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Are you one of the masses of people who don’t reduce reuse and recycle because figuring it all out is just too discouraging. Which bin is for what? How do you know what’s recyclable and what’s not?
Does your city or town have a recycling program? Click here to search for recycling centers. If your locality has a center you can slso look for their website or call them up (they’ll be in your phone book’s blue section, the government pages). Ask them to send you information on recycling in your area. They probably have some sort of mailer already set up for just such an inquiry. Most of the time, this mailer includes a creatively designed chart (often color-coded) that makes it easy for you to know what items to recycle and how – whether by memory or by posting the chart up on the refrigerator for quick reference.
Of course, that’s the easy answer – ask the city, they’ll tell ya. So here are some basics that apply in almost every city:
- Paper: All white paper, colored paper, newspaper, and cardboard is recyclable so long as it doesn’t have a coating on it. Some cities recycle milk cartons and T.V. dinner boxes and other paper products with wax coatings, but you’ll have to inquire to find out if yours is one.
- Plastic: Most recyclable plastic bottles have a recycling emblem – a triangle made of three arrows – on the bottom. Almost all recycling programs acceptt #1 and #2 plastic bottles with small necks. Many programs accept other types of plastic too.
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You know the old saying – “You can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl.”
If you’re a country girl (or boy) at heart but find yourself doing time in the city, don’t despair. There are plenty of things you can do to make yourself feel more at home.
One of my favorite urban homesteading activities is windowsill gardening. If you have a sunny window (south is great but east or west light will work fine, too) you, too can have at least a taste of home-grown goodness. (And windowsill gardening isn’t just for urban homesteaders – even those with big gardens often keep a few indoor pots going for fresh salad during the winter.)
All you need to start are some seeds and a few pots or trays you can fill with soil. If you’re lucky enough to have a sliding glass door you can even set up a tiered wire shelf unit in front of it for a multi-level indoor window garden. (Or try hanging pots of cascading plants – they save space and are pretty, too.)
Here are some suggestions for plants to grow in your windowsill garden: [click to continue…]
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Are you interested in adding solar energy to your home? You can spend thousands of dollars on solar panels, thin film, inverters, batteries, water heaters, etc.
But solar doesn’t have to be expensive.
If you’re building a new home, or remodeling an existing one, you needn’t spend a great deal of extra money to take advantage of the power of the sun. Incorporating the principles of passive solar design will make your home easier to heat and cool, and keep you more in touch with the natural cycles of the day and year.
Passive solar heating is older than humanity. Just watch your dog or cat seek out the sunniest spot in the room – or a shady place under the fence when the day gets hot. He knows instinctively how to keep himself comfortable using the sun.
A passive solar home uses smart design rather than mechanics to stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. If you’d like to incorporate passive solar into your home, keep in mind the five elements of passive solar design:
1. Orientation – In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun tracks from east to west across the southern part of the sky in the winter. Position the house so the longest side faces the sun to take full advantage of passive solar heat.
2. Windows – Large windows on the southern side of your home allow sunlight in to help warm the building. When you’re aiming for passive solar heat, keep north windows to a minimum. They don’t let in much direct sunlight anyway, and that way you’ll also be avoiding drafts from the coldest winds. In very hot climates you might want to keep sun-side windows small and open up the shady side to keep the building cooler. Many passive solar homes feature angled glass on the sunny side to capture a greater portion of the sun’s heat. [click to continue…]
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Swing. Thwak! Swing. Thwak! Swing. Thwak!
Chopping wood is time-honored tradition on many homesteads. You’d think there would be more complaining about the intense work involved. But if you ask seasoned wood choppers, most will shrug, and smile a little as they admit, “I like to chop wood.”
Take a few minutes to watch one of these masters at work. There’s a ritual involved that’s as inspiring in its way as watching a martial artist bow onto the mat and perform his routine.
He selects a log, placing it almost reverently upon the block. Then, hefting his axe in both hands, he takes a deep breath in and in one fluid motion hoists it up over his head and down upon the very center of the log. Steel hits wood, and the two halves fall neatly apart to hit the dirt with a satisfying thud.
[click to continue…]
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