Nico's Consulting, in mulBerryLand

Spring is in the dirt

2011-04-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

The sun is showing up more often, along with bluer skies and warmer air. I also noticed that the robins are back and there are more hummingbirds at the feeder.

I've already put up my second feeder, and went out and bought 2 bigger glass feeders for when demand hits later in the season - it was hard to keep up with them last year, having to refill the little feeders twice a day.

We are also intending to make better use of our gardens this year, using more space for food production. We realized that this is the best way to guarantee that the food we eat doesn't have unknown things added to it or sprayed onto it.

We are also researching some easier ways of gardening, including "square foot gardening" and biointensive gardening (see "the Sustainable Vegetable Garden" by Jeavons and Cox).

And to round out the set, we also bought a little 6'x8' greenhouse to aid the growing of some warmer-climate plants, as well as maybe getting a head start on some plants, though we realize that season is already upon us and the greenhouse is still in the package! Maybe we can start earlier next year, plus we'll see about the claims we've heard about producing cold weather greens all year round.

Lots of work to be done here in mulBerryLand!

Healthy living and radiation

2011-03-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

With the nuclear reactor issues in Japan, a lot of local people here in BC are buying iodine as a precaution, just in case some of the radiation makes it across to sea.

My wife and I did also purchase some iodine, and have been eating more of it in foods (kelp in miso soup, and dulse flakes) to ensure that we are not iodine deficient, which would put us at an unnecessary greater level of risk.
(edit: to be clear, we're not using the iodine pills - they are just a precaution, to become part of our emergency kit if we don't need it this time).

Overall I'm not worried. With the distance involved, I feel that we may see some increased radiation levels, but likely on the scale of what would normally be considered "background radiation" elsewhere. Guess we'll find out soon enough (check http://radiationnetwork.com).

What I don't understand is why authorities are so actively discouraging people from buying sources of iodine. They're not just saying it's not necessary - they are going out of their way to tell people it's "ridiculous" and almost bullying people to not do it.

And yet they suggest we all buy fire extinguishers, have earthquake kits, and buy all kinds of insurance policies. How is this different? We do have reactors nearby in Washington state, so having some iodine on hand is good insurance.

But it makes me think - part of the worry is that radiation, in any dose, can have long term health effects. This isn't much different from many of the toxins we are exposed to every day - like auto exhaust, gasoline, and of course all of the hormones and pesticides that are in and on our foods.

So in a sense, the nuclear situation in Japan is a good reminder that not all toxins are visible, and perhaps we need to be more vigilant in examining what we eat!

We'll be doing more gardening this year to hopefully create our own clean food supply at least to some extent. We're also paying much more attention at what we buy in store - for example, we're not buying strawberries from California anymore as they are likely to be treated with chemicals (apparently some are known carcinogens!).

Take care, everyone, and stay healthy!

Electric Car!

2011-02-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

A friend shared this fun video with me today :)

Electric Car - They Might Be Giants w/ Robin Goldwasser

Ban on Sustainability?

2011-02-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Lantzville Council,

I am very disappointed to learn about the anti-sustainability effort that is underway in your area.

I am, of course, referring to the issues surrounding the local food production efforts on Fernmar Road by Dirk Becker and Nicole Shaw, where Lantzville council is shutting down their local organic small scale gardens.

I applaud their efforts - this is EXACTLY the kind of thing we, as a society, need if we are to get serious about the environment, sustainability, and local indepence.

I am appalled that this is even an issue, especially when your very own mission statement reads (quoting from your website) "Provide a high level of affordable services in an environmentally and economically sustainable fashion while managing growth of the Community and respecting the unique rural character and charm."

How can you claim to be environmentaly sustainable and to be respecting your unique rural character and charm, while at the same time outlawing the efforts of the people who live there that try to do exactly that?

When the time comes to make a final decision on this, I hope that you vote in favour of the enironment, in favour of environmental sustainability, and in favour of your rural charm.

ps, I have included Courtenay and Comox councils in this letter, as I would like to ask them to address this scenario as part of their own sustainability strategy before it becomes an issue in the Comox Valley.

Sincerely,

-Nico teWinkel

Comox Valley, BC.

A Lantzville Couple’s Fight for the Right to Grow Food

Lantzville shuts down Dirk Becker's urban farm

cc'd to Nanaimo Daily News, Comox Valley Record, Comox Valley Echo, Courtenay Council, and Comox Council

Back at my desk

2011-02-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

After taking some time to explore my other interests (namely, energy related training and consulting), I have decided that my heart really belongs to software development.

So I'm back! Back at my desk. Back to software engineering. And it is awesome!

And as a bonus, my cat is really enjoying having me at home more.

Tutoring

2010-03-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's official because it's on my website now! I'm offering tutoring for individuals or groups. Check out this fancy new "tutoring" tab at the top of my blog!

Electric Cars added

2010-03-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

I added a couple of entries to my Electric Cars page - the Tesla and the Chevy Volt.

To my happy surprise, the Tesla can now be ordered in Canada and be "ready for Spring", so I guess they can now supply it within a few months - cool! Now I just need to come up with a spare $125,000 and we're good to go ;)

Even happier surprise, the Chevy Volt is scheduled for release in November - so cool! Hopefully the price tag won't be too scary.

So I don't know if I need to point this out, but I will: we're entering a new era in car technology!!

Biodiesel

2010-03-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

I was out doing some yardwork today while the sun was shining, and every time I passed by the workshop there it was, mocking me - my nearly-complete biodiesel processor.

Well, actually, the processor itself is done and should be ready to run. In fact, we actually used it for a while when it was back at my father-in-law`s house and he ran his older mercedes on it. He stopped using it because it was a bit cumbersome to use, and in the winter it was nearly impossible to get the thick waste oil into it. It was also a bit scary the way we had to pour the methoxide into the top.

So I`ve modified it to make things simpler and safer.

I added an oil collection barrel, complete with a heater element as my first step. It`s a plastic barrel, and at the top I cut out a circle just large enough to hold a used 2.5 gallon drywall pail which has holes in the bottom and is lined with one of those paint strainers - the idea is that I can pour oil into there and prefilter it to get the big stuff out.

Second step is of course the processor itself. Once the oil in the collection barrel has been heated enough to flow, I should be able to suck it into the processor tank using the circulation pump.

After that I have the washtank. I have a paddle to speed wash it. I don`t like bubble washing - we tried it and it`s a waste of time - if there`s an issue you`ll get a mayoslop anyways. So the paddle speed stirs the biodiesel and water to wash it quickly. In case of an issue, I just add some vinegar to clear it up. Seeing as people run straight WVO in their engines, a tiny bit of fatty acids won`t make a big difference in the big batch, plus it`s likely to settle out.

From the washtank, after a few washes and settling for a while, I will pump the biodiesel up to the fuel storage tank. I added a tap higher up on the washtank so I can take the biodiesel off the top and leave the water to wash the next batch. I might have to add a heater element to this tank too, as cold water doesn`t separate from the biodiesel as easily.

The fuel storage tank also has 2 taps - the one at the very bottom is to drain off any water that settles out over time, and any of the thicker biodiesel and unprocessed oils that happen to have stayed behind. The one slightly higher up is to get the clean biodiesel that I will be using to run my Delica.

It looks like ecoENERGY should be picking up soon, so I really want to have this whole system up and running so I can make my assessment rounds in a more environmentally friendly manner.

I really should take some pictures of the tanks I have now... and then I need to figure out how to post them here!

FRESH the movie

2010-02-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

A new independent film called FRESH has been making waves recently. It features “farmers, thinkers, and business people” in the U.S. who are making positive changes in our industrialized food system.