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| Implementation I
Results
- Project Plan
This is the project plan for the following, second part of the implementation phase with the needed changes for a realistic time schedule.
- Budget Plan
This budget plan is updated with the first bank statement.
- Articles, Photos and Clips
Here are photos and clips, where available, of the project's first part of implementation:
- Neighborhood Meeting (Full Text | Slides)
After designing and copying a flyer titled "Neighbors' Potluck", one nice Saturday morning I went around the neighborhood and distributed it.
This lead to a lovely afternoon get together in our backyard the day before we started the first day of implementation.
- Sewage pipe (Full Text)
This was the first task that started the visible implementation of what we had planned for so long - and it was almost a disaster! Many things of course had to be arranged in advance in order to work out, like labor, equipment and materials. Besides that it took us 3 attempts to finally dig at the right location and in that process tore off an old water shut-off and also ripped out the water supply line. Luckily we had turned of the water. Still, putting everything back together after replacing the sewage pipe, putting a new water pipe in place and hooking it up to the house through the foundation took us quite while. At the end, everything worked out.
- Sidewalk (Full Text | Slides | Clip, 2.5 MB)
I never thought I would ever use concrete for building. A good overview of why concrete is not on my list of sustainable building materials is provided by BuildingGreen, Inc. in an article called "Cement and Concrete: Environmental Considerations".
There are additional ones:
Recycling is not easily possible. Reuse is possible, but requires again lots of energy. Concrete cracks when heaving due to roots or frost. It is impervious to surface water and brings with it all the problems of storm water runoff polluting rivers and greatly degrading water quality and riparian habitats.
There are some properties and advantages of concrete that makes it, at least currently, a prime choice as building material: It is low in maintenance, has the possibility of smooth surfaces, has desirable engineering properties, like being able to take the shape of a containment structure, it is relatively impermeable and the price is relatively low.
Now why did I use it? Well, the city of Sandpoint has quite specific rules and regulations for sidewalks. The sidewalk is actually not on our property, but in the city's right of way of the so-called "planting strip". The owner of the property behind it is required to maintain and pay about almost everything in connection with the planting strip - the maintenance of lawn and trees on it, underground utility hook ups passing through it, and the sidewalk and driveway on top of it. If anyone would ever trip or otherwise hurt themselves on the sidewalk in front of the house, we would be liable for that. One would think just having some soft natural surface would be the best, but no, as sidewalks need to be negotiable for blind people as well as people with disabilities, wheelchairs, strollers, etc.
- Shed Roof Extension (Full Text | Slides)
In order to be able to sort the shed, have a protected work spot when it rains and to have a potting area an extension of the shed roof was built. We reused the piers salvaged from deconstructing the deck earlier, and wood from the former shed that has been taken down last year to build the poles and rafters. After digging 18'' deep holes that we filled with gravel and sand dug out from the front driveway as the sub-base we compacted it with a hand build wooden tool and set the piers. The posts were doubled up 2x4s with holes drilled in the bottom into which the metal rod sticking out of the piers fits. The rafters of the extended roof were bolted to the rafters of the existing shed such that the existing pitch continuous. We used 3,5'' long and 3/8'' thick nuts and bolts, some lag bolts, deck screws and nails. Doubled up 2''x6'' rafters were used for a girder to which the posts are attached with T and L brackets. Metal hangers are used to attach the rafters to the posts. The wall was assembled first and then lifted into place with the pins going into the pre-drilled holes of the posts.
- Garden Extension (Full Text | Slides)
One of our main aims with this project is to grow more of our own food. The first goal is to reach a level where we grow 50% of our food needs for a year. We do not know how much growing area is necessary to achieve this. The published numbers in regards to that differ and depends on many factors, including the type of diet and the type of gardening methods used. I came to the conclusion the best thing is to find it out ourselves.
Based on the understanding of what impact gardening can have on the environment, how it also can support local self-reliance and the goal to garden in harmony with nature we look at ideas, insights and experiences, from different people, among them Masanobu Fukuoka, Ruth Stout, Emilia Hazelip, Sepp Holzer and Toby Hemenway. The main guiding principles we try to achieve are:
- No digging
- Little to no weeding
- Little to no hand watering
- No external fertilizer
- No chemicals
- Biological pest control, if any
- No power tools
- Using onsite materials as much as possible
- Articles
No new articles have been added.
- Lists
The spreadsheet containing worksheets for the Indicators, Utility Usage 2006, Lifestyle Choices, Info Resources, Local Resources, Project Plan 2-4, Advisors, Equipment and Plants has not been changed.
- Journal
My IESD blog continues to be hosted at the jotspot system.
- Publicity
The flyer for our first neighborhood potluck is still the only publication that has been realized so far.
- Implementation Output Mind Map
I used this mind map to prepare this output (please see HELP before accessing this document or download the mind map file for viewing it with FreeMind).
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