Sea Change

sea change –noun

1. a striking change, as in appearance, often for the better.
2. any major transformation or alteration.

I could be eating crow on Wednesday morning, but I think the U.S. is on the verge of a political sea change. From my decidedly liberal point of view, if this happens, it could mark our last, best chance to steer our ship of state (and, given our international influence, the world) off a disastrous course to a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable path.

I took my 16-year-old son Jakob to see one of my musical heroes, Neil Young, play at the Xcel in St. Paul on October 14th. Neil’s performance, less than one month shy of his 63rd birthday, was as passionate as any I’ve ever seen. Though the show featured a surprising number of hits (given his predilection to confound fans and critics by following the muse rather than giving them what they want to hear), one of the evening’s highlights for me was a great new, unreleased song, Sea Change, with a powerful groove and timely lyrics (click on the photo above to see and hear an early performance of this song in Coburg, Germany this August). I think we’re ready now.

Sea Change (Neil Young, unreleased, played at Xcel October 14 2008)

Sea change

It’s a transformation of civilization

Sea change

From nation to nation, it’s the age of innovation

Sea change

You can feel it in the air everywhere you go

Sea change

Come on, come on, we got some livin’ to do

It takes love, it takes money,

We’re all in it ’cause we wanna see the light of day

It takes God, it ain’t funny

The next generation’s gonna have to pay

Sea change

Come on, come on, we’re gonna turn this thing around

Sea change

It’s not too late to make a difference right here on the ground

Sea change

I think you’re ready now to ride a sea change

Sea change

Come on, come on

We got some livin’ to do

It takes love, it takes money,

We’re all in it ’cause we wanna see the light of day

It takes God, it ain’t funny

The next generation’s gonna have to pay

Sea change

It’s a transformation of civilization

Sea change

We gotta ride the wave from nation to nation

Sea change

Come on, come on you gotta ride the wave

Sea change

Come on, come on, come on

Sea change

I think you’re ready now

To ride the sea change

Sea change

We got some livin’ to do

I think you’re ready now, ready now, ready now

Hey!

I think you’re ready now

Written by By Bruce Anderson on November 2, 2008 at 10:25 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Getting It Built Cohousing Workshop early registration deadline extended

To give more people the opportunity to benefit from Katie McCamant and Chuck Durrett’s cohousing expertise in these tumultuous, economically challenging times, the organizers of the November 8th-9th Getting It Built Workshop have decided to extend the early registration discounted fee through November 7th. We’d love to have you join us for what promises to be a highly informative two days of interactive learning. For more information, see the workshop flier and registration form.

Whether or not you’re planning to attend the GIB Workshop, be sure to set aside Friday evening, November 7th, for great local food, great local music, and an overview of cohousing when Chuck and Katie present Cohousing: Pushing the Sustainable Neighborhood Development Envelope at the Grand Event Center in Northfield. Hope to see you there!

Written by By Bruce Anderson on October 28, 2008 at 11:47 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

ARTech PV celebration!

A good time was had by all at today’s ARTech solar electric (photovoltaic or PV) celebration. ARTech students Ryan Blankenberg and Kaya Lovestrand (right) led a student project in the 2007-2008 school year that culminated with the installation of a 2.08-kilowatt (kW) PV system this past July. The system provides electricity directly to the school, and includes sophisticated monitoring equipment so that system production, as well as environmental conditions (incoming solar irradiation, wind speed, ambient and panel temperature) can be displayed in real time and archived for analysis.

I played a supporting role in the project, and was thoroughly impressed with the students’ enthusiasm, commitment, willingness to tackle difficult problems, and general stick-to-itiveness.

Their work included fund-raising for the project, including a bike-a-thon, securing local project sponsors, and writing successful grant proposals (to Xcel Energy and the Southeast Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Team (SE CERT), and securing a solar rebate from the Minnesota Office of Energy Security).

Representatives from the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, SE CERT, the Minnesota Office of Energy Security, and other project partners were on hand to celebrate this wonderful student-led project. It’s good to see proof positive such as this that today’s young folks are fired up and ready to make good things happen!

Written by By Bruce Anderson on October 24, 2008 at 3:32 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

One day until Getting It Built Cohousing Workshop early registration deadline

It’s only one day until the early registration deadline for the November 8th-9th Getting It Built Cohousing Workshop! This is a golden opportunity to get an intensive introduction to what it takes to get a cohousing project built from cohousing pioneers Katie McCamant and Chuck Durrett, who have been involved in the design and development of dozens of such projects over the past 20 years. You can register for the workshop until the day it begins, but the cost goes up for registrations postmarked after tomorrow, October 24th.

This workshop will focus on Buffalo Commons Cohousing, the project envisioned for 21 acres on the north edge of Northfield, but essentially all of the material will be equally applicable to any cohousing project anywhere in the US.

For those who don’t know much (or anything) about cohousing, but would like to learn more from Chuck and Katie in a less intensive (and less expensive!) format, be sure to plan to attend Cohousing: Pushing the Sustainable Neighborhood Development Envelope slideshow and gala the evening of November 7th at the Grand Event Center.

To get a sense of what a cohousing community looks like, check out the photos I took at Katie and Chuck’s home cohousing community (which they developed and designed in partnership with the community), Nevada City Cohousing in the Sierra foothills of northern California.

Written by By Bruce Anderson on October 23, 2008 at 1:28 pm | Posted in Cohousing, Community Education and Planning, Community Energy Project Development | Comments (1)

Oak rain barrels: End-of-season SALE

I’ve been making and selling rain barrels made from recycled oak Kentucky bourbon barrels since the spring of 2006, and had some adventures going down to Kentucky twice this spring to pick up and drive back a total of 150 barrels. I’m down to the last 22 barrels of this year’s last batch, and my friends, they gotta go!

If you’ve been admiring these barrels, which grace some of the more sustainable homes/yards in the Northfield area (as well as surrounding communities within 60 miles or so), but have balked at the price, I’m happy to announce an end-of-the-season sale on the remaining barrels. These have been marked down to the rock-bottom price of $139. When they’re gone, they’re gone. I don’t make a lot of money on these barrels, given the logistic difficulties and gyrations involved in procuring and transporting the barrels, so I may or may not continue making these barrels next year. Take a look at the detailed information on these sale-priced barrels, and give me a shout if you’re interested in buying one (or a bunch!).

Written by By Bruce Anderson on October 16, 2008 at 9:19 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)