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Spring Projects!
By Jim
Crater
Dear Friends:
It's that time again to send out the list of special
projects, every year I pick 10 items I don't usually do & get
them going. Previous years have included; care of old trees,
promotion of CO-housing & shared bike programs, education on the
need for return of rail service, amphibian crossing issues,
promotion of organic milk in returnable bottles & even building
a cordless electric solar charged ironing board vehicle.
Some projects from last year got finished some will be
completed this year. Several disappointments last year, seems
there was no interest in environmental singles, (guess I'm the
only single still out here) or tracking recyclables (but a
company from Holland has started doing this).
So, Here Goes:
"My role to weave the thread"
10 years ago at my Dad's funeral, I spoke of this, to connect
past & present, my Dad introduced "Indian Hemp" to me & I've
often gathered it. For the spring project, I want to make a
break to crush the stalks & make some rope, Helen at Camphill
has already offered to spin the thread. The goal here is
education on uses of native fiber plants & education on the need
to return hemp as a farm crop to Pa. So far I've
collected information on making rope from Native Hemp, the break
is started & I've collected a lot of information on legislation
related to permitting growth again of European Hemp, once grown
here.
Promotion of car share
This concept is growing big time, there are places where 1
car is owned by 75 people. Here's the research:
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Car sharing
is a revolution in personal transportation - urban
mobility for the 21st century.
About 75% of North Americans live in cities. Many of
them simply don't drive enough to justify the
expense and hassles of owning a car - yet can't give
up the freedom of driving a car when they want to.
Car Sharing provides flexible wheels for an urban
lifestyle. It's instant-access to a network of cars
throughout the city, 24 hours-a-day,
paying-per-trip, without commitment or
inconvenience:
as EASY as hailing a cab,
the FREEDOM of your own car,
as AFFORDABLE as a latte,
FASTER than renting, and
lets you KICK the CAR HABIT
"Get online" with a car sharing network and you'll
get convenient access to a fleet of vehicles (cars,
vans, trucks) in your neighbourhood and across the
city - and pay only when you use them.
Reserve the vehicle - by phone or Internet,
24-hours-a-day - that best suits your needs, and use
it for a few hours, or a week. Pay per trip, and
never have to worry about repairs, insurance or
monthly parking again.
And when you feel like it, grab a taxi, take the
train, walk, ride a bike or take the bus.
If you drive less than 12,000 km (7,500 miles) a
year and you don't need a car for work every day,
car sharing will likely save you thousands of
dollars a year, give you greater mobility - and
actually reduce pollution.
Car Sharing, launched in 1987 in
Switzerland and later in 1988 in
Germany,
came to North America via
Quebec
City in 1993. As of July 1, 2008 -
based on data provided by
Susan Shaheen, University of California, Berkeley
- 18 U.S. carsharing programs claimed 279,174
members sharing 5,838 vehicles, and 14 Canadian
carsharing programs claimed 39,664 members sharing
1,667 vehicles.
Car sharing is great for cities
Transportation is the life-blood of any economy. And
yet, our fast-growing urban centres are faced with
increasingly clogged arteries.
Car Sharing is the "missing link" in our urban
transportation systems. The biggest determinant to
vehicle use is vehicle ownership. Car Sharing helps
people kick the car-owning habit, without going cold
turkey, and with the financial reward of saving
money.
Car Sharing should be an important option in every
major urban centre. While not a magic bullet to
solve all traffic and air quality problems,
especially commuter-related issues, it is an
important new tool that can deliver real benefits
quickly from primarily market-based capital.
Best of all, across North America, city governments
& transit agencies have finally begun to understand.
Cities like Seattle & Washington,DC have always had
strong transit support for car sharing; Philly &
Berkeley have replaced part of their city fleet via
car sharing; and others are providing on-street and
other parking support.
The past and present
City RFP list may be helpful to
cities and CSO's.
Download a great overview from news articles
here. Some Stats
1 shared car replaces 8+ individually owned cars
Members giving up a car when they join -
15%
Members not buying a new one because they
joined - 25%
Car Sharing increases transit usage:
AutoShare Stats:
Members using Transit MORE - 27%
Members using Transit LESS - 7%
S.Shaheen @ UC Berkley Stats:
Trips made by transit Before joining -
35%
Trips made by transit AFTER joining - 53%
Car Sharing increases other forms of travel:
Members biking/blading MORE - 25%
Members biking/blading LESS - 8%
People drive less
Swiss Energy Dept. 2000 stats:
Ave. driving reduction, former Car owner -
72%
Ave. driving reduction, all car sharing
members - 55%+
Misc. Stats
The average N.A. car is driven just 66
minutes a day
Household income spent on cars:
1998 - 14.8%
1990 - 13.2%
# cars made-but-NOT-SOLD in 1998:.....
20,000,000
# people who could share these unsold
cars:... 300,000,000
Where can I find car sharing?
(Just Philly area)
(Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Philly, Portland, San
Francisco, Pittsburgh, all over, also university
towns)
(New York, more locations coming soon)
(Ithaca, NY)
(New York and Toranto)
(Chicago)
(Cleveland, OH)
(Sebastopol, CA)
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Micro Enterprise projects:
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Tire Door Matt Production We have the machinery &
have been looking for several folks to be trained to make
the matts.
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Box reuse business We've started asking those in
the area that already reuse packing materials from us, what
size boxes they use most, the next step will be racks to
sort & store good useable boxes.
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Denim Paper production. We've talked with a paper
maker who has the equipment to make printable paper from
used fabric, now to set up a class & find several folks
interested in learning this skill. This is the last part of
out common thread project & will make a complete finished
product while generating no waste products.
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Glass Casting (using a large solar lens) The frame
is finished to hold the lens, this has a 10" hot spot of
3000F in full sun, the next step is to have a pattern made &
test melt some glass.
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Completion of grid interface solar unit & off grid solar
powered compost toilet. The solar panels are mounted
both on the solar grid interface unit & compost toilet.
This week I hope to get the control panel mounted & meet
with the electrician on permit & meters necessary for grid
connection.
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Trailer-mounted large solar oven. Just a design so
far, but I've started collecting the parts, my small
portable solar oven does well & reaches 350F in full sun,
plenty hot to bake .
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100 mpg VW project, to be painted, solar cells on hood &
roof, switch system completed for alternator. The VW
goes to the paint shop tomorrow, still looking for the
electric switch for the alternator, the alternator has been
rebuilt. This week measurment & search for flex solar cells
for hood & roof.
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Organic cotton shirts, yes we found the shirts, but they
weren't US made & had to settle for conventional thread for
lettering, this year, find US made organic Hemp or Cotton &
the thread to sew lettering. This week make contact
with a US producer of organic cotton fabric, to match up to
the thread we got last year to do embroidery.
There it is, please contact me if you have interest in any or
all of these. JimCrater@aol.com
More details to follow on the web site.
http://www.recyclingservices.org/ Jim Crater /
Recycling Services, Inc. 365 Elm St. Pottstown, Pa. 19465
610 323 8545
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