https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/3/4/18216045/renewable-energy-wood-pellets-biomass
I am going to try something a little different here at the Green Living Library. In the past I have focused on providing articles that provided practical information and how to’s on many different aspects of living a green life. I will continue to do that but every now and then when the mood strikes me I will pluck an article from the internet and analyze it from my perspective. I will tell you what I think of the article where I agree and disagree with what the author is proposing. Please read the article at the link above before diving into my thoughts on the subject Here it goes…
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The thought of needing to rebuild urban soils probably strikes most of you reading this a funny at best and a waste of time at worst. What possible reason could you have for rebuilding urban soils, you are not a farmer or rancher why should you care about the quality of the soil underneath your feet. Well the simple reason for this is that soil is quite literally what everything is built upon and I know that is a bit tongue and cheek but it is still true. I don't just mean the literal built upon like a building on a foundation but also the web of life that supports life as we know it is also built upon the soil at our feet. Now in the grand scheme of things I will concede that the soil quality out on farms and ranches might be more important than the one in your front yard but that doesnt mean the soil there isn't important. Americans use 20% of the the toilet paper in the World.
Read the article below for more information. https://weather.com/news/news/2019-02-21-american-toilet-paper-use-decimates-canadian-forests
Assuming you are not the most unobservant person that has ever existed you are most likely aware of the trees that surround you every day you live your life. There are trees in the yards, lining the streets, in the parks, and everywhere you look you will most likely see a tree. You have also most likely seen some of the havoc that trees can cause in communities like,
If you have done any reading at all into what the FIRE movement is all about you will know by now that reducing how much you spend is key to building your money pot. But this idea of cutting expenses while usually a good idea can be taken too far when you go from decisions like,
“Should I get another one of those 10 dollar beers?” to “Should I buy this bag of apples instead of the cheap Raman?”
The 4% rule and its findings are critical to the success of the FIRE principle and understanding it is the key to being able to retire much earlier than you thought. I will try to give you a clear explanation of what the 4% rule is and how it can be applied to your life.
While I do try to stick to the useful articles on this website offering insights on how to do things to improve your lifestyle in a green way every now and then I do veer off into the philosophical. What I want to talk about a bit in this one is Green Living and how it impacts your health and of course the health of the planet. To do this in a somewhat organized way I will try to break out just a couple of topics to take a closer look at or we could be here all day. I have come to a realization recently after the deep dive I have done into the FIRE movement.
What is FIRE you might be asking? “well when a spark and pine needles love each very much…” Just kidding yes that is what fire is but what I am talking about is F.I.R.E or Financial independence Retire Early. For the longest time like most of us out there I assumed I would have to work a long career till I was 65 or more to be able to enjoy my golden years in relative ease. But I have recently discovered that it is simply not true assuming you can extricate yourself from the mindset of the average wage earner out there. Achieving FIRE done through the power of the following things, · High savings rate as much as possible without compromising quality of life · Lost cost index fund investing · Reducing Expenses When you look out at the typically suburban lawn what do you see?
Some see a beautiful manicured space that is great for playing on lounging on and gives your house great curb appeal. Whiles others like me see a mostly wasted, severely underutilized space that could be put too much better uses like growing food and creating pollinator habitat. Unless you have been asleep for the last decade or maybe you're just really out of touch you are bound to heard of the No Till movement that is sweeping the nation in both the farming and gardening sectors of agriculture. Like the term implies no till is a method of growing crops on both large and small scales without tilling the soil. To those of you that have been raised in what became industrial farming/gardening this idea of not tilling the soil will seem just backwards and potentially a waste of your time.
When people think of a garden they most likely think of the annual garden standards, · Tomatoes · Peppers · Lettuce · Beets · Corn · Etc. But that thinking is missing out on great resource that they can use to reduce work, fertilizer inputs, watering needs and did I mention work. For me the reduced work is a big seller when it comes to gardening and the amount of work it can take depending on your techniques can be staggering. That is why I am a big fan of perennial crops in place of annual crops wherever possible.
Sheet mulching defined in its simplest terms is the layering different types of organic materials on top of the ground in order to establish a garden plot without tilling the soil. This technique can be applied to existing lawns, areas with poor soil or even over concrete or solid rock to create “soil” for growing things in.
I know right…. It’s January and I am already talking about the summer garden. But if you are a serious gardener like me you need to start planning this early because before you know it the early cool season crops can be going in the ground. The winter is perfect time to look back on your garden and figure out what you did right what you did wrong and what you want to change before this next season begins. In my case some things that went right this last summer would be the following,
Things I did wrong…
Planning for next year After you have had a chance to reflect on the previous year you can now plan better for next year. Things that you should figure out now would include,
Here we are at the end of December and for most us were are long past the end of the growing season and we are enjoying the fruits of our labor. Maybe you are the type of person that is saying finally I can take break and relax a bit or maybe you are like me and are bemoaning the lack or warm sun and rainy nights that led to such a beautiful outside garden.
Even though the weather is getting colder and you know the frost is coming fear not because you can continue to grow delicious food inside your home. With today’s LED light technology it is easier and cheaper than ever before to set up a system for growing food inside all winter long. There is both a long and short answer to that question and I will try to keep it short and simple.
“A food forest is the intentional planting of food producing plants designed to mimic a natural forest.” That wasn’t so bad right well unfortunately that definition while short and easy to digest does a poor job of fully encompassing what exactly a food forest is. To be a food forest it must contain the following attributes,
If you are anything like me you get quite a bit of paper delivered to you through the mail. All that junk mail, magazine subscriptions and useless ads for things you should never by. If you are lucky you would be able to recycle all that paper so it can be turned into something else down the line. However you may live in an area that doesn’t do paper recycling so that really leaves you with the option of throwing it in the trash. But if you are actually reading this article on this website then you are probably like me and you hate throwing things away that could have other potential uses. One of the best uses I have found for that waste paper is turning it into long lasting fire starters. Now I am sure you already know that paper burns really easily but it also burns really quick which can sometimes hinder how well it performs as a fire starter. Keeping lose paper around can also take up a lot of space that could be better used for other things. So any easy way to get around these dual problems is to turn all that extra waste paper in paper mache fire starters. This is really easy to do but it does take some time and just a few things to make the process easier.
Materials needed,
When most people are planting a garden they think they have only one shot at in the spring. Well thankfully for unlucky gardeners like me that is simply not the case. When you are growing a garden in most parts of the United States you can get 2 sometimes 3 crops from the same plot of land depending on how far south you live. In the midwest where I live if I plan it right I can get two crops of produce from the same plot of land.
Composting toilets are a great option for an off grid home or those that are simply looking to use less water. A lot of people are under the assumption that they smell, are messy, and generally unclean when compared to flush toilets.This is simply not the case for the most part and to help dispel those ideas I will cover them briefly below.
Living off the grid is a dream for many of us in America these days. The reason for this are many, some fear the collapse of modern society, others want a life closer to nature and its ebbs and flows and still others simply want a life that has a minimal impact on the environment. Whatever your reasons are many people believe that you have to give up on a modern lifestyle when you you choose to go off the grid.
Thanks to modern technology in power generation, home building and heating and cooling methods of modern life you really don’t have to give up anything at all if its done right. Now each person's definition of what a truly modern life is will vary depending on your needs and desires so to start this off I will list what I feel like I need for a modern lifestyle.
Well that depends….
As with most things in life this is dependent on your specific situation. Factors like,
Solar power is fast becoming the go to renewable power source for those that wish to generate their own power in a clean and effective way. More reliable, less maintenance, and silent compared to wind solar can be a great option for new and already existing homes. When deciding to add solar to your home there are lots of options to consider about the system like,
In this particular article I am going to go ever the pro’s and con’s of whether or not mounting solar panel on your roof is beneficial or not. So you have decided to add some solar panels to you home and you know you need to look at all your options to help you decide how big of a system you need. You are probably already familiar with a few of the different factors that must be considered before your first purchase. |
AuthorHello my name is Josh Larson and I am the creator of the Green Living Library. Here on the blog you will find updates to content found in the Green Living Library as well as stories from those living the sustainable life already. Archives
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