Night on the trail, Vermont Semester, by Margaret Stearns

ENERGY
Bio Fuel at Kroka: A year ago we purchased a diesel VW Jetta with the plan of converting it to bio fuel. As of today the car has been running on Bio Diesel for six months. Our Jetta has gotten up to 55 miles to the gallon! Vegetable fuel has numerous environmental advantages over fossil fuel. Currently there is a lot of used vegetable oil and animal fat being wasted. By using it as a fuel we are recycling a waste product and converting it into energy.While we recognize that it will not be a good idea to grow crops for fuel in the long run, today vegetable fuel represents the best immediate solution to fossil fuels. Kroka has its own small fuel station at the Putney office. Many people in the community are filling up their cars at Kroka. Any diesel vehicle can run on bio diesel without any modifi- cation. Soon there will be commercially available bio diesel fuel at the pump of your local gas station.

Now that we have successfully tested this fuel option, our next step will be to get bio diesel transportation for our students! There are two types of vehicles with diesel engines for us to consider: a 15 passenger Ford van or a 15 passenger mini bus.We will be able to have a fuel station at the base camp and we can explore producing our own fuel using waste oil from restaurants. This will also be a great learning opportunity for Kroka students. This exciting initiative will require a significant investment, since a used diesel bus in good condition will cost about $15,000. It will take the goodwill of a donor or foundation to make this conversion possible. This is a concrete step towards a better world and we hope that members of the Kroka community will help.

How you can help:

• Make a special gift to Kroka’s Biodiesel Fuel Transition Fund. With your donation we will begin saving towards a diesel bus.
• Write a grant for Kroka. There are foundations eager to support the conversion to Biodiesel Fuel.

Cooking and Heating: All of our cooking and heating is done with wood. Wood is a locally abundant and renewable energy source that, if harvested sustainably, will always be available for heating and cooking.

Water: A hand pump takes drinking water from a shallow well. At our upper camps drinking water is gathered directly from the natural spring.

Sawdust Composting Toilets: Our simple and effective composting system returns nutrients to the Earth, while using no water, electricity or technology. We save, on average, 300 gallons of water per day of the season.

Food: We purchase locally produced, organic food whenever possible. This year we started a small garden. Eventually our garden will expand to grow much of our food and all students will spend time working in the garden.While in the field, we supplement our diet with wild plants, berries, mushrooms and fish.

Waste: We strive to minimize waste by carefully choosing our organizational purchases, by reusing and recycling what we can. All food scraps are composted on a humanure pile behind the outhouse. At this point our operations generate a minimal amount of non-recyclable waste. Most of our garbage comes from cleaning up along trails and rivers during programs.

DWELLINGS
Equipment Barn: The sills are made of naturally rotresistant Black Locust. The frame is Hemlock, and siding is White Pine. All wood is locally harvested and milled. Roofing is made of Green Certified Maine White Cedar. The whole barn was designed and built by parentvolunteer Hugh Landis.

Gamma: The Gamma is a traditional dwelling of the Saami people of Norway. Teachers Chris and Ashirah Knapp, with the help of Thomas Dammer built Kroka’s Gamma. The structure is made of White Cedar poles and naturally curved arches. It is covered with recycled rubber and a layer of sod. The sod provides insulation in both summer and winter. The grass will continue to grow and the whole house will remain alive. Traditionally, birch bark was used instead of rubber. Currently, we do not have large or abundant enough birch trees to give us the amount of bark needed to cover the whole house.

Tipis: These traditional Native American lodges are made of canvas and pine poles. Dead standing pines were chosen and peeled by staff. The canvas Tipi covers were sewn by Tentsmiths, a small company in Conway, NH.

Wall Tents: There are several canvas wall tents set up at camp. They serve as logistics tents and student housing. They all have been recycled from Canada, some of them dating back to 1964. Originally, these tents were used by the Canadian Geological Survey.

Office: Kroka’s office in Putney is housed in the Barn at Lynne and Misha’s house. Ric Mohr and Misha built the barn. The walls and ceiling are super-insulated with cellulose, made out of recycled newspaper, and a wood stove heats the office. Office space incorporates natural lighting, reducing the need for electricity and saving people’s eyes. Office paper is made of recycled fibers and hemp.We use recycled office supplies.We work in association with many businesses who share our environmental commitment to help us with graphic design, publications, web site development and other areas of business.

Camp Store: All of the profits from our camp store bene- fit our scholarship fund.We only choose to sell items that are made sustainably, which takes into consideration materials, origin of manufacture, the way people are compensated for their work, durability and usefulness of the item.Many items in our store are designed and made by local people, while other items are made of organic or recycled materials.

Equipment: We choose equipment that is manufactured in a socially and ecologically responsible way, and search for the most durable and long lasting items.Whenever possible we buy from small companies.

These are just some examples of Kroka’s commitment to sustainability, which penetrates all of the spheres of our lives as teachers and students. We encourage you to join us in honoring our beautiful world.

Artwork on this page,Wilderness Reflections from the Canadian
Expedition, by Olivia Bailey. Livi is a Kroka graduate and currently a freshman at Middlebury College.