause uncontrollable air leaks. Efficiency is greatly reduced and loss of combustion control frequently leads to overheating. I • , 1 4. Your ·furnace should be occasionally inspected and serviced. It is best to make your purchase from a stable, local, service-oriented retailer. 5. Avoid furnace manufacturers whose literature is flamboyant. Traditionally the highest qu~lity furnaces are produced by solid, conservative companies whose products are likely to outperform the claims of the manufacturer. Poor quality products are often warranted for periods exceeding the lifetime history of the manufacturer.' • 6. Add-on units designed to supplement oil, gas or electric furnaces are, at this time, notoriously poor quality. (The Ashley, Kickapoo and Sam Daniels are qceptions.) ,The University of Maine has a pending pa_tent on a heating • system considered by knowledgeable people in the industry to represent the "state of the art" in wood combustion. Three companies have been licensed to manufacture the furnace which is an integral part of the system: Dumont Industries of Monmouth, Mai~e; Madawaska Wood Furnace Co. of Bangor, Maine; and Hampton Technologies Ltd. of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. All three versions are based on Dr. Ri.chard Hill's original design,s, but there are significant differences. Dumonfs furnace is designed to be assembled onsite in new construction; Madawaska's design is a build-ityourself model; Hampton's furnace is factory-built and installation is supervised by the retailer. In our considered judgement we feel that the Hampton design is.the most satisfactory for the average homeowner, and we will describe it in more detail. The furnace itself is carefully engineered, refractory-lined, and operates under forced draft in order to guarantee an air/ fuel _mix as close to ideal as is possible. This produces very
high combustion and operating temperatures. A load of wood of forty to sixty pounds is easily ignited with the aid of the forced draft from a small starter·-fire of kindling, and will be completely burned in less than two hours. During steady-state operation combustion temperatures will be in excess of 1300° Fahrenheit, and at this temperature fuelwood exhibits a delaytime of about 1/10 of a second in order to achieve virtually complete combustion of all volatile gases, producing only heat, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and fly ash. No creosote. Coupled to the combustion chamber of the furnace is an air-to-liquid heat-exchanger. A heavy investment of engineering time has produced a highly efficient heat-exchange design capable of dropping the exhaust _gas temperature from 1300- • 1400° to 150-300° Fahrenheit. The heat exchanger is in turn connected to a large (600 to 3000 gallon) insulated water storage tank. Heat is produced during steady-state operation at the rate of 120,000 to 140,000 BTU per hour, is captured by the heat exchanger and transferred to the insulated water srnrage by means of a small circulating pump. The pump is turned on when the furnace is fired and maintains a constant circulation between the Jetstream's heat-exchange tubes and the storage tank. As outlined so far, the system is closed and non-pressurized, and the water contains .chemicals designed to prevent corrosion in the furnace boiler. If the water storage tank were stripped of its insulation, it would provide a gentle heat similar to that of the "Russian fireplace-stove," which uses thousands of pounds of masonry as a massive heat-sink. Those interested in active solar applications will recognize at this point how easily the Jetstream system can be integrated into an active solar installation. • But there is more to the J etstream system as envisioned by its designers. Depending on the type of structure to be heated, the system can take different forms from this point on. For hot-air heat in an existing structure, a liquid-to-air heat exchanger is used to draw off heat in small amounts from liquid A 40" by 12¼" diameter-....,,,..--. vertical loading fuel tube. Water jacketed to inhibit burning outside of combustion zone. A 50-gallon hydronic ---- ., December 1980 • RAIN Page 9 storage and se'nd it into an existing hot-air furnace ductwork system for distribution throughout the structure. If hot-water heat is de;ired, a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger is connected to a non-pressurized system. If the Jetstream is to be installed in new construction, the furnace can go either way. At this po!nt the flexibility of the J etstream system becomes increasingly apparent, for it can heat a structure of any . size with high efficiency up to its limits of about 120,000 BTU's per hour, and can be easily used to heat large quantities of water as well as air for domestic purposes or for special applicati_ons such as hot tubs, swimming pools, and laundromats. The manufacturer supplies only the basic furnace and an optional digital readout panel to monitor temperatures at different locations throughout the system, such as firebox, exhaust stack, and water temperature at different locations. ,Fiberglass or steel storage tanks, due to their size and weight, are best sought out locally to avoid high shipping costs, and the same applies to the substantial quantity of hardware needed to complete a J etstream system installation, such as pumps, copper piping, a small expansion tank, electrical wire and hardware, etc. The manufacturer does supply a l00~page installation and operations manual which goes into great detail and is of considerable help in assembling and de-bugging a Jetstream system as it is tailored to t~e individual requirements of its owner. In addition, the manufacturer selects Jetstream dealers for their knowledge of the system, its appiications, their ability to supervise installations, and to troubleshoot and provide maintenance help at a later date. Wood, as a renewable resource, has always. been an excellent heat energy s.ource. Unfortunately, it carried with it inherent problems like air pollution, and chimney fires caused by creosote buildup. Finally, with the Jetstream, these problems are virtually eliminated and a·safe and sensible future for wood-burning is assured.DD ethousing for combustion air and exhaust draft. To Home heat exchanger. -f-t-H"ltlH::::lz~it:~"1-----Fire tu:~~~~:~:~; Preheated charge air----- introduces combustion air under pressure. Wood burns in refractory combustion chamber where high temperatures (1200-2000°F) and turbulent, forced preheated combustion air produce optimum combustion environment. Insulating cement for heat retention and structural integrity. inserts. --1----Return water from heat storage. ~-----ttigh temperature turbulent tunnel provides ignition of any unburned residues. Y...-----Hiigh temperature, durable castable refractory. Jetstream System Diagram 1. High efficiency Jetstream Furnace releases energy from wood and transfers it to heat storage. 2. Heat energy stored in insulated storage tanks. 3. Home draws automatically from heat storage as required, for home heat or domestic hot water.
Page 10 RAIN December 1980 MEDIA In Focus: A Guide to Using Films, by . Linda Blackaby, Dan Georgakas, and Barbara Margolis, 1980, 224 pp., $9.95 ppd. from: Cine Information 419 Park Avenue South New York, NY10016 212/686-9897 I 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . FOCUS And now, a thorough guide designed to assist individuals and groups of all kinds in the effective use of films. Every aspect of film presentation receives specific and de-_ tailed treatment, including strategies for using film in fundraising, educational, promotional, and cultural activities. Also incl~ded is .an extensive resource bibliography. In working with a variety of community groups and other film users, the authors found that many were not taking full advantage of 16mm film, partly because they had no answers to their numerous and varied questions. In Focus attempts to consolidate aH the necessary information in a concrete, step-by-step guide. ' Cine Information has another interesting project up its sleeve, a computerized film information network. The Film User's Network is a system of computerized lists that will facilitate contact between filmmakers and filur users. Film users who join will be informed of new films in their areas of interest, including those by independent filmmakers, free of charge. A better idea than advertising, that's for sure! TheEr:id. -MR .FOOD The Home Grown Vegetarian, by Pat Labine, George Burrill and James Nolfi, 1980, $4.50 from: Center for Studies in Food Self-Sufficiency 109 South Winooski Ave., Office 203 Burlington, VT 05401 Here's a book that appeals to my sense of reason, but causes my stomach to rebel. The Home Grown Vegetarian presents both the argument and the information needed for a locally grown, nutritionally sound (though supplemented) vegetarian diet. Sigh, there go the pineapples and bananas. While drawn specifica:lly from Vermont agricultural patterns, the nutritional information and concept are broadly applicable. There is a de- •tailed chapter on nutritional requirements of various vegetarian diets (still a hotly contested issue), with references to sources of additional information. The book goes on to present sample diets for various styles of vegetarian fare (Strict Vegetarian Diet I, II and the lacto-ovo diet) utilizing those foods grown and harvested in the New England region. A cost comparison of this eating system, whether store-bought or home-grown, completes the book. The appendices, which cover approximately a quarter of the publication's 53 pages, provide additional facts and figures on food values and nutritional summaries of the various diets. For people devoutly committed to change on the personal level, this new publication has most if not all of the information and inspiration you'll need. For me, I want to see a recipe book , before I take the plunge. -LS GREENHOUSES Horticultural Management of Solar Greenhouses in the Northeast, by Miriam Klein, 1980, 95 pp., $5.00 from: The Memphremagog Group P.O. Box456 Newport, VT 05855 If you've taken a tour of solar greenhouses you have probably noted that the majority of them are not used as growing spaces. They provide supplemental heat, house an occasional plant and, on sunny days in January, become tea rooms; breakfast nooks, studies, etc. Which is OK, I guess, but I suspect that there's an unhappy gardening experience or no gardening experience behind many of those under-used spaces. A lack of good, organic horticultural information has frightened off many would-be growers. General information could be ferreted out (a bibliography is included in Miriam's book) but I found myself having to modify all of that to suit the very cold/very hot extremes of temperature that I lived with in Minnesota. Regionally specific information is necessary, and for the Northeast at least, that need is met here. Drawn from the Memphremagog Group's own work and the experiences of 20 growers in their area, the book has a combination of science and common sense that fills it with good advice. There are design suggestions for greenhouses "as if plants matter," an annotated list of good plant varieties for solar greenhouses, descriptions of pests and their management, and more. A lot of generally valuable experience is condensed here, but for the Northeastern grower the book is as important a tool in the greenhouse as a trowel. -CC The Food and Heat Producing Solar Greenhouse, by Bill Yanda and Rick Fisher, 1980, 108 pp., $8.00 from: John Muir Publications, Inc. P.O. Box613 Santa Fe, NM 87501 The very best beginner's guide to solar greenhousing is back, bigger, more beautiful, and packing'several years more experience between its covers. That first version was quite the groundbreaker, but it was quickly passed by more comprehensive books. This 1980 edition takes "the state of the art" one step further with a wide selection of recent designs and new data observed in the interim four years. It's not simply a "beginner's guide" anymore. -CC CLIMATE AREAS (Side View) hot ~ht iJOr"' Ligl\t, c,ool ~ caol ,-·-::·-...... . WINTER ·,. ... a- ..... _ hot ••... .•.,••.. SPRING/SUMMER/FALL . Nil YU'i •••• a....,',. ~ ......... "' ',, cool From Horticultural Management \ \ ' ' ' . ~ ~ I I I I I I ' . ,_.,
December 1980 RAIN Page 11 Seasonal Plantillg in the Northeast bJ lf/.in'utz kltill Excerpted from Horticultural Management of Solar Greenhouses in the Northeast. There are three somewhat distinct seasons in a solar greenhouse. Winter: October 1-February 1 Spring: February 1-April 1 Summer: April 1-October 1 Keeping in mind that all three seasons tend to overlap considerably, here are some guidelines for each. Winter: During the winter season there are two limiting factors to plant growth. , 1. Short days and low light intensity. In the winter, neither the day length nor the light intensity is optimum for warm-season fruiting plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Though it is possible to obtain fruit during these months neither yield nor quality is as high as during spring and summer months. You can bring in these plants from the garden and hold the mature plant over until December. This allows you to extend their season but avoids the pest and disease problems that may occur if you try to grow them as winter crops. (Cucumbers are not included. They will not transplant from the garden.) 2. Low night temperatures. The average low temperatures in a solar greenhouse in the Northeast range from 30-45 degrees Fahrenheit. These low temperatures are very stressful for warm season crops and lowers their resistance to pests and diseases. Leafy greens and root crops respond best to the environmental conditions in a winter solar greenhouse. Spring: February and March are very cold months, but since both light duration and intensity are increasing, it is a good time to start seedlings for the greenhouse spring crop. You don't want to pull the entire winter crop but some plants will be past their prime and other seedlings should be transplanted by mid-March. This is also the time to start seedlings for outdoor planting in cold frames and gardens. Cold frames can be used to great advantage in conjunction with a greenhouse. Don't start all your flats at the same time. Stagger plantings at intervals one to two weeks apart. This is particularly important if you want to sell seedlings. People don't all buy at the same time, nor can you handle them all at the same time. If you want to grow spring tomatoes and peppers, start them in mid-February. By late April they can be transplanted into beds and by late June they should be starting to produce. Summer: For people with a very short growing season, a solar greenhouse is a godsend in the summer. You can be sure to have ripe tomatoes and cucumbers early in the season without worrying about those early August frosts. Really long season plants like eggplant and cantaloupe can also be grown in the greenhouse during the summer, or it can be used for drying herbs and fruit. If your summer growing season is really quite adequate and you have a large garden to take care of, you may want to let the greenhouse rest during July and August. There's nothing wrong with this either. A possible one-year plan: Mid-August: Start seedlings of cabbage family, chard, beets, lettuce, chard, chicory, corn salad, parsley, scallions, endive. Early September: Seed peas, radish, carrots into beds. Late September: Transplant mature plants of broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and chard from the garden into the greenhouse. October: Harvest radish, thinnings and transplant seedlings into beds. Start more seedlings of lettuce, chard, kale, broccoli. November: Begin to harvest leafy greens by sustainable yield. Late November: Harvest remainder of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and pull those plants. Replace them with seedlings started in October. • December & January: Harvest carrots, beet greens, scallions, and continue to harvest leafy greens by sustainable yield. Growth is generally slow so go easy on harvesting. February: Start tomato, pepper, chard, spinach, lettuce, and Chinese cabbage seedlings for a spring greenhouse crop. Continue to harvest by sustainable yield. Late February, growth begins to pick up again. March: Start cool weather seedlings (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, collards, etc.) for setting out in the garden in late May. Start cucumbers for greenhouse spring crop. April: Start tomatoes, pepper, herb and flower seedlings for garden. Transplant tomatoes, peppers, chard, spinach, lettuce, Chinese cabbage into greenhouse beds. Late April: Transfer cool weather seedlings into outside cold frames. May: Transplant cool weather seedlings into garden. Transplant cucumbers into greenhouse beds. Pull whatever is left of winter crop. June: Begin harvesting new greens, spring tomatoes, and peppers. July: Start seedlings of tomatoes, peppers for fall crop. Continuous eating of everything! Keep in mind that these dates are flexible depending on your particular climate, frost-free dates, and how cold or hot you're running your greenhouse. Check the chart on germination to give you an idea of what minimum temperatures are required for which plants. Only plant what you can eat, sell or use. Space is precious. Use your space for what you cannot grow outdoors at that time of year.
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