Just in Time for Winter: How to Build Your Own Mini-Greenhouse. Gardeners looking to extend the growing season into winter can do so with a cold frame.
These handy mini-greenhouses trap heat and keeping cool-season veggies growing in spite of frosty weather. Cold frames are inexpensive to build and don't consume a lot of energy. They yield fresh, local vegetables when mediocre grocery store fodder is being shipped from afar. Fall is the perfect time to build a cold frame and start planting. This modular cold frame design offers two frame options: single- and double-tier. The lid should be kept shut on cold days and propped open for ventilation on unseasonably warm days. WOOD SELECTION: Cedar is best. WOODCUTTING 1 — Each 10-foot, 1 x 12-inch board will yield one 60-inch front/back panel and one 40-inch side panel. 2 — For the two-angled side panels, choose the most flawless 40-inch side panel and mark a diagonal line lengthwise, from corner to corner. 4 — Cut the lid pieces from the 1 x 6-inch lengths of cedar.
Text by Wilder Quarterly. New Energy "Bomb" Disinfects Water without Chemicals. Water Published on January 12th, 2010 | by Tina Casey Chemical treatment is becoming a less desirable way to provide safe drinking water, and water professionals have been searching for a less expensive, more reliable and more sustainable method of killing pathogens.
Cavitation Technologies, Inc. has come up with one solution. The company’s new process uses mechanical and electrical systems to blow the little bugs to smithereens. [social_buttons] The company’s CaviGulation reactor sounds like a piece of equipment that would be at home in Frankenstein’s lab. The Problem with Chemicals and Water Treatment Chlorine and ozone have been used as disinfectants for many years, but they are not entirely up to conforming with strict new water quality regulations. Cavitation and the CaviGulator Because it uses a mechanical process, the CaviGulator is not without issues, primarily the problem of fuel supply. Seven Ways to Save Energy by Saving Water. Agriculture Published on June 15th, 2008 | by Carol Gulyas Though many states and localities are waking up to their water shortages and taking steps to plan for “peak water”, people generally continue to waste water and to ignore the energy-water link.
In 2004 the Natural Resources Defense Council did a study in conjunction with the Pacific Institute called “Energy Down the Drain” on how saving water saves energy. We need to do more to spread the word. Here are seven ways to save energy by saving water: 1. Transporting water uses energy, so rainwater harvesting is a serious water-and-energy saver. 2. Heating water uses a great deal of energy. 3. Energy Star appliances will decrease water and energy use. 4. Why reinvent the wheel? 5. Toto, an innovative company from Japan (another island nation concerned about water use) offers an EcoPower hands-free faucet that recharges itself each time it is used. 6. 7.
DIY: How To Grow Your Own Fresh Air. Air Quality Published on March 26th, 2009 | by Jerry James Stone According to GreenSpaces, these three plants not only lead to fresher indoor air…but also an increase in productivity!
GreenSpaces has tested these plants for the past 15 years in a 20 year old, 50,000 ft2 building with over 300 occupants, and 1,200 plants! A study published on September 8, 2008 found that there is a 42% probability of increasing blood oxygen by 1% if one is inside the building for 10 hours. In fact, the building is rated the healthiest building in Delhi by the Government of India. So how does this increase productivity? Some info on the plants: Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) Works well in the day timeGreat for living areasOne needs about 4 shoulder high plants/personNeeds to be put outdoors once every 3-4 monthsThe leaves of the plant need to be wiped everyday in Delhi and perhaps once a month in a cleaner cityThe soil used should be of vermi manure or use hydroponics Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum) Sustainable products, ideas & DIYs to help you on the path to green living.