Friday, March 22, 2013

Walkers getting a new way to generate electricity called 'Crowd Sourcing'


“Crowd Sourcing” Energy Production

A company in Great Britain recently installed special tiles which generate electricity when pedestrians walk on them. The generated electricity can be used to light up the pavers themselves using high-efficiency light emitting diodes (LEDs) or wired to remote lighting or even be fed into the electrical grid.
An engineer by the name of Laurence Kemball-Cook came up with the idea and has established a company to exploit this technology. His company Pavegen manufactures tiles which are made of a combination of recycled concrete and rubber from recycled tires.
green-paving-slab
When one of the tiles is stepped on, the surface is slightly compressed about a 1⁄5 of an inch. This compression is converted to electricity via the piezoelectric effect (pronounced PIE-EE-ZO).
Actually, the work done to deform a crystal is converted to electrical energy. The effect is taken advantage in the igniters in stoves, barbeque grills, and cigarette lighters. The reverse effect functions to create the timing device in quartz watches. In this case an electric current is used to make the quartz crystal deform, that is vibrate. The frequency of the vibration is used to measure time.
This technology has applications wherever there is pedestrian traffic, indoor or out as the tiles are waterproof. Pavegen is currently installing its device in a pedestrian area adjacent to the stadium in London which will host the Olympic games this summer. Tens of thousands of foot falls will light up an adjacent mall. Numerous other applications of the technology include shopping malls, playgrounds, airports and train stations and urban sidewalks.
how-they-generate-electricity
If the piezoelectric tiles were placed in highways they could generate energy to power street lights, traffic control signals, etc. The energy could power devices which could warn motorists of the presence of ice on bridges and overpasses. The power could conceivably be used to warm the surface enough to prevent icing in winter.
Another application of the piezoelectric effect is being developed for shoes and clothing. The military has experimented with piezoelectric boots which could power personal gps devices for battlefield management. Civilian technology could include piezoelectric clothing — say a jacket or pair of pants which when worn and thus in motion could generate energy to charge a cell phone, a music player or even a portable computer. Until the advent of nanotechnology this has not been possible because the piezoelectric electric materials were too brittle to be woven into fabrics.
The solution to our waning supplies of fossil fuels and the attendant problem of global warming from the use of those fuels will require many ideas big and small to create clean energy and a sustainable future. All this energy from piezoelectric devices is not free. It comes from energy expended by the people wearing or stepping on them. In our overweight society, however, that may not be a bad thing.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Mayor Lioneld Jordan and Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty endorsed for reelection by Ozark Headwaters Group of Arkansas Sierra Club


Sierra Club Endorses Lioneld Jordan for Mayor, Matthew Petty for Ward 2

The Sierra Club's Ozark Headwaters Group has endorsed Lioneld Jordan for Mayor of Fayetteville and Matthew Petty for Ward 2 Alderman in the November 6 election.
“During our endorsement process,” said Chairman Aubrey Shepherd, “Mayor Jordan stood out for his vision, temperament, and effective leadership in working with the City Council to enact important ordinances. During his current term in office, Fayetteville adopted the state’s first Low-Impact Development Ordinance, the state’s first Energy Efficient Residential Building Code, and the state’s first Streamside Protection Ordinance. In addition, he secured state and federal grant funds to open the Green Jobs Training Center in Fayetteville and establish the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to help local non-profit groups make improvements to their buildings. Jordan is a member of the Sierra Club and has twice been named the Outstanding Local Government Official by the Sierra Club of Arkansas.”
“While both Jordan and Coody bring environmental credentials to the race,” he added, “the Sierra Club believes Lioneld Jordan has a more impressive record of environmental accomplishments and a stronger ability to involve residents and mobilize people for practical action that will help keep Fayetteville a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
“Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty, during his first term on the City Council, consistently considered the environmental impact of all proposals and offered fresh ideas for making our community more livable. He co-sponsored the City’s new Energy Efficient Residential Building Code,” noted Shepherd. “As a member of the Street Committee, he has been a vocal advocate for expanding trails and sidewalks and for adding additional bicycle lanes on existing city streets.”
Petty is a former Chairman of the OHG Sierra Club’s Executive Committee. His priorities are reducing sprawl, improving alternative transportation, and expanding recycling to increase the diversion rate of solid waste from landfills.
In making this decision, Sierra Club members began looking carefully at the major candidates in September, reviewing records and responses to questionnaires this month. The endorsements are based on candidate responses to the Sierra Club questionnaire, records of achievements in office, and individual history of working with the Club on key environmental issues. The specific issues on the questionnaires included water quality, energy conservation, transportation, and recycling.
“We reserve our political endorsements for candidates we believe will be outstanding advocates of natural-resource conservation and, more importantly, who can work effectively to achieve actual results,” Shepherd said. “Our endorsements are for individuals who have shown a deep commitment to environmental protection to ensure a better quality of life for all by protecting the health and safety of our residents."
Both candidates received unanimous support from the Executive Committee and the Political Committee.
The Sierra Club is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and exploration of the earth’s natural environment. The non-profit environmental organization founded in 1892 has approximately 3,000 members in Arkansas and 1,100 members in the Ozark Headwaters Group region of Northwest Arkansas.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Fracking for natural gas in Arkansas: The view from a working farm in Sebastian County tonight at Fayetteville Public LIbrary: See preview clip below



Sierra Club’s March Member Event will be on March 28, 6:00-7:45 pm, at the Fayetteville Public Library, in the Walker Room.  Our speaker will be Jack White who will talk about fracking and his personal experiences with fracking, involving his wife’s health and the homestead where he planned to spend his golden years.

The Free Weekly blog account of the Mary and Jack White's horror story of life near a tracking site.

For a preview of White's likely comments at FPL see this YOU TUBE video from October 24, 2011.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

EAARTH by Bill McKibben featured in 2 p.m. Sunday September 18, 2011, program of the Climate Change Book Series at Fayetteville Public Library: Read Louise Mann's comments, please

After reading it, I understand why novelist Barbara Kingsolver was so adamant that everyone pick up Bill McKibben’s book, Eaarth.
Yes, it is spelled with two “a”s. He’s making the point that we are not living on the same earth on to which we were born.
Some local noticeable changes include the ice storm of 2009, which cost Fayetteville 5.5 million dollars. The flood of 2011 cost us 1.2 million dollars. Another change, Fayetteville now has an Emergency Operations plan.
Last Sunday’s paper had an article about cattle being sold early because there wasn’t enough hay to continue feeding. The hay shortage is due to drought.  This year my family lost a cotton crop when the Mississippi River swallowed it with 8 feet of water.  We also lost another field to a straight wind. And who would’ve thought a hurricane would cause so much damage in Vermont?
Beginning Sunday, September  18 at 2:00 Fayetteville Public Library will be hosting a Climate Change Book Series. The books will vary in content from those with a science background to ones with a layperson’s perspective. McKibben’s book, the September read, is a good orientation for those new to the topic.
The November book is written by a mother discussing how to run a household on this new Eaarth. What happens to grocery prices when food crops are subject to frequent and severe flooding and drought? What happens when insurance payouts can’t keep up with claims?
The book discussion will be complemented by information regarding actions you can take now on everything from lifestyle to legislation. As with any crisis there is opportunity. The people who are smart enough to get educated about climate change and make appropriate plans for their families, their businesses, and their communities will be the winners on this new Eaarth.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Minutes of recent meeting of Climate Change Task Force


 
NEXT CCTF Meeting - October 2, 2011 @ 1:30 PM
OMNI Center 3274 N Lee Ave, Fayetteville, AR
 .
News CCTF OMNI Masthead
 
Number 6 - 15 September 2011 
Advocate for actions that lead to the reduction of
green house gases  through life-style and legislative change.
2011 350 newsletter masthead
A Newsletter of the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology's - Climate Change Task Force which is dedicated to the education about the impacts of C02 in Earth's atmosphere and the urgent need to cap and reduce CO2 emissions NOW! at levels below 350 PPM.The   
                                   Climate Change Task Force Newsletter.
                                                Read the current or archived issues.
Dear Aubrey,
 BACKTOTOP
 
Below are the minutes from the last CCTF meeting. Thanks to Shelley Buonaiuto for serving as our recording secretary.
 
Nathan Wilson & Robert McAfee
Co-Chairs, CCTF
 
MINUTES of September 11, 2011 Meeting
  
Next Meeting: October 2, 2011

Introduction; Robert McAfee
Attendees: Robert McAfee, Solomon Aydani, Megan Wallace, Keaton Smith, Shelley
and Michael Buonaiuto, Joanna Pollock, John Rule, Mikel Lolley, Dick Bennett, Gladys
Tiffany, Karen Takemoto, Quinn Montana, Marilyn Shoffitt, Nathan Wilson, Linda
Farrell, Shannon Joyce
Announcements:
1. OMNI Peace Heroes Award Banquet, Sat. Oct 17th,

2. Book Forum on Climate Change, Sept, 18th,

3. Climate Change Task Force, Sunday 10/2/11, 1:30 PM, at OMNI building.
Showing "Home" by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, composed of aerial shots of earth
showing the diversity of life and how humanity is threatening the ecological
life of the planet.

4. Al Gore' Climate Reality Project, will kick off on Sept. 14-15 with a "4 hours
of reality"event. There will be one hour of presentation and discussion airing
at 8 am, in each time zone around the world, one time zone at a time. Robert
will make it available to Fayetteville this fall.

5. The Green Economy Group meets the first Friday of every month at 8 am.

6. Carlos and Audrey Velasquez present program on impact of global warming
on the Inuit, First Sunday in Nov., 11/6/11 at CCTF meeting. Inuit society has
been destroyed because of vanishing ice.

7. Online journal, 350 PPM is seeking contributions for online announcements.

8. Mark Pryor will be in Fayetteville at the Senior Center near Walker Park next
Wednesday. Go to express support for green initiatives. (Pryor' site:
Episcopal Church, Parish Hall.Fayetteville Library, discussing Eaarth by Bill McKibben.
http://pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Energy


Minutes summarized and approved.

Action items:
1. Letter to Gov. Beebe - (attached below) - Mikel Lolley:
The Colorado Playbook for their successful initiative involved 4 factors:
A citizen's ballot initiative asking two simple questions: 1. Would you
support clean energy legislation and 2. Would you be willing to pay
slightly more for clean energy?

2. An enlightened CEO crack the solidarity of the utilities, by finding the
specific differences between the companies and driving a wedge between
to get them to break ranks.

3. A broad and diverse coalition to represent the whole state. The CFC
(Citizen's First Congress) and APPP (Arkansas Public Policy Panel)
already have inroads into South Arkansas.

4. A well populated rally on the steps of the capitol, offering the legislators
cover to vote in favor of the initiative.
We decided to write a letter to Gov. Beebe without specifics or anything
divisive, that would encourage action on an energy plan as part of the
governor's economic development plan. We plan to get signatures from every
district in the state. There has been no solid information coming out of the
energy office about this plan and we have to rely on the infrastructure. Chris
Bensen, the energy advisor who answers to Maria Haley of the Economic
Development Commission, came to talk to the Green Economy Group about
the plan but gave no specifics. An Arkansas Economic Development plan with
a strong energy component will be Gov. Beebe's legacy, and will be packaged
for 2013. Our letter should be a show of support, not a petition. It should
demonstrate awareness of the legislator's need to create jobs. Ar has to
recognize that new construction is not coming back but people can be put
back to work with retrofits, insulation, HVAC jobs.

Suggestion to go through University System for signatures, there are
representatives from all over the state, and specifically architecture and
engineering students could be affected.

Suggestions to emphasize "Efficiency, Conservation, Jobs creation and
Education" in bold in first bullet point heading.

Mikel: The possible realities are
1. Nothing happens from the letter.
2. The entire state legislature is up for reelection and no matter how good
the economic development plan if he can't get it past the house and
senate it's worthless.
3. We have to try to populate the legislature with people favorable to an
energy policy including incentives for retrofits. Uvalde is already
speaking about PACE and an energy policy.
4. We should get the college kids to ask their legislators if they will support
Gov. Beebe's energy plan. (assuming it includes the initiatives and
incentives for efficiency and conservation we are asking for) Joanna and

Shannon will alert the RSO leaders to spread the word about getting
signatures on the letter in their home districts.

We won't know our legislators til 2012, so we have to educate the voters.
and we need a mechanism for this.

Uvalde and Greg approve of the letter as written.

Suggestion: give letter to students on Moving Planet Day, tie it in with
Thanksgiving for them to take home and get signatures. 10 each.
Question: Who will be archivist for letters? Hubs could be the Green
Economy Group, CCTF, U of A.
Discussion about legitimacy of signatures and possible notarization. Decision
to keep it simple, and have signatures on back of copies of the letter. There
can be a continuous stream of letter submissions, not all at one time.
Decision to add "as a component of a comprehensive economic development
plan in introduction, after SEP. Also take out last sentence about carbon costs
in bullet point 2. (completed in attached letter).

1. Letter will be distributed to university students and businesses. The time
frame to have them back and delivered to Governor by Dec. 1.
2. Once Keaton does the rewrite he will send to USGBC, OMNI.
3. Possible use of Docusign online. Will contact Ryan Bancroft about
technique.


4. Post on FB, as a page to be "liked".
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Moving Planet Day, Community Sustainability Fair, Sept, 24th


Town Center at 9:30 to bicycle to Old Main or go to Old Main Lawn for gathering
from 10 am - 2 am. Event initiated by Bill McKibben of 350.org. Mikel Lolley and
Michelle Halsell will speak. Bring gently used items for freecycle, drop off from
10:30-11, browse and take starts at noon. Activities, food and music. Can have table
devoted to the letter to Gov. Beebe.

2. Carlos and Audrey Velasquez in Walker Room at Fayetteville library on Thursday,
Nov. 3rd

 3. Climate Change Challenge -Nathan Wilson.
 
http://www.omnicenter.org/events/2011/2/28/climate-change-challenge.html
Please fill out the questions on the Climate Change Challenge to earn points toward
a trip to South Africa.
Here is a link directly to the Contest Page:

points/
Also, http://www.practicallygreen.com/


about 400+ action items and they are pretty neat.
you are and compare yourself with Facebook friends or other members. Its got
4.Please support OMNI, the CFC and the APPP financially. The CFC is our lobbying
arm in the legislature.
5. Report on violations of water quality by natural gas drilling companies available.
6. Many thanks to Linda Farrell for bringing healthy delicious food.

Respectfully submitted,
Shelley Buonaiuto

LETTER:
Governor Mike Beebe
State Capitol Room 250
Little Rock, AR 72201

SUBJECT: Economic Development and Energy Plan

Dear Governor Beebe:
Thank you for your leadership in directing the Arkansas Energy Office to leverage its
expertise by creating an Energy Plan for Arkansas, as a component of a comprehensive
Economic Development Plan.
We, the undersigned citizens, businesses, and institutions of Arkansas support a strong
Energy Plan that cultivates the market certainty needed to attract private investment to our
State. Such an Energy Plan acknowledges future economic growth, increased demand for
energy, and finite natural resources. We propose the following as a potential framework for
the Energy Plan:
 
1. Education and Efficiency are Job Creators.
An initial focus on energy efficiency and conservation in the residential,
commercial and industrial sectors will result in immediate economic
benefits for homeowners, businesses, utilities and our State. Investments in
Centers of Excellence can be leveraged to retool our idle construction sector,
putting Arkansans to work helping families and businesses increase
disposable income and profits, respectively. Energy dollars would be
retained in the Arkansas economy.

2. Affordable and stable energy prices for the next 40 years.
Arkansas's businesses and residents will benefit from affordable and stable
energy costs. Diversification of energy production away from finite,
imported energy resources would insulate Arkansas's citizens and
businesses from price shocks and market volatility.

3. Reliability of energy supplies for the next 40 years.
Reliability of our energy supplies for electricity production and for
transportation is paramount. Designing for robustness by moving toward
more diverse generation assets and homegrown energy sources will help
mitigate the risk of supply chain disruptions, the consequences of which are
potentially catastrophic.

4. Environmental and economic soundness.
As we anticipate our future energy portfolio, we must consider the full costs
of all environmental impacts, since these are ultimately paid by society at
large. Environmental goals should be specified and met, but this must be
done in the most cost-effective manner to be truly sustainable policy. Lifecycle
analysis and accepted metrics should be used to evaluate options and
monitor performance.

We support your inclusion of these principles as the foundation for Arkansas' Energy Plan. Such a plan has the potential to be an outstanding legacy for your administration.
Time is of the essence. Whereas energy policy profoundly affects the economy of our
State, we respectfully request that the formation of the Energy Plan proceed with all due
urgency.

We welcome all future dialogue about the Plan, and stand ready to support and assist you
where we may.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Signed,
cc: Chris Benson, Maria Haley, Marc Harrison, etc.
   

Forward to a Friend


 Meeting Agenda
Agenda Climate Change Task Force Monthly Meeting
7 August 2011, 1:30PM,
OMNI House, 3274 N. Lee Ave., Fayetteville, AR

Note: At this meeting we will begin building a network of people who will participate in educating legislators about renewable energy, energy efficiency and sound energy policy for Arkansas. Please bring your cell phones and folks you know around the state. We will have maps of the Legislative Districts so you can locate your potential contacts in each district. Thank you.
                                I.            1:00        Welcome  Nathan Wilson-Robert McAfee,
                    II.            1:05        Way of Work     Louise Mann, Facilitator
                            III.            1:15        Move Beyond Fossil Fuels-350.org event, 24 Sept 2011Nathan Wilson & Joanna Pollock

                            IV.            1:30        The Power of 10: 18 month strategy for prep for the 2013 Legislative Session    Robert & Louise

                              V.            1:40        PANEL: An Economic Development, Clean Energy and Green Jobs Plan for Arkansas. Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, PACE & REFITand more. Building the network to educate the Arkansas Legislature before and during the 2013 Session. Panel members will include Mikel Lolley, Keaton Smith, Orlo Stitt, and Gary Kahanak will The Panel will be moderated by Joanna Pollock.

                            VI.            2:40        The Power of 10! Getting started on outreach and establishing the network.

                          VII.            3:00        Announcements

             VIII.            3:05       Open Discussion for those who wish to linger 
  
                            IX.            3:30        Adjourn
 

 
Article01 An Economic Development, Clean Energy, & 
Green Jobs Plan for Arkansas

By Mikel Lolley, President, Treadwell Institute

green AR flag

Enabling Legislation cultivates a climate of market certainty which attracts private investment

Arkansas has an opportunity to go from the bottom six states with no energy plan whatsoever, to the top six states with an assertive enough plan that recognizes that "the times, they are a changing," Bob Dylan.
Economics 101 - early adopters that recognize and anticipate changes in market forces and create business models, shape policy and plan infrastructure around these forecasts, reap the greatest rewards and the steepest dividends.

We are in the midst of a major paradigm shift the likes of which the world has not seen in at least a century if not longer. Like all paradigm shifts before, it has been wrought out of necessity, a necessity to change. But, why now? Why not before now? Why not later? Paradigms shifts choose the timing; not institutions, not governments, not even the people get to chose when the revolution actually occurs. Paradigm shifts occur when a combination of forces align to conspire together to urge the status quo, the governments, the institutions, and the people of the day toward change. When the tools, the ideolologies and the institutions that had been developed in the previous paradigm are no longer useful at solving the new challenges of the new day, they begin to loose their relevance. We are there.

JFK QuoteThis new paradigm started 30 years ago with the recognition that for the first time in the modern human experience, we (humans) are entering a new age, an age defined by limits; limits on human population; limits on arable land; limits on available clean water and clean air; limits on natural resources; limits on energy as % of GDP; limits on healthcare as % of GDP; limits on C02 emissions; limits on just about everything and in every category we look.

Manifest in the environmental movement, resulting in the development of the 1st Earth Day, an oil embargo, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts of the 70's.
Now we find ourselves 40 years later in the worse market economy since the Great Depression, unemployment rates hovering at just under 10%, and at over 20% for the construction sector and for nearly three years now. What are we going to do about it?

Some states have adapted, and have recognized the profound changes coming our way. Whether we want to change is no longer an option. It's here. Those states that have immobilized, created the enabling legislation, and cultivated a climate of market certainty have attracted significant private investment and are seeing the benefits of jobs creation in the new Green Economy; jobs in Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Clean Tech and Green Manufacturing. Arkansas needs to jump on this band wagon, follow suit and leverage investments and opportunities already made in our fair state.
Arkansas has the perfect alignment of planets setting up "the Natural State" for a monumental advancement in 2013, and taking us from no energy plan whatsoever, to a comprehensive Economic Development; Clean Energy; Green Jobs policy that can ensure that Arkansas is leading the way toward this new paradigm and guaranteeing that our fair state is in the strongest economic condition possible to afford ourselves the luxury and the privilege to contemplate the loftier intellectual pursuits of Politics, Philosophy, Art, Poetry and the fate of our states natural resources and of our planet. If Arkansas should maintain the status quo, we will impoverish our fair state and we will find ourselves so utterly preoccupied with survival with keeping food on the table and a roof over our heads that we will not afford ourselves the luxury of anything else, (Mazlow's Hierarchy of Need).

Governor Beebe has asked the Arkansas Economic Development Office via Maria Haley and the Arkansas Energy Office via Chris Benson to develop an 'Energy Plan' to be a part of his legislative 
package. This plan is ambitious and is to be his lasting legacy for Arkansas as a term limited Governor, and having gone on the record with no expressed political aspirations after he wraps-up his 2nd term in 2013. This Energy Plan is to build off of his Knowledge Economic Development Plan rolled-out several years ago. Acknowledgement that education, re-education, and re-tooling the work force will prove a significant component as we move Arkansas into the new paradigm, and the new Green Economy.
We have several key State Legislators who have expressed a keen interest and even a commitment to sponsoring and actively advocating to their peers for a comprehensive Economic Development; Clean Energy; Green Jobs Plan in 2013.

We have begun to build a broad and diverse coalition of key stakeholders in Business Leaders, non profits, agencies and institutions who have expressed a strong desire to get together on message and intent and to push our elected officials for real progress for Arkansas with regards to a comprehensive plan going into 2013. Potential Coalition Groups recommending for an Energy Plan, but not limited to, below:

USGBC (US Green Building Council), Citizens First Congress, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Fayetteville Forward Green Economy Group, Treadwell Institute, Interfaith Power & Light, Arkansas Small Business Leaders for a Clean Energy Economy, Arkansas Alternative Energy Commission, Sustainable Building Task Force, Audubon, Sierra Club, Pew Charitable Trusts, OMNI, and various enlightened Mayors from around the State.

We have identified systemic barriers in the old systems and institutions that have been self referential for decades and are thwarting the successful roll-out of the new Green Economy.

Barriers identified as:
1) A Feed-in Tariff that guarantees a fair price by mandate to renewable energy producers that could jump start the renewable energy sector via Solar PV, Solar Hot Water, Solar Thermal, Wind, Micro-hydro, and Biomass.
2) Alternative financing mechanisms, such as PACE for bonding scale and capacity to help pay for Energy Efficiency improvements.
3) Adoption of an updated and more relevant version of the state Energy Code, ie from 2003 to 2009. Statewide enforcement of this newer code would create demand in the emerging sector of energy efficiency, energy audits. Requiring an Energy Audit as a part of the inspection process for properties bought or sold would provide consumers the necessary information re: energy usage. Mandate a blower door test and a duct blast test prior to every close on any property transaction in the state.
4) Provide state sales tax incentives on equipment for Energy Efficiency or Renewable Energy Improvements.
5) Mandate that the multi-listing used by realtors include new Energy Fields that include energy usage information and an energy score for any property being bought and sold, similar to an Estimated Mileage sticker when buying a new car.
6) Mandate that appraisers and lenders provide appropriate valuations for energy efficiency and renewable energy lending and improvements.
7) Mandate 'best practices' and 'water protections' to driller's fracking for natural gas, or fracking for oil, or strip mining for lignite, or for storage of coal ash.
8) Enhance the current net metering statute.
9) Create a Loan Loss Reserve to allow bonding capacity for financing a statewide Revolving Loan Fund to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits on existing buildings.

Follow the Colorado Play Book: they tried and failed three times to pass comprehensive economic development; clean energy; green jobs legislation. When asked, Governor Ritter and Tom Plant credit the passage on the fourth try to (4) four key elements:
1)     A broad diverse coalition.
2)     An enlightened Big Energy Exec. willing to break the glass ceiling of unity among the Big Energy Lobby.
3)     A Clean Energy Rally populated by over 400 attendees on the steps of the State Capitol to demonstrate the public will and give the state legislators courage that they were in-fact representing their constituents and could afford to piss-off Big Energy.
4)     A ballot initiative, whereby they asked the base questions: Would you support a Clean Energy Policy for the State of Colorado? Would you be willing to pay slightly more for your clean energy? The voting respondents overwhelming said yes to these two questions and this again gave insecure legislators the strength to break ranks with Big Energy and support legislation that was representative of the peoples will.

Once Colorado passed the enabling legislation they sent a message loud and clear to the private markets, "we support the new green economy and we have the state statues and incentives to prove it." Within the next couple of years they produced the following results:

1) They went from 40 Clean Energy Companies to over 400, and even attracted a major wind manufacture from Europe to build a new manufacturing facility in Colorado.
2) They created 3500 direct clean energy jobs, and in the worse market economy since the Great Depression.
3) They created 17,000 soft jobs as a result of the 3500 direct jobs.
4) They encouraged Big Coal to invest instead in Natural Gas conversions for their aging coal plants and save in the tremendous upfront costs to upgrade with new scrubbers, but take advantage of an instate energy source in Natural Gas, and instead of importing coal from Wyoming.
There have been significant investments already made within Arkansas that can and should be leveraged to maximize a good return on these investments and ensure and guarantee their future success such as:
1) The Centers for Excellence, created in 2009 via federal ARRA funding, to retrain the construction sector in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
2) The PSC dockets for Energy Efficiency benchmarks for 25%, 50% and 75% by 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively, and the rate increases approved by the PSC requested by the public utilities to off-set real costs associated with providing incentives to reach those benchmarks via aggressive incentives or rebate programs.
3) Governor Beebe has paved the way with his Knowledge Based Economic Development Plan that needs the Clean Energy; Green Jobs components added in to fully recognize the (3) three major components of any paradigm shift - (A). New market desire, (B). Education and re-tooling of the workforce, (C). Deployment and mass-market.
4) A nationally recognized research university with a research / technology park.
In summary: the new paradigm, this new Green Economy will be utilizing the new tools of the day, such as, whole systems thinking and integration to arrive at the elegant and inclusive solutions that mimic what we find in the natural world. Correct the "Dilbert's" that are the all too familiar hallmarks of the previous century of self referential systems and institutions that have become preoccupied with greater and greater specialization to the point that the left hand doesn't know what the right had is doing. The new Green Economy has new tools via 'collaborative loops' powerful main frame computers, the internet and social networking sites that have allowed for a real integration of disciplines to help break down the silos of thought and problem solving and allow us to arrive more inclusive and elegant solutions to the monumental challenges that confront us today. Exciting times!


Green Jobs in America
 2011 - 2013 CCTF Meeting Schedule
Schedule The Climate Change Task Force Meets on the first Sunday of each month at 1:30PM at the OMNI House, 3274 N. Lee Ave, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Except CCTF will meet on the second Sunday, September 2011, January 2012 and September 2012. More details about future meetings will appear below as they are finalized. Also other important dates are are included in this calendar.

2011
CCTF. Sunday, 7 August. Panel & Discussion: An Economic Development, Clean Energy and Green Jobs Plan for Arkansas. With members of Fayettevilles Green Economy Group: Joanna Pollock, Mikel Lolley, Gary Kahanak, Keaton Smith and Orlo Stitts.

Come learn about how you can be part of the Power of 10.

CCTF. Sunday, 11 September. Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels. http://www.moving-planet.org/ .Join CCTF in preparations for the event on September 24th. Also CCTF will continue to mobilize for the Power of 10.

Saturday, 24 September. A day to move beyond fossil fuels.Moving Planet is a worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis-a single day to move away from fossil fuels. For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end.Come on bike, on skates, on a board, or on foot. Come with your neighbors and your friends, your family and your co-workers. Come be part of something huge. It's time to get moving on the climate crisis.

CCTF. Sunday, 2 October. HOME-The Film.
Directed by photographer. Glenn Close.HOME takes you on a visually stunning, spectacular voyage

around the world. It is a unique film that approaches the current debate about climate change from a whole new angle, giving viewers the opportunity to see for themselves how our earth is changing. Going well beyond the scientific reports, charts and graphs, this film is an inspiration that speaks to our hearts and touches our souls.Spanning 54 countries and 120 locations, all seen from the air, the film captures the Earth's most amazing landscapes, showcasing its incomparable beauty and acknowledging its vulnerability. HOME is a compelling emotional reminder of what is at stake: the Earth, in all its beauty, and the people who live on it.HOME is the first major film about climate change that has been made using only aerial photography. The film marks artist and activist, Yann Arthus-Betrand's feature film directorial debut. HOME is a non-for-profit film project, produced by the French film director and producer Luc Besson (Europacorp), Denis Carot (Elzevir Films) and supported by the PPR group. In the United States, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment represents the film.




 
The mission of the OMNI Climate Change Task Force (CCTF) is to educate Arkansans about current realities of climate change and scientific projections. The CCTF is committed to actions that lead to the reduction of green house gases through life-style and legislative change, which includes partnering with like-minded organizations. 


Saturday, August 20, 2011

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The Future of Gardening by Neil Diboll



The Future of Gardening:  Why Going Native is the Answer

Presented at the 20th Millersville Native Plant Conference
Millersville, PA
June 4, 2010

by Neil Diboll
Prairie Nursery, Inc.
P.O. Box 306
Westfield, WI  53964
www.prairienursery.com
800-476-9453  (800-GRO-WILD)
Traditional landscapes suck.  They suck Energy, Water, and Money.   These three “Future Factors” will determine to a large degree the shape  and structure of our landscapes in the coming years.
The old whipping boy, the lawn, indeed deserves a good whipping.  It  is emblematic of an expensive, unsustainable, energy and chemical hungry  landscape that supports few forms of life and consumes valuable  resources that could be better invested elsewhere.
Size of the American Lawn
There are over 50 million acres of lawn in the United States, twice the size of the state of Pennsylvania.
The total American corn crop for 2009 was 86 million acres.
The total American soybean crop for 2009 was 77 million acres.
The total American wheat crop for 2009 was 65 million acres.
Lawn is the fourth largest crop grown in America today.
Water Use by the American Lawn
Thirty percent of the water consumed on the East Coast of the US goes  to watering lawns.  Sixty percent of the water used on the West Coast  is dedicated to maintaining green lawns, in a region that is facing  looming water shortages.
A 1000 square foot lawn requires an average of 10,000 gallons of water per year to maintain in good condition.
One acre of irrigated lawn requires nearly half a million gallons (435,000) of water every year!
Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides Applied to the American Lawn
The average lawn receives 10 times as much chemical fertilizers,  herbicides, and pesticides as the typical farm field, according to a  Yale University graduate study.
Over 80 millions pounds of chemical pesticides are applied to American lawns each year according to the USEPA.
More than 70 million tons of chemical fertilizers are applied to American lawns per year.
The USEPA estimates that 40 to 60 percent of the Nitrogen fertilizer  applied to lawns ends up in our surface water and groundwater.
Forty four percent of the Nitrogen and 28 percent of the Phosphorus  applied in the Mississippi River watershed ends up in the Gulf of  Mexico, greatly exacerbating the anoxic “dead zone” that preceded the BP  oil spill of 2010.
Solid Waste Created by Lawns
The EPA also estimates that grass clippings and yard debris account  for 20 to 40 percent of the landfill space consumed in America.
Energy Consumption by Lawns
The amount of energy required to mow and maintain manicured lawns is  surprisingly large, and is used in every phase of lawn care:
Mowing: Gasoline or diesel fuel to is required to  power riding mowers and most push type rotary mowers.  Electricity that  powers electric lawn mowers is produced primarily by fossil fuels such  as coal and natural gas, and by nuclear power plants.
Pesticides: Most herbicides and insecticides are  derived from or combined with petroleum-based compounds.  Of the 80  million pounds of pesticides applied to lawns in American every year,  most are synthesized from oil.
Fertilizers: Fertilizers are applied to lawns in  staggering quantities.  The energy required to mine and transport the 70  million tons of chemical fertilizers that are dumped on lawns every  year is significant.  Most Nitrogen fertilizers are produced using the  Haber Process, in which Nitrogen in the air is converted into a solid or  liquid form that can be readily handled and applied.  The Haber Process  is extremely energy intensive, and vast quantities of natural gas are  consumed to produce nitrogen fertilizer for lawns.
Irrigation: Even watering the lawn consumes energy.   Electricity is used to purify water at treatment plants, and to pump  water to homes and businesses.  The underground plastic pipes that are  used in lawn irrigations systems are produced from petrochemicals  derived from crude oil.
Carbon Footprint of Lawns
As an energy-dependent landscape, the carbon annual footprint  consumption of lawns is high compared to prairies and other natural  landscapes that require only occasional mowing, no fertilizers, no  irrigation, and few if any pesticides.  Prairies release carbon into the  atmosphere when burned, and when dead organic matter such as leaves and  stems decompose through microbial action. However, these releases are  offset by new plant growth which absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and  incorporates it into new leave, roots, and stems.
The incredibly rich prairie soils of the American Midwest are a  result of the accumulation of organic matter in the soil over hundreds  and thousands of years.  Unlike most forest ecosystems, in which organic  matter is sequestered in the upper 12- 18 inches of soil, prairie soils  typically exhibit high organic matter content from three to six feet in  depth.  They also have significantly higher total organic matter  content than forest soils.  This would indicate that over time, prairies  are one of the most efficient plant communities at removing carbon  dioxide from the atmosphere and providing long term carbon sequestration  in the soil.
Economic Costs of Lawn
Americans spend over $25 billion per year on lawn care (USEPA).
Americans spend over $2 billion per year on lawn and garden chemicals.
A 4000 square foot lawn (1/10 acre) produces an average of 1200  pounds of grass clippings per year.  The City of Philadelphia Streets  Department reported in 2005 that it costs $75 per year to dispose of  this material.
Wildlife and Lawns
The US EPA estimates that between 60 and 70 millions birds are poisoned annually due to the application of lawn pesticides.
On lawns that receive regular applications of pesticides, 60 to 90 percent of the earthworms in the soil are killed.
Air and Noise Pollution
In summer months, 5 percent of air pollution is attributable to gas  powered lawn and garden equipment (National Vehicle and Fuel Assessment  Lab, Ann Arbor, MI)
Per hour of operation, a typical lawnmower emits 10-12 times as much hydrocarbons as an automobile.
Health and Safety
Of the most commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 are known to cause  cancer, 14 can cause birth defects, 11 can interfere with reproduction,  and 21 can cause damage to the nervous system. (US EPA)
111,000 Americans are sickened every year due to exposure to pesticides. (US EPA)
Over 230,000 people are treated in the Emergency Room every year for accident related to lawn equipment.  (US EPA)
Time
The average homeowner spends 40 hours a year mowing his or her lawn – the equivalent of a week’s vacation!
HOW DID WE ARRIVE AT OUR LAWN-DOMINATED LANDSCAPE MODEL?
AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The New World of North America once appeared to be a seemingly  inexhaustible resource that held immense promise for the early colonists  and settlers.  True to their culture, the northern Europeans that  swarmed into the vast hinterlands of America created a landscape in the  image of their forebears: cut, grazed, plowed, and fenced into  submission.  The newly broken land yielded great bounty for a growing  nation.  As the country expanded, the towns and villages took on the  names and character of our former homes across the Atlantic: Amsterdam,  Birmingham, Gloucester, Berlin, Warsaw, and Rome, to name but a few.
Our goal as a nation and a culture was to tame the wilderness and  make it safe for civilization.  In so doing, we re-created the Old  Country in the New World.  As we brought the wilderness under our heel,  we took little time to appreciate its unique character and beauty.  Most  settlers sought bounty, not beauty.  In the rush to convert forests and  meadows into farms and fields, the flowers mostly went unnoticed.   Unplowed, unproductive wild land was a sign of sloth, savagery, and the  devil’s work.  Indeed, our mandate was to subdue the earth.  And subdue  it we did.
When our work was finally done, we sat back to take stock of our  immense labors, and it appeared that it was good.  Mostly.  What we had  not considered were the terrible losses associated with our great gain.   We had gained ascendancy over our young country.  In the process, we  lost the character of a continent.
Yea, even unto our gardens, we banished the wildflowers and wild  things to the far reaches of the countryside and to the corners of our  consciousness.  And nothing suffered the utter demise and near-total  destruction such as that which was visited upon the American Prairie.
The American Prairie: the once-vast kingdom of flowers, grasses,  bison and butterflies.  This unbelievably rich, unique ecosystem  blanketed millions of acres of America’s heartland.  These were the  flower gardens of North America.  Hidden deep underground, among the  intertwined roots of a universe of prairie plants, lay the black gold  that was to become the currency of the prairie farmer.  Here was the  inheritance of a million sunny days, hoarded away in the bank account of  the prairie soil.
Agricultural, the Industrial Revolution, and the Rise of the American Middle Class
The farmers that tapped into this prairie trust fund found the  dividends to be prodigious.  No fertilizers were needed to grow bumper  crops.  The immense yields increased agricultural productivity to levels  previously unheard-of, revolutionizing the farmer’s relationship with  the land.  Now one family could produce food for dozens of others.  The  day of the subsistence farm was over.  Human labor was set free to tend  the factory instead of the field.  The dawn of the American Industrial  Revolution was reflected in the glow of the forge that John Deere used  to construct the first sod-busting steel plow in 1836.  With the  industrial dawn came the sunset of the American Prairie.
The Eastern Tallgrass Prairie of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri,  Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska was all but  obliterated in the span of a few short decades at the close of the  nineteenth century.  That which was not plowed under was closed in with  fences and grazed to the ground by millions of cattle.  What were once  wide open spaces became food factories and feedlots.  Still, we knew not  what we had done.
A full century later, we are just beginning to grasp the scope of the  loss.  The Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is now one of the rarest plant  communities in the entire world.  Rainforests are commonplace by  comparison.  Less than 1/10th of 1% of the Tallgrass Prairie remains  today.  The small refuges where it can be found occur only in small  tattered fragments, ripped from the original cloth.  Only those pieces  that could not be drained, plowed, grazed, or otherwise turned to the  service of mankind remain.  There was simply no place for wildness in  this new American landscape.
The conversion of the New World into the Old Country was complete.   All that remained now was to tend the fields and the gardens of plants  brought over from Europe, and to make sure that the lawns that replaced  that prairie were kept mown and in order.
Order. The watchword of a Puritanical culture that  sought to carve structure from the chaos of wilderness.  Everything in  control.  Nothing out of place.  Even our gardens reflect this  directive.  Designs are precise, with each plant in its pre-ordained  place, ensconced in a thick bed of bark mulch.  The vegetable world must  supplicate itself to our omnipotence.  Those plants that fail to stay  in their assigned seats are branded as weeds, and banished from the  garden.  And if they should grow wild in nature, how could such peasant  plants of common breeding be sufficiently refined to have a place in our  gardens?
If the garden is truly the place where people and nature meet, it is  almost always the gardener who determines the terms of the meeting.   Will the gardeners of the earth choose to work with Nature to  create beauty in the landscape?  Or will we attempt to overpower her  with an arsenal of chemicals, machines, and “maintenance programs?”
We are finally coming to realize that the practice of paying homage  to a uniform, idealized landscape of seamlessly interconnected lawns is  an illusion.  This becomes eminently clear when one realizes that the  centerpoint of this landscape is a nearly lifeless, two dimensional  expanse of turf, to which we slavishly devote much of our increasingly  rare and precious free time.  We pour on the chemicals, mow the grass to  within an inch of its life, and kill any and all bugs that have the  temerity to share the landscape with us.  Perhaps most annoying, this  national pastime called Lawn Care is really quite expensive.
For many, their lawns are like an addiction.  They will pay almost  any price to satisfy the cravings.  The price is paid in money, time,  environmental degradation, and in some cases, one’s health.  We have so  completely divorced ourselves from Nature that the only connection to  the natural world is by watering and mowing their green carpets!
It is indeed a costly divorce from Nature.  Enforcement of our  unnatural landscapes consumes billions of dollars every year.  Lawns,  ornamental plantings, and even perennial gardens require constant  attention if the desired order is to be maintained.  Without  intervention by the human hand on a regular basis, these landscapes soon  fall victim to the invading hordes of weeds, trees, brambles and  vines.  Left unguarded, the walls of the domestic garden are stormed by  the Vandals and Visigoths of the Vegetable Kingdom.  Without the  indulgences of their human benefactors, the meeker and fairer plants of  the garden are quickly pillaged and displaced by the roving thugs of the  plant world.
History of the American Lawn
The modern lawn has it origin in the country estates of landed gentry in England in the 16th and 17th  centuries.  It was a status symbol of the wealthy, for the working  classes typically possessed no land, and could ill afford a lawn eve if  they did.  With our Anglo-American heritage, we looked to the mother  country for our social cues in the 18th century as the  American middle class emerged during the industrial revolution.  The  newly wealthy purchased homes and estates and installed lawns as one of  their symbols of having “made it.”  Lawns quickly became one of the  status symbols associated with the new middle and upper classes.
The great American landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, referred to the lawn in the late 18th  century as “The Great Democratizer” of a newly ascendant nation.   Rather than installing fences and barriers between neighboring  properties as was common in Europe, Americans had a seamless carpet of  green grass unifying their properties, all sharing in the new ethos of a  mutual affluence.
The lawn quickly became a socio-economic symbol, denoting order and  devotion to a non-economic crop that only those with expendable income  could afford.  As the middle class in America grew after World War II,  the occupants of newly-built suburbs embraced the lawn as one of their  icons of success and comfortable living.
The lawn was now cemented into American culture.  Woe be unto he who  violated the unspoken contract of “keeping up appearances” and allowing  one’s turf to “go native” and grow beyond the socially acceptable four  inches in height.  An un-mowed, unkempt lawn was a sign of slovenliness  and anti-social tendencies.  Social breakdown and chaos could not be far  behind.
This is why the lawn is so ardently defended by so many.  It is a  symbol of an entire social class and lifestyle.  It is far more than a  near-lifeless green expanse that requires an inordinate amount of time,  money and chemicals to maintain.  It embodies the hopes and dreams of  average Americans, and symbolizes the triumph or order over entropy.  It  is a shared middle class bond that transcends politics, religion, and  ethnicity.  In many communities you are judged by your lawn first, and  your character as a human being second.  And do not for one minute  believe that the first does not influence the second.
Why do we Persist with Our Addiction to Lawns?  What About Wildlife?
1)    It’s simple and easy!  We know how to do it:  Fertilize it, spray it, and mow it!
2)    You don’t really have to know anything about plants or  gardening to grow and manage a lawn – just follow the directions  provided by the purveyors of fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and  insecticides provide you!
3)    Lawn is a cheap fix.  Although less costly to install than  native landscapes, lawn has a high life cycle cost over a period of many  years.  Native landscapes typically have low long-term maintenance  costs, with lower life cycle costs.
4)    Lawns don’t attract bugs or wildlife (except for geese), so you  know you and your family will be safe from snakes, vermin, and those  annoying insects!  So what if insects are the foundation of the food  chain, and support a myriad of birds and other desirable creatures.   We’ve been brainwashed that bugs are bad, so we have to make sure they  don’t inhabit our outdoor living spaces.
5)    NO BUGS, NO BIRDS!
6)    Everybody says they love Nature, but nobody ever invites her over to their yard.
7)    I knew my prairie was a success when I saw Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonianus) and Hog Nosed Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos)  in it.  These creatures provided evidence that I now had a functioning  ecosystem, not just a garden.  If you like hawks and owls, you better be  able to feed them: rodents and reptiles are some of their preferred  foods.
WE ARE NOT A NATION OF GARDENERS:
WE ARE A NATION OF MOWERS!
WHY DO WE CARE WHAT WE PLANT IN OUR GARDENS
AND LANDSCAPES?
Many of us care deeply about the state of our planet and the loss of  biodiversity that is occurring on a global scale.  Although we all think  globally, most of us can only act locally.  Together, we can have an  impact in our own gardens and landscapes, as well as those of our  friends and neighbors.  For those of us in the landscape design  business, we can promote sustainable landscapes composed of native  plants that require little or no fertilizers, pesticides, watering, or  mowing (just burning!).  This alone, when compounded over time as more  people opt for sustainable landscapes, can have an impact.
The looming question for us today is the on-going loss of  biodiversity.  Restoring native ecosystems is one way we can help  support not just native plants, but also invertebrates such as rare  butterflies and moths, bees, wasps, and all manner of the generally  unloved lower castes of bugs and creepy crawly things.  Yet they are all  important, and each has an important place in the web of life.
Homo sapiens, is presently presiding over what is believed to be the  Sixth Great Extinction.  Although we have yet to reach the catastrophic  levels of past extinction events, we are well on our way and showing  only a few signs of abatement in our drive to subdue and conquer the  earth, as we serve our ever-expanding need for food, fuel, water, and  living space.
But does it really matter what we do as individuals?  A society is  composed of all its individuals, and their actions determine the face of  that society.  Most of us are working to restore the integrity of  native ecosystems because we believe it is the “right” and good thing to  do, and that we are “doing it for the planet.”  But does it really  matter?  Does the planet really respect our actions?  Or is it all  irrelevant?
The Earth has been subjected to massive extinctions in the past, some  fairly recent in geological history.  The planet has always recovered,  with the development of new species and a wealth of new life forms.   Nature does indeed abhor a vacuum, and she apparently fills it rapidly.   All of the work I am doing on my property to control invasive species  and restore native plants will someday be negated by the next advance of  the glacier, as unlikely as that may seem at this point in geological  and meteorolical history.  Of course, my landscape will probably be  invaded by garlic muster, buckthorn, honeysuckle and other non-native  thugs soon after my demise, unless some equally deranged and determined  individual picks up where I leave off.
SO WHY RESTORE THE PLANET?  DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
If one takes a long-term geological perspective, it doesn’t really  matter what we do.  Even if we nuke the joint, something will survive  and a whole new set of life forms will evolve.  Maybe the next sentient  beings will be smarter than us, and actually take care of the planet.
We Restore the Earth Because It Is Good for Us!
We need a quality of life that includes clean air, clean water,  trees, flowers, ferns, birds, and all the wonderful life forms with  which we share the planet.  We aren’t just preserving habitat and  restoring native plant communities out of the goodness of our hearts –  Our very economic and psychic survival depend upon it!
We have yet to fully value the economics of a healthy environment.   But as the planet is further degraded, the value of high quality living  spaces only increases.
THE BOTTOM LINE:  Ultimately, our future landscapes will be in large part determined more  by economics than ecology.  This is an unfortunate consequence of the  human condition.  As a quality living space becomes more valuable, more  value will be placed upon it.  We will protect it more diligently.  It  will sell for a higher price.  People will begin to view the natural  environment more as an asset, rather than as a resource to be exploited.
All of this will most likely be precipitated by shortages of water,  rather than a shortage of oil or other energy source.  You can live  without oil, but you cannot live without water.  As the price of water  increases, the incentive to conserve it will increase.  We will need  landscapes that do not require huge inputs of water and chemicals to  sustain them.  We will need to overcome our cultural taboos of “messy”  natural landscapes and move beyond viewing lawns as status symbols and a  rite of passage into the middle and upper classes.
Someday pride of place will belong to those with the least lawn,  lowest water bill, and no chemicals in their garages.  Society will  value those who work to preserve our environment, rather than those who  can make the most money by despoiling it.  I personally cannot wait much  longer for that day to come.
AT A GLANCE:
TODAY:  LAWN, an ecological and economic disaster

TOMORROW:  SUSTAINA LE ECOSYSTEMS, composed of native plant
communities that require little or no fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation, o
TODAY:  MONOCULTURES of mowed lawns

TOMORROW:  DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS that support a wide variety of life
TODAY:  FEAR and mistrust of the natural world and its attendant organisms (bugs,
mice, snakes, etc)

TOMORROW:  RE-INTEGRATION of people into nature and an understanding that
everything is connected and interdependent
WE MUST ENTER INTO A JOINT VENTURE WITH NATURE TO PRESERVE OUR PLANET AND THE SYSTEMS UPON WHICH ALL LIFE DEPENDS.

ONLY THEN WILL WE LIVE IN HARMONY WITH OUR FELLOW CREATURES ON THIS PLANET.

OUR QUALITY LIFE AND LONG-TERM SURVIVAL DEPENDS UPON THE SURVIVAL OF THE SYSTEMS AND ORGANISMS THAT SUPPORT US.


 



University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science


Summer News Article
FUEL-EFFICIENT LAWNS AND LANDSCAPES
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
With the price of gasoline and natural gas on the rise, most are looking for ways to cut their costs and save energy.  If you have a lawn or garden, you may not realize just how much fossil fuels you are using.  By knowing where these are used, you can look for ways to reduce consumption.  This will reduce your costs, and help the environment.
In a recent PPPro online newsletter Paul Tukey, editor of People, Places and Plants magazine, provides some sobering facts and helpful suggestions. Each year, a family with a one-third acre lawn will on average:
*consume five gallons of gas for mowing and trimming;
*apply the equivalent of seven gallons for fertilizing;
*burn up to five gallons for watering; and
*consume an additional gallon for cleanup.
That’s 18 gallons of fuel per household. With 120 million U.S. households, that’s the equivalent of almost 2.2 billion gallons of fuel used just for lawn care each year.  This does not count other landscaping activities.  So just how do we use so much?
Yale University has estimated that the United States uses more than 600 million gallons of gas to mow and trim lawns each year — about two gallons of gas for every man, woman and child, or five gallons per household. Mowers also consume engine oil in their crankcases, and two-stroke mowers consume oil in their fuel.
In addition to fuel consumption, mowers and outdoor power equipment contribute heavily to air pollution.  Operating a typical (4 HP) gasoline-powered lawnmower for one hour produces as much smog-forming hydrocarbons as driving an average car between 100 and 200 miles under average conditions. Gasoline-powered string trimmers are actually more polluting than many lawn mowers. One estimate (mindfully.org) states that “the 20,000,000 small engines sold in the U.S. each year contribute about one tenth of the total U.S. mobile source hydrocarbon emissions, and are the largest single contributor to these non-road emissions.” These include power blowers, rakes, and brooms.
Creating synthetic nitrogen for fertilizers requires the heating of natural gas to combine atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia. The amount of natural gas required to make approximately 200 bags of lawn fertilizer would heat your home for a year. Each 40-pound bag contains the fossil-fuel equivalent of approximately 2.5 gallons of gasoline. Transporting these bags of fertilizer from the factory and to your home requires additional fuel.
According to a California study, in many areas — especially in the West, where water must be moved great distances from reservoirs — the amount of fuel needed to pump the water is at least equal to the fuel used in mowing.
 
So what can you do? Here are ten tips to have a “fuel-efficient” landscape.
*Use an electric or non-powered push mower. An electric mower maintaining one-third of an acre for a season consumes only $3 of electricity on average. Electric mowers are 75 percent quieter than gas mowers. Push mowers, of course, consume no fuel and make little noise.
*Similarly, use traditional hand rakes and brooms instead of power ones and blowers to save fuel, and at the same time reduce air and noise pollution.  If you employ a landscape maintenance firm, encourage their use of these too.  Minimize the need for string trimmers.  Mulch along walks and around structures such as lamp posts to avoid having to trim weeds in these areas.
*If you have an old mower, consider replacing it.  Newer small engines run much cleaner.  EPA emission standards for such engines, to be in effect by 2007, are expected to reduce ground-level ozone emissions by 70 percent or 350,000 tons each year.
*Reduce the area mowed through use of groundcovers.  This is especially true in areas with water shortages.  Allow parts of large areas to grow, only mowing once or twice a season, creating a natural meadow.  You can still mow areas near drives and homes to maintain the more formal manicured effects in such highly visible and high traffic areas.
*Save rainwater and gray water. Gray water is that water from home use, except from toilets, and can make up from 50 to 80 percent of home waste water.  It comes from sinks, showers, and laundry and can be used for irrigating landscapes and lawns.
*Water deeply once per week on average, rather than frequently.  Drip irrigation and mulches also conserve water.  Using less water saves on energy use, whether you’re buying water that has to be pumped, or are paying an electric bill to pump your own.
*Use natural, organic fertilizers not derived from fossil fuels.
*Recycle grass clippings, mow higher and mix 5 percent clover into your lawn seed.  All these help recycle nutrients back into the soil.  Mulching-type mowers allow you to leave grass clippings on the lawn.  If you don’t have such a mower, and remove the clippings, add them to compost or use them to mulch gardens.
*Compost all yard wastes, except for diseased plants and plant parts. They can go into compost piles, saving gasoline hauling such to landfills and recycle centers.  If your landscape generates many twigs and other brush, consider buying or renting a home-size brush chipper.
*Finally, consider landscaping to reduce up to 25 percent of home energy consumption.  Foundation plantings can lessen heat loss from buildings.  Evergreen windbreaks can reduce heating costs in winter in windy areas.  Deciduous shade trees can reduce energy needs for cooling in summer.  According to the Department of Energy, only three properly placed trees may



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"You          can't learn much from a lawn,
but a garden has a whole world of wonders."



history


Lawns started out as grazing areas around the manors of the landed gentry.        Having a nice lawn around the house was a sign of power as you owned sufficient        land to raise sheep and cow.
As the industrial revolution took hold and animals were less a sign of wealth,        the lawn itself became the status symbol. You could indulge yourself in        sparing land and time to recreational grounds.
As people moved to the cities so did the grass, on ever smaller plots. First        lawns were cut by hand and later with the mechanical lawnmower, (an automated,        resource depleting, pointless cow.)
The 20th Century saw an explosion of lawn making as commercial interests        produced endless grass seed, fertiliser, pesticides, mowers, spreaders and        irrigation equipment whilst developers discovered they could pass off cheap        ‘gardens’ by spreading 3 inches of soil over hard subsoil and laying turf        on top.
Nowerdays, many lawns are rarely used and some are so covered with chemicals        children have been permanently injured after walking barefoot on them.[1]       

        

the          modern lawn - a waste of resources

       
The modern pure grass lawn is artificial... you need effort and chemicals          to maintain a monoculture.       

  • Misuse and the inherent toxicity of standard pesticides cause short            and long term poisoning, cancer and disease in people and wildlife.            [a]
  • Extensive use and overuse of fertilisers (due to lack of restrictions)            causes water pollution problems and wastes resources. [b]         
  • Endless summer irrigation to keep lawns green wastes massive amounts            of water and depletes water tables. [c]
  • Lawnmowers, strimmers and other lawn machinery unregulated for environmental            emissions, use vast amounts of petrol and are a significant factor in            urban air and noise pollution. [d]

      The lawn is the worlds third agriculture. It is probable that westerners        spend more person hours, energy and resources on their lawns than any agricultural        resource of the third world.[8]
       
                    

In the early 1990’s                in the United States…

$ 25 billion a year was spent on lawn                care products.
Of this,
$ 5,250 million was spent on fossil                fuel-derived fertilisers and...
$ 700 million was spent on 28 million                kgs of poisonous synthetic pesticides.

Meanwhile 20 million acres were planted                in residential lawns
and the average city sprayed its lawns with 30                to 60 % of its fresh water                supply.[2]

       
The lawn is a green desert. Adoption of a monoculture for a garden drastically          reduces the habitats available for wildlife. Birds, bees, butterflies          and other animals all begin to disappear. Often leaving an unstable ecosystem          where common ‘pest’ species seem to flourish.
       

alternatives

       
Aside from keeping animals or ripping up the turf to plant trees and bushes,          build vegetable beds, a pond or a greenhouse there are many things you          can do to keep the same purpose of a lawn whilst adding diversity and          removing chemical and mechanical dependence. (Unless the area you have          is subject to heavy traffic and abuse, where turf is probably the most          suitable thing to use.) If you just want somewhere to sit, try making          a bench a focal point of your garden.
Lawns can be made more edible, medicinal, beautiful and nice smelling          by adding low growing aromatic herbs and flowers. The plants below have          been specially selected because they will tolerate at least infrequent          mowings. For best results don’t cut as often or as short as a normal lawn          and try to lay off for at least 3 weeks in the summer to let the taller          plants flower and set seed. You could try sowing them into small gaps          in the grass or better still plant them out. For low maintenance choose          plants that will like your local conditions.

                                 

White clover flower

lively          lawns


Apart          from the obvious dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), daisy          (Bellis perennis) and plantains (Plantago major, plantago media)          which are all excellent in lawns, freely self seed, add variety and can          also be eaten once you get past seeing them just as ‘weeds,’ try…


White          Clover, Trifolium repens: 10cm H, spreads, adds nitrogen to          the soil, attracts bees and butterflies. You can eat the flowers and leaves,          (bit fiddly though)


Camomile,          Chamaemelum nobile: 15cm H 30cm W, Plants for a future[9]          recommend for smell but not for medicine, (no flowers), a cultivar called          ‘Treneague’ which is low growing, spreads and will succeed if the          grass is cut low and often, however you'll have to find a cutting, there          are no seeds.


Wild          thyme, Thymus serpyllum: 10cm H 30cm W Forms spreading clumps,          pink flowers attract bees in summer, drought tolerant, needs sun. High          in antioxidants and an essential kitchen herb.


Lemon          thyme, Thymus x citiodorus: 10cm H 30cm W. Likes light well          drained soil and full sun, can be planted by division.


Coltsfoot,          Tussilago farfara: 25cm H, spreads invasively. Tolerates shade,          does well in all soils, flowers edible mar-apr, leaves appear afterwards,          used for treatment of respiratory problems.


Rough          Hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus: 40cm H 30cm W. Similar to dandelion,          prefers chalky soil, flowers all summer, attracts bees & butterflies,          edible leaves most of the year.            
Self healSalad burnet,        Sanguisorba minor: 55cm H 30cm W. Prefers chalky soil and slightly        longer grass, flowers May-Aug and provides edible young leaves all year        round.        

Self          Heal, Prunella vulgaris: 15cm H spreading to form clumps 30cm          W. Prefers moist soil, tolerates low cutting and shade, flowers mid to          late summer, attracts bees & butterflies, eaten in salads and an healing          herb for cuts and wounds.


Yarrow,          Achillea millefolium: upto 60cm H spreads, hardy, drought resistant,          good in poor soils, and a very useful medicinal herb.


beautiful          bulbs


By lengthening          the time between mowings you can also grow taller plants such as bulbs.          Planted surreptitiously they are a nice surprise. All below are edible          and most spread naturally. It is advisable to plant bulbs of similar flowering          times together to make any lawn maintenance more straightforward.

Field & Crow garlic, Allium oleraceum & A.          vineale: 60cm H, 5cm W. Both almost invasive in grass if left to form          bulbils in jul-aug, tolerant of mowing, leaves edible autumn to following          summer. If cows eat them, their milk is tainted.

Quamash, Camassia quamash: 50cm H 10cm W. Does well in short          grass and under trees, flowers late spring, very edible bulbs when cooked.

Tassel hyacinthDog's Tooth Violet,        Erythronium den-canis: 15cm H 10cm W. appears in spring for a few        months each year. bulbs edible raw or cooked, also try E. revoltum        'pagoda' for a bigger, version.

Tassel Hyacinth, Muscari botryoides: 40cm H clumps 20cm W.        Easy to grow, does well in short grass, almost invasive, 3.5cm bulbs edible,        but a little bitter.


Or for beauty, there        are many other bulbs, such as daffodils, bluebells, crocus        etc that can be planted into the lawn.
               

wonderful          wildflowers


        Perhaps you could turn some of your lawn into a ‘wildflower meadow’.          This will attract butterflies and insects as well as bringing nature a          bit closer to home. Choose a sunny position on poor soil to get the most          flowers. Mow only after the seeds have set (around August) and remove          the clippings to keep fertility low.
Sow a mix of wild flowers into bare earth, or if grass is already established,          grow in pots and plant out in Autumn or Spring, this is more work but          gets better results. Most of the above taller lawn plants will do well          as these edible ones below...

Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria: 120cm H. Likes moist rich          soil non acid soils, a useful medicinal and culinary herb.

Sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella: 30cm H. prefers suny and          moist spot, sharp edible salad leaves all year round.

Red clover, Trifolium pratense: 60cm H. attracts butterflies,          moths and bees, put round apple trees for better fruit, edible leaves,          fixes nitrogen.

Alternatively you could purchase a conservation wildflower mix from a          local supplier, you won't be able to eat them though.

For some more lawn fun see the guerrilla          gardening pages.

Notes

        [a]          Many pesticides have never been adequately tested for toxicity to humans          or wildlife. According to the National Coalition Against the Misuse of          Pesticides, 13 of the most commonly used lawn care pesticides can cause          cancer, 14 can cause birth defects, 21 can damage the nervous system,          15 can injure the liver or kidney, and 30 are sensitizers or irritants.          [3] The pesticide MCPA, used as an ingredient is some          lawn pesticides, has been found to damage the blood brain barrier which          protects against neurological illness.[4] Organophosphate          pesticides have been shown to cause memory loss and short attention spans.[5]          Other studies have linked long term pesticide use with prostate[6],          brain and lung cancer.[7] It is estimated that each year          in the US, 67 million birds are poisoned by legally used pesticides.[3]          Pesticides are often misused especially by homeowners, increasing the          risks.
[b] Fertiliser is often over applied, causing runoff          problems in nearby watercourses, as well as the obvious waste of fossil          fuels in its manufacture and transport.
[c] It is estimated that 44% of domestic water          consumption in California is used for lawns[8] In many          areas ground water tables are being depleted.
[d] The manufacture of garden machinery uses energy,          depletes resources and creates pollution as do the engine fumes or the          power plants producing the electricity they run on. In the early 90’s          it was estimated that 580,000,000 gallons of petrol were used to run lawnmowers          in the US every year.[2]

References

[1] The Pesticide Scandal, Sayan, Kathyrne, Family        Circle 2 April 1991.
[2] Redesigning the American Lawn, F. Herbert Bormann,        Diana Balmori, Gordon T. Geballe, Yale University Press, 1993
[3] Spring, 1997 edition of The Arlington Environment,        Volume Four, Number Four
[4] Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 65:23, 1982       
[5] Annual Reviews in Public Health, 7:461, 1986
[6] Occupational Environmental Medicine, 56(1):14-21,        1999
[7] Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 71(1),        July 1983
[8] Permaculture a designers manual, Bill Mollison,        Tagari publications, 1988.
[9] Plants for a future- edible and useful plants        for a healthier world, Ken Fern, Permanent publications, 1997.



        

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"You          can't learn much from a lawn,
but a garden has a whole world of wonders."



history


Lawns started out as grazing areas around the manors of the landed gentry.        Having a nice lawn around the house was a sign of power as you owned sufficient        land to raise sheep and cow.
As the industrial revolution took hold and animals were less a sign of wealth,        the lawn itself became the status symbol. You could indulge yourself in        sparing land and time to recreational grounds.
As people moved to the cities so did the grass, on ever smaller plots. First        lawns were cut by hand and later with the mechanical lawnmower, (an automated,        resource depleting, pointless cow.)
The 20th Century saw an explosion of lawn making as commercial interests        produced endless grass seed, fertiliser, pesticides, mowers, spreaders and        irrigation equipment whilst developers discovered they could pass off cheap        ‘gardens’ by spreading 3 inches of soil over hard subsoil and laying turf        on top.
Nowerdays, many lawns are rarely used and some are so covered with chemicals        children have been permanently injured after walking barefoot on them.[1]       

        

the          modern lawn - a waste of resources

       
The modern pure grass lawn is artificial... you need effort and chemicals          to maintain a monoculture.       

  • Misuse and the inherent toxicity of standard pesticides cause short            and long term poisoning, cancer and disease in people and wildlife.            [a]
  • Extensive use and overuse of fertilisers (due to lack of restrictions)            causes water pollution problems and wastes resources. [b]         
  • Endless summer irrigation to keep lawns green wastes massive amounts            of water and depletes water tables. [c]
  • Lawnmowers, strimmers and other lawn machinery unregulated for environmental            emissions, use vast amounts of petrol and are a significant factor in            urban air and noise pollution. [d]

      The lawn is the worlds third agriculture. It is probable that westerners        spend more person hours, energy and resources on their lawns than any agricultural        resource of the third world.[8]
       
                    

In the early 1990’s                in the United States…

$ 25 billion a year was spent on lawn                care products.
Of this,
$ 5,250 million was spent on fossil                fuel-derived fertilisers and...
$ 700 million was spent on 28 million                kgs of poisonous synthetic pesticides.

Meanwhile 20 million acres were planted                in residential lawns
and the average city sprayed its lawns with 30                to 60 % of its fresh water                supply.[2]

       
The lawn is a green desert. Adoption of a monoculture for a garden drastically          reduces the habitats available for wildlife. Birds, bees, butterflies          and other animals all begin to disappear. Often leaving an unstable ecosystem          where common ‘pest’ species seem to flourish.
       

alternatives

       
Aside from keeping animals or ripping up the turf to plant trees and bushes,          build vegetable beds, a pond or a greenhouse there are many things you          can do to keep the same purpose of a lawn whilst adding diversity and          removing chemical and mechanical dependence. (Unless the area you have          is subject to heavy traffic and abuse, where turf is probably the most          suitable thing to use.) If you just want somewhere to sit, try making          a bench a focal point of your garden.
Lawns can be made more edible, medicinal, beautiful and nice smelling          by adding low growing aromatic herbs and flowers. The plants below have          been specially selected because they will tolerate at least infrequent          mowings. For best results don’t cut as often or as short as a normal lawn          and try to lay off for at least 3 weeks in the summer to let the taller          plants flower and set seed. You could try sowing them into small gaps          in the grass or better still plant them out. For low maintenance choose          plants that will like your local conditions.

                                 

White clover flower

lively          lawns


Apart          from the obvious dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), daisy          (Bellis perennis) and plantains (Plantago major, plantago media)          which are all excellent in lawns, freely self seed, add variety and can          also be eaten once you get past seeing them just as ‘weeds,’ try…


White          Clover, Trifolium repens: 10cm H, spreads, adds nitrogen to          the soil, attracts bees and butterflies. You can eat the flowers and leaves,          (bit fiddly though)


Camomile,          Chamaemelum nobile: 15cm H 30cm W, Plants for a future[9]          recommend for smell but not for medicine, (no flowers), a cultivar called          ‘Treneague’ which is low growing, spreads and will succeed if the          grass is cut low and often, however you'll have to find a cutting, there          are no seeds.


Wild          thyme, Thymus serpyllum: 10cm H 30cm W Forms spreading clumps,          pink flowers attract bees in summer, drought tolerant, needs sun. High          in antioxidants and an essential kitchen herb.


Lemon          thyme, Thymus x citiodorus: 10cm H 30cm W. Likes light well          drained soil and full sun, can be planted by division.


Coltsfoot,          Tussilago farfara: 25cm H, spreads invasively. Tolerates shade,          does well in all soils, flowers edible mar-apr, leaves appear afterwards,          used for treatment of respiratory problems.


Rough          Hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus: 40cm H 30cm W. Similar to dandelion,          prefers chalky soil, flowers all summer, attracts bees & butterflies,          edible leaves most of the year.            
Self healSalad burnet,        Sanguisorba minor: 55cm H 30cm W. Prefers chalky soil and slightly        longer grass, flowers May-Aug and provides edible young leaves all year        round.        

Self          Heal, Prunella vulgaris: 15cm H spreading to form clumps 30cm          W. Prefers moist soil, tolerates low cutting and shade, flowers mid to          late summer, attracts bees & butterflies, eaten in salads and an healing          herb for cuts and wounds.


Yarrow,          Achillea millefolium: upto 60cm H spreads, hardy, drought resistant,          good in poor soils, and a very useful medicinal herb.


beautiful          bulbs


By lengthening          the time between mowings you can also grow taller plants such as bulbs.          Planted surreptitiously they are a nice surprise. All below are edible          and most spread naturally. It is advisable to plant bulbs of similar flowering          times together to make any lawn maintenance more straightforward.

Field & Crow garlic, Allium oleraceum & A.          vineale: 60cm H, 5cm W. Both almost invasive in grass if left to form          bulbils in jul-aug, tolerant of mowing, leaves edible autumn to following          summer. If cows eat them, their milk is tainted.

Quamash, Camassia quamash: 50cm H 10cm W. Does well in short          grass and under trees, flowers late spring, very edible bulbs when cooked.

Tassel hyacinthDog's Tooth Violet,        Erythronium den-canis: 15cm H 10cm W. appears in spring for a few        months each year. bulbs edible raw or cooked, also try E. revoltum        'pagoda' for a bigger, version.

Tassel Hyacinth, Muscari botryoides: 40cm H clumps 20cm W.        Easy to grow, does well in short grass, almost invasive, 3.5cm bulbs edible,        but a little bitter.


Or for beauty, there        are many other bulbs, such as daffodils, bluebells, crocus        etc that can be planted into the lawn.
               

wonderful          wildflowers


        Perhaps you could turn some of your lawn into a ‘wildflower meadow’.          This will attract butterflies and insects as well as bringing nature a          bit closer to home. Choose a sunny position on poor soil to get the most          flowers. Mow only after the seeds have set (around August) and remove          the clippings to keep fertility low.
Sow a mix of wild flowers into bare earth, or if grass is already established,          grow in pots and plant out in Autumn or Spring, this is more work but          gets better results. Most of the above taller lawn plants will do well          as these edible ones below...

Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria: 120cm H. Likes moist rich          soil non acid soils, a useful medicinal and culinary herb.

Sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella: 30cm H. prefers suny and          moist spot, sharp edible salad leaves all year round.

Red clover, Trifolium pratense: 60cm H. attracts butterflies,          moths and bees, put round apple trees for better fruit, edible leaves,          fixes nitrogen.

Alternatively you could purchase a conservation wildflower mix from a          local supplier, you won't be able to eat them though.

For some more lawn fun see the guerrilla          gardening pages.

Notes

        [a]          Many pesticides have never been adequately tested for toxicity to humans          or wildlife. According to the National Coalition Against the Misuse of          Pesticides, 13 of the most commonly used lawn care pesticides can cause          cancer, 14 can cause birth defects, 21 can damage the nervous system,          15 can injure the liver or kidney, and 30 are sensitizers or irritants.          [3] The pesticide MCPA, used as an ingredient is some          lawn pesticides, has been found to damage the blood brain barrier which          protects against neurological illness.[4] Organophosphate          pesticides have been shown to cause memory loss and short attention spans.[5]          Other studies have linked long term pesticide use with prostate[6],          brain and lung cancer.[7] It is estimated that each year          in the US, 67 million birds are poisoned by legally used pesticides.[3]          Pesticides are often misused especially by homeowners, increasing the          risks.
[b] Fertiliser is often over applied, causing runoff          problems in nearby watercourses, as well as the obvious waste of fossil          fuels in its manufacture and transport.
[c] It is estimated that 44% of domestic water          consumption in California is used for lawns[8] In many          areas ground water tables are being depleted.
[d] The manufacture of garden machinery uses energy,          depletes resources and creates pollution as do the engine fumes or the          power plants producing the electricity they run on. In the early 90’s          it was estimated that 580,000,000 gallons of petrol were used to run lawnmowers          in the US every year.[2]

References

[1] The Pesticide Scandal, Sayan, Kathyrne, Family        Circle 2 April 1991.
[2] Redesigning the American Lawn, F. Herbert Bormann,        Diana Balmori, Gordon T. Geballe, Yale University Press, 1993
[3] Spring, 1997 edition of The Arlington Environment,        Volume Four, Number Four
[4] Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 65:23, 1982       
[5] Annual Reviews in Public Health, 7:461, 1986
[6] Occupational Environmental Medicine, 56(1):14-21,        1999
[7] Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 71(1),        July 1983
[8] Permaculture a designers manual, Bill Mollison,        Tagari publications, 1988.
[9] Plants for a future- edible and useful plants        for a healthier world, Ken Fern, Permanent publications, 1997.



        

home          . sitemap          . search . contact          us . top