Sorry, Out of Gas--Visited
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12. 6.07
What we learned today: way back in 1973 architects and community groups were building solar homes, using recycled materials and creating wind generators. What? They weren't just developed in response to the recent energy crisis? NO! There was a crisis in 1973 when OPEC decreased oil production by 5% and doubled the price per barrel. This caused huge panic in Europe and the US and in response all kinds of groups sprung up and developed housing projects. This is the subject of a fascinating exhibit, 1973: Sorry, Out of Gas at Montreal's Canadian Centre for Architecture (we had read about it in treehugger first, of course).
The show features pictures of dozens of houses built by concerned citizens all over Canada and the US and contrary to public belief, they weren't all done by hippies. The projects included the Ercol house in Montreal, the Ouroboros solar house in Minnesota, the Farallones Institute in San Francisco, and of course domes in New Mexico. Windworks was even offering wind generators by mail order.
Leave it to the market--board games were developed to take advantage of the situation. Some were about oil as a source of power and wealth (pictured), others about war and oil and some even about managing the crisis. Mad magazine had the environment as its cover story ( what me worry?).
A series of 9 t.v. sets, each showing a world leader speaking to their nation on the crisis, is illuminating. Richard Nixon is reading from hand-written notes, with phrases scratched out, and Sheik Yamani himself is warning that the world had better "adjust yourself to new circumstances". In the UK, Edward Heath announces limitations to electricity use in shops and offices of 3 days a week ( the UK also had coal miners on strike at the same time).
Jimmy Carter held the first national Sun Day in 1978 and set up a Department of Energy. He also had solar panels installed in the White House; later removed by Reagan.
Joe Naar, in 1975, travelled around the US taking thousands of photos of people who had built and lived in solar architecture. Now in his late '70's, he gamely gives an interview in french specially for the exhibiton.
Women pay heed; the first solar house was created in 1949 by a female engineer and a female architect for Amelia Peabody. There was no back-up heating system in this house in Massachusetts, just 18 heat collectors.
Steve Baer in New Mexico, in 1971, used pie plates (pictured) fixed to windows from the inside. The air trapped between the two provided insulation and the aluminum kept the heat from leaving. It actually looked quite attractive. In 1979 the Barney building in New York had wind turbines on top.
Michael Reynolds, who really was an old hippy, used old tires filled out of earth to create his "Earthship House" (pictured). He said that tires were a universal natural resource and were strong, resiliant and retained the temperature. He used cans for walls. :: Canadian Centre for Architecture
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
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- Built on Stilts: Images from the New Ninth Ward in New Orleans
- Be the Change... Obama Should Reinstall White House Solar Panels
- Book Review: Your Eco-Friendly Home
Ahhh now we can see how Mr Burns became involved in the world of power generation, clearly playing the "OIL POWER" game as a small boy (left) pushed him towards his career choice.
Is that Dick Cheney in the middle?
I imagine he's considering smashing his fists on the board, ending it for everyone.
Is it just me, or does it look like Dick Cheney (Pictured left of center in Oil Power) is visualizing the girl's future look of shock in his oil-hungry machinations?
It is disappointing to know that we were so close back in the 70's to getting on track towards energy independence, yet blew it all away when the oil began to flow again. Now, with oil almost hitting $100 / barrel (imagine how America would have reacted if it hit that price back then), and gas at the pumps maintaining 1.05 / L (almost $4 / Gal), only now do we even consider thinking about fuel economy and future energy (took long enough to get those solar panels back up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave)
Now the irony is, China and India are beginning to imitate our lifestyle, whereas we can only dream about a society where bicycles outnumber cars by a significant margin. Goodbye gasoline, it was fun while it lasted, even though this affair should have ended back in the 70's.
Whats more remarkable to me is that the young Mr. Burns is sitting next to Dick Cheney, who hasn't aged a day.
of course nothing is new! We are so hell bent on progress that we forget that many of the solutions and ideas have been thought of long ago. We should take inspiration from our ancestors and learn from their experiences. Land conservation and sustainable living; hello Native Americans!
Robo-Cheney never ages, they just flush his coolant every 10 years and renew his battery every century. Hes pretty eco friendly too, doesn't use fossil fuels, he eats kittens and his only emmisions are bullsh*t and furballs.
Agreed with your article, hope we unite & do something about it
To your success,
Tracy ho
wisdomgettingloaded
Agreed with your article, hope we unite & do something about it
To your success,
Tracy ho
wisdomgettingloaded
I wonder how many of those 1973 PV panels are still working?
well i guess oil crisis is one of the major issue right now in politics..the soaring oil prices are affecting the costs of everything from food to housing market crisis. There are also significant issues on local and global environmental impact. While there are many issues, we need to look at our next leader and determine which will have the best course of action going forward…..I recently watch the two video in http://pollclash.com/