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8.22.2015

Remembering the Lessons of the Elders



SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY TO SURVIVAL


Remembering the lessons of the Elders…

1989-The I first time ever heard about homes being completely self sufficient was in the drafting and engineering classes.  I silently thought: That Old Fool is spouting off at the mouth again.  Recycle their toilet water?  Make their own energy?  Completely self sufficient Homes?  That old blow hard that never grades my futurist home designs with angled roofs, siding on diagonal layouts, round windows…what does this old fool know about the future?

Fast forward to 2015

We now have: Net Zero Energy and Water Homes that are completely self sufficient.  That old fool did know what he was talking about!  Maybe the real reason that my funky and modern designs didn’t grade well, was because they were wasteful or bad drawings.  Now that I’m in the actual building part of the design build community I realize: sure they’re cool to look at; but, expensive and wasteful to build.
I’ve also learned while renovating the buildings around the St. Louis area that the Old Builders who built the area up for the World’s Fair also knew a little about sustainability.
Hundreds and thousands of those old buildings are still standing and in use today. Recently while building an addition for a property, I discovered an: in ground water tank connected to a brick patio, with a sand and gravel filtering system as the water collection point.  Exactly the way a modern day ground filtration system works for a home built in 2015.  In other words: those old builders did have a clue.
It was also the early American settlers who built the first sod or earth homes in the great plains.  They may not have had running water, but they did have a true green home, that was built from Natural resources.  From my research the sod homes were: warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Even as early as 1985 while working on Dads cattle ranch where I helped install my first solar panel with battery backup- that powered the electric fence which kept the cattle out of the road.  I remember it still today because it was one of the first of many “electric jolts” I’d receive before learning to always test electric fences before grabbing the wire. 
(electric fence hint: blade of grass test) We also learned about electric fences. We worked on proving the idea that a short blade of grass laid on the electric fence will give you a shock.




 




So in all actuality today’s sustainable home builders are just relearning what the older generations already knew:
  • Build from local resources.  
  • Recycle your water.  
  • Make and Store your own power.  
Luckily we now have ways to save that power and reuse that water safely.  
Just as sustainability was a way of survival for the early settlers; it is fast becoming a key for the survival for the humans today.  The ability to sustain a life in an ever changing climatic planet fraught with:
  • out of control sea level rise that is forcing island inhabitants to seek higher ground,

  • severe storms and tornadoes wreaking havoc in the Midwest,


  • heat indexes of plus 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60°C) in India,


  • uncontrollable forest fires in the Western USA,


  • drought conditions forcing entire populations to abandon areas in Africa.

Never before has the need for sustainable lifestyle ever been more important.  And just like those early sod home builders of the great plains.  Our generations too will meet the challenge and overcome.  Thankfully we now have cool gadgets to help us.
Today’s electric inventors are figuring out ways to make supercapacitors used in electronics out of natural resources from Hemp Lignin. 
 




Tesla’s energy devices are being re-created and found to be functional.  
Battery and Energy storage engineers are creating: chemical, natural, and rare earth energy storage devices.  
Solar panel output power efficiency are being improved by studying Butterfly Wings.
 



Natural forms of insulation like Hempcrete are being rediscovered and used to block out severe weather while protecting the inhabitants.

Mankind is rediscovering and
                  remembering the lessons of our Elders
                                                                 
                                        sustainability is key to survival.


by Scotty






The International Businesses Standards Organization is a non-profit independent organization which was established under the initiative of entrepreneurs in order to support an international trade and a business development.

At IBSO, we strongly believe that the increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets will help to promote a sustainable future and aids in the solution of many other serious global problems.

We are convinced that cross-border commercial activity provides a great number of benefits. It creates jobs, raises incomes and standards of living, increases the innovative capabilities of market-based national economies, and as a consequence of all this, it boosts local, regional, national, and global economic growth. And finally, global commercial exchange plays an important role in maintaining of worldwide peace and stability.

This reality motivates us to continue to build a robust structure that supports not just a modern, but a progressive and ethically oriented organization around the world. Maintaining and encouraging such an international business activity, there is where we invest our resources.

As a group, the IBSO strongly believes that our organization is a lot more than just a group of people coming together for a common cause. Ever since its creation in 2011, we have gone to great lengths to implement new initiatives and develop new tools that keep us focused on the ever changing interests of international market players all around the globe.

I am sure that now, in today's kind of economical world we are in, it is just the right time to present to the business-society our new project,

This is a global, voluntary initiative designed for entrepreneurs and a wide range of organizations. The Worldwide Charter encourages its signatories to contribute to sustainable global progress by incorporating into their business practices nine specific principles in the areas of environmental protection, and economic and social development.

Coupled with our carefully selected experts, we have developed this initiative as all-encompassing code of conduct that reflects the universal principles of fair dealing and the best international practices in ethics and corporate responsibility.

It is aimed at empowering businesses and organizations around the world to be more strategic in promoting its commitment to sustainable and positive business practices in clear, simple and easily understandable terms for their partners, customers and the public at large.

We have determined that there should be no charge for signatories to participate in the Worldwide Charter. The rationale is that we are thinking it will be illogical to require the fees from the enterprises whose leaders are committed to implement fair dealing practices and to conform to the standards of modern society.

I urge you to consider joining this Worldwide Charter. I hope it will increase your worldwide performance and your ability to compete globally.

In conclusion, I just wanted you to know that we are continuing to work very assiduously to maintain IBSO’s world-class status that is responsive to the 21st Century challenges of our global village. We intend to develop and maintain efficient and flexible standardization solutions to meet the needs of international business society.

We look forward to working with you on growing your involvement in the global marketplace through a collaborative and efficient partnership with the International Businesses Standards Organization.

Sincerely,
Konstantin Krinski,
Chairman of the International Businesses Standards Organization

SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY TO SURVIVAL




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