For Your Sustainability

In the William Shakespeare play “HAMLET” our proud and distraught prince, while rifling through some books in the library exclaimed “Words, words, words.” This scene came to mind while I was waiting for my wife at the Library Center and had just finished a service call on a wood stove. The wood stove checked out to be fine, however, the wood the homeowner was using did not.

I have a few service calls a year on wood stoves and more times than not it is not the stove that is the problem but the wood; Ah ha, a blog is born.

So lets talk wood! In particular let us talk about the wood we plan to burn. First, we need to acquire the wood either by purchasing it or by going out in the back forty to retrieve it. When purchasing wood you will want to ask some key questions and perform some simple tests. How long has it been since the tree was cut into firewood? How long has it been curing or drying? What type of wood is it? Has the wood ever been treated? How do you cure or dry the wood? The answers to these questions are very important. Firewood should be cured for 1.5 years.

Question one and two seems like the same question yet it is not. They may have chopped the tree down 2 years ago for firewood but have only been curing it for six months, so it is important to ask both the questions. The answer to what type of wood is it will let you know several things. If it is a hard wood like oak, apple, hickory etc. that will tell you that it will burn hotter and last longer than a soft wood like spruce, pine, fir. The answer will also tell you if it would be beneficial if it were split wood (It is quite difficult to burn hard woods, when starting a fire or when you have a low fire, that have not been split). You never want to burn treated wood indoors or in a wood stove. Treated wood can and will give off toxic fumes and may burn too hot for a wood stove. The firewood should be covered to protect it from snow and rain. If the firewood is stored outside the top should be covered with the ends open and stored off the ground in order to let it breath or in the event it does get wet. The test you will want to perform is to check for moisture content of the wood. Easiest way to see if the wood is dry is to examine it. If the wood has a network of cracks on the ends that is a good sign the wood might be dry. Pick up two pieces of wood and strike them together. If the wood makes a cracking sound the wood is fairly dry however if you get a thud sound it might be best to find another source because this wood is obviously wet. One last thing you can do to test if the wood is dry would be to take a core sample. Most people do not do this, and that is fine, so long as you do the other test.

Burning of wet wood is the usual suspect when someone tells me that the wood stove they purchased from me is not getting hot or is not working properly.

It is almost impossible to burn a non-split hard wood that is wet. Wet wood also promotes the build up of creosote (the main substance that ignites when one has a chimney fire) which is a very dangerous mixture of toxins, gases, and water which will build up in your chimney very quickly if you are burning wet wood. Another concern to burning wet wood is the pollution it emits into environment. If you see a chimney and black smoke is bellowing out of it you could pretty well guess they are burning wet wood. Firewood should have a moisture content of under 20%.

OK, easy enough, right? So lets talk about harvesting your own wood. As a Naturalist I like to give a land owner a new thought on how he/she might want to look at harvesting their wood. First I would ask myself if I can retrieve enough wood from fallen trees or broken branches. If that answer is yes, I have a much easier day ahead of me and will be easily done by lunch. The only thing I will want to keep in mind is to not remove a possible habitat for a wintering fox, rabbit or other creatures. If the answer is no I have a much longer and tiring day ahead.

Which tree to cut down is the question posed to me. Do I go for the maple that is being crowded out by the oaks? The maple might have a tough time in future years. Do I cut one of the healthy oaks? I do have plenty of oaks! Maybe I should cut the diseased pine? Decisions, decisions, decisions! The diseased pine is a dinner table to quite a few species it seems and the disease seems to be regulated to this one tree. Might be a good candidate for next year so for now I will leave it. I have only a few maples, so for diversity sake I will leave it as well. That leaves the oak! Good old hard oak! I believe I will cut the one closest to the maple and maybe one day it will thrive.

Be warm,

Michael Baird

417-209-3227

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For Your Sustainability

We are ready for Spring!  You know what “They” (whoever they are) say, “February is the shortest and the longest month of the year.”  All this cold weather and snow have been a bit much for us.  We are ready to ride our bicycles and dig in the garden!

We are surely not alone in our desire for sunshine and more temperate weather.  The Lawn & Garden Show in Springfield was wall to wall people yesterday.  That is a good sign on a number of levels.  People are interested in gardens, people want to learn something new and people are increasing their consumer confidence.  We observed a lot of commerce being conducted in the E*Plex – that is a very good thing for all of us!

Well Fed Neighbor turned 1 year old this weekend and has started the 10,000 garden campaign.  Here are a few of us at the site of the very first of the initial 1000 gardens at the Springfield Fair Grounds.  Thanks to Dianna Russell for taking our picture!

February 20, 2010 Well Fed Neighbor

Things are good here for us and we are here for you and your sustainability.  We have some very exciting announcements on the horizon.  Stay tuned!

It is still a good time to install a wood stove and not one bit too early to install a Solar Attic Fan to save 30% on your cooling cost.

Give Michael a call at 417-209-3227.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

The turn of a new year has always been a time of planning and reflection for us. We take the day to contemplate where we have been and who we have become over the past year. We also focus on where we are going and who are becoming.

We, like many of you, are working on our sustainability dreams. Some of these processes may be as simple as having a cup of tea with the new seed catalog. There is nothing like dreaming of summer veggies on a snowy day. Other planning may come while going over expenses from 2009. Were your heating bills out of control last winter? Still have incandescent bulbs in many of your fixtures? Are your electric rates on the rise?  Concerned about power outages? Home improvement projects on the horizon? We are happy to be a part of the achievement of your personal sustainability.

Michael & Teri Leigh Baird

417-209-3227 or 417-209-3200

For Your Sustainability

As we all wrap up 2009 with a pretty little recycled bow, we wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to you.

You have made our business fun!  Whether it was your well timed question that helped us grow our knowledge base, your request for a new product to add to our solutions, your encouragement, or your trust in us to help you plan for your own sustainability.

Napoleon 1450 Wood Stove

We are very excited for how our business has evolved.  We started out with a locally manufactured wind turbine and now have a nice selection of American made renewable energy products and services for your sustainability!

Wind Turbine

As the year comes to a close, we are open for business!  There is still time to prepare for your sustainability before the end of the year!

We also wish to remind you of the tax credits and incentives available to you before the close of 2009.  Please click here to take advantage of the savings.

However you choose to celebrate, may your holiday season be filled with warmth, comfort and joy!

Michael & Teri Leigh Baird

417-209-3227 / 417-209-3200

Wind : Solar : Organics

Michael Glade Baird

This is a question I have been thinking about for the past several months, that and how does it translate into one’s own sustainability. So the question that kept popping into my head was “what is Freedom?”

I am free to vote. I am free to voice my opinion. I am free to own a car and property. I am free to travel and so on and so forth, but does that truly make me free? At first thought I would say yes, but after further consideration I believe I, like many, are living a life of illusion.

Why do I say this? How can I be living a life full of smoke and mirrors? It can not be that bad, I am healthy, happy (for the most part), eek out a living and want for naught, right? Maybe the better question here is, I am free to a point and if I am sustainable then that would make me truly free. There is just one problem with this line of thinking, again like most people, I am not 100% sustainable so how could I then be possibly free? “Houston we have a problem!” I now realize I need to look at my own sustainability, lifestyle and environment to decipher this code of lies. Fine. Let us begin. Do I own my own home, “yes”, ummm “No” the bank owns it. Alright, well I own my own car…..Sorry, wrong again, my Credit Union owns that. Water, water is free! Nope, wrong again, I pay the city for that as well. Heat, we all need heat and I used to own a wood stove and all the trees required for fuel…Used to Own! I have solar for my energy consumption, but alas, not for all of it! My car is powered by gas, which I do not produce. Ah Ha, I grow my own food!….Yeah about 20% of it, the rest is coming from 1500 miles away…Damn! We own a sewing machine and all the fabric ever needed for our clothing….Yes, a victory….which is short lived due to it’s need for electricity. I do not grow enough herbs for medicine. I do not have a creek, pond or any water supply on my property (unless an irrigation system counts), of course it does not when it is the city’s water.

I now see my own life illusion. To be truly free one must produce and outright own his/her own energy, food, clothing, fuel, water, home, land, heat, transportation, and medicine. We are not free if others own and control our most basic needs to survive. We can only be truly free if we are completely sustainable in all facets of our lives. To this, I strive to be, it will be my main mission in life to once and for all be TRULY FREE!

- Michael Baird

417-209-3227

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Wind : Solar : Organics

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We are excited and passionate about Green, Renewable Energy and how it plays such a powerful role in our lives, environment and for future generations.

Here at GladeWinds we are enthusiastic about what we do and the relationships we build with our clients.

GladeWinds offers small and mid scale wind turbines, towers, a vast array (pun intended) of solar products, organic lawn & garden products, wind powered web hosting, professional consulting services for both business and residential, and safe installation.

We trust you will find this site helpful and perhaps even a little enlightening.

We look forward to assisting you with your sustainability needs!

Our Mission
Educate our clients, local government and non-profit organizations on the benefits of clean, renewable energies.
Encourage sustainability so that our local communities will be self-sufficient and economically sound.
Provide our clients with quality products, consulting and installation that best suits their needs.

Who is our customer?
Anyone who needs reliable, accurate information regarding wind and solar applications.  Those of you who would like to minimize or eliminate high utility costs and future rate increases or simply be less dependent on your utility company.  Also, all of the folks who would like to explore other practices in energy conservation and environmental sustainability for their homes or businesses.

About “Green” Energy
There are several types of energies that fall under this term.  GladeWinds’ expertise is with wind and solar technologies as well as organic lawn & garden practices.  We also know a thing or three about the hearth industry.  Geothermal and Hydroelectric are other great alternatives to your energy needs.  Please let us know if we can help!

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The #1 question we hear is “How much does it cost to get off the grid?”

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The reality is that everyone is different and there are many variables.

We now have the core solution that is fully expandable for your needs and budget.

We are calling this the heart & soul of alternative energy and it will run everything in your home including air conditioning!

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Call Michael today at 417-209-3227 to discuss how you can get off the grid or use the grid to your advantage today!

Last week, people filled The Moxie in Springfield, MO to see the new film Food, Inc. People were so moved by the shocking truths revealed in the documentary they are now seeking sources of safe food to feed their families.

I received a number of calls and e-mails asking where they could purchase organically grown produce, grass fed beef, free range chicken, fresh eggs, etc.

The answer is at your local farmers market!

I told the people how we are vendors at several area farmers markets with our wares (locally produced wind turbines, solar systems & certified organic products for the lawn & garden) and we do a good part of our grocery shopping at these markets while we are there.

A question arose from several of the callers that I did not anticipate. “How, exactly, does one shop at a farmers market?” These fine folks had never been to a farmers market and had no idea how the whole adventure works. They are accustomed to shopping at the ubiquitous big box store and do not know how to go about doing business with local producers.

Since I know that for every person who asks the question, there are ten who are wondering in the background, here is how exactly to do business at a farmers market.

1. Find a farmers market. Farmers markets come in all shapes and sizes from four vendors to over 100 vendors and vary from one time to the next as you will see some vendors every time and others occasionally. For a list of farmers markets in Missouri visit http://agebb.missouri.edu/fmktdir/index.htm. If you are outside of Missouri, simply Google “farmers market, city, state”.

2. Bring your own basket. Some vendors have recycled plastic shopping bags, but you will be eco-friendlier if you bring your own market basket or tote bags. You will also receive friendlier service as when a vendor sees someone with their own bag or basket, that signals to the vendor the person is a serious shopper.

3. Bring cash. Most vendors only accept cash. Some will take checks and fewer still will accept credit cards. Small bills are most appreciated. While every vendor hopes every customer has $100 in their pocket to spend, it is difficult for the vendors to break a hundred and have enough change for their other customers. At the same time, if you only have a large bill in your pocket, the vendor will do all he or she can to make change for you.

4. Talk with the vendors and ask questions. Do ask about the vendor’s merchandise. Ask how it may be used or prepared. Ask how long it keeps fresh. If it is a quiet market, feel free to engage the vendor in conversation. At the same time, please remember the farmers market is the vendor’s temporary store and as such please allow the vendor to conduct transactions with other customers.

5. If you are shopping for produce it is perfectly appropriate to ask if the vendor grew it themselves (some do, some don’t). Also ask how it was grown (fertilizing methods, pest control products). You will seldom, if ever, find a farmers market vendor with certified organic produce. This is because the certification itself costs over $5000. That does not mean it was not organically grown – that is why you may ask about fertilizers and pest controls. Your sensitivities may be different than mine and as such different than the grower. Personally, I prefer my produce to be fertilized and pest controlled with vegan methods (no animal fertilizers or chemicals). Please do not try to “educate” the vendor by telling them how to grow their crops. It is not the time or the place. Simply tell the vendor “Thank you” and move on to the next vendor. If enough people vote with their pocketbooks, there will be more organically grown produce to choose from in the future.

6. Yes, you will even find vendors with meat, eggs & even raw milk at a farmers market. Again, talk with the vendors and make the right choices for you and your family.

7. Back to money, please bring enough cash with you as if you were grocery shopping (because you are). Some grocery trips are only a few dollars and others are a couple of hundred. Please plan accordingly as vendors hear every time at least one person who says “Oh, I want this, but I already spent all of my cash. Will you be here next time?”

8. Beyond money is price and value. You will be pleasantly surprised by the more than reasonable price of most farmers market products. Just last Thursday evening at the Ozark Farmers Market, I purchased a very large bag of veggies for only $7! This was from a grower who uses vegan practices – delicious! Think about how much you pay per pound for green beans that have been trucked an average of 1500 miles to your local big box grocery and you will see the value in the green beans that were lovingly picked that very day for you!

9. What else can you find at a farmers market? Coffee, fruit, produce, plants, kitchen items, breads, gift items, baked goods, baby farm animals, music, eco-products….pretty much anything! You never know what you will find, so keep an open mind and a flexible menu plan!

10. Above all else, remember by supporting your local farmers market, you are not only putting good food on your family’s table, you are also helping our local economy.