Franny and Freddie Footprint surveyed their new apartment and were happy with what they were starting with. They had found one with two South-facing windows and a great view of a nearby park. It was furnished, but Franny had a few ideas about ways to make it feel more like home. Yesterday, they had gone to the local thrift shop and found several changes of clothes for a little over $30, leaving them almost $20 to buy underwear and socks, on sale, from a local 
department store. They had located a shower head water heater on eBay for $60, but had to pay $15 shipping, so they were a little over budget on that item. They found the Sterno stove and one pack of the gel on sale at the hardware store, so they were able to get both for only $12.95. The hardware store also had a solar LED light on sale for $11.99. They spent a little more on seeds than they had intended, but by the time they got all the other items on their list, they still had enough money left over to buy a table-top oil lamp and an inexpensive kit for growing sprouts. 
Here are their instructions on making Sterno:(http://www.survivalschool.com/articles/Fire_Making/How_to_Make_Sterno.htm)
"How to Make "Sterno™"
A solid camping fuel like Sterno™ or Magic Heat™ was discovered several years ago when a group of campers forgot to pack fuel for their camp stove. Because the area prohibited use of campfires, the campers needed to use an alternative fuel source. One of the campers made a gel that they could use as a solid fuel. To make this gel, chalk was crushed and mixed with vinegar. The resulting mixture was filtered through a napkin and the liquid collected was heated using a solar reflector. Some rubbing alcohol was poured into the solution to form a gel which burned. You can repeat this process and make their own gelled fuel at home with alcohol and calcium acetate (C4H6CaO4). Either methanol or ethanol can be used for fuel. Calcium acetate (C4H6CaO4) can be purchased or made by slowly dissolving calcium carbonate (eggshells or chalk) in vinegar, filtering, and allowing to dry
© 2007 MNSI - All rights reserved.
department store. They had located a shower head water heater on eBay for $60, but had to pay $15 shipping, so they were a little over budget on that item. They found the Sterno stove and one pack of the gel on sale at the hardware store, so they were able to get both for only $12.95. The hardware store also had a solar LED light on sale for $11.99. They spent a little more on seeds than they had intended, but by the time they got all the other items on their list, they still had enough money left over to buy a table-top oil lamp and an inexpensive kit for growing sprouts. 
They had great plans for next pay-day, to get a couple of solar battery chargers (http://store.sundancesolar.com/siflsochfora.html) and a more practical stove and oven set-up. They also wanted to get a phone and to start saving for a computer.
On a blog called "Judy of the Woods," Franny had found instructions for making an oil lamp, using vegetable oil, so she wanted to make a few of those next week:
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Franny and Freddie relaxed after a light dinner of some sandwiches that their friends Allan and Debbie had made for them, knowing that they wouldn't have their kitchen set up yet. Franny was laying out the seeds they had bought, while some good, dark soil they had dug up from an abandoned lot, "cooked" on the Sterno stove, to kill the weed seeds and any fungal spores that might damage new seedlings. Debbie had been concerned that there might be toxic fumes from the Sterno, but Freddie had done some research during his lunch break at work today, and found out that, not only Sterno was made of ingredients that were relatively non-toxic in this setting, but they could actually make it themselves, using only chalk (or egg shells), vinegar, and alcohol. He printed out an easy-to-follow explanation from an organization called Midwest Native Skills Institute, Inc. This is fascinating organization that teaches skills in survival and self-reliance (http://www.survivalschool.com/)
Here are their instructions on making Sterno:(http://www.survivalschool.com/articles/Fire_Making/How_to_Make_Sterno.htm)
"How to Make "Sterno™"
A solid camping fuel like Sterno™ or Magic Heat™ was discovered several years ago when a group of campers forgot to pack fuel for their camp stove. Because the area prohibited use of campfires, the campers needed to use an alternative fuel source. One of the campers made a gel that they could use as a solid fuel. To make this gel, chalk was crushed and mixed with vinegar. The resulting mixture was filtered through a napkin and the liquid collected was heated using a solar reflector. Some rubbing alcohol was poured into the solution to form a gel which burned. You can repeat this process and make their own gelled fuel at home with alcohol and calcium acetate (C4H6CaO4). Either methanol or ethanol can be used for fuel. Calcium acetate (C4H6CaO4) can be purchased or made by slowly dissolving calcium carbonate (eggshells or chalk) in vinegar, filtering, and allowing to dry
Here's how to do it…
Step 1: Place about 1 oz. of chalk (or egg shells) in a mortar and pestle and grind to small pieces. Transfer chalk to pint container and add 4 oz of vinegar. Stir for 5 minutes.
What’s Happening: A reaction between chalk (calcium carbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid, dilute) to produces carbon dioxide, water and calcium acetate
Step 2: Pour the chalk-vinegar mixture into the funnel lined with a coffee filter and collect the liquid in a pint container.
What’s Happening: Filtration of unreacted chalk from the mixture to leave a solution of calcium acetate in water.
Step 3: Pour 2 oz of the liquid into the dish. Gently heat the dish with a Bunsen burner until the volume is reduced by half. Turn off burner and allow concentrated solution to cool.
What’s Happening: Removal of excess water will concentrate the calcium acetate in the solution.
Step 4: Add 1 oz. of alcohol to liquid in dish. DO NOT STIR! The gel should form rapidly. Pour off any excess alcohol.
What’s Happening: Mixing alcohol with calcium acetate will form the gel fuel"
© 2007 MNSI - All rights reserved.
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Freddie had also set aside papers with information on items that he thought they should budget for, but were not urgent things they should get right away. One product that really appealed to him, since he hoped that he would soon have a bicycle to use to get to work, was the "The Cycle Charger," a unique gadget that permits charging of small electronics, like a cell phone, that can plug into a car's cigarette lighter socket. The bicycle charger was available at http://www.econvergence.net/cyclech.htm, for $89.95, but he was hoping to find something similar, but for less money, if he looked hard enough. --------------------------------------
On the same web site as the solar battery charger, Freddie had found something called a "Solar Shower." (http://store.sundancesolar.com/sosh5ga.html) It was basically a way of heating a 5 gallons bag of water. Since they already had a point-of-use shower head heater, they did not need the solar shower for its bathing function, but Freddie thought that it would be very convenient to have in the kitchen for washing dishes. It was only $15, making it quite affordable.
Freddie had also set aside papers with information on items that he thought they should budget for, but were not urgent things they should get right away. One product that really appealed to him, since he hoped that he would soon have a bicycle to use to get to work, was the "The Cycle Charger," a unique gadget that permits charging of small electronics, like a cell phone, that can plug into a car's cigarette lighter socket. The bicycle charger was available at http://www.econvergence.net/cyclech.htm, for $89.95, but he was hoping to find something similar, but for less money, if he looked hard enough. --------------------------------------
On the same web site as the solar battery charger, Freddie had found something called a "Solar Shower." (http://store.sundancesolar.com/sosh5ga.html) It was basically a way of heating a 5 gallons bag of water. Since they already had a point-of-use shower head heater, they did not need the solar shower for its bathing function, but Freddie thought that it would be very convenient to have in the kitchen for washing dishes. It was only $15, making it quite affordable.
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Challenges for Chapter 3:
Is there a less-expensive bicycle generator
Challenges for Chapter 3:
Is there a less-expensive bicycle generator
that Freddie could buy?
What's the most eco-friendly phone they could buy?
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