Today I took a look at the numbers my friend sent me about the five-pane Air experiment in the Sun Room. At a quick glance, it seems that the five-pane windows save me about $400 in heating cost each year as compared to a sunroom with just single-pane windows. The sunroom is about 80 square feet, so you can see how significant the savings would be in a larger area like a greenhouse or even a house. There are much more details and numbers to come, including a spreadsheet that can be very useful in measuring savings and potential savings with this method of insulation. This area of math and science has been foreign to me since my high school days, but for my interest in Growing Renewable Affordable Food it is essential. So I will relearn some science and math. Another good news development in growing organic and affordable food occurred today when it was confirmed that we have an appointment with the principal of the elementary school across the street from the DMZ garden vacant lot space. The commitment of the community is essential to growing good food in the DMZ community garden. With the neighborhood children on board, collecting waste material, caring for the garden and enjoying the food, the garden has a good chance of truly being a community garden. So this is the good news on the Growing Power side.
On the nonviolent side we have received good feedback that our nonviolent action last Saturday was very educational. With some simple props, a clear message and good participation we were able to communicate how the departments of military science for area universities at MU are a contradiction in basic values and run contrary to the great tradition of Ignatian Spirituality that Marquette identifies itself with. You can find a draft copy of a page on this event using the actual script and some pictures taken last Saturday, March 8th. There are more pictures and story to come, including hopefully a YouTube video.
Making “YouTube” videos is also a good news way of communicating that I am learning. For one of my first attempts on “YouTube”, check out my son’s 2nd draft attempt of Skull. Also, I do have a video with music about my home model Growing Power garden at another video site. The music on this video is by my friend Harvey Taylor, who, I have not seen in a while.
Focusing on good news and not reacting to what people may say or do is something I constantly need to learn and learn again. It is for me easier on the Growing Power side of this page to focus only on good news than it is on the peace, nonviolent, side. Violence in word seems to seep into the nonviolence side. I need to remember to be more of the worm in nonviolent worm — worm being a lowly creature to some, but a creature that is significant in growing when in community.
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