Biodegradable Bird Feeder Project

Image: Daily Messes

You find yourself walking in the countryside eating a piece of fruit and when you're finished you can see no bins around to get rid of the core or the peel. You think about putting it in your pocket, maybe wrapping it in some old tissue and then you realize - "Hey, I'm in the countryside. This is biodegradable" and you toss it under the nearest tree for some small woodland creature to feast upon. In the absence of said small woodland creature, the fruit will just simply decompose and return nutrients to the earth and support a new generation of growth.

But here's a question. Is this considered littering?

Teapot Birds Nest Project

Image: The Eden Project

There's a common idea that there is no trouble so great or grave, that cannot be diminished with a nice cup of tea. It will warm you if you are cold, cool you if you are hot, cheer you up when feeling down and if you are excited or nervous, it will calm you.

A teapot then, can represent at the same time, the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company.

When your teapot comes to the end of it's life, as ours did this Christmas, there are a number of ways in which you can repurpose it and give it new life.

Newspaper Pot Project

Image: A Heart For Home

It's all doom and gloom really, or that's what the newspapers would have us believe.

This morning there is report that the Banks are going to start charging us for not having enough money.
What's next - a toll for using the footpath outside their door?

Week in week out there is a constant flow of financial mumbo jumbo across the airwaves, through our TV screens and rubbing off on our very fingertips from the daily newspapers. If it's not about bank bailouts, new government plans, bigger bank bailouts, restructuring of finance, yo-yoing interest rates, ginormous bank bailouts, increased unemployment or the astronomical bank bailouts, then it's the usual peppered attempt at bluff nonsense, reporting on the 'green shoots of recovery'.

Newspaper Basket Project

I posted an item on Monday about making a newspaper recycling bin and much like I mentioned in this article, there is one glaringly obvious concern. The quality of the crates you can get for free.

Of course if you wanted to go to one of the expensive home stores around town I'm sure you could pick up a great looking faux vintage, shabby chic, rustic crate. However, you need not do this.
Instead of using a crate to hold all your recycled newspapers, why not make a basket out of your recycled newspapers?

Image: How About Orange

This first idea comes from How About Orange where you can find a full tutorial, which was originally inspired by this article over on CraftStylish.

Image: CraftStylish

You don't even have to use it as a recycling bin, pop it at the back door to store your dirty garden shoes in it or fill it with shredded paper to make a nice comfortable bed for your cat or dog.

As for me, I'll try and hold off on any more newspapers articles. For now.

Carbon Paw Print Project

Image: Chemistry World Blog

There are 2 types of people in the World.
Those that use the expression "there are 2 types of people in the World" and those who do not.

Of course there's never just 2 types of people.

Some examples:
1. People with a good sense of direction vs people who get lost walking out their front door.
2. People with completely absurd ring tones vs people who were not dropped on their head as a baby.
3. People who like Pizza vs people who like Pizza with BBQ chicken and/or pineapple.
4. People who drive into parking spaces vs people who reverse into parking spaces.
...or simply, people who do random unexplainable nonsense vs the rest of us.

The list goes on and on and on, so for the purpose of this post, lets imagine that there are just 2 types of people in the World.

Those who like cats vs those who............I'll come back to you on that.

According to environmentalist Holly Tse, "a 2007 survey by the American Veterinary Association states that there are over 80 million cats in American households." Tse, who blogs about green living ideas for felines at GreenLittleCat.com, adds, "Reducing one cat's carbon footprint is helpful, but 80 million cats collectively could make an enormous difference!"

Since plenty of Eco-friendly cat products are now on the market, it's clear that many pet owners want to include their cats in their green lifestyle. Here's how you can "green" every area of your cat's life:

CAT LITTER
"Clay going to a landfill is terribly detrimental for the environment," says Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a veterinarian, director of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic and author of The Cat Who Cried for Help. The next time you go to the supermarket, consider buying a litter that's made from natural or recycled materials.

                                                                  Tesco wood cat litter

Image: Tesco

CAT BEDDING
Check the tags to make sure your cat's bedding consists of natural, organic cotton or hemp. "Hemp is durable and natural -- it basically lasts forever," says Dodman.

                                                            Striped Round Hemp Beds

Image: Green Little Cat Store

 Holly Tse also suggests cat bedding made from recycled plastic bottles.
                                                                   
                                                                     Bumper Pet Bed

Image: Green Little Cat Store

CAT TOYS

Image: Holly Tse

 


Check out Holly Tse's book Make Your Own Cat Toys: Saving the Planet one cat toy at a time.





If you have ever purchased a fancy cat toy only to find Kitty preferred the bag it came in, this book is for you.

 

"'Make Your Own Cat Toys' shows you how to create new toys from old stuff in minutes. These Eco-friendly toys are fast, fun and easy to make so that you spend less time crafting and more time playing."



"Over 50 toy ideas to suit the different ways that cats love to play, a new toy for each week of the year."










"25 toys that can be made in 60 seconds or less with no special skills required. Ideal for new kittens with boundless energy."



 "Plus, plenty of green tips and Eco-friendly ideas for you and your pet. Have a blast and save the planet at the same time."









If you're not the book buying type - check out the free series of videos on YouTube from Grace Fitzpatrick showing you how to make simple homemade toys for your cat.
Catnip sock toy
Cylinder toy
Paper ball toy
Tin foil rod toy

You'll find all these videos and more over on the expertvillage page as well.


So, I hope all the cat lovers out there will be able to find something here to help reduce their kitty's carbon paw print.

As for me?

I'm more of a dog person.

Box Making Project

Image: Patent Pending Projects

A few years ago when the plastic bag levy came in people where up in arms about being charged 15 cent to put their shopping in a carrier bag. As a result, in the following months, there was an awful lot of "lazyman load" related accidents. When we had to start paying for bags we realised how wasteful we were. We would buy our shopping. Bring it home. Put it away and the bag would end up in the bin.

The more environmentally friendly of us would have stored these bags in a larger plastic bag that was most likely kept under the sink. And lets face it, in the past when we saw someone pull a crumpled up plastic shopping bag out of their back pocket or out of a handbag, we all thought the same thing. "What a cheapskate!" Now we think, "Damn it. I forgot the bag."

Since then a lot of shops provide brown paper bags as a substitute for plastic as there's no price levy. For a while there it felt like we were all living in America with our brown paper bags with lettuce and celery sticks popping out the top, but when we returned home, as before, the shopping would be put away and the bag ended up, well...you know where.

After all, we didn't have to pay for it so why keep it?

We seem to treat 99% of the packaging of our food in the same way. We don't see that we are paying for the packaging. Just the product. Although some of us are clued in to the whole "I'm buying the no name brand of (fill in product here ......  ) as it's the same company. It's just the packaging that's cheaper".

One well known coffee brand is trying to cash in on this idea with the following ad.
A range of people are seen trying to carry their coffee granules loose with them and are unsuccessfully. The voiceover explains that (this brand) in trying to use less packaging. They tried losing 100% of the packing but it didn't work so they've settled for 97% less packing in their new Eco refill packs.

What they don't tell you is that this new Eco refill pack is more expensive than their regular pack.
Is this the price for helping the environment?


I think the best way to help the environment is to reuse most of the packaging that we discard.


I decided to reuse some old Cereal boxes I was just about to throw out. At the same time I was thinking about getting some nice boxes to store old photos and logic stepped in and gave me this idea.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

This is so simple. It took about 2 hours to make.
Here's what you need.


Materials:
1. A couple of empty cereal boxes (or any cardboard packaging - your going to be cutting them up and sellotaping them together so anything will do.)
2. PVA glue (from a local art/craft or office supply shop) and small brush.
3. Scissors
4. Ruler
5. Sellotape/packaging or masking tape
6. Cloth or Material (I've use offcuts from curtains that were too long. You could use anything. Try wrapping paper, colour pages from a magazine, an old T shirt, or how about one of those brown paper bags you picked up at the shops?)
7. (Optional) Name plate. (I picked one up in a DIY shop for 40 cent) and some string.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Instructions:
Step 1: For the box cut 5 rectangle pieces from Cardboard.
You will need
1 x 9 inches by 6 inches.
2 x 5 inches by 6 inches
2 x 9 inches by 5 inches.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Sellotape pieces as shown in the pictures. Flip cardboard over and tape reverse side also for extra stability.

Step 2: For the lid measure a piece of cardboard at least 1/4 of an inch larger than the base of your box.
Then measure 1 and 1/2 inches around that. This will be the side panels of your lid.
Cut out as is in the picture and tape the sides up with sellotape.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Step 3: Do the same with your box.
If you have any card left over line the inside of your box and lid to hid all the sellotape.  Secure with PVA glue.
(This is optional and really only for aesthetics)

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Step 4: Cover the box.
Cut a piece of fabric to cover the box leaving enough spare for a 1/2 inch overlap on each side. Place the base in the middle of the fabric and glue in position with PVA glue.
(Tip - paint the entire base with glue otherwise the glue only sticks to certain parts of base and will be clearly visible once dry)
Next glue the longer sides in place first and glue overlap down.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Next glue along the overlap of the front and back panel and fold over to make a neat seam.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

 Step 5: Glue front and back panel to box.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Step 6: Tidy up the fabric with some glue and fold in. Stick down inside of box.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Repeat process for lid.

Step 7: (Optional) Place the name plate in position on box and mark it's position by puncturing 3 holes through the cardboard and fabric. Cut 3 small pieces of string and knot them all at one end. Line up the name plate again and push the pieces of string through holes. Secure on the other side with another knot or use some tape to hold string in place.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Propaganda Posters Project

Today is V-E Day.

Victory in Europe occurred 66 years ago on this day, May 8th 1945 but if you were to go into your local bookshop you might be forgiven for thinking that it wasn't such a different time.

Scouring the shelves you might find "Digging for Victory: Wartime Gardening with Mr Middleton"  which contains  "pearls of wisdom to a new generation of gardeners who are increasingly interested in growing their own food."

A timely publication in light of the recent surge in allotment owners.

Or how about Sucking Eggs: What your Wartime Granny could teach you about Diet, Thrift and Going Green by Patricia Nicol

Full of interesting facts set out in a lighthearted tone, Patricia compares our daily lives with those of our wartime grandparents. There are handy hints sections and it's full of great ideas.

Patricia feels our Parents and Grandparents in contrast to us, were model global citizens. Their carbon footprints barely left an imprint. They wasted almost nothing and what they had no use for they recycled. They dug for victory and grew their own vegetables, as more and more of us are again beginning to do.
Here's a photo of our own little plot at home.

Image: Patent Pending Projects

Patricia Nicol goes on to say that our Grandparents did not have a disposable culture like we have.
They made do and mended. They salvaged. As evident in these World War 2 Posters.

Decades before "No Logo" became an international rallying cry, they were pioneering anti-consumerists. They did thrift years before it became a fashion model’s fad. The second-hand shop and the recycling bin were their generation’s invention.

Sometimes lives depended on it.

Some are just plain propaganda poppycock!

These posters were used to inform, educate and inspire the masses to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle during a time of crisis.

Some might say that we are in the midst of different crisis.

Green Patriot Posters are continuing on with these themes and have released a book of 50 detachable, read-to-hang posters on the theme of sustainability by some of the world's most prominent graphic designers and artists.

 

Check out their website which allows you to create your own posters or vote for your favourite.

As we look back on V-E day and remember the sacrifices that were made for us, maybe we can think about being a bit more clever about our own waste and try and recycle a bit more and hopefully this new batch of posters will become more of a nostalgic item in years to come rather than another reminder of what we should be doing.

The Tomorrow Moves Project

If you live in America and would like to win $5,000 this may be of some interest to you.

Have you got a great idea for protecting the environment for tomorrow?

The Tomorrow Moves Project has been set up by CSX (an American Rail Company) who are looking for ideas to help protect the environment that are practical and workable.

You just might have the next big environmental idea rattling around in your head or maybe you have a new take on an old concept?

All you have to do is jump over to their Facebook page and tell them in 200 words or less what your ideas are.

You can submit photos that support your idea and then all you have to do is get people to vote for you.

The 10 best ideas will go into the final and the best 2 will both receive $5,000.

The closing date is 13th May 2011........so get your thinking caps on!

Tap Water Vs Bottled Water Project

We've all had that Bottle Water/Tap Water debate, right?

There's always someone who parrots out the "Have you ever noticed that 'Evian' is 'Naive' backwards."
Well what does that say about 'newogyllab'? or 'civlov'?

Well?



Let's move on shall we?

So, we've all been in this situation.
Sitting in a Restaurant. A waiter takes our order and we ask for water for the table.

"Sparkling or Still?" they ask.
"Tap will be fine" we respond.

Now, when exactly did we wise up? It used to be that tap water was no good for us. We only ever wanted bottled water for the table.
- Has the recession forced us to play Russian Roulette with 'dirty old' tap water?
- Have we been conned into thinking bottled water is somehow safer or more convenient?
- When was it that I turned into Carrie from Sex & the City. Asking rhetorical questions as these words appear on a computer screen??


Consider this logic.

Restaurants will still serve you tap water.
If any industry were concerned about the safety of what it is serving, it would be restaurants.

Here's an infographic I found over on EPICR that you may (or may not) find interesting.

I know it's easy to pick up a bottle of water in a shop when you are out and about but water fountains still exist in public places. In fact, Thermos company has sponsored a FREE iPhone App to locate water fountains and encourage refilling water bottles. So iPhone users no longer have an excuse to buy bottled water (Well, in the US or Canada that is - but that's just for the moment - and it's a start. Also, half the people we know are in Canada right now - so no excuses. Get looking)