SAN IGNACIO MERCHANT LOSES HIS CONTRABAND INVESTMENT.
The military in Guatemala had a road block check point by Paxcaman, just over the border in the PETEN. Ostensibly to catch drug shipments, going North intransit by USA buying syndicates of criminal gangs within the USA.
Unfortunately, they stopped a truck and driver, one 22 year old Victor Manuel Osorio Sarceno. We are not sure if the contrabandista was Guatemalan or Belizean? We do know he bought his load OF 140 sacks of white sugar, bought from a San Ignacio Town merchant, here in Western Belize. No harm in that though. It was white sugar made in Belize. Gets a higher price in Guatemala at the capital of the STATE of Peten.
Both the truck and the 140 sacks of white sugar were confiscated. Hope the San Ignacio merchant sold his load HERE for cash, in Belize?
A year or more back, the Mennonites tell me they only sell corn to the GUATEMALANS for contraband, if they pay CIF in Belize. They let the GUATS take the chance of smuggling across the border.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Maskal town, BELIZE, single policeman unable to control GANG of hoodlums terrorizing community.
HOODLUM GANG OF BAD GUYS, DESTROY PEACE AND HARMONY OF MASKAL COMMUNITY. ONE LONE POLICEMAN IS AFRAID AND UNABLE TO CONTROL THE SITUATION. COMMUNITY PEOPLE PLEAD WITH POLICE FOR REINFORCEMENTS.
NOW here is a genuine reason for the GSU to operate outside of the port city. Where are they when you need them?
NOW here is a genuine reason for the GSU to operate outside of the port city. Where are they when you need them?
MAGNETIC NORTH POLE SHIFTS THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HUDSON BAY, CANADA, TO RUSSIAN SIBERIA.
Interior of planet Earth, our home a moving space station, in space.
MAGNETIC NORTH POLE HAS SHIFTED 4000 MILES FROM HUDSON BAY NORTH OF CANADA, TO RUSSIAN SIBERIA.
So what are the facts:
Since 1860, the magnetic pole shift has more than doubled every 50 years.
During the past 150 years, the pole shift has been in the same direction.
During the past 10 years, the magnetic north pole has shifted nearly half of the total distance of the past 50 years!
Pole Shift has more than doubled each of the last 50 years.
_____________________________________________________
What they see mimics the real Earth: The magnetic field waxes and wanes, poles drift and, occasionally, flip. Change is normal, they've learned. And no wonder. The source of the field, the outer core, is itself seething, swirling, turbulent. "It's chaotic down there," notes Glatzmaier. The changes we detect on our planet's surface are a sign of that inner chaos.
They've also learned what happens during a magnetic flip. Reversals take a few thousand years to complete, and during that time--contrary to popular belief--the magnetic field does not vanish. "It just gets more complicated," says Glatzmaier. Magnetic lines of force near Earth's surface become twisted and tangled, and magnetic poles pop up in unaccustomed places. A south magnetic pole might emerge over Africa, for instance, or a north pole over Tahiti. Weird. But it's still a planetary magnetic field, and it still protects us from space radiation and solar storms.
see caption
Above: Supercomputer models of Earth's magnetic field. On the left is a normal dipolar magnetic field, typical of the long years between polarity reversals. On the right is the sort of complicated magnetic field Earth has during the upheaval of a reversal. [more]
And, as a bonus, Tahiti could be a great place to see the Northern Lights. In such a time, Larry Newitt's job would be different. Instead of shivering in Resolute Bay, he could enjoy the warm South Pacific, hopping from island to island, hunting for magnetic poles while auroras danced overhead.
Sometimes, maybe, a little change can be a good thing.
BELIZE - USA NEEDS TO WATCH IT´S STEP WITH THE MILITARY OF GUATEMALA?
BELIZEANS PONDER THE REQUEST BY THE NEW MILITARY GENERAL/PRESIDENT, REQUESTING USA MILITARY AID TO HIS COUNTRY.
The request by the new President of Guatemala makes Belizeans feel very uncomfortable. The new President, a retired General was a senior member of the Intelligence Department for the military, during all the killings in Guatemala. I knew a few of those colonels personally as friends. They freely admitted that the military of THAT time was a behind the scenes government, and acted as a MILITARY MAFIA and a colonel would be a senior CAPO on New York parlance reference, which they used with me describing themselves back during that time. The policy of the MAFIA, or military of that time, was to extort money, kill suspected opponents, or kill anybody that got in the way of their activities, just like the more familiar five NY mafia families. Their relatives got the senior government jobs.
It is very worrisome that this new Guatemalan President, who would have been a CAPO back at that time, but with whatever his military rank was back then on active duty. Given that there is on the TV NEWS big stories in Latin America, about the President of Salvador visiting the site of a town massacred ( over a 1000 men, women and children by a USA financed special battalion and trained by them, brings back horrorible memories of a war now past )
BELIZE a friendly neighbor of the past few GUATEMALAN PRESIDENTS look askance in horror, that includes even the idea, BIG BROTHER in the USA is going to finance and train once again, the Guatemalan military. Drug gangs or no! We have no objection to the USA providing support in communications intercepts, cell phones, walkie talkies and such, used by DRUG GANGS in Guatemala. But anything else is going to destablize all the good work of civilian governments throughout Central America that have built their economies, their civil societies, over the last 15 years, based on a PEACE platform. GUATEMALA must find it´s own solutions to dealing with gangs. Those solutions must be financed by their own resources, meager as they are. To finance the Guatemalan military is to re-build a military mafia, behind the scenes again in Guatemala. That is our FEAR and thought. The USA needs to tread lightly here, with military aid requests. Central America do not need this, nor want this either. The PEACE and euilibrium we have found in our respective countries, has been done without the military of the past, and has been working well, and democracy has taken strong hold in Central America.
The best thing THAT EVER HAPPENED to GUATEMALA was the downsizing of the Military there. After that happened, DEMOCRACY bloomed in that country. To reverse that course, would be truly IMPERIALISTIC, as Chavez is often quoted as saying.
To choose between DRUG GANGS and an expanded MILITARY IN GUATEMALA, the DRUG GANGS are the lesser evil. If the USA wants to give military aid, do so to your local state governments in the USA, and tackle the source of ALL OUR DRUG PROBLEMS in Central America. Get rid of the drug gangs in the USA.
The request by the new President of Guatemala makes Belizeans feel very uncomfortable. The new President, a retired General was a senior member of the Intelligence Department for the military, during all the killings in Guatemala. I knew a few of those colonels personally as friends. They freely admitted that the military of THAT time was a behind the scenes government, and acted as a MILITARY MAFIA and a colonel would be a senior CAPO on New York parlance reference, which they used with me describing themselves back during that time. The policy of the MAFIA, or military of that time, was to extort money, kill suspected opponents, or kill anybody that got in the way of their activities, just like the more familiar five NY mafia families. Their relatives got the senior government jobs.
It is very worrisome that this new Guatemalan President, who would have been a CAPO back at that time, but with whatever his military rank was back then on active duty. Given that there is on the TV NEWS big stories in Latin America, about the President of Salvador visiting the site of a town massacred ( over a 1000 men, women and children by a USA financed special battalion and trained by them, brings back horrorible memories of a war now past )
BELIZE a friendly neighbor of the past few GUATEMALAN PRESIDENTS look askance in horror, that includes even the idea, BIG BROTHER in the USA is going to finance and train once again, the Guatemalan military. Drug gangs or no! We have no objection to the USA providing support in communications intercepts, cell phones, walkie talkies and such, used by DRUG GANGS in Guatemala. But anything else is going to destablize all the good work of civilian governments throughout Central America that have built their economies, their civil societies, over the last 15 years, based on a PEACE platform. GUATEMALA must find it´s own solutions to dealing with gangs. Those solutions must be financed by their own resources, meager as they are. To finance the Guatemalan military is to re-build a military mafia, behind the scenes again in Guatemala. That is our FEAR and thought. The USA needs to tread lightly here, with military aid requests. Central America do not need this, nor want this either. The PEACE and euilibrium we have found in our respective countries, has been done without the military of the past, and has been working well, and democracy has taken strong hold in Central America.
The best thing THAT EVER HAPPENED to GUATEMALA was the downsizing of the Military there. After that happened, DEMOCRACY bloomed in that country. To reverse that course, would be truly IMPERIALISTIC, as Chavez is often quoted as saying.
To choose between DRUG GANGS and an expanded MILITARY IN GUATEMALA, the DRUG GANGS are the lesser evil. If the USA wants to give military aid, do so to your local state governments in the USA, and tackle the source of ALL OUR DRUG PROBLEMS in Central America. Get rid of the drug gangs in the USA.
Monday, January 16, 2012
HOW TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY, CHEAPER THAN MEXICAN IMPORTED ELECTRICITY FOR A BUSINESS IN BELIZE. - WATER WHEEL ELECTRICITY.
HOW TO MAKE A COMPANY AND EQUIPMENT TO PRODUCE AND SELL ELECTRICITY TO BEL, FOR THE NATIONAL GRID, CHEAPER THAN WHAT WE BUY IT FROM OIL BASED SUPPLIES OF ELECTRICITY FROM CHETUMAL, MEXICO.
Well I have been exploring various ways of making electricity. The latest idea is an undershot water wheel, using 19th century technology. So far, I have calculated that a paddle wheeler, as in a Pelton turbine bucket system, would be the easiest way to go. Making a 12 foot diameter wheel, and where to find the materials to do so is running through my mind at present. 12 feet diameter for ease of servicing. Also the buckets, or paddles would have to be the Pelton slope design, but last night thinking about it, I think you could built it, the flat paddle wheel design, but with sides and the end blocked. There is an argument about efficiencies being increased by the Pelton bucket design and some engineers claim the efficiency is doubled. I believe if you get over 70% efficiency it would be hard to beat. I think you could do that with a flat bucket design, with sides, made of wood, instead of round.
There is some thought a guy in WALES proposed, making wheels out of plastic, or fiberglass. Using the Poncelot design. Which is the same as the chevron treads on truck tires. The whole idea to increase efficiency, by drawing out the maximum kinetic energy of moving water at 1 mph.
19TH CENTURY TECHNOLOGY
The BURDEN water wheel produced 250 hp and was 62 feet in diameter and 22 feet wide in the energy area of the moving water.
There was one made in the 19th century that had a diameter of 50 ft and contained 120 bucket paddles around the diameter that produced 120 hp in torque. The buckets were the size of two - 55 gallon drums. It is hard to find data on horsepower and production kilowatts ability from the torque of paddle and bucket UNDERSHOT WATERWHEELS.
I went down to the Belize River by the Spanish Lookout ferry on Saturday morning and measured the current flow at 1 mph at the time. So I expect in deep enough water to turn a water wheel, you might get between a variation through the year, of 1 to 4 mph from the water flow.
Which brings me back to my side interest of SKILLS EDUCATION and the ability to green sand cast in Belize, a sprocketed wheel with teeth, of the diameters you would want to turn a generator. They make generators in the city that Desai is living in over in India. At the moment I do not know the type I would need, or the power available. No, I would prefer not to use leather belts, which are as difficult to get in Belize than anything else.
The bigger the diameter and width the more power you can produce. With a paddle bucket the size of half a 55 gallon drum made out of wood, I calculate approximately you might be able to produce 20 kw with a 12 foot wheel. This is a best guess estimate at the moment. Until you experiment you would never know. Then there is the idea of putting 4 such paddle wheels on the same shaft, beside each other, on a floating catamaran set of multiple floats, or perhaps you could make wheels behind each other and run them seperately turning seperate generators, such as washing machine motors? How to cut the building cost and get the maximum horsepower and kilowatts as a cost effective excercise is running through my mind currently and am simply solving the problems ONE by ONE. Theoretically! From local materials. The 19th century saw the maximum increase in water wheel technology but it goes back to a couple of centuries before CHRIST. They still build them in the USA, as tourist attractions. A water wheel, runs for about 30 years and probably is abandoned, because the owner died and the kids have moved on to the cities.
The framework made of wood, or metal ( not sure what is available and what types ).
For shaft bearings, I have been puzzling how to use a pipe shaft for the water wheel, or wheels in parallel on ths same shaft, by welding up a couple of bearing covers that can be tightened, and have local LIGNUM VITEA self oil producing hardwood pieces, used on nucleur submarine propeller shafts for the pipe to turn inside of. No need for commercial mass produced bearings. I used to use shaft bearings on my boats I made of Cabbage Bark and they worked fine. You got about an eigth of an inch wear and tear in about 3 years of operation. I had replaced the commercial cutlass bearings with CABBAGE BARK bearings and they were superior to CUTLASS BEARINGS. LIGNUM VITEA would be the right thing. NEVER wear out. In two years of asking, the local wood lumber yards have not been able to supply me with LIGNUM VITAE wood. I know Belize Estate used to export LIGNUM VITAE LOGS one time, many years ago. They were the piles of black trunk trees about the size of small telephone poles you used to see on the dock side by the olden PORT AUTHORITY.
The catamaran float deck would be made of one inch, strip planked, bronze anchor fast nails, and covered with GLUVIT expoxy and figerlass mat and cloth. There is no source locally of mixed polyurethane foam to fill the floats locally though. The rest you can buy locally.
___________________________________________________________________
CORKSCREW turbine. There is a new turbine system, being used for river, or no head water flows, it slopes up at about 15 to 30 degrees, so the upper end is out of the water and can be attached to run a generator. I believe the QUEEN of ENGLAND just had one installed in the palace? Or Windsor castle?
The diameter of the corkscrew effect would dictate how much horsepower torque you could produce and it is attractive as an idea. If made of welded metal sheets locally though, I think the cost would be exorbitant. So I am looking at the UNDERSHOT waterwheel as an affordable alternative. You would really need to produce about 200 hp to get any decent profit out of selling electricity to the NATIONAL GRID, BEL. The manufacture framework of the water wheel has two considerations. The weight and cost to get the strength. There is actually no weight in the buckets, as it is the UNDERSHOT design, which simplifies things a lot. Not as productive as an OVERSHOT water wheel, but if cost effective and weight conservative, more practical. How to get 200 hp torque though?
__________________________________________
thanks Kevin!
That puts the meat in the bun for sure. Guess I will forget it!
___________________________________________
Dear Ray
200 HP is about 110,000 foot-pounds per second.
1 mile per hour is about 1.5 feet per second. (Actually 1.4667 feet/sec)
At 100% efficiency, you would thus need a flow of about 75,000 pounds of water per second flowing through your system. That's about 9,014 US gallons per second. Or about 1,202 cubic feet of water flow per second.
With a velocity of 1.4667 feet per second, the cross-sectional area of the water flow to the entry area of your machine would have to be about 820 square feet.
Your proposed bucket size of 2.5x12' = 30 square feet would have an imaginary potential to generate about 820/30 = 27.33 HP, but is it downhill all the way from there.
The maximum attainable efficiency of a waterwheel or turbine device in such an application is about 70%, reducing the theoretical potential to about 19 HP. Mechanical losses for waterwheel bearings, chain or gear drives etc, would be about 10%, reducing power to about 18. Generator efficiency in this range would be about 75% maximum, reducing the maximum power output to about 14.35 HP.
To get 200 hp, your Undershot Wheel system would thus have to be about 200/14.35 = 13.94 times larger. That is, the paddle wheels should have an area of about 13.94 x 30 = 418 square feet. If you used blades that were 4' wide, they would have to be about 418/4 = 104.5 feet long.
You would need floating pontoons to support the system. The would increase river obstruction further.
Not looking very good.
Kevin
----- Original Message ----- From: "Hugh Leyton"
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 9:20 PM
Subject: Re: [-BTG-] floating river catamaran hydro undershot water wheel generator
Hi Ray,
You would not be allowed to block or occupy enough of the Belize River to
be able to even Generate 100 kW of Electricity.
It would occupy toooo much of the navigable river.
Rgds Hugh
On 26/01/2012 09:06, Ray Auxillou wrote:
> Okaaaay! So what do I need for 200 hp, or equivalent in electrical production?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Kevin
> *To:* belize-technical-group@googlegroups.com
> *Sent:* Thursday, January 26, 2012 3:02 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [-BTG-] floating river catamaran hydro undershot water wheel generator
>
________________________________________________________________________________
Well I have been exploring various ways of making electricity. The latest idea is an undershot water wheel, using 19th century technology. So far, I have calculated that a paddle wheeler, as in a Pelton turbine bucket system, would be the easiest way to go. Making a 12 foot diameter wheel, and where to find the materials to do so is running through my mind at present. 12 feet diameter for ease of servicing. Also the buckets, or paddles would have to be the Pelton slope design, but last night thinking about it, I think you could built it, the flat paddle wheel design, but with sides and the end blocked. There is an argument about efficiencies being increased by the Pelton bucket design and some engineers claim the efficiency is doubled. I believe if you get over 70% efficiency it would be hard to beat. I think you could do that with a flat bucket design, with sides, made of wood, instead of round.
There is some thought a guy in WALES proposed, making wheels out of plastic, or fiberglass. Using the Poncelot design. Which is the same as the chevron treads on truck tires. The whole idea to increase efficiency, by drawing out the maximum kinetic energy of moving water at 1 mph.
19TH CENTURY TECHNOLOGY
The BURDEN water wheel produced 250 hp and was 62 feet in diameter and 22 feet wide in the energy area of the moving water.
There was one made in the 19th century that had a diameter of 50 ft and contained 120 bucket paddles around the diameter that produced 120 hp in torque. The buckets were the size of two - 55 gallon drums. It is hard to find data on horsepower and production kilowatts ability from the torque of paddle and bucket UNDERSHOT WATERWHEELS.
I went down to the Belize River by the Spanish Lookout ferry on Saturday morning and measured the current flow at 1 mph at the time. So I expect in deep enough water to turn a water wheel, you might get between a variation through the year, of 1 to 4 mph from the water flow.
Which brings me back to my side interest of SKILLS EDUCATION and the ability to green sand cast in Belize, a sprocketed wheel with teeth, of the diameters you would want to turn a generator. They make generators in the city that Desai is living in over in India. At the moment I do not know the type I would need, or the power available. No, I would prefer not to use leather belts, which are as difficult to get in Belize than anything else.
The bigger the diameter and width the more power you can produce. With a paddle bucket the size of half a 55 gallon drum made out of wood, I calculate approximately you might be able to produce 20 kw with a 12 foot wheel. This is a best guess estimate at the moment. Until you experiment you would never know. Then there is the idea of putting 4 such paddle wheels on the same shaft, beside each other, on a floating catamaran set of multiple floats, or perhaps you could make wheels behind each other and run them seperately turning seperate generators, such as washing machine motors? How to cut the building cost and get the maximum horsepower and kilowatts as a cost effective excercise is running through my mind currently and am simply solving the problems ONE by ONE. Theoretically! From local materials. The 19th century saw the maximum increase in water wheel technology but it goes back to a couple of centuries before CHRIST. They still build them in the USA, as tourist attractions. A water wheel, runs for about 30 years and probably is abandoned, because the owner died and the kids have moved on to the cities.
The framework made of wood, or metal ( not sure what is available and what types ).
For shaft bearings, I have been puzzling how to use a pipe shaft for the water wheel, or wheels in parallel on ths same shaft, by welding up a couple of bearing covers that can be tightened, and have local LIGNUM VITEA self oil producing hardwood pieces, used on nucleur submarine propeller shafts for the pipe to turn inside of. No need for commercial mass produced bearings. I used to use shaft bearings on my boats I made of Cabbage Bark and they worked fine. You got about an eigth of an inch wear and tear in about 3 years of operation. I had replaced the commercial cutlass bearings with CABBAGE BARK bearings and they were superior to CUTLASS BEARINGS. LIGNUM VITEA would be the right thing. NEVER wear out. In two years of asking, the local wood lumber yards have not been able to supply me with LIGNUM VITAE wood. I know Belize Estate used to export LIGNUM VITAE LOGS one time, many years ago. They were the piles of black trunk trees about the size of small telephone poles you used to see on the dock side by the olden PORT AUTHORITY.
The catamaran float deck would be made of one inch, strip planked, bronze anchor fast nails, and covered with GLUVIT expoxy and figerlass mat and cloth. There is no source locally of mixed polyurethane foam to fill the floats locally though. The rest you can buy locally.
___________________________________________________________________
CORKSCREW turbine. There is a new turbine system, being used for river, or no head water flows, it slopes up at about 15 to 30 degrees, so the upper end is out of the water and can be attached to run a generator. I believe the QUEEN of ENGLAND just had one installed in the palace? Or Windsor castle?
The diameter of the corkscrew effect would dictate how much horsepower torque you could produce and it is attractive as an idea. If made of welded metal sheets locally though, I think the cost would be exorbitant. So I am looking at the UNDERSHOT waterwheel as an affordable alternative. You would really need to produce about 200 hp to get any decent profit out of selling electricity to the NATIONAL GRID, BEL. The manufacture framework of the water wheel has two considerations. The weight and cost to get the strength. There is actually no weight in the buckets, as it is the UNDERSHOT design, which simplifies things a lot. Not as productive as an OVERSHOT water wheel, but if cost effective and weight conservative, more practical. How to get 200 hp torque though?
__________________________________________
thanks Kevin!
That puts the meat in the bun for sure. Guess I will forget it!
___________________________________________
Dear Ray
200 HP is about 110,000 foot-pounds per second.
1 mile per hour is about 1.5 feet per second. (Actually 1.4667 feet/sec)
At 100% efficiency, you would thus need a flow of about 75,000 pounds of water per second flowing through your system. That's about 9,014 US gallons per second. Or about 1,202 cubic feet of water flow per second.
With a velocity of 1.4667 feet per second, the cross-sectional area of the water flow to the entry area of your machine would have to be about 820 square feet.
Your proposed bucket size of 2.5x12' = 30 square feet would have an imaginary potential to generate about 820/30 = 27.33 HP, but is it downhill all the way from there.
The maximum attainable efficiency of a waterwheel or turbine device in such an application is about 70%, reducing the theoretical potential to about 19 HP. Mechanical losses for waterwheel bearings, chain or gear drives etc, would be about 10%, reducing power to about 18. Generator efficiency in this range would be about 75% maximum, reducing the maximum power output to about 14.35 HP.
To get 200 hp, your Undershot Wheel system would thus have to be about 200/14.35 = 13.94 times larger. That is, the paddle wheels should have an area of about 13.94 x 30 = 418 square feet. If you used blades that were 4' wide, they would have to be about 418/4 = 104.5 feet long.
You would need floating pontoons to support the system. The would increase river obstruction further.
Not looking very good.
Kevin
----- Original Message ----- From: "Hugh Leyton"
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 9:20 PM
Subject: Re: [-BTG-] floating river catamaran hydro undershot water wheel generator
Hi Ray,
You would not be allowed to block or occupy enough of the Belize River to
be able to even Generate 100 kW of Electricity.
It would occupy toooo much of the navigable river.
Rgds Hugh
On 26/01/2012 09:06, Ray Auxillou wrote:
> Okaaaay! So what do I need for 200 hp, or equivalent in electrical production?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Kevin
> *To:* belize-technical-group@googlegroups.com
> *Sent:* Thursday, January 26, 2012 3:02 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [-BTG-] floating river catamaran hydro undershot water wheel generator
>
________________________________________________________________________________
Sunday, January 15, 2012
HEMP BRICK HOMES SUPERIOR TO CONCRETE HOMES AND CHEAPER TO BUILD.
HEMP BRICK HOMES IN EUROPE FOUND SUPERIOR TO CONCRETE BLOCK HOMES AND MUCH, MUCH, CHEAPER TO BUILD.
Found in France and the UK that I know about, and also built by ancient ROMANS.
*For some strange reason, hemp brick homes would be illegal in the country of BELIZE?
The Suffolk Housing Society in UK undertook a project to build homes out of hemp and to compare their performance to brick and block built houses. This project has since gained international attention. It all started when Ralph Carpenter, a local architect, took a trip to France and saw, in Rene, a collection of houses made of hemp. The construction material was developed by Madame France Perier.
There is an interesting story behind the development of the hemp construction material. France Perier was a conventional chemist. She developed skin cancer and searched for a cure. She found that hemp oil was effective and cured her skin cancer. She then set out to research the amazing properties of hemp. Coincidentally she saw a bridge that was constructed in the Metrovingian period (Roman period) and that used hemp in the mortar between the rocks. France Perier investigated the uses of hemp in construction and developed a product she called Isochanvre (Chanvre means hemp).
Isochanvre is flame-proof, non-toxic, 1/9 the weight of cement concrete, has excellent insulation properties, unpalatable to rats, termites or insects, and is flexible and strong. Because of its strength and flexibility it is an ideal building material in areas prone to cyclone and earthwakes.
Ralph Carpenter brought the idea back to St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Suffolk Housing and convinced them to seriously consider hemp housing. The project was funded by the society with grants from the Housing Corporation and St Edmundsbury Council. The project commenced to build and test four houses – two hemp houses and two traditional brick and block houses. Two houses (one hemp and one brick) were occupied when they were completed and two were left unoccupied for three months to monitor their environmental performance.
Summary of the Findings from the Suffolk Housing Project
Structure & durability
The qualities of hemp homes were found to be at least equal to those of traditional construction.
Thermal comparisons
Heating fuel consumed by the hemp homes is no greater than that used in the traditionally constructed houses. It was discovered from an examination of the composite images of the front and rear elevations of both houses that there was significant heat loss through external walls and windows from the traditionally build masonry house in comparison with the hemp house.
Acoustics test
Hemp homes did not perform as well as the traditional houses but they did meet the sound resistance requirement.
Permeability
Both forms of construction appear to give complete protection against water penetration. However, the hemp homes generate less condensation.
Waste minimization
There appears to be little difference in the amount of waste produced by each method. Although the waste is of a different nature in each case both are likely to have an environmental impact.
Environmental impact
The advantages that the hemp homes display are:
The use of renewable materials, particularly the hemp
Low use of energy in producing the principal materials
Reduced excavation of subsoil for foundations
The materials are recyclable
Minimal amounts of energy will be required to demolish the buildings compared to brickwork and concrete.
Construction costs
It is estimated that the true cost of hemp construction was £526 per square metre compared to £478 for traditional construction.
Building environmentally sustainable housing comes at a cost, that is the conclusion of a study into a unique 'green homes' project that has been underway in Suffolk.
The project in Haverhill has allowed analysts to examine the environmental impact, energy use and other factors including comparative building costs involved in the construction of four identical houses. Two have been built using specially processed hemp, lime and timber as the principal materials, the other two are of 'traditional' brick and block construction.
The publication of the report coincides with renewed Government interest in 'green homes'. Reports from the Earth Summit indicate that Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to see 1 million green homes built in Britain in the next decade. It is thought that tax incentives - and penalties - could be used to encourage environmentally sustainability and energy efficiency to be built into new homes and home improvements.
The Suffolk project is the first time that complete houses have been built using hemp in Britain. The principal conclusions are that while the hemp homes have far less impact on the environment - they use less energy to build, create less waste and take less fuel to heat - they cost about 10 per cent more to build than brick and block houses.
It is estimated that the cost of hemp construction was £526 per square metre compared to £478 for the brick and block houses. This differential might be reduced if hemp construction was to be adopted on a commercial scale, with the efficiencies that that would bring.
Other countries eg Australia and Ireland are taking on hemp house construction projects. In Ireland it has been found to be non-economic at the present time, because hemp has to be imported. The solution, of course, is to grow hemp close to the construction site.
Found in France and the UK that I know about, and also built by ancient ROMANS.
*For some strange reason, hemp brick homes would be illegal in the country of BELIZE?
The Suffolk Housing Society in UK undertook a project to build homes out of hemp and to compare their performance to brick and block built houses. This project has since gained international attention. It all started when Ralph Carpenter, a local architect, took a trip to France and saw, in Rene, a collection of houses made of hemp. The construction material was developed by Madame France Perier.
There is an interesting story behind the development of the hemp construction material. France Perier was a conventional chemist. She developed skin cancer and searched for a cure. She found that hemp oil was effective and cured her skin cancer. She then set out to research the amazing properties of hemp. Coincidentally she saw a bridge that was constructed in the Metrovingian period (Roman period) and that used hemp in the mortar between the rocks. France Perier investigated the uses of hemp in construction and developed a product she called Isochanvre (Chanvre means hemp).
Isochanvre is flame-proof, non-toxic, 1/9 the weight of cement concrete, has excellent insulation properties, unpalatable to rats, termites or insects, and is flexible and strong. Because of its strength and flexibility it is an ideal building material in areas prone to cyclone and earthwakes.
Ralph Carpenter brought the idea back to St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Suffolk Housing and convinced them to seriously consider hemp housing. The project was funded by the society with grants from the Housing Corporation and St Edmundsbury Council. The project commenced to build and test four houses – two hemp houses and two traditional brick and block houses. Two houses (one hemp and one brick) were occupied when they were completed and two were left unoccupied for three months to monitor their environmental performance.
Summary of the Findings from the Suffolk Housing Project
Structure & durability
The qualities of hemp homes were found to be at least equal to those of traditional construction.
Thermal comparisons
Heating fuel consumed by the hemp homes is no greater than that used in the traditionally constructed houses. It was discovered from an examination of the composite images of the front and rear elevations of both houses that there was significant heat loss through external walls and windows from the traditionally build masonry house in comparison with the hemp house.
Acoustics test
Hemp homes did not perform as well as the traditional houses but they did meet the sound resistance requirement.
Permeability
Both forms of construction appear to give complete protection against water penetration. However, the hemp homes generate less condensation.
Waste minimization
There appears to be little difference in the amount of waste produced by each method. Although the waste is of a different nature in each case both are likely to have an environmental impact.
Environmental impact
The advantages that the hemp homes display are:
The use of renewable materials, particularly the hemp
Low use of energy in producing the principal materials
Reduced excavation of subsoil for foundations
The materials are recyclable
Minimal amounts of energy will be required to demolish the buildings compared to brickwork and concrete.
Construction costs
It is estimated that the true cost of hemp construction was £526 per square metre compared to £478 for traditional construction.
Building environmentally sustainable housing comes at a cost, that is the conclusion of a study into a unique 'green homes' project that has been underway in Suffolk.
The project in Haverhill has allowed analysts to examine the environmental impact, energy use and other factors including comparative building costs involved in the construction of four identical houses. Two have been built using specially processed hemp, lime and timber as the principal materials, the other two are of 'traditional' brick and block construction.
The publication of the report coincides with renewed Government interest in 'green homes'. Reports from the Earth Summit indicate that Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to see 1 million green homes built in Britain in the next decade. It is thought that tax incentives - and penalties - could be used to encourage environmentally sustainability and energy efficiency to be built into new homes and home improvements.
The Suffolk project is the first time that complete houses have been built using hemp in Britain. The principal conclusions are that while the hemp homes have far less impact on the environment - they use less energy to build, create less waste and take less fuel to heat - they cost about 10 per cent more to build than brick and block houses.
It is estimated that the cost of hemp construction was £526 per square metre compared to £478 for the brick and block houses. This differential might be reduced if hemp construction was to be adopted on a commercial scale, with the efficiencies that that would bring.
Other countries eg Australia and Ireland are taking on hemp house construction projects. In Ireland it has been found to be non-economic at the present time, because hemp has to be imported. The solution, of course, is to grow hemp close to the construction site.
BELIZE - CAYE CAULKER BEACH RECLAMATION TOURISM INVESTMENT TO START FEB. 1st. 2012?
RUMOR MILL SAYS, CAYE CAULKER BEACH RECLAMATION WILL COMMENCE FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY, AFTER THE SHORT WINTER HIGH TOURIST SEASON ENDS. WILL PRESUMABLY BE FINISHED BEFORE EASTER WEEKEND TOURISM HIGH SEASON?
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