Many of us in Austin and the greater United States feel a sense of urgency regarding the need to move towards a more sustainable existence. Numerous individuals and communities throughout the world have been living "sustainable" lifestyles for generations, but unlike most of us theirs is born of more immediate necessity. Fortunately, for those of us in the U.S. who are attempting to make our lives more sustainable, our immediate existence does not depend upon how successful we are in this endeavor. Perhaps there are valuable lessons we can learn from people who have had to be resourceful and inventive with limited resources at hand. Educator Awad Abdelgadir, our speaker this month, will introduce us to his home village of Az-Zawrat, a Nubian village on the Nile, that demonstrates what a resourceful community can do with its available resources. Please visit Awad’s web site at: http://members.aol.com/awadnubia/ He will describe how the village has developed a community-based business
producing herbal teas, how they build their mud/straw homes, and how they
are using photovoltaics and wind pumps. Awad will give a slide show
and presentation illustrating daily life in the village including highlights
of African wildlife, tribal costumes, village housing and customs, and
children’s activities.
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He will also serve samples of the delicious tea (available locally) which is produced by the villagers. He is fund raising to establish a cooperative drinking water project, which includes digging two wells and installing pumps, building a water tower, and setting up a distribution network with public water collection stations. This project will provide safe drinking water for as many as 3,000 people and their animals. |
Announcements
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A comment on this month’s speaker Susan Barnett I'd like to add my admiration for his (Awad’s) individual effort to keep his village independent from the politics of utility companies. I feel a deep respect for any group who can resist the lure of "THE EASY LIFE" promised by electric companies, while at the cost of destroying the natural resources that have sustained communities for thousands of years. On the Nile, the greatest threat is the utilities flooding out the best areas for cultivation in the name of hydroelectricity. Awad is not only managing to keep his village independent, but is also creating a sustainable economy for them in the process. Quite commendable. Wanted: Video Producer To Capture Vital Moments!
SBC along with other groups is planning various one-time-only green building events. Because we believe in the educational value of these events, and do not want to limit learning to only those who attend such events, we want to tape these events for review later. Editing is also needed. In fact, putting together a production team sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? Well, if you, or someone you know, has video producer experience and is interested in seeing that the work of SBC and green, sustainable building is advanced, please contact Yvonne Hansen @ 447-0459 or email <geminideas@greenbuilder.com>. Let's talk. Biodynamic Agriculture
Lee Don Bienski will give a lecture entitled The Alchemical Origins of Biodynamic Agriculture, Oct. 16 at Casa de Luz, as part of the conference, Anthroposophy: A Spiritual Path for Our Times, Movement for the Renewal of Culture. Lee Don Bienski has farmed biodynamically for 25 years. He is director of the Institute of Post Industrial Agriculture in College Station, where he works with apprentices and does research on the biodynamic preparations. Lee Don has a Ph. D in physical chemistry. The cost of the conference is $25 Friday and Saturday, or $20 Saturday only. Reduced student and senior fees available. For more information call Guadalupe at 708-8570. FOR SALE - Green Real Estate
You’ve done the environmentally sensitive thing, built a "green" house, but now you want to sell it. Bill Christensen, Sustainable Sources, has developed a great new service. Essentially, it's searchable classified ads for green-built properties. You can list your own - just fill in an online form, and if you have a picture to add, just upload it or email it to them. Contact Bill to determine what they are charging for this. Your
listing can run until it sells - all you'll have to do is log in once a
month and confirm that it's still on the market. For full details,
check it out at http://www.greenbuilder.com/realestate/
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C.O.A. Green Building Seminars
11:30-1:30 open to Green Building members. Call ahead to Mary at the City of Austin 499-3541. October 12 Deconstruction
Financing Sustainable Homes
Next month’s meeting will be on a critical aspect of sustainable building, financing. This simple process has derailed quite a few projects. A new member of the SBC is Paul McCutchen, Old Kent Mortgage Company. Paul sent me a heartfelt letter about Green Financing, and I am passing it along in a somewhat abbreviated version. You can reach Paul at 472-1202 "There are repeated opportunities in your life to overcome an injustice. An opportunity of this sort has crossed my path, and I have found a solution and responded accordingly." "The victim is a person or family striving to live in a healthier abode. These people are making a concerted effort to do what is right for the environment and for future generations while maintaining a lifestyle that best suits their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The injustice is that because they are unable to get a mortgage on a green home, they are often forced to rely on conventional products in the marketplace. " "The solution is to make this simple option the mainstream in the homebuyer’s world. Most of the green building techniques last decades longer, are a far cry better for the environment, and provide a healthier living alternative. "I have the ability, through the vital help of Robert Ward of Ward Appraisal Service and Old Kent Mortgage Company, to lend on green projects anywhere in the State of Texas, both on the grid and off. I have experience with cob, straw bale, rammed earth, earthen homes, rainwater harvesting, and more. Whether you’re talking about the purchase of an existing home, the construction of a new home, or the remodeling of your current home, I treat green like the other guys in the industry treat any other type of loan." IAQ- FYI
Susan Barnett At the latest EPA-IAQ training I attended the subject was allergies
and asthma. It was mentioned that vacuum cleaners contribute to poor indoor
air quality, not only by stirring up dust, but it seems that the motor
brushes wear each time the motor is used. This wear causes tiny carbon
particles to be emitted,
A recent study by an occupational health organization focused on emissions from most popular vacuum cleaners. The one with the least emissions is by Miele. This cleaner has a double wall bag, internal filter and a HEPA filter for the exhaust. In Austin, they are sold at Long's Vacuum at S. Congress and Live Oak. The folks are really customer oriented and knowledgeable about air quality. |