Go green one skil at a time.
By Marye Audet
Lancaster, TX, USA | Mon Aug 31 11:30:00 GMT 2009
Honing your green skills is part of growing and learning to walk softly on the earth. How many things do you really know how to do in order to increase your green and decrease your carbon footprint?
Here is a list of 100 essential skills for the green do-it-yourself-er.
Essential Food Skills
1. Read and understand product labels
2. Bake bread
3. Make your own bread starter and keep it going
4. Make cheese, yogurt, and kefir from local milk
5. Preserve food by canning
6. Preserve food by drying
7. Forage for local wild foods safely
8. Raise a couple of backyard chickens
9. Make your own tofu,tempeh, and soy milk
10. Eat locally and in season
11. Grind your own flour
12. Grow your own produce
13.Grow your own herbs
14.Grow your own sprouts
15. Blend your own herbal tea
16. Have a repertoire of vegetarian recipes you can use for various occasions
17. Fish or hunt responsibly if you eat meat
18. Make homemade pastas and other pantry basics
19. Cook a variety of foods well
20. Utilize a menu to minimize food waste
21. Throw a party without compromising your green values
22. Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
23. Sharpen kitchen knives so they last
24. Make homemade granola bars, granola, waffles, and other breakfast items
25. Make baked goods from "scratch".
26. Understand terms like, "organic", "Fair Trade", "all natural", and "GMO"
Essential Household Skills
27. Sew well enough to repair clothing
28. Sew well enough to make your own clothing and reusable shopping bags
29. Sew fitted cloth diapers for your baby
30 .Knit or crochet dishcloths
31. Know how to reupholster a chair
32. Make your own laundry soap
33. Make your own dishwasher detergent
34. Make your own house cleaning supplies
35. Use diatomaceous earth, bay leaves, and other "eco-friendly" natural pest deterrents
Home Maintenance and Repair Skills
36. Use non-electric appliances rather than electric
37. Know where to find non-electric appliances
38. Program a thermostat
39. Tile a counter top
40. Use 0 VOC paint
41. Repair a screen
42. Use a caulk gun
43. Make simple appliance repairs such as replacing belts
44. Find what you need by bartering, or using CraigsList, eBay, and thrift stores
45. Repair a leaky toilet
46. Repair a leaky faucet
47. Replace a faucet
48. Check your home for energy leaks using incense, a candle, or a device that is created for that purpose
49. Unclog a drain without using Drano or harmful chemicals
50. Insulate an attic with eco-friendly insulation
Gardening Skills
51 .Build a compost system
52. Use compost to enrich your soil
53. Plan a garden for your climate
54. Understand xeriscaping
55. Plant a multi-seasonal vegetable garden
56. Build a simple cold frame for salad all year
57. Build frames for raised bed gardens
58. Make a rainwater catchment system
59. Use a manual reel mower
60. Use companion planting methods to control pests
61.Build a bat house to encourage bats and decrease mosquitoes
62. Use predator insects like Praying Mantis to control garden pests
63. Know what heirloom seeds are and why you should use them
64. How to plant open pollinated vegetables for best yields
65. How to save seeds from your own produce
66. Plant trees and bushes to cut your energy bills
67. Use soaker hoses to conserve water
68. Sharpen and maintain tools
Health Skills
69. Know how to use herbs and natural remedies to treat common illnesses
70. Make your own soap
71. Make your own skin care products
72. Use essential oils for health and cleaning
73. Make your own deodorant
Transportation Skills
74. Tune up a bicycle and make repairs
75. Do simple maintenance on your car
76. Arrange or locate a carpool
77. Learn to use hypermiling techniques
78. Plan eco-friendly air travel
Energy Skills
79. Install exterior solar lighting
80. Install a solar panel
81. Know where to find the most eco-friendly, green power source available to you
82. Connect home electronics to power strips for easy shut off
83. Check the wattage of an appliance
84. Calculate annual kilowatt usage
Conservation Skills
85. Use email rather than conventional mail
86. Switch to a paperless office
87. Locate the local library and use it rather than buying books, DVDs, and tapes
88. Adjust your settings on the computer to make it more energy efficient
89. Use skype and other technology to limit the need for travel to conferences
90. Learn to plan eco-friendly vacations, such as camping (and leave no trace)
91. Replace a hobby with an environmentally friendly hobby
92. Locate and use recreational green spaces such as hiking trails, parks, and public gardens
93. Understand and be able to explain what cradle to cradle means
94. Understand and be able to explain what carbon emissions are
95. Understand and be able to calculate a carbon footprint as well as explain what it is
96. Know where to recycle technological items like computers, microwaves, televisions etc.
97. Identify and sort a variety of recyclable materials
98. Know where reusable items can be substituted for disposables
99. Understand and be able to explain cap-and-trade
Do you agree with all of those? Are there others that you feel are important? Let us know your thoughts!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
How to Get Into the DIY Mindset: Even Nerds Can Practice Self-Reliance
By Sami Grover
Chapel Hill, NC, USA | Tue Sep 08 09:00:00 GMT 2009
My editor emailed me a few days ago to ask me to write about the "DIY mindset". I laughed - to me DIY has always been about practical, efficient and organized people doing clever and craftsy things. I tend to think of myself more as the nerdy type. (I make a living writing for blogs, for heaven's sake!) But looking back on my posts for TreeHugger and Planet Green, I realized I've come a long way in learning important, practical skills that help me gain independence and reduce my fossil fuel consumption.
From growing shiitake mushrooms to brewing beer to keeping chickens to installing a beehive, I've definitely broadened my creative horizons in the last few years. Heck - I even chopped down some cedar to create my own fence posts. Now that did feel manly...
But how does one go about getting in the DIY mindset, especially if it doesn't come naturally. Here are a few hints:
Adopting the DIY Mentality
Try Something New: You'll never learn if you don't try, so keep an eye out for new and different experiences that might be fun to try out.
Play to Your Strengths: If you're not the craftsiest person on the block, maybe whittling a rocking chair shouldn't be your first project. Find activities that fit with your existing skills and interests. If you're a good cook, start out with food. If you like to garden, plant some seeds. That's not to say you should limit yourself, but it makes sense to start with something you are confident about, and work outwards.
Be OK with Failure: I've said it before, but it's important to allow yourself to fail. Whether you are in the garden or the workshop or the kitchen, you will mess up from time to time. Cut yourself some slack.
Self Sufficientish vs Self Sufficiency: The idea that you can become completely independent and self reliant is a myth - at least for most of us. So start small, and do what you can - but don't beat yourself up if you still indulge in the occasional frozen pizza, or you don't make every piece of furniture from scratch.
Seek Interdependence: Chances are you are not the only one experimenting with greener living. Find friends who are also learning new skills, learn from each other, and trade liberally. If you're making a huge batch of tomato sauce, and a friend is brewing beer - why not barter? Or you can organize DIY work parties and learn new skills together.
Get Back to School: From bee keeping to making hollandaise sauce, I'm often amazed at the courses available in my area. Check out community colleges, non-profits, agricultural extension agents and clubs and find out what courses are available near you.
Be Proud of Yourself: Most important of all, you've got to celebrate your successes. I'm often amazed at how little victories for me - whether it's the first harvest of squash, or a tasty beer - are also enjoyed by those around me. And sometimes those folks are inspired to try projects of their own.
Related Posts:
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
Why Brewing Beer is Green
Backyard Chickens Provide Unexpected Bug Control
Installing a Beehive: A Nervous Beginners Experience
Need proof that it's possible to balance being green and still be a supportive partner and parent? See how Ed Begley, Jr. does it on Planet Green TV's Living with Ed.
Chapel Hill, NC, USA | Tue Sep 08 09:00:00 GMT 2009
My editor emailed me a few days ago to ask me to write about the "DIY mindset". I laughed - to me DIY has always been about practical, efficient and organized people doing clever and craftsy things. I tend to think of myself more as the nerdy type. (I make a living writing for blogs, for heaven's sake!) But looking back on my posts for TreeHugger and Planet Green, I realized I've come a long way in learning important, practical skills that help me gain independence and reduce my fossil fuel consumption.
From growing shiitake mushrooms to brewing beer to keeping chickens to installing a beehive, I've definitely broadened my creative horizons in the last few years. Heck - I even chopped down some cedar to create my own fence posts. Now that did feel manly...
But how does one go about getting in the DIY mindset, especially if it doesn't come naturally. Here are a few hints:
Adopting the DIY Mentality
Try Something New: You'll never learn if you don't try, so keep an eye out for new and different experiences that might be fun to try out.
Play to Your Strengths: If you're not the craftsiest person on the block, maybe whittling a rocking chair shouldn't be your first project. Find activities that fit with your existing skills and interests. If you're a good cook, start out with food. If you like to garden, plant some seeds. That's not to say you should limit yourself, but it makes sense to start with something you are confident about, and work outwards.
Be OK with Failure: I've said it before, but it's important to allow yourself to fail. Whether you are in the garden or the workshop or the kitchen, you will mess up from time to time. Cut yourself some slack.
Self Sufficientish vs Self Sufficiency: The idea that you can become completely independent and self reliant is a myth - at least for most of us. So start small, and do what you can - but don't beat yourself up if you still indulge in the occasional frozen pizza, or you don't make every piece of furniture from scratch.
Seek Interdependence: Chances are you are not the only one experimenting with greener living. Find friends who are also learning new skills, learn from each other, and trade liberally. If you're making a huge batch of tomato sauce, and a friend is brewing beer - why not barter? Or you can organize DIY work parties and learn new skills together.
Get Back to School: From bee keeping to making hollandaise sauce, I'm often amazed at the courses available in my area. Check out community colleges, non-profits, agricultural extension agents and clubs and find out what courses are available near you.
Be Proud of Yourself: Most important of all, you've got to celebrate your successes. I'm often amazed at how little victories for me - whether it's the first harvest of squash, or a tasty beer - are also enjoyed by those around me. And sometimes those folks are inspired to try projects of their own.
Related Posts:
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
Why Brewing Beer is Green
Backyard Chickens Provide Unexpected Bug Control
Installing a Beehive: A Nervous Beginners Experience
Need proof that it's possible to balance being green and still be a supportive partner and parent? See how Ed Begley, Jr. does it on Planet Green TV's Living with Ed.
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