“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
― Buckminster Fuller

Interview with Joel Clemens

A fundamental part of the ecovillage movement is not only intention but also invention. Ecovillages are designed using tools borrowed from corporate mechanisms, such as vision statements, mission statements, aims and leveraged in an ecologically mindful direction rather than towards corporate profits. These tools facilitate an inventive design process for a group. As such, these invented communities and cultures attract people like one of our newer members, Joel Clemens. Joel self-identifies as an inventor, or rather a ‘maker’ using modern parlance.

“I’m an engineer of sorts, by which I mean that I don’t actually have an engineering degree, but I have a lot of experience with electrical and mechanical stuff. I am a maker.”

Referencing from Wikipedia, we learn that “Maker culture emphasizes learning-through-doing in a social environment. Maker culture emphasizes informal, networked, peer-led and shared learning motivated by fun and self-fulfillment.”

“I want to see sustainable lifestyles in tune with nature without having to struggle or toil,” says Joel. “For me, I want to be both ecologically and economically sustainable and have fun while doing it. Things that are easy are not usually fun for very long.”

“I started looking at Whole Village about five or six years ago. At the time I was looking to get out of a basement apartment and minimize my cost of living so that I could get out of the 50 hour per week rat race.” Over the next couple of years he made the move to purchase a house. More recently he came back to considering Whole Village. “The fact it’s an ecovillage is a bonus as it’s tied into my view on fossil fuel usage which is that fossil fuels should be minimized and/or eliminated.”

But before he joined the community, Joel made sure he had his ducks in a row.

“In 2018 I became fully self-employed. I took self-care time to recover from the hangover of working at a tech startup. I then asked myself, ‘What is next?’ and, ‘Now what?’ I came up with few things, namely honeybees and making sure to not try such outrageous adventures on my own. Whole Village seemed a perfect answer to that. It took the better part of 2019 to get to know the community and join in.
“The folks at Whole Village were welcoming, very friendly and open to questions. I wanted to get to know everyone before committing to myself that I wanted to do this.”

When he began to act on the migratory pull, Joel says “I didn’t get much resistance from the community, but what little there was came mainly from my friends and family who really don’t ‘get it’.”

When he realized that the move was going to happen, Joel says he felt “kind of excited and scared of a major life change.”

“I still struggle with getting out of my information bubble. It is a challenge to always be aware that resources are almost always shared and other folks at least want to know what I’m doing, and often want to be included in some way. The biggest draw to come to Whole Village for me was inspiration and potential. With all the space and materials at my disposal, it is exciting to collaborate with the residents and to try new things.”

FINISHED PROJECTS

Converted gasoline grass trimmer to electric using a skateboard motor/controller and batteries from retired TTC hybrid buses.
Built solar-powered 120v inverter charging station for trimmer and for use in apiary.
Brought in an electric ATV as a workhorse and to supplement/reduce diesel tractor use. The plan is to be solar charged but as of December 2019 charged from the grid. It has enough torque to tow a trailer.
Using scrap materials found on property, built 55 gallon mega shopvac (megavac) for harvesting milkweed seeds and floss for an experimental project.
Obtained a walnut huller/corn husker ($50, kijiji) for husking black walnuts. Upgraded the hand-crank using scrap materials found on property to a motor with pulley; half of the labor and twice the speed quadrupled the dehulling output. (total number/weight for harvest TBD, but a rough estimate based on what is in the drying rack is ~1800 nuts). This machine can also be used for separating dried corn kernels from cobs very rapidly.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Walnut cracking machine would lead to a grinder/crusher for biochar production (same motor, but larger teeth). Update – this is now a reality!
Upgrade ATV lights to LED, possibly upgrade batteries to lithium (pending workshop time)
Investigate building a small bush-hog for ATV, or obtain electric lawn tractor – upgrade lead acid to lithium batteries (due spring/summer 2020) (to replace gasoline lawn tractor). Update – this is now working!
Small solar array to charge e-ATV and other small stuff (due Spring 2021)
Large solar array to charge other electric vehicles and/or backup generator (Summer 2021)
Possible megavac augmentation for breaking apart milkweed pods and separating seeds from floss. (due Fall 2021)