Are you excited for the warm weather? Come join us during the Livingston Founders Day Festival at our Rockcastle River Site for the revival of River Days!! Featuring: Self guided tours! Hiking! Nature Activities for kids! Canoe and kayak trips! Workshops on Cordwood Building and Maintenance, Home Solar Use, Solar Cookers, Composting Toilets, Organic Gardening, Woodland Edibles, and Native Plants! RSVP here.
News and Events
Job Openings at ASPI
2013 Grow Appalachia Positions:
PT Field Assistant- Seasonal (for operating the tiller and conducting site visits from mid-April through mid-September) $10/hr
High School Interns- PT, $500 Stipend
2013 Nature Center Positions:
Send your Letter of Interest and Resume to: ASPI c/o Suzi Van Etten, 50 Lair Street, Mt Vernon, KY 40506
Local Foods Assessment
The city of Berea has initiated a local food assessment to find out where Bereans are getting their food, and to find where food is being grown for sale in a 50 mile radius around Berea, The city also hopes to learn how much of that food stays in the area and how much is exported. Local farmers along with the Community Farm Alliance, University of Kentucky, Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University have launched a survey to collect this data.
The Berea area is defined as zip codes 40403 and 40404. Information will be used to make decisions about supporting a more robust local food economy.
There is a sub-committee to assess the backyard gardeners’ contribution to local food: what they are growing, how they are growing it and how that interacts with the local economy. If you grow ANY of your own food (from a single pot of herbs or a couple of laying hens to a large garden) please consider participating.
Here is a link to the survey:
The definition of “farmer” is any one who sells food (including but not limited to fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, dairy, meat, honey) that they grow. This can be as modest as selling a few dozen eggs to friends or as large as a full scale cattle operation.
If you grow any food for sale within a 50 miles of Berea, please consider taking this survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LYFCRZ
Backyard Gardener Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5NQHV5B. (If it says “farm” it really means backyard garden.)
Growing Warriors will be sponsored through ASPI
In addition to our Grow Appalachia Program in Rockcastle County, we are excited to be the sponsor for the Growing Warriors Grow Appalachia Program in 2013! The program will assist Veteran families in farming and marketing agricultural products. Mike Lewis and Mark Walden will work with ASPI as a way to pool resources as we expand our programmatic reach in Appalachia. For more information, visit our Grow Appalachia page, or check out the article featured in the Lexington Herald: Swords to Plowshares
35th Anniversary Events: Come Join Us!
How do we celebrate all of our accomplishments over the last thirty five years? With the people that made it happen! So we want you to come and share and talk and learn at one of our Open House Events. The first will be December 20th, 2012 at our offices in Mt. Vernon from 6 pm -9 pm. Our Board and Staff will be celebrating the holidays and would love to see you! Bring food, music, stories and cheer! If you can't make it, don't worry: the second will be April 20th, 2013, for the revival of Rockcastle River Days! To RSVP visit: 35th Anniversary.
Students Gain Hands-On Experience with Solar Photovoltaics During Workshop in Frankfort
A group of community college instructors, entrepreneurs, and contractors spent last weekend learning about solar photovoltaic systems at a training hosted by the Kentucky Solar Partnership in Frankfort. Under the guidance of instructor Chris LaForge, a NABCEP-certified PV Installer, the students learned design and installation methods for off-grid and grid-tied solar PV systems.
The workshop was held at the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service, where two mobile PV systems were available for students to gain some hands-on experience. Both systems were built onto trailers, one owned by the Kentucky Solar Partnership and the other by Kentucky State University. Both systems were assembled by KSP and Chris LaForge during previous hands-on workshops.
During this workshop the students worked in three teams. Two of the teams studied the wiring and electronic control systems in each trailer while the third team worked with the adjustable solar panel rack on the roof of the KSP trailer. The opportunity to work with the solar equipment and see it up close was one of the most important features of the workshop, according to many of the students.
Nine of the thirteen students in attendance will register to take the NABCEP Entry Level PV Exam. NABCEP is a national organization that provides testing and certification of solar energy installers. Thanks to a partnership with Grant County Schools, a registered provider of NABCEP training, KSP was able to offer its students the opportunity to take the Entry Level exam upon completion of this training course.
This course also provided continuing education learning units for members of the American Institute of Architects and Kentucky-licensed Master Electricians and Electrical Electricians.
KSP wishes to thank the following organizations and individuals for their support of our trainings in 2012:
Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED)
Grant County School System and Tom Pitts
Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service
Johnson Controls, Inc. and Bill Guiney
Kentucky State University
Chris LaForge, Great Northern Solar
Composting Toilet Workshop December 15th in Frankfort
The Casa Juliana Dry Composting Toilet – A Water-Saving, Odorless, Indoor Composting System
A Seminar with a Hands-On Workshop Option Presented by Andy McDonald
December 15, 2012
Seminar: 9:00am – 12:00pm. Registration Fee: $20
Hands-On Workshop: 1:00pm – 5:00pm Registration Fee: $50
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office, 101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601
This workshop will detail the design, construction, and operation of a composting toilet developed and used in the 1990’s by David Omick and the residents of Casa Juliana, an intentional community in South Texas that was focused on developing appropriate technologies and serving the local immigrant community.
The workshop includes a morning seminar and an optional hands-on workshop in the afternoon, during which participants will assist in the assembly of a Casa Juliana Composting Toilet. The hands-on workshop is limited to 5 participants.
The Casa Juliana Composting Toilet uses a well-ventilated, two-chamber composting system with a waterproof box and a urine drain to remove all liquid from the toilet. The system has proven to be convenient and odorless and to require a minimum of maintenance.
There are many varieties of composting toilets available, ranging from very simple do-it-yourself designs to commercial models that cost thousands of dollars. The Casa Juliana design incorporates some of the benefits of the commercial models (e.g. good ventilation, effective composting in-situ, durable materials) with a do-it-yourself design that can be built using common building materials, at a cost of around $500.
This workshop will begin with a review of composting toilet systems and the basic principles of composting. We will discuss the key features of composting toilet design and how those are embodied in the Casa Juliana model. We will then have a detailed discussion of the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Casa Juliana Composting Toilet. We will also discuss potential variations to the original design, including alternate building materials.
This workshop is being held in conjunction with the construction of a Casa Juliana Composting Toilet. A partially-assembled version of the unit will be available during the workshop. After the morning seminar, up to 5 people may participate in a hands-on workshop assembling the toilet. The hands-on workshop will be held at the home of John Harrod, where the toilet is being installed, located about 15 miles from the Franklin County Extension Office in Owen County.
Each participant will receive a detailed technical paper that explains the design and construction of the Casa Juliana Composting Toilet, published by Casa Juliana in 1997.
At the end of the workshop participants will have an understanding of how composting works, what options are available for composting toilet systems, and the key features that make the Casa Juliana Composting Toilet an effective design.
About the Presenter: Andy McDonald was a member of the Casa
Juliana community from 1995 – 1999 and co-authored the technical paper on the
Casa Juliana Composting Toilet with David Omick. He has 20 years of experience
using various models of composting toilets and used the Casa Juliana model on a
regular basis for four years. Andy works for ASPI and is the Director of the Kentucky
Solar Partnership. He lives with his wife and daughter on a small farm in
Franklin County.
TO REGISTER: Contact Andy McDonald at andyboeke@yahoo.com or 1-888-576-6527.
To download technical plans for the composting toilet featured in this workshop, click here:
The Casa Juliana Composting Toilet (1997) by David Omick and Andy McDonald. (7.5 MB)
Operation Circuit Breaker: A Wake-Up Call Exposing Vulnerabilities in Our Centralized Electricity Grid
By Andy McDonald.
Operation Circuit Breaker is an essay recently written by David Omick that makes a call for action to transform America’s centralized utility grid, arguing that the grid is highly vulnerable to terrorist attacks which could cause catastrophic loss of life and societal disruption. In a clearly written style, Omick systematically discusses a number of critical vulnerabilities in the nation’s utility grid, using the region around Phoenix, Arizona as an example. Omick, a resident of southeastern Arizona, argues convincingly that with minimal effort and expense, a small group of terrorists could black-out the utility grid for millions of people and that the black-out could last for weeks, if not longer. The resulting loss of life, if this were timed during a summer heat wave in a city like Phoenix, could be very high.
In the middle of his clinical discussion of the specific weaknesses of the utility grid and how easily a person armed with a rifle could disable critical components of the grid, Omick imagines how such an attack might unfold and what the real-world consequences could be. He imagines an attack timed to occur during an extreme heat wave in the Phoenix area, with temperatures above 110oF. In a desert city with millions of people dependent on air conditioning, the complete failure of the electric grid – for days or weeks – could lead to thousands of deaths, if not more, and social chaos. Omick argues that the loss of power could last for many days or weeks because of the weaknesses in the centralized power grid.
Omick’s essay is an argument for the decentralization of the utility grid and the transformation of how we use, produce, and transmit energy. He argues that the development of a decentralized, distributed power grid based on renewable energy, alongside greatly increased energy efficiency is the solution for avoiding the catastrophe he envisions. As such, Operation Circuit Breaker offers one more persuasive reason for the transformation of America’s energy system. It hearkens back to Amory and Hunter Lovins’ book from 1982, Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security and is a reminder that the Lovins’s message remains of vital importance today.
Omick’s essay does raise one obvious question: if such a devastating attack could be so easily accomplished, why hasn’t it happened already? Is the answer that he has exaggerated the grid’s vulnerabilities or the consequences of its failure? I find his critique of the grid and our vulnerabilities to be straightforward and plausible but I cannot answer why this has not already been done. In his introduction Omick discusses the concern that in writing this essay, he might be providing guidance to potential terrorists and thereby (unintentionally) assisting them in planning such an attack. He argues that the greater question is how we can fix the weaknesses in our energy system and that avoiding the discussion of a threat does not make the threat go away.
Click here to read David Omick's essay, Operation Circuit Breaker.
Job Opening: Energy Program Manager at MACED in Berea, Kentucky
MACED (Mountain Association for Community Economic Development) is looking for a highly motivated and experienced professional to join its staff as the energy programs manager. This position will lead and manage MACED's efforts in the energy sector, specifically with MACED's How$martKY and Energy Efficient Enterprises programs; take an active role in program implementation; coordinate energy-related work across all of MACED's programs; and play an active role in the development of new energy-related work. Central to this position are a commitment to MACED's vision and long-term goals.
To learn more, visit http://maced.org/energy-mgr-ad.htm.