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For Kids, It’s Easy Being Green

By Alison Wood on Saturday, May 15th, 2010 | No Comments

You’ve always felt very strongly about keeping our environment clean for future generations.  But now that one of them is living in your house, you’re not sure how to get your little bundle of joy started on the right path.  Kids can be stubborn when it comes to doing what is right.  They often prefer to push the boundaries by doing exactly the opposite of what you ask them.  So how can you raise your child to respect the earth and go eco-friendly?

For starters, there are areas in which you don’t have to give them an option.  As a parent, you control most of your child’s consumer choices, from food to toys to clothing.  They are pretty much stuck with whatever you get them.  But in order to ensure that they continue on a path of responsible spending as they enter their teenage and adult years, the best thing you can do is talk to them.  Explain why it’s better to buy organic foods (no pesticides to pollute the planet) or humanely raised meats (they’re sure to get on board with this one, although keep in mind that stories of the slaughter-house may not be appropriate for young children).  Let them know that eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton or bamboo are preferable to those that pollute because they don’t use of pesticides and they opt for low-impact dyes and green processing.

But education is only part of what you can do to get your kids to go green.  One area in which kids can really see the outcome of their efforts is recycling.  They can even get instant gratification if you have them sort bottles and cans and then take them to the recycling center.  Let them keep whatever money you make and use it to buy a treat or toy they want.  This way they can learn to associate recycling with rewards (and the feeling of satisfaction that corresponds).  They can also recycle clothing and toys for needy children (make them feel good about helping another child in need) and shoes can get turned into flooring for tracks, playgrounds, or gymnasiums through programs like Nike’s Re-Use a Shoe (www.nikereuseashoe.com).

If you’re still having trouble getting your child on board with going green, you can make it a game.  Engaging your child’s mind is a good way to get them interested, and there are a lot of websites available to help you out.  Sites like Kid’s Planet (www.kidsplanet.org) and Web Rangers (www.nps.gov/webrangers/index.html) will teach kids about how to protect animals and nature, while Recycle City (www.epa.gov/recyclecity/mainmap.htm) is a fun way to show them the recycling process and The Green Squad (www.nrdc.org/greensquad/) will help them find ways to implement eco-friendly processes at school.

It’s never too soon to get your child involved in learning to live responsibly, and protecting the planet is a big part of that.  And with all the resources at your fingertips via worldwide web, it’s easier than ever to get your kids to go green.  There’s just no reason a cleaner future can’t start in your home.

Guest post by Sarah of Maxi Dress Mania where you can find maxi dresses for your body type.

Choosing a DIY Solar Energy Guide That is Right for You

By Alison Wood on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 | No Comments

How many spare time activities can you name that can essentially wipe-out your electricity bills while lending a hand to saving the great green earth of ours? Well, picking up a DIY solar energy guide and building your own solar energy panels is a great place to start. Known to enthusiasts as “off grid living”, lessening your dependence on the commercial electrical grid and practicing self-sustainable methods of energy production is becoming quite popular.

Most Do it yourself solar energy guides will give you step by step instructions on how to build your own solar panels, battery specifications, calculating the amount of power needed for your system, etc. These are all important elements required to successfully install and run your own.

Look for a guide that is clearly written, contains lots of images, graphs and videos and lists out exactly what it is you need to do – and the tools and parts you will need to do it. You may think that building your own solar panels would call for some advanced equipment, but it’s a lot easier than you think! Most local hardware mega stores will have everything you need at decent prices under one roof.

Be sure you pick up a solar energy guide that is meant for DIY homeowners. Otherwise you may be getting product plugs and sales pitches in between your instructions. Conducting a simple search on Google for the term “diy solar energy” will give you pages of results to sift through. Check the customer reviews section and see what others have said about the guide you want to buy – usually if the people say it’s good, it’s good.

After reading through your DIY solar energy guide, it’s time to sit down and discuss the benefits with your family. Get everyone involved with the project and soon they will realize why you’re going green and it will only be a matter of time before they jump on the bandwagon with you.

Seeking the help of commercial installation companies can run you up a tab worth tens of thousands of dollars. There is absolutely no reason to spend this amount of money if all you want is a couple of solar panels to run your kitchen appliances. Converting to solar energy is about saving, and going with a big name company will incur a debt – plain and simple. Invest a few hundred dollars and a couple of weekends and you’ll be on your way to your very own solar energy system.

Alison Wood brings you ideas to live a green life and in the process save money. If you want to start making some substantial savings on your power bills then check out this easy step-by-step guide to building your own solar panel => http://www.solarenergydiyguide.com/

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Indoor Vegetable Gardening For Beginners

By Alison Wood on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 | No Comments

Indoor vegetable gardening can be very rewarding, but there are several things to think about before you start. First, do you have enough light? Plants do require a good amount of light to grow strongly and produce a crop. This does not matter so much for general house plants where you just want the plant to survive, but if you intend to grow a plant for its vegetable crop then it will need more light.

A large sunny window ledge is fine for smaller plants. If you have a conservatory or a room where the windows reach the floor, that is even better because you can use the floor space.

Clearly, choosing what to grow will be important. In fact, the most important thing you will do for your indoor vegetable gardening project is choosing the plants.

Tomatoes can work well indoors because they grow upward and do not need much space. They do like a lot of sun so you will need to put them right in the window. You can buy a trellis to stand in your container to support them.

Herbs also make good indoor plants. They usually like well drained soil. Too much water can cause fungal growth. They also like a good supply of fresh air. Most herbs will grow happily in pots on a sunny windowsill. Some, such as parsley, rosemary, mint and thyme, can handle less sunlight.

Root vegetables do not work well indoors in most cases because they need a bigger depth of soil than most homes can provide. The exception may be if you have a conservatory with large containers.

It can be hard to treat indoor pests. You should not have a major pest problem if you are growing from seed, but be very careful when buying growing plants. Be aware of the pests that target different plants, such as red spider mite for tomatoes, and check that they have not infested any plant in the store. It is not enough to check the plant you plan to buy because there could be eggs on it.

Also, check your house plants for pests before you start. There is no point in buying the perfect vegetable plant and then putting it right next to something that has an aphid infestation when you bring it home. It is possible to spray indoor plants although you would probably not want to use chemical pesticides in your home. Organic is better for anything that you plan to eat. Plant garlic with your tomatoes to deter red spider mite.

Hydroponics can be an excellent solution for indoor vegetable gardening. This is an intensive growing method that allows you to control the water, nutrients and light that plants receive. You can use grow lights to augment natural light. Hydroponic equipment does not have to be very expensive either. Simple starter kits are available for indoor vegetable gardening beginners.

Get Off the Grid and Put an End to Outrageous Power Bills

By Alison Wood on Sunday, April 25th, 2010 | No Comments

Every month Mike and Chloe’s utility bill arrives in the mail and each time their gripe is the same, “this electric bill just gets higher and higher every month…it’s time we make some changes around here.” Then another month rolls by in which they’ve done nothing to alter their power usage and another outrageous power bill shows up. They repeat the same frustrated complaint, yet again they do nothing to make a difference and so the grunting and bill paying just repeats month after month and year after year. Sound familiar to you?

Like Mike and Chloe, millions of home owners exist in this scenario. The sad truth of the matter is that every consumer in this vicious energy cycle pays more for monthly power consumption than their parents paid for monthly mortgage payments! So what can our fictitious homeowners, Mike and Chloe, do to make any real difference in their power use and bills? Or, on a more personal level, what can you do to make a difference in yours? Well folks, there are some options:

  • Option 1 – Sell everything electrical you own including your house and move into a cave. Hmmm, we’re going to need a lot more caves for this one.
  • Option 2 – Wait for your city, town or block to someday form a green and clean energy co-op so they can stick it to you. This option is also known as the APBJSP (Advocates, Planners and Bureaucrats Job Security Plan).
  • Option 3 – Turn your thermostat down until frost appears on your nose, disable your AC unit (sledge hammers work well for this), don’t cook, don’t wash anything including yourself, and limit your use of everything electrical to 3 minutes a day (except for your new iPad of course).
  • Option 4 – Dig in and do-it-yourself. That’s right. Get off the grid by becoming a self-supplier of your own sustainable electricity.

Personally speaking, I prefer Option 4 and undoubtedly you will too. Ok, so how does one go about supplying their own sustainable electricity? Again, there are some options:

  • Option A – Hire an electrical contractor who specializes in solar panel installations to convert your home to solar energy. One word comes to mind, expensive!
  • Option B – Hire an electrical contractor who specializes in wind turbine installations to convert your home to wind energy. Ditto Option A.
  • Option C – Design, build and install your own solar panel array or wind turbine energy system. Three words come to mind, inexpensive, challenging and rewarding!

If you have the money then by all means options A or B are excellent ways to turn your home into a clean, green snub the power company machine. However, most folks in these troubled times don’t have an extra $20-100K laying around the house to buy retail solar panels and wind turbines as well as pay high priced commercial contractors. Yes, I concede there are now a number of so-called “green” contractors who are offering green energy installment plans to homeowners who are cash strapped. Now isn’t that just a novel idea? Let’s all mortgage our rooftops or yards, pay more high interest on big loans, run up more personal dept, and when its all said and done pay more for self-supplied electricity than even the power company dares to charge. But hey, it will reduce our carbon footprints and that makes us feel good. We won’t get any sleep for figuring out how to pay next month’s installment, but we’ll be green.

Needless to say, I favor Option C. Yes it’s true. Anyone who can read and use everyday tools can become a do-it-yourself designer, builder and installer of their own solar energy and/or wind power systems. Challenging? Absolutely. In fact some may even find it more daunting than they care to consider. If that is you, please see options 1,2,3, A, or B. Rewarding? Sure is. There’s nothing in the rewards department that compares to forming a working plan, creating and installing a new system that benefits you and your family, and saving a boat load of money in the process. Inexpensive? Yes. Doing your own sustainable energy project costs pennies on a dollar compared to paying a contractor to do it for you. You can actually design, build and set up your own secondary solar or wind system for a couple hundred dollars. This system will provide partial power allowing you to reduce your on-grid power bill. For a couple thousand, or less if you’re a savvy parts shopper, you can power your entire house, garage and outdoor lighting. You’ll be green and you’ll sleep well at night.

How and where can you find the right information to start and finish your own DIY home solar energy or wind turbine project? Folks, look no further than the screen you are now staring at. That’s right, the entire internet is at your disposal and there’s a wealth of information out there waiting for you to use. Do your research, learn about solar energy and wind power, and seek well written guidance from DIY solar and wind energy experts. There are currently several good downloadable DIY green energy guides available on line which have been produced by experienced DIYers. I happen to favor two particular guides because they are written in understandable terms, have masterfully produced step-by-step videos, and offer 24/7 support to get you through any snags that may occur. If you’re truly serious about saving a lot of money by becoming a self-supplier of your own solar or wind electricity then your first step needs to be getting a great DIY energy guide. You’ll find convenient links below for my favorite guides but no matter how you approach this and any other DIY projects, always work smart and practice safety first.

Faine Morrison is a DIY home improvement enthusiast strongly bent towards saving money and going green when and wherever possible. If you enjoyed reading this article please take a moment to post a comment and share this. And, if you share the author’s penchant for DIY home improvement and sustainable energy you’ll benefit from checking out DIY Solar & Wind Systems and DIY Solar & Wind Energy, two of the do-it-yourself energy guides he recommends. Contact Author

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Organic Tomato Gardening Tips

By Alison Wood on Saturday, April 17th, 2010 | No Comments

Organic tomato gardening is perfect for almost every backyard, however small. All you need is a sunny corner. And nothing beats the taste of freshly picked sun ripened tomatoes from your own garden! Follow our tips for the perfect home grown organic tomatoes.

1. Location

Tomatoes need support and like a sunny, sheltered site. They usually prefer slightly acidic soil. A south or west facing fence or trellis is ideal.  Some varieties grow up to 6 feet tall, others are smaller.

2. Variety

There are many different kinds of tomato. If you want a truly organic garden, you will want to start out with organic tomato seeds. Otherwise you can use regular seeds and simply avoid using chemicals on your plants.

The best way to choose a tomato variety is to ask around among your neighbors. They will have the same climate and soil type, so what works for them will probably work for you. Maybe they will even share seeds with you.

3. Feeding

Successful organic tomato gardening requires some attention. Feed plants at least twice in the season with a good organic fertilizer. Slow release fertilizers in the soil are more effective than liquids. Spraying with kelp and fish emulsion from time to time will provide the growing leaves with extra nutrients.

Regular watering is vital. Never let the plants become so dry that they wilt. They may recover but they will not produce good juicy tomatoes that way.

4. Pests

Unfortunately tomatoes are vulnerable to various kinds of infestation. Here are some examples of tomato pests and what you can do about them.

Hornworms or Manduca quinquemaculata

This is a big ugly caterpillar native to the USA with a black horn on its rear end. It adores tomato plants and anything else in the same family (eggplant, potato, bell pepper, tobacco).

Hornworms will hide under the leaves of your plants so check every day, especially if you know that they are common in your local area. Sometimes you will find them by seeing their black excretions that have fallen onto other leaves.

The easiest and most effective way to deal with hornworms organically is to squish them. Alternatively, you can buy parasitic wasps or braconid wasps which will lay their eggs on the caterpillar. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will feed on the caterpillar and kill it. If you use braconid wasps, do not kill the hornworms yourself: the wasps will leave your garden if they do not find a few to lay their eggs on. The adult wasps feed on the flowers of dill and cilantro plants so grow some of those near to your tomatoes too.

Eelworms or Nematode

These worms live in the soil all around the world. They feed on the roots of several plants including potatoes and tomatoes. There is an organic pesticide called Methyl Bromide that can help with this. Planting marigolds in with your tomatoes is a good prevention measure.

Tomato Blight

Tomato blight is caused by fungus. Good preventive measures include rotating your plants so that the tomatoes are not always in the same place, and thinning them out so that they have plenty of circulating air. Still sometimes in a wet summer you will see some blight. Remove and destroy affected plants immediately to stop it spreading, or it will ruin your chances of successful organic tomato gardening.

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