Have you seen Food, Inc? All I can say is wow! I had always heard of the evil of the large components of the food supply, but wow. I must leave it at that due to the laws mentioned in the movie that will rip your soul out if you say bad things about the beef industry in particular. Ok, so maybe not your soul, but definitely would prevent the solar panels from ever becoming a reality. We're definitely looking into more local foods and perhaps less meat (which hasn't been part of our daily lives in awhile).
Ok, here's a taste of information... Did you know the deadly e-coli (remember the Jack in the Box deaths in the 90's and the more recent vegetable scares?) was actually created by feeding cows corn? Apparently it a product of a naturally accruing bacteria and the chemistry of corn being churned by a cow.
In college my friend Dax had a theory that cancer is caused by the bad karma built up in animals. We as humans raise animals for slaughter in the most horrible conditions if you're the animal but the best conditions if you are the bottom line. As the animals lead their horrible life they store the negativity. We then slaughter the animal with no regard to his soul which produces the negative karma. Then the consumer eats the negativity and bad karma and eventually gets cancer. I don't know that Dax's theory can be explained using science, but did you know that meat goes through an ammonia bath before reaching your mouth?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the greatest garden ever. Ok, so maybe its not the best idea for everyone, but its exactly what we need for our small lot with a long south facing wall. Who would have thought to grow vegetables in a rain gutter? Well, apparently Susan Forsling. Jesse and I decided this is a great idea for next year. So that means I am left toiling with the idea for a year. About a week after I found the greatest garden ever, while walking the dog I noticed a pot of flowers. Except the really cool thing is that it wasn't a pot of flowers, it was a Type 1 plastic lettuce container. And the flowers were flourishing.
We have a ton of Type 1 plastic lettuce containers since we missed the last 2 plastic recycling events. I think I'm going to go to the Restore, buy some 1x1 and make a simple rail system, attaching several rows to my previously mentioned south facing wall. Sort through the recycling and save the lettuce containers and grow my garden!
Yes, I know only plants with shallow roots, like greens, radishes and herbs (not that kind) will be able to grow here. But I also plan on having a plot at the community garden for those plants with more extensive roots.
This idea kept me up for several nights. So finally Jesse and I went on a seed quest to plant a couple of pots of lettuce and radish just for fun and to ease my Christmas in July excitement. Unfortunately there is no where in our small town to buy seeds at 9:00pm on a Thursday in July. The good news is we did eventually find seeds and the little guys are doing great. Now I have to wait 2 more weeks for radishes in August (rather than the usual and customary May)!
We have a ton of Type 1 plastic lettuce containers since we missed the last 2 plastic recycling events. I think I'm going to go to the Restore, buy some 1x1 and make a simple rail system, attaching several rows to my previously mentioned south facing wall. Sort through the recycling and save the lettuce containers and grow my garden!
Yes, I know only plants with shallow roots, like greens, radishes and herbs (not that kind) will be able to grow here. But I also plan on having a plot at the community garden for those plants with more extensive roots.
This idea kept me up for several nights. So finally Jesse and I went on a seed quest to plant a couple of pots of lettuce and radish just for fun and to ease my Christmas in July excitement. Unfortunately there is no where in our small town to buy seeds at 9:00pm on a Thursday in July. The good news is we did eventually find seeds and the little guys are doing great. Now I have to wait 2 more weeks for radishes in August (rather than the usual and customary May)!
the porcelin goddess
Right now the hottest burner for me is a dual flush toilet. A few years ago we added a 1/2 gallon jug to the toilet tank, lowered the water level and set back with a smug look on our faces. Not until this week had I thought to measure the inside of my toilet tank and estimate the amount of water that we literally flush down the drain each time we, well, flush. 4.5 gallons!!! my oh my, this is bad. Really, I knew the toilet was ancient but had no idea!
So Jesse (my husband, honey say "hi" to everyone) and I have been on a quest to replace the water hog with a slimmer, more modern 3rd cousin (cheaply). WaterSense is the label to look for when purchasing toilets (its the equivalent of EnergyStar, I think). So now we are seriously considering a dual flush toilet (which can be bought at Costco of all places for $122!).
The only thing stopping us from caving into our consumer desires and propping up the economy is a toilet sink. They're amazing, try googling "toilet sink." Basically, its a device that takes the water that normally would go from the main water line (clean water) directly into the toilet bowl and reroutes it through the toilet lid into a faucet so you can rinse your hands creating grey water. At this point the grey water drains into the toilet bowl and thus you flush with partial grey water and don't have to turn on the sink.
The problem - will this work on the dual flush? I guess it doesn't really matter, we're pro-choice, and that includes flushing. But if it will work, that would be amazing! Of course we won't be buying one of the prefabricated toilet sinks, rather we will be utilizing parts and pieces and a drill bit to create our own. Therein lies the problem. We want to experiment on the beast, not the beauty.
So Jesse (my husband, honey say "hi" to everyone) and I have been on a quest to replace the water hog with a slimmer, more modern 3rd cousin (cheaply). WaterSense is the label to look for when purchasing toilets (its the equivalent of EnergyStar, I think). So now we are seriously considering a dual flush toilet (which can be bought at Costco of all places for $122!).
The only thing stopping us from caving into our consumer desires and propping up the economy is a toilet sink. They're amazing, try googling "toilet sink." Basically, its a device that takes the water that normally would go from the main water line (clean water) directly into the toilet bowl and reroutes it through the toilet lid into a faucet so you can rinse your hands creating grey water. At this point the grey water drains into the toilet bowl and thus you flush with partial grey water and don't have to turn on the sink.
The problem - will this work on the dual flush? I guess it doesn't really matter, we're pro-choice, and that includes flushing. But if it will work, that would be amazing! Of course we won't be buying one of the prefabricated toilet sinks, rather we will be utilizing parts and pieces and a drill bit to create our own. Therein lies the problem. We want to experiment on the beast, not the beauty.
You may begin now
I created this blog in order to keep track of all my ideas and research related to "GreeningUpMyLife." As such there will be random projects, occasionally pictures and maybe an interesting idea. That's how I work best.
A little background: I'm not an expert, I'm still learning and want to learn. My husband, dog and I have managed to reduce our electric consumption to less than 100kwh/month through awareness and a few choices. At this point I'm ready to purchase solar panels, but my savings account has other ideas. Our natural gas consumption has remained steady over the last few years, next step is a wood stove (EPA approved), but again, the savings account. In the next month or so we look forward to replacing the toilet and implementing a very simple grey water idea. I actually told my husband I'd rather have a dual flush toilet than go to the Patagonia Outlet sale!
My husband and I are both part time students and full time educators. Which explains the savings accounts complaints from above. We are fortunate enough to have three months each year to enjoy Mother Nature like kids and would like to take some steps to preserve our life and those creatures that depend on us.
A little background: I'm not an expert, I'm still learning and want to learn. My husband, dog and I have managed to reduce our electric consumption to less than 100kwh/month through awareness and a few choices. At this point I'm ready to purchase solar panels, but my savings account has other ideas. Our natural gas consumption has remained steady over the last few years, next step is a wood stove (EPA approved), but again, the savings account. In the next month or so we look forward to replacing the toilet and implementing a very simple grey water idea. I actually told my husband I'd rather have a dual flush toilet than go to the Patagonia Outlet sale!
My husband and I are both part time students and full time educators. Which explains the savings accounts complaints from above. We are fortunate enough to have three months each year to enjoy Mother Nature like kids and would like to take some steps to preserve our life and those creatures that depend on us.
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