University of Oregon SOLAR INCIDENTS The Newsletter of the Solar Information Center Vol. 6 No. 3 SPRING 1996 What is the Solar Changing Course Information Center? Water Shortage and Interbasin Water Transfer from the Salween Basin, Thailand. By Atiya Achakulwisut It is a student run Scarcity and Abundance the water is not evaporated or absorbed. In organization sponsored spite of this natural abundance, however, by the ASUO and “In the time of Father King Ram Khamhaeng this land of Thailand now suffers from a shortage of EWEB. The purpose Sukhothai is good. In the waters are fish; in the fields are water. Competition for water among agri- rice.” (Pramoj 1990: 17) -circa 1238 CE of the center is to serve cultural, urban and industrial sectors as well as a research, educa- This stone inscription, dating back over 700 as upstream and downstream users is in- tion, and information years to Sukhotha, an ancient kingdom of the tense. Competition is normally heightened center on solar energy Thai, thoroughly captures the people’s percep- from November to May, when the monsoon and alternative ener- tion of their resources. Never did the Thai rain gives way to a long dry season. Water scarcity is most critical in the gies, and their applica- people imagine that the abundance would de- Central Plain of Thailand. Surrounded by tions in architecture cline, that one day the cornucopia of fish and rice would be a mere myth and that the water mountains to the west, north and east, the and technology. would run dry. central region consists mostly of the Chao One of its vital func- Located in the tropical zone to the south Phraya basin, the largest in Thailand. The tions is to sponsor a of China and to the west of India (see map page area is characterized by flood plains and lecture series on local, 8), peninsular Thailand has an abundance of lowlands suitable for rice production. Known regional and global freshwater. It is nurtured by 25 major rivers, as the “ricebowl of Thailand,” this heartland energy issues to with enough rain—an average of 800 million includes farm lands, rice fields, industries promote a higher cubic meters per year—to hold a 1.7 meter-high and Bangkok—the country’s capital and most flood throughout the country, provided that urbanized city. awareness toward Continued on p. 8 conservation and renewable energy. The Bioregionalism in the Realm of Architecture, Part III center also provides an by Mark Serhus in-house information source of books, This is the last of a three-part series on bioregionalism and architecture. The first part, which appeared periodicals, abstracts, in the Fall issue originated as a term paper for a Political Science class, “The Politics of Ecology”. The proceedings, topic- second part expounded on the merits of bioregionalism in architecture and how bioregionalism may well files, and product-files. develop into a discernible vernacular style. In this part, I set out to explore the economic parameters of material products selection in light of a bioregional ethic. SPECIAL THANKS A Unique Way of Living TO EWEB FOR Visualize María Hernández walking away from the rail stop towards the Sabin THEIR CONTINUED neighborhood where she lives. A cool breeze blows through the Rose Quarter Arboretum off SUPPORT! the Willamette River and the smell of alder and jasmine hint the promise of a sunny warm summer ahead. She is returning from a Sustainable Arts Workshop where she demonstrated the latest clean air technology. She walks along a wide pedestrian path lined with community gardens. The elaborate raised garden beds are constructed out of chunks of the asphalt and Continued on p. 2 Bioregionalism Continued from p. 1 concrete that years ago had ernment can no longer sell the envi- their purpose as a ballast for ronment for the right to pollute or S the internal combustion devastate. Integrated environmental transportation network. management and sustainable living As she steps into her home are the biggest “industries”. for the first time in 10 hours it is warm Bioregionalism is the domi- SOLAR and light, a comfort. She checks the nant political paradigm that allows INFORMATION air quality monitors, then heads to her social and economic growth within indoor garden to harvest dinner. the carrying capacity of the land while CENTER This is her domain. A fully being supplemented by inter- 219 Pacific Hall sustainable home that provides her bioregional trade. Nation states have University of Oregon with all of her needs to live. Her home given way to region states that have (541) 346-3696 is totally dependent on the climate situated themselves with the neces- e-mail: [email protected] and the land that it rests. Her house sary critical mass to be self-reliant http://darkwing. catches drinking water from the sky; and prudent regional traders. uoregon.edu~sic/ runs appliances and grows food from Bioregionalism “is not utter the light rays of the sun; regenerates self-sufficiency or the end of trade, her consumer wastes for permaculture but a self-reliance in basic provisions Directors: reuse; and maintains the warm ambi- for reasons including community se- ROSS LEVENTHAL ent air with highly insulative walls JASON McLENNAN curity, ecological sustainability and and thermally sustaining mass. personal fulfillment. While not ab- Staff: Doing business at home is the juring material comfort, most ARIENNE BUFFUM norm for sustaining households. Us- bioregionalists advocate some level SANDRA LEIBOWITZ ing the internet not only to communi- of voluntary simplicity; viewing mod- CHARLES LINK cate but to sustain herself economi- MATTHEW SWETT ern consumerism as evidence of a REIKO UCHINDA cally, she earns “light points” for of- spiritual void left by the shattering of JASON WILKINSON fering valuable information on the human communities and their con- “economic domain network”. She will nection with nature. Restoration of Interns: use her earnings to trade material re- community life within the greater ATIYA ACHAKULWISUT sources and to barter for health ser- CORYON REDD community of nature is the core goal vices. It is the year 2147, gone are the of bioregionalism” (Mazza). Volunteers: neoclassical economic models of the The architecture of this LARA DOWNS past. bioregional culture is the model of RON MILAN The monetary, commodities the society. This bioregional archi- THERESE PEFFER and corporate systems have vanished. ROBERTO SERRALLES tecture would ELIZA BETH SHERMAN Autonomous communities have risen (1) reflect local resources VALERIE WEDEL from the age of ecological demise. (2) be built to benefit from Forever gone are the days of transfer- the climate (not just withstand it) Advisors: ring our ecological problems across (3) embrace a local culture JOHN BALDWIN space (shipping nuclear waste, build- G.Z. BROWN (4)stylistically reflect re- VIRGINIA CARTWRIGHT ing smokestacks), across time (pass- sources, climate, and culture in much DAVID McDANIELS ing it onto the next generation), and the same way that ancient vernacular ROB PEÑA through a visual change (burning, architecture has done. JOHN REYNOLDS burying or land-filling wastes). These CHUCK RUSCH are the days when the ideas of the STEPHEN STILL The Ecological Truth WILL STURGES architects Pliny Fisk, Sim Van der Ryn, The fictional story about FRANK VIGNOLA and Buckminister Fuller have come to María is the prophetic end to an era light. The ultimate resource is human where society asked, “how long will ingenuity. we continue to do things the old This is the day not only when way?” It will take decades to change green is good, but essential for exist- our typical day-to-day ways in this ence. Social ecology pervades society consumer based society. The place to as people witness a co-evolution be- start is to identify who and where we tween humankind and nature. Gov- are. 2 Stuart Cowan of the Ecological (2) Impact analysis Design Institute urges designers to de- attempts to weigh the data New Library fine their “ecological footprint”. In the from the inventory analysis 96 keynote speech at the annual meeting based on the relative impor- Lists in Progress of the Architects, Designers, and Plan- tance of the environmental effects The Solar Information ners for Social Responsibility he quotes that they quantify (Spicer); Center Library List, the work of Canadian planners Will- (3) Improvement analysis which currently iam Rees and Mathis Wackernagel: allows for the redesign of the product, process or activity. includes over 150 book “They reckon that a typical Vancouverite re- Impact analysis will be highly titles, will be expanded quires 2.7 acres for food, 1.2 acres for forest subjective—though necessary—for this spring to include products, and 8.6 acres for bio-mass based fuels. critical ecological judgments to be periodicals, reports, Extrapolating these figures to the Bay Area, it made. Another option would be to would take a piece of ecologically productive and videos as well as land the size of California to renewably provide investigate how a material’s by-prod- new book titles. for just the food, forest products, and fuel for the uct could be generated as a resource, Once completed, this Bay Area!” not as a waste. The LCA materials new information will and process accounting model could We have entered an age of eco- well endure as the ecological guide- appear at our website, logical enlightenment where we as de- line of how our built environments along with the cur- signers are questioning conventions. impact our bioregion and the rently on-line book list. Designers are discovering that the bot- bioregion to which the materials are All are welcome to use tom line, lowest bidder, and the “most indigenous. LCA is an excellent ex- the library during popular is the cheapest” mentality is ample of how professionals outside of regular office hours; costing our society greatly.