What have you done today to lower your impact?

We are washing away the foundations of our existence on every front. It is high time we move from crashing about on the planet like a bull in china shop and find a way to go forward with intent. We must find systems of living based on sustainability. The systems and tools exist, it is up to each of us to adopt them.

Friday 14 June 2013

late spring 2013 update

It's been a while since I posted and we've been busy. We got a call from a friend that said she was taking down some trees and did we want the wood. Of course we do said I. The wood started arriving, almost all oak, almost all just barely of a size I could manage. After five days of regular deliveries we now have about 3 maybe 4 winters worth stacked and drying in preparation for splitting.
one of four new stacks of oak rounds


















too big to stack, almost too big and awkward to even move!


















When this sort of thing happens all plans get changed to accommodate the bonanza of free energy. I had to rest for several days after this job, it was essentially 5 days of 3 to 4 hours of powerlifting. In the middle of this job I was also working with a neighbor I hired to dig out the Bamboo Trench. The shallow maintenance trench wasn't holding up to traffic so we are installing a bamboo barrier according to the advice received from Brightside Bamboo who have been nothing but extremely helpful.

we've left the maintenance trench at the bottom to allow for drainage



















The 60 mil 30" wide barrier is sized for our species of bamboo, phyllostacus spectabilis, and extends down about 28". My neighbor used a post hole digger to deepen the existing trench and we are backfilling and compacting along the inside edge.
the drainage line from the roof crosses the barrier and keeps the bamboo watered
























The material doesn't handle sharp corners so we had to straighten out the turn.
 
this modification yielded some root that I am trying to bring on to a potted bamboo plant


















In the meantime some of the artichokes got past the harvesting stage but we don't mind because the flowers are so spectacular.
these buds are bigger around than my head

a giant flower