DIY Life: Urban Homesteaders at Kitchen Table Talks. At the most recent Kitchen Table Talks in San Francisco close to 100 City dwellers came out in the pouring rain to hear stories from local urban homesteaders, who shared their experiences and insights on ways to become more self-sufficient.
Kevin Bayuk, Heidi Kooy, and Davin Wentworth-Thrasher discussed growing and preserving your own food; keeping worms; composting (including the art of the compost toilet); greywater and rainwater catchment systems; and raising goats and chickens (Heidi’s chicken, Sweet Pea, graced us with her beautiful feathers). In case you were wondering, “urban homesteading” has been defined as: 1. Growing your own FOOD on your city lot. 2. Using alternative ENERGY sources. 3. Our three homesteaders employ almost all of these ideals and inspired us with their stories and ideas.
Davin Wentworth-Thrasher, the co-founder of the Ecology Center of San Francisco, offered the crowd information on how to do it yourself and more. Organizations/Web Sites Berkeley Ecology Center. Simple Observations « Reclaim Simplicity. Seven Surprising Uses for Baking Soda - Health. Dietz Lanterns, Oil Lamps, Railroad Lanterns, Kerosene Lantern Parts, W.T. Kirkman Oil and Electric Lanterns.
DIY Toner - Homemade Facial Toner Recipe. Not a Secret Homemade Deodorant. You know exactly what's in this homemade deodorant.
It's not a secret. It’s been seven months since I switched to 100% homemade deodorant. The switch, it seemed like this HUGE DEAL that could ruin my life. Like, this monumental thing that might alienate all my friends and family. Like, scary. Guess what? In fact, it’s the smallest big deal I’ve ever dealt with. Frankly, I’m madly in love with this homemade deodorant.
But, several people had pretty annoying issues with the baking soda and/or the cornstarch in that recipe. Tiny house movement is thriving despite real estate bust. As Americans downsize in the aftermath of a colossal real estate bust, at least one tiny corner of the housing market appears to be thriving. To save money or simplify their lives, a small but growing number of Americans are buying or building homes that could fit inside many people's living rooms, according to entrepreneurs in the small house industry. Some put these wheeled homes in their backyards to use as offices, studios or extra bedrooms. Others use them as mobile vacation homes they can park in the woods. But the most intrepid of the tiny house owners live in them full-time, paring down their possessions and often living off the grid. "It's very un-American in the sense that living small means consuming less," said Jay Shafer, 46, co-founder of the Small House Society, sitting on the porch of his wooden cabin in California wine country.
He and his family now live in relatively sprawling 500-square foot home next to the tiny one. Sustainability is the common thread. Four Homemade Cleaners. This was easier than I thought it would be.
One of Betsy’s goals for the year was to ditch some of our standard cleaners that we use around the house and make them! Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about this project mainly because I wasn’t sure that homemade cleaners would really get the job done. And my lovely wife is a bit of a neat freak so there’s no way she would use something that didn’t perform well. So a couple of weekends ago she went out and bought a few staple ingredients and some empty spray bottles and we spent a few minutes mixing up four different homemade cleaners that have since replaced 90% of the cleaners we use around the house. For the last few weeks we’ve been using them now and I’ve been so impressed by how well they are working, I thought I’d share them all with you in case any of you are interested in ditching the chemicals.
The Cost of Cleaning. Basic stuff. Really Clean Cleaning. Heirloom Skills For Sustainable Living. Urban Homestead ® - Path to Freedom. Natural Homemade Deodorant. I recently reported on dangerous chemicals in cosmetics, and the information I uncovered in writing that article really affected me.
If my friends thought I was a little eco-freak before, they need to prepare for a whole new level of glorious, fabulous ever-so-exciting neo-hippieness. I was appalled, absolutely astounded by the questionable additives found in almost all commercial self-care products. I resolved, then, to purge each product as it ran out (no waste), and to derive my own amazing alternative. A few days later, my deodorant was running low, and I came up with this solution. OH MY GOD you guys, this stuff works SO GOOD. Sayward’s Homemade Deodorant Recipe 1/3 cup Corn Starch 1/3 cup Baking Soda 10 drops of Antibacterial Essential Oil (tea tree, lavender, or eucalyptus) 10 drops of Antifungal Essential Oil (tea tree, peppermint, sandalwood, or eucalyptus) 2 tablespoons Vitamin E Oil 3 tablespoons Coconut Oil Mix everything up in a bowl until it forms a thick paste.
Institute of Urban Homesteading.