Small House Building Blog » activism http://blog.small-house-building.com Information on building your own small house. Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:33:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Fresh Air Fund http://blog.small-house-building.com/fresh-air-fund http://blog.small-house-building.com/fresh-air-fund#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:08:37 +0000 Anne http://blog.small-house-building.com/?p=303 This really isn’t related to building small houses, but I thought I’d mention it anyway. If you live out in the country in the northeastern part of the US you might want to consider hosting some city kids for a couple weeks. Check out the Fresh Air Fund.

]]> This really isn’t related to building small houses, but I thought I’d mention it anyway. If you live out in the country in the northeastern part of the US you might want to consider hosting some city kids for a couple weeks. Check out the Fresh Air Fund.

]]> http://blog.small-house-building.com/fresh-air-fund/feed 0 Love your farmers’ markets? Stop H.R. Bill 875 http://blog.small-house-building.com/love-your-farmers-markets-stop-hr-bill-875 http://blog.small-house-building.com/love-your-farmers-markets-stop-hr-bill-875#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:11:59 +0000 Anne http://blog.small-house-building.com/?p=22 This is a call to action!!! I have just been alerted by a good friend about H.R. Bill 875. Congress will meet again March 30, 2009 to vote. At first glance this bill looks like it’s looking out for the food safety of the American people by establishing a new “Food Safety Administration”.

As some have interpreted, this bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays dictated by the newly formed agency to “make sure there is no danger to the public food supply”. This is to include backyard gardens that grow food only for a family and not for sales. If this passes, then NO more heirloom clean seeds but only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now showing up with unexpected diseases in humans. Please call your Senators and Representatives or send an e-mail and ask them to vote against HR 875.

To read the bill for yourself:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875

To find out who your Representative is:
http://whoismyrepresentative.com
and enter your zip code.

To find out who your Congressman is:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To contact your Representative:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Call or email them right now. Don’t wait until Monday, March 30, 2009.

]]> http://blog.small-house-building.com/love-your-farmers-markets-stop-hr-bill-875/feed 0 No More Garden http://blog.small-house-building.com/no-more-garden http://blog.small-house-building.com/no-more-garden#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:06:14 +0000 Anne http://blog.small-house-building.com/?p=16 Well, I just found out that the little plot of land next door that I was spying for a community garden project is due to be sold. After talking with the Parks & Rec director they’ve decided to sell the land in order to generate some revenue for the city. I just hope that whoever [...]]]> Well, I just found out that the little plot of land next door that I was spying for a community garden project is due to be sold. After talking with the Parks & Rec director they’ve decided to sell the land in order to generate some revenue for the city. I just hope that whoever buys it won’t build a warehouse there. Oh, well. I know there’s other community garden projects around the Fox Valley. Maybe I’ll just join one of those existing projects without trying to start my own– that wouldn’t be all bad.

]]> http://blog.small-house-building.com/no-more-garden/feed 0 MREA Fair 2008 http://blog.small-house-building.com/mrea-fair-2008 http://blog.small-house-building.com/mrea-fair-2008#comments Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:18:51 +0000 Anne http://blog.small-house-building.com/?p=56 Here’s a collection of pictures from my attendance at the 2008 Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. I was only able to attend a few hours so don’t have a lot to report.

The only seminar I attended was one on straw bale building by Mark Morgan from Bearpaw Design and Construction. Just [...]]]> MREA Fair 2008 Here’s a collection of pictures from my attendance at the 2008 Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. I was only able to attend a few hours so don’t have a lot to report.

The only seminar I attended was one on straw bale building by Mark Morgan from Bearpaw Design and Construction. Just wondering around and soaking up the great energy there was very renewing.

giant solar oven at the MREA Fair 2008
A giant solar oven.

small solar ovens at the MREA Fair 2008
Smaller solar ovens.

a very tall wind generator at the MREA Fair 2008
A very tall wind generator.

main building at the MREA Fair 2008
The main building.

strawbale outhouse at the MREA Fair 2008
Strawbale outhouse (a demo project… not for actual use).

strawbale outhouse at the MREA Fair 2008

strawbale outhouse at the MREA Fair 2008
Notice the tiny solar panel above the door.

strawbale outhouse at the MREA Fair 2008
The obligatory crescent moon in the door of the outhouse.

solar panels at the MREA Fair 2008
Impressive solar panel display near the main building.

stream at the MREA Fair 2008
Beautiful little stream by the main MREA building. I assume the pump running the water is solar powered.

giant solar panels at the MREA Fair 2008
Another view of the solar panels and garden.

demonstration vehicles at the MREA Fair 2008
Demonstration vehicles section at the Fair.

demonstration vehicles at the MREA Fair 2008

electric vehicles at the MREA Fair 2008
I think this was an all-electric vehicle.

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