A Convenient Truth: the case for GeoThermal air conditioning and heating

WaterFurnace International CEO Bruce Ritchey makes the case for geothermal air conditioning and heating in this informative presentation. After watching the video be sure to check out our posting on the municipal-water system based geothermal from Encore Energy Systems which eliminates the need for a ground loop entirely.

Sustainable, locally farmed shrimp available in San Antonio

San Antonians are lucky to have shrimp available, whose growth and harvesting is sustainable and which doesn't result in pollution.

Natural Shrimp International located in LaCoste has developed methods that allow self-contained, chemical free growth of shrimp in an environmentally responsible way, using metered water supplies.

Currently their shrimp is available in large quanitities by special order and to the general public at the Pearl Farmer's Market each Saturday.

The company sells its shrimp fresh and has plans to build farms near other major metropolitan areas. Since their process does not require access to the ocean their plants can be built inland as needed.

Biodiesel Magazine meant for insiders but of interest to others.

Biodiesel Magazine is a trade publication covering all aspects of biomass based industry though emphasizing biodiesel. A large portion of the magazine is available online. A recent article included coverage of an attempt by Mission NewEnergy based in Perth, Australia to establish Jatropha as a biofuel feedstock in India. News and articles concerning technical issues such as "Minimizing Oxygen's Destructive Tendencies" round out the issue.

Although obviously intended for those involved in the business, people with an interest in an inside view of alternative energy will find plenty of items of interest.

Concrete Canvas makes for a building in a bag and much more.

Here's another option for a quick building, Concrete Canvas. Concrete canvas is essentially fabric impregnated with concrete and backed with a PVC baking. The fabric is put in place and wet down to form a hard concrete surface.

It can be used to reinforce gabion walls, to quickly create a concrete lined channel, or to make a hard surface for driving or flooring.

The canvas aka concrete cloth can also make a structure. The cloth is moved about the site by forklift, pulled out and placed in position with the help of a vehicle, inflated by fan, sprayed down with water and then becomes usable within 24 hours.

The material was invented in 2003 , can be repaired with concrete or patches of concrete canvas and has an expected lifespan of 10 years. It is already in use by the British armed forces.

Fillipino scientist explores use of waste chicken feathers in non-structural wall board

Dr. Menandro N. Acda, Associate Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Forest Products and Paper Science, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Phd. Oregon State University has been mixing chicken feathers with cement to form a decay resistant non-structural wall board.

Though the project is in its infancy, if successful it would help to deal with the 2.5 million pounds of waste chicken feathers generated each year in the Philippines. Currently much of that waste is simply burned.

Chicken feathers contain keratin which is an extremely hard protein which is also very hard to dissolve. Keratin is not digested by termites.

San Antonio Co-Housing group actively planning for the future

Over the years several groups of people have attempted to establish co-housing in San Antonio. Creating co-housing is almost always a long process. A current San Antonio Co-Housing effort is led by Jason Winn.

The group is currently in the process of discerning what sort of community they want. They are looking for ways to encourage a private developer to include a co-housing model in a project and/or looking to establish a space-sharing arrangement with a non-profit entity.

One problem with co-housing has to do with financing and these approaches may help them work around it.

They are considering what areas in general they would like to be in. At this point they are most interested in areas with walkable neighborhoods and essential services (food, public transportation, health clinics), which means the older neighborhoods.

They are also trying to envision an ownership model that will work for them. Is it co-housing with individual units and a central building which is most expensive. co-operative single building with common kitchen which would be more affordable but which is harder to finance, or a model of living in the same duplex, fourplex or several of them nearby which would allow for the most flexibility.

Co-Housing is a form of intentional community, which is often part of a move toward a more sustainable society. In a co-housing community, storage, workshops, a community cooking and dining facility or child care facilities may be shared. Usually the housing units can then be smaller than they would be otherwise.

The San Antonio Co-housing Yahoo Group has some discussions from 2008 that you might find useful. But be sure to email Jason Winn directly to learn current information.

Expandable managed-water-system based Geothermal cuts HVAC bills in half without need for buried ground loops, (possibly for an entire town).

With the DeMarco patented system (patents #6604376 and #4538418) from Encore Energy Systems and American GeoThermal Systems you don't need a buried horizontal water loop field or a series of vertical dry wells connected by pipes. Instead it uses the otherwise wasted thermal properties of water in the mains.

The DeMarco Energy Miser System features an heat exchanger that transfers heat or cold from the municipal water supply to a closed loop system inside the building. Without a buried geothermal pipe system all the benefits of geothermal HVAC system are still obtained: low operating costs, flexible temperature zoning, high efficiency even when temperatures outside are at extremes, and free hot water heating during the cooling season.

But the system has one more benefit: it is scalable. To add capacity to a ground loop system another ground loop must be buried but with the DeMarco system a valve is merely adjusted to allow more flow from the municipal water supply.

The system works using effluent, grey water and recycled water (such as that which SAWS distributes to industrial users) as well.

To test the system the company chose locations with extreme weather. Fort Irwin National Training Center (Dry Heat of the Mojave Desert), Winner School District 59-2 in South Dakota (Extreme Cold) and the Marine Corp Air Station at Beaufort, South Carolina (Extreme Humid Heat).

A study by R Gordon Bloomquist, of Washington State University, for the Department of Energy (Municipal Water-Based Heat Pump Heating and/or Cooling Systems DOE /ID/13480--T/) found that such a system would not adversely affect the water system from which it drew heat or cold. You can view and download a copy of the report from the OSTI.gov or Science Accelerator site.

Since the system requires the cooperation of a water provider, the initial prime market is state, federal and city owned buildings, large campus facilities, entire smaller cities or communities, buildings centrally located in the water distribution network, large master planned communities and sites with grey water or reclaimed water supplies. But once a water utility had experience with it, they might be inclined to allow individual homeowners to install it as well.

Several years ago our members heard about community wide geothermal from Victor DeMarco. The work seems to have progressed and seems to be gaining some momentum.

Biomass Conference & Expo: Portland Oregon April 28-30 2009

The 2009 Biomass Conference and Expo in Portland Oregon includes information on power generation, fuel and chemical production from biomass.

Program tracks through numerous workshops and seminars include those focused on Crop Residues, Dedicated Energy Crops, Forest and Wood Processing Residues, Livestock and Poultry Wastes, Municipal Solid Waste, Urban Wastes & Landfill Gas and Food Processing Residues.

Technologies explored include gasification, combined heat and power (CHP), anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis (a form of incineration that decomposes by heat without oxygen)and advanced biofuels.

In addition to the workshops and seminars the conference will feature tours of area biomass energy producers including Summit Natural Energy which converts waste from 400,000 tons of baker grade dried berries from Summit Foods Inc into 2 million gallons of ethanol a year.

Going Green with Yolanda Green, Houston Green Living Television show makes for interesting viewing

Going Green with Yolanda Green airs on Houston's KIAH Channel 39, but we can watch it at 39online.com. The show is professionally produced. Yolanda is a knowledgeable and affable host. Although aimed at a Houston audience, viewers elsewhere will find plenty of good information. They call it eco-tainment.

A Window that will Heat and Cool Your Home: KSD Solar Window

From ÖKO-Logic in Germany comes a well insulated window that spins to allow you to set it with the seasons. In the winter setting it accepts 70% of the sun's heat. In the summer setting it reduces penetration of the sun's heat producing rays by 70%.

Not only is this window efficient, it can be switched from a winter position in which it gains heat to a summer position in which it rejects heat.

The KSD window has six layers: white glass, SZR with argon gas, low-E-coat, float glass, Foil and green glass. In the winter the green glass layer is on the inside. In the summer it is on the outside.

The window has been available for some time in Germany, but I could not determine whether the company they set up to bring it to the USA, Eco-Logical Innovations, has been able to set up distributors yet.  (04/2011  Links to  distributor appear dead.  Here is a link to a mostly English brochure for the window produced in 2007.)

	Winter Position		Summer Position
Air temperature Fahrenheit	Outside = 32	Inside = 68	Outside = 32	Inside = 68
Sun energy (Watt per square meter)	Temp. outside window pane Fahrenheit	Temp. inside window pane Fahrenheit	Temp. outside window pane Fahrenheit	Temp. inside window pane Fahrenheit
0	34.34	61.34	69.62	68.36
100*	35.96	70.34	74.66	69.62
300	37.94	85.46	84.2	71.96
500	40.28	98.60	98.6	74.3
700	42.62	110.84	102.92	77

* Example: Already at 100 watts of solar energy in the winter time (cloudy sky) and at outside temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the inside window pane heats up to over 70 degrees. As a result a thermal barrier is created and no energy is lost through the window, effectively reaching a U rating of zero.

The video below features a demonstration of the window at a European trade show.

Recycled cardboard geodesic dome can make you the envy of the neighborhood (or beach)

Three people, four hours, appropriate tools and materials can net you your own backyard geodesic dome. In addition to creating products which help you communicate in the Burmese, Thai, Lao and Thai languages the folks at Fetch-a-Phrase, have put instructions on how to build a recycled cardboard geodesic dome on their website.

Of course the dome is not entirely made of cardboard. You will also need wood, rebar, some bolts and some basic tools among other items. It isn't quite origami with cardboard so be sure to read the instructions thoroughly and assemble all the tools before you assemble your friends to help you. You will need to make several tools yourself to help in the construction of the dome itself.

The plans on the site lead to a dome that is six foot three inches at the peak with a 12 foot 7 inch diameter. In the picture above it is the blue one.

Listen to an interview with Jonathan Smith about why he and his friends chose to build the domes - Small World Podcast.

San Antonio River Authority begins Design Phase to Restore and Improve, Apache, Alazan, Martinez and San Pedro Creeks

Within living memory in the river city of San Antonio, most of our creeks and rivers have been little more than drainage ditches with names.

Dating back to the vision of Mayor Howard Peak, we've seen work on Leon Creek, the Medina River, the San Antonio River and Salado creek to remake them into linear parks and green spaces. Now, the San Antonio River Authority has brought that process to the creeks of the westside: Apache, Alazan, Martinez and the downtown portion of San Pedro Creek (which those knowledgeable in San Antonio history may recall was in the west or Mexican end of downtown in the days of segregation.)

At Earth Day in Woodlawn Lake Park, Saturday April 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Woodlawn Lake Gymnasium, SARA will be hosting an Imagination Station where we will be encouraged to envision the future of the creek. We will be given the chance to imagine parks, hike trails, bike trails and recreational facilities.

Imagine Homes brings green building to suburban subdivisions

As former president of Medallion Homes, John Friesenhahn knew something about building energy efficient production homes in suburban San Antonio. When he founded Imagine Homes in 2006, he took that knowledge with him.

Today, Imagine Homes have many green building features seldom found even among custom builders in San Antonio.

Of course the toilets are low flow, but Imagine Home installs low flow dual flush units to save even more water. Water heaters are on demand units, but they also use a structured plumbing system to minimize the amount of cold water that has to be flushed out before the water becomes hot.

They have embraced the closed attic system and now insulate attics as well as walls with Demilec Agribalance foam, resulting in a semi-conditioned attic in which to place duct work. Low e windows improve efficiency while low VOC paint reduces air pollution.

Each bedroom has either a return air vent or a transfer grill to make for better flow of conditioned air. The HVAC system features programmable thermostats and maintains a slight positive pressure to keep outdoor pollutants outdoors and to push indoor pollutants out. Each house is blower door tested.

Dan Phillips, Huntsville recycled building material artisan and home building benefactor

Dan Phillips of Huntsville has been building houses from recycled material for years. His projects include the Phoenix Commotion and Brigid's Paradigm. His houses are affordable well beyond the government's definition.

While many people have gone down to the local Habitat for Humanity Restore to buy an item or two for a renovation project, Dan has made an art of taking discarded materials and turning them into whole houses. His houses aren't just simple structures either. They are works of practical art.

You can see a number of video's about his work on the Phoenix Commotion site, but one of the best I've seen is from the Texas Country Reporter and is below.



On June 12, 2010 Dan spoke at TEDx Houston.  Here is his talk which gives insight into his philosophy.

Largest concentration of wind power in the world in Kenedy County Texas

You may have missed Express-News writer Anton Caputo's January 2009 article on the opening of what will be part of the largest concentration of wind power generation capacity in the world.

Two wind projects in Kenedy County will have a capacity of up to 900 megawatts.

On the Earth Matters Express News Blog, Anton expanded upon the information in his article.

He included a link to a Brown and Babcock presentation in pdf form on the measures they have taken to avoid killing migratory birds.

Steel Thermal Efficient Wall Panels (STEP) combine foam insulation with steel framing

Steel framing is recyclable and with proper insulation it poses no problem for thermal bridging. Foam panels make great insulation but of course they are not load bearing.

A number of companies have combined steel framing with foam insulation in various forms. One such company is Accelerated Building Technologies of Pennsylvania. Their product embeds cold rolled steel framing into extruded polystyrene. They call it Steel Thermal Efficient Wall Panels (STEP).

The steel framing extends to the inside of the foam leaving a cavity for mechanical systems, plumbing and electric in accordance with open design principles. Drywall can be attached on the inside surface.


The system lends itself to conventional style buildings, though there are some design principles to keep in mind, such as avoiding sloping load bearing walls and wall lengths of less than 3 feet.

How about a Bamboo Fence instead of chain link, or lumber?

You may have heard of bamboo flooring and bamboo used instead of plywood for cabinets, but Cali Bamboo offers a line of bamboo fencing.

It can be used to rehab an existing wood fence, added to a chain link fence or used on its own.

Their fencing system uses posts and crosspieces. The spaces in between are covered by rolls of stitched together bamboo. I'm not sure if it would keep a dog in the yard but it stops prying eyes and is beautiful.

Their products can also be used to create your own personal Gilligan's Island room.

Many pages on their site use audio and video that loads and plays automatically so be sure to turn off your computer sound before you go there if you are in a quiet environment.

Closer to home, BigGrass Bamboo at 637 West Hildebrand has a wide selection of bamboo decor items.

See green materials in used in Build San Antonio Green's office online

When the office space of Build San Antonio Green was built out they went to extraordinary lengths to use a variety of green and sustainable materials for interior walls and flooring.

The BGSA website has a clever interactive drawing of their space showing the green and sustainable material used.

Among the wall materials used are sips, various forms of insulated concrete forms, autoclaved aerated concrete and compressed earth block.

The compressed earth block was only used for a few courses of a wall though, because the weight of a full earth block wall is quite a bit too heavy for a foundation that has not been engineered for it.

Among the flooring used are: sisal mats, bamboo, cork, wool carpet, recycled content carpet, sealed concrete and linoleum.

Local land trust, Green Spaces Alliance, preserves land, promotes community gardens and environmental friendly living

Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, a non-profit, non-governmental land trust works with landowners to preserve open space by conservation easements in the San Antonio area.

Landowners decide what about their land they want to be preserved and what uses they want their land to be put to. Green Spaces works with them to develop conservation easement agreements that accomplish the landowner's goals.

Green Spaces has worked to preserve large parcels for scenic views, open space, passive recreation, historic and cultural preservation, and protection of the Edwards Aquifer.

Among their accomplishments are the aquisition of three conservation easements in Bexar and Kendall counties., the aquisition of 1,681 acres of land for the City of San Antonio’s Aquifer Protection Initiative under the Proposition Three Program and 20,000 acres so far under the 2005 Proposition One Aquifer Protection Initiative.

They helped organize and lead the coalition of 23 entities that form the Land Heritage Institute that will preserve the 1,200 acre Land Heritage site in southern Bexar County and have funded and facilitated nine community gardens in San Antonio and have helped over 30 other gardens get started and grow.

Their "Picture Your World Youth Photo Project" has taken hundreds of kids into nature, taught them new skills, given them pride, and will make them better stewards of the land. Two seminars for land professionals each year, public lectures, member hikes, and events educate the public as to the need for preservation of our unique natural and cultural heritage.

They have a membership program and numerous volunteer opportunities. They are involved with the Eco Fashion Show, Wednesday April 22 from noon to 1 pm at Whole Foods in the Quarry, with a silent auction to follow the show from April 22 to 26 to benefit Green Spaces .

San Antonio Historic Review Board presents Wood Window Rehabilitation Workshop May 14, 15-16

In San Antonio's twenty one historic districts, the city Historic Design Review Commission allows homeowners to repair wood frame windows which can make them more efficient and less wasteful of energy.

The UTSA College of Architecture and the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation will host an educational night "Window on Preservation" featuring discussions with experts on preservation and restoration at the AIA Center for Architecture at the Pearl Brewery, 200 East Grayson Ste 100, on Thurday May 14 at 6:30. This event is free.

They also will host two paid Historic Windows Workshops . A $195 one day workshop for homeowners interested in learning how to repair windows themselves and a two day $295 course for contractors which will earn them a San Antonio certification in wood window repair.

The paid courses will be taught at historic Fire Station #1 at 323 South Frio, 78207 which is in the process of being restored for use by UTSA.

A Friday May 15 session beginning at 9 am will focus on the basics of repair and restoration using the Fire Station windows for a hands-on learning experience and is open to paid homeowners and contractors.

The Saturday, May 16 session beginning at 9 am is open only to paid contractors or professionals interested in advanced training on wood window restoration. Participants will be certified by the City of San Antonio in wood window restoration at the end of the session.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality presents the Texas Environmental Trade Fair and Conference May 12-14, 2009

Although it is open to the public, the cost ($295 before April 13/ $345 afterward) and the subject matter of presentations many having to do with obtaining permits and complying with regulations, means the TCEQ Environmental Trade Fair and Conference is primarily meant for Attorneys, Professional Engineers, MSW Technicians and Supervisors, Public Water System Operators, Wastewater Operators, Professional and Registered Sanitarians and Professional Geoscientists, and LPST Corrective Action Project Managers.

The 2009 TCEQ Environmental Excellence Awards will be presented as part of the conference on Wednesday May 13, 2009. Tickets to the awards are $50. Among this year's honorees will be Build San Antonio Green.

The numerous presentations nevertheless include topics that might be of interest to the non-professional. These include:

Recycling Rules Forum a Discussion of exemptions from the definition of solid waste and permitting for recycling activities presented by Jesse Boultinghouse.

An Overview of the San Antonio Water System’s Desalination Project by Kevin Morrison, San Antonio Water System.

Environmental Issues on the Texas-Mexico Border Area Highlighting challenges and success stories. Presented by Victor Valenzuela, Steve Niemeyer and Carlos Ayala, Cameron County Drainage District No. 1 .


Scrap Tires: Developing opportunities for large scale use of scrap tires along the
US-Mexico border presented by Jerry Peterson, Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and Michael Blumenthal, Rubber Manufacturers Association.

Stop Illegal Dumping Strategic solutions to illegal dumping in McLennan County, presented by James Pack, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office.

What’s New in Land Revitalization and Sustainability—Part 1 & 2. Success stories in the recycling of construction and demolition debris, energy recycling, energy efficiencies, green remediation, siting renewable energy on contaminated land, and eco-revitalization, presented by Alan Posnick, EPA Region 6

Rain Water Harvesting and Fireflow Rules Overview of the requirements established
in the rain water harvesting and fire flow rules, presented by Cindy Haynie, TCEQ.

Beautiful Strawbale earth plastered demonstration building on the grouds of the US Botanical Gardens in Washington DC

Builders Without Borders has created an exhibit on the grounds of the US Botanical Garden in Washington D.C. as a showcase for natural building. In addition to the small one room structure a hardened adobe arch frames a view of the Capitol. Lime plaster, cotton roof insulation, a standing seam metal roof, a truth window and a bamboo trellis are all featured.

San Antonio creates Citizens' Environmental Advisory Committee. Application to serve is online.

The city council at the suggestion of District 7 councilman, Justin Rodriguez has created a Citizens' Environmental Advisory Committee. The CEAC will advise the City Council on its environmental efforts with a strong focus on ensuring the advancement of the City of San Antonio's "Mission Verde" sustainability plan.

To apply for one of the 11 positions on this committee, contact the Office of the City Clerk at 207-7253 or apply online . Below is the text of the request for action that the council voted on.

SUMMARY: This ordinance will create a Citizens’ Environmental Advisory Committee to ensure continued advancement of the “Mission Verde” sustainability Plan.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: During the 2009 State of the City address, Mayor Phil Hardberger unveiled the details of the “Mission Verde” sustainability plan for the City of San Antonio. “Mission Verde” lays out a strategy for developing a 21st century energy infrastructure through the use of efficiency, conservation, and the pursuit of renewable and sustainable energy sources. Councilman Justin Rodriguez issued a Council Consideration Request, dated July 22, 2008, with the support of Mary Alice Cisneros, Sheila McNeil, John Clamp and Mayor Phil Hardberger, that a Citizens’ Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC) be created to advise City Council with a focus on advancing “Mission Verde” into the future. The “Mission Verde” plan offers several long-term environmental initiatives that are designed to encourage future development that is economically, environmentally, and socially responsible. In order to ensure that this initiative is continued, Councilman Rodriguez requested that the CEAC be created to encourage these efforts through citizen participation. The mission of the CAEC shall be, “To advise the City Council on its environmental efforts with a strong focus on ensuring the advancement of the City of San Antonio’s ‘Mission Verde’ sustainability plan.” The committee will provide recommendations on effective environmental projects, programs and policies to City staff and City Council and it will serve as a forum for the community to offer input concerning environmental sustainability. The CEAC membership will be comprised of 11 members appointed by City Council that represents an open-membership board of council appointees. Appointee terms and rules of membership shall be set forth in the CAEC Governance document. In addition, the Office of Environmental Policy will work with CEAC on a technical and advisory level. This recommendation directly correlates with Councilman Rodriguez’s Council Consideration Request. In addition, it is consistent with the Mayor’s State of the City Address, in which he unveiled his “Mission Verde” plan.

ISSUE: This ordinance is consistent with policy initiatives raised in the Mayor’s 2009 State of the City address and Councilman Rodriguez’s Council Consideration Request for the development of a Citizens’ Environmental Advisory Committee.

Online Straw Bale Construction training offered by Geiger Institute

The Geiger Institute of Sustainable Building offers online training in straw bale construction. The course which uses More Straw Bale Building, by Chris Magwood, Peter Mack and Tina Therrien and a CD-Rom containing forty issues of the Last Straw Journal includes topics such as Advantages of Straw-Bale Construction, Basic Design Considerations, Strawbale Building Types, Ideal Building Bales, Protecting the Bales, Mechanical Systems, Stacking the Bale Walls, Making Custom-Sized Bales, Attaching Things on Straw Bale Walls, Installing Doors and Windows, Building the Roof and Plastering.

Cost of the course is $250. A program leading to Straw bale construction certification is also offered.

Founder and Director of the Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building, Dr. Owen Geiger, Ph.D. in Social and Economic Development, is the former Director of Builders Without Borders and current member of the BWB Steering Committee. He is an author and engineer specializing in sustainable building. He co-authored the Builders Without Borders Straw-Bale Construction Guides and contributed to Building Without Borders: Sustainable Construction for the Global Village.

Austin's Design Build Live an indispensable resource for natural home building in South & Central Texas

Austin's Design Build Live grew from Austin's Sustainable Building Coalition. The Austin SBC was the inspiration for the San Antonio SBC which is of course now San Antonio Sustainable Living.

While our group continues in the tradition of the Austin SBC as a group which is interested in all aspects of green building, the Austin SBC evolved into a more hands on group focused on gaining and spreading natural building skills and changed their name to Design Build Live.

Design Build Live has an active membership that includes such natural building notables as builders Frank Meyer and Norm Ballinger and architects Gayle Borst and Ben Obregon.

In the tradition of energetic activism that seems to be part of living near Austin, the DBL has committed to an ambitious schedule of workshops that we in San Antonio can take advantage of. Workshops have included such topics as earth floors, rain collection jars, natural plaster, strawbale wall raising, permaculture and almost any aspect of natural building.

Be sure to bookmark their workshop schedule page, though we will try to keep you up to date with their programs, they seem to always be coming up with something new so we might miss some.

URBAN DESIGN: Lafayette Park in Detroit stands as an example successful 1969's modernist urban renewal

The Lafayette Park in Detroit development planned by Ludwig Hilberseimer with a park and gardens designed by Alfred Caldwell stands as one of the most successful post-war urban renewal projects.

Even today despite all the problems of real estate in Detroit, the area is still doing well.


Although the construction is far from what would be considered green today (a mix of concrete, glass, and steel buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe) the overall design addresses aspect of green building in which design is meant to build community, though perhaps in a different way than might be done today by placing the development off the street grid in the midst of a large park.

Photos by gehad83 under a creative commons license.

Use of Plentiful Pallet Wood for Trusses explored by architects, researchers and builders

Pallet wood like urbanite stone is quite plentiful in our world even as our other resources dwindle. (Urbanite is the natural builder's nickname for discarded concrete while pallet wood is any wood recovered from shipping pallets.)

Architect Alfred von Bachmayr , founder of World Hands Project has experimented with building trusses from discarded pallets. His work was inspired in part by the ingenious use of pallets by the residents of Juarez, Mexico. He has found that many different truss configurations are possible. Possible designs include a gable truss, one with a flat bottom chord and sloping top chord and non-symmetrical shapes.

The Pallet Truss: A Low Cost Alternative Roof Structure on the Builders Without Borders site can give you an introduction to his findings. More information and photos are included in the book Building Without Borders edited by Joseph Kennedy, a Google book preview of which is available on the web.

The Geiger Research Institute has developed a variation on von Bachmayr's work which mainly uses pine poles in place of pallet sections for the top and bottom chords of the truss.



Yet another variation is used for straw bale structures as pictured here.

Bill Loftus' Environmental Building Technology block uses recycled wood, styrofoam and cement to make a house that even children can help build.

At SASL over the years we have heard talks on many concrete reinforced wall systems. Here is one that hasn't made it to our meeting and one that is very difficult to find using Google.

Bill Loftus of Environmental Building Technology states that anyone with very little training even children can help build using their blocks which weigh less than 9 pounds each (about the same as a gallon of milk).

This video shows children constructing a demonstration building.


Their mortarless blocks, reinforced by concrete and rebar produce a finished wall with an r value of 12. The blocks include recycled polystyrene and wood chips and accept screws and nails.

Because the walls are built in stages and the spaces for the concrete only connect vertically, the reinforcing concrete can be poured in small batches without the need for the big pour typical of many concrete reinforced systems.

You can learn more about the system by clicking on "Guided Tour" on the main page of their website.

Mr. Loftus has hopes that the system can be used to ease housing shortages in developing nations. In the video you can see recycled styrofoam and waste tree limbs being ground up and mixed with concrete, then hand poured into forms and houses built in the Tampa Bay area using the blocks.

Chris Jordan's "Running the Numbers" artistic depiction of our mass consumption continues

Chris Jordan of Seattle continues his "Running the Numbers" project to bring some sort of visual realization of our destructive consumption on the earth and our fellow citizens.

Chris visited San Antonio in July 2008. He gave a lecture at Municipal Auditorium and a number of his works were displayed at the central library and the Southwest School of Art and Craft.

But his work continues. Recent works include "Light Bulbs" which depicts 320,000 light bulbs a number equal to the number of kilowatt hours wasted every minute in the United States from inefficient residential electricity usage.

"Oil Barrels" depicts 28,000 42-gallon barrels, the amount of of oil consumed in the United States every two minutes (equal to the flow of a medium-sized river).

While "Packing Peanuts" shows 166,000 packing peanuts, equal to the number of overnight packages shipped by air in the U.S. every hour.

His other projects have included In Katrina's Wake: A portrait of an unnatural disaster, which resulted in a hardcover book published by Princeton Architectural Press and Intolerable Beauty in which he photographed the accumulated detritus of our mass consumption.

Allied Thermal Systems installs swimming pool geothermal / cooling tower hybrid in San Antonio

Mac Word of Allied Thermal Systems /Allied Energy Systems in Austin designs and installs innovative high efficiency air conditioning systems for the home using principles borrowed from large commercial installations.

In San Antonio he recently designed and installed a system that uses a swimming pool as a geothermal source, combined with a cooling tower.

Mac Word writes:

You can see the gray tower installed with the pool equipment. The water is piped to the remote heat pump modules on either side of the house. In the house are conventional heat pump air handlers, so when the unit is working in the cooling mode the heat is transferred to the pool thus providing free pool heat in the shoulder times of the year. When the pool gets to the desired temperature, the cooling tower and the pump starts and the tower keeps the pool at the desired temperature for the balance of the cooling season. In the winter the units pull heat from the pool to heat the house just like (a geothermal system with pipes in deep holes). The earth contact with the pool plus the solar gain replenish the heat energy in the pool.

The cooling tower part of the system, inspired by large commercial systems, can use condensate generated by the heat pump to account for 1/2 the water use at peak. Rainwater and brackish water can also be used.