Are you tired of traffic jams and the fast pace of city living? Do you long to escape the rush and retreat to the quiet of rural living? If so, you are not alone. Each year, more and more people chose to leave the cultural amenities and conveniences of urban life to embrace a simple,
Search Results for: natural-foods/vegan-living
Dirty Dozen Produce (And 2 To Really Avoid)
Using data from tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Working Group has picked their “Dirty Dozen” produce for 2016. These 12 foods contain the most dangerous pesticides out of the 48 that EWG analyzed. To the list: 1) Strawberries More than 98% of strawberries tested positive for at least one pesticide
Frugal Homesteading Tips For Stretching The Family Food Budget
Many Americans experience the tight squeeze of tough economic times. In many parts of the nation, unemployment statistics may unexpectedly soar to an all-time high. When this happens, jobs are hard to find. If you are in a situation where you need to cut back on living expenses to stretch your budget, reducing the amount
Homemade Pet Food
One day, I realized that the pre-packaged food I was giving my pets wasn’t healthy for them. I took the time to consider what they would be eating in the wild, and it definitely wasn’t highly-concentrated food pellets. Sure, grains are good for them, but it just didn’t seem to be enough. The switch to
What Is Permaculture?
When talking about alternative living and going back to the land to homestead, permaculture is a frequent topic. But what is permaculture? And why is it such an important part of living off nature and the land โ especially when one is trying to homestead off the grid? Who came up with it and what
๐งฑ Natural Building
Modern day building utilizes man-made materials that can be harmful to the environment. Even natural materials, like wood, utilize fossil fuels in order to be milled into the final product. Everything from steel to plastic is used in modern building, and the resources needed to create those materials are not renewable. Alternatively, traditional building methods
Organic Shampoo
In the spirit of real talk, I will admit that I had never been an organic shampoo user until I tested products and conducted research for this article. In hindsight, I feel ashamed of myself for the years I spent buying into experiential โoh-oh-ohhhhโ shampoo marketing tactics the big brands use to lure us in.
Natural Anti-Fungal
A few weeks ago we noticed a rash on my little nephewโs foot. One look at his foot and I knew it was ringworm. Ringworm can be recognized by the round, worm-shaped rash. The area is usually red and the worm-like fungi are somewhat raised and bumpy. Sometimes it can be dry and scaly. I
30 Kitchen Shelves To Declutter Your Space
Your kitchen serves many purposes. It’s the place where you make your morning cup of coffee and pack the kids’ lunches. It’s also where you cook your famous macaroni, and above all, spend time with the ones that you love. There’s a reason that the party always ends up moving to the kitchen. There’s something
Natural Ant Killer
As impressive as ants are, what with being able to lift 50 times their body weight and building their fancy colonies, they can become a bit of a nuisance in our gardens and homes. Itโs sometimes difficult to remember that ants are vital to the ecosystem and do have a positive role to play as
10 Functional And Productive Vegetable Garden Plans
Everyone struggles with garden design. Whether you have a small patio garden or a 20-acre farm, you want to be able to grow vegetables for your family and not have it be all-consuming. Make the most of your yard by using raised beds and putting them in underappreciated parts of the yard. These vegetable garden
About Us
Insteading helps people on their journey to live a more positive lifeโpositive for themselves, for their neighbors, and for the world around them. As the world awakens to the need to transition away from fossil fuels, people are making alternative choices with the clothes they wear, the products they buy, and the transportation choices they
Growing Furniture
Train and graft a tree for half a dozen years or so and you have strong, local, one piece (tree) furniture. One piece wood chairs, no joints. Partially planed. The first chairs are expected to be in galleries mid-2017. byย FullGrown, UK. One piece tree chair. The trees are harvested in winter and then allowed to
Floating Homes
AMPHIBIOUS ARCHITECTURE, Floating Homes
Masonry Heaters: Benefits, How They Work, And Photos
When you think of heating with fire, the first image that might leap to your mind is a crackling wood stove, the mainstay of cozy homesteading living rooms everywhere. But despite itโs current ubiquity in back-to-the-land imagery, the wood stove is a relatively recent invention, having been invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1742. If you
Best Chicken Breeds For City Living
By the time neighbors acknowledge that you grow the most vigorous tomatoes and bake the tastiest bread around, youโve probably thought more than once that raising chickens might be for you. Having done your homework, you know that more cities throughout the U.S. are permitting as many as four or six chickens in a backyard
Living in a Dumpster, For a Full Year – Meet the New 1%
Environmental science professor Jeff Wilson believes that American homes have gotten too big. To prove it, he’ll be living in a dumpster. For a year.
Wanderlust Festival brings mindful joy, healthy living to north shore of Oahu
Creating community around mindful living. Traveling the world meeting a cultural demand that’s already there, and just fulfilling it.That’s the job description for John Krasno and Seane Hoess, founders of Wanderlust. They’ve been doing this for a while, but they’ve found new elements to incorporate in the Oahu Wanderlust–especially surfing. Seeing the correlation between surfing
Earthbag Homes
Earthbag Construction, Sandbag Buildings
Willow Tree Sculptures
Living willow structures or fences start with live cut rods or withies. Once inserted in the ground, they take root. Willow sculpture may use green wood but the rods are not planted, so the sculpture can be preserved if you want. The Most Amazing Willow Tree Sculptures Wicker Sculpture – Queen at Faulkland Palace, 2012.by
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
Homestead Stories: The Rainbow Tree
I love my trees, and Iโm always looking for something unusual or different from forests around the world. Imagine my delight to discover a tree that grows in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It is cleverly called the rainbow tree. Actually, rainbow eucalyptus or Eucalyptus deglupta, to be more accurate. Itโs also known
Ponytail Palm
โYou know those hats the young girls wear?โ my friend asked. โThe ones with the opening for a ponytail?โ She pointed at an addition to her garden collection. โHereโs a plant that looks just like that.โ The tall, spikey leaves stretched upward before spanning out in every direction, much like a ponytail escaping a hat.
Natural Roach Killer
Unless youโre a roach-loving entomologist, chances are you canโt stand having little critters all over your kitchen. Not only are they unsightly, but they are also known to be allergy triggers, especially for those who have been diagnosed with asthma. According to Pest World, cockroaches are said to spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria,
38 Eye-Catching Moon Gate Designs For Your Garden
A moon gate rises out of the earth, like the moon rises in the sky; both spheres celebrate the continuous cycle of birth and death…rising and falling… A circular passageway designed to welcome visitors to backyards, botanical gardens, and important events like weddings, moon gates are quite stunning in their gravity-bending construction. Traditionally constructed out
Getting Started With Off-Grid Water System For A More Self-Reliant Homestead
In my experience, it seems that discussions about off-grid water systems only take place in niche communities of homesteaders or preppers. If you were to bring it up in โnormalโ workplace conversation, I guarantee youโd get at least one set of raised โwhat a weirdoโ eyebrows. But considering just how crucial water is to life
A Guide To Organizing A Log Cabin
After moving to our mountain cabin, it took us over a year to find the best ways to organize it. We had to learn how to get creative with our space and think about storage in new ways. How you organize the space is key. If you do it well, you can maximize small corners,
25 Gorgeous DIY Coffee Table Ideas To Build This Weekend
Iโve always thought coffee tables were incredibly overpriced. Most of the time, they consist of a slab of wood, and very few of the more stylish choices offer any significant storage space. Building your own DIY coffee table means you can create a piece of furniture that meets your exact specifications. Canโt find a coffee
Permaculture Books
Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd Edition Purchase Gaia’s Garden on Amazon Practical Permaculture for Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth Purchase Practical Permaculture on Amazon The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach Purchase The Resilient Farm and Homestead on Amazon Permaculture for the Rest of Us: Abundant
Green Roof Resources
Inspiration Green. Green roofs and green walls. Organizations,info,photos,products and research.
Vertical Herb Garden: What Is It, DIY Plans, And Photos
What can you possibly do for your ailing green thumb when all that is allotted to you is a patio, a balcony, or a postage stamp of an urban backyard with little room to roam? Don’t grow out…grow UP! With a vertical herb and vegetable garden, you can make a mountain of your molehill and
Sustainable Living
With the effects climate change growing more and more obviousโnow it’s actually shrinking the world’s reindeerโwe all want to do more to live sustainably. Here’s how you can start to take action right at home. Meat-Free Kitchen The agriculture and food production industry has grown into a major environmental threat as a growing source of
7 Indoor Trees To Add Some Greenery To Your Home
When one thinks of trees, visions of vast swaths of forested mountains, steamy jungles, or frosty taigas may come to mind. But not every tree needs a scenic backdrop to flourishโsome can be content to live in your home with you. And you have to admit, few things can enliven a bitty apartment or a
Minimalism
20 Homemade Floor Cleaners For A Sparkly Clean House
Mopping is one of my least favorite chores. At least, it was until I stopped using store-bought cleaners and transitioned to homemade solutions. The store-bought stuff never seemed to clean my floors (they’re mainly wood, laminate, and tiles) and left them feeling tacky to the touch. I also hated the odor of anything store-bought. Everything
Flame Retardants
Flame Retardants are everywhere
How To Make Sausage
Do you love sausage but get tired of the limited options your grocery store sells? Making your own sausages gives you control over the quality of the ingredients, the spice mix, the link size, and any allergens. The flavor of fresh, homemade sausages is completely unique, and the process of making it yourself gives you
How To Get Rid Of Squirrels: Natural and Effective Options
Most people love squirrels, delighting in their antics as they scamper through the trees and across the landscape. However, many folks quickly change their view when an infestation of squirrels exceeds their level of tolerance. One moment we want squirrels, and the next we want to know how to get rid of squirrels. Our patience
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Too many cleaning products contain chemicals that are extremely harmful to the environment and its inhabitants, including humans. Eco-friendly cleaning products are an easy alternative and solution! The ozone, water, air, land, and the entire ecosystem are all affected by the choices we make as humans, including what products we use. Today I am going
17 Effective DIY Dishwasher Detergent Recipes
Iโm probably one of the few people in this world who loves doing dishes — I love to load up the dishwasher and forget them, that is! Washing dishes by hand is an annoying and time-consuming task. And did you know it often uses more water than dishwashers? Handwashing dishes can use up to 27
How To Get Rid Of Flies: Natural And Effective Options
Flies are everywhere. In fact, entomologists have named over 100,000 species of flies on earth. Not only are flies annoying, but they also carry germs and diseases. Though flies are a tasty treat for frogs, they are not good for us. The following article will provide you with a variety of tips to repel and
7 DIY Bath Bombs For a Soothing, Relaxing Soak
Fizz away fatigue with all-natural, DIY bath bombs that transform bathwater into a fragrant, skin nurturing, stress-melting oasis. A quick search of the internet yields as many different recipes for DIY bath bombs as for chocolate chip cookies. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can make a basic bath bomb with a few drops of water
Natural Insect Repellent
If backyard barbecues, camping trips, yard work, or sporting adventures have you reaching for cans and bottles of commercial bug spray to ward off irritating insects, pause and think twice before you douse your children and yourself with noxious chemicals concoctions that often contain poisonous ingredients such as DEET. Consider safe, chemical-free alternatives that do
Building With Hempcrete 101
Hempcrete is used as a highly insulative wall material. It is a carbon-negative, natural, and lightweight construction material that provides highly efficient temperature and moisture control. It is also formable, dynamic, one-seventh the weight of concrete, and cures within hours. What Are the Benefits of Hempcrete? The benefits are manifold. It is highly insulative, regulates
Rustic Coffee Tables
Redecorating with Rustic Coffee Tables Moving into my new home, I sadly realized that a cottage by the greenbelt was going to look pretty strange with the sleek modern coffee table I had on my wishlist. In trying to stay true to the architecture Iโve got, I started shopping for some rustic coffee tables, especially
12 Refreshing Natural Air Fresheners
My mother survived stage IV lung cancer (!) but the effects of the disease forced her to be on oxygen 24/7. Needless to say, she’s had to make adjustments to her lifestyle. One thing she had to give up was traditional air fresheners. She loves a clean-smelling house and used chemical-ridden sprays and plugins regularly.
The Recycled, Post-Industrial Green Building Material: Urbanite
Urbanite is the perfect symbol for the new natural building movement, the new wave of building that incorporates natural, local, and recycled materials in place of high embodied energy, destructive, and ultimately unsustainable building practices. Urbanite is the name for reclaimed, recycled concrete from the demolition of roads, buildings, and sidewalks. It is typically broken
Edible Landscaping: The Basics And Plants To Get Started
What if you could turn your yard into an edible landscape with fruits, vegetables, and herbs? Edible landscaping, also known as foodscaping, brings more homegrown foods into your life while beautifying your home landscaping. And it’s easier than you think! While a lush green lawn is lovely in its own way, edible landscaping is, as
A Beginner’s Guide To Buying In Bulk
There are many reasons to shop in bulk. For one, bulk shopping can minimize your impact on the environment by reducing the use of plastic bags and single-use packaging. Shopping in bulk can also save you hundreds of dollars and cut down on trips to the grocery store. Buying in bulk can be intimidating, however.
What to Feed Ducks Instead of Bread
When the weather starts to get warmer, lots of people enjoy feeding waterfowl at local parks, lakes, and ponds. Unfortunately, we have all been making a common mistake by tossing them bread and other flour-based products! In this article, I will explain why we shouldnโt be doing that, and what is actually safe to share