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Photo courtesy Lucas County, OH.
Here’s a great way to make a greenhouse cheaply from waste materials.
We’ve all seen houses made from bottles before: wine bottles, beer bottles, coloured bottles, clear bottles, long-necked bottles… The Scottish Sustainable Development Charity REAP is promoting, designing and building inexpensive greenhouses from reclaimed soda bottles.
There are so many pluses for using old soda bottles: they’re plentiful; they’re cheap; they magnify heat; it keeps “waste” material out of the landfill; easy to build, maintain, and run; and, when finished, leave you with a “fun” greenhouse.
REAP recently told The Guardian that recycled bottle greenhouses are the perfect project for schools. They’re a great building/learning experience for the children; and, the children will probably be able to supply some of the plastic soda bottles needed.
Richard Bennett of REAP explained how easy the process is to Jane Perrone of The Guardian's excellent gardening blog:
With lots of children to help gather the bottles and wash them, it's a great re-use educational structure that really works. A standard construction of 2m x 3m will need around 1400 bottles to be collected and rinsed. The bottoms are cut off by the children with their safety scissors, two tabs are cut on either side near the top by an adult with a craft knife to stop the top bottle sliding down it.
Now it is ready to be placed in the wall. A sturdy frame is built with wires spaced at 30cm intervals up the frame and roof: the wires hold the bottle in place and it is the cross tie wire that binds it into a solid wall, closing most of the gaps. On a sunny day it can easily be 10 degrees hotter inside the plastic bottle greenhouse than outside.
A PDF instruction guide on how to build your own greenhouse is available at the REAP site.
Photo courtesy Austrian Times.
We all know the evils of air-conditioning and all the ways to cool an area naturally such as planting a tree or two; or, digging into the ground a bit to benefit from some of that natural, all-surrounding cool.
However, in the true tradition of “too much is never enough”, those who are so inclined are now able to purchase an air-conditioned casket in case being sheltered by the earth won't keep their loved one cool enough.
Embalming is not customary in Serbia; so, adequate refrigeration of the deceased until burial is crucial in hot weather. These coffins are designed to keep the occupant at a below-freezing temperature until burial to prevent damage from heat and decomposition. The manufacturer says it is designed to keep bodies "fresh" prior to burial in hot summer months.
However, it turns out that air-conditioned coffins have become a sort of status symbol and potential aid to a more comfortable journey to the hereafter. This rage started in Novi Sad; but, these caskets are now flying off the shelves whenever, wherever they can be found at a whopping £4,500 ($6,600 US) each.
The purchasers buy these casket "in hopes they will have a more comfortable afterlife." The Daily Star quotes: "People imagine they want to feel comfortable in a coffin. "They feel they want to be as relaxed as possible as they make their journey to the next world."
There is no information about whether the coffins would continue to freeze the deceased after their burial.
Promessa Organic AB may seem an odd name for a burial business. That is until you learn they’ve developed an environmentally-friendly way to lay your loved one to rest.
Within about 10 days of death, the body is frozen in liquid nitrogen, making it very brittle. Once vibrated, it turns into an organic powder. In a vacuum chamber any water is evaporated away to leave a dry power (about 1/3 of original weight). A metal detector removes surgical pins, dental amalgams and such forth. The remains are then placed in a corn or potato starch coffin, to be buried in a shallow grave. Within 12 months, or less, this has composted in a loam soil.
One of the suggestions made (my favourite) is to plant a tree, bush, or other living, growing thing at the burial. This way my body will nourish a new living thing; my loved ones will have a living, green reminder of me and I will be where I love to be - in the good, brown earth.
The first facility opened in Sweden in 2005.
Did You Know that a cremation can use up to 23 litres (6 gal) of fluid oil and 0.5kg (1.1 lb) of activated carbon, while adding an annual contribution of 1/3 of total mercury emissions in Sweden?
Not so many nuts; but, clothing, tools and vehicles:
Apr 11---Harris Teeter recalls Natural Roasted & Salted PISTACHIOS
Apr 11---Albanese Confectionery recalls Shelled PISTACHIOS/ Deluxe Mix NUTS
Apr 11---Top Food & Drug/Haggen Food and Pharmacy recall In-Shell PISTACHIOS
Apr 11---Lake Champlain Chocolates recalls Products containing PISTACHIOS
Apr 11---Eastern Lamejun Bakers recalls PISTACHIO NUTS California
Apr 11---Dollarama recalls Bergen ALMOND COOKIES---Canada
Apr 11---GIA recalls White Illuminator POLARISCOPE
Apr 11---Bi4b/Ole Con Ole/Joyca recall Women`s/Girl`s SHOES---Spain
Apr 11---Poloni/Tokitos/Tattoo recall BOOT'S/ SHOES---Spain
Apr 11---Superhawk/Jungle Juice Platinum Leather CLEANSER recalled---Lithuania
Apr 11---Realm recalls Electric LIGHTING CHAINS---Hungary
Apr 11---Saugella recalls Poligyn Liquid CLEANSER---Portugal
Apr 11---Pil-Food recalls PH 6 SHAMPOOS---Portugal
Apr 11---Super Glue recalls SUPER GLUE---Germany
Apr 11---Envy/ Monsoon Accessorize recalls EARRINGS/ NECKLACE---Denmark
Apr 11---Karvany recalls Several Children's JEWELLERY---Denmark
Apr 11---Nattou recalls Orange Cotton Children's PONCHO---Finland
Apr 11---Arcade recalls Red Viscose SCARFS---Finland
Apr 11---Agrimix/ Sole Verde recall Fungicidal INSECTICIDES---Malta
Apr 11---Whirlwind recalls Kids Illuminated ROLLER SKATES---Bulgaria
Apr 11---Helper recalls Three-Parts Universal LADDERS---Slovakia
Apr 11---OK recalls Set of AXES---Slovakia
Apr 11---Yick Wah Toys/Alltoys recalls Wooden Theatre PLAYSETS---Slovakia
Apr 11---Model 140L Christmas LIGHTING CHAIN recalled---Slovakia
Apr 11---Unknown Clockwork MICE TOY recalled---Czech Republic
Apr 11---Latitude Enfant recalls In-Car TOY MOBILES---France
Apr 11---Electra recalls Several 2009 BICYCLES---Greece
Apr 11---Sam 0-13 recalls Green BABY'S JACKETS---Greece
Apr 11---Jumbo recalls Red Children's TROUSERS---Greece
Apr 11---Newness recalls Madeira Beach Children's T-SHIRTS---Greece
Apr 11---Mek recalls Children's JACKETS---Greece
Apr 11---Valera recalls Hair STYLER/ CURLER---Greece
Apr 11---GM recalls Several 1997-2003 VEHICLES
Apr 11---Chrysler announces 3 recalls on 2001-2009 Jeep VEHICLES
Apr 11---Nissan Diesel recalls 2008 UD3300 TRUCKS
Apr 11---Winnebago recalls Several 2002-2006 MOTORHOMES
Apr 11---Honda recalls Several Models MOTORCYCLES---Portugal
Apr 11---Pyramid Parts recalls Brake Lining PADS---U.K.
Stay safe, friends!
Groceries from Tesco. Photograph: Martin Godwin.
Tesco, a supermarket chain in the UK, is conducting an experiment in its stores to see what packaging customer do or do not want on their groceries.
The experiment kicked off on April 1, 2009 and will run for 6 weeks. Tesco has already cut back on what it regards as “wasteful” packaging, such as bulky dog food bags and unnecessary plastic wrapping on food. Now they want to know what other packaging the consumer is prepared to live without.
Some of the most common customer complaints include the amount of plastic, cardboard and foil used with Easter eggs, the box surrounding the tube of toothpaste, and the trays and plastic wrap used to “protect” fruit.
These tests are temporary and any packaging the customers leave behind will be recycled once it has been used to gather information on what consumers consider excess packaging.
Alasdair James, Tesco's head of energy, waste and recycling, recently visited Germany. He said: "We know our customers expect us to help them recycle easily and we have also committed ourselves to cutting our own waste. This unique pilot helps us do both. Packaging left by customers at the store will tell us a lot about areas we may need to look at again, as well as where we have got it right."
Tesco pointed that for regulatory reasons or where labelling was essential - for instance in warning of products containing nuts - packaging might still be necessary.
A large proportion of retail packaging ends up in landfill space where it takes a long time to decompose, and even then the waste can give off harmful gases and toxins which pollute the air and water.
Maybe every chain store should conduct a similar experiment. Contact your favourite chain stores with this suggestion if the feeling moves you.
Nuts and glass-jarred products:
Apr 10---Barnard Nut recalls Several PISTACHIO Products
Apr 10---Cains Foods issues allergy alert on Old Cape Cod Sweet & Bold Grilling SAUCE
Apr 10---Déli Beauce issues allergy alert on Gluten Free PEPPERONI---Canada
Apr 10---Metro Richelieu/ Sobeys recalls Several GLASS JARRED Products---Canada
Apr 10---Rocky Mountain Foods recalls Several PISTACHIO Containing Products
Apr 10---Eillien’s Candies adds more products to PISTACHIO recall list
Apr 10---Hickory Harvest Foods/I M Good Snacks recalls ALL PISTACHIO Products
Apr 10---Ann’s House of Nuts recalls Pistachio Containing PRODUCTS
Apr 10---Cub Foods recalls Queen OLIVES Stuffed With Minced Pimientos
Apr 10---BFSA recalls CURRY/ Curry PASTES/ Curry Spice MIXES---Europe
Stay safe, friends!
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
Duckweed, a small aquatic plant familiar to most aquarists. When I kept my aquariums I used to love duckweed - a healthy duckweed population meant a healthy tank. It floats on the surface, supplies places for the babies to hide, provides nutrition for the fish, and helps reduce evaporation of the tank.
Duckweed also reproduces very efficiently with every little piece that breaks off becoming a new plant. It reproduces very quickly too and is usually thinned out of aquariums and ponds by the handful because if it becomes too dense, the pieces can clog up any working parts - literally.
In the wild, duckweed is an important food source for water fowl.
Now researchers from North Carolina Sate University say that duckweed can also be used to clean up waste water at industrial pig farms as well as being used as a good feed stock for biofuels.
When grown in nutrient-rich wastewater (industrial farming operations and/or municipal wastewater), duckweed can produce 5-6 times the starch per acre as corn does. Since it can be processed in the same facilities that corn is, the start-up and/or switch-over costs should be minimal.
Researchers are suggesting that a duckweed production system would consist of shallow ponds potentially built on lands unsuitable for other crops. The duckweed stage would clean the water to such a degree that it could be re-used for other purposes.
A pilot-scale project is currently being established to further investigate the potential of duckweed for both water treatment and biofuels.
I just love it when a solution can be found that is 100% natural.
Nuts, nuts and more nuts:
Apr 10---Andronico's Market recalls All Natural PEANUT BUTTER
Apr 10---Amalgamated Produce recalls Several Different SPROUT Products
Apr 10---Mrs. Grissom's Salads issues allergy alert on Several CHEESE Products
Apr 10---Powers Candy and Nut recalls Powers Snack Time PISTACHIOS
Apr 10---Harry And David recalls Several PISTACHIO Nut Food Items
Apr 10---Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks recalls Garlic/ Jalapeno flavored PISTACHIOS
Apr 10---CFIA adds Several more products to PISTACHIO recall list---Canada
Apr 10---QSP recalls Pleasantville Farms 7.5 oz PISTACHIOS
Apr 10---Ashdon Farms recalls Girl Scouts PISTACHIOS
Apr 10---Castillo recalls Monell’s Teething CORDIAL
Stay safe, friends!
Photo courtesy Wildlife Conservation Society.
Lately it seems the only news about the environment seems to be bad news. I am delighted to say that I have a delightful piece about a dolphin thought to be on the brink of extinction. That dolphin is the Irrawaddy dolphin. A previously unknown massive population has been discovered in Bangladesh.
Read on, dolphin lovers!
Previous to this discovery, the largest known population of the Irrawaddy dolphin was only in the hundred. Thanks to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) a massive population of approximately 6,000 individuals has been discovered living in the freshwater areas of the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
“This discovery gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins,” said Dr. Brian Smith, the study’s lead author. “Bangladesh clearly serves as an important sanctuary for Irrawaddy dolphins, and conservation in this region should be a top priority.”
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists Irrawaddy dolphins as “Vulnerable” in Bangladesh and India; but, “Critically Endangered” in Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand. The current total population of dolphins is unknown (but, it’s better off by 6,000 now!).
One of the reasons the Irrawaddy dolphin is so endangered is that they live closer to the shore than their ocean-dwelling cousins falling victim to the gill nets and dragnets of the fishermen. The dolphins today also face extinction from gold mining, blast fishing, electrofishing and bottom-set crab nets. They were also actively sought for their oil.
This is a far cry from the relationship the dolphins used to have with the traditional fishermen of India. Fishermen recall the times of co-operative fishing with the dolphins when they would call out to the dolphins to drive fish into their nets. Using acoustic signals, Irrawaddy dolphins in the upper reaches of the Ayeyawady River in Myanmar, drive fish towards waiting fishermen using cast nets. In return, the dolphins receive the fishermen’s by-catch as their share of the bounty.
From Wikipedia:
Historically, Irrawaddy River fishermen claimed that particular dolphins were associated with individual fishing villages and chased fish into their nets. An 1879 report indicates that legal claims were frequently brought into native courts by fishermen to recover a share of the fish from the nets of a rival fisherman which the plaintiff’s dolphin was claimed to have helped fill.
Other threats to the Irrawaddy dolphin include declining freshwater due to human use and climate change, which is threatening to raise the sea-level and inundate local freshwater systems. The Ganges River dolphin, which overlaps the same habitat as the Irrawaddy dolphin, is threatened by the same factors
The discovery of the new population was announced at the First International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas in Maui, Hawaii.
Photo courtesy Lucas County, OH. 
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