Homemade Wrapping Paper

Three years ago I wrote about Resourceful Gift Wrapping.  Since then we have taken it a step further by making our own wrapping paper.  We use plain paper that has been included in packages we receive in the mail and Paul's fingerpaint. If your children are grown and you don't know what to do with all that random, half-dried paint, this is a good project for it!

Having Paul paint on paper is a great way to pass the time during the long summer days.  We held the paper down using blocks of wood.  This picture was taken August 2013.

Paul had fun drawing pictures, writing letters, and just scribbling.  In the end, it doesn't really matter what the designs look like because the paper will be cut to fit the packages.  The key is to have a lot of colors and irregular lines. 

If you don't have a child to help with painting, you can do it too.  And don't say you aren't creative and artistic...dots, lines, and swirls look pretty awesome too!

Why Buying Food in Bulk Makes Sense

When people talk about "buying in bulk," there's the assumption that you have a grocery store with a multitude of bins that allow you to pay for items by the pound.  While living in Portland, OR, there was an abundance of these options in grocery stores, but where I live now, I have only found one store with 8 bulk bins that contain nuts, popcorn, rice, oatmeal, and granola.  I was a bit discouraged by the lack of options, so I did my research, made several phone calls, requested grocery stores to purchase items in larger containers, and compared the cost of purchasing small bags versus the added cost of shipping large bags.  No surprise, but even with the added cost of shipping, I could still save money by mailing large bags of oatmeal, flour, and peanut butter, to my doorstep.  I do want to clarify, that I purchase specific brands so I wasn't comparing store-brand labels.  If you watch closely, many companies offer free-shipping, especially during the holidays which give you an even larger savings.  Our bulk items are stored inside Rubbermaid totes in the cool basement.  

King Arthur Flour is our favorite brand of flour and we order it in 25 pound bags.  100 pounds will last us about 8 months.

We purchase our grains from Bob's Red Mill in the 25 pound bags.  Our family consumes about 50 pounds of oatmeal each year!

Okay, some of you readers may be laughing at this point with our oatmeal and flour consumption, but I challenge each of you to actually keep a log of what you consume, because I think you will be shocked to see how many bags or containers of a specific product you purchase every year.  Take for instance, peanut butter.  Paul enjoys a peanut butter and jam sandwich for school lunch.  I probably make peanut butter cookies and scotcharoos three or four times a year, and between Jon an me, we probably only have toast twice each month.  Given that information, I think you would be astounded to learn that we go through two, 9 pound tubs of peanut butter every year!!  Our brand of choice: Once Again Nut Butter.  The added benefit of this peanut butter is that it comes in a reusable bucket with a metal handle (makes a great compost bucket!)  Purchasing in bulk helps reduce a lot of the packaging waste...just think how many small containers we would be going through if we didn't purchase the bucket?

What else do we consume a lot of?  Cheese!  I was born in Wisconsin and have a serious love affair with cheese, eating it at least 5 out of 7 days a week.  Homemade pizza is a staple food for us.  We ask the deli department to cut a half wheel of Monterey Jack every 2 months. 

Eliminating School Lunch Waste

Have you ever visited a school cafeteria and been completely disgusted by the amount of food being wasted and all the one-time use packaging that is quickly discarded to the landfill? Well, if you haven't, it's an eye-opening experience revealing the wastefulness of our current society. In this post, we'll show you how our little tiger is doing his small part to help...

In keeping with our values on reducing waste, Paul has a waste-free lunch kit.  All of the containers can be used over and over again.  The lunch bag contains an insulated thermos, a stainless steel water bottle, a small plastic container, a metal spoon, a small stainless steel container, a cloth napkin, and an orange plastic food wrap that has a Velcro closure and can be used as a place mat.  I imagine some parents cringe at the very thought of sending containers and silverware to school with the worry that they will end up in the garbage.  Accidents do happen, and thankfully Paul has brought home everything, but I do send him with containers and silverware that don't go with my best matching Tupperware and silverware set.  In fact, the white plastic container was previously a cream cheese container.

In case you are interested, the orange plastic food wrap and small stainless steel container came from U-Konserve.  The U-Konserve website is a great place for waste-free lunch kits.  

Food packaging and food waste in general is definitely a problem in schools.  With pre-packaged lunches, snacks, and beverages, a lot of unnecessary waste is ending up in our landfills.  Not to mention the quality of food the children are eating and the excess spending from parents.  Pre-packaged foods cost a lot more money than making things from scratch.  There are some who may argue that finding the time to make a homemade lunch is too much of a time commitment.  To save time, I prepare things ahead of time such as cutting a weeks worth of cheese at one time from a big block so I only need to grab a slice each day.  

At the Kindergarten luncheon the parents attended last week, I was shocked to see one-time-use paper tablecloths covering every table in the lunch room.  With school budgets getting squeezed, I don't understand how this wasteful spending can be justified.

When Paul empties his lunch box every night for cleaning, we compost his scraps which are typically apple cores, grape stems and banana peels. 

How to Make a Bag Drying Rack

We have been reusing our plastic Zip-loc bags for years.  We simply wash them and hang them to dry on our handmade log dryer. 

Making a bag drying rack is really easy.  A log is cut in half, sanded smooth, and coated with two applications of polyurethane.  We leave the knots and other features on the log because we like that unique look.  

Holes to fit the dowels are drilled randomly on the rounded side. 

We use a 3/8 inch oak dowels for our drying racks.  The dowels don't have to be symmetrical.  The longest dowel is 15 inches long and the shortest is 6 inches.  The racks in the picture above are being sold at the Wild Ramp, a local food and artisan store.  Reusing our Zip-loc bags is one simple thing we can do on a regular basis to conserve resources.   

Homesteading Through an Industrial Chemical Spill

Jon is filling our canning pot with well water.

It's been an interesting few days here in West Virginia where ~300,000 people are told they can only use their water to flush toilets.  On Thursday, January 9th, the chemical, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol leaked from its container at Freedom Industries, flowed across the ground and then into the Elk River only one mile upstream from the water treatment plant.  This chemical is used to wash coal before it goes to market (Whatever that means...).  

There's been a lot of news coverage about this event, but here's an article that sums it up.  

Jon and I have been fine through this ordeal by tapping into our well located at the barn.  The well does need a bit of fixing and there's always sandy flecks in the bottom of the pot, but we're managing just fine.  A kind neighbor friend even offered us water from their well (that is tested and safe for drinking).  I would like to go to the grocery store and pick up a few items since we just returned from a 2 week vacation, but apparently the stores are really chaotic so Jon, Paul, and I just sit tight at home (except for when Jon has to go to work) and eat out of the freezer and cellar.  

Going without water reminds me of the Derecho in 2012 when we lost electricity for a week.  Living in the country where we have the resources and land to grow our food with our own water supply does give us peace of mind.  Although, now with the recent events, we plan to get our well water tested and look into getting it fixed so we're better prepared next time.

Nylon Rope Never Breaks

Sunny days have been pretty irregular this month so laundry is done in spurts when the clothesline can be used. There is something satisfying about drying laundry outside and I just love the feel of clean, air-dried sheets on the bed.  Many people complain about the "crunchy" feel of towels dried on the clothesline but we are definitely not going to use fabric softener.  For one thing, we don't need added synthetic perfumes in fabric rubbing against our skin; and second, it's kinda creepy knowing that fabric softener contains a lot of ingredients that make fabric cling-free and wrinkle-free.  I don't want all that stuff embedded in my clothing and towels.

Yesterday I was hanging up the few remaining items in the basket when all of a sudden SNAP!  The freshly washed laundry was now lying on the just mowed grass.  The nylon rope that has held the clothesline up for 18 months has finally broke and according to my father in law, "Nylon rope never breaks!"  Well, it does after 18 months in the sun and rain. How did we remedy the problem?  We grabbed a thicker rope from the barn that the previous owner left behind.

(Hopefully there isn't chicken manure under all of that washed laundry!)

Back in business!

The old man on the tree is speechless about the whole endeavor but I think he likes the whole bandanna look from the rope (hint: the mouth is missing...)

One Week Without Electricity

Hello Readers!  You may have noticed that I have missed my weekly posting; and for good reason...we had no electricity!  A derecho storm blew through much of the Appalachian area on June 29th and left hundreds of thousands without electricity and some without water.  Thankfully we still had water.  I describe in detail how we coped during this power outage.  Many of the things mentioned below we do on a normal and semi-normal basis to be resourceful with our electricity usage.

Refrigerator/Freezer:
This had to be the most stressful part of losing electricity.  In general we keep our refrigerator and freezer moderately full and only open it on an as-needed basis.  We don't just have a hankering for a snack and stand with the refrigerator door open for minutes while deciding what to eat.  When the power went out, we only opened the refrigerator 4 times in 2 days.  By day 3, the milk was just starting to cool off.  By the end of day 2, all of the leftovers were gone in the refrigerator so we began eating items in the freezer.  At the end of day 2, all of the meat was still frozen solid.  The homemade ice cream had turned to liquid but was still very cold and actually hurt my teeth when I drank it. Halfway through day 3, a friend of ours had received electricity, so we packed up the remaining items in the freezer and refrigerator (including condiments) and kept them at her house.  With a small cooler and reusable ice packs, we brought items home to eat for the rest of the week.  I think the meat would have lasted until day 5.  The only items I ended up tossing in the woods because I was unsure if they were safe to eat was a half jar of spaghetti sauce, an open container of soy milk, and a half jar of mayonaise.

Keeping the House Cool:
We seldom use air conditioning; in fact, we have only used it 3 days all summer, and that was Memorial Day weekend when we had friends visiting to replace the barn roof.  While the temps have been in the 90's outside this past week, our downstairs never went above 80 and the upstairs above 85.  What did we do?  At night we opened all of the upstairs windows and a few downstairs that are safe to leave open in case of a prowler.  At 6am when I woke up, I opened up all the downstairs windows if it was cooler outside than it was inside; and by 7, all of the windows were closed.  A blanket was draped over one of the south-facing upstairs windows to keep the sunlight out and another window had its curtains closed.  Just like the refrigerator, we only open the outside door unless we need to and we consolidate our trips outside.  The basement was probably another 5-10 degrees cooler but we didn't spend much time down there because that would require flashlights and batteries.  By 10 am we were usually done with all of our outside chores and would sit in the cool house for the rest of the day.

Hot Water:
This probably was easily solved...use a garden hose.  We have 3, lead-free garden hoses strung across our yard to water the garden; and when filled with water all day long, the water is literally scalding by noon on a clear day.  We used the sun's energy to heat the water and enjoyed a gentle breeze while watching the bees pollinate the clover in the yard.  We used my homemade castile soap and had a fun time spraying each other with the hose.  The hostas behind us also appreciated the drink.  This is something even town residents could do...just wear a bathing suit!  For washing dishes we heated a pot of water over the fire when we cooked our food.

Cooking Food:
This was a no-brainer since we go camping.  We have a small fire pit in the backyard so we cooked all of our meals with fallen dead branches that fell in the storm.  To reheat leftovers the first 2 days, we used our solar food dehydrator.  As far as having enough food, our pantry is more than stocked.  

Overall, going without electricity for a week wasn't that bad for us.  If we were like some people without electricity and water, then I'm sure this post would be a bit different.  The thought of not having water made me realize that when our well is fixed, we should make sure that it can manually be pumped in case of a power outage.

Throughout the week we heard generators running at the neighbor's houses and couldn't help but wonder how efficient they were, what they were mainly used for (refrigerator vs. hot water vs. computer, etc.), and how much it cost, not to mention the environmental footprint they make.  Jon and I don't have any intentions on getting a generator because we managed just fine without one.  If it were winter, our fireplace would provide heat; not to mention we kept our house at 34 degrees while living in Laramie, WY for a year when we were poor college kids.  I think a little bit of sacrifice is good  for everybody.  Plus, who wants to wait in line at the gas stations who had electricity...some of those gas station lines were literally a mile long with traffic controllers; and they limited usage to $20.00 per stop!

At the end of the 3rd day, the water heater no longer gave us warm water.  We took this opportunity to empty the water out of the water heater to get all of the sediment out.  It is recommended that a house does this once each year.  From the picture below you can see all of the sandy-looking stuff that came out.

In one week, the garden exploded with ripe produce: beans, cucumbers, zucchinis, and beats.  Just when I had all of the canning supplies packed in boxes and ready to take to my friend's house to process, we received electricity!  I was relieved to do this at home; but it did get me thinking more about expanding our food drying and cellar options.  Now that we have a basement and land to construct a cellar, I would like to look into this more.

On a side note, one thing that did happen during this week was 3 bottles of Perry (sparkling pear cider) blew off their corks!!  We think they are still carbonating which we expected would happen since we had to bottle them early because of the unexpected move across country.  It was a bit of a mess down in the basement...imagine cleaning up the mess on the floor using a flashlight.

Toilet Water Conservation With a Milk Jug

When I was in fourth grade I had to do a presentation in front of the class on anything I wanted.  I got my presentation idea from this book, 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth.  I conducted my presentation on how to conserve toilet water without replacing the toilet.  The process is very simple: you fill an empty milk jug with some rocks and water, (to give it some weight) and place it in your toilet tank.  The milk jug is displacing the water so the toilet uses 1 gallon less water each time it is flushed.

Paul enjoyed putting some rocks in the jug when we played in the creek one day. 

This creek is full of life with fish, crayfish, and salamanders!

Going Without Appliances

As much as I want to live in the Laura Ingalls Wilder days where people knew where their food came from and life just seemed simpler, there are a few modern conveniences that even I would have a hard time giving up.  I never gave this subject serious thought until recently when we went 3.5 weeks without a washing machine and the microwave left in the home was broken.

The door lock on the washing machine broke during the move so it was completely unusable.  Clothing, towels, and rags piled up, but surprisingly we only had 9 loads of washing after 3.5 weeks, which included sheets!  The final week I washed underwear in the shower and Jon wore his socks twice, but we managed.  Would I want to wash all clothing by hand!  I would have to give a big "no" for  doing away with a washing machine because I have carpal tunnel and wringing out towels would be a bit painful; unless I have one of those old fashioned machines that have the rollers for getting rid of excess water.

Can I go without a microwave?  Yes, I can.  The kitchen has more counter space without it and it's a beast of a thing!  Check out the picture below!  I find myself cooking smaller portions (less leftovers) and being more resourceful with the stove and oven.  For example, I'll use the residual heat on the stovetop from making soup to melt the butter for cookies.  I reheat leftovers in the oven when I am using it for others things such as baking bread.

(This picture was taken when the microwave was sitting on the garage floor sideways.)

Can I go without a clothes dryer?  Absolutely!  I prefer to line dry my clothes anyway.

What about a refrigerator/freezer?  I'm on the fence about this one.  If we had a draft box or a cellar, then I think it would be easier, but I'm skeptical about keeping dairy products in either system and I really enjoy berries from the freezer versus dried.  While living at Aprovecho, an intentional community in Cottage Grove, OR, we used a draft box for everything except dairy.  The draft box at Aprovecho was placed on the north side of the hose and pulled air into this enclosed box through a screen.  It was basically a box placed in the wall with a screen in the back.  It worked well when the temperatures were low outside.  This video also shows a draft box, but this design is open on the bottom and pulls cool air from the crawl space below the home and vents out the chimney.  I think the design on the video is a better model, but I'm wondering if one should worry about gases (e.g. radon) from coming into the home?

An oven/stovetop?  I don't think I could cook over an open fire or use a solar oven to meet all my needs every day.  Our family uses the oven or stovetop probably an average of two times each day.  To help reduce our stovetop/oven demands, I could construct a haybox to help reduce cooking times.  We pressure cook all of our beans so a haybox would work great! I used the hay box many times at Aprovecho with great success.

And for those of you reading this blog, what appliances can you do without and why?

Who Turned Out the Lights??

The first month at our new home has been a whirlwind of odd projects.  Between 6 major plumbing problems (thank goodness for a home warranty!), a broken washing machine (from being moved), poison oak rashes, and having snakes and wasps invade the barn, we have managed to still love this place!  We are eagerly waiting for the last frost to pass so we can plan the garden, but in the meantime, we are replacing shower heads, faucet aerators, and light bulbs to make our home a little bit more energy efficient.

Every fixture in this home now has less bulbs and the incandescent bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's).  We think one or two bulbs in a ceiling fan is more than sufficient rather than using four light bulbs.  Outside the home, there are two really large spot lights that use 400 watts apiece (see picture above) and they were scheduled to be on from dusk until dawn!  With a flip of a breaker, those lights are now off and we can now see the stars!  All in all, there are 41 less bulbs screwed into fixtures in our home.  

For those of you with those long fluorescent tubes, check with an electrician before you decide to remove bulbs because those type of lights require ballasts.  If you're not careful, you can actually use more energy and shorten the life of the ballast by removing bulbs---check with an electrician.

Some people argue that CFLs are worse for the environment because they contain mercury.  At my previous job as a Resource Conservation Manager for a school district, I was faced with this argument a lot.  This article by Energy Star explains the benefits of CFLs and their effects on the environment.  To sum up the article, mercury makes CFLs more efficient thereby reducing the amount of electrical demand.  More than half of the mercury emissions in the US come from coal-fired power plants.  By using a CFL, there is less demand for electricity, thereby reducing overall mercury emissions into the atmosphere.  The amount of mercury in a CFL is significantly less than what is produced from a coal power plant.

When you are finished using a CFL, it can be taken to a recycling facility so the mercury doesn't end up in a landfill.  Home Depot is one place that accepts CFL light bulbs for free!  Look for a recycling drop box by the customer service desk.

Recycling Program in New Community

Our feet are now in West Virginia, our household goods are in the back of semi truck somewhere on the interstate, and our hearts are in limbo.  We are not sure what to think of our new digs because we are currently living in a hotel room.  As usual, the banks extended closing for at least another week because the 3rd underwriter discovered that our loan was in the wrong "class" because of the acreage.  They also requested to have handrails installed in the garage and barn.  This is not the news a buyer wants to receive three before closing when the movers had already packed all of our stuff.  So...we are trying our best to roll with the punches and not pull our hair out while living in a hotel room surrounded by fast food restaurants.  It was a bit of a letdown to not see recycle bins in the hotel and to be eating on disposable dishware the first day.  Thankfully, the hotel uses enviroware dishware which is made with recyclable material and is biodegradable; but who knows what that really means and under what conditions these items actually degrade.  It is the next best option to durable-ware though.

I challenge myself to see the glass half full and see the lack of curbside recycling as an opportunity to make a difference in this new community.  I am already conjuring up a letter that I will send to the waste haulers and city about the recycling program.  (And who knows, maybe I'm creating a job for myself??)  At this time, recycling is provided, but folks have to haul it to a facility, and at this time, I don't even know what is collected.  It is a bummer that we will have to store recyclables in the garage because that means less space to work in; BUT that also challenges us to reduce and reuse more because recycling is essentially the last resort.  So...in the meantime, we have a paper bag collecting all of our paper in the hotel room.  Looking back, I was in 4th grade (1993) when I helped deliver recycle bins to residents in my hometown with a population of 5,018 people.  This rural town in Wisconsin manages to pick up recyclables at the curb with a horse trailer today.

The glamour and glitz may be missing from their recycling program, but if there's a will, there's a way!

Conservation Classroom Presentations

Part of my job as a Resource Conservation Manager for a school district is working with students.  With school budgets shrinking, there are fewer teachers and assistants to help coordinate staff and student Green Teams.  It's sad really, because teachers don't have the time to talk about recycling or energy conservation when they have no staff support.  Because of this reduced time, I am often used as a babysitter (for lack of better words) so the teacher can grade papers or whatever.  When teachers aren't actively participating in the presentation, some students put in less effort and goof around and disrupt the class.  From a presenters standpoint, it's inconsiderate of the teacher to not discipline the students and it's a waste of my time.  I push forward though and still visit classrooms with only a few being bad eggs.  For the 2011/2012 school year, kindergarten classrooms average 28-32 students and a high school classroom class size averages 37-45 students.  Teachers really do feel stretched and having outside presentations takes away from extra tutoring time with students.  A friend recently asked me to post information about my presentations.  Below you will find powerpoints, presentation outlines, coloring sheets, and games.  Some of you may feel inspired and use the materials, but please let me know if you do use them (general courtesy to the creator's time and generosity).

Pedal Power
This presentation is by far the most popular request from teachers.  I have even taken it to conferences and after school programs for other school districts.  I created this bicycle generator from scrap materials found on school district property.  Only the wires, voltage meter, and plywood were purchased to complete the ensemble.  Even the motor was taken for an old floor scrubber being scrapped for parts.  Because this project was virtually free, it only conducts DC power (AC power would require an inverter which costs a lot of money).  Here is an outline of the presentation.

This hands-on presentation is mainly for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students.  Students are given energy efficiency and energy source workbooks provided free from Energy Star (www.energystar.gov).  All students have an opportunity to ride the bicycle that generates electricity to a fan, a pair of lights, and a water pump.  I made posters for the energy sources and ways to conserve.  I cover up each item on the posters and have the students guess the correct answer.  The presentation covers: 

-how electricity is made

-where our energy comes from (renewable vs. nonrenewable resources)

-why it's important to conserve energy

-examples of how to conserve resources

Join the Lorax!
This 20 minute presentation for grades K-2 is based off the book, The Lorax by: Dr. Seuss followed by a book discussion and ways we can help the environment.  Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) graciously provides Lorax-themed posters and activity books free of charge through their website.  These are given to classrooms as a reminder about the book and how to help the environment.

    Be a Recycler!
This presentation is for grades 2-3 and teaches: 
-The 3 R's
-Why we recycle
-What can and cannot be recycled
-Examples of how we can reduce our waste
-Disposable vs. durable matching game


Here are some coloring sheets I give students.

Eco-Footprint

This presentation is for middle and high school students.  Students are given a worksheet a few days before I come to their classroom.  I show a powerpoint, and then do a family feud game. The powerpoint addresses these main points:
-Difference between non-renewable and renewable resources
-Definition of sustainability
-World population and consumption by region
-Lifecycle analysis
-Prevention vs. recycling
-Solid waste hierarchy
-Reducing waste and making choices
-Inspiring others to reduce their waste



The Buzz on Bees and Pollination
The honey bee presentation is not work-affiliated but very popular among the younger students learning about bugs and pollination.  This past week I had the pleasure of presenting to an after school class. Students really enjoy seeing me dressed in my coveralls and head net.  I pass around my smoker, bee brush, and a frame of drawn comb with capped honey.  Each student can dip a pretzel in a jar of honey to eat.  To keep things simple, the power point slides do not contain a lot of words.

Coloring Sheet
Color Sheet 2

Plastic Bag Ban

Finally, the City of Portland, Oregon has officially banned plastic bags in groceries and major retailers with pharmacies.  I have been waiting for such an ordinance for quite a while, and as of October 15, 2011, plastic bags won't be allowed in stores (with exceptions for meat and bulk items).  This new law seems too good to be true, but I really hope retailers charge more for the paper bags because they do cost more to purchase and paper bags have a larger carbon footprint than plastic bags.  I don't think I need to elaborate on why mandating reusable bags is important.  By now we should all know the effects plastic bags have on our oceans and the obvious fact that plastic is made from oil.  For more information about plastics and its effects on ocean life, go here!

I have been following the Ban the Bag for months now and I am disappointed how close-minded some people are.  Blogs and newspaper editorials complain that the lack of plastic bags will leave a person in complete turmoil when picking up their dog's poop, lining their trash can, or transporting their wet swimsuit. C'mon on, really?  I finally ran out of single use plastic bags from the grocery store after 10 years of using cloth bags.  I use the plastic bags from toilet paper for trash cans and cereal bags for kitty litter.  When you look around, you will see single use bags everywhere besides at the grocery check out.  Think chip bags, newspaper bags, shipping bags, etc.  I am very excited about this new law and hope that the mass majority will jump on the bandwagon of using cloth bags rather than the paper alternative at the check stands.  If anything, a few soggy broken paper bags from carrying ice cream and butter will convince shoppers that cloth is much more durable.

Here are few news articles and videos about the new law:
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Portland-plastic-bag-ban--131667593.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/07/portland_adopts_ban_on_plastic.html
http://www.nwcn.com/home/?fId=131926688&fPath=/news/local&fDomain=10202
http://www.katu.com/news/local/125989558.html