The Sharp Knife of Forced Simplicity » clay

5 Days Left

Ron Khare — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:32:46 +0000

Sorry for the lack of updates recently – I’ve been trying to focus on my few remaining tasks in these last days. They are:

1) Clean Up Day this Saturday Afternoon- an informal gathering of people to get the SEED Center to a really nice, clean state.

2) Website Proposal – I’m working on a mock-up for website changes, and I should have it done in the next day or so.

You can see the original website here: http://www.sustainablelivingcoalition.org/

And my design here: http://www.sustainablelivingcoalition.org/wordpress/

I highly recommend shifting back and forth to really see the differences.

3) Saturday the 20th Party/Fundraiser “Back to School Party” – yeah.

I have no real experience with event planning, but here’s the general idea:

Saturday the 20th is Registration for MUM and the last weekend before school starts. MUM will be having a pool party that night, but it’ll end around 10pm, so my thought is to have an entire evening’s worth of events that can go late into the night.

Tentative Schedule:

6:30-8: Potluck Dinner, informal party

8-8:30: Regine

9-10: Musical Act

10-11: Musical Act

11 on: Drum circle/belly dancing/bonfire/dance party.

Also:

Today I went out to John Freeberg’s house-building project south of town. I’m friends with some of the interns working for him, and I had heard that he was building a house with straw-bale insulation. Since we’ve got a rodent problem with our straw-bale, I wanted to ask him how he plans on avoiding that problem, and possibly learn some tricks or solutions.

I ended up talking to… Susan W? Dang, I just forgot her name. Anyway, she was extremely helpful and provided a lot of insights on the proper use of straw bale, and why we’re having problems with our straw bale out here.

Speaking of straw and cob, our Eco-Nest is all done and drying out!

However, I did notice some cracking in the floor – I don’t know what to do about it, but I’m sure Hap and Lin do.

That’s all for now!

Board Update – 9 Days Left

Ron Khare — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:51:16 +0000

Hi Ken + Board,

Sorry I didn’t make it out yesterday – was feeling ill, spent the day in bed. I’m back to normal today, however, and I’m getting charged up for my last 9 days as your intern!

Since I’ve only got a little more than a week left, I need to start honing my focus down on one or two vital points, while at the same time “packing.” (By “packing” I mean gathering all the relevant information into one clear, easy to find and understand place, so that whomever needs information after I’m gone can find it. I spent far too long hunting down passwords and and other information – so I’ll put everything I have in a very easy, transferable place.)

Speaking of, does anyone know where our email mailing list is hosted, and the username/password for it?

I’ve been in touch with Ben, our webmaster, about streamlining and updating our website. He believes that Drupal is the way to go, not WordPress, and has agreed to train me on how to use it so that I can make the changes to the site. Obviously I’d like to make sure everyone on the Board likes and agrees to these changes, and to that end I’ll be posting that proposal to the Board Monday or Tuesday, with the aim to have it all clean and finished by the weekend.

I don’t think the Board will be able to meet before I go, unless it is exactly on the 16th – my last day. Even then I believe there may be one or two members out of town or unavailable. Let me know if you think it’s worth trying to get together on that day.

We still need an official bid on flooring from Brad – I understand he’s pretty busy right now, so it might not be until next week. Our new water system is going to run us about $5,500. Once we have the floor bid, we’ll know how much we need to raise asap.

I’m still working on a party for Saturday, the 20th, but I don’t know if we can use it as a fund raiser or not – I’ll contact some people who wanted to perform and see what they think. (I have no real experience planning events of any kind, but I’ve been given a list of people who have experience in these matters, and I’ll hunt them down and talk to them soon). I’m also checking around to see if there are any conflicting events (such as an official MUM party). I’ll be out of town on the 17th-20th, getting in that day, so that final details of that party might have to be under someone else’s gaze. (more on this in a few days)

Our big fund raising event will have to take place after school starts (sometime in September), as we need several weeks to plan and advertise. I’ll do as much as I can to get that ball rolling, but someone else is going to have to see the final stages through. I’ll try to find someone we can trust to make that happen.

Also on my list of things to do is run an official job description, as suggested in my video, for dividing the Executive Directorship up into several smaller jobs that can be handled by younger people. I’ll also draw up some suggestion for the SEED Center that may reduce maintenance and increase resource output. Both of these will be in Google Docs by the end of the week.

If you haven’t seen the video, you can find it here: http://forcedsimplicity.com/presentation-to-the-board-of-directors/ (the password is: slc52556)

Our cat needs more food and litter – I can buy it and get reimbursed, but I’d prefer to set up some plan that will take care of the cat when I’m gone – buying food, cleaning litter, making sure she’s fed and watered. Maybe Ken, Leanne and I can figure it out.

I’d like to make this upcoming Saturday afternoon (the 13th) a Clean Up the SLC Day. I’ll send out a second email will the details, but it’s relatively straight-forward – get your hats and work gloves, and we’ll make the effort to really transform this place. We’ll get some cold drinks and snacks, too!

Lin (and others) have been working hard on finishing the Eco-Nest – it’s looking pretty good! I got a good introduction to making and building with cob, which, while not part of my learning objectives, is definitely a part of sustainable living, so I consider that a big success. I also knocked down the other Eco-Nest’s partial wall, so we have access to some of the straw and tiles now.

We also don't need these anymore, so we can donate them somewhere.

This should be good for now. Expect more frequent Board updates from here on it – I want to stay on track and really make these days work.

Ron

Cob, Scott and Movie Review

Ron Khare — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:48:32 +0000

Last night I:

Hosted a Movie/Potluck night here at the SLC SEED Center, to which only 4 people came – and at various times. The movie did not get shown, but I promised to make it available to those who wanted to see it.

I’m not upset that no one came – it was rather last-minute, and without any postings in town or in print (which I’m beginning to suspect is the main way people find out what’s going on out here).

Next Sunday night, again at 6:30, we’re going to do it again – this time, however, we’re going to be in the Sustainable Living Department’s Lounge. It’s cool in there, and we’ll have access to the kitchen… I think that will work out better. I’ll need to tell Student Activities what’s up… but I need a movie to show, first. Any suggestions?

Today I:

Worked on the Cob floor of the Eco-Nest with Lin and Laura (I think that’s her name).

Makin' Cob!

It was great! Lin showed us the entire cob-making process, from the clay/sand/straw ratios, mixing the cob and its application. We talked about the various kinds of natural building materials, their strenghts and drawbacks, and the like. It was, I imagine, what most other interns are learning about, and for me provided a nice break from shouldering the weight of the SLC organizational entity.

Another day or two and it'll be done!

I also:

Met with Scott Timm, the Fairfield Sustainability Coordinator. We had a good talk about what he’s doing in the community and what roles the SLC had agreed to take on. We talked at length about his impression of the SLC as it is now, and what he needs from it in order to be able to trust it with the responsibilities assigned to it.

Meeting with Scott was the last puzzle piece for me – my primary task is now to make my presentation to the Board. It should be done by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest. I’m not entirely sure if it will be public, but I will definitely send it to the people who are, in some way, connected to the SLC. Look forward to it!

Compressed Earth Blocks

Ron Khare — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:12:40 +0000

Since I was tasked to come up with a “real” floor for the SLC Barn, I’ve been plagued with ideas, problems, and everything else that comes from a complete ignorance of everything involved in this project. Various Board members have tried to give me some direction – some suggested a simple concrete pouring, others a placed stone floor, and so on.

It was during Nick’s presentation on Gaviotas (check out http://onehundredtrees.org/) that a particular idea came up: Compressed Earth Blocks.

Compressed Earth Blocks, with machine in the background

Running a non-profit is interesting: we have no money, but plenty of volunteers willing to put in many hours of hard labor – and if we can educate at the same time, double bonus!

Moreover, owning a compressed earth block machine will pay off over the long term – both as an educational tool and as a possible method of generating income for the SLC. I can’t imagine having too many compressed earth blocks – there are so many things we could build out here, if we just had the ability, and this might be a solution.

There’s some concern about the durability of compressed earth, particularly regarding exposure to water. If they do crumble after exposure, it could lead to all sorts of problems – no outside use, and even limited floor usage (not in the kitchen, for example). And, as moisture is creeping into the building from the ground, using them as flooring might not be the best idea.

However, in my research I’ve found some examples that can prevent this problem. Nick said that by mixing a little bit of cement, you can bypass most moisture problems. As a flooring, we can also lay some some plastic first, then sand, then the bricks – that would work fine. There are also some additives you can use ( http://www.dust-control-inc.com/Compressed-Earth-Block-Seal.htm) - I would prefer to use whatever was local first, then whatever was cheapest and most readily available.

I’m still educating myself on the whole thing – there’s still a number of people I need to talk to, things to read, and so on. MUM’s newest building, the awesome Sustainable Living Center thing, has C.E.B. on the inside – I want to get in there and take a look sometime soon.

Price tag for a hand-worked machine: $1465, so probably $1600. (http://www.ferncometal.com/products.htm) But if we can produce enough solid, reliable building material, we could easily see a return on that investment. It would be worth it for educational purposes alone, and I’m honestly surprised that we don’t have one out here already.

Thanks to Nick for the images!

I’m somewhat over Cob as a viable solution out here – it seems to require a certain amount of constant vigilance, which at this point I cannot guarantee here. While I’m still working on the organizational and educational structures of the SLC, I also have to plan the long-term vision for the SEED Center. In my view, the stronger the building material, the less upkeep we need… sustainability just in terms of sheer strength. And if we need to replace some bricks? We got dirt.

It’s definitely something to consider, in any event.

Here are a few websites I’ve been reviewing:

http://www.aureka.com/eace/index.php?categ=eace

http://www.brightgreenresearch.org/concepts/cebs.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_earth_block

http://fadedglorypatriotjournal.blogspot.com/2009/10/fgp-survival-homestead-manual-part-7.html

http://www.hydraform.com/

http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/compressed-earth-blocks.aspx

http://www.adobemachine.com/

Digging in the Mud + Surprise! (GF) (Video)

Ron Khare — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:55:20 +0000

This is one of my vlog posts from Growing Freedom, my old blog on the trials of trying to start your own sustainable garden/mini-farm with almost no personal experience.

Fortunately nothing bad happened (that we can tell, anyway). Still, it’s always fun to find things like that.

Get Volume 1 Now!

Rototiller vs. Iowa Clay (GF) (Video)

Ron Khare — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:04:03 +0000

This is one of my vlog posts from Growing Freedom, my old blog on the trials of trying to start your own sustainable garden/mini-farm with almost no personal experience.

Figuring that hand-digging was taking too much time and effort, I convince my parents to rent a rototiller for me – the results are not too surprising.

Get Volume 1 Now!

Django’s Garden (GF) (Video)

Ron Khare — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:58:58 +0000

This is one of my vlog posts from Growing Freedom, my old blog on the trials of trying to start your own sustainable garden/mini-farm with almost no personal experience.

Let’s just say that this isn’t Iowa Soil so much as Iowa Compacted Clay. It’s like trying to dig wet but setting cement. As you can see… it’s hard work.

Get Volume 1 Now!