Rocket Mass Heater

A Rocket Mass Heater

http://www.jocelynsevents.com/images/rocket_heater_dana_annex.jpg

I have been intrigued by Rocket Mass Heaters ever since I heard of them about a year ago.  So what exactly is a Rocket Mass Heater?  Well, it is a variation of a Rocket Stove (don't worry if you haven't heard of that either) combined with the concept of a Masonry Stove.

The concept is simple and brilliant.  Wood is burned in a uniquely shaped "combustion chamber" that burns wood very efficiently.  The heat produced from the burning wood heats up a large thermal mass (usually some form of bench).  By the time the exhaust exits the room, it is only about 90 degrees F (32 C).  The exhaust is mostly water and carbon dioxide. 

Let me show you an illustration of a Rocket Mass Heater for better understanding:

Illustration of a Rocket Mass Heater

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What are the benefits of a Rocket Mass Heater?

• Use a lot less wood for heating.  The amount depends on where you live, but you can expect about one fourth to one sixth of what a very efficient fireplace or woodburning stove uses to heat a room/home.
• Almost no pollution.  The fire burns so hot and intense, that only water vapor and carbon dioxide is released.  And for you "Carbon Footprint" Nazi's out there, it is "carbon neutral".  Clippings from branches in the yard or from branches fallen out of trees or even from coppiced trees is all that is needed in most cases.  All that is left in the combustion chamber is a little bit of white ash.
• Better at keeping and sustaining heat.  Almost 90% of the heat produced stays within the home instead of being lost out the chimney.  The thermal mass can keep radiating heat for 12-48 hrs after the fire is out. 
• Needs less tending.  As the heat is radiating long after the fire is out, there is no need to tend the fire or watch for spitting embers.

What are the downsides to a Rocket Mass Heater?

• You need to build it yourself.  There is no commercial version available now.
• It is heavy!  The thermal mass being made mostly of clay/adobe is weighs a lot.  You can't just install these anywhere.
• It uses clay/adobe.  For some, this is great.  For others, well, let's just say a Rocket Mass Heater doesn't blend will with a New World Colonial Design.  (I actually have no idea if that is a design style or not, but it sounds pretty good!)
• They take a while to warm up.  A big thermal mass can take up to 4 hours to heat up (but then it will retain heat for a long longer as well).
• Building codes don't really know what to make of this yet.  It is a relatively new concept (2004 as I can best tell from researching it).
• You can get some "smoke back" when initially lighting the wood or if the Rocket Mass Heater is not designed well.

WARNING: Sloppy hippy alert.  As is often the case, it is the more eccentric individuals who are the first to attempt/try new innovative projects like a Rocket Mass Heater.  These individuals are usually hippies.  These hippies are usually very messy or sloppy individuals who leave piles of junk all over the place.  Unfortunately, it is hard for many people to see past this chaos and find the gem underneath.  In my opinion, a Rocket Mass Heater has an amazing potential for energy savings.  I think they need to be made a lot more attractive before they will be adopted on a more widespread scale, but what an amazing concept!

Here is a pretty good video that highlights a number of Rocket Mass Heaters (with the aforementioned sloppy hippies).  It was done by Paul Wheaton of Permies.com.

This is just an introduction to the concept of Rocket Mass Heaters.  I plan on providing more detailed information in the future. Stay tuned!

Book Review: Wilderness Medicine

 

Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition

As a physician and a Fellow in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, I have to admit that I am a bit biased about this book.  It is the "bible" of Wilderness Medicine.  Let me be up front about it, this is a medical textbook.  This is a book written for physicians by physicians and Ph.D.'s.  It is not light reading.  It is over 2,300 pages without references - those were put on a disk in the back flap of the book!  I am not saying that this book cannot be read by a non-physician.  Please!  Physicians are just people.  They have studied for years to speak "medical", but it is not an entirely different language.  Besides, this book is written in a bit more laid back style than traditional medical textbooks.  There are tons of great photos and illustrations as well!

The book covers in great detail just about any topic dealing with medicine for the outdoors.  For example, and in no means all-inclusive, here are some topics: splints and slings, animal bites, plant induced skin rashes, high-altitude medical issues, underwater medical issues, travelling overseas, care for the elderly and very young in the wilderness, combat medicine, head injuries, broken bones, pain management, psychiatric issues in the wilderness, living off the land, cold-exposure injuries, heat-exposure injuries, and the list goes on and on and on.  While it is geared for the "wilderness", if you can imagine an injury or medical issue that could arise on a farm, then there is probably a chapter covering it in great depth.

Dr. Paul Auerbach, one of the co-founders of the Wilderness Medicine Society, besides being a great and approachable guy, has amassed a large collection of chapter writers who are experts in their fields.  I have been very fortunate to meet many of them, hear their lectures in person, discuss medical topics with them, and become friends with a few.  I really don't think you can get better information anywhere else.

If you are interested in living in a more rural area (or very isolated), or you visit these places, or you are just interested in having a great medical textbook on hand "just in case", and you have the ability and/or desire to work your way through a chapter that is not written at a fourth-grade reading level, then I highly recommend this book.

A Pictoral Representation of Permaculture... the Temperate Climate Permaculture Header

 

I wanted to take a post to explain my header you see at the top of the page.  This is not just a random collection of images or something I found on the web.  Each element was chosen specifically for what it represents.  I must admit though, that my previous years as a graphic designer and my perfectionism causes me some consternation every time I look at it.  I don't think the images merge very well, but I don't have the time or the resources to make this header exactly as I see it in my mind.  But it's not too bad, and it really does represent what I see as the big picture of what Permaculture is all about.

 

 This central circle represents examples from the seven most important aspects, as I see it, of Permaculture.  At the top and moving in a counter-clockwise manner is:

 

1. Sunlight.  All energy that we are really concerned about on Earth is derived from the Sun.  Whether this is direct as heat, indirect as solar electricity, or very indirect like petroleum.  It all came from the Sun.
2. Water.  Without water, we have no life.  Very simple.
3. Soil.  Healthy, living, rich soil contains all the building blocks of life.  It is not just dirt.
4. Fungus.  Connects all living plants in an amazing underground network through the soil in a way we are just beginning to understand.  Vital to decomposition.  The fruiting bodies (mushrooms) of some fungi can be used for medicine, food, and dyes.  Pictured is a Golden Chanterelle, one of my favorites.
5. Insect (Animal).  Vital to pollination.  Vital to a healthy soils and ecosystems.  Certain insects, like the honey bee, can be beneficial to humans by not only providing pollination, but also honey and wax.  Many other animals (and yes, insects are animals) can have symbiotic relationships with humans; we provide them a happy, and maybe shortened, life, and they provide us with many of our needs.
6. Plants.  The sunflower represents a plant that has many uses: beauty for humans, seed for humans and animals, nectar producer for insects and birds, shade, large leaves that are great for mulch, strong central stem that could be used as a trellis for climbing beans... we need to pick plants that have many uses.
7. Harvest.  Represented here by the apple.  The ultimate goal of Permaculture Systems is the harvest for humans.  By incorporating the Ethics of Permaculture and the Principles of Permaculture into our design, we can have sustainable harvests.

This image shows both a pasture with trees (used to represent the sustainable method of rotational grazing) and an untouched forest (used to represent Permaculture Zone 5).  The transition between the two, the Edge, is another very important concept in Permaculture.

These three images are examples of food items that can be produced from our Permaculture System.  They can be used as storage for personal use weeks to years later or sold for income as "value added" products bringing in more money than the individual ingredients.  The examples here represent:

1. Preserving the harvest - represented with canning (vegetables, fruits, jams, preserves, jellies, etc), but also includes dehydrating, freezing, smoking, curing, etc.
2. Food from animals - honey from our bees can be used in many ways, but meat and eggs from other animals can be used as well
3. Fermentation -  alcohol (beer, wine, liquor, mead, etc), vinegar, pickles, sauerkraut, etc.

 

These three images are examples of non-food products that can be used by us or sold:

1. Fiber - this can be from animal or plant and can make string, yarn, and rope
2. Wood - this can be as firewood, lumber, or support (fenceposts, trellises, etc.)
3. Seedling - as small and as personal as saving our own seed for next season to running a full nursery for added income

  

 

These images are just a partial representation of the animals that can be utilized in a Permaculture System:

1. Cattle - large ruminants, like the Highland Cattle, provide a lot of resources but require more commitment of land, time, and energy.
2. Chickens - meat, eggs, feathers, pest control, and more.  Can you have a homestead without chickens?  This is the Dominique Chicken, and it is the first American chicken breed.
3. Fish - this Brown Trout can be raised in an aquaculture system, but wild or semi-wild fish in rivers, streams, and ponds are great resources as well.
4. Ducks - provide many of the same products as chickens but can be more independant.  Used here to represent all the other types of birds that can be raised (ducks, geese, swans, guinneafowl, peacocks, pigeons, etc.).  This is a female Silver Appleyard duck, one of the most recent ducks to be added to the American Poultry Association.
5. Sheep - The sheep represents the smaller mammals that can be kept in a Permaculture System.  There can be sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, etc.  This is a Katahdin Hair sheep, developed in Maine for its meat and lack of required shearing.

 

 

This left side panel is a grouping of plants used to represent the Edible Food Forest or Forest Garden.

1. Canopy Layer - represented by the walnuts
2. Windbreak - can be a canopy layer as well, represented by the birch tree trunk
3. Subcanopy Layer - represented by the pear for the pear tree
4. Shrub and Herbaceous Layer - represented by the red currants
5. Soil Surface Layer - represented by the ground cover, alpine strawberry
6. Rhizosphere (or subsurface) Layer - represented by the King Bolete mushroom (aka porcini)
7. Climbing Layer - represented by the vining grapes

And don't forget the Ladybug here, representing the beneficial insects we need to always attract.

This right side panel represents an additional grouping of items that are important to a sustainable Permaculture System:

1. Sustainable Energy - represented by the solar panel in the background.
2. Perennial Vegetables - represented by the asparagus.
3. Semi-Perennial Vegetables - represented by the sweet potato which can be grown as a partial perenial.  Not harvesting all the potatoes allows more to develop next season.
4. Annual Vegetables - represented here with the heirloom Brandywine Tomato and Purple Dragon Carrots.  Heirloom plants are usually open-pollenated so we can save the seeds for next season.  There is nothing wrong with having an annual vegetable garden, but we should not have it exclusive to perennial food producing plants.
5. Cooking Herbs - represented with this Basil plant
6. Medicinal Herbs - represented with this Purple Coneflower (aka Echinacea) plant.  Herbs can often be both cooking and medicinal herbs at the same time.

There you have it.  The explanation of the elements in the header, what they are and why they were chosen.  It was rather fun creating it!

Permaculture Principles: Principle Nine - Use Small and Slow Solutions

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Holmgren's Twelve Principles of Permaculture

1.  Observe and Interact

2.  Catch and Store Energy

3.  Obtain a Yield

4.  Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback

5.  Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services

6.  Produce No Waste

7.  Design from Patterns to Details

8.  Integrate Rather than Segregate

9.  Use Small and Slow Solutions

10. Use and Value Diversity

11. Use the Edges and Value the Margin

12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change

http://permacultureprinciples.com/principle_9.php

Principle Nine: Use Small and Slow Solutions

Holmgren's Proverb for this Principle:  Slow and steady wins the race.
                                                             The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

It's funny how each time I start to write my views on each of these Principles of Permaculture, I end up thinking, "This is so important!  It is one of the most important aspects of Permaculture!"  Duh!  That is why it is one of the main principles!   And this principle is no different.

There are a number of aspects to this principle.  For me, the most important aspect has to do with our actions on the land or in our projects.  It is so easy to get carried away and build a massive system before you truly know if you will use it or if it will even work.  I think it is part of human nature to over-build.  The problem with over-building is that it is often a waste.  A waste of energy.  A waste of time.  A waste of resources that were not needed for the project or that will be pumped into the system because we don't want to admit we over-built it!  This principle keeps that urge to over-build in check.

This also ties into an older idea by Bill Mollison, the co-founder of Permaculture along with David Holmgren.  This idea is known as Appropriate Scale.  The solution should fit the problem exactly, not too big or too small... just appropriate.

Another important aspect of this principle is that when we make small changes (and then observe as we are instructed to do in Principle One), we can see if that small change made any difference or not.  If it was a bad idea to make that small change, thank goodness it was just a small change and not a very large one.  Small mistakes are much easier to repair than large mistakes.  If that small change was good, maybe we learn that a small change was all that was really needed - again reminding us that over-building is usually not necessary.  "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" reminds us of this aspect of using small and slow solutions.

"Slow and steady wins the race" reminds us that we just need to keep moving.  We should do it slowly to avoid the mistakes discussed above, but it is important to keep moving.  Keep striving.  Keep improving.  Principle One tells us to observe and interact, not just observe.  We need to be engaged in the world around us, constantly trying to improve it and ourselves, while keeping the other Principles of Permaculture and Ethics of Permaculture in mind.

Make the least change for the greatest possible effect.

- Bill Mollison

Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, make better use of local resources, and produce more sustainable outcomes.

- David Holmgren

USDA Plants Database

http://plants.usda.gov

Just a quick post to share an outstanding resource for plant information.  You can search multiple ways for information on plants:

1. Quick Search in the top left corner (search by common name, scientific name, or plant symbol)
2. State Search lets you select a state or province in North America and ALL plants in that region will be resulted.  Warning:  You will get a ton of hits!
3. Advanced Search lets you be very selective in what information you want resulted. Includes so many things, and while too numerous to list here, some examples include propagation, growth requirements, lifespan, flower color, coppice potential, drought tolerance, human and animal use of the plant, etc.

Example of Plant Database listing for Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)

Each plant listing will look something like this.  Most listings will include multiple photos that aid in identification.  Next to the main image at the top will be links to a detailed characteristics page, PDF Fact Sheet, and PDF Plant Guide if these are available for the plant.  There will be a map showing where in the U.S. and Canada the plant lives.  There may be links at the bottom to more information (also only if available).

Take some time to browse this site if you get a chance.  There is a wealth of information here that is all free for the searching.

Domestication of Animals

The extremes of selective breeding in dogs...

http://www.dogs4dogs.com/images/Great%20Dane%20and%20Chihuahua%20small.jpg

...from the Gray Wolf.

http://images.wikia.com/mafiawars/images/d/dc/Gray-wolf.jpg

There are almost 10,000 species of birds and over 4,000 species of mammals in the world.  Possibly less than 30 of these animals have truly been domesticated!  The idea of domesticated animals has intrigued me for some time.  I thought it would be interesting to study what these domesticated animals are, when were they domesticated, where did they come from, and do the wild forms still exist today and where.  

Painting of the extinct Aurochs from a cave in Lascaux. France.

This is the ancestor of modern domestic cattle...

http://www.enciclopedia.com.pt/images/Lascaux-aurochs.jpg

...and humans develop the Dexter Cattle (pictured full grown)...

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/dexter/dexter-web-2.jpg

...and the huge, double-muscled, Belgian Blue Cattle!

http://www.hemmy.net/images/animals/supercow01.jpg

It is truly amazing how some animals have been selectively bred for hundreds to thousands of generations to become what they are today, and that typically means filling a very specific niche for us humans.

Take the Red Jungle Fowl, ancestor to all modern chickens...

http://redjunglefowl.webs.com/96119007.As64Or5u.RedJunglefowl_J3R9636.jpg

...and we develop the Silkie Chicken!

http://lydiafromtexas.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/pic-white-silkie-chickens.jpg

It seems odd that given all the animals on this earth that so few can be considered domestic.  Humans have been able to “tame” a lot of wild animals, but if given the choice tame animals would escape and become wild again.  True domestication is actually a rare event in the history of the world.

For an animal to be domestic, it has to meet six criteria as defined by Jared Diamond, scientist, author, and Pulitzer Prize winner:

1. The animal has to be willing to consume a wide variety of food sources - typically food that is not utilized by humans (pigs) or food that makes it more cost effective to feed than hunt the wild animal (sheep, cattle) or more beneficial to feed the animal to keep it around for the benefits it brings us (dogs).
2. The animal has to grow fast.  An elephant takes 15 years to mature while a chicken takes under 10 months.  Much more selective breeding can take place with chickens than elephants.
3. The animal must breed in captivity.  This again goes back to selective breeding programs.
4. The animal must be pleasant.  All attempts to domesticate zebras, bison, and African buffalo have failed here.
5. The animal should not panic easily.  This is where deer have lost it.
6. The animal must accept humans as the top of their social structure.  This is why many do not consider cats truly domestic.

Here is a list of the world's main domestic animals.  I am sure there are a few animals not included here that should be in this list.  I did the best I could to verify the dates of domestication and the wild ancestor.  I did not include certain animals due to their being so close to the wild version (Peafowl, Mute Swans, Barbary Doves, Zebu, Asian Elephants) or not really agricultural species (Canaries, Lab Rats/Mice).  I also did not include species that are often considered domestic due to human use (Honey Bees, Silkworms) or because they have undergone such intensive selective breeding (Goldfish, Koi, Domestic Carp), because they do not or cannot accept humans as the top of their social structure (see above).

ANIMAL        WHEN             ANCESTOR                WHERE FOUND WILD TODAY
Dog                   Early Man        Wolf/Jackal                     Europe, Africa, North America
Sheep                ~10,000 BC     Mouflon/Urial                 Southwest Asia

Pig                     9,000 BC         Wild boar                        China, Near East, European forests

Goat                   8,000 BC        Wild goat                        Asia, Mediterranean, Europe

Cattle                 8,000 BC         Aurochs                          Extinct - origin Europe, Asia, N. Africa

Cat                     7,500 BC         African Wildcat              Africa

Chicken             6,000 BC         Red jungle fowl              India, Asia

Guinea Pig         5,000 BC        Cavia                               South America

Donkey              5,000 BC        African Wild Ass            Africa

Duck                  4,000 BC        Wild Duck                      Worldwide

Water Buffalo    4,000 BC        Wild Water Buffalo        Asia

Horse                 4,000 BC        Wild Horse                     Eurasian Steppes

Dromedary         4,000 BC        Wild Camel                    Only wild population are feral in Australia  

Llama                 3,500 BC        Wild Llama/Guanaco     Mountains of South America              

Reindeer             3,000 BC        Wild Reindeer/Caribou  Far northern North America, Asia, Europe

Pigeon                3,000 BC        Wild Rock Pigeon         Worldwide                
Goose                 3,000 BC        Greylag Goose              Europe, Asia, Africa

Bactrian              2,500 BC        Wild Camel                   Small population in NW China, Mongolia

Yak                    2,500 BC        Wild Yak                        Small population in Tibet, China, India
Ferret                  2,000 BC         European Polecat          None     

Alpaca                1,500 BC         Vicuna                          None

Turkey                500 BC            Wild Turkey                 North America

Bali Cattle           Unknown        Benteng                        Southeast Asia

Gayal                  Unknown        Gaur                              South and Southeast Asia

Muscovy Duck   Unknown        Wild Muscovy Duck     Mexico, Central, and South America

Guineafowl         Unknown        Wild Guineafowl           Africa

Rabbit                 Unknown         European Rabbit           Europe

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

www.sare.org

I know that there are a lot of people who strongly dislike the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their politics, short-sightedness, bureaucracy, and policies that promote big-business agriculture or the status quo to the detriment of the environment and personal and public health, and while I often agree, we do need to acknowledge when they are doing something right.  Their department of Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education is a step in the right direction.

The site is packed with really good information: videos, bulletins, fact sheets on research, and newsletters.  Many of these items are specific to a region in the U.S. (Western, Southern, North Central, Northeast).

They also offer free online courses/curricula through their Learning Center.  Just click on this link to view all the offerings - you will need to register to start.  Some of the courses are designed more the extension agents, but they are still free to anyone.  Not too many yet, but a great resource for free education!

If you are interested in performing research on Sustainable Agriculture, this site is your source for grants to fund your project.

If you have a chance, I highly recommend that you take the time to browse this site.