[sudo-discuss] [CCLmembers] Regarding furnaces, space heaters and CCL.

Sun Sep 26 16:10:08 PDT 2021

I feel a compelling desire to answer flame with flame.
In response to the points raised about heating at the OMNI:

Climate change is not going to be greatly impacted by turning
on one heater for three months of the year.

Having lived 9 years in an Oakland Warehouse without heat
I can tell everyone that it does get cold in the winter.  My
preference would be to repair the heater we have and use it
when it gets cold.

I own and use long johns and wooly caps in the winter.  It is true
the Bay Area does not drop below freezing very many days each
year.  I am cold when the ambient temperature goes below
45 Fahrenheit or 7.2 Celsius happens between December and
March.

Making these heater repairs will make it realistic to ban space
heaters in the lab, making the big heater a safer option.  The heater,
properly installed, is very unlikely to fall off the ceiling.  Afterall it
has already been up there for years without an accident..

The OMNI is making these changes to allow our insurance
carrier to offer a more affordable policy.  OMNI will carry
insurance with or without heaters.  The concept is to reduce
expenses at OMNI by reducing our insurance premium.  Also,  this
policy will be covering damage from an accident, such as a falling
heater.

I think the disruption being considered is a short amount of time for
evaluation and perhaps servicing a heater.  Tarping a bench should not be
disruptive beyond a day or two and can be scheduled.

I'd like to point out that the lab has been closed most of the year
for most of us.   Everyone's work is important, so let's keep that
in mind when we talk about lab members in the lab year round
doing life and death work.
________________________________
From: cclmembers at googlegroups.com <cclmembers at googlegroups.com> on behalf of Nenufar Molecules <nenufarmoleculesforlife at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2021 1:07
To: Counter Culture Labs Members <cclmembers at googlegroups.com>; sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org <sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org>; David Keenan <dkeenan44 at gmail.com>
Subject: [CCLmembers] Regarding furnaces, space heaters and CCL.

Regarding furnaces, space heaters and CCL.

I don’t recall anyone asking CCL if we needed or wanted a furnace or a space heater.

I think the whole process of working on the furnace and space heater is distracting to the lab work we are doing, it is also making extra work for us, and putting an added risk factor in place.

 I for one don’t want to repair the furnace or space heater in CCL.

Some of my reasons are:

1.       Oakland, CA has the best weather in the world.  As far as cold weather, the thermometer only rarely goes below 45 degrees F at night in winter.  This is not Siberia or N. Dakota, it’s Oakland.  Back in the 90’s was the last time it got cold enough to turn on a heater for a few nights.

2.       It’s true that someone brought in a small electric heater to CCL.  I think they were sleeping at the lab or doing some web surfing.  The Temescal library is only a few blocks away and they will likely have the heat turned up for people to be comfortable as they read and snooze.  I have worked at CCL even late at night for 5 years and have not noticed any extremes of cold there.  CCL is a lab and it’s warm enough to do lab work there year round.  There’s some garments that used to be known as “Long Johns” Those and a cap or hoody all anyone ever needs to keep warm in CCL in winter.  I think there should be a ban on heaters at CCL.  The small heater I found left on with no one in the lab multiple times and unplugged it.

3.       CCL is about working on making a better tomorrow and we have a lot of challenges to meet with things like global warming.  That’s something I think we all need to take responsibility for.  Humans will soon be higher on the endangered species list if we don’t.  Furnaces and heaters, large or small draw a lot of power, gas and/or electricity, and are not sustainable, and not energy efficient by any means.  It takes a tremendous amount of energy to heat a space the size of the Omni commons building.  What effect does this use of gas and electricity have on global warming?  Does it not make perfect sense to put on warm socks and underwear, a wool cap and be warm as toast without using large amounts of these resources to heat a large space?  Hello, this is the 21st century and we do need to mend our ways for the sake of future generations, and life on earth in general.   So as far as CCL goes, I say no to heaters.

4.       I have been informed by our treasurer, Michael Arent that CCL and also the Omni are facing some financial difficulties.  It seems like at this time we need to be careful about spending money.  There are a number of projects at the Omni commons that would seem to have priority over heating concerns.  A roof that doesn’t leak when it rains, for example.  Paying for gas and electricity to heat the building doesn’t seem to be necessary at all.  Let’s consider selling the furnace as scrap metal and raise some small funds for repairing the Omni.

5.       Lab work takes a great deal of focus and we don’t wish to have the disturbances of any work going on overhead.  We have a great deal of materials and time invested in what we are doing.  I’m the one who asked for the COI and an incident is fresh in my memory of a friend’s lab in Oakland where some work was being done and a very heavy piece of metal came crashing down from a high roof to land on a workstation, damaging equipment.  If anyone had been sitting at that workbench at the time, they probably would have been killed or crippled.  Of course I want to know who is going to be responsible for any injuries or damage done and that COI should be approved by CCL before any work takes place at the lab. Then I wouldn't need to bring it up at an inconvenient time.  We also strongly feel that the labwork we are doing is so much more important than working on the heating system.  A couple projects at CCL are involved with public health (matters of life and death) and we don’t wish to be distracted by activities overhead or have to do additional cleanup work because of them.  We really have enough on our plates and would appreciate being left alone to do our work undisturbed.  Please desist.  No need for heaters at CCL.  Let's hear from some of the others who are in the lab year round, are you reasonably comfy or not?  What concerns do you have and what improvements would you like to see at CCL in the year to come?

Best wishes always,
Eddy Spinner
CCL Lab Rat

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