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Archive for September, 2010

Sustainable Banking

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Do you use a permaculture credit union?

It’s the 10th anniversary of the Permaculture Credit Union in Santa Fe. They started small making car loans and second mortgages, credit cards and student loans. Their value based loans have pioneered sustainability discounts, members direct lending (with the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute) and making the loans that others would not.

It’s a great idea and I look forward to this kind of thinking across the country.

As it is now, it’s very hard to get some kind of loans. Big city banks don’t want to loan you money for farm equipment. And try to find someone to finance an underground home.

Golden on the roof of an underground house

Golden on the roof of an underground house

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Coffee at a Vancouver Cafe

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Every time I see photos of Vancouver I’m blown away. The city is just flat gorgeous. All that brick, and the flowers, hanging baskets, the mild climate, makes for one nice place to visit.

Can you envision yourself sitting at an outside cafe sipping some of the finest coffee around? Flowers hanging nearby, cool breezes blowing, people chatting, everything clean and green.

Today’s coffee enthusiasts, even the ones sitting at a streetside cafe, will find that much of today’s coffees are individualized. For instance, 100% Arabica coffees are sourced from some of the finest micro growing climates around the world. Each coffee bean is carefully examined for its overall quality and consistency in both the growing and milling process. Quality control measures help ensure the coffee conforms rigorous standards.

Look for roasting certification from a sustainable facility, certified by the following internationally accredited agencies: (OCIA) Organic Crop Improvement Agency, (Transfair) Fair Trade, (Utz Certified) Certified Responsible, (Rainforest Alliance) Rainforest Alliance, (SMBC) Smithsonian Bird Friendly and (SWP) Swiss Water.

You can then relish the flavor of that cup, take in the scenery from your streetside Vancouver cafe and just enjoy the moment.

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Water Catchment and Metal Roofing

Friday, September 17th, 2010

If I were to design a new house, one of the things that I would insist upon is a water catchment system.

We’re pleased with free water, in the form of rain, and it all just drains away. With a water catchment system, you capture the water that hits your roof and you run it into a cistern where you can later utilize the water for gardening, among other things.

Sure, I could add a water catchment system to my current house, but I have the asphalt type of shingles. Not the best thing in the world for a catchment system. What you really need is some of the newer metal roofing.

A good system has a first water flush. That’s where the first few gallons that come off the roof are disposed of, like rain down a rain gutter or downspout. This helps keep dirt and debris out of your system. The systems also have a filter to filter out any extra debris that might accumulate on your roof, but a metal roof is far superior for a rainwater system that asphalt, or wood.

You can save money with a rainwater system. Less water bills for city folks, and less electricity used running a well pump for the country folk.

It’s a win-win situation. Save money, save water, save the Earth.

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