Rocket Mass Heater at Standing Rock
Donation protected
This project has been a success!
Thanks to the generous supporters of this campaign, Evan, Carol-Anne and I were able to travel to Standing Rock and complete our mission of building a Rocket Mass Heater at the camps. The heater is located inside a beautifully built and quite large longhouse structure at the Oceti Sakowin camp, now known as the People's Camp. Although there were some delays in getting the structure covered, and some challenges caused by the transition from the old camp to the new, the longhouse has now been covered and cleaned out, and the heater is now operational.
The decision by the Army Core of Engineers not to issue a permit for DAPL to drill in the current location was certainly a major victory for this movement, however, a number of water protectors still remain in the camps as DAPL has made it clear that they still intend to complete this pipeline. The need for warm spaces continues, and hopefully very soon, this heater will provide that warmth while allowing people to witness for themselves the many advantages of a rocket mass heater over a conventional wood stove, or a gas furnace. In fact, throughout the entire build process, and thanks to the very public nature of building inside an uncovered structure, I was able to talk with many people about these advantages, how rocket mass heaters work, and how they might fit into their homes. For me, this opportunity alone was well worth effort put into this project.
I have released four videos about our experience at Standing Rock, which you can find links to below. I will be leaving this campaign active for the time being, as I still have not covered all of my personal costs incurred during the course of the project and the journies to and from North Dakota.
The Videos:
Who We Are
We are a small group of permaculture homesteaders and natural builders, based out of the the "Ant Village" in western Montana. Right now, the water protectors at Standing Rock are getting prepared for the coming winter, and several permanent structures are being built using natural building methods, including a schoolhouse and a community hall. We are gathering materials for a rocket mass heater, and driving out to standing rock to build it inside one of the winter structures, as well as help out in whatever way needed.
Why a Rocket Mass Heater, and what is that anyway?
One of the biggest needs for the camps if firewood for heating, as the nearest source is over 100 miles away. A rocket mass heater is a super-efficient wood stove that can heat a space with as little as a tenth of the wood used in a conventional wood stove. They also produce little or no smoke while firing, as the smoke is burned up in the "rocket" part of the stove. These stoves will be able to heat a lot of people with a lot less wood, and leave the air cleaner.
What the Funds Will Be Used For
We are raising funds to cover the cost of materials for the Rocket Mass Heater, which include insulative fire bricks, stove gasket rope, perlite, and 8" stove pipe, elbows, and fittings, as well as the cost of transportation.
We we will also be renting a trailer to move the heater materials to Standing Rock, along with as much fire wood as possible.
Why We Are Doing This
We believe the Dakota Access Pipeline protest is a turning point in history in which millions of people are coming together, at Standing Rock and all around the world, to say NO to the further oppression of indigenous people, as well as NO to further investment in the fossil fuel energy economy that is detroying our planet and poisoning our water. We want to add our voices to this protest, but also help showcase viable solutions so people can say YES to building a better future for ourselves and our children. We would like to support the water protectors at Standing Rock while showing the countelss people following the protest that there are simple solutions, like rocket mass heaters, that they can apply in their own lives to help move the world away from the oil economy.
As much as possible, we will be documenting the rocket mass heater build as well as our experience at standing rock, and releasing a video as soon as possible.
Thanks to the generous supporters of this campaign, Evan, Carol-Anne and I were able to travel to Standing Rock and complete our mission of building a Rocket Mass Heater at the camps. The heater is located inside a beautifully built and quite large longhouse structure at the Oceti Sakowin camp, now known as the People's Camp. Although there were some delays in getting the structure covered, and some challenges caused by the transition from the old camp to the new, the longhouse has now been covered and cleaned out, and the heater is now operational.
The decision by the Army Core of Engineers not to issue a permit for DAPL to drill in the current location was certainly a major victory for this movement, however, a number of water protectors still remain in the camps as DAPL has made it clear that they still intend to complete this pipeline. The need for warm spaces continues, and hopefully very soon, this heater will provide that warmth while allowing people to witness for themselves the many advantages of a rocket mass heater over a conventional wood stove, or a gas furnace. In fact, throughout the entire build process, and thanks to the very public nature of building inside an uncovered structure, I was able to talk with many people about these advantages, how rocket mass heaters work, and how they might fit into their homes. For me, this opportunity alone was well worth effort put into this project.
I have released four videos about our experience at Standing Rock, which you can find links to below. I will be leaving this campaign active for the time being, as I still have not covered all of my personal costs incurred during the course of the project and the journies to and from North Dakota.
The Videos:
Who We Are
We are a small group of permaculture homesteaders and natural builders, based out of the the "Ant Village" in western Montana. Right now, the water protectors at Standing Rock are getting prepared for the coming winter, and several permanent structures are being built using natural building methods, including a schoolhouse and a community hall. We are gathering materials for a rocket mass heater, and driving out to standing rock to build it inside one of the winter structures, as well as help out in whatever way needed.
Why a Rocket Mass Heater, and what is that anyway?
One of the biggest needs for the camps if firewood for heating, as the nearest source is over 100 miles away. A rocket mass heater is a super-efficient wood stove that can heat a space with as little as a tenth of the wood used in a conventional wood stove. They also produce little or no smoke while firing, as the smoke is burned up in the "rocket" part of the stove. These stoves will be able to heat a lot of people with a lot less wood, and leave the air cleaner.
What the Funds Will Be Used For
We are raising funds to cover the cost of materials for the Rocket Mass Heater, which include insulative fire bricks, stove gasket rope, perlite, and 8" stove pipe, elbows, and fittings, as well as the cost of transportation.
We we will also be renting a trailer to move the heater materials to Standing Rock, along with as much fire wood as possible.
Why We Are Doing This
We believe the Dakota Access Pipeline protest is a turning point in history in which millions of people are coming together, at Standing Rock and all around the world, to say NO to the further oppression of indigenous people, as well as NO to further investment in the fossil fuel energy economy that is detroying our planet and poisoning our water. We want to add our voices to this protest, but also help showcase viable solutions so people can say YES to building a better future for ourselves and our children. We would like to support the water protectors at Standing Rock while showing the countelss people following the protest that there are simple solutions, like rocket mass heaters, that they can apply in their own lives to help move the world away from the oil economy.
As much as possible, we will be documenting the rocket mass heater build as well as our experience at standing rock, and releasing a video as soon as possible.
Give $45 to help get this fundraiser to its goal
Organizer
Jesse Grimes
Organizer
Superior, MT
