[Pil-pc-oceania] PPP: Bill's second andf final installment

Thu Aug 9 18:55:29 EST 2007

Hi all,

Please find Bill's second installment.
This has been written in the last few weeks, for the purpose of PPP 
formation.

Kind regards,
Tamara

Energy, Water, and Food

The forms of clean energy:

Wind power
Wind farms have become fairly common in advanced Countries. In Denmark, one 
large windmill is built after issuing 800 or so shares, the number of 
households that can be provided with power from a village machine. These 
shares, and up to 10m² of solar panels providing hot water and electricity 
are purchased by middle-aged couples to ensure free energy in their 
retirement. Most connect to the grid, and buy or sell energy as they have 
the need, or have surplus energy. They provide for their old age.

Solar Devices
	Solar panels as hot water provided to insulated tanks, or as electrical 
generators, are becoming routine fixtures in modern societies; again, 
surplus electricity is sold to the local grid, and surplus heat is ‘dumped’ 
into hot water systems.

Geothermal
Deep drill-holes, sited over areas of volcanic heat or where the earths 
crust is thin, convert water into steam for use in the heating of buildings, 
or in powering steam turbines for electrical production.

The Hydro-electrical devices
	From very small to very large, the power of falling water to spin turbines 
has long been harvested, and supplements other energy systems.

But since ancient times, water has been used to compress and store air 
(“isothermally-compressed”). All water that falls carries some air bubbles, 
and these rise much more slowly than the water falls, so that they can be 
carried down and released in large storage rooms or plenums some 200 or more 
metres below ground.

A conical device called a trompe bleeds high levels of air into water, for 
escape and storage at depth in carefully plastered (sealed) rooms. From 
there, small diameter pipes leads compressed air to surface work shops, to 
farm storage tanks, and to households where compressed air operates small 
electric generators, refrigerators and cool rooms and the whole array of 
compressed-air tools (presses, vices, spray applicators, sand-blasters etc. 
etc.)

Given a modest stream and a trompe, or successive trompes, very large 
quantities of compressed air can be stored. In 1930, all cars, trams, 
trains, and cool rooms in Paris and Chicago, were supplied by miners with 
trompes, operated on compressed air. Light motor vehicles with 7 to 10 h.p. 
slide valve steam engines with a working pressure of 40 p.s.i., could travel 
100 or more kilometres on 2 cubic feet of air at 1500 p.s.i. held in a 
drawn-steel cylinder below the seat.

The exhaust gas was very cold air, directed to a hamper in the boot for the 
preservation of cold meats, cold drinks, and the like. Unlike electricity, 
compressed air loses little in transport, and until the fossil fuels 
displaced it. It has no poisonous fumes or explosive potential.

As well, the trompes are well developed, and the uses of compressed air 
tools also very sophisticated. Many trompes can be built in one stream, and 
form many reservoirs of compressed air.

Tidal Energies
The rise and fall of tides, the power tidal current delivers over 
“egg-beater” turbines are all little-developed sources of clean energy. In 
straits running east-west, the tidal flow is constantly to the west, and 
operates around the clock. Sub-sea “egg beaters” will provide constant 
energy for the generation of electricity or for the provision of compressed 
air.

Powerful currents sweep by reefs and islands at the west end of straits 
(Bass Strait in Australia is one of many good examples). Only a very little 
of these energies is harvested to date, but “ducks”, and compressed-air 
sausages for wave power are well developed, and it remains to tap the great 
power of confined currents for national energy grids.

Solar Energy
	From modest “caravan power” for light and computers to very large static 
arrays of solar collectors on roof areas or as parabolic arrays for steam 
turbine development, solar devices are numerous; widely used, but at a small 
scale of the potential.

Areas of mirrors in steerable arrays one to five km. square are needed to 
supply national grids and state energy systems. We need to break out of the 
small-scale installations that have previously made all clean power 
“uneconomic”.

Clean power is essential for life, and is only uneconomic if money is valued 
above life! Just as every house can harvest enough clean rainwater to supply 
the needs of the occupants, so every roof can collect the energy needed to 
fuel the house and supplement a national grid. It simply remains to make 
water collection and energy collection a compulsory part of architecture; to 
develop climate control in building using the air from earth tunnels to cool 
or heat rooms, and “day-night” fans to heat or cool the fabric of buildings.

In civilised societies, it is already legislated that buildings should never 
be permitted western windows, nor can large unshaded areas of car parks be 
built. Both call for too much summer heat to be offset, needlessly. It is 
past-time to legislate for domestic and urban energy and water storage.

Water Supply
	In most countries, 80% of rainfall runs off or evaporates. Thus only 12% is 
available for agriculture or domestic needs. We must legislate for the 
construction of thousand of miles of swales on farms, as large contour 
ditches that fill in every heavy rain (>10mm/day). In 3 to 6 hours, such 
water soaks in, and is immune to evaporation or run-off! This water, over 
years and centuries, feeds tree roots, springs, and valley streams. Swales 
enable forests, and forests are both passive condenses of night air, and 
active cloud generators for rainfall. If we clear the ridges, 40% of 
orographic rain ceases. If we clear the plains, most condensation and clouds 
fail to form. Thus, swales precede forests. Forests precede precipitation. 
Again, clearing is a severely anti social act, and we must legislate for 
forestry, and survival. Every countryman in Australia has, all his life, 
used tank water from his roof. He suffers no adverse health effects, perhaps 
needing iodised salt to prevent goitre. It is long past time that architects 
and builders were required by law to build water self-sufficient houses, and 
energy self-sufficient houses.

All architecture students must learn the techniques of self-sufficient 
buildings.  It remains to allow 12 – 14m² of garden (on roofs, or at ground 
level), and food, water, and energy are provided by buildings!  Such a 
society can last forever, in comfortable and clean surroundings. There is 
absolutely no reason to tolerate the vandalism of forest clearing, let alone 
support it by government subsidy. We face global death by neglect. It is not 
as though we do not have the skills to build to survive, we do!

Or, we could wood-chip our way to death, using present political parties as 
our bell-wethers, or guides to hell.

Tamara Griffiths
39 Wattle Tree Road
Bunyip
Victoria 3815
03 5629 5918
0407 45 7707
scarletwoman at hotmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boodicusducky/

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi

'The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do 
nothing." Edmund Burke

>From: pacific-edge <info at pacific-edge.info>
>Reply-To: permacultue discussion 
>list<pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
>To: pil <pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
>Subject: Re: [Pil-pc-oceania] School & Community Gardens Day @ Apollo Bay
>Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:06:21 +1000
>
>Good morning Fern from a fine, sunny, warm, blue-sky Spring-like morning in
>Sydney.
>
>Just a brief note to let you know your event below will shortly appear on
>the website of the community garens network.
>
>...Russ
>
>On 7/8/07 10:48 AM, "permaculture at apollobay.org.au"
><permaculture at apollobay.org.au> wrote:
>
> > Please send this info through your networks:
> >
> > SCHOOL & COMMUNITY GARDENS DAY
> >
> > When: 22-08-2007
> > from: 09:00 to 17:00
> >
> > Where: Apollo Bay P-12 College, Penguilly Avenue, Apollo Bay,
> > Victoria,AUSTRALIA
> >
> > With: John Champagne, Phil Gall, Fern Rainbow, Virginia Solomon, Eltham
> > College of Education's Colin Nightingale and Cultivating Community's 
>Andrew
> > Wood, Heidi Sanghvi & Natasha Van Velzen
> >
> > Fee: $80/ $120 (AUS)
> >
> > Contact Name: Fern Rainbow
> > Contact Email: permaculture at apollobay.org.au
> > Contact Phone: 0425710380
> >
> >
> > Learn about Permaculture design for the school & community garden, and
> > conduct an actual site analysis and design on the day.
> >
> > Watch and help out with the Gardenwealth Games demonstration and
> > participate in Edible
> > Classroom activities with Cultivating Community¹s Andrew Wood, Heidi
> > Sanghvi & Natasha Van Velzen.
> >
> > Learn about teaching Permaculture in schools with Virginia Solomon and
> > Colin Nightingale (Eltham College of Education).
> >
> > Held at Apollo Bay P-12 College, the grade 5¹s and the local community
> > garden group will share with you their exciting plans for a school &
> > community garden. Others will also share their school & community garden
> > projects happening across Australia.
> >
> > Tutors & speakers on the day will include: John Champagne, Phil Gall,
> > Virginia Solomon, Colin Nightingale (Eltham College of Education),
> > Cultivating Community's Andrew Wood, Heidi Sanghvi & Natasha Van Velzen 
>and
> > more!
> >
> > Tutors & speakers on the day:
> >
> > VIRGINIA SOLOMON was a member of the Reference Group which developed the
> > Accredited Permaculture Training Courses and has held several other
> > positions in permaculture circles. She has a background in vocational
> > training, landscape design and permaculture teaching/design as well as
> > training trainers to expand this work. Colin Nightingale will join
> > Virginia and outline Eltham College of Education's sustainability 
>program
> > for Year 9 students that has run over the past 3 years and now has over 
>500
> > graduates of the Certificate I in Permaculture.
> >
> > JOHN CHAMPAGNE, permaculture teacher, activist, ABC local radio 
>presenter,
> > established Brogo Permaculture Gardens over 12 years. It now serves as 
>one
> > of permaculture¹s best examples of cool temperate design. John is 
>founding
> > member of BEND [www.bend.org.au] and facilitated the design process of 
>the
> > eco-neighbourhood in Bega.
> >
> > PHIL GALL has been involved with environmental and sustainability 
>activism
> > since the 1970s and an early pioneer of the permaculture movement. He is 
>a
> > qualified Architect, Landscape Architect, teacher and permaculture
> > designer. Phil was fortunate to work with PA Yeomans and has a deep
> > understanding of the Keyline Planning System and swale construction. His
> > bio is so long its difficult to condense! He currently works in the Bega
> > Valley designing waste water treatment systems, ecological sustainable
> > housing design, whole farm planning and environmental assessment to 
>comply
> > with council regulations.
> >
> > NATASHA VAN VELZEN & HEIDI SANGHVI are members of the Cultivating
> > Community Edible Classroom Team. They have both been teaching and
> > consulting in school garden programs for the past 5 years throughout
> > Melbourne including the very successful 'Kings Patch' @ Kings Park 
>Primary
> > School and Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Project at Collingwood
> > College. Heidi has just returned from overseas with new inspiration to
> > share and is teaching at Fitzroy Primary School's Multicultural Kitchen
> > Garden. Tash is currently coordinating the Edible Classroom Pilot 
>Program
> > that works closely with the students and wider school community of three
> > Melbourne schools in designing, constructing and integrating their own
> > Edible Classroom programs.
> >
> > ANDREW WOODS is part of Cultivating Community Inc.¹s ³Edible Classroom²
> > team too. He¹s been working in community development, education,
> > performing arts and permaculture for the last decade, and for 
>Cultivating
> > community for the last five years. During that time he¹s developed a 
>number
> > of community garden projects in public housing estates in inner-city
> > Melbourne, and primary school ³Edible Classrooms² in schools across the
> > city, including the innovative Parkhill Primary School project, which
> > comprises a weekly round of garden classes, a lunchtime Garden Club, a
> > regular community garden market, and monumental cooking!
> >
> > FERN RAINBOW is an educator, project manager and natural therapist
> > specialised in oriental remedial therapies. She has a design background,
> > and acquired her permaculture design certificate in the late 90's. A 
>past
> > president of Permaculture Melbourne Inc., she founded Otways & Coast
> > Permaculture Group and the SW Vic. Permaculture Network, and has been
> > living in the Otways & Coast bioregion for the past 6 years. Since 2004,
> > she has organised and run a multitude of community based permaculture
> > workshops & events in the Otways. She has also run her own specialist
> > workshops at various festivals (National Fiddle Festival, Apollo Bay 
>Music
> > Festival) and at schools & education centres.
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> > myhosting.com - Premium Microsoft® Windows® and Linux web and 
>application
> > hosting - http://link.myhosting.com/myhosting
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pil-pc-oceania mailing list
> > Pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
> > http://jasper.cmsarchitects.com/mailman/listinfo/pil-pc-oceania
>
>
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