Business Week has a great list of resources for getting assistance after a disaster. It's targeted at Katrina victims but contains great links for anyone needing help.
The Seattle Times also has an excellent article on preparing for a disaster, as well as a printable disaster tip sheet.
One of the latest recommendations coming from unfortunate Katrina victims' experience is this: 72 hours of emergency supplies is not enough. Experts are now recommending a week's worth of supplies, including water. As many Gulf Coast residents also found out, the police and other emergency services aren't prepared to respond even if the phones work, so people should be prepared to protect themselves.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Cooking systems
I was talking with another outdoor enthusiast about cooking systems, specifically outdoor dutch oven cooking using charcoal briquettes. He brought the multi-fuel pyromid cooking system to my attention. It's pretty efficient, and has add-ons for baking. The whole unit folds down into a compact package. The literature proposes it as a possible solution to some of the fuel shortages (read: deforestation) in rural Africa.
A couple days later, I was at the African village display at the local zoo and noticed the design similarites between the Pyromid and the Kenyan Clay Jiko (KCJ), an effort to get folks away from their highly inefficient and unhealthy traditional cooking fires.
Some reading about the KCJ revealed another African design: the Vesto. It's a stove based on a five gallon paint can. It's built in South Africa and costs considerably less than the Pyromid, although it is more bulky. It would certainly be useful for camping and emergency use. I'm still looking for a source in the U.S.
A couple days later, I was at the African village display at the local zoo and noticed the design similarites between the Pyromid and the Kenyan Clay Jiko (KCJ), an effort to get folks away from their highly inefficient and unhealthy traditional cooking fires.
Some reading about the KCJ revealed another African design: the Vesto. It's a stove based on a five gallon paint can. It's built in South Africa and costs considerably less than the Pyromid, although it is more bulky. It would certainly be useful for camping and emergency use. I'm still looking for a source in the U.S.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Movie: The Gleaners and I
I just saw The Gleaners and I, directed by Agnès Varda. C'est fantastique!
Agnès exposes what good dumpster divers have known for some time; the amount of waste in Western society is astounding. Her French subjects, ranging from Gypsies to street kids to volunteer teachers to gourmet chefs, realize the untapped bounty in leftover produce, from both the field and the market.
We would all do well to take a lesson from Ms. Varda's subjects. If you're averse to gleaning or dumpstering, you should at least pay attention to efficiently using and re-using what you have.
Agnès exposes what good dumpster divers have known for some time; the amount of waste in Western society is astounding. Her French subjects, ranging from Gypsies to street kids to volunteer teachers to gourmet chefs, realize the untapped bounty in leftover produce, from both the field and the market.
We would all do well to take a lesson from Ms. Varda's subjects. If you're averse to gleaning or dumpstering, you should at least pay attention to efficiently using and re-using what you have.
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