Wolf Within

I am an environmentalist at true heart - and there are those who debate that if that were true, I wouldn't be heating with wood. I say close down any and all types of industrial stack pipes, erase car emissions and still the most natural thing is to heat by wood. Anything we use, will generate emissions - but there is the extreme and there is the natural. I would never cut down a tree to use, but I do collect fallen trees or trees others have cut and taken to the landfill. I need to heat. (i have another means of which I wish to heat, but that comes at the end)
If trees at the landfill are going to be burned anyway - what's the point? Burn them at the landfill with all the other refuge and see them literally wasted and cause further emissions with the burning of landfill refuge, or put them to a good human use over a period of time - Personally, I prefer the later.

When it comes to mother nature - we have screwed with this poor ol' gal for the last 150 or so years and she has been giving us warnings that we as society ignore.
Better yet, the planet is always changing - always has - we can't stop that - but we try and figure we can beat mother nature at her own game - think again. An interesting book I purchased in the late 70's was put out by readers digest, it was called "Atlas of the Bible" (i still have it) and the book denotes to the ever changing land masses from the time of the Bible. Very interesting even though it is now outdated - the information that the book puts forward, was completed by professionals and at the time was up to date. Things have changed since I obtained that book.

We're caught up in making money - going to work from 9-6, paying bills, keeping up with the jones's. We're caught up in debating world events and what others are doing - war, crime, abuse, rights and the lack of - meanwhile the ground beneath our very feet is going to lay a shock on the entire world. I truly believe this and those who also believe this and are prepared will be "the strong who survive".

Recently, I read an article where there are fears that Vancouver may be in danger, afterall, it falls along the crack line. There is anticipation of a tidal wave which they first thought would be approx 150-200 kms out to sea - now there is fear that it will be much closer because of the shelf.
Inter ocean activity, as we've seen in India and other countries that were effected a couple of years back and even the southern states as with Katrina and hurricanes in florida - our planet has been set off angle - we're seeing melting of the ice caps that are progressing faster than anticipated - concerns over the polar bears and other wildlife. We're witnessing more beached whales than ever before and so many are getting stranded in the St. Lawerance River, it's incredible!
The signs are there, where wildlife flees and no one listens until it will be too late. (funny how we sink billions of dollars into technology to detect such things, yet knowing the instincts of wildlife or mammals will tell us the same thing at no cost!) Europe has seen more volcanic activity in the past 20 years, so much so, that we are becoming immuned to the news, it happens so frequently - we still don't listen.
We have stressed the planet to the max - population, the constant hammering and intrusions into the earth to build cities - high rises, apartment/condo buildings, we've been polluting our air and waters for how many years now - and let's not forget the massive oil spills that we dump into our oceans killing the water, wildlife and ocean life. We've been raping resources and shamefully polluted the largest and freshest body of water in the entire world - the great lakes... ths same great lakes that if were not polluted, could produce enough fish to feed the world - or better yet, countries who are engulfed with starvation.
Money is the main reason, "why" this has been permitted to happen, whether it be to make someone rich or to create jobs, the bottom line - boils down to money.
Defense to that opinion is: "well what would we do without money?" and my answer is "what are you going to do when the earth collapses from under your feet? what good will money be to you then?"
We need to change things and I blame government to the max.
Rather than exploit oil, they should have been exploiting other natural resources - wind, sun, water.
In the late 60's - early 70's - the feds funded a project in PEI - PEI was underdeveloped and it was a discreet little island where tourism had not yet evolved and population was low due to their harsh winters and severe winds... it was a great place to construct a self contained building - powered by solar and wind, a green house and several people who lived inside for 5 years - without stepping outside for supplies, everything they needed was on the interior.
After 5 yrs however, those who participated suffered from the lack of certain cells and were thinner than anticipated - however, though a tinge unhealthy, much was discovered - that people could survive and that wind and solar power - if developed, would work.
In the 80's a family I knew in Lakeshore Qc. just outside of Mtl. received a grant to develop 3 homes - for which they lived in for a year and did observations. The one that struck me the most, was a circular home, built around a large tree. The inner core of the home was in fact a courtyard that circumferenced the tree. I stress the tree because it played a major role in cooling and heating of the home.
The home had no basement so tree roots could not hinder the piping. The piping was placed underneath the flooring (flooring made of Slate to hold the heat and was brought in from Tobermory off the peninsula of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay) The home was heated in the winter with hot water, heated by the sun and stored in tanks that held heat. In the summer, the solar panels were turned off for heating water and used for additional electricity.
The tree in the middle court yard, shaded all the interior section of the home in the summer when it grew it's leaves, as the lining of the coutyard was majority windows to assist in capturing the winter sun and help heat. (the exterior of the circular home had slanted windows to catch the winter sun for additional lighting and heat and to deflect the summer sun - to keep the heat of the direct sun out of the house)
Come fall, the leaves would fall and by winter with the lower sun, the tree did not hinder sunlight from reflecting into the interior windows.
Out of the 3 homes they were funded to build, that was the most successful which is probably why I remember it the most. Point is, the homes were funded as an experiment by the Government - a government who knew too well, that if individuals were to become too independant, could construct such homes and they wanted to know how much of a threat it would be to the utility companies!
Another example - from the early 80's as well, was a couple I knew who purchased a land off the coast of Gaspe in Qc. He was from Paris and she was from the Bronx in New York (quite the pair!) He, was a carpenter and being from Paris, he was far more educated in natural resources than most canadians.
They built a dome like home, one that looked straight out of the old movies, resembling moon or mars stations - built in frames - but circular.
They had skylights along the top and propellors all teh way around. The reason for this was to catch the wind, no matter which direction it was coming from. They heated by wood and propane (both dry heat) and had a small brook that ran through the house! The brook was used for water, humidifying and for washing clothes! There were 3 fireplaces, one on each level and integrately placed one noth end, one south and one in the middle. They had blinds for the skylights to hinder summer sun but it still let in light and in the winter, the blinds always remained open to allow the sun to penetrate and heat. They also had a huge field stone oven in the kitchen with a cast iron hinge to hold a large cooking pot and subdivided sections for rising bread and soaking beans etc...
It was well thought out and feasible - I spent 3 weeks with them and was amazed.
A percentage of Society was trying to break away from dependancy on government bodies and services, besides utility companies run the government and suddenly everythign became really cheap... kinda reminds me of drug dealers, sell cheap, get people hooked, make them depend on the service and once you've got them hooked, you can raise the prices and they'll still buy even if they go broke doing it (sound familiar?) Who can live without heat and electricity?
Governments have known for a long time that by using natural resources such as teh sun and wind, that people can be self contained, therefore the methods were marked unusable - but hey, here use our services of gas and electricity and you're maintenance free - we do all the rest... it's not that it wasn't workable or financially feasible, it was a threat to government.
Now in a new century, society has pushed the issue and new products are evolving that encourage the use of natural energy.
When at the Home and Interior Design show in Toronto in 2004 - I was floored, not only by the size of the exibition hall - 5 to 6 times the size of the Stampede Round up Center in Calgary, but at the multitude of merchants from across seas and all over the world, afterall, Toronto is a port city...
Eaves troughs that were designed on more angled roofs, with ball bearings and rods so sensitive that if you sneezed, they'd spin like mad. These eaves troughs were meant to function when solar power was low, after a week or two of rain or snow... due to the angle of the roof, both rain and even snow, would fall into the eaves troughs, spinning the ball bearings and rods to generate electricity! I'm still floored over that invention~!
Then water heating was predominant as well, only the rads sure didn't look like the rads my grandmother had in her house, but instead, the piping was in shapes of shelving, something that served two purposes, one a place to put accessories and knick knacks and two a source of heat. I especially like the bathroom ones, from floor to ceiling shelving that held and warmed towels - phenominal!
Now because of population and because the government can no longer repress natural concepts as much as they could - people are educated and like children, if you deny them something, they want to explore the venues even more - especially when they are convinced there is a better way of doing things, new products are evolving that relate to independant and self reliable sources.
Imagine Mercedes little Smart Car as an electric car, powered by a solar pack - think of all the gas money we'd save running around - or going to and from work and how much the gas companies would lose!
"how much the gas companies would lose" being the keywords and which is why when in the 80's, this evolution was attempted, it was discouraged so that other "options" could be encouraged, and more natural solutions, didn't work - "they" wouldn't let it.
To have permitted such undertakings, imagine how many oil spills would have been avoided, how war over the oil fields wouldn't have been a reality, how the manipulation of oil countries wouldn't have effected world affairs - simple solutions - but complicated governments became literally like dope dealers with offers the public couldn't refuse, covering up, the reality of it all. We don't really need them.
I'm presently trying to buy a quarter section, based on a new business I want to venture into (I got so screwed with my credit cards and bank account when all that crap happened and there's still attempts on my accounts, so I closed everything down which isn't helping my own financial situation - I'm broke!) Now a dear childhood acquaintance of mine, of over 40 yrs, is on the board of directors for the scotia bank in Calgary - he manages accounts of a million and over and he himself is sitting pretty with his investments and stocks - and here I am, in my jeans, trying to convince such a man, that "farming soft wheat" is a profitable and sure thing! I have no equity - nadda - but I'm that convinced that I'd dare to approach him - with such an "idea". My goal is to sell to natural ethanol producers - Now I know this man, off and on during my entire life and when he found out I was starting a non profit and knew of the hardships I'd endured - he shook his head in disbelief - fully convinced I'd lost it - and from his point of view saw no potential for financial security - he was right - yet I am compelled to do what I do, because it was meant to be. My talents can and have helped others recognize their own good and hidden talents - it's a positive and beneficial service that once established and showing results - will provide finances and financing - this he agreed - BUT, until then, I need something to sustain myself and the society - afterall, I do have lives in my hands that I am responsible for - I NEED some financial security and farming is the way I see to do it, farming a future natural resource! We're not in the 80's anymore and after seeing some of the products at the Home and Interior Design Show in Toronto in 2004 (i can only imagine what it will be like this spring!)- Oddly enough, I was with my long time childhood friend as a matter of fact - I was his guest for 3 weeks and knowing my passion for new products in home design and natural energy sources, he surprised me with tickets!!
I believe our society will excellerate a little more where biodegradable products and natural resources are concerned - within the next 10 yrs because we will be forced to.
I've been doing alot of research on the natural resource I am seeking to venture into - in preparation of presenting a more factual based business plan that perceives a more solid potential - my daughter is willing to do most of the farming, she does run heavy equipment and has worked farming barley, canola and other in the past 5 yrs... so, the possibility is definately present - I have an opportunity that was presented, a farmhand who knows what she's doing and a path to follow because of my beliefs in a "tomorrow"
Anyone interested in a farming business - I have a proposition!
Mother Nature has provided us many alternate resources and it's not the path we chose because it wasn't the "easy way out". Rather than find ways of cutting back, society has been finding ways to go around and take short cuts - we can't mess with mother nature, we're no match. We need to find new ways of doing things, before it's too late!