Homestead mailing list

[Strata R Chalup <strata AT virtual.net>]

Several items to add to folks' considerations; no particular direction 
desired, just adding data:

a) There's a new 'gold rush' on, to the Arctic oil reserves potentially 
exposed by receding ice.  Might create another economic 'advantage' (in the 
eyes of idiot politicians) for warmongering with folks like Russia and even 
long-time NATO allies like Norway and Denmark.  Basically any nation that can 
stake a geological claim based on continental shelf structure and undersea 
ridgelines extending from their own landmass.  

b) Biodiesel is totally a red herring.  The 'washing' of veggie oil, and 
treatment to remove the glycerine, is not only an energy-input step, but is 
extremely wasteful of dwindling water resources.  The good news is that 
straight veggie oil is easy to burn.

c) Figures for energy conversion for ethanol and veggie fuel are indeed 
generally tainted by petroleum-based agriculture.  What the numbers do not 
generally tell one is that there *is* a case for sustainable agriculture 
approaches to some of these fuels.  
   - Can they keep the fleets of SUV's on the roads?  No, not even close.  
   - Can they keep the best of the mechanized farm equipment running, so that 
the nation can be fed?  Yes, absolutely, as long as sustainable practices are 
maintained and followed.  The key is doing unprofitable and 'oddball' things 
like building soil fertility at the expense of short-term gain.  
 
d) There is a wonderful synergy out there between urban/suburban environments 
and the waste stream: veggie oil can be leveraged, in conjunction with 
electrical power (pumps, heat tape) for home heating and hot water.  That 
could make a significant difference for individual households who are willing 
to convert their infrastructure.  This is a great application for waste 
veggie oil (eg, fryolater leavings), as the problems of filtration and 
getting the oil warm enough to move are bypassed by being part of a house 
infrastructure.  The space occupied by a traditional hot water tank could be 
converted into a veggie oil holding and filtering tank (using the same tank!) 
and switched to an instant-hot style water system.  Diesel hot water systems 
for heating and instant hot water, such as Webasto, already exist in the RV 
marketplace and can be adapted for homes.

e) The food we raise in our own backyards and on our own land keeps trucks 
off the road and eliminates packaging waste.  Buying things like grains in 
bulk and raising as much of our own food as we can is an incredibly important 
way in which we can live sustainably.
This assumes using sustainable agricultural practices (eg, compost and green 
cover crops rather than dumping petro-fertilizer on the land, pasture-raising 
animals rather than feedlot, etc).


f) Remember the importance of prayer, for solutions as well as for 
thankfulness.  The most polite deities wait to be asked.  ;-)