… just wrote a page describing how to make a kitchen scrap compost container which keeps flies and smells out which costs less than $5.
Enjoy!
Posts Tagged ‘garden’
How to make a kitchen scrap compost container
Friday, September 18th, 2009Greentheo’s workout plan update
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
A few months ago I wrote about my plan for working out and getting healthy. It’s been about 2 monhts and I thought that I’d give you all an update about whether it’s been working or not.
First let me say that I’ve not followed my own advice that well. In fact I’d estimate that I only lived up to about 70% of what I called for in my workout, eating and living plan.
However, the one thing that I have done 100% well is allowed myself the freedom to not live up to my plan 100%. This has kept me involved, encouraged and continuing in my effort for progress.
Some stats:
- Workout Plan Begin Date: June 2009
- Current Date: Sept 2009
- Starting Weight: 194-196 lbs
- Current Weight: 180-182 lbs
- # of Times I’ve felt more hungry than usual: 0
- Stress level June: Medium
- Stress level now: Low
- Overall Productivity June: Medium High
- Overall Productivity Now: Medium Low
- Workout Frequency June: 3 days/week
- Workout Frequency Now: 2 days/week
- Average workout Frequency over the last 2 months: ~1 day/week, ~1 hour per workout
- Number of 14ers and difficult hikes this summer: 4
- Number of meals eaten from my garden: ~20
- Number of pizza slices eaten in the last 2 weeks: ~15
- Number of days walking or riding >2 miles: 3 days/week
Along with these stats I’d also like to report that for a period of 3 weeks I went to Costa Rica and didn’t purposefully excercise one time. Also my non-fish meat consumption has dropped from 5 meals a week to <2 per week. The prevalance of whole grain rice has increased greatly and so has the amount of legumes. Butter intake has increased and other dairy decreased.
So there you have it… I’ve lost about 15 pounds, have decreased stress but also have lost a bit of productivity which is likely due to my higher contentment with life[1]. Does my plan work? I think it works for me.
- counter to intuition I beleive the happier one is, the less likely long and dedicated hours will be spent trying to get ahead… productivity therefore decreases slightly [↩]
In case of disaster…
Thursday, August 20th, 2009What would you do if our first rate sewage system was destroyed in some apocalyptic disaster?
I’m sure that few of us ever really stop think, “Where does all that poo go anyway”.
Can you imagine what your neighborhood would start to smell like?
Luckily, nature has provided yet another simple solution… human waste composting! While the stuff you flush down the toilet is toxic and should not ever again see the light of day, when properly seperated, mixed with carbanaceous material like shredded junk mail[1] the aerobic bacteria naturally found in poo will cause it to decompose into that well known substance… soil!
To learn more, read this comprehensive online guide to human waste composting.
- this is the ultimate identity theft protector… one need never worry about thieves stealing junk and unwanted mail again! [↩]
and we’re back…
Monday, June 29th, 2009It’s been a few weeks since last greentheo had something to post. Yep… been kind of busy working in the garden. So far I’ve had all the lettuce come in along with the Spinach.. so delicious. The peas are forming their little pods, the squash are flowering and starting to form their little bulbous fruits, and the green beans are climbing the mammoth sunflowers as hoped.
But perhaps most importantly, Christmas has come early this year. Colorado now allows rain harvesting!
Finally, my law breaking lifestyle has come to an end and I can legally use the water collected from my roof.
I bet grey-water systems will be up next for review.
Happy Gardening and summer fun to you all!
Miscellany
Thursday, April 16th, 2009A few miscellaneous items.
Rain Barrels
A few weeks ago I built this rain catching and redistribution system to make use of an otherwise wasted resource. I managed to install a nice drip system on it and after the last couple of weeks I can gladly report that it works well. And all in, it has cost me about $30 (not including the drip lines).
To my surprise, I saw that Home Depot also offers a rain barrel (even though they are technically illegal) with 57 gallon capacity, but a slightly more asthetic appearance…. for $98! 1/3 the capacity, 5 times the price! (I’m definitely sticking it to the man!)
Seeds are sprouting
The seeds are definitely starting to pop up! Underneath the greenhouses at least. If you haven’t started already, it’s time to get the garden into shape!
The cost of going solar
I’ve been working on helping my cousin get a Mission Center off the grid in Costa Rica where Electricity can be very expensive (more than 2 times as expensive at the top tier).
In our research I found a formula for determing the cost of PV solar panels to take your home off grid (in Colorado).
Cost of PV solar panels = Avg. Monthly Electric Bill *10,000 (watts-per-$) / 30 (days-per-month) /5.5 (sun-hours-per-day)*3 ($-per-watt)
For my little house here in the Boulder area I would need a 4.3 kW system… costing about $12k (for the panels) + other needed accessories. And I’d still have to purchase a large battery bank to make up for cloudy days.
Hmm… where am I going to get that kind of dough?
How to build a cheap rain barrel with drip distribution system for < $30
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009After recently completing my Solar heater, it was time to embark on a new project… rain collection and redistribution for my garden.
Colorado is a wonderful place to live, but it can also be quite arid and moisture free. Thus, to grow many of the vegetables we know and love to eat, plenty of outside water is commonly used. But it sure can get expensive! Last summer my bill averaged $50-$75/month just for water![1]
So how much water can you collect from rain and snow anyway?
For every 1000 sq. ft of roof on your house one can collect:
- 144 sq. inch / sq. ft. X 1000 sq. ft. = 144,000 sq. inches
- 1 inch of rain X 144,000 sq. inches = 144,000 cubic inches of water
- 144,000 X 0.004 gallons / cubic inch = 576 gallons
On average, Boulder, Colorado get’s about 19 inches of moisture… and thus my 1000 sq. ft roof can collect with it’s pre existing gutter, about 11,000 gallons of water.
How much is practical to store for your garden?
While this depends on your particular garden, the answer is that it’s practical to store as much wat as you’ll reasonably use over a week’s time. For a more practical calculation consider the rule of thumb that your plants want to get about 1 inch of rain per week.
My garden is 150 sq. ft (and growing) so I want to have 150*144*1*.004 = 86 gallons available on demand. Luckily I happen to have 3X55 gallon drums on hand giving me 165 gallons, 82.5 for watering… and 82.5 for storing for the next week.
So the rule of thumb turns out to be: 1/2 gallon per square foot of garden = 1 inch of water/week.
Other design considerations
I currently am cultivating ~150 sq. ft. But I’d like to add another 50-100 sq. ft. so I’d also like to be able to store my rain holding capacity appropriately. By the above calculation I know that every 50 sq. ft is properly served by a 55 gallon drum. Therefore the design of the rain storage and redistribution system should accomodate the adding of future drums.
Materials
- 3 – 55 gallon drums – food grade ~ $20/each, free if you know where to look or have nice friends
- 2 – 4′ sections of flexible pipe ~ $5, or free if you look around
- 1 – 3/4″ male threaded PVC bung type fitting ~ $0.50
- 1 – 3/4″ female thread to garden hose thread fitting ~ $0.50
- 1 – garden hose on off valve ~ $2
- 1 – male garden hose to male garden hose adapter ~ $5
- 1 – (optional) – automatic water metering valve ~ $15
- 1 – garden hose to dripline attachment, or , drip hose ~ $1, $10
- 1 – dripline with drip buttons at .5 gph rating ~ $5
Total: as little as $15, as much as $95
The finished design
Here we have 3 food grade 55 gallon plastic drums. The black pipe runing between the three barrels (all the way to the bottom of either barrel) is for auto-siphoning between the barrels. When the barrel at the end of the spout fills, the water is automatically siphoned to the the second barrel… when both are full, the water siphons to the third.. etc. Furthermore, once the whole system is full, any change in level in one barrel is distributed evenly to all the rest provided that the siphon is not broken.
Step 1 – Site the area for storage and collection
Take a look around your proposed garden and water storing area. The best areas are ones that:
- can easily collect water from the gutters of your roof
- are mostly out of the way
- are closer to your garden
- are more elevated than your garden
Step 2 – Put a bung in the barrel
Drill a one inch hole in the last barrel near the bottom. Water leaves the system here.
Step 3 – Insert the male threaded PVC bung
Step 4 - Using silicon caulk, make a bead around the outside of the bung and let it dry. Make sure that the femail pvc thread to garden hose thread can screw on first.
Step 5 – Screw on the female PVC to garden hose adapter.. the silicon caulk should act like a custom molded washer or gasket preventing leaking.
Step 6 – Screw in the stop valve, the male to male adapter and the water meter (if you’d like)
Step 7 – Screw on the drip line or drip hose.
Step 8 – Drill 1 inch hole on the both sides near the top of any of the intermediate barrels. Should be near the top, but not at the top. An auto-siphon only works when the level of the water threatens to rise above the siphon point.
Step 9 – Drill 1, 1 inch hole at the top of the entrance and exit barrels.
Step 10 – Move barrels to site.
Step 11 – Insert auto-siphon tubes between barrels. Make sure it goes down as far as possible into each barrel.
Step 12 – Attach entrance barrel to gutter and wait for rain!
Summary
A rain barrel is a great addition to any garden. Not only do they lower the cost of gardening but they also help out your municipal water district by lowering the demand for water. They can be cheap and easy to build in such a way that they mostly act autonomously, distributing water slowly to your garden at a preset drip rate.
Now if only it would rain or snow around here!
- And I know I wasn’t over watering because I only ran the sprinkler system inthe backyard for 5 minutes every day in the morning… and that’s it. [↩]
Compost and the problem of Evil
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009Every serious gardener has a compost bin. They throw their old, unused vegetables, egg shells and other miscellaneous vegetables in it. And there it sits, dead and rotting for a whole year before it goes back into the garden… as an afterthought to most.
But what an awesome[1] experience it is to discover that what we cast aside as dead and rotting is truly alive and thriving! What man has cast aside, God has infused with millions of tiny bacteria! And all those bacteria are busy making a feast of your left over broccoli stems and coffee grounds.
In fact they are so happy eating away at your refuse that the party literally gets hot! The chore of walking out to stir the compost on a cold winter morning can only be redeemed by the wonderful phenomenon of a steaming pile of old vegetables. And yes, when you put your hand close to the pile it really is hot!
The bacteria eventually consume everything and turn it into the richest and most protective, life nurturing fertilizer. Compost really can get just about anything to grow… anywhere (even Colorado).
It’s cheap (actually it has negative cost), and it’s easy. But on a large scale it makes up a tiny portion of the fertilizers used in agriculture. It provides a chemical-free, and bioengineering-free growing medium that anyone in the world can produce locally, efficiently and cheaply. All gratis from the Lord.
And yet, who do we first blame for the evil of starvation? Who do we first blame for the evil of cancer? Who do we blame for wars which are usually driven by the economics of land and agriculture?
God may have cursed man to work the soil by the sweat of his brow, but then he gave us rich topsoil from compost to make it easier. God may have punished women with the pains of child birth, but then he gave her pain killers to make it easier. God may let it be dark and cold in the winter, but he gives us the warm sun to collect with the simplest of technology. God gave us the ten commandments, and then gave us Jesus. God allows our bodies to die, but our selves to be resurrected.
God is like that. He gives a righteous judgment and then gives us a pardon. That’s amazing grace.
So from whence comes evil? I’ll start with myself….
- as in full of awe [↩]
Top 5 extremely cheap steps to living a more sustainable way
Friday, February 20th, 2009My friend once asked me what the word sustainable meant in the context of society and humanity. My reply was that it was:
“The ability for an organism or organization to perpetuate itself and it’s progeny over time”
But how to accomplish such a large goal without breaking the bank?
Below are my top 5 cheapest and most effective goals towards becoming a more sustainable society and person.
- Composting – the number one cheapest solution to waste management, healthy food production and greenhouse gas reduction. When food goes to a landfill it takes with it valuable nutrients. Furthermore, as it decomposes in the oxygenless environment of a landfill it releases Methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more ‘greenhousey’ than Co2. And even if you don’t have a garden, or friend with a garden, to put the compost in, you can always spread it around some trees at the park… I’m sure they’ll appreciate it!
- Insulation – Insulating our houses and building will keep the hot air in (or out). It’s one of the simplest technologies around and when applied correctly is extremely cheap.
- Solar/geothermal heating and Cooling – Sunny climates can get most of their warmth through the winter from the sun, and dry climates can get most of their cooling needs from evaporative cooling in the summer. If an extra step is taken, warm or cool water from the earth can be used to modify the temperature of a house or building as well. Cooling and Heating our buildings is the #1 usage of energy in the world.
- Walking/Biking for transportation – it may not be suitable for commuting on snowy or blisteringly hot days, or for trips greater than 3 or 4 miles. But that’s okay because the vast majority of trips we make are < 2 miles and in places like CO there are over 300 sunny days a year. Walking is free and enjoyable! Biking is almost as cheap.
- Micro Farming – aka gardening. Participting in growing your own food (if only even for a few tomatoes) is perhaps the most beneficial and cheap green activity. It teaches you about: soil health; what it takes to grow food; what it takes to use water efficiently; how much work goes into getting a return on your investment; and finally it teaches you to be much more conservative with your food purchasing and consumption. One quickly realizes how what goes into the soil, goes into the plant and ultimately into us! It also helps to really learn the old maxim: waste not want not.
Enjoy your cheap sustainable life!
The Trompe
Friday, December 5th, 2008My Friend Andre just introduced me to this really cool idea: clean, green, compressed air created vy falling water.
It’s called a trompe and has existed for decades (like much of the cleanest and earth friendlist technology). Some information can be found here.
There’s all kinds of things you can with compressed air, like power a car, perhaps an airplane too (remember those little air powered airplanes that flew for about 10 seconds?).
Recently, chaptor, wrote about the vortex tube cooler/heater… it requires compressed air to run. Andre immediately concluded that if we hook up the Trompe to the vortex-tube then voila… free cold (or hot) air. Put that cold air in a well insulated box and you could ship such things as vaccines and fish.
And guess what… water flows off your roof too. So catch it on it’s way down to the rain barrel, harness the water for your garden and the air for… something else.
I bet there could be hundreds of uses for free compressed air!
Would you….?
Monday, September 29th, 2008Would you die for the country, or send your son off to a foreign war?
If so… would you consider driving 20% less a year, buying a smaller car, shop locally, use cloth bags instead of plastic, grow a garden in your backyard, work more efficiently, consume less, support clean energy initiatives, support the local economy, turn the lights off when you don’t use them? Would you consider biofuels instead of imported oil? Would you put up solar hot water heaters on your house or add just a bit more insulation to your attic and walls?
If you wouldn’t die for the country would you still consider the above?
Would you die for your faith…or your friends?
If so… would you consider spending more time participating with them/in the faith, giving more of your money and resources, spending less time on yourself and more time on others. Would you live for your faith… for your friends?
If you wouldn’t die for your faith or friends, perhaps you could still live for them.
