DIY
Many fruits and vegetables taste better eaten the day they’re harvested from the garden. But what if you need to store your crop before you can prepare it? It’s possible to store your fruits and veggies using old technology and avoiding plastic altogether for zero waste storage. Original article – with photos; http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/plastic-less-and-low-tech-way-store-your-food-better-taste.html
HowTo: Store Fruits and Vegetables.
Tips and tricks to extend the life of your produce without plastic.
The Ecology Center Farmers’ Markets produced a large list of ways to store your produce without using plastic to push the markets and customers toward zero waste. Below is a sampling of the plastic-free tips and tricks of vegetable and fruit storage.
Fruits.
Apples- Store on a cool counter or shelf for up to two weeks. For longer storage, put in a cardboard box in the fridge.
Citrus- Store in a cool place with good airflow, never in an air‐tight container.
Apricots/Nectarines- On a cool counter or fridge if fully ripe
Cherries- Store in an airtight container. Don’t wash Cherries until ready to eat, added moisture encourages mold.
Berries -Don’t forget they’re fragile. When storing be careful not to stack too many high, a single layer if possible. A paper bag woks well, only wash before you plan to eat
Strawberries- Don’t like to be wet. Do best in a paper bag in the fridge for up to a week. Check the bag for moisture every other day.
Veggies.
Always remove any tight bands from you vegetables or at least loosen them to allow them to breath
Asparagus- Place them loosely in a glass or bowl upright with water at room temperature. Will keep for a week outside the fridge.
Basil- Basil does not like the cold or to be wet. The best method is an airtight container/jar loosely packed with a small damp piece of paper inside, left out on a cool counter.
Broccoli -Place in an open container in the fridge or wrap in a damp towel before placing in the fridge.
Carrots- Cut the tops off (but save them for tea) to keep them fresh longer. Place them in closed container with plenty of moisture, either wrapped in a damp towel or dunk them in cold water every couple of days, if they’re stored that long.
Cauliflower- Will last a while in a closed container in the fridge, but they say cauliflower has the best flavor the day it’s bought.
Lettuce- Keep damp in an airtight container in the fridge.
Zucchini- Does fine for a few days if left out on a cool counter, even after cut. Wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.
Beth Terry of My Plastic-Free Life skips the damp towel for carrots and stores them in containers of water that she frequently changes. According to Beth, the carrots, cut or whole, keep for weeks. The complete list of tips on vegetable and fruit storage is available in a downloadable PDF.
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A great little idea for a DIY iPhone charger is below. Wish I’d seen it before I left for Jordan to play music over the St Patrick’s weekend. I kept running out of juice as I use my iPhone as a camera. With thanks to haikuordie it’s his article.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Altoids-USB-BatterySolar-charger-for-iPhone-and-i/
Use cheap solar landscaping lights. They produce more than 3V each in direct sunlight, but that’s not enough to charge all four batteries. So I decided to make them charge two sets of two batteries. This is possible with a DPDT (Double Pole – Double Throw) toggle switch.
You will have to prewire your USB socket. This is how I decided to wire it. Black and yellow are optional if you don’t want to use this on Apple products. They require you to wire these so that your USB emulates a typical Apple charger.
Red (1): +5VDC
Black (2): Data (~2.4VDC)
Yellow (3): Data (~1.8VDC) 
White (4): Ground
Another subscriber sent in this one as the first mightn’t use great PV’s ;
http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e112/KenQuek/Solar%20project/Portable%20charger/
I know there are plenty of USB chargers out there for you to build. But here’s one that doesn’t use a voltage regulator or an IC chip to power it. The basic concept is to use 4 – AAA rechargeable batteries (1.2V a piece) to power the USB and a couple of solar cells to charge the batteries. If you’ve done the basic math you’re probably wondering how 4.8V (4 x 1.2) is going to power a USB device which requires 5VDC. Well that’s actually how I came up with the idea. I have another charger I made using a 9V battery and a 5V regulator. It will charge my iPod until the battery runs low. When I test the voltage output at the USB with a spent 9V, it will be spitting out 4.7V. So that’s the cut off point. 4.8V is still within the tolerance for a USB device to charge. So I tried a 4-cell setup on my breadboard and it worked! I tested the voltage at the USB socket and (to my surprise) it was at 5.2V. I put my voltmeter on each battery and they were cranking out 1.3V at full charge. This is great! The tolerance of a USB happens to be just right for these four cells. So the solar part was sort of an afterthought for charging the batteries (they are rechargeable anyway).
If you’d like to try to make one yourself, here’s what you need:
4 – AAA Battery Holder
USB Socket (female)
Solar Panel (3V output minimum, around 5V max)
Blocking Diode (not LED)
Some resistors (This is somewhat optional. You need them if you want your iPod/iPhone to recognize your charger. I’ll explain exactly which ones to use later.)
DPDT Toggle Switch
Small Perf Board (Also optional)
Soldering Iron
Wind generation was at a record high of 7,049 GWh while the traditional Scots hydro-power also reached records at 5,310 GWh. As far as solar power is concerned, there has been a more recent take up because of the FiT scheme, where households can feed in their energy. The total photovoltaic capacity is now 937MW (only about 1% of the total renewable energy.)
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From Earth-Techling;
http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/04/diy-wind-turbine-like-a-whirligig-mounted-inside-a-funnel/
DIY Wind Turbine Like A Whirligig Mounted Inside A Funnel
Wind turbines are a wonderful way to generate electricity, but most of the wind turbines installed in the United States and elsewhere are, figuratively speaking, monsters, requiring a special truck to haul the base unit and a crane to lower the turbine portion into position. Fixing them is even more iffy, since it requires working from a platform 200 feet or so off the ground in rain, sleet, snow or high winds.
Engineers have come out with a few smaller wind turbines, both vertical and horizontal – and one intriguing design even involves reciprocating motion with horizontal airfoils, but size and height remain issues. Not so with design engineering student Michael Tougher’s wind turbine, featured on Coroflot. This turbine, which looks like a whirligig mounted inside a funnel, tucks neatly into small areas and can reportedly be mass produced cheaply enough to make it ubiquitous in those off-grid locations that require electricity – areas like highway overpass directional signage, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras monitoring traffic flow, even electric car charging locations, or any area designed to smoothe the morning and evening commute.
image via Michael Tougher
Tougher’s turbine is cleverly designed to fit within structures like bridges, columns, even abandoned buildings, and these elevated location offer much easier access than the typical 200-foot turbine and greater safety, both for the turbine and for people. In addition, their much smaller footprint means they can be wired in tandem to deliver off-grid electricity, which avoids the inevitable power losses of grid transmission. Finally, these wind turbines are unobtrusive, their mechanism and blades hidden behind a nozzle, and the blades virtually invisible at high speed.
These versatile, compact wind turbines have several other features that make them interesting for possible use of small wind generation, the first being that they avoid the long shaft and bearing issues of tower turbines, and the other being an external control system that helps keep these turbines compact and easy to handle. Tougher’s design seems to be a clear winner, and for those who want to try a hand at building their own, you can find instructions for doing so at Instructables. There’s even has a video at the end of the tutorial showing the actual turbine doing its thing.
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-NozzleDiffuser-wind-turbine/
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Reducing your carbon footprint – a checklist
Posted by Murielle in Climate & Change, climate change, green living, Health, Sustainable living, sustainable living, 28 Mar 2012
Image by Parksy1964 (source: Flickr)
The key to a green future is doing a little at a time, and considering all the options
At this point we’re past the stage where energy saving and renewables are talked about as something futuristic and unobtainable or something for sandal wearers and lentil-eaters. Solar panels are appearing on many suburban homes, wind turbines a common site on farms and new commercial buildings and wind-farms, heat pumps and tidal power generators and a smorgasbord of clever new technologies are popping up all over the UK, Europe and beyond.
But what, as a normal everyday consumer can you or I do to make significant inroads to our personal carbon footprint?
The low hanging fruit
If you’re reading this blog then I think it’s probably safe to assume that you’re at least aware of the simple stuff: energy saving light bulbs (80% less electricity); recycling cans, tins, bottles and cardboard (1 tonne CO2 / house / year) and using public transport, walking or cycling instead of the car where practical (over 2 tonnes / person / year). Plus turning down your thermostat, switching off appliances (not standby) can easily save 10% of your heating and electricity bills. These steps are reasonably easy to take, and can have a dramatic effect on your personal energy usage and carbon footprint. The 10:10 campaign advocated these simple steps as a great way to start lowering your energy usage and personal emissions substantially within 12 months.
The next steps
As the name suggests, the low hanging fruit should be easily available for everyone. Indeed many are now viewed either economically or socially as the norm and have widespread support from governments, energy suppliers and public opinion.
For those wishing to take their commitment to the environment further, there are additional steps available.
Energy efficient home insulation is a fantastic way to save a surprising amount of energy in your home. The Energy Saving Trust has some detailed figures on exactly how much can be saved. Even the really dirt cheap initiatives such as draft proofing and fitting jackets to hot water pipes and tanks (no more than £100 – 120) can start paying you back in 2 years or less. Bigger jobs such as cavity wall insulation and loft insulation can payback up to £150 each per year in lower electricity and gas bills.
Both home insulation and more recently solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have benefited from government and local authority grants to enable homeowners to make the leap with much less outlay from their wallets. This has also led to a much larger network of certified installers so you can be assured that the job is being done by professionals. Solar panels are now available for free from many installers, who will also maintain the panels. In return they take the government backed feed-in-tariff rates, and you can benefit from the bill savings of around £120 – 150 per year. Or buy your panels outright and expect returns of 8-10% of their price each year for a guaranteed 25 years.
If you’d rather support solar and other renewable electricity elsewhere rather than on your own roof, you can now also choose to switch to a green electricity tariff. Many suppliers, including all the big utilities companies are now offering this, although do check that your money will be going towards new investment in renewables rather than buying up existing capacity.
Still not enough for you?
If you’ve made it this far, you’re clearly committed to seriously reducing your carbon footprint and energy use. Given the levels of expert knowledge and relative difficulty in making these changes as well as the costs involved, these are definitely for the highly motivated.
Wind turbines don’t get as much coverage as their solar panel compatriots.
| Things to do | Difficulty / cost(1-5) | Benefit (1-10) | Total score |
| Energy saving light bulbs |
1 |
6 |
5 |
| Recycle |
2 |
4 |
2 |
| Change your transport habits |
3 |
6 |
3 |
| Turn down thermostat / switch off appliances |
1 |
6 |
5 |
| Home insulation |
3 |
8 |
5 |
| Buy green electricity |
2 |
3 |
1 |
| Solar PV |
2 |
6 |
4 |
| Wind turbine |
4 |
4 |
0 |
| Renewable heat |
3 |
4 |
1 |
| Electric car |
4 |
6 |
2 |
Create your own checklist
The examples here should give you a good start, but to really personalise your carbon beating efforts you should create your own list – use the items here as a starting point and then add your own, setting a score for the difficulty and cost of making the change, and the benefit of the change on your overall energy consumption and carbon footprint. To get the total score subtract the difficulty from the benefit. You can then use your checklist to inform your green decision making – start by considering the items with the highest score, and work your way down from there. Good luck!
Tags: AnderhamEnergy, eco-friendly living, green living, reducing your carbon footprint
I used to have some great articles on DIY but the last time I looked at th page it vanished. Dunno what happened – So I’ll start again with a couple of articles directly from Mother Nature Handbook; Mother Nature Network | 191 Peachtree Street | Atlanta | GA | 30303 Follow MNN; http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109576218049&s=87679&e=001gv2aI9tFd6BE6ArOd2Ur-FyfM6H6cQhUPsNpig0JL7CecDjEPlLW4xpgYt5CP0z1sYbvda286Z7R1sIcDVV33Sq6PU9jf55VmR6D0O8Bv-rHcpyv1Kqw4i9qfsDsF8plFrLZtmEPuPE=
FaceBook link; http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109576218049&s=87679&e=001gv2aI9tFd6BE6ArOd2Ur-FyfM6H6cQhUPsNpig0JL7CecDjEPlLW4xpgYt5CP0z1sYbvda286Z7R1sIcDVV33Sq6PU9jf55VmR6D0O8Bv-rHcpyv1Kqw4i9qfsDsF8plFrLZtmEPuPE=
10 foods that fight spring allergies
Work vitamin C-rich foods (like citrus and broccoli) into your diet and turn to stinging nettle as a potent natural form of allergy relief.
By Rodale NewsFri, Mar 16 2012 at 5:28 PM EST
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broccoli in a strainer Photo: cyclonebill/Flickr
Thanks to climate change, every allergy season is the worst allergy season ever. Warmer temperatures have led to earlier springs and longer allergy seasons, while higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have led to more potent and allergenic pollen.
This year is no different. A mild winter — the fourth-warmest on record — means that trees have started budding and releasing pollen earlier. While that certainly bodes well for birds and cherry-blossom festivals, it could leave you feeling miserable if you suffer from spring allergies. The good news is that natural allergy relief is within an arm’s reach of your refrigerator: Foods rich in vitamin C and folic acid help reduce the inflammation associated with allergic reactions, and studies are finding that some herbs are just as effective as expensive drugs.
Grab your grocery cart and stock your produce bin with these 10 natural allergy remedies:
1. Broccoli
This precious piece of produce serves two purposes in annihilating your allergy symptoms. It’s high in allergy-relieving vitamin C and it’s a member of the crucifer family, plants that have been shown to clear out blocked-up sinuses. Researchers have found about 500 milligrams (mg) of Vitamin C a day can ease allergy symptoms, and just one cup of raw broccoli packs about 80 mg.
2. Citrus fruits
To hit that 500-milligram vitamin C level from whole food sources, you can also turn to oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes. A large orange contains nearly 100 mg of C, while half of a large grapefruit contains about 60 mg.
3. Kale
Don’t just admire kale as a garnish. Eat it! This superfood packs a one-two punch against allergies; like broccoli, it’s a member of the crucifer family, but it’s also rich in the carotenoid department, pigments believed to aid in fighting allergy symptoms.
4. Collard greens
Highjacked by hay fever? Put collard greens on the menu for the same reason as kale. Their phytochemical content, mainly, carotenoids, eases allergy issues. To increase the amount of carotenoids your body absorbs, eat the veggie with some sort of fat source. One idea? Lightly cook it in olive oil.
5. Stinging nettle
You can’t discuss natural allergy remedies without hailing stinging nettle. It helps stifle inflammation that occurs when you’re experiencing allergy symptoms. Stinging nettle contains histamine, the chemical your body produces during an allergic reaction, so it helps you acquire tolerance. Look for 500-mg freeze-dried nettle capsules in your natural health store, and take three times a day. That’s the best form for allergy relief; it won’t sting because it’s freeze-dried. Long-term use of the herb is not recommended, since it can deplete your potassium stores.
6. Butterbur
Leaves and roots of the butterbur shrub contain compounds called petasines, which can block some reactions that spark allergies. Does this plant really work? Science says yes, though its use is not generally recommended for young children, people older than 65, or those with ragweed allergies. A large British meta-analysis of six studies looking at butterbur as an allergy reliever found five studies supported the claim. The roots of the perennial shrub generally contain high levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can damage the liver, so herbalists recommend looking for butterbur products that specify no pyrrolizidines, or ones that use a CO2 extracting process, which limits the amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Swiss and German researchers found that butterbur was just as effective as the prescription antihistamine cetirizine (Zyrtec) after two weeks of treatment. It’s also been shown to relieve sneezing, itching, runny nose, stuffiness, and watery eyes in just five days.
7. Elderberries
Immune-strengthening elderberries are often hailed as a natural flu treatment, but the berries serve a purpose in natural allergy relief, too. Try elderberry wine, juice, or jam to tap the fruit’s beneficial flavonoids that reduce inflammation.
8. Onions and garlic
Quercetin is another secret weapon that helps fight allergies by acting like an antihistamine. Onions and garlic are packed with quercetin, as are apples. (If you go with eating apples, just make sure they don’t stimulate oral allergy syndrome.)
9. Parsley
According to Michael Castleman, author of “The New Healing Herbs” (Rodale, 2009), parsley inhibits the secretion of allergy-inducing histamine. (Parsley is a diuretic, so talk to your doctor before taking supplements or eating large amounts of it.)
10. Anti-allergy soup!
There’s nothing like a warm bowl of soup when you’re feeling sick, and while this usually pertains to chicken soup for the flu, an expert on herbs developed this soup to naturally battle allergies. In “The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods: Proven Natural Remedies to Treat and Prevent More Than 80 Common Health Concerns” (Rodale, 2008), herb expert James Duke, PhD, recommends this allergy-fighting soup recipe:
Boil an onion (with skin) and a clove of garlic. Add half a cup chopped leaves and diced taproots of evening primrose. After boiling for about 5 minutes, add a cup of nettle leaves and a cup of diced celery stalks, and boil gently for another 3 to 10 minutes. Before eating, remove the onion skins and eat the soup it’s while still warm. Season with wine vinegar, black pepper, hot pepper, turmeric, curry powder or celery seed. Enjoy!
How to reuse silica gel packets
This annoying packet has a multitude of household uses.
By Cy Tottleben, Local CorrespondentTue, Jul 27 2010 at 4:29 PM EST
32
DON’T THROW AWAY: They’re reusable, just not edible. (Photo: jorho123/Flickr)
We find them everywhere, popping out of all sorts of packaging, lurking like an ugly bug in vitamin bottles and new shoes. Working freight at my store, I touch dozens of silica packets each day and often ask what I can do to recycle them. Couldn’t we collect them and send them off to a manufacturer for reuse?
Silica gel is a desiccant, a substance that absorbs moisture. Despite its misleading name, the silicate is actually a very porous mineral with a natural attraction to water molecules. Manufacturers utilize the gel to keep goods from spoiling, molding or degrading due to humidity. The gel itself is nontoxic, but can have a moisture indicator added (cobalt chloride) which is a known toxin that turns pink when hydrated and is otherwise blue in its dry form. Most silica found in our food and household purchases looks like tapioca beads and is benign unless combined with certain chemicals.
Although silica gel has massive potential for reuse, I haven’t had any luck finding a recycler. But I did discover several great suggestions for using these packs around the house and keeping them from the landfill just a wee bit longer.
Put packs in your ammo cans and gun cases/safes to keep dry.
Protect personal papers and important documents by putting some gel in a baggie wherever these are stored.
Keep with photos to spare them from humidity. Tuck a small envelope in the back of frames to protect even the ones hanging on your walls.
Store in camera bags and with film. After snapping photos in cold or wet conditions, silica gel will absorb moisture to keep your lens from fogging or streaking.
Leave a couple packs in your tool box to prevent rusting.
Use the material to dry flowers.
Place with seeds in storage to thwart molding.
Stash some in window sills to banish condensation.
Dry out electronic items such as cell phones and iPods. Remember after the device has gotten wet, do not turn it back on! Pull out the battery and memory card and put the device in a container filled with several packs. Leave it in there at least overnight.
Slow silver tarnishing by using the gel in jewelry boxes and with your silverware.
For items in storage, such as cars or anything prone to mildew. Popular Mechanics offers a good suggestion for use in engines of sitting vehicles.
Tired of buying big bags of pet food only to have it get soggy? Store your kibble in a bin and tape some silica packs to the bottom of the lid.
Cut open the packs and saturate the beads with essential oils to create potpourri.
Use in luggage while traveling.
Tuck some in your pockets. Hide them in your closet in leather goods such as coats and shoes, and even handbags, to help them survive life in storage.
Gather your razor blades and keep in a container with several silica packs to stave off oxidation.
Video tape collections will last much longer with these to help keep them dry.
Litter is now made with silica. With its fantastic absorption qualities, this litter requires fewer changes and sends less mess to the landfill.
And my personal favorite:
Squirrel some away in your car, especially on your dashboard. This will help maintain a clear windshield and leave it less foggy during times of high humidity.
While these packets are annoying and seem like a waste of resources, they can extend the life of many items. Another reason someone needs to be collecting them to recycle: they can be reactivated repeatedly. To recharge, you just need to bake the saturated beads on a cookie sheet, as detailed on ehow.com.
