Energy Expo will feature house of straw
Don McManman
For The Sentinel
Tobiah Israel's life has been an experiment - one that hasn't turned out too badly, considering he and Adar Israel have successfully raised four kids amid the pines of Ponderosa Park.
But the experiment has more to do with how to live, rather than where to live.
The Israel clan lives off the grid, growing a good share of its own vegetables, and making do with what the land and sun offer.
But they don't see it as "making do." Rather, they're making better.
They generate power from the sun, heat water with the sun, garden, and build with straw bales.
Israel will show some straw-bale construction techniques at the Goldendale Energy Exposition Saturday and Sunday at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds.
"Americans have been living in a way that's unsustainable, for themselves and for the planet. It's got to change. We have no choice," Israel said.
Nearly two decades ago, the Israel family landed on five acres of Ponderosa Pines Park. Having been market gardeners north of Seattle, they loved the climate and the community of the Goldendale area.
"We're not concerned about what you can do to the land to increase its value. We see ourselves as stewards, taking care of the land as a lasting resource," Israel stated.
Stewardship means more than good intentions and a compost pile. Rather, the Israel family began building in a fashion that would touch the land gently.
Now, there are a half-dozen structures on the property, ranging from a guest cottage to a sizeable shop to an above ground root cellar, most built with unconventional materials.
Israel uses traditional two- or three-string bales like bricks, laying a course and then another and another on top. When a short bale is called for, he has a neat little trick to stitch his own out of a full-size bale.
To finish the wall, inside and out, he uses a mixture of cement and soil (1:6) to create a stucco. ("It's better than the store-bought stuff.") The structures blend seamlessly into the land and pines.
Melding what's close at hand, efficiently and economically-you could call it an integrated systems approach.
Consider the hot tub.
First, the hot water: Israel has thermal collectors-essentially a black pipe held inside a black cabinet with Plexiglas facing the sun.
Then you need to get the water from the thermal collectors to the tub. You use a photovoltaic solar panel to generate electricity to power a pump.
For the tub itself, insulate and cleverly disguise a stock tank.
In the winter, the hot tub can be heated with an attached woodstove, and any extra heat is ducted to a nearby greenhouse.
Everything works, all without a wire from the grid.
"We have to think about doing more things ourselves," Israel said.
That's where his Sustainable Homestead Learning Center comes in. Over the years, he's offered hands-on workshops, primarily about straw bale building techniques. He's about to begin teaching again in a more systematic fashion, with a website and regularly scheduled courses.
If you'd like to be notified when about future workshops and when the website is running, send an e-mail to tobiah@gorge.net.
It's not as if the Israel family has turned its back on civilization. He is a registered counselor, and Adar works at Goldendale's Family Practice Clinic. Adar is a vegetarian. Tobiah isn't. He calls himself an omnivore.
The family has a backup gasoline generator for winters. There's not enough wind on their site to make a turbine effective. That the Ponderosa Pines Park community has pressurized potable water is a blessing. To lift water from a private well would require a lot of electricity.
Although their youngest son, Asa, was born in a yurt on the family homestead and raised off the grid, he survived with no apparent damage or undue hippy tendencies. He recently graduated from Goldendale High School. The three older siblings-Jesh, Aaron, and Elah-are doing fine.
Because the family still is integrated with the rest of the community, Israel understands the time pressures faced by almost everyone: working more than 40 hours a week, returning home with little energy and less time to grow a garden or build a tool shed.
"We have to stop living an unsustainable lifestyle, but we have to figure out a way that's possible for people to adapt today."
That's why he's designed his life to save time and energy, like a clever little solar-powered device that automatically ventilates a cold frame-greenhouse.
His most significant investment for a sustainable future rests in construction. He builds with the future in mind.
No, you won't save a bunch of money if you build your home with straw bales.
First of all, the price of straw has gone up recently, from $1.50 to $4 a bale.
Beyond that, walls of your house, whether stick-built or straw, constitute only 10 percent of the total cost. So, even if you cut the cost of walls in half, it won't significantly affect the price for the structure.
But straw will save you money going forward. Two-string bales have an insulation value of R-40. Three-string bales bump it to R-55 - higher than the recommendations of the Klickitat County Building Department.
Straw-stucco construction holds up well over the years. You need broad eaves and gutters, much like you would use on a stick-built structure. Building code authorities in the region have accepted straw bale construction.
Straw lends itself to a variety of purposes. Cob, for example, is a mixture of chopped straw and mud that can be molded by hand. Another system, called light-straw or clay-straw, produces large bricks like adobe but with a higher straw content.
Israel will show some of these techniques at the Energy Expo. You can get as involved as you wish, but if you're truly interested, be prepared to get your hands dirty-literally.
The expo will operate 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the fairgrounds. Cost is $1 per person for both days. There is no charge for kids 5 and under.
Everyone in the family will walk away with specific ideas about energy conservation - from living off the grid to home retrofits to solar cooking for the kids.
There will be a variety of exhibitors with conservation and energy generation ideas. In addition, there will be in-depth seminars from experts. Here is the schedule for both days:
10 a.m.
Jennifer Grove, Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development
Community wind - unique benefits/opportunities:
Community models that are working in the Pacific Northwest
10:30 a.m.
Gary Nystedt, city of Ellensburg
Community solar projects
11 a.m.
Guy Nelson, Utility Geothermal Working Group
Geothermal generating options
1 p.m.
Ed Kennell, a pioneer in sustainable energy
Residential wind power
1:30 p.m.
Cheryl Sullivan of the state Department of Ecology
Soil health, renewable energy, alternative fuels from home composting to commercial pyrolysis (the process of turning organic wastes into resources): The why, how, and what of organic management opportunities.
2 p.m.
Jonathan Lewis, Seraphim Energy
Off-grid generation
Grid tie generation and battery backup.
2:30 p.m.
Tom Svendsen, retired general manager of Klickitat PUD
What's happening in Klickitat County
3 p.m.
Candy Gruner, Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC)
CGCC Renewable Energy Program
Retirees support school teachers with grants
The Klickitat County School Retirees awarded three grants to Goldendale school teachers. Kindergarten teachers Sandy Martin, Darcie Reed, Carla Wilkins and Noma Ferguson were awarded funds for reading materials. Deborah Rawdon, primary school counselor received funds to support a fourth grade project making lap robes for residents at The Golden Terrace assisted living. Becky Bare, career specialist at the high school received a grant to purchase timers for senior presentations.
New officers were installed at the May 18 meeting. President is Kay Kimmel, vice president is Karen Shattuck, record secretary is Harriet Willis, and treasurer is Dan Cochenour.
Health care food drive at Coyote Cafe
A food drive for the Goldendale Food Bank is being held at the Coyote Coffee Shop in downtown Goldendale.
Owners Phil and Lucy Kaufman are holding the drive in their business in order to draw public attention to what they see as a need for health care reform in the U.S.
The food drive will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Friday, June 26. Coyote Coffee is located at 120 W. Main Street in Goldendale.
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