permaculture

[Green Singer <greenmansinger@hotmail.com>]

Hey folks,

I've been a lurker for a while, but I've finally got a question that I want 
to put out to the larger group: I'm working on a new home construction site, 
surrounded by relatively flat, compacted soil.  The owner wants to create 
orchards and gardens, and I'm encouraging him to look at silvipasture as 
well, at least in his long-term plan.  He's building in what is these days 
considered 'traditional' style--stick-built, tight envelope, sheet rock--and 
the latter is where the interesting part begins.  I've heard that gypsum is a 
helpful soil amendment for restructuring soil, and it was pointed out to me 
before I'd worked with it much that sheetrock is basically pure gypsum, 
pressed into boards.  So, does anyone know:

1) If there are any safety concerns (additives, etc.) to using sheetrock?

2) How much volume per area is appropriate? I seem to remember the numbers 
being pretty high.

*3) How the heck to get those damned boards back into powdered form?*

While my employer is in some ways very much on board with 'sustainability', 
he's still importing all of his building materials, and creating a lot of 
waste.  A great way to illustrate "closing loops" would be to turn one of his 
waste streams into an input, which I know would please him greatly--he 
already had the idea, though he thought it was lime and just generally good 
for gardens, and was thinking of renting a wood-chipper, but didn't know if 
it would survive.

Anyone have any experience with any of any of this?

Thanks!

Marvin Warren
Finger Lakes bioregion
                                          
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