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Tree Houses! From The Past Into The Future
future tree houses, modern tree houses, treehouse inspiration
33 Recycling Games For Teaching Your Kids (And Yourself) About Responsible Waste Disposal
Kids learn best through play, so these recycling games – online, mobile, and “live action” – teach them the ins and outs of responsible waste disposal.
Easy Upcycling: Turn an Old Crib Into a Porch Swing
Have your kids outgrown the crib? Our easy upcycling expert walks you through the process of converting it into a porch swing for the whole family.
How To Make Homemade Potpourri With Citrus Fruit Peels
If you go through a lot of citrus fruit, why not turn some of those peels into homemade potpourri before sending it to the compost bin?
Where is the Hunger?
Where is the Hunger? World Hunger Map
Eating Vegan: 4 Simple Substitutes for Chicken Broth
Does your favorite recipe for soup or beans call for chicken broth? You don’t have to give it up to live cruelty-free. Use one of these substitutes for chicken broth instead.
Girl Scout Cookies News: Gluten Free Cookies, Thin Mints Now Vegan
Exciting Girl Scout Cookie news: Thin Mints are now vegan and the Girl Scouts have launched a new gluten-free toffee cookie, the Toffee-tastic.
Tiny House, Big Living
One look at this tiny house and you feel as if you are about to enter a doll house! With bright pink walls, Villa Hermina clearly stands out from the rest of the cottages in the area. Situated outside the southern Czech town of ฤernรญn, it was created by HSH Architekti, which unfortunately is now defunct. […]
Washing Your Hands – Just Do it, Already!
Why will you not wash your hands? Seriously, it’s not that hard. It doesn’t take that long. And everyone else in the bathroom is going to give you the side-eye if you don’t do it. Also, you need to use soap. That “running your hands under the water and then drying them” thing doesn’t actually […]
DIY Home Building: The $300 Cabin Made from Recycled Materials
DIY home building isn’t just green; it’s can also be cheap. Check out this tiny house made largely from salvaged & recycled materials. Total cost: $300.
Water Security, Out of Thin Air
The ongoing drought in California is taking the issue of water security from outlying prepper culture to the mainstream- and one company thinks it can help.
Reusing Cigarette Butts, Filters, and Ashes
Cigarette waste such as ashes and discarded filters can have important uses. Butts make excellent supercapitors, rust inhibitors and industrial pallets, while ashes can be turned into water filters.
ProTip: You Need a Machete
I’ll leave out the part where I sometimes pretend to swordfight with it, because that’s super dangerous and not OK. Especially since the machete’s primary purpose is hacking, and you might think that you don’t have a lot of hacking that you need to do in your life, but you do. All that said, this […]
Food Waste & Faith: What Does the Quran Say about Wasting Food?
The Islamic holy book the Quran speaks very directly to the morality of food waste, as well as gluttony and excess.
Building Demolition Salvage, or, There’s Gold in Dat Thar Abandoned Building
Much waste from a deteriorating building can be salvaged and find new life through reuse or recycling. Markets already exist for much of this material.
California Passes Neighborhood Food Act
California gov. Jerry Brown signed the Neighborhood Food Act into law last week, asserting the rights of individuals to grown produce on their land.
How To Grow Microgreens in Tupperware
Microgreens are delicious, easy-to-grow food sources that are high in nutrients and easily moveable- Julie Finn does a great job explaining this how to!
Engineer Turns Trailer Into Luxurious, DIY Camper
Bill Southworth took a 16′ trailer and turned it into the DIY camper of his dreams, complete w/ solar panels, extra large water storage, and satellite TV.
The Human-Powered DIY Washing Machine: 5 Plans
Want clean clothes & opportunities to exercise? Check out these diy washing machine plans that only require a little arm or leg pumping to operate.
DIY Hand Sanitizer That’s as Good as Store-bought
This article will show you how to make a DIY hand sanitizer that’s as effective as anything you’ll find in a store.
8 Toxic Chemicals in Conventional Dish Soap
Choosing organic produce is important, but so is making sure that the dishes you use to cook and eat aren’t washed in toxic chemicals. Here are some common bad guys to avoid and why you should give them the boot from your kitchen.
10 Delicious Vegan Sandwiches for Back to School
Sandwiches might seem like typical, boring packed-lunch fare, but these vegan sandwiches are far from it!
How Energy Efficient is Induction Cooking?
Induction cooking is a promising new technology that could make food preparation much more energy-efficient (as well as time-saving).
This DIY Pool Heater Requires No Electricity
Keeping your pool water warm requires a lot of electricity; this DIY pool heater option allows you to cut or even eliminate that expense.
Nikon Small World Competition 2011
Nature abstracted. The 37th annual Nikon Small World competition’s theme was โRecognizing Excellence in Photography through the Microscope.โ Some of the outstanding entries: Mosquito Larvae in a drop of waterDr. John H. BrackenburyUniversity of CambridgeCambridge, UKLaser-triggered high-speed macrophotography Fish Louse (Argulus) (60x)Wim van EgmondMicropolitan MuseumRotterdam, NetherlandsDarkfield Giant Water Flea Eye (Leptodora kindtii)Wim van EgmondMicropolitan MuseumRotterdam, Netherlands Differential Interference Contrast Stamen – […]
News Journal
Biodiversity-Ecology News & Journals News/Journals: www.iisd.ca International Institute for Sustainable Development,Reporting Services (IISD RS), brings you the latest news, information and analysis from international environment and sustainable development negotiations. Biodiversity and Wildlife Page. www.sierraclub.com Sierra Club Magazine on line. www.wn.com/newecologist World News Network. Ecology News. Links to ecology news of the day. www.esapubs.org Ecological Society of America. Publishes […]
What, How, and When to Plant Vegetables [Infographic]
For all you urban farmers out there, here’s an infographic about how and when to plant vegetables, plus a few of my own urban farm lessons learned. Enjoy!
If It’s Brown, DON’T Flush It Down: The Wastewater Gardener by Mark Nelson
Mark Nelson does not want you to flush your poo. Why, he’d ask you, are you using perfectly good drinking water to carry perfectly good fertilizer out to pollute (formerly) perfectly good waterways? Seriously, not only does even my low-flow toilet waste a gallon or two of water with every poop, but septic systems like […]
5 Unusual Benefits of Going Vegan (Warning: Poop Talk)
There are two types of vegans in this world: the ones who do it for the animals and the ones who do it for their own health (this one also includes doing it for the environment, which impacts our health).
3 Alternatives to Plastic Produce Bags
Are you trying to shop waste-free but aren’t sure what to do about produce and bulk items? Here are some alternatives to plastic produce bags!
Is Coca-Cola Vegan? Yes and No.
The Coca-Cola Company claims that the “vast majority” of their drinks are vegan. Is it true? Is Coca-Cola Vegan?
How Much Water Do People Need to Drink in a Day? (w/ Video)
Any idea how much water you and your family will need to survive the zombie apocalypse? It may be more than you think. The answer could be a rain barrel!
Families Getting Fined for Growing Food Gardens
Want to grow vegetables in your garden? You’d better watch out – you may be facing some seriously heavy fines for growing food gardens on your own land.
How to Fix Absolutely Anything: The Instructables Guide to Home Repair
You don’t want to have to buy a new keyboard just because of one wonky key. You don’t want to have to buy a new pair of jeans just because of one hole (although if you do, give the old ones to me!). You don’t want to have to buy a new chair just because […]
How to Buy an Eco-Friendly Dishwasher (In 2014)
While an eco-friendly dishwasher is already a bit of a redundancy, the model you choose & the way you run it can save even more energy & water.
Broken Coffee Mug Planter (and How to Propagate Rosemary)
My kids are HARD on my coffee mugs, y’all! I don’t know if it’s because I’m a mean mom and make them do the dishes (don’t feel like you have to make your kids do this, too–mine clearly do a terrible job!), or because our kitchen is floored with a stone tile that is literal murder […]
Josey Baker’s Scrumptious Gluten-Free Bread Recipe
This incredibly delicious, yet incredibly healthy, gluten-free bread recipe comes from Josey Baker Bread, the fun, new eponymous cookbook from the charming San Franciscoโbread maker. With thirty-eight core recipes and lots of variations this new cookbook will teach you how to think like a baker!
8 Vegan Restaurants: Eating vegan Gets Easier Every Day
It used to be tricky to find vegan restaurants, but thanks to vegan chains like these, finding vegan food is getting easier and easier.
Tiny House Made from Big Dumpster
There’s dumpster diving, then there’s this – maybe we should call it dumpster dwelling? The Homeless Homes project is turning urban waste into small homes.
You Need Chickens: Backyard Chickens and Why They’re Great
Fluffball and Arrow, our two urban chickens, are pretty much the greatest pets ever.
What if You Woke Up Tomorrow and Cinnabon Was Vegan?
Iโve never eaten at (or a) Cinnabon. Iโve smelled the cloying aroma wafting through shopping malls inappropriately mixing with department store perfumes and greasy Sbarro pizza. It offends me not just as a vegan who canโt eat anything at a Cinnabon, but also as a human being who prides myself on my ability to not face dive into gobs of white flour and sugar in the name of something resembling a breakfast food. We need Cinnabons on earth about as much as we need the shopping malls they live in.
Apple Juice Is Not Healthy For Kids (Or You)
Apple juice is the quintessential kid’s drink, right? It turns out that your child’s favorite drink isn’t so healthy.
Florida Law Makes Living Off The Grid Illegal
If you’re in Florida and hope to live a more sustainable lifestyle free from the influence of energy companies and massive agricultural conglomerates by adding solar panels to your home, harvesting rainwater, and planting an organic garden on your property- watch out. Citing the International Property Maintenance Code, city officials in Cape Coral, FL are […]
Generation Gap: Wind Power Opens Big Lead over Nuclear in China
In China, wind power is leaving nuclear behind. Electricity output from Chinaโs wind farms exceeded that from its nuclear plants for the first time in 2012, by a narrow margin. Then in 2013, wind pulled awayโoutdoing nuclear by 22 percent. The 135 terawatt-hours of Chinese wind-generated electricity in 2013 would be nearly enough to power […]
DIY Teardrop Trailer for Camping and Survival
Watch as this man builds a DIY teardrop trailer from a generic pull-behind using simple tools and an old manual- a perfect low-budget bug out shelter that can be towed by just about anything!
5 Gallon Bucket Gardening: Seven Ways to Reuse Plastic Buckets for Growing Food
We usually discuss container gardening in the context of space: if you live in an apartment, or have a small yard, containers might be your best bet. But even though I’ve got space for gardening – not a ton, but enough – I’m thinking about incorporating containers more this year. Not only are they mobile, […]
Forage the Urban Bounty: 11 Crowdsourced Maps of Edible Plants
The art of foraging goes back to our hunter-gatherer days, but most of us don’t spend much time any more walking the neighborhood looking for edible weeds and fruit trees. That’s changing, though, as many try to simplify and take advantage of food that’s available for the taking in our yards, parks, and other green […]
Planned-opolis: Planning the City’s Future
Planned-opolis – Planning the Cities Future
DIY Drip Irrigation System Costs Less than $10!
Have you been thinking about starting a vegetable garden but don’t want to deal with watering? A cheap DIY drip irrigation system is your solution!
