Blake Davis speaks about composting techniques, Aug. 13, 2009.
From left to right: UHC's Anna Glenn, Lee Bouchard, and Paula O' Connell. Aug. 13, 2009.
Dave Hampton speaks about the importance of building envelope during the "Rethinking the Life of Buildings" presentation, Aug. 13, 2009. Download the presentation at http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/conferences-and-symposia/361
Emily Lake speaks about the nature of business (and the business of nature) during the "Designing Edible Landscapes", Aug. 13, 2009. Download the presentation at http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/conferences-and-symposia/361
Anna Glenn phones in her performance, Aug. 13, 2009.
Members of Urban Habitat Chicago take a break between lectures. From left to right: Brian Lutey, Paula O' Connell, Dave Hampton, Lee Bouchard, Jim Williams, Andrea Bentley, Emily Lake, and Mike Repkin.
Back to class! Nick Petty illuminates us with a venn diagram of good multidisciplinary design during his "The Role of Landscapes in Human Habitat" presentation, Aug. 13, 2009. Download the presentation at http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/conferences-and-symposia/361
Brian Lutey of Ozinga address the benefits of permeable concrete during the "Pervious Concrete: Filtercrete" presentation, Aug. 13, 2009. Download the presentation at http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/conferences-and-symposia/361
Brian demonstrated how quickly water moves through the open cells of the concrete by pouring a bottle of water on a chunk of it. It took only seconds to drip through.
Paula O' Connell discusses how to limit toxins in your everyday surrounding during the "Interiors and Your Health" presentation, Aug. 13, 2009. Download the presentation at http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/conferences-and-symposia/361
Brian Lutey provides an instructional class on Ozinga's pervious Filtercrete product, Aug. 14, 2009. For more information, go to www.ozingagreenbuilding.com/
Friday, August 14, 2009. Getting ready to pour the pervious concrete walk through the Joy Garden which will be handicapped accessible. Nick and the student interns worked hard to prepare the stone base and wood formwork days before. To learn more about the Joy Garden, see www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/projects/joy-garden-at-northside-prep/
Clearing the edges of the formwork to allow clearance for the vibrating roller.
The first load of concrete. Just about everyone took a turn at delivering concrete via wheelbarrow since a power-barrow wasn't available.
Dave Hensel of Green Cross LLC shovels pervious concrete into a wheelbarrow.
A vibrating roller used to tamp and compress the concrete using the wooden formwork as a guide.
More concrete! About 50 wheelbarrow loads were needed for this section of walk.
Derek (yellow shirt) helps spread concrete and fill in voids in front of the roller.
More concrete comin' through!
Derek Ottens of Green Cross LLC takes a turn on concrete delivery.
Keeping a 'wave' of concrete in front to the roller to make sure all voids are filled.
The roller is moved back and forth to insure good compaction. Don't forget, however, we're not aiming for total compaction: due to the mix design, voids (or holes) in the concrete matrix (like a Rice Krispy treat) will allow water to pass through it and keep ice from forming in winter.
After concrete is poured, it's quickly covered with plastic to keep the moisture in, reduce cracking, and increase the strength.
UHC's Lee Bouchard (far right) follows the pour with a roller to smooth and compact the concrete.
Dave Hensel finish-rolls one the areas for a table. In a few months, folks will be able to sit here and eat their lunch.
Nailing the edges of the plastic to keep it from blowing away.
Spraying the concrete with a soy-oil epoxy finisher before the plastic covering is placed.
Ozinga's Brian Lutey (center, white T-shirt) led the pour.
UHC's very own President Mike Repkin (center) presides over the completion of the home stretch of this section of the pour under the watchful eye of Brian Lutey. Two other pours should complete the arc of the paths which will lead visitors all the way through the garden.
Saturday, August 15. Mike Repkin (right) discusses solar cooker construction.
Vegetables from the garden were collected and placed inside a black-painted 'target' (in our case, a glass jar with a screwtop lid) which would be the object of solar radiation, focused by the cooker, cooking the food over the course of the afternoon.
A basic solar cooker built from a cardboard box placed inside a larger cardboard box, insulated with newspaper, lined with aluminum foil-faced mylar blanket (available at any camping or army surplus store), and topped with a found window pane. Sitting inside is the 'target' with the raw veggies inside.
While the cooker cooks in the sun, moving on... Mike demonstrates water purificated using calcium magnesium hydroxide (hydrated lime).
Mixing the lime with water from a nearby river.
The lime-and-water mixture is poured into a Ziplock bag with gravel fill, covered with filter fabric, and set inside a larger plastic bag. Solar radiation will heat the cause condensate to form, which will fall to the bottom of the bag. The condensate is clean, drinkable water.
Student interns from Northside College Prep High School take attendees on a tour of the Joy Garden. To learn more about the garden, visit www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/projects/joy-garden-at-northside-prep/
UHC's Anna Glenn demonstrates vermicomposting, a form of composting which uses red wiggler earthworms to quietly digest food scraps without producing unwanted odors.
Emptying the compost container.
Shredding newspaper to provide bedding for the worms.
To harvest worm castings, use your hands to form small cones. Since they like moisture and darkness, the worms will make a beeline to the bottom, where they can be easily separated out from the finished compost at the top. Put the worms back in the container lined with bedding (in this case, strips of newspaper). Use the finished compost in your garden!
Okay... now what?
Oh yeah... trench composting! Lewis demonstrates the highly complex form of composting known as 'trench composting'.
It's real complicated. First, dig a hole. Make it about 8 inches deep, minimum.
Next, place food scraps in the hole.
Finally, cover the hole. How hard was THAT? Microbes and earthworms will work their magic over the next few months and the resulting nutrients will make your vegetables taste like something worth eating!
What next? Oh yeah, the food in the solar cooker is ready!
The vegetables have been slightly steamed. We didn't take the time to season them properly, so Julia Child might not drop by. But, most anything which cooks by using heated water (or oil) will work in a solar cooker.
Oh, come on Andrew. Just try it.
Anna knows it's gonna be great!
There we go - people are getting into it now. Lewis tries a whole handful.
A group shot of conference attendees, UHC and student interns, and volunteers. Great. Let's do another serious photo, just to be safe.
Another serious photo, I said.
THIS is gonna be the other serious... oh, never mind. But seriously folks... thanks to all for participating in a great summer 2009 Urban Habitat Chicago conference. Come back next year!
This should be in the special MEMBERS ONLY content section, but we just couldn't wait. UHC's Andrew Arbetter models one of Mike's foil-faced "crunchy blankets".
The soon-to-be cover image for the Urban Habitat Chicago Fall Fashion Calendar 2009, available in stores everywhere!!
