I'll keep this brief.
A fair amount has happened in the past couple weeks. I've managed to travel back home and take a close look at this property in Trumansburg to see for myself whether I was comfortable with the value of the property. At the time, I'd accompanied a structural inspector I hired for the work. I walked the land at the rear of the lot and looked closely at the little house. Frankly, there weren't any big surprises. It's a frumpy little house that would be a waste to renovate and the land it rests on is, in my opinion, perfect for a homestead.
I have basically three LIFE objectives for this little patch of Earth:
1. Build a beautiful, energy efficient, comfortable home that welcomes people and is constructed in harmony with Nature.
2. Create a working homestead around that house that allows for a high degree of self-sufficiency and sustainability - and connection to Community. Planting fruit and nut orchards, building greenhouses, chickens, open (communal?) gardens, water catchment systems, composting areas for all "waste" (I always put that word in quotation marks anymore since I don't believe in waste; only the unidentified use for things that have been left over from an activity or process), graywater re-use, on-site solar electric and solar thermal/heat generating, etc. and
3. A small demonstration and practical use distillation operation for making alcohol fuel. A truly production sized facility can not be located on this property, but it will allow for meaningful, if restricted volume, production of ethanol.
These are the main goals in my life for this land.
This property will afford me the opportunity to make it real. With this land, I have a canvas on which to paint. :)
On another front, I awoke at about 2:15 this morning and briefly had some interesting ideas rolling around in my head. Principally, that I should, at first, pursue the writing of an article about case studies for Alcohol/Biofuel Energy Cooperatives. This same article should be the foundation for a book that would elaborate on the subject. This is what I jotted down in the middle of the night:
Title: POWER TO THE PEOPLE: Case Studies in Community Supported Energy Cooperatives
Possible chapters:
- The Model: the structure of the cooperative
- The Operation: Buildings, Fueling Stations, Stills, Fermenters
- Feedstocks: wild, farmed, "waste", cattails!
- Members: who are they, how do they participate
- Operators: who is involved in the operation from beginning to end
- Corrollary Enterprises for Co-Products: alcohol is not the only product and fuel is not the only objective
As of this morning, I've written to two people already delving even further into this subject. A woman named Peggy Korth who's written a couple books on this very subject and, I believe, will be a great ally and source of wisdom/information. Likewise, through her website, contacted a water remediation/treatment professor at Univ. of Texas, College Station who's involved with the use of cattails. I'm very interested in learning the feasibility/potential of this plant as a reliable, naturally regenerating feedstock for an operation like this.
A fair amount has happened in the past couple weeks. I've managed to travel back home and take a close look at this property in Trumansburg to see for myself whether I was comfortable with the value of the property. At the time, I'd accompanied a structural inspector I hired for the work. I walked the land at the rear of the lot and looked closely at the little house. Frankly, there weren't any big surprises. It's a frumpy little house that would be a waste to renovate and the land it rests on is, in my opinion, perfect for a homestead.
I have basically three LIFE objectives for this little patch of Earth:
1. Build a beautiful, energy efficient, comfortable home that welcomes people and is constructed in harmony with Nature.
2. Create a working homestead around that house that allows for a high degree of self-sufficiency and sustainability - and connection to Community. Planting fruit and nut orchards, building greenhouses, chickens, open (communal?) gardens, water catchment systems, composting areas for all "waste" (I always put that word in quotation marks anymore since I don't believe in waste; only the unidentified use for things that have been left over from an activity or process), graywater re-use, on-site solar electric and solar thermal/heat generating, etc. and
3. A small demonstration and practical use distillation operation for making alcohol fuel. A truly production sized facility can not be located on this property, but it will allow for meaningful, if restricted volume, production of ethanol.
These are the main goals in my life for this land.
This property will afford me the opportunity to make it real. With this land, I have a canvas on which to paint. :)
On another front, I awoke at about 2:15 this morning and briefly had some interesting ideas rolling around in my head. Principally, that I should, at first, pursue the writing of an article about case studies for Alcohol/Biofuel Energy Cooperatives. This same article should be the foundation for a book that would elaborate on the subject. This is what I jotted down in the middle of the night:
Title: POWER TO THE PEOPLE: Case Studies in Community Supported Energy Cooperatives
Possible chapters:
- The Model: the structure of the cooperative
- The Operation: Buildings, Fueling Stations, Stills, Fermenters
- Feedstocks: wild, farmed, "waste", cattails!
- Members: who are they, how do they participate
- Operators: who is involved in the operation from beginning to end
- Corrollary Enterprises for Co-Products: alcohol is not the only product and fuel is not the only objective
As of this morning, I've written to two people already delving even further into this subject. A woman named Peggy Korth who's written a couple books on this very subject and, I believe, will be a great ally and source of wisdom/information. Likewise, through her website, contacted a water remediation/treatment professor at Univ. of Texas, College Station who's involved with the use of cattails. I'm very interested in learning the feasibility/potential of this plant as a reliable, naturally regenerating feedstock for an operation like this.
The idea is simply to go around to different people and organizations in the U.S. and other parts of the world who are actually doing this effectively and elaborating on their methods of success. This will be instructive for me in building my own and will allow me to go teach others how it is done.
Well, I guess I wasn't all that brief!!
I'm leaving you with this short video that has had a great deal of impact on me. It's a short speech given by a veteran from the Iraq war. He's truly speaking TRUTH to POWER. It's moving and it made me weep with gratitude for his eloquence and honesty. I hope it speaks to you, as well.
Well, I guess I wasn't all that brief!!
I'm leaving you with this short video that has had a great deal of impact on me. It's a short speech given by a veteran from the Iraq war. He's truly speaking TRUTH to POWER. It's moving and it made me weep with gratitude for his eloquence and honesty. I hope it speaks to you, as well.
Peace,
Raven
Raven
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