Living Naturally
My Experiences with
Sustainable Living
Contributed by Sam Fevez
School of Part-time Studies
Raised within a farming community in Southern Ontario, I moved to the Ottawa Valley in 1977, to a place called Bark Valley near Algonquin Park. With 35 acres of bush, I had to clear the land for a house, driveway, workshop, gardens and a fish pond. I did not bring lines from Ottawa Hydro to the property. Instead, I decided to create my own energy and heating through various means including radiant floor heat, solar space heating, wind turbine and woodstove (for cloudy days). The amount of time that I spend on the property is directly related to how much food that can be grown for the year.
This lifestyle has been a constant learning curve. It has evolved into a full time business, R.E. (Renewable Energy) Solar Systems, where I design, sell, install, service and perform consulting related to solar space heating, wind power, turbines, photo voltaics, domestic hot water heating, grey water systems, battery back up systems -- right up to full off the grid systems.
This background has brought me to Algonquin College to teach Building Energy Systems within the School of Part-time Studies.
I am passionate about pursuing a lifestyle that yields a high quality of life in terms of wellness yet is responsible in terms of demands on the environment. Through this newsletter, I look forward to sharing some of what I learned along my own personal journey towards sustainable living.