pieces of a `plan can add up, if we all share ideas along the way..

yes it has been cold + weather is erratic.. mother earth`s changes can best be adapted with if we live closer with the natural world, now, vs. be lost in fragments from scientists about Global Warming.

   lets live simple + do the best we can + once science can show us yet another way, we can rethink. but for now we can make our self more comfortable by lessening our footprint. for their is much work to be done to the many areas that developments have exceeded mother earth`s enhanced limits;

                       see heavy air pollution in Canadian area with cancer spikes

                              http://www.arctic.gov/arctic_update/2013oct23.html

    many that live `boon with the wild, working the seasons, better know then - the dangers it has, says an Inuit Community leader whom for several generations lived in igloos, + now in houses with daily drops of goods from Canada. But states their hunts go on.

    we have had too many lessons from many that have lost their life seeking Ex; the Northwest Passage, to then as with Amundsen, learning from the Inuit ways that work:

                     from a caribou skin + fur allowing lightweight warmth over the seal or bear skins, to their nutritional balance giving them energy to sustain, to many ways of working in the cold, rubbing water with a fur mit on their moss frozen sled blades, to keep it iced to glide easily thru the snow with their sled dogs pulling. this list goes on.

   yet many unaware left uncomfortable, especially as they spend quite a bit inefficiently with behaviors that leave heavy footprints;

      this list is lengthy, these are just a few thoughts to trigger yours. such as living in large spaces, downscale. close off only needed space, + better yet turn off all together areas not needed + lower when leave. lower electrical use by lowering use of products with high watts. when yet the volts/watts are all on the back of the items. Goodwill + other used stores, have good repaired items at low cost but make sure they are energy efficient.

       I share Jeff`s email below, so check out to see if applicable for your electrical usage?

  Oregon is not good with solar only, but a panel on a sunny exposed roof can compensate. same if in a predominantly windy spot for a wind generator. you can Google + find a variety, even to make your own.

  have you checked in with your neighbors, giving a hand when can or share to another that can. this is where we think welcoming the students into our `aloka platform can be very helpful, for both.

making sure one knows about Ex`s: clothing with layers help. people that are not circulating well, ill, not eating right, unable to process, not exercising getting out in the cold daily, etc. can have a much harder time. especially with the balance of negative + positive ions get out of balance. which can deplete your energy more. + rather for you to just go to the store + buy a negative ion generator which yes does work, but not if you avoid doing what I suggest here, which can perhaps make changes so you do not need more expense. as ex:

  think of it as a being under a nice waterfall with negative ions, but a heater can generate a lot of positive ions like a dryer in a Laundromat which can zap ones energy easily. don`t let this happen feel the difference in your ability to judge. if get tired or foggy, low energy, then open a window just a lil + make a flow with a few different electric heaters that you may be supplementing with, so you get a circulation of balanced ions/heat. vs. a huge amount in one corner, etc. especially where you sleep.

        so choosing heater adjustments, a timer, as with make a creative space for you + your plants so they do not freeze, a nice working environment. + those days when really cold, adjust your schedule, gather together for warmth, nice cooking warms it up. the Russian houses in the countryside had large wood burning stoves yet they would burn cow chips, etc. + the stove had different drawers for making kefir, baked goods, soups, etc. while heating around the clock. giving the bedrooms warmth from vents in the wall channeling the heat. along with the children all sleeping around the chimney being cozy. yet all did their daily chores which kept them outside on regular bases. which makes it easier to acclimatize.

   with the many natural ways of building with cob, straw bale, etc. once can recreate from the many efficiencies from our bio-cultural experiences on mother earth. so if restoring/building community, as in our proposed `plan we are restructuring now to release, you can be very creative networking a variety of designs to enhance your community + yourself, especially the ideas we have with students coming into + with the community to make this happen. give special hands on to those unable, so all voices come to the table. so more to come + we welcome you to start sharing your ways that work as we rethink our new format making this easy for all to check in, leaving no one isolated or left alone.

    especially when preoccupied or not at home, having to work outside, helpers can be helpful. or as in certain rooms, that you choose to live functionally, + adjust accordingly with electric timers, activity to increase your metabolism as well layers of clothing, so as you calm down you can add more for warmth + comfort.

       + balanced nutrition for your daily activities is important. help each other define if ill, when able to get those whole grains in for heat, but if one cannot metabolize or process, it is not going to work. so if frail then eat them more when active, so a little planning can help.

       + for those fortunate to have food, eat your oatmeal, buckwheat, variety early on + thru out the day with balanced diversity for proper digestion sustaining your fuel. this is much more effective then junk food, high glycemic foods with sugars/processed flours etc. giving you a quick buzz then to drain your energy.

with our proposed `aloka platform we hope to invite all to share ideas that work via like ecosystems/subject/seasons, giving all reflection of the good fortunes many are living with now simply as they `boon with the natural world, from our local mushroom/polypore harvests with respect to leaving medicine to maintain the balance of the forest, as well ideas like Jeff offers for more to create upon + make efficient happen for more.

   as I have said before their is no shortage of jobs, it is our mindset, our neuro processing, for many are stuck in the many dysfunctions. but the more we share ways that work it will fuel us to make corrections for simple natural functionality, giving people energy that is very handy to use to work that within. creating volunteer positions on to meaningful careers.

Thank you Jeff, Patty Murphy + Barack Obama, for starting the ball to roll!

Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley

  Dear Kara,

When we can conserve energy and create jobs, it's good for our environment and our economy. That's why I wanted to share with you some good news: soon, our rural energy co-ops will be able to make new low-cost loans available to their customers to make energy efficiency renovations. Customers can then pay back the loan through the savings on their electricity bill, making it both affordable and effective.

I proposed this approach because it's good for homeowners and businesses, and will help create good-paying, green jobs that can't be outsourced. I'm pleased that this idea is being put into action, and hope you'll learn more about how this new program will help bring down energy usage and create jobs by catching up on this report from the  Bend Bulletin  .
All my best,

Jeffrey A. Merkley
United States Senator
Retrofitting loans available for rural energy co-ops

Loan payments would be folded into electric bills

By Andrew Clevenger, The Bend Bulletin

Published Dec 5, 2013

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to make $250 million in low-interest loans available to retrofit residences and businesses in rural communities to improve their energy efficiency, the agency announced Wednesday. Through the Energy Efficiency and Loan Conservation Program, the USDA will make the money available to rural energy cooperatives, which in turn will offer loans to business and residential customers.

Under the plan, business and residential customers would borrow money to buy energy-saving devices — timers for lights, for example, or an energy-efficient appliance — and have their loan payments folded into their electric bills. Ideally, customers would use less electricity and the savings would help pay for the loan. “Energy efficiency retrofitting can shrink home energy use by 40 percent, saving money for consumers and helping rural utilities manage their electric load more efficiently,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in a prepared statement. “Ultimately, reducing energy use helps pump capital back into rural communities.” Oregon has 18 not-for-profit, consumer-owned rural cooperatives, including the Central Electric Cooperative based in Redmond.

“This is another tool in the toolbox for energy efficiency,” said Ted Case, executive director of the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “As energy-efficiency dollars get scarcer, it is something that could be useful.” It’s too soon to say whether any of the state’s cooperatives will participate in the program, but they will see if it offers any advantages to their customers, he said. “We take energy efficiency pretty seriously,” Case said. “We’re always interested in options and opportunities.”

Dave Markham, president and CEO of Central Electric Cooperative, said the co-op already offers more than a dozen conservation and energy-efficiency programs. The USDA program could be another option, if it is easy to use for the country’s 900 cooperatives and their customers, he said. “I think it’s a great starting point,” he said of Wednesday’s announcement. Interested customers should monitor the cooperative’s website, www.cec-co.com, for updates, he said.

The USDA program is very similar to a loan program proposed by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., in 2010. Their legislation was folded into the larger farm bill, which twice passed the Senate but was not taken up by the House of Representatives and did not become law. In a prepared statement, Merkley applauded the USDA for moving forward on the idea when Congress did not.

“Our number one goal should be creating good, middle-class jobs,” Merkley said. “Investing in energy-efficiency renovations, which create good jobs in construction and American manufacturing, is one of the best ways we can do that.”

Buildings consume almost half the energy in the U.S. and use roughly three-fourths of the country’s electricity, according to the Energy Information Administration. A 2012 study by the Rockefeller Foundation concluded that retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient could take up to $279 billion, and the savings would top $1 trillion over the next decade. If implemented, retrofits could also reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 600 million metric tons a year, the equivalent of 10 percent of the nation’s emissions in 2010, and create up to 3.3 million jobs, according to the study.