Last Minute Costumes! Recycle Halloween!

Photo by the Daily Green

Need some last minute tips for your Halloween costume?  Check out The Daily Green webiste!  They have a ton of great ideas!  THE DAILY GREEN  I love this idea!  WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A BROKEN UMBRELLA?  ---make wings!

And this Samuari is made of cardboard, and an old calendar!!! 


Photo by the Daily Green

 

39 sq. ft sustainable kitchen

Photo by Compost This!

Photo by Compost This!

Check out my sustainable kitchen!  Only 39.27 sq ft.  Fully compostable (Seattle has a food waste ordinance.....all households and apartments must compost their waste!) and recyclable.  The red bin the picture is for recyclables (glass, paper, cardboard, plastic etc). Having recently  removed and recycled all plastic containers, my kitchen has plenty of room for what really matters, ie., canning supplies, rice cooker, blender, crock  pot, and of course a waffle iron!

GO SUSTAINABLE.  GO SMALL.  WE REALLY DON'T NEED IT ALL.

Photo by Compost This!
Like this kitchen? Vote for it here.

Window Gardens! Small Space Indoor Gardening!!

Got a window?  YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN FOOD--YEAR ROUND.  Check out this great project via kickstarter.com  Brand New Windowfarms- Vertical Food Gardens  They totally acheived their goal of getting enough money to produce this product. 

Red or White? Yes please! DIY Wine Cork Recycled Projects

Photo by Compost This!

Please pass the wine!  Open another bottle!   Cork is a wonderful resource and the thought of throwing them away bothered me. Please note that some wines have a plastic resin cork which can also be made into a trivet (or if you have about 200 corks a bathmat!)

Photo by Compost This!

I decided to create a couple of trivets to start with.  They turned out great!   

Very easy!    All you need is the following:

Wine corks—about 50 or so  for two trivets

Exacto Knife (needs to be sharp)

cutting board you don’t mind gouging.

hot glue gun (the extra hot kind is best)

glue sticks (standard are fine)

1.     Separate out real cork corks from plastic corks

2.     Cut all of the wine corks length wise.

3.     Arrange in a square.

4.     Cut out a piece of dishtowel (other blogs suggest using the plastic weave that is used for keeping dishes in place.  I tried that but the glue from the glue stick seeped through and stuck to the dishtowel underneath ….hence my idea using a dishtowel instead). 

5.     glue stick your sliced corks to the dishtowel and whallah!

Wise Bread: Living Large on a Small Budget has some great wine cork projects! Check out the post:

25 Things to do with Used Corks (Including Making Money with Them).

For those of you who would rather purchase something made out of reused/recycled cork here are



Here are some kits to help you get started!

Yeah Baby! Alternatives to Plastic Diapers!

Yeah Baby!  There are several alternatives now available to mommies and daddies everywhere!

"Grow Baby" series from Bumrite.....the diapers grow as your little one does!  Great idea!

For those of us who have limited time and energy and can't do cloth, we can preorder compostables from Elements Natural (an Oregon-based company) and soon they will be available in places like Whole Foods.  For more info visit the Elements Natural website.

Cloth is the other alternative and there are hundreds of choices!  Simple Mom "Live Intentionally" has a great blurb "The Simple Mom Cloth Diaper Review".  Diaper Pin.com's Diaper review page is equally informative!  Everything from snap-on's to velcro, and wet/dry bags and covers!  All a new family needs to make the switch.

Every day, if every family in the USA used plastic diapers, over 40.37 million diapers would be thrown into our landfills.  According to the Disposable Diaper Industry Source that means that in " the US alone, 467 diapers are used EVERY SECOND....  the typical weight [of a diaper] is 45 grams...or 1,816 tons of diapers" are thrown away each day (in the USA). 

Project Laundry List & Drying Racks

Save money, energy, and time by using a drying rack!  Check out this concept... this rack was mounted in the empty space above the bathtub.  Extra wet clothing can drip into the tub and you dont have to fold it up each time you use it!

Drying rack ideas
Project laundry list promotes drying clothes on the line or on a rack  PROJECT LAUNDRY LINE WEBSITE

Here are some drying racks.  I like the stainless steel one because it is recyclable!
 

Think about it! go NO plastic

Treehouses!

What do YOU think when you think of Treehouses? Sustainable, Beautiful, Graceful.

Or how about a tree house bed and breakfast? 
Treehouse Point --Fall City, Washington

Want to build a tree house?
Out and About in Oregon
Treehouse Workshop (Seattle)

Check out 10 Amazing Treehouses on weburbanist.com.  I especially like the Free Spirit Spheres and the O2 Sustainability Domes that appear to hang in the air. 

That "empty" space. AIR ---1.2.3. Breathe!

Yesterday I was diagnosed with severe lung inflammation.  It wasn't a virus or a bacteria, nor a blood clot.  Instead my doctor and I believe it was due to an acute inhalation of smoke from a simple "I burned something (happened to be oatmeal) on the stove and the apartment filled with smoke" event.  Pollution.  I've been struggling to breathe for several weeks and have been inspired by watching others breathe (and they have no idea how miraculous those breaths are). 

"Earth From Space" Photo by Urban Times "The Optimistic Forward-Thinking Magazine"

We live on/within an amazing planet and atmosphere.  That 'empty space' that which I can't see is one of the most amazing ingredients on Planet Earth.  According to wikipedia ". Dry air contains roughly (by volume) 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1%."  Just the right amount.....amazing. 

We breathe air as fish breathe water. 
For tips on how you can improve air quality check out these 50 Tips to Prevent Air Pollution.

Spring Green! Secret Pocket Easter Eggs!

The Easter Bunny loves these all natural Easter eggs! 

Photo by Sewmamasew

Made out of cloth, they can last for years!  Here is a link to the simple and easy design: Cloth Easter Eggs Design and Instructions This design is great!  You can fill the egg with cloth remnants or beans or rice to make a bean bag! (*great for extra games after the Easter egg hunt!)

Here is to an all natural, sustainable EASTER!

Fair Trade Chocolate! For those of you in the Seattle Area GO LOCAL! Visit Theo's Chocolate
For more detailed info on Fair Trade Chocolate please visit FAIR TRADE USA

Photo by Fairyfolk (Esty Artisan)

For more ideas check out the artisans on Etsy.com!  Wool Eggs!  

Photo by Fairyfolk (Etsy Artisan)

Growing Power! Aquaponics and Farmer-in-Chief Will Allen



Will Allen, Farmer-in Chief, Growing Power! Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Photo via Wakeupworld.com

Compost This! wants to showcase an amazing community garden organization!
 Growing Power! and Farmer-In-Chief, Will Allen  are based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Like other community gardens around the country it provides gardening opportunities for the community.  What makes it special in my mind is the fact that in addition to teaching the skills of traditional soil-based agriculture, and greenhouse gardening, Growing Power! includes aquaponics!  In addition to raising fish for local community consumption, Growing Power!  uses the fish water to irrigate the growing beds in their greenhouse!!!  They offer tours and provide information for thousands of folks from around the country! 

Wakeupworld.com posted a fantastic article about Growing Power!  "How 1 MILLION Pounds Of Organic Food Can Be Produced On 3 Acres" 

Check out this video about how he does it!

Here's to COMMUNITY GARDENS and a sustainable world!!

The Pothole Gardener: Big Shout out to the other side of the pond! WELL DONE

Compost This! is very pleased by the pothole gardens popping up.  Check out the video below and visit Steve Wellen's The Pothole Gardener blog!! 

HERE IS TO GARDENS EVERYWHERE!