Once again, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has had their way with Wisconsin's leaders. They claim that the potential rise in electric rates that Wisconsin's Clean Energy Legislation might bring would have a chilling effect on Wisconsin businesses. These are the same lobbyists who have opposed every significant environmental regulation that Wisconsin has attempted to pass as far back as my memory serves. The 16 Billion that Wisconsin shells out for imported energy each year was swept under the carpet by WMC and the people who want to continue business as usual. These dollars that we pay, for fossil fuel based energy, go away for good, creating jobs in far off regions, destroying the foundation of our quality of life. Renewable energy sources are all around us. If our business leaders can't see the damage that energy costs have on our daily life now, they are too well paid to understand the reality of the situation. Shame on our leaders who have once again knuckled under to the most powerful interests in the state, the few, the ignorant and the wealthy.
Every single person that sees renewable energy sources, in place and working is impressed by the quiet, clean and logical approach to harvesting available energy. As an energy producer, who uses a solar furnace to supplement about forty percent of one of my houses heat budget, I have begun to realize cost savings after only two winters. Of course, with more expensive production facilities, the pay off might take longer, but the solar furnace I own was built in 1972 and has only four moving parts, two automatic dampers, a thermostat and a fan. It continues to provide heat, and will for years to come. What is required to make positive changes that effect the future is will. "You can't get something for nothing" the old saying goes, but when what you have no longer meets your needs, it is time to look elsewhere for better ways of getting them met.
What Wisconsin's leaders fail to realize is that the time to act has come. Leaders can only be called that when they lead. Letting a special interest kill legislation that will create jobs, limit energy production costs and create a new infrastructure that will allow Wisconsin residents to keep more dollars inside our borders is criminal. Each and every one of us deserves to have our say in the direction our state is headed, not just the most wealthy among us. These are the same folks who opposed every piece of clean air legislation that was proposed for the state, clean water regulation, and recycling efforts. Even though,in the end, the regulations that passed helped rather than hurt their members. I'm sure that many of the folks who oppose any government oversight or leadership feel that government has grown too large. However, when we all work together to do what is right, it makes the job easier, more cost effective and stands as a testament to our cooperative spirit. Fighting the inevitable is Quixotic but Don Quixote was only a hero in a play! Tilting at windmills is not only dangerous, counter productive and futile but also just plain naiive.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earthday at 40
I remember my parents not allowing me to attend the first Earthday. They said it was part of the conspiracy to placate the masses and distract the public from what was really going on. The river in our backyard was a colloidal suspension, (like mixing milk and orange juice, but it was green) After forty years, dredging toxic compounds that accumulated all those years ago has begun. The fish are still not safe to eat, nor the waters to swim. I have seen a vast improvement in the look, but not the smell of our river. As a child I wondered how large must the Great Lakes be, to be able to handle the incredible volume of toxic waste that flowed past our door.
In 1987, I got a chance to ride bicycle around all five Great Lakes and all I can say is that they are not very big! Even now the water that we drink contains prescription drugs. We didn't even know about the possibility of these contaminants being able to "make it" into the environment back then. I was able to get the message of sustainability , though we called it living better for less back then, to about ten million people. Six million on a single day through CBC radio during a morning commute. Cheap and simple ways to "Go Green" like substituting baking soda for chlorine tainted cleansers, combining trips, carpooling or bicycling rather than firing up the old fossil fuel burner unnecessarily. Back then, a family could save about seven thousand dollars per year by going from two cars down to one.
The air when I was a child was terrible, and is no better today, in spite of effectively cutting new lead emissions, sulfur dioxide and dry cleaning compounds many other contaminants have increased. We did score a noteworthy victory when the local electric generating station wanted to raise their smoke stack to "protect local air quality". Public interest groups said in court that the air farther away should not be negatively impacted to keep our air cleaner, so the stack raising project was put on hold. The courts interpreted the clean air act rules to mean that pollution should be reduced, not just diluted and to this day, the stack remains unfinished.
Burning of fossil fuels has increased exponentially at times in the last forty years. Each time we increase mileage standards, we increase the fleet size to offset any ecological gains. Infrastructure improvements have created millions more miles upon which people can now drive. Current government incentives go to larger and larger interests who more and more people drive farther to patronize.
Soils are still under attack. Mega-farm agribusiness is not concerned at all about naturally stable and ecologically diverse micro-climates. Drive through any agricultural land and you will see the stark reality that nearly every farmer has sterilized the soils and tilled wet and /or erosion prone areas to the point of having only dirt where a complex relationship of organisms once existed.
I truly hope that in forty more years my children won't say "Things are as bad as they ever were." At least when the first Earthday happened, there were still old timers who had not given up the old ways of farming that respected the earth, understood stewardship and at least rotated crops and left fallow land that "needed a rest." Farmers are under such pressure today that they can't possibly do what is best for their land. It would cost billions to reestablish hedgerows, intersperse forest cover to protect the fields from the ravages of wind and extremes of hot and cold as well as wet and dry.
We have had forty years to make a difference, but have mostly chosen to look the other way. If you are a child reading this, hold your parents to a higher standard. If nothing changes, protest like we did against the Vietnam War. If you are adults, hold your elected officials to the task of cleaning up the mess, stabilizing the cities and allowing local areas to support themselves. No one is served when the cities collapse. Before the next Wal-mart is subsidized, we need to make sure the urban core has decent food, water, shelter and air. If that means mass transit, so be it. If that means high speed rail, lets step up. We are living in a country whose people were told that the Erie Canal was just a pipe dream, The Mississippi could not be tamed, that they would never be able to lay railroad track over the Rockies, that a Trans-Atlantic cable was impossible, and other things that could have limited us, or what we could do. If anyone can reclaim a mutually beneficial relationship with Earth, it only makes sense that it should be us.
We have been lucky to have people looking out for us through the last forty years, but the lack of effective action to reign in the destruction of our planet has been staggering. Our efforts need to be more than redoubled. Effective action is much more than fair-trade coffee and reuse-able shopping bags. It lies in a complex matrix of relationships with one another, with community and with resources. As we learned as children about the water cycle, we need to look at the cycles of capital, of energy, of nutrients and of all the gifts that the natural world provides each discreet location. The give back needs to be reintegrated into our daily lives. That is what enriches community and raises our quality of life while reducing costs.
In 1987, I got a chance to ride bicycle around all five Great Lakes and all I can say is that they are not very big! Even now the water that we drink contains prescription drugs. We didn't even know about the possibility of these contaminants being able to "make it" into the environment back then. I was able to get the message of sustainability , though we called it living better for less back then, to about ten million people. Six million on a single day through CBC radio during a morning commute. Cheap and simple ways to "Go Green" like substituting baking soda for chlorine tainted cleansers, combining trips, carpooling or bicycling rather than firing up the old fossil fuel burner unnecessarily. Back then, a family could save about seven thousand dollars per year by going from two cars down to one.
The air when I was a child was terrible, and is no better today, in spite of effectively cutting new lead emissions, sulfur dioxide and dry cleaning compounds many other contaminants have increased. We did score a noteworthy victory when the local electric generating station wanted to raise their smoke stack to "protect local air quality". Public interest groups said in court that the air farther away should not be negatively impacted to keep our air cleaner, so the stack raising project was put on hold. The courts interpreted the clean air act rules to mean that pollution should be reduced, not just diluted and to this day, the stack remains unfinished.
Burning of fossil fuels has increased exponentially at times in the last forty years. Each time we increase mileage standards, we increase the fleet size to offset any ecological gains. Infrastructure improvements have created millions more miles upon which people can now drive. Current government incentives go to larger and larger interests who more and more people drive farther to patronize.
Soils are still under attack. Mega-farm agribusiness is not concerned at all about naturally stable and ecologically diverse micro-climates. Drive through any agricultural land and you will see the stark reality that nearly every farmer has sterilized the soils and tilled wet and /or erosion prone areas to the point of having only dirt where a complex relationship of organisms once existed.
I truly hope that in forty more years my children won't say "Things are as bad as they ever were." At least when the first Earthday happened, there were still old timers who had not given up the old ways of farming that respected the earth, understood stewardship and at least rotated crops and left fallow land that "needed a rest." Farmers are under such pressure today that they can't possibly do what is best for their land. It would cost billions to reestablish hedgerows, intersperse forest cover to protect the fields from the ravages of wind and extremes of hot and cold as well as wet and dry.
We have had forty years to make a difference, but have mostly chosen to look the other way. If you are a child reading this, hold your parents to a higher standard. If nothing changes, protest like we did against the Vietnam War. If you are adults, hold your elected officials to the task of cleaning up the mess, stabilizing the cities and allowing local areas to support themselves. No one is served when the cities collapse. Before the next Wal-mart is subsidized, we need to make sure the urban core has decent food, water, shelter and air. If that means mass transit, so be it. If that means high speed rail, lets step up. We are living in a country whose people were told that the Erie Canal was just a pipe dream, The Mississippi could not be tamed, that they would never be able to lay railroad track over the Rockies, that a Trans-Atlantic cable was impossible, and other things that could have limited us, or what we could do. If anyone can reclaim a mutually beneficial relationship with Earth, it only makes sense that it should be us.
We have been lucky to have people looking out for us through the last forty years, but the lack of effective action to reign in the destruction of our planet has been staggering. Our efforts need to be more than redoubled. Effective action is much more than fair-trade coffee and reuse-able shopping bags. It lies in a complex matrix of relationships with one another, with community and with resources. As we learned as children about the water cycle, we need to look at the cycles of capital, of energy, of nutrients and of all the gifts that the natural world provides each discreet location. The give back needs to be reintegrated into our daily lives. That is what enriches community and raises our quality of life while reducing costs.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit
Initially I wanted to write Earth week entries about each of these forces separately. Each deserves an entry to explore more deeply it's significance to our culture this Spring, but for lack of time and the busy nature of my schedule, I am going to have to combine these elements into a single post. Much like in our own lives, we must balance and integrate forces like these daily. It is time that we reevaluate what we are willing to call reality and reassess the value and meanings behind our relationship with these forces. In spite of the brief introduction to each of these natural forces that I will attempt here, remember that a lifetime of study and awareness is required to begin to understand fully the part these forces play in our lives.
Happily, the Earth is getting lots of attention this week, but we often allow our connection with Mother Earth to slide out of focus, or drop off our radar completely. As you may have noticed, my own focus, in life and blogs is on the Earth and her gifts, sustainable development and patterns that connect us with the planet, her resources and our relationship with Starship Earth, our fellow passengers on our flight around the Sun, and the island mentality that must come to light if we are to survive here without poisoning ourselves or tearing at the web of life that sustains us until it can no longer hold the weight of our species.
With gardening season upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere, many millions will be turning the soil, many for the first time. This simple act can grow within us new respect for creatures that share their space with us, as well as the life that goes on all around us on this miraculous planet. In a single cup of healthy soil more organisms can live than the number of people we typically meet in a lifetime. Protecting the earth and her soils from the harsh effects of sun and rain are paramount in the gardener's mind. Mulch your gardens to conserve moisture, retain fertility and protect soil life. If anyone has ever laid in the sun too long, or been stuck out in the rain with no shelter, they know that nature can be harsh. Single celled critters and soil microbes are even less able to cope with sunburn or direct hits from raindrops than we are. Protecting the Earth takes on a whole new meaning when you realize that soils are alive. Once sterilized, it is just dirt.
Air too must be integrated and available in healthy soils. When planting, be careful not to destroy soil tilth or texture. Turning soils that are still wet, treading on planting beds, or killing off beneficial organisms can lead to difficult conditions for many plants. Even roots like to "breathe" and compaction rates as a number one cause of declining fertility in soils. Again, mulch can act as a shock absorber underfoot, protecting delicate structures that plants form to sustain their lives as well as our own. This invisible element, Air, swirls and flows around us all the time. The atmosphere is 1/6 as viscous as water, but has incredible power nonetheless. Just as we understand watersheds, the basins that collect the waters that flow together into local waterways, the air too comes from far away locations bringing substances and qualities with it. Here in the Western Great Lakes Region, we normally get most of our air from Canada in Winter, the Pacific Northwest in Spring and Fall, and the Southwest in Summer. Of course the daily changes that occur in the atmosphere are much more varied than that, but learning to feel the changes and understand them gives one greater insight to weather, pollution issues and intimacy with the vital fluid that we breathe to sustain life. Just this spring, I had a bought with pneumonia that was a direct result of a stagnant bolus of air that stayed over Northeast Wisconsin for ten days. During this time, the air quality continued to be degraded by transportation, energy and industrial contaminants. Lungs are not designed to handle this sort of onslaught. Air is to be revered and Creator intended for us to be blessed with pure and unadulterated air to breathe.
Fire as we know has the unique ability to warm us. The burning of calories in our food are fire on a microscopic level. Metabolism, even of tiny organisms creates heat and this is a by-product of life itself. The most available source of energy that we know is the Sun. The solar furnace that bombards the earth is responsible for most of the swirling winds on our planet, virtually all of the life as we know it on the earth's surface, and for the vast reserves of fossilized carbon which we are burning at rates never imagined in generations past. the fire that burns within each of us is just a chip off the old block. The sun creates virtually every calorie we take in. Even the lowly mushroom, growing on dead roots, or trunks of trees makes it's living from plants that have had their day in the sun. We often use phrases like "burning desire" or "flames of passion", "hot blooded" or "fired up" we all know this force, but often we overlook the ubiquitous nature of fire in our lives. We must learn to honor and respect this powerful energy within us and surrounding us to begin to treat it with the respect it deserves.
Water too has an undeniable place in our existence. Our bodies are made up of roughly the same percentage of water as the rest of the planet's creatures. Without it, we cannot survive. Without clean water in abundant supply, all forms of life must either adapt or perish. This lowly molecule has amazing characteristics that we still do not fully understand. It is an awesome solvent, requires large amounts of energy to change phase, solid to liquid, liquid to gas. it helps moderate temperature because of it's ability to absorb and give off energy slowly. It is made up of only two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen, and it is extremely tightly bonded, even though each chemical in isolation is highly reactive.
My own fascination with water began as a child. Surface tension, adhesion, cohesion, solubility, the addition of surfactants to this fluid and fluid dynamics absorbed my attentions as far back as I can remember. For many, the commodification of this vital fluid creates vast wealth and destroys the environment. Rather than respecting the power of this element, man has sought to harness the waters that flow, utilize their energies for man's benefit and to not consider what riches lie in the fluid itself, or the watercourses that surround us. Mankind's ability to survive and thrive depend on clean water being available to all people in relatively unlimited quantity. As you look around the planet, there are large areas whose future is being called into question because of this dwindling resource. The first Earthday was brought about because of the gross neglect and poisoning of vast bodies of water. The public got enraged and called for better protection of this essential resource. Now, forty years later, the threats that water faces are much more occult (hidden), mush more pernicious and far more complex than sludge belching out from pipes, draining industrial waste into the local creeks and rivers. We have done a pretty good job of going after folks who desecrated water in that way. What we face now is the withdrawal of trillions of gallons of water from below ground, infiltration of harmful materials into the water table, and deposition of dangerous chemicals that are falling from the sky. A life out of balance harms all creatures great and small, the wisdom of this lies in the waters that make all life possible.
Spirit too is being commodified. It is becoming harder and harder to find communities that are not burdened by mega-churches. Fortunately there are many good folks involved in the reawakening of spirit amongst the people, but the rise of fundamentalists of all flavors is a disturbing trend in World Spirituality. As we grow mentally and emotionally, we need to grow spiritually as well. When you study these relationships, or those facts, it is well to realize that they tie into spiritual practice as well. The Spirit which guides us is not the exclusive domain of any religion. Spirit is like the magician's assistant who climbs into the box, only to be "pierced" with skewers. Each faith tradition thrusts it's way into the box. As we watch, we can be sure that this or that dagger has inflicted the death blow. As the container is run through with more and more skewers, we cannot help but know that the space inside, as we know it can no longer contain a living breathing person. One of the pieces of steel must have surely found it's mark. To our horror, the assistant keeps right on smiling. Then, as if by magic, the daggers are removed and she springs unharmed from the case. The religious leaders of today, many of them, are claiming to have a fast track to salvation and that being a member in good standing of their church will assure us eternal life and favor with "the lord".
Spirit cannot be bought, sold, bartered, renewed, cleansed or in any way destroyed or harmed by human activities. It may be the spark of life, but life is just a mirror that reflects spirit. Coming to know spirit the way that I have begun to, it can be undeniably seen in all living creatures, in each element, in every facet of every action taken by every creature. We speak of spirit of the age, spirit of giving, holiday spirit and the like. What is most profound for me is that as we pass through life we know when our spirit has been touched, but explaining that to anyone else is virtually impossible. Each of us must make peace with the spiritual realm on our own terms. Those who claim to "know the way" at best can only tell you what seems to have worked for them. I heard an analogy once that holds true for many parts of our lives. "We determined what we put into our bodies by the people giving it to us. Once a guy came to the door in a large cowboy hat, silver belt buckle and boots. The first thing he did when he came in the house was to close all the curtains, lock the doors and all the while he was there he kept getting up and pulling back the blinds to look out with obvious paranoia. He put a large bag of pills on the coffee table and said that they were for us. We decided that if they were what he was, we wanted no part of them."
All of our lives must be spent looking critically out into the world for relevant data that can help us along our own path. The idea that someone else can find our personal truth in matters of spirituality would be laughable if so many of us had not been misled into thinking that religions have things figured out. Spirit is alive within us and as such need not be contaminated by any other being or their version of truth, or their understanding of what they have been led to believe. Creator gave us each gifts that we cannot fathom. Many of us go through life never even understanding our full potential. Spirit is ours to explore, it does not belong to anyone else. It is not for others to even understand or dictate. Our souls are ours to "save", and in truth cannot be "sold", "spent" or "squandered". Our spiritual life, as well as the spirits of everything that surrounds us are far too important to trust to others. When God/ess is alive within us, great things happen and no one can mediate our experience with the eternal except our own self.
This Earthweek, challenge yourself to study your own relationship with these five elements. Let me know what you learn. I'm always interested in finding other seekers along the path to enlightenment.
Namaste', Tony C. Saladino
Monday, April 19, 2010
ECO Tours can now accept donations through paypal at: tnsaladino42@hotmail.com
On this 40th anniversary of Earth Week, ECO-Tours has entered the digital age. Their educational tours teach sustainable lifestyles and reforest using native trees for permaculture.
Bless the hundreds of people who have helped us over the years!
60,000 more trees are alive today than when we started.
Your contributions allow us to plant more trees.
Bless the hundreds of people who have helped us over the years!
60,000 more trees are alive today than when we started.
Your contributions allow us to plant more trees.
Make A Difference Day Tremendous Success
More than two dozen people attended the Spring Make A Difference Day Event, sponsored by the Helfenstein Soup Council. Many projects were undertaken during the day and several participants commented on how wonderful it was to get together with so many great people, have a chance to talk and share and generally transform the place. We tackled a variety of jobs including the loading, transportation and stacking of over 100 square feet of flagstone, cleaning up several large piles of construction materials, organizing useful items, started the rebuilding of the chicken tractor, made a pile of burnable waste wood, filled a trailer with landfill trash, created a new garden bed, created a concrete anchor for the laundry line pole, removed a massive trailer-load of rolls of fencing and raked many wheelbarrow loads of gravel out of the lawn and back into the parking area/sidewalk.
The attendees enjoyed a fantastic pot luck which gave us plenty of fuel for our bodies, more time to talk with friends old and new to stimulate our minds and the knowledge that we are not alone in our efforts to make the world into a better, more beautiful and more comfortable place for others as well as ourselves. Helfenstein Soup Council has made a difference in this way since it's founding and wishes to express deep and abiding thanks for all who attended, the donors who make it possible and the people who have and will continue to take up the challenges of building a stronger community.
The event coalesced around the Environmental Hero Award Presentation. The award is given to those who demonstrate life long commitment to Mother Earth, her creatures and Creator's Gifts. This year, the award was given to honor our friend and fellow seeker, Bill Hurrle who continues to influence the movement toward sustainable lifestyles. His life-long focus on patterns that work, developing strategies for efficient use of resources, community building, and living in harmony with the Earth far exceed the ability of words to express. In the "Talking Circle" which preceded the award presentation, many stories were shared which helped us to more clearly understand just what he means to all who come in contact with his spirit, words and deeds.
Thank-you Bill, for allowing us to honor you and for being so deserving of this great respect!
Namaste'
Since 1993, there have been a long list of projects and programs designed to raise the awareness of folks regarding diversity, trust and loving respect, the need for community, social justice, sustainability and freedom. HSC wishes to thank everyone who came to all of their events over the years. They can be reached at (920) 496-9464, or write c/o 416 13th avenue GB WI 54303.
The attendees enjoyed a fantastic pot luck which gave us plenty of fuel for our bodies, more time to talk with friends old and new to stimulate our minds and the knowledge that we are not alone in our efforts to make the world into a better, more beautiful and more comfortable place for others as well as ourselves. Helfenstein Soup Council has made a difference in this way since it's founding and wishes to express deep and abiding thanks for all who attended, the donors who make it possible and the people who have and will continue to take up the challenges of building a stronger community.
The event coalesced around the Environmental Hero Award Presentation. The award is given to those who demonstrate life long commitment to Mother Earth, her creatures and Creator's Gifts. This year, the award was given to honor our friend and fellow seeker, Bill Hurrle who continues to influence the movement toward sustainable lifestyles. His life-long focus on patterns that work, developing strategies for efficient use of resources, community building, and living in harmony with the Earth far exceed the ability of words to express. In the "Talking Circle" which preceded the award presentation, many stories were shared which helped us to more clearly understand just what he means to all who come in contact with his spirit, words and deeds.
Thank-you Bill, for allowing us to honor you and for being so deserving of this great respect!
Namaste'
Since 1993, there have been a long list of projects and programs designed to raise the awareness of folks regarding diversity, trust and loving respect, the need for community, social justice, sustainability and freedom. HSC wishes to thank everyone who came to all of their events over the years. They can be reached at (920) 496-9464, or write c/o 416 13th avenue GB WI 54303.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Guidelines for Fire Tenders
With the summer camping season approaching and the weather making a turn for the better, it is time for some basic fire tending review. First off, be aware of your surroundings. Many areas here in Northeast Wisconsin have had burn bans in place already this Spring. Local ordinances govern where, when and how fire may be used. Please heed them, because nothing ruins a good bonfire like a bunch of guys arriving on a fire truck! Try to use good judgment as well as (pardon the phrase) common sense. A friend once melted all the newly installed vinyl siding off the south face of his house by burning way too much fuel in relatively close proximity to the house. Normally, twenty feet is a good guide between the fire pit and any combustible material, but in his case, fifty feet was not nearly enough! Also keep in mind that in forest conditions, leaf litter that has been long covered, or root fibers can extend great distances below ground and the possibility of fire escaping out of control exists both above and below ground.
Another good rule that I like to follow is to keep a five gallon bucket of water close at hand for, not only any errant sparks or fires that escape the fire ring, but for the inevitable burnt fingers, hands, or other items that get too close to burning embers. Having ice on hand for immediate first aid in these cases works well, but can be impractical miles from a trail head.I also like to make a trip to the nearest water source to make sure there are no low branches, rocks in the trail, or other obstacles that would create a hazard in case the bucket needs to be refilled in a hurry. Remember, it is always better to be safe than sorry in the case of fire. Taking these precautions will assure the best experience possible with the least hardship involved.
Many places that you might camp have fire rings established. When you are lucky enough to have one, use it! Be advised, many poor fire tenders exist who will trow trash and other items that will not burn into fires. Before you start your fire, take the time to scrape the hearth out, remove offensive items, and dispose of non-flammable materials and trash that may have been left behind. This is a good time to explain why it is always a bad idea to throw anything but fuel into the fire. BECAUSE IT STINKS! Wax coatings on cups or plates, plastics, metals, rubber, etc. all create hazardous by-products during combustion. I have never been able to understand why someone would travel into the Great Outdoors, only to degrade the quality of the environment once they get there. Dioxins, Furans, Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons, and other carcinogenic compounds are unwelcome guests anywhere, but especially in the wilderness or your local campground. All plastics need to be packed out, never burned.
Remember, the only limitations to getting fire started are your creativity and understanding of what fire needs. Remember the three legged stool analogy. All fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen. Heat can be provided using any one, or any combination of sources. Several folks I know have mastered the Wood Drill method. It always looks easy in the movies, but don't rely on this method until you have proven your skill in conditions that don't require you to depend on making fire with this method alone. Similarly, the flint and steel method work quite easily with a bit of practice, but I would not want to embark on a trip depending on that skill alone unless I had proven my ability in the comfort of a non-survival situation.
Fuel can be readily available, limited, or virtually non-existent depending on where you go, for how long, or again by regulation. Even areas that allow wood to be carried in are often limiting where the wood comes from to limit the spread of disease and the insects that are vectors for several tree diseases. One often overlooked fuel source, especially for the starting of fires is what I have heard called Witches Wood. Often on pines, or other oily trees, there will be tinder-dry sticks that burn easily, even after a heavy rain, because they are inside the growing canopy of the mature tree. Be aware that "punky" wood (notable for it's lightness when dry, and relative heaviness when wet) will fight you in two ways. For one, the air trapped inside will insulate deeper layers of the wood from burning, or worse yet harbor moisture which will have to turn to steam and boil off before it will burn. Worse yet, there will be far less heat value in it to begin with and will be unlikely to sustain a good burn even if it is dry. If the wood is that close to going back to the soil, let it. It will make a wonderful home for bugs.
Oxygen is one of the most frequently overlooked parts of the fire. You can't see it, but you can see the results of it. If you have fuel and adequate heat, but no real fire, boost the oxygen. Let air work it's way through the pile of wood. Many poor excuses for fires have been cured by the judicious stir, or a well placed prop that allows the fire to "breathe". This is why so many bad fires use dimensional lumber. The flat sides go together, and even though the wood is bone dry, the air cannot get to the surfaces. Remember as well that the air coming off the fire can be up to six times the size of the air coming into it. Like most fluids, hotter is larger. The hotter the fire gets, the more likely there will be no problem with smoke. The increasing size of the air will push the smoke up and away from you!
One of the best ways to prepare for a good fire is to separate your fuel into three piles, so you can have appropriate fuel for any size fire. Tinder, which has a diameter smaller than a pencil, is usually good for starting from scratch or re-stoking the fire from coals make sure that this material is as dry as possible. Impatience has stymied many, because it takes way more tinder than one might think to start and maintain a fire that will ignite the next larger size of sticks. In this pile, or perhaps if it is raining, over the top of your tinder pile, make a roof of birch bark, if you have it. Birch bark will burn even after being completely immersed in water. The resinous quality of birch makes it resistant to decay and very flammable. Small stuff, usually from about the diameter of a pencil up to about an inch needs to be at the ready as soon as the tinder is lit and able to withstand the loss of heat that the mid-sized wood will need to get going. Lastly are the larger chunks that will have staying power as your fire grows. Tinder needs to be fed or checked every few seconds up to a minute. Mid-sized fuel can occasionally be left without having to coax the flames for several minutes, but to be able to sit back and enjoy the fire, you will need considerably larger chunks of wood.
Knowing your wood species and how long it has been drying can make all the difference in the quality of the fire that you can produce. Although most wood can be made to burn, if your fire is hot enough, dry wood is always best. Moisture in the fuel makes lots of smoke, absorbs most of the heat that keeps the fire going, and is nearly useless in most instances. The best wood has been cut, split and dried for a full year, but when you camp, you have to do the best you can with what you can find. Many natural areas are fragile enough that fires should be for food only and those needs can be effectively accomplished by bringing a cook stove and fuel with you. Check with Rangers or local officials before you go, especially if you are not familiar with the area.
No Trace camping involves disappearing your fire ring. carefully choose stones for the ring that can be put back where they were, preferably with the smoked side down. When cooking needs to be done, selecting three stones large enough to balance your cook pot on, while leaving space for the fire underneath can be most effective. No trace aficionados also remove the vegetation where they intend to make fire, replacing the "plug" once the coals have been soaked, stirred and soaked again, cooling the soil so as not to cook the native turf. Google Leave No Trace for insights on camping invisibly. As the numbers of people who are looking for remote camping opportunities increase, there is more and more need for practicing no trace camping. Lasting damage, even from temporary campers has lasting negative effects on the enjoyment of others who seek to enjoy the wilds. Be respectful, try to leave no trace as much as possible. Others will appreciate your consideration.
Lastly, when the time comes to put your fire out, don't take chances. The old douse, stir, douse method has worked well for generations. You will be surprised at how much heat will invade the soil. Especially if you have had a raging fire for a couple days, don't expect to just dump the left over ice from your cooler on it. If there are any unburned chunks of wood, douse them, let them rest, and douse them again. If there is no forest duff to worry about, you can also smother fire with dirt, but don't rely on this alone. Many times I have been able to re-kindle fires that were "banked" the night before. This process involves covering the coals of the fire with dirt to slow the burn. It slows the oxygen from getting to the hot coals, saving them for a very long time.
Enjoy, enjoy!
Another good rule that I like to follow is to keep a five gallon bucket of water close at hand for, not only any errant sparks or fires that escape the fire ring, but for the inevitable burnt fingers, hands, or other items that get too close to burning embers. Having ice on hand for immediate first aid in these cases works well, but can be impractical miles from a trail head.I also like to make a trip to the nearest water source to make sure there are no low branches, rocks in the trail, or other obstacles that would create a hazard in case the bucket needs to be refilled in a hurry. Remember, it is always better to be safe than sorry in the case of fire. Taking these precautions will assure the best experience possible with the least hardship involved.
Many places that you might camp have fire rings established. When you are lucky enough to have one, use it! Be advised, many poor fire tenders exist who will trow trash and other items that will not burn into fires. Before you start your fire, take the time to scrape the hearth out, remove offensive items, and dispose of non-flammable materials and trash that may have been left behind. This is a good time to explain why it is always a bad idea to throw anything but fuel into the fire. BECAUSE IT STINKS! Wax coatings on cups or plates, plastics, metals, rubber, etc. all create hazardous by-products during combustion. I have never been able to understand why someone would travel into the Great Outdoors, only to degrade the quality of the environment once they get there. Dioxins, Furans, Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons, and other carcinogenic compounds are unwelcome guests anywhere, but especially in the wilderness or your local campground. All plastics need to be packed out, never burned.
Remember, the only limitations to getting fire started are your creativity and understanding of what fire needs. Remember the three legged stool analogy. All fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen. Heat can be provided using any one, or any combination of sources. Several folks I know have mastered the Wood Drill method. It always looks easy in the movies, but don't rely on this method until you have proven your skill in conditions that don't require you to depend on making fire with this method alone. Similarly, the flint and steel method work quite easily with a bit of practice, but I would not want to embark on a trip depending on that skill alone unless I had proven my ability in the comfort of a non-survival situation.
Fuel can be readily available, limited, or virtually non-existent depending on where you go, for how long, or again by regulation. Even areas that allow wood to be carried in are often limiting where the wood comes from to limit the spread of disease and the insects that are vectors for several tree diseases. One often overlooked fuel source, especially for the starting of fires is what I have heard called Witches Wood. Often on pines, or other oily trees, there will be tinder-dry sticks that burn easily, even after a heavy rain, because they are inside the growing canopy of the mature tree. Be aware that "punky" wood (notable for it's lightness when dry, and relative heaviness when wet) will fight you in two ways. For one, the air trapped inside will insulate deeper layers of the wood from burning, or worse yet harbor moisture which will have to turn to steam and boil off before it will burn. Worse yet, there will be far less heat value in it to begin with and will be unlikely to sustain a good burn even if it is dry. If the wood is that close to going back to the soil, let it. It will make a wonderful home for bugs.
Oxygen is one of the most frequently overlooked parts of the fire. You can't see it, but you can see the results of it. If you have fuel and adequate heat, but no real fire, boost the oxygen. Let air work it's way through the pile of wood. Many poor excuses for fires have been cured by the judicious stir, or a well placed prop that allows the fire to "breathe". This is why so many bad fires use dimensional lumber. The flat sides go together, and even though the wood is bone dry, the air cannot get to the surfaces. Remember as well that the air coming off the fire can be up to six times the size of the air coming into it. Like most fluids, hotter is larger. The hotter the fire gets, the more likely there will be no problem with smoke. The increasing size of the air will push the smoke up and away from you!
One of the best ways to prepare for a good fire is to separate your fuel into three piles, so you can have appropriate fuel for any size fire. Tinder, which has a diameter smaller than a pencil, is usually good for starting from scratch or re-stoking the fire from coals make sure that this material is as dry as possible. Impatience has stymied many, because it takes way more tinder than one might think to start and maintain a fire that will ignite the next larger size of sticks. In this pile, or perhaps if it is raining, over the top of your tinder pile, make a roof of birch bark, if you have it. Birch bark will burn even after being completely immersed in water. The resinous quality of birch makes it resistant to decay and very flammable. Small stuff, usually from about the diameter of a pencil up to about an inch needs to be at the ready as soon as the tinder is lit and able to withstand the loss of heat that the mid-sized wood will need to get going. Lastly are the larger chunks that will have staying power as your fire grows. Tinder needs to be fed or checked every few seconds up to a minute. Mid-sized fuel can occasionally be left without having to coax the flames for several minutes, but to be able to sit back and enjoy the fire, you will need considerably larger chunks of wood.
Knowing your wood species and how long it has been drying can make all the difference in the quality of the fire that you can produce. Although most wood can be made to burn, if your fire is hot enough, dry wood is always best. Moisture in the fuel makes lots of smoke, absorbs most of the heat that keeps the fire going, and is nearly useless in most instances. The best wood has been cut, split and dried for a full year, but when you camp, you have to do the best you can with what you can find. Many natural areas are fragile enough that fires should be for food only and those needs can be effectively accomplished by bringing a cook stove and fuel with you. Check with Rangers or local officials before you go, especially if you are not familiar with the area.
No Trace camping involves disappearing your fire ring. carefully choose stones for the ring that can be put back where they were, preferably with the smoked side down. When cooking needs to be done, selecting three stones large enough to balance your cook pot on, while leaving space for the fire underneath can be most effective. No trace aficionados also remove the vegetation where they intend to make fire, replacing the "plug" once the coals have been soaked, stirred and soaked again, cooling the soil so as not to cook the native turf. Google Leave No Trace for insights on camping invisibly. As the numbers of people who are looking for remote camping opportunities increase, there is more and more need for practicing no trace camping. Lasting damage, even from temporary campers has lasting negative effects on the enjoyment of others who seek to enjoy the wilds. Be respectful, try to leave no trace as much as possible. Others will appreciate your consideration.
Lastly, when the time comes to put your fire out, don't take chances. The old douse, stir, douse method has worked well for generations. You will be surprised at how much heat will invade the soil. Especially if you have had a raging fire for a couple days, don't expect to just dump the left over ice from your cooler on it. If there are any unburned chunks of wood, douse them, let them rest, and douse them again. If there is no forest duff to worry about, you can also smother fire with dirt, but don't rely on this alone. Many times I have been able to re-kindle fires that were "banked" the night before. This process involves covering the coals of the fire with dirt to slow the burn. It slows the oxygen from getting to the hot coals, saving them for a very long time.
Enjoy, enjoy!
TheOnly Thing More Expensive Than Education is Ignorance
We frequently hear the lament, "Our taxes are too high." Some, especially in the business community, have taken to heart the message of the Right, that we are over taxed and the money is frittered away in wasteful programs, inefficiency and graft. These same folks are happy to have our tax dollars spent on programs that will help them, up to a point. Construction firms love to be offered curb and gutter, turn lanes and traffic signals or sewer laterals, sometimes even tax free status until their developments are completed. That kind of corporate welfare is welcomed, even expected, whether we need another sub-division or not.
I think that if I were to reap those kinds of rewards, I might not complain either. It rubs me raw when those same recipients of my tax dollars balk at spending money for our schools. The fact that school buildings are woefully overcrowded and in need of repair, or that teachers keep receiving more unfunded mandates that take away from teaching time, or that we continue to churn out graduates that have dubious qualifications for any job, most likely the same ones that these business people offer.
To illustrate, I was recently speaking with the head of a solar installation company, his lead man at a job site couldn't figure out how to do Algebra, or he just didn't understand how important it is to angle panels toward the sun. He had blundered through an install, only to do it wrong. Then it took several workers a full day to rip it off and re install the system. Waste, waste, waste. Lack of education cost him more than a day of labor, it may have cost him his reputation, at least with that homeowner. Knowledge, even the insight that sometimes we don't know as much as we need to has power. I am the last person to defend the waste fraud and corruption that happens in our government, but the education of our children will have lasting effects for generations. Imagine the difference it would make if job applicants had a better background in spelling, math and communication skills.
I would rather pay taxes that were wasted on children than put to good use by corporate elites that have bonus checks issued to them from companies receiving bail-out money from the Feds. It is hard to not see the erosion of test scores, readiness for entry into the job market, and basic communication skills in our young people. I fear that this is a harbinger of what is to come, all over America (Sorry, Canada and neighbors to the South, for lumping you in with the U.S.) schools are attempting to do more with less. We have passed the point at which selling candy can turn the tide. Hoping for a rapid recovery without additional funding flies in the face of facts. Time was, every child learned the meaning of our patriotic songs, flag etiquette and enough history to realize that the Declaration of Independence is not the same document as the Constitution, or that the Revolutionary War was different than the Civil War. Sending our children unprepared into intellectual battle with the rest of the world is a menace.
Reason and intellect are given to us by Creator, squandering them, or allowing others to tell us what to think, puts us at odds with reality in very dangerous ways. The overpowering urge to cut taxes must not lead us down a path of cheating our children out of a future that is at least as bright as the one we inherited from our parents. Take time to study the history of the past twenty years and you will find plenty of examples of why we should not continue on the current course. Taxation without representation is what the Revolution was fought over, but only a small minority advocated war with Britain. The ultra-wealthy among us today, adept at bait and switch tactics, will always have reason to want more for less. Their tyranny more than any other fact drive the rhetoric of the "Conservatives". Business as usual has led to the greatest disparity between haves and have-nots since prior to the Great Depression. When trying to grapple with salaries of the top earners, ask yourself why one person would be worth more for a single day's labor than another could make, working two, or three years?
I think that if I were to reap those kinds of rewards, I might not complain either. It rubs me raw when those same recipients of my tax dollars balk at spending money for our schools. The fact that school buildings are woefully overcrowded and in need of repair, or that teachers keep receiving more unfunded mandates that take away from teaching time, or that we continue to churn out graduates that have dubious qualifications for any job, most likely the same ones that these business people offer.
To illustrate, I was recently speaking with the head of a solar installation company, his lead man at a job site couldn't figure out how to do Algebra, or he just didn't understand how important it is to angle panels toward the sun. He had blundered through an install, only to do it wrong. Then it took several workers a full day to rip it off and re install the system. Waste, waste, waste. Lack of education cost him more than a day of labor, it may have cost him his reputation, at least with that homeowner. Knowledge, even the insight that sometimes we don't know as much as we need to has power. I am the last person to defend the waste fraud and corruption that happens in our government, but the education of our children will have lasting effects for generations. Imagine the difference it would make if job applicants had a better background in spelling, math and communication skills.
I would rather pay taxes that were wasted on children than put to good use by corporate elites that have bonus checks issued to them from companies receiving bail-out money from the Feds. It is hard to not see the erosion of test scores, readiness for entry into the job market, and basic communication skills in our young people. I fear that this is a harbinger of what is to come, all over America (Sorry, Canada and neighbors to the South, for lumping you in with the U.S.) schools are attempting to do more with less. We have passed the point at which selling candy can turn the tide. Hoping for a rapid recovery without additional funding flies in the face of facts. Time was, every child learned the meaning of our patriotic songs, flag etiquette and enough history to realize that the Declaration of Independence is not the same document as the Constitution, or that the Revolutionary War was different than the Civil War. Sending our children unprepared into intellectual battle with the rest of the world is a menace.
Reason and intellect are given to us by Creator, squandering them, or allowing others to tell us what to think, puts us at odds with reality in very dangerous ways. The overpowering urge to cut taxes must not lead us down a path of cheating our children out of a future that is at least as bright as the one we inherited from our parents. Take time to study the history of the past twenty years and you will find plenty of examples of why we should not continue on the current course. Taxation without representation is what the Revolution was fought over, but only a small minority advocated war with Britain. The ultra-wealthy among us today, adept at bait and switch tactics, will always have reason to want more for less. Their tyranny more than any other fact drive the rhetoric of the "Conservatives". Business as usual has led to the greatest disparity between haves and have-nots since prior to the Great Depression. When trying to grapple with salaries of the top earners, ask yourself why one person would be worth more for a single day's labor than another could make, working two, or three years?
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