Ecological Footprint Quiz by Center for Sustainable Economy ZUCCHINI BEEF SKILLET Posted on August 4, 2013 by The Southern Lady Zucchini is one of my favorite summer vegetables and I am always looking for new ways to make it. I just add some cornbread muffins to accompany this dish and it makes a meal. 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (You don’t have to peel the tomatoes, sometimes I do and other times I don’t) 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn 2 tablespoons pimiento 1 tablespoon dried parsley 5 cups unpeeled thinly sliced zucchini (Can use yellow squash instead of zucchini or a mixture of both) 1 package onion soup mix 3/4 cup water Brown beef, onion and green pepper in a large skillet.
Build a Homemade Mosquito Trap Mosquitoes are more than just annoying pests in your yard or garden. Mosquitoes carry many diseases including West Nile, encephalitis and malaria. There are many commercial products to rid your landscape of these dangerous insects. Most of these products are quite expensive, however. How it WorksMosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide (CO2) that we exhale. Your homemade mosquito trap will use yeast to create CO2. MaterialsTo build your homemade mosquito trap, you'll need: 1 plastic two-liter drink bottle, emptied and cleaned. Putting it Together Cut the top off the two-liter bottle just below the point where the top merges into the cylinder. Using The TrapYour homemade mosquito trap will work indoors or out. You'll need to replace the yeast mixture about every two weeks. The trap can be made more effective by taping an Octenol or Lurex mosquito lure to the inside of the bottom section of the bottle before sealing.
Living Paper-Free and Loving It: 15 Tips for Creating a Paperless Home “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” [I] detest useless waste. It literally makes me crazy to think of spending money on something — usually out of convenience – knowing that the end result will be the trash. Paper towels, diapers, wipes, disposable anything, and yes even toilet paper…for nearly a year our family has been on a mission to find sustainable replacements for these common household items in an attempt to create a paperless home. Many people will argue that purchasing and using paper products doesn’t effect their budget enough to warrant seeking reusable alternatives. 15 Tips for Creating a Paperless Home Important disclaimer: Don’t pressure yourself into implementing each one of these tips all at once…you’ll only end up frustrated and defeated. Here are a few of my ideas for creating a paperless home: In theory 1. 2. 3. 4. In Practice: Viable Alternatives to Paper Products 5. 6. . 7. 8. is also a very good and sanitary alternative. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Those Old Fashioned Skills Could Save Your Life What old fashioned skills and abilities did your grandparents or great-grandparents have that, if you had those skills, would help you to survive in the event of a long-term survival situation: a real TEOTWAWKI (aka: “the end of the world as we know it”)? This is the question that was asked in a blind study of a group of online workers. Here are the old fashioned skills most identified as being employed by their ancestors and considered necessary to survival: 1. Hunting – My grandfather and father were good hunters; we always had meat on the table. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. As this last person describes, our grandparents and great-grandparents employed a variety of old fashioned skills and were all about surviving: “I’m most impressed that they knew how to live off the land and how to make everything they needed. We would all do well to learn some of those old fashioned skills, lest we some day fail to survive a situation that our ancestors would have taken in stride. The Author: C.L.
Neem Insect Spray: Making And Using Neem Garden Spray When making your own neem insect spray you can adjust the concentration to the purpose and situation. There are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines. Some insects are more persistent than others. A preventative neem spray can be weaker than one used for fighting a severe infestation. For a neem garden spray 0.5% to 1% is a good general purpose solution. Use your own observations and common sense. Neem Oil Amounts For Insect Spray For 1 liter of a 0.5 % dilution of neem plant spray you need: 5 ml neem oil1-2 ml insecticidal soap or other detergent1 liter warm water To convert into US measurements: Five ml make a teaspoon. Just multiply these amounts if you want to make a bigger batch. For 20 liters of a 1% solution of neem insect spray you need: 200 ml neem oil20 ml insecticidal soap20 liters of water If you have trouble dissolving the oil, use more detergent. Method For Preparing Neem Insect Spray Use warm water if possible. Additional Instructions How often should you use neem garden spray?
"One Good Thing" by Jillee: No-Grate Homemade Laundry Soap Despite all the enthusiasm over making homemade laundry detergent recently…I continue to hear murmurings from those who just can’t bring themselves to grate soap and cook it on the stove. It apparently just isn’t going to happen. :-) I’m not naming any names…but my older sister would probably freely admit she didn’t decide to even attempt making her own laundry detergent UNTIL I told her about this “new” recipe I was testing out. (I know it seems like I’m always “picking on” her…but she called me a “brat” on her blog recently…so she pretty much deserves it. lol). Once again I have to credit the incredible readers of this blog for my inspiration. Tiffanie posted this on February 4th….A close friend of mine has been making laundry soap like this one for years, until just recently she found an easier one to make and passed it on to us. 3 Tablespoons Borax3 Tablespoons Washing Soda2 Tablespoons Dawn Dish soap Put these ingredients in a one gallon jug. February 4, 2012 8:59 PM
Homemade Bleach Alternative ~Non-Toxic and Frugal | Deep Roots at Home I must make a confession. In our home, we’ve gone green in so many areas: water collection barrels, passive solar and solar collectors, in transition to organics in the pasture, raising some of our own food, safe household products…uh…well…hmmm, that is except for bleach. You see, I didn’t think I could get my washload (especially dirty wash cloths and work clothes) really clean (like germ-free) without it. However, bleach is something that was traditionally used even when I was a girl in the 50s, so I overlooked it for some time. (In case your mom didn’t tell you, it’s a very bad idea to mix bleach and ammonia. So when I saw a simple recipe to make a bleach alternative on Andrea’s blog {Frugally Sustainable}, I decided to check it out. Here is the recipe for Homemade Bleach Alternative: - 1 ½ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide - ½ cup white vinegar or lemon juice - Pure water to fill a gallon jug - 10 drops lemon or lemongrass essential oils (optional/omit if using lemon juice) Notes: ~ Jacqueline
Crunchy Farm Baby: Homemade All-Natural Flea and Tick Repellent Living on a farm is a great adventure, but it does come with its downsides - one of which is an abundance of pesky creatures. We have no shortage of spiders, earwigs, flies, caterpillars, and of course, fleas and ticks. Summertime is especially bad for fleas around here, and since we have six indoor pets, they present quite the challenge! Since I am not one to want to spray my home and yard with dangerous chemicals, I needed to find a natural solution to try to keep these pests at bay. After several failed attempts, I found a great solution! In an old spray bottle, simply add about 15-20 drops of lemon essential oil and fill the rest of the bottle with water. You can also use this in place of a flea collar (which have so many harmful chemicals for your dogs and little ones in your home). Now, remember that this is a repellent, not a flea/tick killer.
Introduction to Permaculture - 40 hours of Free video lectures Permaculture means 'permanent culture,' (or 'permanent agriculture') and ...'is the conscious design and maintenance of cultivated ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of a natural ecosystem.' (Bill Mollison) This course will explore, through lectures, discussions, field trips, and required projects, a design/thinking methodology that seeks to profide for our physical needs, food, water, shelter, energy, etc., while doing so in an environmentally friendly, sustainable manner. Download all lectures for Free here: Watch online all lectures for Free here: See also: Introduction to Permaculture - 18 part webinar with Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture - This is an 18 part 90 minute intro to permaculture webinar with Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture in Illinois. Documentary Films - Permaculture / Organic FarmingEbooks - Permaculture & Forest Gardening Free Documentary Films ArchiveFree Full Ebooks Archive
Hope Farms Bedbug trap: University team develops non-toxic solution Sun. Jun. 1, 2014 by Karen Sanders, staff writer (NaturalHealth365) Bedbugs! But there’s nothing cheerful or charming about Cimex lectularius. Bedbugs – staging a comeback after being virtually wiped out in the mid-twentieth century – can hitch a ride into your home in luggage, handbags, or bedding. While bedbugs don’t transmit diseases, and don’t take enough blood to be harmful, they can cause mental and physical consequences. Emotional consequences include stress, shame, anxiety, social withdrawal and insomnia. An inexpensive new trap, invented by professors and students at the University of Florida, is bringing hope to the tens of thousands of people affected by these parasites – many of whom can ill afford the services of a pest management professional. The traps can be assembled for about a dollar apiece, using common household items You will need two plastic food storage containers, such as margarine tubs, in two different sizes. Looking for natural health solutions?