Water, water and nothing to drink part 2

Papercrete

As I have watched people experience failure with Strawbale construction because they take too long and don't protect their bales, I have been looking for alternatives. Here is one idea Papercrete and a description from http://www.livinginpaper.com/#introduction

"Papercrete construction involves using waste paper for affordable, sustainable housing. In the United States, we discard enough paper each year to build a wall 48 feet high around the entire perimeter of the country. Even though about 45 percent of discarded paper is recycled annually, 55 percent or 48 million tons of paper is thrown away or goes into the landfills. Figuring conservatively, it takes about fifteen trees to make a ton of paper."

Another information source is Mason GreenStar.

Water, water and nothing to drink

With the disaster in Haiti, I've been thinking a lot about the issue of water and the need for simple quick solutions for getting water quickly to small groups of people. Here is a video about one idea.

The Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change

Are you 18-30 years old? Are you concerned about climate change and what it means for the future? Do you want to make your voice heard and be part of the solution? The Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change is your opportunity!

August 17–20, 2009
Inuvik, Northwest Territories

New Strawbale House at Craik

As the snow finally melts off the Prairie, a new house is being build in the Craik Enviro Village called Riverstone Studios. The foundation was poured in the shape of a three leaf clover last year and my understanding is it will offer two studios and a central living quarters.This house is using a post and beam construction different from the more basic straw bale wall without wood shown in a previous example. The first image shows three of the houses.

The next picture is a closeup of the construction on two of the sections.


Finally here is a picture of either a garage or a power generation station with solar panels in the roof that is behind the house.

I can't wait for my next trip to see how the houses are progressing.

Check out Local Bounty

Local Bounty began one year ago as a forum for connecting local chefs who want to serve Saskatchewan food with the farmers, gardeners, fishers, orchardists, etc., who produce it. Chef Anthony McCarthy is this year's artisan taking Saskatchewan produce and melding it into an experience for our taste buds.

Local Bounty Saskatoon
March 8, 2009
The Saskatoon Club

One Million Acts of Green

Does anyone know where this image comes from?


In 100 days, Canadians performed 1,000,000 acts of green and counting. Keep it up Canada!

Reduce Carbon Dioxide by 15%

Making bales with 30 percent of global crop residues – the stalks and such left after harvesting – and then sinking the bales into the deep ocean could reduce the build up of global carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 15 percent a year, according to just published calculations.

That is a significant amount of carbon, the process can be accomplished with existing technology and it can be done year after year, according to Stuart Strand, a University of Washington research professor. Further the technique would sequester – or lock up – the carbon in seafloor sediments and deep ocean waters for thousands of years, he says. http://www.labspaces.net/95162/Some_of_Earth_s_Climate_Troubles_Should_Face_Burial_at_Sea

How does a society collapse?

So according to my reading of Diamond, a society collapses because its decisions about how to handle 5 major types of crisis result in extreme depletions of population and resources.

Saskatchewan is facing decisions about climate change, loss of trade and economic erosion such as loss of water, soil, minerals and forest. How do you think our decision makers will respond to this crisis?

Reflections on "Collapse"

I've been reading Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond. In a nutshell, this is my take on what he is saying.

Saskatchewan has recently experienced a resource increase because of the worlds need for oil making extraction from tar sands more viable. As a result, we have been experiencing a large population increase that has driven the cost of land and housing to unexpected heights. Increasing employment opportunities have supposedly offset the increase in prices, so we have suddenly become a "have" province ready to ride out the economic downturn. So we are at our pinnacle point.

We have recently felt the inkling of crisis as trade has decreased because of less need for resources such as timber, grain, fertilizer and a fall in the price of oil.
So what does Diamond say about how a societies response to crisis leads to success or failure? What should Saskatchewan do?

Clean Coal

A message from This is Reality that is important for Saskatchewan
"Coal companies seem to be spending their money marketing coal as "clean" rather than actually making it clean. This has got to stop. That's why we're calling them out boldly and publicly on their rhetoric. We're expecting a major response from the coal industry, and we need your help.The tag line and core message of the Reality campaign is simply "In Reality, there's no such thing as clean coal" -- highlighting that in America today, no such thing exists. We're insisting that the coal industry do more than "talk the talk," but that they now "walk the walk." We're challenging them to immediately invest in the technologies that can stop carbon pollution from entering the atmosphere. Over 600 coal plants operate now without such controls and more than 60 new dirty plants are proposed. None of these plants are "clean."We're going to need your help to get out the word, because the coal industry has a lot of money and resources to move their message. Today, to start, we're asking folks simply to sign up to help -- to join the movement and help form a new "Reality Corps."To see the ad and help, just go to:
http://www.ThisIsReality.org "

Building Saskatchewan Green

Building Saskatchewan Green was a great success! Over 600 attended Thursday evening for a great Tradeshow and Mike Holmes, along with conference delegates in workshops Friday. For event pictures and/or to read bloggers notes on the workshops take a look at http://www.buildsaskgreen.ca/

Walk the Chalk

A great idea for an educational activity that connects food to production.Two Mt. Holyoke College students interview another student about her knowledge of the food system.

Craik Enviro Village in November

We have had one of the most beautiful, warm Octobers in Saskatchewan history and thank goodness because it allowed for work to continue on the Round house in Craik. This is another variation of strawbale housing, which I wrote about previously. Hopefully, they will be able to close the building in before winter. I have a deep affection for round dwellings, so I am eagerly anticipating the completion of this endeavor.

When I went to take a closeup of the Round house, I discovered the underground house. Another interesting approach to the harsh Prairie climate. This building looks like it will be completed soon.

Craik Enviro Village in October

The town of Craik has offered inexpensive land to people who are willing to built environmentally friendly housing. At the beginning of October 2008, I took the following pictures. This is how the village looked from the Saskatoon/Regina highway. Two buildings stand out, a traditional rectangle and the frame of a round house.

The rectangle house closer up seems to be a very large, traditional structure. I heard that it might be a new school for international students??

The round house.

Straw Bale Construction

What does Saskatchewan have in abundance?

So if you want to built an inexpensive, environmentally friendly dwelling, you use what's at hand. Straw bale housing lasts 100's of years in the prairie environment and its thick walls provide a high R value. Craik's Flaxhouse Larry is building a demonstration project using Flax bales, which have a high fire resistance and aren't a preferred insect food.

After the wall is up, you cover the bales with stucco to protect the bales from moisture and increase the asthetic appeal. Here is an example of the first layer.

Then add a couple more layers, smooth the final coat and paint it. Here is an example of the entrance to the Flax Store in Craik, Saskatchewan.

So next time you are driving between Regina and Saskatoon, check out the Flax houses.

As Springtime Finally Reaches the Prairies

One of the fond memories of my youth on the prairies was of my boyfriend's homemade dandelion wine. The hours spend picking the blossoms turned his skin a rich gold like the wine.

"Is interest in foraging growing? A quick blog search on 'foraging food' came up with 165 hits over the past week, as compared to 83 hits over the same week last year." This article by Cincinnati Locavore recommends checking it out.

Turn off the lights for one hour

On March 29th, 2008 at 8pm local time Earth Hour will commence ALL AROUND THE WORLD.Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a POWERFUL MESSAGE about the need for action on global warming.Be part of making Earth Hour 2008 a huge, global success by telling your friends and family. Remember, every single light makes a statement and makes a difference.Last year, on 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney (Australia) businesses turned off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.++Pledge your support for Earth Hour and find out more about the lights-out campaign at earthhour.org, the official website. http://www.earthhour.org/

The RiverGreen Ecovillage in Saskatoon

RiverGreen aims to meet the exacting LEED-Platinum standard of the Canadian Green Building Council, ensuring outstanding environmental performance. Features like solar water heating, high-efficiency district heating, natural cooling, and rainwater harvesting will dramatically reduce resident's ecological footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.prairie-ecovillage.org/ or http://www.rivergreen.ca/

Prairie Sustainable Campus Conference

The University of Saskatchewan will be hosting the Prairie Sustainable Campus Conference Jan. 18-21, 2008.

Purpose:

The Prairies Sustainable Campuses Conference will bring together campus community members from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to build a regional network as part of the national movement to institutionalize social and environmental sustainability on campus. The Conference will act as a forum to:

1. empower campus community members to build new and more effective sustainability initiatives


2. share organizing experiences: successes, challenges and new directions


3. learn about specific Prairies sustainability initiatives and challenges


4. plan for future collaboration between campuses within the region
   

Agenda:

Friday January 18th in ARTS 143

• 4:00 Registration Begins


• 7:00 Welcome


• 7:15 Keynote Panel Discussion - Climate Change and Social Justice


• 9:30 Evening Socializing

Saturday January 19th in Arts 241

• 9:00 Outdoor Activities (so bring warm clothes unless you prefer to be inside)


• 11:00 Intro to SYC and the Conference


• 12:00 Lunch


• 1:00 Anti-Oppression Training


• 2:00 Personal Sustainability Training


• 3:00 Open Space / Personal Sustainability Time


• 4:00 Success Stories from Prairie Campuses Interactive Discussion


• 7:30 Keynote Panel Discussion - Tar Sands Activism


• 9:30 Evening Socializing
  

Sunday, January 20th in ARTS 143

• 9:00 Strategic Organizing Training


• 10:00 Regional Campaign Proposal Presentations (Campus Climate Challenge, Student Unions for Sustainability, PaperCut, United Students Against Sweatshops, and more)


• 10:45 Campaign Breakout Group Planning


• 11:45 Campaign Reportbacks and Regional Strategizing


• 12:45 Conference Wrap

For more information, http://syc-cjs.org/sustainable/Prairies+Sustainable+Campuses+Conference