Thanks for the update Shawn! I was thinking that it wouldn't be that expensive for landlords or homeowners to own even a small portable array that would be enough to recharge their cell phones and batteries for lighting. (I gave my Brooklyn niece a portable solar charger for her cell phone and laptop, but she can't find it since the last move!)
Too bad you couldn't give an impromptu workshop on solar ovens. Quite the teachable moment. Gay On Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 9:24 PM, Shawn Reeves <[email protected]>wrote: > Cash. > According to what I've figured being here in NYC, traveling around, > helping out in little ways, that fungible asset is the best way for TC > residents to help care for hard-hit people here in the NYC-NJ area. Thanks > to past and perennial gifts, well-oiled organizations, like the Red Cross, > in tandem with local, state, and federal agencies like the Mayor's office, > DEP, and FEMA supported by your tax dollars, are doing the best job > possible. > Reports from drop-off points indicate that clothes-donations are > overflowing, so lower that on your list. > > Of course, there are two big pictures we need to envision and manifest: > 1) TC needs to create a resilient local economy that has extra bounty to > share with the rest of the country. When roads are not clogged with > emergency vehicles and taxis waiting on gas lines, downstate might take > extra apples. If the fact that the Cornell Orchard Store is closing next > week means anything, apple supplies are withering already, likely thanks to > the terrible frost last spring. On the other hand, it would be really nice > to counter all the Mountain Dew, Doritos, and sugary granola bars being > sent in by Pepsi and Wal-Mart, heralded as a "triumph of the free market." > What you should do with the few apples you still have is add value to them > (pies, apple butter, etc.), sell them, and send the cash to those > organizations. Also, right now we have apples in walk-in coolers here that > need electricity more than they need replenishing. > Union Square Farmer's Market, Saturday, wasn't as swamped as usual, since > it popped up less than 24 hours after the electricity, and 9 blocks away > from the regular location, but I should note we had Red Jacket Orchards and > other upstate farms, and those of us lucky enough to know about it or > stumble upon it, were overjoyed. Pumpkin pie, squash, tart cherry stomp, > and other goodies from upstate have really improved my outlook on life this > new, new week. > > 2) We need to share great ideas with other communities so they can learn > to be more resilient. It was sunny today and I'm kicking myself for not > teaching a hundred New Yorkers how to make a solar cooker in a local > park—One of the biggest complaints I hear on local radio is that people > can't make hot food. The Red Cross has served tens of thousands of hot > meals so far. > They also could have enjoyed solar showers. I was without heat and hot > water for four days, and showers were at the top of my list, so I went to a > friend's. I could have built something on our roof, but I wasn't sure yet > our water was clean enough to simmer and then spray on my body (the mayor > now says it's extra clean, like always). Believe it or not, a lot of New > Yorkers have roof access of some sort. Of course we have very little roof > per capita. > > In summary, we have plenty of food, the main problem is access to energy, > and it's not coming as fast as we liked because, as a nation, we dithered > on the smart grid, we have weak electrical code, we haven't gone to local > renewables as fast as we should, and salt water and sewage inundated so > many neighborhoods all over the region. We're going to have to buy or > construct new homes for tens of thousands, and nobody is mentioning > Greensburg, Kansas. Many sandbars are gone, so there will be more angst in > the near future. > We also need much better insulation, so that these power outages don't > lead to rapid cooling. > > And, > http://redcross.org > > http://www.redcross.org/news/article/Red-Cross-Keeps-Up-Feeding-Effort-in-New-York--Staten-Island > Please give to charities when your times are good so they can do this work > when times are bad. > Also, my charity, although not a priority compared to the Red Cross, will > gladly handle any Sandy Relief area designations on gifts. We feel teaching > kids how to make solar cookers will have multiplier effects for their > households as well as for their STEAM education. Just write Sandy relief or > whatever designation you prefer in the "other" field here: > http://www.razoo.com/story/Energyteachers-Org > > Shawn Reeves > > > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom > Shelley, at [email protected]. > > -- ---------------------------------------------------- Gay Nicholson, Ph.D. President Sustainable Tompkins 109 S. Albany St. Ithaca, NY 14850 www.sustainabletompkins.org 607-533-7312 (home office) 607-220-8991 (cell) 607-216-1552 (ST office) 607-216-1553 (ST fax) [email protected] For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
