The Park Management Team at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument successfully pursued building an unconventional, state-of-the-art zero-energy home as a replacement for the ranger residence at the remote Painted Hills Unit The goal, which is to make the park’s Painted Hills Unit carbon neutral and energy self sufficient in housing, administration and transportation, was close to being realized with the completion of the new residence. This house, built at a cost comparable to standard construction, not only eliminates utility costs to the ranger in residence, but it also exposed local contractors and the public to a building method far more energy efficient than anything they were familiar with. The…
-
-
Biomass Energy in John Day
Generations of sawlog harvesting can leave commercial forests choked with forestry leftovers: sapling-sized and un-merchantable trees, which need to be thinned to make way for healthy growth. In January 2009, Grant County government began an investigation to see whether there was enough of this type of woody biomass in the area to support a pellet plant, and what that plant might look like. The Grant County Fiber Utilization Study took more than 4 months and enlisted the help of several local, state and federal agency employees, foresters and business people. When complete, the study was shared with individuals, government agencies, legislators and congressional delegates. Because the county had a completed…
-
Volt Owner Gets 300+ MPG
When General Motors unveiled the Chevrolet Volt, the media was caught off balance and failed to fully appreciate what the engineers at GM had come up with. Is it an electric car? Is it a hybrid? Is it an extended range electric car? The debate went on and on. Does it really matter and who cares anyway? So while the auto techno-experts argued over where exactly to put the Volt, people were quietly buying them and putting them in their garages. Best of all, Motor Trend magazine got it right and called the Volt “Car Of The Year”. One of the new Volt owners was Jeff Parmet, who purchased his…
-
Hoop Houses: Eat from Your Garden Earlier and Longer
Compiled by Gary Munkhoff Hoop houses are a great do-it-yourself project that can make it possible for you to garden all year long. They can also be used for storage, as a temporary garage, or even as a workshop. They are inexpensive, easy to construct and when completed they also: Add to two months to either end of your growing season. Provide room to set out your plant starts until they can be planted in your garden. Let you grow winter greens, like spinach, all through the winter season. Give tomatoes those over 60 degree warm nights that they need for setting fruit. Protect your plants from wind and frost.…
-
Wood in the Course of Human Events
Wood has got to be one of nature’s most miraculous gifts to the human race. We have depended on wood for fuel, tools, weapons, and shelter since before the dawn of history. Even in this high tech world of the twenty first century there is wood everywhere, in one form or another, no matter if we are flying across the country at 30,000 feet, riding in a subway beneath the streets of Manhattan, or sitting on the sofa in front of the TV set. The sad fact is that wood has been with us for so long and is present in so many different forms that we no longer notice…
-
Velomobiles in the Gorge
If you were traveling on I-84 on July 29, 2011 you might have seen what appeared to be a whole bunch of kiddie cars heading east. Well they weren’t kiddie cars, they were velomobiles and they were going from Portland to Washington, DC as part of the Roll Across America Tour (ROAM). The tour was billed as the classic tour across the United States, a great adventure, a challenge to will and strength – a world premiere of velomobiling. 5000 km, four weeks, fifty riders from Europe and North America. They arrived in Washington, DC on August 24th, 2011. So what is a velomobile? Basically it is a recumbent bicycle…
-
John Day or Bust
John Day Or Bust is a call to action for all-electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts who support the vision that replacing the internal combustion engines (ICE) that are now powering America’s fleet of personal vehicles with electric drive systems is the quickest and cheapest path to breaking our addiction to oil.
-
Where were you in 1991?
Solar Energy International Was Just Getting Started Teaching the World About Renewable Energy Technologies. Solar Training and Renewable Energy Education – Celebrating 20 Years For 20 years, Solar Energy International has been dedicated to hands-on and online solar training and renewable energy education in wind, micro-hydro, sustainable building and developing world technologies. Solar Energy International also works with grassroots and development organizations to promote sustainability and improve quality of life worldwide through viable outreach programs. SEI Training Programs Through our Renewable Energy Education Program (REEP), SEI offers hands-on workshops and online courses in solar PV, wind, micro-hydro, solar hot water and natural home building. SEI Development Work SEI works cooperatively with grassroots and…
-
Skin is No Obstacle for BPA
Bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, is an industrial chemical component of many widely-used items including plastics, resins, canned food linings, and paper goods. Studies have suggested that long-term or high-dose exposure to the organic, estrogen-like compound disrupts the body’s endocrine system and may be linked to cancer, heart disease, intestinal damage, reproductive problems, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, obesity, impaired neurodevelopment, and behavioral changes in children. BPA is a part of a thermal paper coating that acts as a color developer in small credit card and cash register receipt printers. According to a CBS news report, some receipts contain up to1,000 times the levels found in a can of food. Needless to…
-
History, Habits & Water Bottles
In early 1946 when my dad returned home from the Philippines after the end of WWII, he brought with him a treasure trove of neat stuff to fire the imagination of a seven year old. All the right stuff was there for exploring the empty lots in our Long Island (NY) suburban neighborhood: knapsack, pup tent, canteen and mess kit. But the canteen was far and away my favorite, for with it, I was free to roam far beyond the limits of the “run home for a glass of water” range. This sturdy veteran of “The War” was to be my introduction to a wide array of containers needed to…
