by Andy Greene on May 13, 2010
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London, England (CNN) — Eco-designers are fond of showing us how the future might look but are often guilty of luxuriating in form at the expense of function. Happily, “Sustainable Futures,” a new exhibition at the London’s Design Museum has steered clear of green frippery favoring instead to focus its attention on a clutch of projects that not only look good, but do good too. From models of Curitiba in Brazil — an environmental role model where recycling and efficient transport were established decades ago — to Masdar, in the United Arab Emirates which is scheduled to be completed in 2016 and is being touted as the world’s first zero-carbon city, a range of city building projects are showcased.
Read More at CNN
by Andy Greene on April 22, 2010
by Andy Greene on March 20, 2010
“I’m bored!”
Kids on the homestead are less likely than most to voice this familiar complaint, because there’s usually plenty for them to do. But every once in a while it happens. When it does, it’s nice to have some projects up your sleeve.
Here are some fun toys you can make with the stuff you probably already have lying around. Depending on the ages of your children, you can either make these toys yourself, or with your kids – or put an older one in charge of making them for the younger set.
- Dolls: You can make dolls out of nearly anything. They can be as simple as an acorn head with a tiny scrap of fabric wrapped around it for a hood and dress, to very elaborate, like a jointed wooden jumping jack. Rag dolls are a perennial favorite. You can make hair from bits of rovings or scraps of yarn, and clothes from your daughter’s favorite outgrown dresses.
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by Anne on February 22, 2010
What do you do with your favorite clothes when they get too ratty to pass down? You know the ones – the sweatshirt with the dingy cuffs, the shirt with the ketchup stain on the front, the jeans with gaping holes where the knees used to be.
Sure, you can turn them into rags. But how many rags can you use in a year? And besides, a lot of that fabric is still perfectly good. It seems a shame to throw it away.
Women have been solving the very problem you face by turning old clothes and quilts into scraps for generations. Why not you?
Starting Your Recycled Quilt
All you need to make a quilt besides your fabric is a pair of scissors, needle and thread and some imagination. The simplest quilts are simply large squares of different fabrics sewn together. The squares can be any size, but the bigger they are the less sewing you’ll have to do. Or you can sew smaller pieces together to make larger squares.
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by Anne on February 7, 2010
Wheeeee!
Remember sledding when you were a kid? That hill back of the school, or behind the barn, or at the end of your street? The long trudge up and the thrilling reward when you finally reached the top and pushed off, speeding down that hill so fast the wind whipped tears from your eyes?
Where’s that old sled now? Gathering cobwebs in your shed? Well, if you live where there’s snow it’s time to dust it off and polish up the runners. Because I have good news for you. Sledding isn’t just for kids. In fact, if you want to save gas and your back, your old Flexible Flyer could turn into one of your most useful wintertime homestead tools.
How many times have you fired up the four wheeler in order to carry a load that was just a little too heavy or awkward to haul around in your arms? A sled lets you pull a surprisingly large load with little effort, without the use of fossil fuel. It’s great for bales of hay and straw, hauling firewood, and of course for that little spruce tree you cut for Christmas, or for hauling home that prize buck.
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