A Little Help From My Friends

Maybe you already read the post on the homepage, but I wanted to post here, too. I was really inspired to have such a good showing at the recent work parties we've had. Old friends and new friends came out to help with the tedious work of taking old materials out, with the promise of receiving nothing in return except for beverages and gratitude.

My thanks do go out to Adam, an expert in awning removal, my man Jerod, Joe "from Germany", Brad from Green Mountain Energy, Erin and Patrick who put out an awesome magazine -- Natural Awakenings, and of course, the lovely Allison.

Thanks to their help, we've almost got the rig completely stripped outside and inside. The next step is to have it painted and have solar panels installed in April. In the meantime, we'll be working on detailed design and talking to potential sponsors and partners. At this stage, it looks like mid to late July is a realistic goal for launching the SolTrekker.

Shooting Video

As if we don't have enough projects with the rebuild of the latest 'trekker, I decided to add a few more. For the latest project, I've corralled my good friend and TV news photographer Michael Brandenberger to begin shooting some video of the build. The idea is to produce a 15-minute pilot for a program on the 'trekker project and travels. We'll see where it goes, but if nothing else, we'll have some good stuff for any potential television coverage or just old fashioned YouTube material. Just thought I'd share the idea and some video stills of me sitting on the pot. -- Ty

Practical Environmentalist

I was invited to provide a guest post on biodiesel at the blogsite of The Practical Environmentalist last week and just wanted to take the time to highlight the website and the guy behind it. The Practical Environmentalist is a really topical site with a ton of information, and it's produced by Lars Hundley, a fellow sustaino-geek, who runs a business called Clean Air Gardening. Clean Air has some very cool stuff for gardeners, and I can testify, because I've been using their Bokashi Kitchen Composter and their Low-Flow Roadrunner shower head, which waits until the water is warm enough before producing a spray. Anyway, if you're in the market for fun gardening stuff and green housewares, check them out. If you missed it on the homepage, click here for the biodiesel post. -- Ty

Conferences and New Projects

Michael and I made the long trip from Oregon to Florida in time to make presentations on the University of Florida campus for Focus the Nation, as well as the SBS and NBB biodiesel conferences in Orlando. There were just a few minor hiccups along the way, like a windshield nearly blown off in raging California windstorms, a run in with the locals of "cancer alley" in Louisiana, and a fun day getting towed because someone airlocked the fuel filter while checking it. Of course, details will follow in longer articles.

I just returned from a quick trip to Spokane, Washington and back to Portland with the newest 'trekker mothership. I love her already. She doesn't exactly sprint up hills and her "horn" is probably one of the most unusual sounds I've ever heard, but she runs smooth and steady. And she's already been christened "Sunny" because of the bright beautiful day we had for the maiden voyage, and because she's destined to make good use of solar power.

In the next few weeks we will start the process of transforming Sunny into the Eco-RV she was born to be. There's a lot of work ahead, and the changes will be dramatic, so it's an exciting time. I'll be posting build photos as we progress.

--Ty

Marathon from Oregon to Florida

It's not like we'll be running, but we'll probably be pretty tired when we arrive. This Saturday Michael and I will be taking the 'trekker down from Oregon to Florida, accompanied by a few rideshare riders. We'll be hitting California on Saturday, Arizona on Sunday, Texas on Monday and aim to hit Orlando by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. We'll be taking that route to avoid snow and mountain passes. If you see us chugging by on the freeway, give us a wave.

Our destination is the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit and National Biodiesel Conference in Orlando, Florida. For those who are interested, we'll have some reports and photos when the conference ends on February 5. I'm excited to see all of the friends made at last year's conference in San Antonio, like the crew pictured here, and it will be good fun to introduce Michael into the mix.

Peace from the road!

Best Holiday Wishes

There is something different about this Christmas for me. And it's more than just a different year in a different place -- or maybe it's less. I made an effort to simplify things this year, and it seems that a lot of people in my life did the same. I remember something my mother said to me last year after participating in the traditional holiday rush to the mall. She said, "It just leaves you feeling empty."

I'm not sure if everyone has felt that way, but in the past, I have. There's something about rushing through the process of giving that somehow cheapens it. So this year, quite a few people that they didn't really "need" me to get them anything for the holidays. "Donate to charity," some said. Or, "getting to spend time with family is enough."

I sense a trend, at least in my own sphere of relationships, toward a simplified, more intimate and slower way of carrying out our traditions. I realized, as I was making an oil painting for my niece instead of buying her a plastic toy, that it takes more time to do it this way, and maybe that's why it doesn't seem to be the norm. But it was also more relaxing and left me feeling full instead of empty.



We're not abandoning our traditions, just tweaking them. We still brought a Christmas tree inside, but this year, we decided to buy a live tree. We could have headed out to a local nursery to pick one up, but I found a very cool service here in Portland called The Original Living Christmas Tree Company (www.livingchristmastrees.org/) and they deliver live Christmas trees two weeks before Christmas and then pick them up on New Year's Day, to be delivered to a local company or regional park at a discount.

We didn't have any Christmas ornaments, so we made our own out of three or four scratched CDs and DVDs that would have otherwise gone to the garbage can. (I'm especially proud of the star.) We didn't have lights for the tree, so we purchased some LEDs from a hardware store just down the block. It's great to see LEDs coming into the mainstream. It's true that they're more expensive than incandescents, but the string we purchased will last for 20 years or more, the bulbs are unbreakable and the energy savings will pay for the string over time. They are 98 percent more efficient than traditional lights. What would cost $100 in electricity at average rates with traditional incandescents, will cost $1.83 with LEDs. I'm really looking forward to the day when the residential lighting aisle's have just as many LED options.



So yes, the tree is smaller than most and there aren't as many gifts underneath it, but the simplicity feels damn good. There aren't any lights on the outside of the house to spread holiday cheer, but I've had enough time to smile at people on the street, and that seems to be working just as well.

May the season find you happy and healthy and in the best of company, surrounded by warmth and light.

The New Ship

Okay, so the new ship is really an old ship, but you're not even going to recognize her when we're finished. I just purchased this 1994 Safari Trek diesel from a gentleman in Spokane, Washington, who also happens to be investing his wealth into creating a sustainable, earth-bermed home. In February, we will bring her to Portland to begin the green make-over.

Anyhow, this rig only has 7,500 miles on her (I know, that's the beauty of buying from seasonal RVers), and at 27-feet, she is seven feet shorter than the first biotrekker, about 10,000 pounds lighter and also about two feet shorter in vertical height. She gets between 12 and 17 mpg, although her top speed is only about 70mph. She's boxy, but cute.

For us, it's a more sustainable move that makes sense. It feels good to buy used and breathe new life into an RV that has tons of potential. We will be gutting most of the interior and either painting the exterior or wrapping it in graphics similar to bioTrekker1. The big changes will come when we add things like a large solar PV system, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting, solar thermal heating, better insulation, etc. Of course, the progress will be posted.