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sustainability stuff
Aug. 30th, 2006 11:42 amThe Irving Oil people came by yesterday to fill my propane tank. The only thing we use gas for is the cooktop, so they come by about once a year and top it off. This time, they put in 27.3 gallons, about $100. That's our entire primary petrochemical use for the house for a year. The year before we used somewhere around 1000 gallons of fuel oil for heat and hot water, but last Fall we switched from a fuel-oil boiler to a wood-powered boiler. I'm very happy with the switch, and while it's more work to heat with wood, it tends to keep me in decent shape too, a nice bonus ;>
But of course that's only a first step, because we're still on-grid for our electrical use other than when I'm running off the backup generator, and we still have three gasoline-powered cars plus a diesel tractor between all of us, and we're not growing much of our own food yet, but y'know, one piece at a time. This year has been largely about getting the main house to where we want it to be (new roof, wood boiler, renovations/additions), and dealing with unexpected family health issues. But we're getting there, step by step. On most days only two cars leave and come back to the house for all of us here, and we're buying an ever-increasing amount of our food directly or indirectly from local farms and dairies.
But it's just a beginning. I just ran across an article about a sustainable community that seems to be doing a good job of combining hope and practicality: Think Small, Think Local -- THE GATEWAY PROJECT: Sustainable bioregional planning There are a lot of ways to approach sustainability. With all of these roads, there's a lot to be done, but it's doable, I believe that. We'll use the resources we have as best we can, and as things shift, we'll use what we have. And it's a lot easier to start all of these projects now, when there's time to make mistakes, learn and adjust, the economy is in relatively good shape, and energy is still relatively cheap.
Another recent resource -- there's a 20-page pamphlet in PDF form on oil depletion and economic shifts about half-way down this page. Some scary stuff, but also some good points, and some hope, too. The section on "The Low-Energy Community" was of particular interest to me. The biggest likely shift, I believe, is that we're all going to end up living a lot closer to where we work, and we're going to be living a lot closer to where our food comes from. It won't be a choice, really, for most of us.
But, y'know, if some genius figures out cheap fusion power over the next 5 years (not bloody likely), plus finds a way to safely get rid of our excess CO2 and heat and all of the other environmental challenges facing us now, I'll still be happy to make my own biorenewable heat, grow food, support my local farmers, and have as small a footprint on the world as I can. Seems like a good idea to me.
But of course that's only a first step, because we're still on-grid for our electrical use other than when I'm running off the backup generator, and we still have three gasoline-powered cars plus a diesel tractor between all of us, and we're not growing much of our own food yet, but y'know, one piece at a time. This year has been largely about getting the main house to where we want it to be (new roof, wood boiler, renovations/additions), and dealing with unexpected family health issues. But we're getting there, step by step. On most days only two cars leave and come back to the house for all of us here, and we're buying an ever-increasing amount of our food directly or indirectly from local farms and dairies.
But it's just a beginning. I just ran across an article about a sustainable community that seems to be doing a good job of combining hope and practicality: Think Small, Think Local -- THE GATEWAY PROJECT: Sustainable bioregional planning There are a lot of ways to approach sustainability. With all of these roads, there's a lot to be done, but it's doable, I believe that. We'll use the resources we have as best we can, and as things shift, we'll use what we have. And it's a lot easier to start all of these projects now, when there's time to make mistakes, learn and adjust, the economy is in relatively good shape, and energy is still relatively cheap.
Another recent resource -- there's a 20-page pamphlet in PDF form on oil depletion and economic shifts about half-way down this page. Some scary stuff, but also some good points, and some hope, too. The section on "The Low-Energy Community" was of particular interest to me. The biggest likely shift, I believe, is that we're all going to end up living a lot closer to where we work, and we're going to be living a lot closer to where our food comes from. It won't be a choice, really, for most of us.
But, y'know, if some genius figures out cheap fusion power over the next 5 years (not bloody likely), plus finds a way to safely get rid of our excess CO2 and heat and all of the other environmental challenges facing us now, I'll still be happy to make my own biorenewable heat, grow food, support my local farmers, and have as small a footprint on the world as I can. Seems like a good idea to me.
