DIY Website for Renewable Energy

I came across this great website the other day called Build It Solar. I was researching home-made rainwater catchment systems, recalling a time when I watched people make their own cistern out of ferrocement. Build It Solar seems like a really great tool for people who want to do renewable energy and conservation projects at home. It offers design information and tools for a wide variety of projects, including how to build various rainwater harvesting systems, how to recycle greywater, build a solar water heater, and so so so much more. If you are into this sort of thing do check it out!

Cooperative Community In the Making

Something is brewing in Hopewell, New Jersey, and I think the horeses can smell it.

Stonybrook Meadows Equestrian Center has expanded its vision and is now in the process of becoming the area's hub for sustainability education.

So far at the farm you can buy organic, free-range eggs, recieve acupuncture treatments for $20, take a yoga class, and participate in workshops ranging from Yoga for Equestrians, Wild Edible Plants, Shiitake Inoculation, as well on focused classes that bring the garden to the kitchen!

Plans for the future include a community garden, farm dinners, and Own Your Own Lamb, Chicken, Turkey, or Quail!!!

An Ecovillage Dream

Many ideas are seeming to come together for me recently. All that I have learned about myself through exploring my interests, my hopes and dreams, are beginning to paint a clear picture for me.

I believe a life goal of mine is to support the creation a sustainable human settlement that integrates various aspects of ecological design including green building, renewable energy, permaculture, and supports a thriving local economy. In other words, an ecovillage...

...In the tri-state area...

more to come...

The Roof Is Alive... With Garden Gnomes?

As promised, work is completed on the living roof for our chicken palace. What once was a slight eye-sore as I peered into the forest from my bedroom window, is now a beautiful, magical sight. Once the foundation for a green roof was placed, a little gnome quickly came in and gardened the hell out of it!

It really is that simple.

First, I carefully secured a tarp over the roof, making sure that no rainwater would penetrate. Then I nailed down an old, unused, stinky shaggy carpet. The carpet gives the soil and roots something to hold onto.

Finally, we dug up sod. (Or shall I say,

the gnome did.) First from our garden, a thick ground cover of chickweed. Then beautiful patches of mixed colors, height, and textures from around our yard- short grass, tall grass, dandelion, dead nettle, gill-over-the-ground, little pink flowers... plus some store bought perry winkle as well as english ivy that will hopefully secure itself and hang down the walls. There is even a little stone terrace!!

Though my reason for wanting a living roof on our chicken coop is aesthetic, green roofs are beneficial in many ways. They provide insulation and will create an air-conditioner effect inside a building...

But their perhaps most useful function is in cities where they create habitat for wildlife, absorb rainwater and help to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect.

You can create a green roof on any surface that does not have too much of a slant. You can garden the roof of your home, your barn, commercial building, even a skyscraper!!! You can also use your roof to grow food and medicine if you don't have much land or it is the only spot to get sun.

I must say, the gnome man and his gardened roof are a much welcomed addition to our home...

And he sure loves the view.

Images of the process to come.

Constructing our Chicken Palace

My father came on a Sunday to help my housemates and I construct a chicken coop in our yard. We used an existing structure left behind by the last tenants, a wooden playhouse, and extended out. The only main thing left that we would like to do is build a living roof.

We have 3 hens and rooster, all heritage breeds purchased from . Though you do not need a rooster to get eggs, the place we got them only sells their birds in groups of 3 hens and a rooster. I have had great experiences with roosters in the past and we all wanted to experience the cycle of life bring baby chickens to our little herd. The rooster is like the chief and they like to stay close by him. They free range all day, eating spring sprouts, worms, and grubs. Their diet is supplemented with high quality grain, and they are gifting us beautifully rich orange eggs, about 1 per bird, per day.

Chickens are such a pleasure!! They have pleasant personalities and are fun to watch and interact with. Not the mention the freshest, best quest quality eggs you can get!! I recommend them in any garden. And yes, hens (not roosters) have a home in many suburban and urban yards.

Growing Shiitakes at Home

After my unsuccessful attempt at inoculating hardwood logs with Shiitake spawn 2 autumns ago, I felt strongly that I had to get it right the next time. So when my shiitake starter kit arrived from Mushroom People I immediately read all the directions and made sure to follow them exactly. After 1 phone call and 1 email with questions to owner Frank Michael (with no response) I hoped that I had enough information I needed to give these mushrooms the best chance at fruiting and emarked on my quest.

I have decided that my failure 2 years ago resulted either from not using the right wood, or more likely, from dehydration. However, I also did not take much care to keep the bark undamaged, and follow other directions exactly.

So this time I took great care.

It is challenging to find the right trees when they have no leaves, and when they are too young to have distinguishing bark features. With my friend Shannon's help (who knows more about trees than I do) we carefully selected a young white oak which was not receiving enough sunlight to thrive. She still had a few of the previous season's leaves so right away we knew it was oak- the best of the hardwoods for Shiitake plug spawn. She was about 8 inches at the base, beautiful, straight, with no branches extending from her trunk for a good distance, until her diameter was too small to be used. Since it is important to not damage the bark, it is good to find a tree that will not have many branches that you will have to cut off. We marked the chosen one with purple yarn. She was perfect.

Later I returned with another friend Christie and neighbor Herman's chainsaw. We decided which way the tree would fall and laid a few fallen trees across the path and over large rocks in order to help cushion the trees fall. After a ceremony of gratitude and with the smell of chainsaw fumes our tree fell as desired.

As directed, I cut the tree into approximately 40 inches in height, ranging from 3-6 inches in diameter, and carried the logs one by one out of the forest.

While wax was melting in a double burner on my stove, I began to drill. Starting 2 inches from the base, I drilled a hole 1 in. deep with my 5/16 in. drill bit. Then continuing around the base, I drilled more holes 2.5 inches apart. Then, like a grid, I continued upward from each of those holes, drilling 6-8 inches apart until I reached the top. When I finished drilling the first log, I brought out my plugs and melted wax. With a hammer I lightly tapped the plug into the hole so it was flush with the inner bark, trying not to damage the outer bark (which cannot be entirely helped.) After all the plugs were in, I then used a paint brush to cover each plug with a thin layer of wax. I carried each log to its final home, laying along the north end of the house, in the shade, on top of bricks so as to keep them up off the ground.

I would recommend finishing each log before continuing on to the next one. I had only completely a few logs before I had to stop for the day, and was happy that I did not have unplugged holes, as you want to insert the plugs immediately after you drill the holes.

In addition, I found that at first I had trouble with the brush I was using for the wax. It hardened and became unusable. The next paintbrush I used I kept in the wax when I wasn't using it, even letting the wax harden over it, and then melted the wax with the paintbrush still in it. I had no troubles with the brush using this method.

It also helped to have more than one drill. When the battery got low and the drill stopped working well, I aimply charged the battery and used another drill. Had I only had 1 drill it would have been a HUGE hindrance.

I did not have enough logs from the white oak to use all the plugs. They are currently in the fridge. I don't know if I will take another tree, or if I will save them for use in the fall. I don't know yet if they will store until the fall. We shall see.

In the meantime, I will be sure to soak my logs thoroughly, and let them dry in between soakings, about once every 2 weeks. I will be dunking them in clean garbage cans filled with fresh water. I will also flip the completed logs every few months, placing the top on the bricks, to ensure even moisture...

It was a great day, a cold, kind of dismal, tiring, great day. Plus I had the joy of hanging with our chickens, who are usually sociable, but were especially interested in my mushrooming activities.

I pray that come fall, or at least by next spring, I will be cooking up my own home-grown, organic shiitakes.

Gardens Reviving Our World

Permaculture in New Brunswick.

http://gardensrevivingourworld.org/

A spiritual life in the modern world.

The following quote has been deeply resonating with me lately. Thought I should share...

"Trying to live a spiritual life in modern society is the most difficult path one can walk. It is a path of pain, of isolation, and of shaken faith, but that is the only way that our Vision can become reality. Thus the true Quest in life is to live the philosophy of the Earth within the confines of man. There is no church or temple we need to seek peace, for ours are the temples of the wilderness. There are no spiritual leaders, for our hearts and the Creator are our only leaders. Our numbers are scattered; few speak our language or understand the things that we live. Thus we walk this path alone, for each Vision, each Quest, is unique unto the individual. But we must walk within society or our Vision dies, for a man not living his Vision is living death."
-Grandfather, as written in The Quest by Tom Brown Jr.

Organizing my life

Yesterday I spent some time doing for myself what I am so frequently doing for others...

Organizing and decluttering!!

Over the years I have come to the inescapable conclusion that my living space is a reflection of the current state of my life and my mind. When I am overworked and stressed, my home looks like a tornado passed through. I don't have the energy it takes to keep up with basic tasks like putting my clothes back in the closet after I try them on. Instead they live on the floor for weeks.

In this state of chaos I struggle with time management. I begin to run late everywhere I go. And I generally feel unhappy and discontent.

There is something so freeing and grounded about living in clean, clear, organized space. I love helping other people organize their garages, closets, pantries, and play rooms so that they can feel this same lightness and freedom.

Last night I felt the inspiration grow in me. On Sunday I am beginning a 10-month yoga training. Some yoga books I had ordered arrived in the mail. I needed a home for them. And I needed a sacred space for myself, a place dedicated not only to my yoga studies, but to myself... A safe place to sit quietly. To stretch. To relax. To let go. To breath deeply. To study. To check in with myself, and to envision my dreams coming true.

SO I did it. Finally.

To manifest your Vision, you must make every decision in alignment with that vision. That includes how you keep your space around you.

Does your space support you in your health, happiness, productivity, and spiritual growth?
So many people today are giving so much of their time and energy to their career and family, they can barely keep up with the basics, like putting things away in an organized manner, cooking a healthful meal, and taking time to sit back and breath tension away.

There is help. Many people have housekeepers and nannies, they see massage therapists, acupuncturists, and life coaches, they go to yoga class or the gym...

I love offering myself as another resource for creating a healthy, sane life with Living Light. People are so excited to find out what I do. Almost everyone I talk to tell me that either they need it or they know someone else who would want our help. I also love to experience a client's joy when they open their closet and see their life organized before their eyes!!!

In this western culture, we too often want to do it all ourselves. But around the world, people know that it takes a village.

Bridging Food Ethics: Veganism vs. Sustainability

A quick stop at New Hope vegan restaurant Sprig & Vine leads to the meeting of two ethical eaters intending to dine solo. Educated on a variety of issues and endowed with our life experience, we share stories and beliefs, and part ways having affected each other in some important ways.

He- a vegan of 2 years and vegetarian for longer, with serious values considering the cruel treatment and exploitation of animals. Myself- non dogmatic, permaculturalist, with deep concerns regarding sustainability. Both of us willing to open our hearts and minds and have meaningful, contemplative conversations with a stranger. We compare factory farms with small, local farms, discuss hunting, raw food, Gary Null, the Farm, sardines, chickens, goats, Namaste Cafe, Kayas Kitchen, and of course, PETA.

Our care for the ethical treatment of animals are shared however it is our views on the issue that differ. In my opinion, if we are to be ethical human beings, then we are to be compassionate to our Earth Mother, and we must localize our supply chain in a big way. I believe that animals can be raised and slaughtered with compassion and in the most sacred of ways, if done on a small scale, by caring human beings. I believed that raising farm animals on a small scale brings stability to the local food supply which, at least in agricultural zone 7, could not provide for the protein needs of a vegetarian through gardening and foraging alone. I would even go so far as to say that hunting or raising your own livestock for slaughter might in fact be more humane than being a vegan or raw foodist.

Don't get me wrong. I love raw foods and I eat a largely vegan diet. But it's the large-scale, industrial farms are the problem. If all of us who cared about animal cruelty and exploitation- vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters decided to eat animal products from small, family-owned, local producers, that would make more of a statement to the owners of factory farms than just choosing not to eat meat at all...

Most vegans and raw-foodists purchase exotic foods shipped from all across the globe, and in doing so, they support oil companies, monocrops, and the inflation of "super" foods- staple crops that have been consumed by indigenous communities for centuries who now can no longer afford them. (see this NY times article about quinoa in Bolivia: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/world/americas/20bolivia.html)

If the bottom line is about life and death, that is a black and white issue, and the killing of one animal life to sustain another life is wrong.

However, if the concern is for suffering, then we must open our eyes to the broad scale effects of our current system that cause suffering in more than just animals. Our agricultural system depends on huge monocrops, which organic or conventional, come at a distastrous price to the environment, our culture, and the quality of our food. Read about it here.

If the concern is for a more sustainable future, then we have a lot of work to do as well as much to learn from our ancestors, our farmers, our gardeners, our permaculturalists, beekeepers, homesteaders, foragers, hunters... each other...

Now for the exciting part... Sustainable, AND vegan diets.

A great start is to read this book: How to Grow More Vegetables (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine by John Jeavons, who is reviving small-scale farming to counter monocrops through his writings, educational internships on his farm, as well as worldwide workshops.

"Jeavons says mini-farming can feed a person a nutritious vegan diet with 4,000 square feet of land, compared to 7,000 square feet needed for a vegan diet with conventional farming and 30,000 square feet to produce the average American diet."

VOILÀ ! A practical solution for sustainable system design and compassion for animals! Through a system such as the biointensive one described and practiced by Jeavons, livestock can then be added to the system not by need and exploitation, but for the love of the animal.

Now I'm singing, all you need is love, love, love. Love is all there is.