Rain Fuel: Grassroots Sustainability

Vital Stats

Ethan L

Chicago, IL

  • people helped35
  • People Doing It 2

The Problem

Rain Fuel is a grassroots community project that focuses on using waste-stream and recycled materials(things that otherwise go to waste every day in urban areas and/or can be sourced cheaply- raw materials, glass, alternators, pvc piping, 55 gallon barrels, chipped/damaged solar cells, waste veggie oil, etc.) as empowering tools to build solar panels, wind turbines, and create biofuel from the ground up at lower costs than commercial solutions. The alternative energy sustainable solutions created by the Rain Fuel community are then deployed within the local community, fostering a vision for energy independence while increasing awareness and knowledge for those who get involved in the building process. Focus is on inspiring creativity through material re-use, knowledge and skill raising with do-it-yourself construction, and on fostering a close-knit sense of belonging between people and the earth through sustainable solution development.

Plan of Action

Streams of Development: Main Project Methods of Action There are three main methods of action for which Rain Fuel uses to achieve goals. The designing, development, and construction of sustainably and low-cost built alternative energy solutions, and, the installation and usage of such technologies. Research: Determine how to build certain sustainable solutions and research which tactics can optimize efficiency, reliability, etc. Examples include: Wind turbines-shape dynamics, effect of building shape or location on wind turbine velocity, feasibilityof specific locations, design implementations, best usage of materials, etc. Raw Production: Produce as many tangible tools, devises, and systems including solar panels, wind turbines, biofuel systems, vertical and hydroponic food production setups, (etc.) from sourced materials. These will act as proof-of-concepts, in order to gain momentum, raise awareness, and to get others excited about involvement. They will also act as ready-to-use solutions for the implementation phase. Implementation: The purpose of implementation is to deploy sustainable technologies and ideas into tangible, working situations and environments. This phase can operate with or without the Raw Production phase. Sustainable tools created in the Raw Production phase can be implemented; alternatively, already-designed, ready-to-install solutions from other vendors can be installed by Rain Fuel volunteers. Trading carbon credits as a result of such installations may be considered. Production Materials Recycled materials will be supply source of focus in order to decrease production costs while being sustainably-conscious regarding usage of resources. Solar Heat: Pop cans, pvc, copper tubing (refrigerators, ac units, etc.), old glass windows, black paint Solar Photovoltaic: Reclaimed wood, aluminum scrapping, glass windows, plexiglass, bulk solar cells (new, chipped, split, or damaged), wiring Wind Turbine: Motors (exercise machines, generators), 55-gallon barrels for vertical axis turbine blades BioFuel: Waste vegetable oil sourced from local restaurants Water Collection/Composting: 55-gallon barrels, waste bricks, scrap pvc tubing. -- Several solar ovens have been constructed and utilized as viable oven replacements for cooking as a result of the Rain Fuel collaborative building process; connections and collaborations have also been made with various sustainable living communities (2-months in-depth sustainability internship at windward, www.windward.org), workshops with organizations (Edible Landscapes Sustainable Living Arts School with Robin Wheeler in British Columbia www.ediblelandscapes.ca), and various alternative energy groups.
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Energy Conservation
Environment
Recycling

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