Recently in Home Category
m o r e (using what you already have)In these times, you and I aren't the only ones touting reuse. The option of getting creative and finding a new use for an old item is not only economical and environmental, it's downright fun.
ReadyMade if full of these kinds of projects. Like this one, a piece on what to do with old belts.
Use a belt as a handle for a drawer or storage box, as a jewelry hanger (love this), or a bunch of them as a seat for a stool or chair. Brilliant.
Here are some other around the house creative reuse ideas from real live people. (I always use old PJs for rags, hoard packing material sent to me, and never recycle a piece of paper with only one side printed.)
Feel free to share yours.
m o r e (DIY holidays)If you're gearing up for Halloween and still need some inspiration to make your own costume, construct your own decorations, cook up your own ghoulish party treats, carve your own pumpkin, or apply your own creepy make up, look no further than instructables.
It's much more satisfying to put your own creativity to work than buy a new plastic hat and itchy tights, right?
And consider this freakish plate of DIY Frankenstein Finger Cookies to serve on Friday. At least they're green-ish.
l e s s (water going down the drain)So, what is gray water or grey water? It's all the water you use in your house that will find its way to the sewage treatment plant and, eventually, out to sea--that's dishwater, bath water, washing machine water.
And if you're a true gray water guerilla, you just may be up for a home project that diverts it to your yard.
There are simple, low-tech ways to do this. I have a watering can in my kitchen which I fill with discarded water from my SIGG bottle, tea pot and kettle, and vegetable steamer. Once its full of grayish liquid, I water the plants with it and begin the process over again. You can do something similar in your tub as you wait for your shower stream to warm up.
But going beyond that doesn't have to be too daunting. Susan Carpenter of the L.A. Times spent one weekend and $312 to divert her washing machine wastewater to her xeriscaped (drought-tolerant) yard. You can read her DIY inspiration and tools here.
And, if you're ready to dig in and get your hands dirty, consider contacting or surfing The Greywater Guerillas site.
In the meantime, a watering can, shower bucket, or rain catcher barrel can be an easy, excellent start.
m o r e (making things last)I've already posted on LoveFoodHateWaste, a fabulous resource for making food last. Now, I thought I'd share a couple of simple tricks and tools for making household necessities last as well.
1. SOAP DISH: Soap without a dish means scum on your tub and a lot of good soap down the drain. Enter, a soap dish, like this simple, zen walnut number from Chivas Skin Care for less than four dollars.
2. HERB SAVOR: This handy gadget is a boon to foodies at farmers market everywhere. Yes, it's partly plastic, but from what I can tell, not the part that touches your green goodies. It's an herb storage container that helps your fresh herbs last a lot longer, up to three weeks! All you do is throw a little water in the bottom and your asparagus, rosemary or thyme will be good to go for longer. Get it (34.00) here.
3. CUTTING CLEANING SPONGES IN HALF: This speaks for itself, as does the math. They'll last twice as long.
4. DILUTE YOUR SOAP: I use Dr. Bronner's peppermint castille soap (fair trade and organic) for all of my washing of hands and dishes and some of my clothes. It smells delightful, it works and the best part: you only need a couple of tablespoons per gallon of water. Lasts a long time.
Any other ideas? May your household live long and prosper.
m o r e (making instead of buying)Gotta love being able to make yogurt yourself. And until I can have my own goats, I'd settle for buying goat milk (you pick your dairy or dairy-like nectar) to make yogurt at home.
This yogurt maker makes it easy. Buy some yogurt to use as a culture starter, then leave your experiment for 8 to 10 hours and you've got probiotic-rich yumminess.
I also love that it comes with six glass (not plastic!) reusable jars for all your future servings of yogurt!
m o r e (abundance)These economic times are a good time to get serious about simplicity. So many simple, green living practices actually save money, creating more abundance and less fret.
I recently read Simple Prosperity by David Wann, and the time is certainly ripe to take his principles seriously.
Here are some simple scrimping ideas that might pay off in all kinds of ways.
Buy good quality items that will last.
Repair things, from blenders to shoe soles.
Get clothes and furniture at your local thrift stores (I'm currently scouring the racks at mine for a warm winter coat).
Cut your cleaning sponges in half.
Buy in bulk! Bringing apple sauce jars and cloth bags to a bulk bin saves packaging, major oil and resources, and money. There, you can buy beans, grains, pastas, baking soda, dried fruit, nuts, oil, agave, sugar, flour, and all manner of things sans plastic, plus savings. Cooking things like beans and whole grains will have health benefits while using less energy during the week for cooking small bits of things.
Make meals at home and carry them with you. Check out wastefreelunches.org for ideas.
Turn off, unplug, or switch off appliances connected to a power or smartstrip when not in use.
Grow some of your own food, even if it's just an herb garden.
Get books from the library and get the ones you want to own from swaptree (the perfect system for keeping your shelves clutter-free, too).
Use Dr. Bronner's fair trade, natural liquid castile soap for all your soap containers in the house (it works for clothes, too). You can dilute it and it lasts and lasts.
Refill your pens.
Turn off lights, take short showers, use CFLs--all the usual resource saving behaviors.
That's all I've got for now--please share any of yours with me!
m o r e (thinking bearing fruit)We journalers and people of the pen and page know the guilt and deliberation over buying paper products.
That's why this journal makes me so, so happy. Not only is it absolutely lovely and made of recycled paper (the only practical kind of paper there is in these times), but the cover is also embedded with wildflower seeds.
So, when your ideas are done germinating, you can plant some seeds and watch them take root and take shape the same way your writings have and will.
m o r e (making things last)I love this UK website that loves food and hates to waste it. It tells me that 1/3 of the food bought on that fair isle is thrown out--I'm sure we've got a similar-sized problem here.
The answer? It's got some--including a portion planner to help you cook just the right amount and the truth behind "best by" and "use by" food dates.
My favorite is their excellent food storage tips behind tab number four. In there, there are five late-breaking tips for making food last, along with oodles of foods you can look up and see the best storage practices to make them stay fresh longer.
Aside from telling me that bananas keep longer in a (reused) bag, that sucking out the air from a bread bag makes the slices inside stay fresher more days, that apples are best stored in the fridge, it also has gems like that soft broccoli can be crisped up overnight by leaving the stalks in water, new uses for old bread crusts and that a great use for too-soft fruit is to boil it and add it to something creamy for an after-meal treat.
Gotta love that.
m o r e (beauty inside)I would just love one of these in my home office--a miniature river atop a desk. Set in a bed of river rocks in a recycled glass bowl, these air plants (tillandsia) have all they need to thrive and bring some loveliness to your surroundings.
less (e-waste going to waste)It's no longer bottles, cans, and paper we need to recycle, it's also ipods, cell phones, and TVs among other digital gadgets or so called e-waste (electronic waste). In fact, e-waste is the fastest growing component of municipal trash (Earth 911).
For many years, e-waste was simply shipped off to other countries where villagers, often very young ones, would sift through the toxic materials, burn it while inhaling horrible pollutants, and sell the remains--copper and other heavy metals--for some cash. While this still happens, there are outlets who are beginning to deal with this stuff more humanely and safely.
So, if you're not getting a digital converter box--which the government will help fun--when things go that way in '09 (I tried one with my antiquated TV, but to my disappointment, it didn't work) and are opting for a new TV, it's imperative to recycle it. There could be a huge influx of lead, cadmium, and other scary stuff to landfills if we all don't. Read more on that from Utne here.
less (plugging in)Designed for camping, but useful in the house, too, this handy gadget allows you to forego electric power in favor of good, old fashioned muscle. (And since I saw the BodyWorlds exhibition today, I've got muscles on the brain.)
It's got two speeds so you can go easy to mix batter or baby food or kick into high gear to crush ice for margaritas or smoothies.
I love the idea of human-powered machines that come with tall, refreshing rewards. You will never be stranded in the woods without a smoothie again.
more (art)If you or some school kids you know are at home for the summer and need to get out of the sun for a while, there's nothing like some good old-fashioned creativity to pass the time indoors.
I biked to my local, independent art supply store today to pick up a frame and hunted down some environmentally-friendly options while I was there.
Here are some to keep an eye out for:
Aquabee tree-free hemp paper is made totally of hemp, over half of which is recycled. It has not one wood fiber in it and hemp has loads of actual advantages: it's durable, doesn't need to be treated with chlorine, and can be recycled over and over again.
Get a tree-free artist sketchpad (starting at 6.99) here.
Strathmore, the grandparent of drawing paper companies, now has wind-powered paper options. In other words, the process of making this 30% post-consumer waste product is powered by windmills. Love it.
You can choose from a number of drawing pads (starting at 2.97) here.
For artists who aren't quite coloring inside the lines yet, you can go beyond drawing and get away from chemical play-doughs at the same time--try modeling clay made from beeswax! Or, make your own play dough with these recipes from Creative Kids at Home (I'd skip the ones with food coloring--maybe try beet juice, berry juice or a spice like turmeric instead--just don't forget the smocks!).
One more: generic crayons are made from petroleum products. Not these. They're crafted from soybean oil and are non-toxic and biodegradable. They're rumored to glide better, too. We'll just have to wave goodbye to the nostalgic smell of paraffin wax.
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less (lawn)I've bemoaned here before that my landlord recently put in grass in the front and back yards of my apartment building. In Los Angeles. During a worse than the usual drought. Luckily, there are lots of people out there doing something different.
Lawns have some very good qualities, like soaking up runoff and providing a place for wee ones to roll around, but they don't in any way measure up to planting native plants or fruits and veggies.
Consider this from Eartheasy:
30% of water use on the East Coast goes to watering lawns.
On the West Coast, it's 60%!
Suburban lawns get way more chemicals dumped on them than farmland, up to 10 times more.
Lawn tools emit more carbon that automobiles (the worst offender, the leaf blower, dishes out 34 times as much).
If you already have grass and want to keep it, you can always use a push mower, water less, and use techniques like grasscycling to make it more environmentally-friendly. Read more on that here.
But if you want to tread the road less often traveled, you can go beyond grass and actually have your yard space certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a bona fide Wildlife Habitat. It involves planting native plants and providing water and cover for critters in your neck of the woods--an adventure, but a manageable one, for sure. And the payoff is that you get to provide a sanctuary for wild things that are struggling to find mates and homes in the face of a changing climate and more and more development. You also get to watch them frolic.
Start your own Wildlife Habitat certification process here.
more (calming, seasonal scents)Tis the season for lavender, that lovely soothing stalk of blossoms.
You can buy some dried bundles from Local Harvest that come straight from organic farmers. You might even be able to find a farm within a hundred or two miles of you.
Put some on a table or hang it from a ceiling or use it in sachets to keep your undies smelling fresh.
more (outdoor power for indoor activity)Watching more television isn't exactly my biggest endorsement for a more balanced life. But, if you're going to (and I am addicted to mine for the sake of its ability to work with a DVD player and show me films), why not watch one powered by the sun?
Sharp unveiled the first solar powered TV at the G8 Summit last week and while it's still the only one and it was designed for people without easy access to an energy grid, I still love the idea.
Finally, if you're in the market for a new one (perhaps because, like me, yours is ancient and will phase out when things go digital next January), find an energy star model here.
less (plugging in)If you're already on the go as a cyclist (or motor or scooter type) around your town, then adding another step like using a solar charger for any gadgets you've got with you is a natural next step. And it may be something you've thought of doing already.
The solar rider allows you to do your thing, riding to work or errands or coffee dates, but also allows you to roll out a flexible panel, affix your cell phone and the like to it, and let the sun work as hard as you do.
With a minimal investment, you just might be able to eliminate all those charging cords and plugs and electricity burned. (I really want to take one of these for a spin!)
more (berries in your cocktail)What has more antioxidants than blueberries and pomegranates and hails from the Brazilian rainforest? You guessed it, acai (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee).
And now they're in more than smoothie powders.
To add to all the buzz acai berries have gotten, Veev has blended them with citrus and alcohol for a spirit that has all kinds of kick.
Veev also donates a dollar for each bottle sold back to the rainforest from whence it came, and offsets all of its manufacturing emissions. Read more on its environmental commitment here.
less (smoke)It's highly probable that your grilling will continue beyond July 4th weekend. Grilling, even just for you or yours on a weekday evening, can add a little sizzle to the week and the meal. (Do remember that grilling can cause the production of cancer-causing heterocyclic amines, especially when grilling meats. Read more in a previous post here.)
As for what to fire up with, although charcoal and wood somehow seem more natural choices for barbecuing, propane is actually the best choice as it burns cleaner than either. So, if you don't opt for a solar cooker, choose propane for your grill, refill the tank rather than buying new, and recycle it if it's at the end of its life span.
Some folks are even proposing that we use propane for our vehicles. Read more on that from greentechmedia here.
more (mindful kitchens)
So, if you're looking for a tray for serving, breakfast in bed, or teatime, look no further than Pacific Merchants' array of them made from acacia wood.
Its acacia is harvested legally from privately-owned land and from trees, known as "monkey pod" in Hawaiian, that are naturally fast-growing. It's naturally water-resistant and won't take stain, so it's pure wood, without chemicals. Even so, you can wash it with soap and water.
more (outdoors)
The Pacific Outdoor Equipment ECO sleep pad is a natural-fiber solution to sleeping on dirt and staying comfortable doing it.
Outside: undyed bamboo.
Inside: bamboo fiber fill.
Pump valve: recycled aluminum.
So, so smart.
It's eco-friendly and still the things you want a sleeping pad to be--water, fungus, and bacteria-resistant, and warm for at least three seasons of camping.
It's won a few awards and is still only a little over a hundred bucks.
Or, if you're looking for a women's complete bag that's insulated with post-consumer waste material and made from all-natural Cocona fiber from coconut shells, check out the Sierra Designs Dejavu (178.95) here.
more (sitting)The Whit Mcleod wine barrel folding chair is versatile, practical, well-designed, and made from discarded wine barrels from California wineries, thousands of which are tossed every year and 20% of which end up in the landfill--all that beautiful (grape-infused) oak gone to waste.
This chair gets those barrels out of the waste stream-- it's 90% recycled--pretty great for a chair.
It really moves beyond the beach, too, and is a perfect seat for a patio, yard, front porch, kitchen nook, or living room.
more (healthy glow)
I recently got some deep red Yolo for a dark corner of my apartment that needs some serious life, and a backdrop for the marvelous, detoxifying, feng shui-ing corn plant I recently put there. (And, at my local paint store, it cost roughly the same as a can of paint at a big box store.)
more (plants)
I am also a huge fan of finding found containers to plant in--discarded wooden boxes, bathtubs, whatever works.
But then there are things that are made just perfectly for a certain purpose. Like the food map container by Food Map Designs that is at the perfect height for preventing grownup back strain while permitting kids to get in on the action. And, it's on wheels! Oh, and, it's on sale for a couple of weeks right now.
more (healthy supplies)
I haven't investigated the ingredients, but the smell of conventional putties gives me the willies.
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So, enter Crawford's Natural Blend Putty. It's hypoallergenic and non-toxic with low to no odor at all. It's mostly made from linseed oil, a natural, renewable resource. Get the details here.
Crawford's makes spackle, too--very exciting stuff.
Using water to hose down driveways and streets has a number of problems associated with it. It's a big no-no for water conservation, plus it sends urban runoff contaminated with pollutants (pet waste, pesticides, and trash) into our waterways and out to sea.And, since leaf blowers, the common alternative, are noisy, emitting, allergy-aggravating machines, the old-fashioned broom is the very best answer. Yes, it takes a little more work, but gentle exercise done regularly is what keeps us fit as fiddles into old age.
Made from 100% renewable sorghum grass and non-toxic dyes, this one is made Fair Trade in Thailand. (It comes with a little whisk broom and dust pan.)
less (stuff)
In an age of clutter and consumption, I think 100 could be a really good guideline--a threshold of stuff. Plus, you can play with it and make your own rules. For example, Dave counts all his books as one but each item of clothing as its own number. You can count all of your shoes as one whole item if you want--that's the approach I would probably take seeing that I think a number of pairs of walkable, rideable shoes are invaluable. I'd likely do the same with something like cutlery--never would each fork count for my tally. (Bruno isn't including things like cutlery on his thing list as they're not his "personal" items.)
Whether you join the challenge or not, I think counting up the things in one room or one closet or one drawer could be a wake up call even for those of us who are already trying to live simply. There is truly freedom in living with less.
My personal fantasy is that storage rental places would become obsolete--why store stuff you don't use elsewhere? Give it away!
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Here are the details of Bruno's personal 100 Thing Challenge, his goal being to have just 100 items by November of this year. He's also got a running list of his things, which we will ebb and flow until his deadline.
more (free, sustainable ingenuity)
But, if you don't want to spring for brand new organic cotton or hemp cloth napkins at the moment, or new ones in general, it's so easy to snip and clip and make your own.
When my friend C and I were having lunch last week, I noticed her napkins and was supremely impressed. She just took some fabric and cut it up. That's right, if you have fabric lying in your sewing basket, old curtains, or a t-shirt or dress or the like that doesn't fit or has seen better days, cut it up. How freeing is that? Cut it up and voila, you have napkins. (You can get fancy and sew them up on the sides too though it's not necessary.)
Reusable cloth napkins never go out of style.
Then, use them at home and bring them with you when you pack a lunch, or if you have to grab something at a takeout joint, at least you can forego the disposable paper!
less (itching)While I'm happy that mosquitoes do their part in the world (what that is, I'm not sure), they certainly can be a nuisance (and spread disease like West Nile Virus). Bats, on the other hand, are wonderful creatures who've just gotten a bad rap. Chief among their good qualities: they eat little insects like mosquitoes so fewer bite you while you're enjoying summer dinners outdoors. (Read more on bat benefits here.)
Here's a way to attract them. The bat-chelor pad is a bat house that, if they take to it (the website has tips for this), up to 30 winged creatures may make it their home for a while, making you happier and less ridden with itchy, red swells. And, this is a much better alternative than DDT-laced repellents.
more (solar power)
more (green bargains)
Its site is devoted to sniffing out deals, bargains, and giveaways for the things you want to buy so that you don't have to.
Not to create a frenzy of stuff-getting here, but if you're in the market for something, especially something good for you and the world, you may as well get a deal if they're offering.
more (natural remedies)
Tea tree oil is amazing stuff. It's strong and after using it in a YMCA locker room, I once caused quite a stir to the effect of, "What is that smell?" But when used in moderation it can cover a multitude of household tasks. Here's what I use it for (just remember I'm not a doctor, just sharing some home remedies that have served me well):
Add a few drops to lotion for a soothing salve for bug bites and minor skin irritations.
Dilute it by adding half parts water and use it as a cleaning agent. It leaves a fresh scent (when used sparingly) and is an absolutely stellar bleaching agent. You can spray it in a tub or shower and leave for a few hours to come back to sparkling white porcelain, al natural.
As a Laundromat user, even though I use all-natural laundry soap, I'm ever subject to the strong-smelling scents of chemical varieties like Tide and the like. And while I have a certain nostalgia for those brands, when they're on my pillow at night I feel nauseated and agitated about the state of things. So, I add a tablespoon or so to every load to knock out the chemical smells and do some serious cleaning (while probably killing a colony of dust mites while I'm at it).
It is said that tea tree oil is also a good natural remedy for athlete's foot though I'll plead the fifth on any personal experience with that one.
Buy some in bulk (from 2.00 to 122.00) here.
more (water saved)You've undoubtedly heard of Energy Star, the seal of approval on energy-efficient appliances.
Now, may I introduce you to WaterSense, the EPA's program indicating a product's water-saving chops. A device has to save at least 20% in order to get the seal.
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