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Continuing our conversation with Ramona Johnson

In this segment the salient points included the feedback we can provide, especially when it comes to bolstering self esteem by highlighting a person’s unique intrinsic value, skills that may have been minimized. On the subject of insuring tranquility within the home we touched upon ways to deal with being over-tasked, keeping our priorities straight, negotiating, and giving each other space. All of which is dependent upon communicating, communicating, and communicating.

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Continuing our discussion with Ramona Johnson

In this interview segment certain key points emerged including the need for acknowledgement, affirming and prompting as when we might say “I hear you” and “tell me more.” Probing questions may provide clarification and help the speaker to hear themselves in new ways. Feedback such as “this is what I heard you say” and what if questions and providing time for reflection can help the speaker to develop a vision, recognize their self-worth, and gain valuable insights as to how others may perceive them.

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Our interview with Ramona Johnson continues as,we turn our attention to the special challenges that poverty and mental health challenges bring to bear within a threatened home.

In Part 3 we will again turn our attention to listening and also discuss competing priorities in the home and on the job.

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In this series of treatments on healthy homes we are speaking with Ramona Johnson. Ramona is president and CEO of Bridge Haven Mental Health services in Louisville, Kentucky. In this segment, we discuss coping skills in the context of the current pandemic.

In Part 2 of our interview with Ramona Johnson, we turn our attention to the special challenges that poverty and mental health challenges bring to bear, as we further explore maintaining good mental health within a threatened home.

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In this treatment Dr. Bates warns of the key differences between flu gases and engine exhaust gases. We will touch upon throttle settings and turn-down ratios plus the value of insulation in the context of reclaiming heat. We will further discuss rocket stoves, and just how easy it is to make dangerous mistakes.

At this juncture we would like to express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Bates for our deep dive into gasification. In Part 1 we learned about the process of gasification. In Part 2, we considered moving vehicle engines as well as stationary engines like generators and wood stoves. In Part 3 we discussed how it can help in leveraging the waste stream. In Part 4 we asked if gasification can play a role when there are disruptions in the petroleum supply and if it can be a viable component of a sustainable future. In Part 5 we discussed certain characteristics of diesel and gas engines, using a farm tractor as a preparation system, and we again touched upon two stage wood stoves. Don’t touch that hot stove!

If you would like to check out some of the additional resources referred to in this series of treatments on gasification, you will find links at www.TheLivingCrown.org . You can also ask any follow-up questions you may have, and these will be addressed within the discussion forum. 

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Again, we continue our conversation with Dr. Richard Bates and discuss the characteristics of diesel and gas engines, using a farm tractor as preparation system, sewage treatment, two stage wood stoves, and using waste heat.

In Part 6 we will discuss rocket stoves, flue gases vs, engine exhaust gases. Join us then.

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Is gasification a viable component of a sustainable future? Can a tractor mounted gasifier be used to supplement other forms of energy generation as it does its traditional tractor chores? Should the engine be diesel or gasoline? What kind of modifications are required? Can such an effort help us to keep on keepin’ on even when there are disruptions in the petroleum supply? As we continue our conversation with Dr. Richard Bates, we will discuss these issues and more.

Just prior to the publication of this briefing, a big ol’ container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal. For the better part of a week, it blocked the long supply line for a wide variety of goods including petroleum products. There are preppers among us that want the option of running completely off grid because of such eventualities. In this interview segment, Dr. Bates had suggested that old diesel engines could be dual fueled, using diesel for ignition and start-up and then switching to the gasification process for keeping it running. I wrote to Rick about the use of home-brewed bio-diesel within the dual fuel scenario. 

In his response he was careful to refer to the products of gasification as “producer gas” because people in alternative energy circles generally define biogas as it relates to methane mixtures that naturally emanate from biomass, typically manure. He also said it would be wise to caution potential users of biodiesel that some diesel engines, especially modern diesel engines, may have issues with do-it-yourself biodiesel. He suggested that, until the user knows just how their engine will react, to err on the side of caution and just run straight petroleum diesel while experimenting with a weak blend of biodiesel and petroleum diesel.

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As we continue our discussion on gasification, we will now explore how it can help in leveraging the waste stream and insights gained by Dr. Bates from work with a municipality in an effort to avoid excessive disposal costs while generating some electricity. Can these lessons be applied to similar problems on a home scale? Can gasification play a role in both waste management and its elimination on the homestead?

We will discuss how gasification can help us to, not only reduce waste but top off our batteries while producing a useful byproduct called biochar. Here again is Dr. Richard Bates.

Once again, our conversation has returned to engine questions and specifically the problems associated with converting various engine types to make use of these different kinds of biomass. We will continue that discussion in Part 4.

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Continuing our discussion of gasification, we will touch upon moving vehicle engines as well as stationary engines like generators. We will further explore some of the factors to be considered in the conversion of petrol to wood gas with additional emphasis on the combustion energy produced and efficiencies in particular. We will discuss wood stoves and how those functions differ from the requirements of internal combustion engines and we will consider some of the environmental factors as they relate to gasification. Here again is Dr. Richard Bates.

At this point the conversation turned to how gasification can help in leveraging the waste stream and, in particular, how it can play a role in both waste management and its elimination. We will cover that in part 3 and, along with avoiding disposal costs, we will discuss generating electricity, and a useful byproduct called biochar. In part 4 we will turn our attention once again to the engine questions and specifically the problems associated with converting various engine types to make use of these different kinds of biomass.

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This conversation with Dr. Richard Bates describes the process of gasification. His doctoral thesis was brought to my attention awhile back. Rather than me doing some injustice trying to summarize it, the good doctor has consented to break it down for us.

At this juncture the conversation turned to specific engines and applications and we’ll begin to explore that in Part 2.