Who is Bob Waldrop?
Bob Waldrop is a native, 4th generation Oklahoman, who was born and raised in Tillman County in southwest Oklahoma. His great-grandparents came to Oklahoma Territory before statehood. He is the founder of the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House (which delivers food to people in need who don’t have transportation), the president of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, and works as director of music at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church. He served on the founding board of directors of the Oklahoma Sustainability Network, and previously served on the Migrants and Refugees Advisory Committee of Catholic Charities. He is the editor of Better Times: An Almanac of Useful Information, which is distributed free. The 5th edition may be viewed at www.bettertimesinfo.org/2004index.htm. He is a member of the Oklahoma Food Policy Council. Although not presently active in the program, he has served as an Oklahoma County Master Gardener.
Waldrop lives in a Craftsman era bungalow that was built in 1929. This fall he remodeled it to increase its energy efficiency. The attic was insulated to R-50, and the walls to R-33. To get this much insulation in the walls, they built a new interior frame 5.5 inches inside of the existing exterior walls. First they filled the original wall cavities with the cellulose insulation, then they put drywall over the new frame and filled the new cavities. This will produce about R-33 insulation in the walls. They also replaced their windows and doors and installed storm doors, and did considerable work to weatherize the house and seal leaks, using 90 tubes of caulk and 20 cans of foam. He also turned his south facing utility room into a “solar sun porch” by replacing most of the south wall with glass. This heats up during the day, and this heat then warms the house. The extra insulation keeps the heat inside and the cold outside.
As a result, during the extreme cold of December 2005, when it was 7 degrees Farenheit outside, it was 61 degrees Farenheit inside the house with no heat operating. After completing these renovations, they completely disconnected from the natural gas system. Waldrop says, “Natural gas is going to do nothing but increase in price in the future. Natural gas production is in decline in North America. The past 2 years has seen the largest drilling effort in history and the industry has not been able to reverse the decline.” He figures that it is better to get out of the natural gas system sooner rather than later, and save money in the process.
Other energy conservation features of the “extreme green makeover” included installing compact flourescent bulbs and placing a switch on the hot water heater so it can be easily turned off when hot water is not needed. They generally cook on small electrical appliances like a crock pot, electric skillet, and convection oven instead of using the full sized stove. The household’s most recent utility bill (January 2006) was for $54.48 for 545 kilowatt hours total for cooking, hot water, lights, television, radio, and computer. Given the cost of the remodeling, and the money they are saving, Waldrop figures he is “earning” 8.6% tax free on the amount of the remodeling expense, which he considers to be an investment that will pay tax free dividends for decades to come. The “dividends” will increase each year as energy costs climb.
He received a certificate in permaculture design from Barking Frogs Permaculture, and is an assistant instructor in the BFPC Online Permaculture Design Course. He has completed a 185 page permaculture design for his central Oklahoma City home, Gatewood Urban Homestead: City living that meets the challenge of peak oil, climate instability, and economic irrationality.
Bob ran for mayor of Oklahoma City, and this website began as his campaign website. If elected, he promised to demand a recount.
Contact Bob Waldrop at 405-557-0436, 1524 NW 21st, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73106, bwaldrop@cox.net .
Gatewood Urban Homestead – City living that meets the challenges of peak oil, climate instability, and economic irrationality — the permaculture design for Bob’s home in Oklahoma City.
