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kulapops
Carol
Raie
Mercuriel
Floyd
9 posters

    Towards Community.

    Poll

    Should it be Free or have a stake holding paying membership

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    Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_left15%Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_right [15%] 
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    Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_left23%Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_right [23%] 
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    Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_left8%Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_right [8%] 
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    Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_left54%Towards Community. - Page 2 Bar_right [54%] 

    Total Votes: 13
    Poll closed
    NewParadigmGuy
    NewParadigmGuy


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    Post  NewParadigmGuy Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:49 am

    Floyd wrote:The idea of like minds moving to a town is an excellent one. There are two examples of that I can think of. Glastonbury UK and Salt lake City US.

    I'm sure there are many other examples, as well, but I can tell you of one which is located quite near to me: Grafton, New Hampshire. According to wikipedia, "Grafton is the focus of the Free Town Project, a movement that seeks to encourage libertarians to move to the town".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafton,_New_Hampshire

    This small town of just over 1000 people is basically turning into an intentional community as more and more libertarians move in. But everyone has their own accommodations and of course everyone is free to pursue or not pursue whatever they wish. It appears to me that things are working quite well there, though during the last election cycle there sure were a lot of "Ron Paul" signs along the roadways!
    Floyd
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    Post  Floyd Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:04 pm

    NewParadigmGuy wrote:
    Floyd wrote:The idea of like minds moving to a town is an excellent one. There are two examples of that I can think of. Glastonbury UK and Salt lake City US.

    I'm sure there are many other examples, as well, but I can tell you of one which is located quite near to me: Grafton, New Hampshire. According to wikipedia, "Grafton is the focus of the Free Town Project, a movement that seeks to encourage libertarians to move to the town".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafton,_New_Hampshire

    This small town of just over 1000 people is basically turning into an intentional community as more and more libertarians move in. But everyone has their own accommodations and of course everyone is free to pursue or not pursue whatever they wish. It appears to me that things are working quite well there, though during the last election cycle there sure were a lot of "Ron Paul" signs along the roadways!
    Thanks for this
    Yeah this is the kind of thing we wanna be looking at. Its not realistic to expect everyone to up and relocate to a self contained community..the personality clashes would be unbearable..but everyone in their owns space in a particular town village working closley together is a different matter. Imagine a town full of conspiracy theorists lol
    baggywrinkle
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    Post  baggywrinkle Tue Jun 08, 2010 12:34 am

    Floyd wrote:Imagine a town full of conspiracy theorists lol

    If you are not part of a conspiracy, then you need to start one of your own.
    -- Catherine Austin Fitts
    B.B.Baghor
    B.B.Baghor


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    Post  B.B.Baghor Thu Mar 26, 2015 7:27 am

    Carol wrote:Hah!  Hippie not.  And we've tried having different people in our home from time to time and it rarely works out which is why I like the idea of folks having their own space to create in it what they wish for themselves.

    Over here in the cold north east area of Oregon we have been burning the firewood daily.

    However, I thought it interesting that you mentioned Glastonbury as that is the one spot in England I was drawn toward and where it felt like home to me.  I could easily live there if it weren't for the coming ice age Paul.  I hope you have lots and lots of firewood.  santa

    South of the equator is warmer. cheers

    This is a great thread, I like to be present in a forum somewhat in the same style as an actual physical community,
    sitting together with dirt on our hands, I mean proof of our work on the land. Virtually sharing a meal, prepared
    from the harvest, collected on that land. Cheering with a beer in our hands and laughs, for silly jokes and funny
    mistakes, with bodies glowing from physical work on the land, in contentment and faces with sunburn.
    I myself am in favor of keeping in touch with physicality and the work with our hands, creative manifestation of form.
    It's one of the blessings to balance our right and left brain activities, also finding the silent space in the middle.
    Now I restrict myself in philosophical wandering, for this post needs its proper place, down to earth if possible.

    10 Gifts to community

    * When I speak of others in their absence, I am aware that I may be given form to a reality which doesn't exist.

    * I speak about myself and others in such a way that it serves me and the others in their development.

    * Before I speak with someone about organizational matters outside of his/her field of work, I pause a moment
    and ask myself if this is the right time and place.

    * I constantly view myself as part of the whole and I consider what I can do for the growth and wellbeing of the
    entire community. I develop dreams of a new home and create that which I would like to receive from the others.

    * I do not burden the others with my bad mood I either transform it into something constructive or discuss it openly.

    * I care for the place where I live. I spread beauty and in this way I link myself to this place. Every day I am open
    to others, I do not tie them down to past images and experiences.

    * I seem them in their most beautiful form. When I do not like something, I examine it to see if I cannot use it to
    make a suggestion for the good of everyone else.

    * I use energy, water, warmth and food conscientiously. I only take what I really need.

    * I do not take myself too seriously – but that which needs to be done.


    How do we experience a sense of community? We can live together on planet Earth, as a global family, sharing our
    experiences, views and food for thought In the Mists here, float through the cosmos in Starship Enterprise, while
    rubbing each other's shoulders and in lots of giggles, witnessing coffee drifting out of a cup, due to weightlessness
    and getting to know each other that way, build a strawbale home in a remote area on Earth or other planet's with
    plantlife. Even maybe live underground in cavities of Mother Earth's womb. As long as we have a spark of humanness
    in 3D in us, we will have close encounters with fellow beings of the human kind.

    I think that this condition offers great opportunities to meet the best and worst in us. And opportunities to see it for
    what it is, within our inner world first, in compassion for that being part of our story, our creation of separation, by choice.
    Only by creating contrast and duality, we can define both sides of that hand and have a felt sense, in our physical body.
    We're now finding ourselves in beautiful bewildering days, for finding that there's no you and them, in life's creation.
    When we're aiming for the truth, we're moving on to greener pastures. I love my green food and walks, barefoot in the
    long grass of Home where my Heart is.


    sunny flower Earth flower Water flower Earth flower Water sunny
    Carol
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    Post  Carol Thu Mar 26, 2015 9:44 am

    Very nice memory BB. Thank you for reviving the thread. We have some new neighbors who want to do homestead gardening with no land so we offered them a few acres here to experiment. One of my favorite people is Geoff Lawton who is an expert in Permaculture. I'm excited about this project and what we can do with the land. We already have fenced pastures which are being prepared as a garden using Geoff's techniques. It will be a blessing to have the land enriched while producing food.

    How to Create a Permaculture Design
    Geoff Lawton visits Dan Halsey in Minnesota who in 2006 made the switch as a successful photographer to become a professional Permaculture Designer. Dan gives you a tour of his farm and then shares with you his techniques of designing large scale properties. Even if you don't know one tree from another, Dan shares with you his method on how to design in any environment.

    http://www.geofflawton.com/sq/45352-how-to-create-a-permaculture-design


    _________________
    What is life?
    It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

    With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
    B.B.Baghor
    B.B.Baghor


    Posts : 1851
    Join date : 2014-01-31
    Age : 73
    Location : Druid county UK

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    Post  B.B.Baghor Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:34 pm

    That's wonderful, Carol, to study and practice more of permaculture techniques, on your land. I hope this will
    reward you with blessings of the work with your hands, plantmaterial and taste, in good health for the family.
    The Transition Network organisation, created in Devon UK, supports a lot of permaculture courses and combine
    this with the practice of new forms of sharing and trade, locally.

    Transition Towns are globally growing, pun intended. There are so many ways to have access to knowledge these days.
    One of the beautiful things I witnessed in Spain, last year, was a forest garden. I'm not deep into the knowledge of
    permaculture, I'd like to start or share a vegetable/fruittree garden, once I've made my move overseas, to Devon UK.

    The fortunate climate in the North of Spain, where I was last year, in June, made this garden abundant. The owner
    showed the place to me and another volunteer, while we worked for him on the land, one day. The beauty of creating
    a 3D garden, mixing horizontal length and width, with height, is that it's adding so much more opportunities to play
    with nature's gifts and the elements. For example, the shadow of a tree offers shadow loving crops a place to grow,
    the stem offers support for the kind of pumpkins that like to grow in long strands, leading them to grow along the
    lower branches or on a loose open structure around the tree. If you need to protect trees against animals, feasting
    on the bark. Of course, the shadow of trees is most welcome, in a hot climate like Spain and also where you live.

    Trees in the garden offer so much, like birdlife and their nesting, a chance to fasten and swing a hammock, even
    sleep in it and have picknicks, during hot midday hours. Siesta time. Cheerful And of course, the fruit of the trees
    can offer an overwhelm of harvest and a chance to exchange and share with neighbours. I look forward to pictures
    of your garden, once it's growing, if you agree to share them here, Carol. Good luck!







    B.B.Baghor
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    Post  B.B.Baghor Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:09 am

    Towards Community. - Page 2 Permac10

    A neat overview of permaculture principles I found, a while ago, not sure where I found it.
    Carol
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    Post  Carol Mon Mar 30, 2015 9:45 am

    Nice. The gardener caretakers will be moving onto the property. We will build them a tiny house using solar and wind for off-grid electricity and a rain catchment system for water and composting toilet.

    Take a look at this. This woman built this on the island here for only 11k. Very impressive


    Kristie designed everything custom: from a toilet-sink to save water (she’s not only off-grid, but she relies on rainwater capture for water) to an indoor/outdoor shower with cork-bark tiling.

    15’ by 15’ / 230 sq feet house / sliding glass door on either side of bedroom and windows 3rd wall facing outside
    stair ladder leads to deck trap door
    thatching and bamboo exterior trimmed with bamboo haves, reed fence, bamboo fence thatching hanging down
    used plexi glass saw to cut plexi glass bedroom windows
    built on stilts with pier blocks foundation
    16’ x 16’ foundation
    used pulley straps to life boards up
    3 corner foundation corners
    2” x 6” by 16’ tongue in groove for flooring
    1 piece of tongue and groove on top of beam to hold rain gutter
    rain gutter to use for water collection
    sheet rock is behind bed open wall on other side as closet
    counter top by 2’ wood planks
    2  6 volt batter, so 12 volt system, 3 breaker box - last for pump and inverter
    sliding barn door design for bathroom / used sliding closet door hard ware with coasters on bottom to help with glide
    toilet bowl sink on top of toilet / hand made concrete block sink catchment as counter on top toilet so water first goes into concrete sink to wash hands and then fills up toilet tank.
    Tongue in groove 2 by 6” treated to be waterproof for shower floor
    shower wall is tundra tile cork blocks cut with sheet rock knife, glued to concrete board with air plants attached on shower wall
    used bamboo tube to go over/cover shower rod.
    can buy frame for slate glass windows with glass cut to size, so the shower is like indoor / out door shower / pan underneath outside of the house for water to drain into and away from structure

    Corners on lower half are build as hurricane proof
    used rope for railing upstairs on deck

    septic tank with metal top as access
    tankless propane battery operated water heater hooked up to water filter
    3  100 watt solar panels and power for phone and laptop to charge
    12 volt pump that pumps water up / hard wired

    headboard is made from cardboard tube with woven mat glued onto it
    vertical mirror other wall on side of bed
    can have hanging bed or spa underneath structure
    indoor/outdoor fabric on hanging bed

    plexi glass windows in bedroom with sliding glass doors on two sides
    tongue and groove ceiling

    2  275 gal water tanks

    Homelite 14″, 2 cycle gas chainsaw. Weighing in at just 9.8 lbs and priced at $119 good for a woman to handle


    _________________
    What is life?
    It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

    With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
    B.B.Baghor
    B.B.Baghor


    Posts : 1851
    Join date : 2014-01-31
    Age : 73
    Location : Druid county UK

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    Post  B.B.Baghor Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:45 pm

    Here, Sandy Thomson shares her experience of community life in a down to Earth way. There's not much difference
    between a virtual community and a physical one, regarding attempts to non-violent communications and mutual respect.
    The physical community offers opportunities to work together with our senses awake, due to the physical work being
    done and the connection with nature and the elements, in cold, wet, hot and mild weather, in draughts and floods, in
    following the rythms of nature and seasons, with animals and plants, with fellow human beings.

    Conditions in a communal lifestyle require less fixed activities, usually. Nor can and do events repeat themselves as in
    the treadmill of 9-17 24/7. That treadmill is ensuring control and safety in numbers, counting power and money, the two
    ruling forces in present day life, on the surface. Power and money are usually off topic, absent from ruling, in sustainable
    communities. In that way, this way of life offers new ways and views, in a creative freedom, by the use of imagination.
    That freedom can be obtained by being the change you intend and decide to make manifest in the world, as I see it.
    Co-operation is the glue and respect for individual style is held true.



    Towards Community. - Page 2 Web110

    "The Dirty Business of Growing a Cohousing Community Farm
    Posted on August 8, 2014 by Sandy Thomson

    The idea of creating Heartwood Farms came about during a visioning retreat in 2007. You know the type, an all-day,
    community-wide retreat hosted in the common house with lots of positive energy, good food, and everyone in a good
    mood? Picture five or six smaller groups gathered around, on the floor, sitting on couches, hanging out around the kit-
    chen island, all trying to come up with the perfect vision of what our community would look and feel like in 10 years!

    We live on roughly 250 acres in rural southwestern Colorado. Seventy of those acres are irrigated and we as a community
    have agreed to steward them in the best way possible. Now we are basically a bunch of city kids wanting to experience the
    rural lifestyle…environmentally friendly with straw-bale houses, kids collecting eggs as one of their chores, that sort of thing.
    So when the idea of growing our own food came up in numerous subgroups within the retreat, a group of us decided that of
    course we need to grow our own food. Let’s do it! We produced collages, word boards, and pictures in our heads of beautiful
    vegetables and fruits grown organically on our land by people we love. We pictured days sitting in the grass while the
    children played with the baby goats and chased good-natured chickens around the pasture. Simple, right?

    We had land and we had water, now all we needed were some seeds. We even had a whole community that eats organic
    and supports local food sources AND an experienced grower to grow that food living right here in the community. We have
    a word for this kind of idea at Heartwood; it is called a “no brainer.” Only a “no brainer” at Heartwood is not what you think.
    A “no brainer” here means an idea that you think could not possibly have any opposition, that everyone will agree with, as in
    “duh, that’s a no brainer,” but in reality there are a thousand questions and almost as many concerns. This is a difficult dynamic
    ever-present in community; there is always a group raring to go and another group wanting to consider every possible thing that
    can go wrong. But what it ultimately comes down to is power and trust.

    Our core identity statement reads: “We cultivate a fertile ground in which members bring forth their gifts, talents, and passions to
    manifest a marvelous diversity of creations. We embrace, celebrate, and support those diverse manifestations that are consistent
    with our stated values.” Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But many questions can come up when a business venture is proposed that
    operates within a community setting, especially if the members are creating the business primarily to meet the needs or desires of
    the community. Be forewarned it is not an easy process no matter how well your community functions. There are so many things
    to consider when resources are shared and relationships are complicated and interdependent.

    Community members might want to know:

    ● Who owns the business?
    ● What are the liability ramifications for the community?
    ● Should the community be compensated for the use of community resources? If so, how much? (This is a big one.)
    ● What kind of oversight is needed for the business entity? (We’re all members here after all.)
     Not to mention the complexities associated with hiring interns (see sidebar) to work on the business.
     Interns were an essential part of the farming operation and our goal of making the world a better place.
    ● Do they pay HOA dues?
    ● Where do they live?
    ● Who is responsible for their behavior or their use of community resources?

    Well, we have a pretty amazing community. They were willing to jump right in and say go for it even though there were still so
    many unknowns. The first few years were exciting and fun. We built thousands of dollars worth of infrastructure with seed money
    from individual community members, fund raisers, and veggie sales—not to mentions thousands of volunteer hours from interns
    and community members. As the farm grew and prospered, changing, growing organically, some members of the community were
    getting uncomfortable with the still unanswered questions. But a business like a farm is hard to pin down.

    A farm is not a clod of dirt; it is more like mud that slips through your hands, gets on your boots, and is tracked all through the
    community. We wanted this to be an integrated farm and it was—deeply integrated with the community. Now a few members
    were asking for it to be separated out, put in a box, and defined. Some members didn’t trust the farm because the members on
    the farm board couldn’t answer all these complex questions.

    Bad feelings developed on both sides. Some of the energy on the farm turned sour. The member who was the primary grower left
    for greener pastures or ones less bogged down in the manure of community process. This trying to define and pin down the farm
    has gone on now for the last two years. We have had meetings and more meetings. We formed a task force that did great work on
    trust, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings. We recently consensed on a new structure for the governance of the farm, but questions
    still persist. Our next retreat will be with a skilled outside facilitator who will help us see where the process went wrong. He will help
    us further untangle issues of power and trust that have been brought to light by this experience.

    For those of us who have been part of the farm since the beginning it has been an exhausting two years—much more exhausting
    than all the physical labor that we put in during the first two years making the farm great. I am not sure where the farm will go
    from here. The constraints from the community and from the county have us bogged down. It feels heavy, like walking through
    the heavy clay soil we have to work with. Some see it as a new beginning, a chance to create something new with full community
    buy-in. I am worried that trying to do something like this in the confines of community is too exhausting and time-consuming to
    deal with. But I have hope. I have to".

    (for the complete article, go to the link below)

    Core Identity

    What makes the Heartwood community distinctive?
    ● We are a close-knit, multigenerational, rural cohousing neighborhood.
    ● We are committed to deeply knowing, supporting, respecting, and caring for each other and ourselves as distinctive individuals;
    as a result, deep interpersonal relationships are possible here.
    ● We share with each other the value of sustainable interactions with the planet, though our individual efforts and choices may vary.
    We steward our land to maintain or improve its viability and vitality over the long haul.
    ● We are interconnected with all of humanity. We welcome new ideas and interactions with the larger community and are open to
    associations and the sharing of resources with those who share our values.
    ● We cultivate a fertile ground in which members bring forth their gifts, talents, and passions to manifest a marvelous diversity of
    creations.
    ● We embrace, celebrate, and support those diverse manifestations that are consistent with our stated values.

    All of these distinctive qualities are part of our enduring core identity, which does not change. What does change are the various
    manifestations themselves. These dynamic expressions that come and go over time add a rich flavor to our community culture".



    Source: http://www.ic.org/dirty-business-growing-cohousing-community-farm/
    Carol
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    Post  Carol Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:21 am

    Towards Community. - Page 2 Roots-up-water-producing-greenhouse1-537x327
    Roots Up's Dew Collector greenhouse provides veggies and water in Ethiopia
    http://inhabitat.com/roots-ups-dew-collector-greenhouse-provides-veggies-and-water-in-ethiopia/
    The Roots Up’s Dew Collector greenhouse can help farmers in arid climates raise fresh vegetables, even during droughts. Dedicated to creating a system of self-reliant farms in Ethiopia, the greenhouse helps to collect dew that would otherwise evaporate into the atmosphere. With the dew collector, farmers can raise protected plants, and yield clean water for both irrigation and drinking.

    The dome-like greenhouse is activated when temperatures increase in the noon sun, causing water to evaporate and rise. With the humidity contained, the top point of the structure catches this evaporation before it’s able to escape into the atmosphere. As night falls, the greenhouse top is then opened by pulling the ropes attached to the latch, exposing the collected droplets to cool air.

    Those droplets then cool and condense, falling into a storage cistern. The collected water can then be used for watering plants, or as safe drinking water. This system can be repeated each day, allowing plants to thrive while excess moisture is captured and saved for future use.


    Read more: Roots Up's Dew Collector greenhouse provides veggies and water in Ethiopia | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building


    _________________
    What is life?
    It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

    With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
    B.B.Baghor
    B.B.Baghor


    Posts : 1851
    Join date : 2014-01-31
    Age : 73
    Location : Druid county UK

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    Post  B.B.Baghor Wed Apr 01, 2015 3:03 pm

    That dew gathering structure looks beautiful and very neat. Here in Europe, in a colder climate, owners of such structures like to
    use it as shelter, or meditation room too, which doesn't seem to be the case with this one, for the heat of day may be too intense.
    This makes me wonder if the surface of the material is blocking some of the sun's radiance, in order to keep the vegetables alive.
    I've got no idea how the sun's heat is perceived in that part of the world.

    Towards Community. - Page 2 Aug3_d10

    The backyard gardening dome

    If you want to grow your own food even in adverse climates, and you have some room in your backyard, a smaller,
    consumer-model dome greenhouse may be your method of choice. Although they're not closed eco-systems, fifteen-foot
    dome greenhouses can be made quite cheaply from scratch or, for about $4000, from a kit that comes complete with water-
    cistern-cum-fishtank and multiclimate operating instructions. A structure of this size can grow enough vegetables to supply
    two to three people (depending upon how much they like vegetables) on a year-'round basis. That seems like a pretty timely idea.

    To find out about dome greenhouses, we talked with Udgar Parsons, owner of Growing Spaces in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
    His company specializes in the manufacture of dome kits for greenhouse use.

    Wynn: What inspired you to start a dome business for greenhouses?

    Udgar: I was involved with the Windstar Foundation, founded by John Denver, back in 1986, and we had a large greenhouse
    called a biodome. It was a terrific structure, very inspirational, a five-eighths sphere fifty feet in diameter. It was growing on
    three levels, and could grow plants all year 'round without extra heat, even in the Rocky Mountains.

    I was totally inspired by this structure. But unfortunately it cost eighty thousand dollars to build, and so was not affordable by
    the average person. But I thought I could make a structure that did the same thing for about two thousand dollars. So that's
    what I did.

    Wynn: How big was that one?

    Udgar: It was fifteen feet in diameter. I called it a Growing Dome. Since then, I've developed five different sizes, from fifteen
    feet up to forty-two feet in diameter. And they will grow all winter long, with little or no extra heating or cooling. That's the
    amazing thing.

    Wynn: With inflation, what does a fifteen-footer cost these days?

    Udgar: It's now four thousand dollars, but it's much better than the older one that cost only two thousand. It's got many more
    features, and it's much more long-lasting.

    Wynn: I would guess that one group of people interested in this type of product would be survivalists. Is that true?

    Udgar: Well, not so many now. Back in the Y2K days we had an article in Survival magazine, and we got lots of response.
    But now, because so much of our food is full of pesticides and may be genetically modified, it seems that more people are
    interested in growing their own food for health reasons. People want organic food, and they've decided the way to do this
    is to grow it themslves. So today it's more about health than survival.

    Wynn: How many people could a fifteen-foot dome supply with food?

    Udgar: They did lots of measurements with the Windstar Dome, and found that they could grow three pounds of food per
    square foot per year. So a fifteen-footer can grow four hundred to five hundred pounds in a year. Supposedly, the average
    person eats about 200 pounds of vegetables per year, so that's enough for two or three people, depending upon how many
    vegetables they eat.

    Wynn: Can you grow everything in the greenhouse that you find in the stores? Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower. . .?

    Udgar: Yes. People have even experimented with growing fruits like limes, lemons, figs, grapes, and berries. So it's not just
    vegetables, but fruit. And also, of course, flowers — just for the enjoyment.

    Basically, in a climate like Colorado where we get nights that go down to zero degrees, we have two climates in the dome:
    summer and winter. Winter is when we grow our frost- and cold-hearty plants: the cabbage family, the onion family, kale,
    broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, leeks, garlic, peas, lettuce, all of the chard family, spinach, beets. . . all those are frost
    hearty, and they love the dome in the winter because it's cool. Even with sub-zero temperatures outside of the dome, the
    inside will go just a couple of degrees below freezing. And as soon as the sun comes out, the plants just start growing again.
    And that's without a heater.

    In the summer, you have a whole different scenario, because now you have the heat-loving plants: tomatoes, squash, peppers,
    zucchini, cantaloupe, melon, okra — they all love the heat. The dome actually stays much cooler than a conventional greenhouse,
    where you'd usually have an overheating situation unless you spent lots of money on coolers. But the dome manages to grow the
    heat loving-plants in the summer because it has more thermal stability than a normal greenhouse.

    Wynn: So, in other words, the dome is warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer than a regular greenhouse?

    Udgar: Yes, and that is because it has a huge water tank that provides thermal mass, or thermal stability.

    Wynn: How big is the tank?

    Udgar: The tank for an average-size dome would hold a thousand gallons of water, and it would sit on the north side of the dome
    wall, underneath the north wall insulation. This positioning regulates the temperature, and you can use the water container as a
    wonderful pond for fish and aquatic plants. That's a nice feature. With or without the fish, it's the water tank in our domes that
    causes them to significantly outperform regular greenhouses.

    Wynn: Did Buckminster Fuller ever use domes as greenhouses?

    Udgar: In the early days at Windstar, just before I got there, he was involved in helping them design their geometry for the first biodome.
    So yes, he was involved in the process.

    Wynn: At Windstar, did John Denver have much hands-on involvement?

    Udgar: No, he was more the inspiration. He provided the finances and the name behind it. He put together the inspiration for people to
    look at the idea of bio-sustainability on our planet. That was his function.

    Wynn: How fragile is a dome greenhouse's growing environment?

    Udgar: The environment in a dome is very healthful. Generally, if you give plants adequate water and healthy soil, they will survive.

    I had this dome in Alaska — a gentleman had built it one October and then left for California. There was no one taking care of it,
    but in the spring, when he returned, he found the biggest dandelions he'd ever seen in his whole life inside that dome!

    Wynn: So from your experience things growing inside a dome are more hearty?

    Udgar: Plants are at least as hearty as things grown in a greenhouse or outside, and probably more so. The plants love it in the
    dome, it's like a jungle, you have to fight your way in there. I can go away for a week with my automatic watering system set to
    go on every couple of days, and when I get back it's really amazing.

    Wynn: How about efficiency of water usage?

    Udgar: Domes use about one-fourth the water that regular outdoor growing methods require for the same amount of production.

    Wynn: Does the dome focus energy, like pyramids do?

    Udgar: I personally don't have any experience to comment on that, but we get reports from our users that they sense a high energy
    in the dome environment. Some people sit in their domes and meditate for hours.


    Source: http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/aug3/domes.htm

    Towards Community. - Page 2 Images14
    The geometric structure of the dome ensures a well balanced climate all over and great stability in strong gales. I've seen
    systems where the rainwater was saved all around it and the water inside seems to be used and recycled in a way that fish,
    plants and human beings benefit from it, It seems, from what I remember being told by Drunvalo, in his experience with
    geometric domes, that systems for recycling of energy were invented, securing comfortable living all year round in hot and
    cold conditions. In that way, the word "shelter" gains an extra dimension.

    When the frame material is natural, like wood, the atmosphere is quite pleasant, also due to a lack of corners, as I found, when in it.
    This pretty simple, geodesic domehome is made by www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com

      Current date/time is Fri Mar 29, 2024 2:09 am