This program is being developed in 2008, this is a page in progress.

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Our ecological alternative to the "Disaster Kit". Peace of Mind kits inform and prepare instead of react and frighten. This kit offers pleasurable life style ideas that provide comfort and even in times of crisis.

Thanks to Mother Nature and human forethought, we can have water, energy, food, convenience and beauty before, during and after a natural or manmade event. Why wouldn't we want this?

Awareness and calm rational thought are the two greatest tools humans have for survival. The more prepared we are, the better we handle stress. A lot of these suggestions are for community involvement as well as single family choices.


Nature's 333 Rule:
Remember that humans can survive 3 minutes without AIR, 3 days without WATER and 3 weeks without FOOD. But we're not here to simply survive. And we're not the only creatures on the planet that need to survive. So, the following ideas aren't only vital in times of crisis, but they improve your everyday quality of life as well.



Water:
Rain water is naturally distilled and great for drinking. Catch it in clean containers or filter it after catching it off your roof gutters. 30 inches of rain per year = almost 19 gallons of water per square foot of roof if your clever in your water catchment system, this equals 30,000 gallons per year off of the average roof (1600 sqft) or almost 47,000 gallons off of a 2500 square foot roof.

A simple idea: A 55 gallon drum under a gutter can supply drinking water for a family of five for two weeks and can be filled
in a day of light rain.

Filters can be made with charcoal, sand and gravel.

Keeping rain water on hand is not only wise, but plants (both indoors and
outdoors) prefer it.

Go Professional: We recommend this company: Wonderwater

Food:
Your grandmother may have had a peace garden out back full of fruit and vegetables and an herb garden.
A 16 sg.ft. garden holds 130 plants and produces enough high-quality vegetables for one person during the growing season. Community gardens and garden societies can provide local crops that can be shared in crisis and sold when there's surplus.

Food can be easily grown in small spaces as long as there is sunlight.

City dwellers in apartments can have:

Hanging pot gardens



Roof and balcony gardens (If wind is a factor, old tires make excellent buffers.)

Gardens in attractive recycled containers placed along entrance ways and driveways.

Cities and suburbs often allow for homeowners, community parks, schools etc. to own goats, chickens, geese (check with your City Hall). These animals allow for milk, eggs, cheese, meat and they are excellent at weeding and eating snails and bugs.


Heat:
Warmth or cooking can be obtained from fire places or by making a small "fish camp" stove. The fire in this stove burns very hot because of its design which promotes the use of oxygen. It can easily boil a sizeable pot of water using only a handful of sticks.

Make out of used coffee cans and runs on thin sticks, ie: twigs (1/4"-1" in diameter), rolled up paper



Transportation:
Every neighborhood has a vehicle that runs on diesel. All diesel cars can run on straight vegetable oil if necessary. Biodiesel is better for cars and can also be made at home, however mass production is now available in most cities around the world and tend to follow similar health and pollution reduction standards. For more information:

Biodiesel America

Veg Oil Car

For flat areas, everyone should own a bicycle. In Europe you'll find bikers ranging from 3 years old to 93 and older.

Hilly areas...let's talk horses! When we began paving our streets and reducing the number of horses in our suroundings, our quality of life went down. Our air got worse and our water tables suffered severe run off that the dimpling and puddling from horse hoof prints prevented before. We need that perculation back and mounted police shouldn't be the only ones who get to enjoy a clip clop commute. :) Check with your City Hall, you'd be surprised how many cities allow for residents to keep horses and how many parks are zoned for stables.


Energy:
Generators (biodiesel)


Solar panels
Crank batteries
Rechargeable batteries
LED lightbulbs
Solar ovens
(best product links will be researched and provided April 2007)


Communications:
Walkie Talkies (up to 5 mile range)
Solar / Crank Radios
Satellite phones
Crank attachment for powering cell phones
Solar packs for powering laptop computers
(best product links will be researched and provided April 2007)



What Government will typically handle:
Rescue, Recovery & Coroners

Emergency Radio Alerts - communications and information of weather patterns and dangerous locations to avoid.

Damaged Infrastructure Inspection and Repair - downed power lines, flooding, road / bridge / tunnel / sidewalk / levy / resevoir / sewage pipes / hazardous waste tanks, public building damage.

Emergency Relief Supplies - bottled water, medical supplies, cots, blankets, shelters...

Policing & protection of property and society (of course property protection comes after meeting immediate needs are secured for breathable air, drinkable water, sufficient food, safe shelter, medical care, missing relatives, infrastructure safety of roads, powerlines, bridges, tunnels, buildings and establishment of communication systems).


Shelter:
Public buildings have space, facilities, wheel chair access, often geneators, and often water tanks and food reserves.

National Guard / Army and Red Cross temporary shelters are usually quick to set up and efficient for disaster relief, if they can get to the affected area in time. But for those households / organizations who are in suburbs our out lying areas and would like hard core survival information on visit Survival Center.

If this topic still fills you with anxiety, it may help to know that here at Matter of Trust, we've resolved that there may be some catastrophies that just aren't worth surviving. And if humans go extinct, we'll be in good company. Earth and life were around billions of years before us and will be around billions of years after we're gone. In the grand scope of things, it's even an honor to be a small part of the cycle. Now go have a good meal and hug somebody you love.

Helpful PDF downloads will be available April 2007:

PEACE OF MIND KIT - HOUSEHOLD INFO SHEET
PEACE OF MIND KIT - NEIGHBORHOOD INFO SHEET
PEACE OF MIND KIT - VOLUNCHEERS INFO SHEET