Filed under: Amis & Famille, Inspiration Station, It's all relative, Permaculture School!
I spent Friday helping my friend (from Permie class) Renee construct an enormous interactive Day of the Dead/Reverance to Planet Earth shrine on a stage in the event space in Bushwick that she and her boyfriend, Carlos, own: Islan. This photo doesn’t really show the detail of certain areas, or the materials that we begged, traded and scavenged in true Permaculture fashion–it should really be seen in person. I believe Renee will be leaving this shrine up for a few days, and we want people to add their own materials to it, so if you’re in the Bushwick area(specifically off the Jefferson stop on the L), bring a leaf, or a photo of a loved one or whatever and toss it on!
Also, I’m in the process of planning a fundraiser rock/art show for Better Farm, and I think Island would be a perfect location to have it, not just because of its location and size, but because of the green theory that Renee and Carlos share. It truly is all coming together…
4 months to go before this is me:
Mark it, dude. And don’t forget to visit.
Photo via Trin Opp (obviously a soulmate of Denise)
The other day I overhead a snippet of news that mentioned “green birth control”–which got me pumped. For all my sustainable efforts, I am aware that the very fact that I piss is destroying aquatic life. But what’s a girl to do? Finding the right birth control is an extremely personal choice, and one that is often decided by how your body reacts to different methods. I was lucky enough to choose a pill that has worked for me for over 10 years, so the idea of suddenly inserting an IUD at this stage in the game seems pointless (and expensive)–especially considering I can see myself having kids within the next 5 years. And being the lazy environmentalist that I am, the Natural Birth Method seems like a lot of work!
But all that aside, apparently green birth control doesn’t refer to an actual method of birth control, but a proposition of controlling how many children a woman gives birth to! By now everyone has heard the term carbon footprint, so the reasoning here is that the more lil’ ones you bring into the world, the more damage you’re doing to it. From an objective standpoint, it’s a valid argument. I’m not one to subscribe to mass-hysteria, but this theory has thrown a small wrench into the gears of my “garden of babies” dream. Then again, if I were to raise my kids to be green-minded, wouldn’t that be doing more for the future of this world then not having any kids at all? My childhood was spent in what was essentially a single family commune (complete with veggie garden, chickens, turkeys, pig, compost and no sugar/cable tv), and look what happened: My sister is out in the Middle East studying gulf economics (the belly of the beast with big oil) and I’m on my way to helping start a Better Farm.
So maybe I’ll just limit myself to 1 flower child?
Anne Geddes photo via Seattle PI
I went to a group art show/reunion (Grand Champions Forever) on Friday night, and besides running into people I haven’t seen in 5 years, I saw some of my usual peeps who haven’t seen me since the New Orleans/Santa Fe trip (photos to come soon – promisssse). Everyone was like “where have you been??!!!” You really want to know?
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
And don’t think this was a simple “design a pretty landscape with whatever you want in it.” Oh no no. Every single element in these designs are accompanied with detailed descriptions of companion planting, guilds, stacking functions, water collection, meandering flow, natural structures…as well as free material guidelines and community involvement. If just that last sentence is making your brain explode, imagine being immersed in it for 72 hours of class. Add to that a “team member” that dropped out during the last week, leaving the other 3 of us scrambling to cover all the material for our final presentation yesterday…
But now my Urban Permaculture course is over – and I can’t say I’m not bummed out. For the most part my class was filled with amazing people, many of whom I want to involve in Better Farm in some way. And as my teacher, Claudia Joseph, said, this is only the beginning of a lifetime of learning. I fully intend on completing another Permaculture certificate once I’m upstate (the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute is “nearby”), and will probably have to take a specific teaching certificate course in order to certify others in the future. But for right now I need to veg out in front of Hulu, actually hang out with my friends and sleep in for the first time in 2 weeks.
Oh! But I will be helping Claudia out at the Old Stone House in Park Slope next Saturday for the (com)post Halloween event (flyer designed by me and my friend from class, Renee):
Like I said, it truly is a lifetime commitment… 
Filed under: ... in Natureland, Amis & Famille, Inspiration Station, It's all relative
No that’s not a recent photo from NASA’s arbitrary, and apparently disappointing, attempt to bomb the moon, but rather the Roden Crater, a “land art” piece by artist James Turrell. Land art (aka Environmental Art, Earth Art or Earthworks) is a fascinating sculptural movement that is also a very easy subject to waste hours of your time researching online.
The more I read up on it, the more I realized that I had experienced direct contact with a possible “outsider land art” piece over 10 years ago in the wilds of Maine! I distinctly recall stopping with a high school boyfriend on the way to his apt in Skowhegan so he could take me to a field full of strange mounds in the shape of spirals and human figures. I remember that this field was along a river, and there was also a weird structure that you could look through to see an identical structure lined up with it on the opposite bank, ala redneck Stonehenge.
Not being from the Skowhegan area, and so with no hope of ever again stumbling upon this mystical glen on my own, I turned to the only reputable source that could help me find the truth: Strange Maine. And sure enough, I bring you the new Roswell: Weird Field in Bingham?
This “discussion” also continues its inconclusiveness in a Google group of the same name. Now I’m no conspiracy-theorist, but how come on both websites there are commenters insisting on practical explanations like “As far a the mounds, they were most likely aleuvial deposits. Human shaped mounds are a common feature alongside river and stream beds” or “I know the field. Those indents are from test holes an rocks being removed for clearing the field for gardening that never followed through. The rocks around the holes were placed as a prank I suspect to make it look creepier?” What? There is a HUGE difference between some sediment deposits (human shaped or not) and an enormous mound shaped like a reclining woman that I CLIMBED OVER!
Not to mention the Google satellite maps some of the commenters posted show no sign of this field…At this point I have no choice but to contact this ex boyf and make a trek to see if this masterpiece Earthworks really exists or if we all were just hypnotized by a “cult [that] used to human sacrifice the babies.”
In a bid to be the new, not-even-finished-yet Fresh Kills, a plan to build an alternative-energy theme park on Ward’s Island was signed off on by ol’ Bloomy. And of course it was brought to us by the same quality newspaper who recently printed a completely “green themed” issue with the front page headline “WE’RE SCREWED!”…The New York Post:
Wind reigns at city’s green ‘power park’
By JEREMY OLSHAN
Last Updated: 7:58 AM, October 14, 2009
Posted: 2:56 AM, October 14, 2009
In a grab for even more “power,” Mayor Bloomberg is about to harness the sun, the wind and East River tide.
The city just inked a deal to build an alternative-energy theme park on Wards Island, a complex of solar panels, wind and tidal turbines that will generate enough juice to power 100 homes. Intended to educate New Yorkers on the potential of going green, this demonstration project will generate only a tiny fraction of the energy possible with the technology, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe told The Post: “We hope it will prove the worthiness of the island as a location for alternative energy generation,” he said. “We hope it can demonstrate this is a cost-effective way to capture the free energy of wind, sun and tides — and a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and our dependence on oil and gas.”
Project designer Natural Currents Energy Group, which is working on various renewable energy efforts around the country, said the Wards Island project has been tentatively dubbed Renewable Energy Park. Four 100-kilowatt tidal turbines, each 6 feet by 8 feet, will turn the wild currents of the East River into electric current; A 140-foot-high wind turbine, which will come only 60 feet from the base of the bridge, will be the most visible feature of the plant; Eight hundred square feet of solar panels, producing a total of 5 kilowatts, are mostly for show, and will not generate anywhere near the power the wind and tidal turbines do, said Roger Bason, president of NCEG.
Funded by a $990,000 grant from the US Department of Energy and $1.4 million from the city, the new green-power plant will be located on the southern tip of Wards Island near the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge. The electricity generated will be pumped into the Con Ed grid and will help offset the cost of lighting the park, including the Icahn Stadium on attached Randalls Island, Benepe said. Because of the complex web of government agencies controlling Randalls and Wards islands, and the effort to raise the funds, it has taken years to work out the details of a project first floated in 2006. But now that the contract is signed, it should be fully operational in two years, Bason said.
The solar panels will be ready the soonest, followed by the wind turbine and then the tidal ones. The New York City power plant could be a showpiece for the technology and could help Bloomberg move forward with his 2008 proposal to install wind farms atop buildings and bridges, Bason said. “This is a demonstration, and a very timely one,” he said. “We will have a visitor’s kiosk where people can see all the plans and learn how the various technologies work.” Based on some estimates, the East River alone could be harnessed to provide between 3 and 5 percent of New York’s power needs, Bason said. Wards and Randalls islands are an ideal location for the demonstration because the currents through Hell Gate are notoriously powerful, and it is an open area for sun and wind, Benepe said. “But it’s unclear to us if the devices can stand up to the currents of Hell Gate. Some experimental work was done and they did not,” the Parks commissioner said. The Parks Department is also exploring a wind turbine at Fresh Kills Park on Staten Island, and is working on other similar green projects around the city, he said. jeremy.olshan@nypost.com In a grab for even more “power,” Mayor Bloomberg is about to harness the sun, the wind and East River tide.
The city just inked a deal to build an alternative-energy theme park on Wards Island, a complex of solar panels, wind and tidal turbines that will generate enough juice to power 100 homes.
Intended to educate New Yorkers on the potential of going green, this demonstration project will generate only a tiny fraction of the energy possible with the technology, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe told The Post.
“We hope it will prove the worthiness of the island as a location for alternative energy generation,” he said. “We hope it can demonstrate this is a cost-effective way to capture the free energy of wind, sun and tides — and a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and our dependence on oil and gas.”
Project designer Natural Currents Energy Group, which is working on various renewable energy efforts around the country, said the Wards Island project has been tentatively dubbed Renewable Energy Park.
Four 100-kilowatt tidal turbines, each 6 feet by 8 feet, will turn the wild currents of the East River into electric current.
A 140-foot-high wind turbine, which will come only 60 feet from the base of the bridge, will be the most visible feature of the plant.
Eight hundred square feet of solar panels, producing a total of 5 kilowatts, are mostly for show, and will not generate anywhere near the power the wind and tidal turbines do, said Roger Bason, president of NCEG.
Funded by a $990,000 grant from the US Department of Energy and $1.4 million from the city, the new green-power plant will be located on the southern tip of Wards Island near the Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) Bridge.
The electricity generated will be pumped into the Con Ed grid and will help offset the cost of lighting the park, including the Icahn Stadium on attached Randalls Island, Benepe said.
Because of the complex web of government agencies controlling Randalls and Wards islands, and the effort to raise the funds, it has taken years to work out the details of a project first floated in 2006. But now that the contract is signed, it should be fully operational in two years, Bason said. The solar panels will be ready the soonest, followed by the wind turbine and then the tidal ones.
The New York City power plant could be a showpiece for the technology and could help Bloomberg move forward with his 2008 proposal to install wind farms atop buildings and bridges, Bason said.
“This is a demonstration, and a very timely one,” he said. “We will have a visitor’s kiosk where people can see all the plans and learn how the various technologies work.”
Based on some estimates, the East River alone could be harnessed to provide between 3 and 5 percent of New York’s power needs, Bason said.
Wards and Randalls islands are an ideal location for the demonstration because the currents through Hell Gate are notoriously powerful, and it is an open area for sun and wind, Benepe said. “But it’s unclear to us if the devices can stand up to the currents of Hell Gate. Some experimental work was done and they did not,” the Parks commissioner said.
The Parks Department is also exploring a wind turbine at Fresh Kills Park on Staten Island, and is working on other similar green projects around the city, he said.
This could be just a political move by Bloomberg to vouch for a project that may or may not every get off the ground. But hey, if it does come about, at least someone may learn something in the middle of their otherwise gluttonous, consumer-filled day!
Tidal turbines from TreeHugger
I’ve been doing a little (read: a lot of) organizing lately, and stumbled upon this photo of flowers in a Sailor Boy Oysters can on my desktop. I’m not sure if I was planning on posting it, or if it was just reference for me to arrange some blooms in one of our leftover Tuttorusso tomato paste cans (Italian baby boy is very particular in his cooking), but regardless–now I’m posting a bunch…of bunches!
Oyster can photos 1 & 2 from Apartment Therapy
Birch tin can and red roses from Design*Sponge
Row of tomato sauce planters from Crafty Stylish
Tin can wall garden from Craftzine
So mad scientist Fritzy is at it again! This time with “a colony of geodesic domed tents for temporary colonization, squatting, taking over and making yourself at home in the San Gabriel Mountains.” The info on his site states:
Dome Colony X in the San Gabriels welcomes you to spend time in a mountain colony of intimate dome spaces focused on a central round platform stage. The walls are painted with a continuous silhouette of Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Mountains, which is echoed in the form of the continuous perimeter seating system. The 8000 square foot space is a shifting encampment or colony of four geodesic dome tents and CENTER STAGE for occupations, gatherings, regular meetings, and intimate organized activities. Each dome has it’s own community ECOLOGY DOME, GASTRONOMY DOME, LITERARY DOME and DRUMS & SKINS DOME. A schedule of events will be posted inside each dome, and also updated regularly here as events and colonists are continually added.
AT: the ground floor of X INITIATIVE, 548 West 22nd Street, New York, NY (the former Dia building).
HOURS: Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11am – 6pm through October 17th.
RECEPTION & book release: Wednesday, September 16, 7:00 – 9:00pm.Also check out: video from AudioDraw event (youtube) / download the gallery flyer (pdf)
I’m going to fit in a visit before it closes in a couple weeks. Everything Fritz Haeg does is so inspiring…not to mention always varied and original! And his site finally published photos from the Lenape Edible Estate that Stephanie, Lucy and I helped out at back in the Spring.
He even gave a little shout out to all the volunteers – totally unexpected but further proof how awesome he is.
Photos from FritzHaeg.com
Filed under: Better Farm, Deep Thoughts, It's all relative, Permaculture School!, Workin’ 9-5
Just got home from class and boy am I FIRED UP! My wonderful teacher Claudia Joseph has been hosting amazing guest teachers every week, each with a different specialty. This week we had Ariane Burgess, a Scot who teaches in Thailand and studies eco villages and community involvement – an enormous part of “permanent culture” (aka Permaculture).
Over the last few months, we’ve covered a lot of ground, both in the classroom and on site at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. It’s a bit overwhelming at times, and even with my furious note-taking, sometimes I wonder if I’m really absorbing it all equally. But based on how pumped I got in class today (putting in my 2¢ more than normal all while internally bursting with ideas related to Better Farm), I really think I’ve found my specific calling in the field.
A large part of community building has to do with relationship building, with many different kind of people, all of whom may have many different views. Making others feel comfortable and acknowledged is a characteristic I like to think I inherently have, and this skill is one that is best flexed when I’m placed in management positions…like my recent job promotion. So although lately I’ve been feeling more tired than when I was doing actual physical labor, the extra stress and responsibility is only adding to my ability to handle difficult situations among multiple people.
Moral of the story? Real life = real life skills…Amazing!
Illustration from icewhistle.com.
I have class the every Saturday in October (besides H’ween), but anyone who wants to get some fresh air before hibernation sets in…
Flyer via New York Restoration Project.
Hope everyone’s enjoying their weekend. Personally, I’m in class all day today (9-5), but learnin’ be good!
Photo from Apartment Therapy.
The Porta Hedge was one of the artworks included in the United States Botanic Garden’s outdoor exhibit over the summer. I may not have noticed it because of it’s incredible camoflauge…
The Porta Hedge is an artificial, mobile alternative to a natural wall. The exterior is constructed from recycled artificial Christmas trees, and when combined with the prerecorded bird song that plays from the exterior, many people have a difficult time distinguishing it from the real thing. But what really distinguishes the Porta Hedge from your average hedge is its concealed interior study…
…which offers a library of field guides, peek holes, a rooftop observation hatch, and a birdcage for those who prefer to observe.
I think Butch needs one of these as a writer’s retreat. Hannukah present!
Top 2 photos from 700 Evergreens, bottom illustration from Dartmouth.
…to the United States Botanic Garden! A few months ago, Butchy and I visited my sister and hubby Nick while they were temporarily back in DC. We mostly wandered around the conservatory rooms (including the second story walkway in the Palm House), since I actually didn’t realize there was an outdoor part…so without further pomp and circumstance:
Apparently in the outdoor area that I missed, there were nature-inspired sculptures by a variety of artists, including the following:
Leaves of Grass by Pattie Porter Firestone
Rhizophora Mangle (Mangrove) by Dalya Luttwak
And my favorite…to be revealed later this week….
Hello? Oh, you want to promote me to Manager of Accounts, complete with a raise, and a blackberry, despite me having only worked for you for 3 months and still without any sort of degree in horticulture even started? I guess acting like a big know-it-all really does pay off! I’ll TAKE it, Manhattan Plant Design Experts. Just goes to show–hands on paid job training always trumps paying for school!
Filed under: Better Farm, Inspiration Station, It's all relative, Naturey Tips
…goes to Greta Brown, who just completed a walk from New Orleans to Rouges Point, NY, to raise awareness to climate change. Although a completely inspirational (not to mention, spry) 90-year-old, Nana Greta encountered her share of discouraging people during her trek up Route 11, as reported in last Friday’s Times article:
Sometimes they stop to tell her not to worry: God would never allow Earth to warm disastrously, they say.
In the end, Ms. Browne said, she thinks that most people are sympathetic and want to do something — just not too much. She was particularly discouraged by a woman who approached her after one church talk and said, “Oh, you are preaching to the choir. We already recycle.”
“Mostly people think it is a problem,” [Ms. Brown] said, “but mostly they think it will not impact them anytime soon.”
Discouraging indeed! But even if she convinced one person to think differently about how their actions effect the earth, then her walk was a success. And according to her “climate walk map” Nana Greta skirted right by Better Farm earlier this month! [Note to Nicole: Email Greta and grab granny while she's hot!]
Amazing. And speaking of New Orleans, Butchy and I are off to my dream destination (followed by a ho hum bonus jaunt to Santa Fe) tomorrow. So F that S will be on hiatus for roughly 10 days–but stay tuned for full documentation of above-ground cemeteries, loose alligators, Christmas Lounges and Southern Decadence!
Filed under: Amis & Famille, Better Farm, Bookworm, Inspiration Station, It's all relative
Maggie doesn’t even know, but being in Vietnam not only puts you on the level, it is the level. Building some “Living Structures” has been at the top of the Better Farm to do list for some time now…so a free download of this bible of green building certainly doesn’t hurt!
…Or whatever leaps from the water into your boat, all in the name of nature preservation:
Rednecks with bats vs. invasive flying Asian carp. You can’t make this shit up.
Filed under: Better Farm, It's all relative, Naturey Tips, Permaculture School!
I’ve been in the process of earning my certificate in Permaculture under the amazing Claudia Joseph, whose intensive knowledge of everything from mulch to maintenance has provided information for posts on this blog as well as on my personal blog on all things green(ish). And this particular knowledge on water catchment came via one of her fascinating guest teachers, Lars Chellberg, who works for the Council on the Environment of NYC and the Water Resources Group. What follows is the majorly abridged version. But lucky lucky, the entire 54-page, in-depth, how-to booklet is available as a free download.
As most people have heard by now, the more water we save for reuse, and the less that simply runs straight down our drains, the better. Do you have a roof and storm gutters? Well then you’ve already started to channel useful rainwater…although having it spill unused onto a random spot on your lawn is not the best finale. Installing a water catchment system may be more complex than placing an open whiskey barrel under the spout…but the construction doesn’t have to be hard.
See the rest of the article at the Better Farm blog.
My sister Jocelyn and her hubby Nick have been living/working in Qatar for the past year, and based on their almost daily (mis)adventures, sustainability wouldn’t seem to be part of the Qatarian vocabulary….but my ever social sister managed to FIND such a green-minded group: SustainableQatar.
‘SustainableQatar’ started off in March 2008 as a group of environmental and social educators getting together to share interests and start a dialogue. Our goal to share resources, foster collaboration, and make a real change in the health and well-being of the community, environment, and development of Qatar.
We’d like to expand our group beyond educators and invite citizens, community organizations, non-profits, NGOs, and representatives from the Qatari government to join us.
With such proactive ideas as recycling initiatives, sustainable local building materials, and waterless urinals–and with increasing global scrutiny on the origins of Big Oil–a movement started in the belly of the beast is fitting for a problem that needs an green solution.
Photo of the future Entertainment City of Qatar from ConstructionWeekOnline
The cover of AM New York this morning:
BIG NEWS! Apparently some pitcher plant with a diameter big enough to swallow a rat was discovered high in the mountains of the Philippines. The article (jokingly) suggests that planting some here may solve the city’s rat problem. Besides the off-handed downsides listed (rats learning not to go near the plant, the plant itself dying after digesting one rat), how about the MAJOR problems with introducing an exotic species, only recently discovered, into a new environment? It could be invasive, it could kill other animals, it could contain toxins that taint the already overused water supply.
Come to think of it, the issue of NYC waste management and the associated red tape would be a much more intelligent front pager, if AM New York really wanted to inform its readers.
All activist bitching aside, that plant is pretty f-ing cool. And apparently the BBG currently has an exhibit of pitcher plants. Please…grow for me!
