Although us interns are eager learners and hard workers, occasionally we do enjoy a trip off the old Castlecliff block. A few weeks ago, John the Intern and I decided to engage in our first real Kiwi travel adventure, a trek around New Zealand’s most-climbed mountain, Mt. Taranaki. We chose to follow the upper-level circuit, a route that circumnavigates the volcano through alpine meadows and scrubby ridges, as well as temperate rainforest, flooded gorges and gravelly slips.
The four-day adventure began with a hitchhike out of Wanganui. After putting our best thumbs forward for 45 minutes, we finally secured a ride. Our hitch was a very enthusiastic man, an off-duty truck driver that loved racing down the winding country roads at 120 kph. After bringing us to his daughter’s house for a cup of coffee, he insisted on delivering us straight to the trailhead. Unfortunately, he did not have the best grasp of the area, and we ended up missing our turn several times and driving a complete loop around the mountain; we didn’t get on the trail until 2:30 pm. To top it all off, we ended at the wrong visitor’s center, and since it was a Tuesday, it was closed and we were unable to secure ourselves a map. Instead we sketched a rough one of our own on a scrap of paper borrowed from the visitor sign-in log.

Since our drop-off landed us a couple hours further from our destination hut, we started strong and booked it toward Holly Hut. It was quite hard to judge our position relative to the hut, as two signs that were an hour’s worth of hiking apart both reported the hut as being 3.5 hours away. We finally rolled in around 8:15 pm, with very little remaining daylight. A nice Belgian couple greeted us, and we discussed our respective trips, made dinner, and went to bed.

The next day we had a bit of rain, meaning soggy shoes and clammy clothes. However, we saw some incredible temperate rainforest and gained some decent altitude, and the warm crackle of a wood fire that welcomed us at our second hut made it all worth it. The man who made the fire also greeted us, standing naked in front of the hut when we arrived! His name was Mario, a native Austrian turned German army man who claimed to beat all the estimated hiking times on his map by two hours. Waiaua Hut had a great view of a gorge below, and afforded us a restful night’s sleep and the opportunity to dry our gear before completing our circumnavigation of Mt. Taranaki.

The third day started with a rapid ascent to a narrow ridge: it was just wide enough to house the trail with a tree on either side, and sloped abruptly to oblivion just beyond. We continued to climb on hands and feet, onward and upward, as my calf muscle conveniently deciding to start seizing up.

Nevertheless, we continued onward, and decided to make the quick jaunt up Fantham’s Peak and stop for lunch at the summit. Let me tell you, this was the hardest I have ever worked for lunch in my life. Mario was quite ill-informed when he estimated that the trek would take about 20 minutes; I guess the trail maps warn “not to scale; not to be used for navigation purposes” for a reason. After a long set of wooden steps that I affectionately look back on as the Stairway to Hell, the trail became a field of volcanic gravel, or scree, situated on a 45-degree or steeper incline. My chosen method of ascent was to take two steps up, slide back one, complain, take a deep breath, and repeat. John fared quite a bit better, scrambling steadily up and patiently waiting for me at the trail posts and boulders where it was safe to rest.

We finally arrived at the top of the major rise, and mutually decided that was a sufficient stopping point. To our left rose the much higher peak of Taranaki, whose presence demanded ever more respect after the comparatively minor ordeal we just endured. In of us stretched a blanket of billowy clouds and the farm country below, and behind us was a rocky ridge of what looked like jagged teeth. We had run out of water and decided not to continue on, but we found out later that just a little farther on, at the true summit, was a hut! Anyway, we finished the third day as we descended down to Dawson Falls once again.

We had completed our loop in three days, while most people take 4-5. We camped out the third night, and finished off the final day by hiking over to North Egmont (the British name for the mountain) Center for a hitch home. When we came to the sign for the Taranaki Summit Track, we decided somewhat disappointedly that there wasn’t time, or the wherewithal in my left calf and knee, to make it to the top and back in time for a hitch home. However, with all things considered, it was quite a successful feat. The rewards far outweighed the trials, and primed us for further tramping adventures in the coming months.

Over the past few months the global economy has ridden a roller coaster ride of spiking and easing prices on everything from oil, to currencies, food commodities. While this has led to lack of confidence in major economic systems, it has also led to rising interest in Local Exchange and Barter Systems and Alternative Currencies.

We are fortunate here in Wanganui to have a local currency system in place. Our local currency is called the River Exchange and Barter System, or REBS for short. Our network is made up of 162 members who offer a wide range of services, from childcare to gardening to electrical work. The network averages over $3,000 worth of trades per month with over $200,000 in trades occurring since the system’s birth.

Local currency is one key way of building resiliency in a community. It helps community members realize the wealth of services available locally, and also helps identify community weaknesses. We seem to have a glut of gardeners in our system, but no plumbers. We work hard to support the REBS system by allowing our workshops to be paid for in REBS and using those REBS to then buy food and other goods at the market. It is a definite win-win.

I thought I might give a glimpse at some recent news stories that centre on alternative currencies and local exchange and barter systems.

Here’s one from the New York Times:

Amid Recession, A Return To Bartering
The New York Times – December 8, 2010.
“The concept of bartering often conjures an aura of myth: Jack’s storied magic beans,… [but] in the wake of the recession, bartering has captured a renewed interest among the cash-strapped or habitually thrifty… The hope is that not only will people benefit from an experience achieved through cashless means, but that they’ll also widen their career circles as well.”

And another from the U.S.:

Slow Money’s Gaining Momentum
The Concord Patch – February 1, 2011,
“Imagine if you could buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks in your town at a discount with local community money…The concept of local dollars isn’t new and was used briefly during the depression to stimulate spending in local communities. Slow Money, founded by Woody Tausch, is modeled on the 20-year old slow food movement and promotes investing in small food enterprises and local food systems.It also focuses on connecting investors to their local economies…”

And here’s one from across the pond:

Totnes: Britain’s town of the future
The Guardian – Sunday 6 February 2011
“Totnes in Devon might be the most forward-thinking eco settlement in the world. As fossil-fuel reserves dwindle and the economy contracts, will resident-led Transition Towns become the way that we all live?
…A local currency is central to the Transition plan. ‘Think of a leaky bucket,…any time we spend money with a business that’s got more links outside the community than in it, we leak money from the local economy. What local currency does is allow that wealth to bounce around in that bucket.’ “

And talk of a regional currency right here in Austral-asia. Not quite an alternative currency, but interesting nonetheless:

Businesses keen on common economic zone
“Many New Zealand businesses think the idea of a trans-Tasman currency and economic zone is hot… MYOB’s business monitor surveyed over 1000 local businesses on possible policies ahead of this year’s election and the concept of a common economic zone and currency with Australia garnered one of the most surprising responses…Forty-two per cent of Kiwi business owners surveyed were in favour of the concept”

And finally the local currency system developed by some creative youths in the U.K.:

Fruit is becoming ‘alternative currency’ in youth prison
The Independent – Monday, 31 January 2011,
“Children in young offender institutions in England and Wales are often given poor-quality food, leaving some so desperate for healthy meals that fruit has become an alternative currency in one prison…Young offenders are able to purchase additional food, including bags of fruit, from prison shops… Some boys bulk-buy fruit and exchange it for phone cards.”

Perhaps the end of summer is not the time to set up a fruit-based exchange system, with peaches and nectarines in surplus right now. But during the winter I could see this currency rivaling REBS in value. Happy Trading!

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Well the water excess water has drained out of the bathtub and the tomatoes are rocking along. It is amazing to see plants we thought might not make it spring back to life. We used bamboo split into quarters as stakes. Currently, these tomatoes are looking like they are going to be some of our most productive plants. Interestingly enough, one of Nelson’s composting experiments seems to have emerged from the flooded tub… Are those the boots of the intern that went missing?!
-John the Intern

The coveted backyard oven completes any permaculurist’s garden much like a gazing ball counters the bleakness of a properly manicured lawn. The oven melds the flavors of a garden the same way a gazing ball reflects the finely shorn grass upon which it sits. Crisp and defined, preferably with a thin crust and lots of cheese.

Designing one of these creations is a contentious and debated topic, much like choosing the color of your gazing ball. Blue or green? In either case, neither ornament is completely permanent. I like to keep a large selection of colors in my garage to reflect the type of day I am having. In the case of the oven, none of the materials are permanently fixed, so they are quite easy to take apart and rebuild should problems arise. This being said, we built a permanent base to hold the weight of the oven and any future modifications. It is important to choose a location that fits the site. Our oven is located far enough away from the house avoid smoke sparks becoming a hazard to anyone inside, yet close enough to the kitchen door to provide easy access to a cook carrying food to and from the house. We also faced the oven door away from the prevailing winds so the oven will not lose too much heat when the door is opened.

We began building by excavating the lawn under the oven. Then four concrete posts, scavenged from a pile left in the back corner of the lot, were placed into the excavated rectangle, squared up, and leveled.
On top of the posts, we placed a frame of treated wood, covered with a sheet of old roofing iron. Many people build foundations out of stone or bricks to resist heat and insulate the oven. So far the wood frame has held up fine, and the space under the oven is a great place to store wood, fire tools, and a tarp to keep the rain off. After making the frame, we were ready to begin creating the oven.My quick Google search led me to the conclusion that earth oven construction seems to be plagued by many ailments. Cracking and collapse are common, and problems that affect one builder do not affect another. Also, it is difficult to find a standard mud recipe, let alone recommended shapes and dimensions. In our search to find the perfect design, we decided to use an old wood burner as an interior frame for the oven. Although boxy, the iron structure provided a solid the frame that mud lacks, including a tight fitting door for efficiency. The wood burner required that the exterior paneling and air intake be stripped off before the iron firebox could be used.
The firebox was set into a layer of mud on top of the iron, stabilizing and insulating the box from the bottom. The firebox was then surrounded by a layer of bricks to provide thermal mass.
Two layers of mud were placed around the bricks. This layer held everything together and insulated the bricks and firebox. The first layer of mud we decided to use was a mixture of three parts sand to one part clay with a small amount of chopped straw added to form a cob mixture. We mixed the mud with our feet in a tarp, adding water until the mud reached a formable consistency and could still hold its shape.
The first layer of mud was formed into soft cubes about 100mm wide and stacked tightly around the bricks. We tried to apply the mud evenly around the oven, allowing areas to set up a little before continuing to build upward. We surrounded the entire oven with this layer except for the front, to allow the door to function properly.
The second layer of mud was made up of three parts sand to one part clay, with a lot more water added to form a plaster-like consistency. This layer was applied in a 20mm think layer over the first, to even the first layer and provide a smooth, aesthetically pleasing finish.
At this point the oven was smoothed over with a trowel, covered with a tarp, and allowed to dry slowly over the next three days.
By Saturday, the oven was dry enough to start a small fire in the morning to finish the drying process. After some time, we added more wood to heat the oven up for pizzas in the afternoon. Everything seemed to work fine.
We saved some mud mix from the main part of the build to repair a few cracks as well as build the chimney a little taller and reduce its diameter.

Happy Eating!
-John the Intern

Dedicated followers of this blog will recall that we have seven design principles guiding us, six of which we have posted on so far: solar gain, thermal mass, insulation, reduce, reuse, and recycle. In our video, Introduction to Passive Solar Design we mentioned the importance of draft-proofing but we have not blogged about it yet.

Earlier in the blog, Nelson introduced the six principles that he chose to employ in the eco-thrifty renovation of his Castlecliff home. One of the principles not yet discussed is Recycling, and due to a recent recycling frenzy at the house, he’s asked me to share the full experience with you all.
First off, let me preface by saying that recycling is the last step in dealing with materials from the renovation. Unlike the common perception that recycling is a really green way to get rid of extra materials, reusing or repurposing them on-site is really the ideal first step. All things have “embodied energy,” or a long story of energy inputs from their growth, manufacture and transport to their present location. For that reason, we’ve been attempting to keep as many materials on-site as possible to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. For example, we’ve been stockpiling boards torn from a dilapidated deck to reuse as lumber for a shed or firewood, and old roofing iron is used to cover wood piles and for all sorts of other projects.

We’ve managed to divert about 95% of the materials from the site by reusing them or selling them to others who can use them. We found an old hot water heater that doesn’t jive with our new solar hot water system, but that didn’t mean we brought it to the dump. First, some resourceful thieves discovered that the inside contained valuable copper, and then we found insulation that could be reused and stuffed into our ceiling.
Finally, we were left with the galvanized shell of the heater, a worthy candidate for the recycling center. Other things discovered in every nook and cranny on the property were also prime subjects for the scrap yard. Rusty iron bars and twisty pipes, bicycle parts pulled from the depths of the agapanthus hedge, bits of lead, a car battery, and corroded, scrappy roofing iron were all gathered up and loaded into our little rented trailer for the ride of their life.

We brought two full loads down to the recycling center, a wondrous place with bales of aluminum cans, mountains of refrigerators, and a bright purple car that sits on top of the office, a beacon to all who pass. Our first load was transferred onto a great scale and rounded out at a healthy 250 kilos. The second round was 165 kilos, making a grand total of 415 kilos of scrap metal gleaned from our yard.

Since most of the material was iron, it was all bulked together for a single price per kilo, with the exception of the valuable battery, a lucky find. We left the recycling center with over $100 in our pockets, a spring in our step, and peace of mind that we’d once again diverted quite a load of material from the landfill.

– A. Lamb Down Under

Eco (Being green): Sustainability for the long run means having a structure that: 1) won’t fall down; 2) is water-tight; 3) costs little to heat and cool. The new roof addresses the first two of these three by keeping water out of the wooden frame to ensure durability. The insulation and solar hot water satisfy the third criteria.

Thrifty (Being penny-wise): Economic sustainability means investing in systems that will persevere. As a comparison, I offer the boom and bust economic cycles of “bubble” investments that we’ve witnessed over the last few decades. These are patently unsustainable and risky. In contrast, our solar hot water system offers about a 7 year payback period which translates to a 10% annual return (banker’s rule of 7). As energy prices continue to outpace the rate of inflation, that payback period shortens and our virtual “rate of return” increases. The same can be said for insulation, although I don’t know the specific payback period.

Conservative (Being cautious): As energy prices continue to rise, not only the cost of heating and cooling will rise, but also the price of all materials made using energy. This include virtually everything we buy: food, clothes, insulation and iron roofs. Buy purchasing the highest quality roofing material and coating, we are hedging against future price rises. In other words, our roof will last longer than a cheaper one and not need to be replaced as often. This will save on both future materials and labour costs.

This is not a flash reno nor a “Grand Design.” On the contrary, it is patently humble. But by investing in high quality, durable, energy efficient products, we are able to be eco, thrifty and conservative. Come to think of it, this is all about being conservative: conserving energy; conserving resources; conserving money. You’d think we vote National (NZ) or Republican (USA) with our extreme conservatism!

What will it take to get John Key and John Boehner to embrace these types of conservatism too?

Peace, Estwing

Renovations are all about upgrades, whether its a new paint color or a fresh counter top. Here at 10 Arawa Place, we have just gone through a major upgrade – the installation of a new solar hot water system. After Nelson tossed out the old tank, we have been heating our hot water in wine bottles placed in a box with a glass cover. While the temperature of the water in the wine bottles has been reaching 40 degrees Celsius, we only have enough space in the box for just under five liters. All you minimalists out there are cheering right now, but after a hard days work it’s just not enough water to get the grime out. Especially now that there are four of us living in the house.

Step in Allan and his AT Solar hot water system. This roof mounted device uses glycol filled evacuated glass tubes to collect and transfer the suns heat energy into the 240 liter tank above. 240 liters delivered at fifty degrees Celsius! whooohooo! Although the system represents a significant investment, it is delivering an ample amount of hot water at a fixed price, relieving worries about energy price fluctuations, lowering the monthly electric bill, and it is a great example of a green technology at work.

Conveniently Dani and Nelson were both in town all day on the day the system arrived and had to be mounted on the roof. Luckily I was around to hold down the fort. After several failed attempts of climbing up onto the roof with the delicate system perched on our shoulders (picture attempting the most difficult rock climbing move you can image, synchronized with a Kiwi bloke on a ladder 2 m away, while carrying a mildy heavy majorly awkward object), Allan decided to call on a buddy. This buddy arrived with a pair of stumpies and a mini-crane. By the time Dani and Nelson arrived home everything was under control.

Putting together an entire solar system? No sweat. Just another day in the life of an intern.

-John the Intern