tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87991543531825356292012-01-31T12:47:27.514-05:00JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-17499127506365346032012-01-31T12:42:00.004-05:002012-01-31T12:47:27.522-05:00

Stories: Sometimes we seem to be made of them. Imagine yourself recanting the history of what happened last weekend on the phone with your sister. It won’t be a list of events or facts (it snowed, we went sledding and made hot-chocolate), but a fully-interpreted event (“John couldn’t go out because he had a migraine--he always gets those whenever we’re cooped up together and the kids need to be

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-21207052951868134482011-07-17T13:21:00.002-04:002011-07-17T13:27:25.913-04:00

It’s a silly idea that homesteading is anything new or unusual --”homesteading” is a word that describes the life of the rural poor everywhere today, and has for most of history. But reading John Michael Greer got me thinking about our very recent history, the “back to the land” movement of the 1970s.The trend of the 1960s and 1970s that involved many young people choosing to create a degree of

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-20787906070558895092011-06-12T15:25:00.002-04:002011-06-12T15:28:33.049-04:00

Our very-indulged dog, Canyon, gets walked three times/day. This means I have ample time for trash-picking. The abundance of plantable-objects being left out for trash inspired me to start a container garden. I think many of us are intimidated into thinking that containers are those expensive terra-cotta pots from the nursery. Here I have $13 worth of containers -- the old Pepsi crate and

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-71923414876414564172011-05-08T09:23:00.005-04:002011-05-08T15:20:58.262-04:00

We all know it was a strange and disturbing week. The assassination of Osama Bin Ladin provided "closure" (whatever that is), and it also rekindled horrible memories of 9/11. Those of us who take our religious precepts of nonviolence seriously had to wrestle with our emotions, and the public reaction as well.In my life it was the Week Of Rage, with several colliding incidents reminding me at

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-37787452999518622662011-05-08T09:19:00.001-04:002011-05-08T09:19:44.451-04:00

I periodically revise our household budget, and in the process, I encounter the ironies of our times. My growing passion for growing has me convinced I could save perhaps 50% of our food budget by dedicating myself to freezing and preserving what the garden produces. The problem is, our food budget is negligible compared to other spending categories. (Americans typically spend 10% of their

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-13815175759002382522011-02-20T18:39:00.005-05:002011-02-20T18:58:23.305-05:00

In 2008 Kate Canney found herself in her hometown of Needham, suburban Boston -- a farmer without a farm. Walking her dog around the neighborhood she would look into the local yards and think "I could grow food there."Then someone offered her a yard. Kate quickly put up a website, and within a week she had 25 more offers of suburban plots to farm in Needham.Kate and her wife Jude now farm 1.25

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-84397091787145210842011-02-20T08:40:00.004-05:002011-02-20T12:15:12.437-05:00

We've all been following the recent kerfluffle over the closing of Hi-Lo Foods and the news that Whole Foods is coming to JP. If you live in Jamaica Plain and eat food, your shopping options are complex and full of moral and culinary quandaries.This synopsis is meant to help guide your choices.Harvest Coop is known for member-ownership, organic produce, and the rudeness of its staff. Nearest

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-25134585614483333682011-02-20T08:32:00.003-05:002011-02-20T08:37:33.458-05:00

These days people seem to frequently say things like "We're heading for tough times" or "It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"My particular situation seems to be this: I'm walking down a long icy road to catch a smelly bus in order to get to an event at which kale will be served. Car-free Green Mama walks 3-5 miles a day in this new global-warming inspired weather, and with one bad knee. While I

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-52788371439665280412009-06-02T18:37:00.000-04:002009-06-02T18:38:22.184-04:00

jpgreenhouse.org

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-87010655738419775362009-03-09T10:48:00.003-04:002009-03-09T10:51:28.539-04:00

FriendsOur new website now contains the latest JP Green House updates. Please follow this link:JPGreenHouse.org

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-65190103530738009632009-01-19T15:51:00.001-05:002009-01-19T15:59:52.522-05:00

New Year’s resolutions, 2009...1. Encourage more making/doing, less computer play.2. More free time with friends (without obligations, little supervision, no time limit).3. Homework must be fun.Obviously, I’m a parent. At some point, resolutions aimed at improving Eli’s life will be his to decide alone, but as he is eight going on nine, his list is still my list.I worry that my

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-41337722504220438782009-01-06T10:56:00.012-05:002009-01-06T11:16:38.968-05:00

Well, I started with Thoreau, and then decided this might as well be my new hobby: reading and reviewing sustainabilty-projects through the ages, focusing eventually on all the great stuff going on now. But here's an entry that steps back nearly a century, to Helen and Scott Nearing, homesteading in Vermont....At the height of the Great Depression, Helen and Scott Nearing, socialists, pacifists,

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-54837726177716227382008-10-23T12:43:00.004-04:002008-10-23T17:07:52.095-04:00

Thoreau’s CasserolesI’m fond of Thoreau, the original guru of simplicity and self-sufficiency:“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail. In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such as the clouds and storms and quicksand and

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-81820340918789587072008-09-23T09:55:00.003-04:002008-09-23T10:07:22.242-04:00

Simon (7) is a multi-media artist working primarily with images of giants at this time. Eli (8--shown here with backpack) is a talented storyteller and game-player, with a strong interest in monsters. Kuba (10) enjoys working on boats (like Ken), any sort of construction, and playing any kind of sport.

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-86259487884363569762008-09-10T17:01:00.003-04:002008-10-23T17:08:48.181-04:00

This is Ken's "new" boat!

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-2737405352695883352008-09-10T07:51:00.001-04:002008-09-10T07:53:09.099-04:00

Creating a "Green Community Center"JPGH Talk and VisioningThis Sunday. September 1412:30 pm at First Church in Jamaica Plain(across from the monument in JP) Andree Zaleska and Ken Ward will be giving an informal talk on the JPGH project this Sunday in JP. We'll present a quick overview of the project, share our vision for the house, and then do some brainstorming with participants about what

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-788962307337732582008-08-14T13:27:00.001-04:002008-08-14T13:29:18.343-04:00

An Invitation! Come to the first work party at the JPGHWhen: August 23, 3-7pmWhat: Yard work followed by barbecue and some songsTo bring: Your gardening tools; a potluck dish to shareCome whack weeds for a couple hours, and see the house. We will provide the main dish for dinner, drinks, and guitar and songs.Please RSVP to greenhousejp@gmail.com or 617 512 3502

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-33790160440616723392008-08-13T05:43:00.002-04:002008-08-13T05:46:15.510-04:00

To furnish a barren room is one thing. To continue to crowd in furniture until the foundation buckles is quite another. To have failed to solve the problem of producing goods would have been to continue man in his oldest and most grievous misfortune. But to fail to see that we have solved it and to proceed thence to the next task, would be fully as tragic.John Kenneth GalbraithThe Affluent

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-66696917378116280972008-07-18T12:17:00.005-04:002008-07-19T17:05:11.150-04:00

I was having one of those carbon-footprint moments earlier this week. It was exacerbated by the constraints that seemed to be boxing me in all around. I was home for just 10 days, in between the vacations I’m taking to keep my kids busy this summer, and trying to get some work done for the house, which itself seemed overwhelmed by weeds and construction trash and general neglect. It needed a lot

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-2761646488112912652008-06-28T07:42:00.001-04:002008-06-28T07:48:41.515-04:00

This is Simon on his way to the Step it Up rally in April, 2007. Simon is now 6, and he enjoys making artwork, collecting rocks, and playing video games with Eli.

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-39546475040400080202008-06-10T16:14:00.003-04:002008-06-10T16:47:30.361-04:00

I've seen them all now: Ross Gelbspan at the JP Forum in January, telling us in grandfatherly tones that it's to late, we're cooked, now we must be brave and keep trying nevertheless; NASA climatologist James Hansen last week in Lexington saying we must turn back and quick, get atmospheric CO2 down to 350, with perfect conviction and the attitude of a scientist (I am right, I don't need to be

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-9638302471306400462008-06-01T07:54:00.002-04:002008-06-01T08:13:07.566-04:00

As many of you already know, Sunday June 8 is the Green Roots Festival, sponsored by Bikes Not Bombs (at the Stony Brook T-station area in JP), and featuring keynote speaker Bill McKibben. (http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/bat08)There is also a talk by McKibben at the JP Forum that same evening. (http://www.jamaicaplainforum.org/)The JP Green House will be hovering around both these events, handing

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-52658653689486231652008-05-27T15:15:00.002-04:002008-05-27T15:22:06.701-04:00

As news about the Green House spreads with enthusiasm, we are swamped with good advice and offers for help: how to raise chickens, what vegetables thrive in shady areas, who's giving grants, how to make a green roof....It's been wonderful, and we have a sense of having stumbled upon the right thing to really engage our community.Meanwhile though, the process of buying the house itself is a bit

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-39766892600671420762008-05-13T12:24:00.004-04:002008-09-19T12:27:04.136-04:00

In some ways, the JP Green House is an odd project for Ken and me. We both strongly oppose the notion that any real progress on global warming can be achieved by people’s individual pledges to change their lightbulbs, carry canvass shopping bags, or even put up solar panels. (Although I can't take credit for it, I like the analogy of "carbon offsets" being akin to the indulgences sold by the

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-44079939513390887532008-04-29T12:27:00.001-04:002008-06-01T07:52:49.943-04:00

The Project Team went camping last weekend at Ponkapoag in the Blue Hills, which is just 15 minutes from JP. Here we are, a bit scruffy: Andree Zaleska and Ken Ward and (left to right) Kuba and Simon Zalesky and Eli DiLeo Ward.

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-52245927421376156752008-04-18T09:58:00.000-04:002008-04-18T15:28:02.089-04:00

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799154353182535629.post-78742259947858160512008-04-15T12:05:00.003-04:002008-10-04T18:37:09.946-04:00

Welcome family, friends & neighbors to our JP Green House blog! Here we will document each step in acquiring, rehabbing, moving into, and living in a low carbon impact, highly sustainable urban home. The "we" is Andree Zaleska (41), Community Organizer for the Institute for Policy Studies, and her two boys Kuba (9) and Simon (6), and Ken Ward (51), climate campaign blogger for the national Sierra

JP Green Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162114811626681091noreply@blogger.com0