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Well, a blizzard hit last night and dumped 8 inches of snow on my camper in the forest. My batteries were drained so no heat and light. Read all about it here: www.thediyworld.com/blog/?p=1152
It got down to 40 degrees during the night inside the camper. The snow covered my solar panels so there is not charging today. I swept them off, but they were immediately covered with snow within minutes.
If I do not get power, there will be no heat again tonight. My fireplace has a built in water boiler which needs to have a water pump running and a couple fans to blow the heat. So I had to shut it all down last night and tough it out.
Reminds me of an old joke: "I'm writing a book. I've numbered all the pages, now all I gotta do is fill them in." Ten months later, it'll all be worth it.
I'm working on a project called Sustainable Howe Sound with the David Suzuki Foundation (sustainablehowesound.ca/).
From the website we're building... "Life in the waters of Howe Sound is rebounding after decades of harm from industrial activity. Planning for the future is the best way to protect the sound’s wildlife and communities. Sustainable Howe Sound is a platform for individuals and groups who share a commitment to protect Howe Sound. The end goal is a plan for land and marine environments guided by public and expert input.".
Our first visit was to Camp Firmcom (fircom.ca/) on Gambier Island. Check out the interview and photos! :)
sustainablehowesound.ca/stories/connection/
(on assignment for David Suzuki Foundation)
I'm working on a project called Sustainable Howe Sound with the David Suzuki Foundation (sustainablehowesound.ca/).
From the website we're building... "Life in the waters of Howe Sound is rebounding after decades of harm from industrial activity. Planning for the future is the best way to protect the sound’s wildlife and communities. Sustainable Howe Sound is a platform for individuals and groups who share a commitment to protect Howe Sound. The end goal is a plan for land and marine environments guided by public and expert input.".
Our first visit was to Camp Firmcom (fircom.ca/) on Gambier Island. Check out the interview and photos! :)
sustainablehowesound.ca/stories/connection/
(on assignment for David Suzuki Foundation)
I'm working on a project called Sustainable Howe Sound with the David Suzuki Foundation (sustainablehowesound.ca/).
From the website we're building... "Life in the waters of Howe Sound is rebounding after decades of harm from industrial activity. Planning for the future is the best way to protect the sound’s wildlife and communities. Sustainable Howe Sound is a platform for individuals and groups who share a commitment to protect Howe Sound. The end goal is a plan for land and marine environments guided by public and expert input.".
Our first visit was to Camp Firmcom (fircom.ca/) on Gambier Island. Check out the interview and photos! :)
sustainablehowesound.ca/stories/connection/
(on assignment for David Suzuki Foundation)
As you can see, wall sconces are installed & Ed Stevens (aka: super craftsman) is burning the midnight oil creating custom walnut panel strips and absolutely GORGEOUS birch multi-ply window treatments, loosely based on the originals.
We were after a large, open communal workspace. The kitchen had to go. The cabinetry was charming but ultimately not practical for an office environment. Luckily, we were able to find good homes for most of the cabinetry, shower stall, etc., courtesy of our friends at the Spartan Trailer Yahoo Group.
Stir fried NY strip sirloin with tomato, onion, cilantro lettuce and soy sauce. Topped with french fries and aji rocoto aioli. Served with Sweet Potatoes Fries.
Sanguchon - Peruvian Sangucheria Truck
Off the Grid Hayward
Triangle Lot between Foothill Blvd., Mission Blvd., and D Street,
Hayward, Calif
My blood sugar was 180 mg/dl two hours later. I forgot to measure before I ate.
Dome Guys - Private living dome in California, constructed in 2007. This living space has green long-life cover, a bay window, and interior walls, which create separate rooms. This dome is off-the-grid.
Pictured: Owner and dog on stairs to upper level
In Feburary 2007, we had a volunteer day @ Armory Northwest and began the full tear-down of the '53 IM's interior.
Interior shot from May of 2005... (soon to be) home sweet home. Note the lovely wallpaper over the birch (ick). Ugh, what have we gotten ourselves into?
Dome Guys - Private living dome in California, constructed in 2007. This living space has green long-life cover, a bay window, and interior walls, which create separate rooms. This dome is off-the-grid.
Pictured: Interior, second-level
I'm working on a project called Sustainable Howe Sound with the David Suzuki Foundation (sustainablehowesound.ca/).
From the website we're building... "Life in the waters of Howe Sound is rebounding after decades of harm from industrial activity. Planning for the future is the best way to protect the sound’s wildlife and communities. Sustainable Howe Sound is a platform for individuals and groups who share a commitment to protect Howe Sound. The end goal is a plan for land and marine environments guided by public and expert input.".
Our first visit was to Camp Firmcom (fircom.ca/) on Gambier Island. Check out the interview and photos! :)
sustainablehowesound.ca/stories/connection/
(on assignment for David Suzuki Foundation)
The first night of Off the Grid at Proxy in Hayes Valley on Wednesday evenings.
Left to right: Avedano's, KoJa Kitchen, Hapa SF, and The Taco Guys.
Finally, 1/4" AAA-grade birch ply went over the whole thing. We opted for using specialty screws for all connections, thereby ensuring easy panel removal (for maintenance, etc.)
Gestures live at the Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring MD. 3apr10. Event was curated by DC Sonic Circuits: 2nd installment in the "Off the Grid" series of unplugged and/or battery powered experimental music performances.
Dome Guys - Private living dome in California, constructed in 2007. This living space has green long-life cover, a bay window, and interior walls, which create separate rooms. This dome is off-the-grid.
Pictured: kitchen
Here's the brain-trust behind the cardboard tube rig (from left): Jon Lapointe, Otono Lujan, and Ed Stevens... the guy who made it all happen. You can see how proud we are of ourselves. Honestly, until we found the tube in the trash, we had NO IDEA how we were gonna deal with these curves. As mentioned, it worked like a dream. To this day (7 months later), the curved panels are in pristine condition.
Gestures live at the Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring MD. 3apr10. Event was curated by DC Sonic Circuits: 2nd installment in the "Off the Grid" series of unplugged and/or battery powered experimental music performances.
The reception had an amazing selection of sweets for guests to enjoy, including a tootsie roll pop topiary tree. They also had green sour worms (one of my faves)!
The Fort Knox energy team demonstrated during an Energy Security Project ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday the installation’s capability to operate independently of external power sources using natural gas from beneath the post’s surface – a first for a U.S. military installation.
The project was originally conceived to address mission readiness issues experienced in 2009 when an ice storm left Fort Knox and much of Kentucky without power for several consecutive days.
The harvesting of renewable methane gas on post in recent years and the installation’s six new energy substations that include gas generators now allow Fort Knox to continue 100 percent of its operations if power from the external utility provider is cut off. The post’s 3.7 megawatts of solar arrays and 6 million square feet of building space that is heated and cooled using geothermal energy has allowed the post to reduce its dependency on using other power sources, such as gas, as well.
“We’re giving back gold to the taxpayers,” said Garrison Commander Col. T.J. Edwards. “Our (Directorate of Public Works) estimates that we will save about $8 million per year from peak shaving.”
Peak shaving des-cribes another primary purpose of the Energy Security Project – switching to Fort Knox-produced power when energy demand strains the off-post energy utility, which is also when costs to purchase energy are at its highest. Com- bined with the savings achieved through geothermal heating and cooling, Fort Knox’s annual energy utility bill is projected to be $18 million less.
“Our energy team is special,” said Edwards. “We’ve won nine conse- cutive Secretary of the Army energy awards. But we don’t sit on our laurels. We’re constantly getting after it, asking how do we get better.”
Katherine Ham-mack, the assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, addressed the criticality for installations to maintain operating capability at all times.
“Energy security underwrites our unique ability to rapidly de- ploy, employ and sustain military forces around the globe, she
said. “And it’s for that
reason the Army is moving toward building resilience into our installations.”
Fort Knox’s ability to achieve this “resilience” was credited by the secretary and garrison commander as a result of Fort Knox Director-ate of Public Works, contracting command and legal officials working to establish partnerships with third parties whose expertise is in the energy field. As an example, Edwards singled out Brandon Marcum, an engineer and Harshaw Trane subcontractor for Nolin RECC, as a central figure in creating and developing the concept that became the Energy Security Project.
“We have authorities to work with third parties, leveraging core competency, capability and funding to enable us to meet our mission,” said Hammack. “The private sector partners have stepped up to help the Army in meeting our mission requirements.”
Nolin RECC staff gave the audience of about 150 area and military leaders, Fort Knox employees and area community members an inside look at its energy security bunker through a live video stream. Attendees were told how all of the systems function to achieve energy independence and peak shave. The built-in redundancies to prevent power failure – such as an off-site energy security bunker and the multiple, secured substations – were touted as well during the demonstration.
The formal celebration of the occasion involved a unique twist. Dignitaries and Army leaders didn’t cut a ribbon, they unplugged a ribbon. The ribbon was an LED cord, and when it was unplugged in the middle, the side connected to the Fort Knox power source stayed lit, symbolizing Fort Knox’s energy independence.
“Kentucky is very proud of the efforts here,” said Dave Thompson, Kentucky Commission on Mili-tary Affairs executive director. “We see Fort Knox as a growing in- stallation with undeniable potential for the future. Job well done.”
For more information about Fort Knox’s energy initiatives, read Capt. Jo Smoke’s story in the March 26 edition of The Gold Standard, titled “The Army’s only green island: 20 years of energy investments pay off,” which can be found at bit.ly/1FY4MT5. To learn more about the Energy Security Project visit youtu.be/CxNH7m0cdfw.
Photos by Renee Rhodes Fort Knox Photo
I'm working on a project called Sustainable Howe Sound with the David Suzuki Foundation (sustainablehowesound.ca/).
From the website we're building... "Life in the waters of Howe Sound is rebounding after decades of harm from industrial activity. Planning for the future is the best way to protect the sound’s wildlife and communities. Sustainable Howe Sound is a platform for individuals and groups who share a commitment to protect Howe Sound. The end goal is a plan for land and marine environments guided by public and expert input.".
Our first visit was to Camp Firmcom (fircom.ca/) on Gambier Island. Check out the interview and photos! :)
sustainablehowesound.ca/stories/connection/
(on assignment for David Suzuki Foundation)
Dome Guys - Private living dome in California, constructed in 2007. This living space has green long-life cover, a bay window, and interior walls, which create separate rooms. This dome is off-the-grid.
Pictured: Standard door front entry
The Fort Knox energy team demonstrated during an Energy Security Project ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday the installation’s capability to operate independently of external power sources using natural gas from beneath the post’s surface – a first for a U.S. military installation.
The project was originally conceived to address mission readiness issues experienced in 2009 when an ice storm left Fort Knox and much of Kentucky without power for several consecutive days.
The harvesting of renewable methane gas on post in recent years and the installation’s six new energy substations that include gas generators now allow Fort Knox to continue 100 percent of its operations if power from the external utility provider is cut off. The post’s 3.7 megawatts of solar arrays and 6 million square feet of building space that is heated and cooled using geothermal energy has allowed the post to reduce its dependency on using other power sources, such as gas, as well.
“We’re giving back gold to the taxpayers,” said Garrison Commander Col. T.J. Edwards. “Our (Directorate of Public Works) estimates that we will save about $8 million per year from peak shaving.”
Peak shaving des-cribes another primary purpose of the Energy Security Project – switching to Fort Knox-produced power when energy demand strains the off-post energy utility, which is also when costs to purchase energy are at its highest. Com- bined with the savings achieved through geothermal heating and cooling, Fort Knox’s annual energy utility bill is projected to be $18 million less.
“Our energy team is special,” said Edwards. “We’ve won nine conse- cutive Secretary of the Army energy awards. But we don’t sit on our laurels. We’re constantly getting after it, asking how do we get better.”
Katherine Ham-mack, the assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, addressed the criticality for installations to maintain operating capability at all times.
“Energy security underwrites our unique ability to rapidly de- ploy, employ and sustain military forces around the globe, she
said. “And it’s for that
reason the Army is moving toward building resilience into our installations.”
Fort Knox’s ability to achieve this “resilience” was credited by the secretary and garrison commander as a result of Fort Knox Director-ate of Public Works, contracting command and legal officials working to establish partnerships with third parties whose expertise is in the energy field. As an example, Edwards singled out Brandon Marcum, an engineer and Harshaw Trane subcontractor for Nolin RECC, as a central figure in creating and developing the concept that became the Energy Security Project.
“We have authorities to work with third parties, leveraging core competency, capability and funding to enable us to meet our mission,” said Hammack. “The private sector partners have stepped up to help the Army in meeting our mission requirements.”
Nolin RECC staff gave the audience of about 150 area and military leaders, Fort Knox employees and area community members an inside look at its energy security bunker through a live video stream. Attendees were told how all of the systems function to achieve energy independence and peak shave. The built-in redundancies to prevent power failure – such as an off-site energy security bunker and the multiple, secured substations – were touted as well during the demonstration.
The formal celebration of the occasion involved a unique twist. Dignitaries and Army leaders didn’t cut a ribbon, they unplugged a ribbon. The ribbon was an LED cord, and when it was unplugged in the middle, the side connected to the Fort Knox power source stayed lit, symbolizing Fort Knox’s energy independence.
“Kentucky is very proud of the efforts here,” said Dave Thompson, Kentucky Commission on Mili-tary Affairs executive director. “We see Fort Knox as a growing in- stallation with undeniable potential for the future. Job well done.”
For more information about Fort Knox’s energy initiatives, read Capt. Jo Smoke’s story in the March 26 edition of The Gold Standard, titled “The Army’s only green island: 20 years of energy investments pay off,” which can be found at bit.ly/1FY4MT5. To learn more about the Energy Security Project visit youtu.be/CxNH7m0cdfw.
Photos by Renee Rhodes Fort Knox Photo
Gestures live at the Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring MD. 3apr10. Event was curated by DC Sonic Circuits: 2nd installment in the "Off the Grid" series of unplugged and/or battery powered experimental music performances.
I'm working on a project called Sustainable Howe Sound with the David Suzuki Foundation (sustainablehowesound.ca/).
From the website we're building... "Life in the waters of Howe Sound is rebounding after decades of harm from industrial activity. Planning for the future is the best way to protect the sound’s wildlife and communities. Sustainable Howe Sound is a platform for individuals and groups who share a commitment to protect Howe Sound. The end goal is a plan for land and marine environments guided by public and expert input.".
Our first visit was to Camp Firmcom (fircom.ca/) on Gambier Island. Check out the interview and photos! :)
sustainablehowesound.ca/stories/connection/
(on assignment for David Suzuki Foundation)
The 3rd Hand HD braces once again proved their worth, as did a 7' cardboard tube we found in the trash (8" diameter, 1" thick). Two of us would brace the panel against the bottom footing (the top of the wall panels). Then , we placed the cardboard tube "rig" dead center on the floating panel. And finally, we put the feet of the 3rd Hand braces into two holes we cut into the tube, braced the other end to the diagonal floorboard, and "pumped" the 1/8" birch into place. It worked like a dream. No steaming required. We only lost 2 panels in this process (cracked). We also found that lightly misting the back of the birch panel with water made the bending much easier.
New Years Eve, 2007: the final coat of polyurethane is on, epoxy floor paint is on, and we are recovering from nearly burning out all our brain cells from 6 hours of relentless fumes.
A little girl romps among less energetic adults at Off the Grid's Picnic at the Presidio, where we went for supper. It was a cool evening with a chilly breeze. There were twenty-or-so food trucks and hundreds (if not thousands) of hungry people on the Presidio's Main Parade Ground for the weekly event.