Visitors sometimes ask us if using less energy and/or energy from renewable sources is a sacrifice. We’ve thought about this, and realize that the word sacred and sacrifice have similar roots. Yes, we need to be conscious of our energy use, but that feels like a good and sacred thing, rarely a sacrifice, and empowering in the truest sense of the word.
Seeds of Solidarity is “off the grid.” Two modest solar electric systems provide for all of our electricity needs in our home and on the farm including lights, house well pump and farm irrigation, refrigeration, computers, power tools, washing machine and rock and roll. Our solar electric systems includes photovoltaic panels, batteries for storage, inverters to convert DC current to AC. Our farmstand is grid intertied, meaning we participate in the production of power. From that 8kW system we run two refrigerators, lights, heating and cooling in the farmstand and office above, power tools for our shop, and charge our electric vehicle. We produce more than we use and receive a credit back each month.
Energy Efficient Design
We’ve designed and built all of the structures on the Seeds of Solidarity land. We combine conventional building techniques with materials that are recycled or energy efficient. Our design ideas are influenced by local materials, such as cedar beams and railings, and a Middle Eastern aesthetic, including stucco, plaster and curved forms that we feel drawn to and is part of our heritage. Our buildings are not connected to the utility grid, but utilize renewable energy (and a small amount of LP gas for cooking and on-demand hot water heating). Because of the super-insulated construction we only burn one to one and a half cords of wood each year to keep our home warm. On a sunny winter day, we rarely need to make a fire. The construction techniques, components and materials we use include: Double walled construction • Nine-inch super-insulated walls with blown in cellulose • Insulated frost protected slab that minimizes excavation, concrete, and costs • Passive solar heating and cooling • Hand cast concrete sills and counters • Our own milled on site or local roughcut wood when possible for outbuildings- Solar electricity • Solar preheated hot water with on-demand LP gas heater • Composting toilet • Plaster interior walls, stucco exterior • Local artist made decor including iron railings and ceramic tile
Vehicle Power:
Our family vehicle is a Bolt that we charge from a solar array. In the past we experimented with biodiesel, a vegetable-based fuel in various personal and farm vehicles.