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Re: HELP NEEDED SUSTAINABLE LIVING IN IRELAND



Thomas Sheridan wrote:
> 
> Hello
> 
> I have a small farmhouse in the west of Ireland that sits on an 0.5
> arces of good land. I an very new to sustainable living and I am very
> interested in fnding alternatives to 20th century wasterful
> lifestyles. I suspect there are many experts in green living out there
> who could give me a few pointers in the folling subjects:
> 
> Insulation
> Reduced Utility Bills
> Vegtable Gardening (is it possible on 0.5 arces?)
> Solar HeatingInsulation:  I built a house with R30 in the walls and R60 in the 
ceiling.  It has a vapour barier that doesn't allow any air leakage. At 
temperatures down to -10 C  my wife complains about it being too warm 
during the day.  The heat is not on, so it must be heated by the various 
motors in the house and sunlight through the windows. (fridge, printer, 
photocopier etc.) We tend to leave windows open all summer and at least 1 
window open in the winter.  The insulation levels may be a bit high for 
Ireland but our temperatures get down to below -40 C in the winter.

Utility bills:  A farmer near here got pissed off at the power company 
and his bill so he went 100% solar.  He says he can pay the added cost of 
solar by his reduced utility bills over an 8 to 10 year period.  He uses 
propane as a backup source of heat when it gets too cold.  The contact he 
used to get the equipment was Bob McCormick, who also publishes a 
magazine called Canadian Renewable Energy News. He can be reached at 
P.O. Box 14
Pink Mountain, B.C. Canada
V0C 2B0
Ph:(604)774-1088

Vegetable Gardening:  
I have a small U pick strawberry orchard on the side. We keep getting 
asked if we use chemicals. Our answer has always been: "We use as little 
chemical as we possibly can and we will quit all together when our 
customers will pay for blemished fruit and not leave it.  The hardest 
part of the whole organic thing is keeping the weeds and insects out. If 
you decide to go organic expect to put in a lot more hours controling 
these pests. Also select varieties that are resistant to insects and 
diseases that are prevelant in your area.

Hope this is of some help!

George

PS ignore the quacks that tend to complain about everything!



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