Sustainable living projects

  An overview of some of the projects we took on in 2009/2010

 

Gardens

We put in about 10 square garden plots in May of 09. Each garden measured about 2metres by 2 metres.( I have about 5 dug here)  

 

 

I just turned the soil over and removed clumps of turf to the compost bin. I made them 2m by 2m so we could reach all areas without walking in the soil. We didn't enhance the soil with compost or anything, but we have been since the end of the harvest. So expectations are that our yields will be increased significantly in 2010. We'll be weighing our produce this year. I estimate we grew about $700 worth of veggies (using organic vegetable prices from the grocery store)

 

 

Also did several smaller sections for tomatoes and peppers.

 

Planted:

-potatoes (using old potatoes from the store cut up and planted in the dirt)

 

-tomatoes, store bought baby plants

 

-red orange and yellow peppers that all ended up being green ?

 

-radishes, about three consecutive yields from seeds

 

-strawberries from seeds I believe- a stunning success and astounding yield

 

-hot peppers-long green hot puppies from baby plants at Canadian Tire.

 

-brussels sprouts, from seeds

(we never stayed on top of the sprouts so ended up not harvesting what did come up)

 

-Onions and plenty of them -totally awesome yield

 

-lettuce, romaine and leaf- tremendous!

 

-cherry tomatoes from seed? very productive

 

-garlic, unsuccessful plot

-peanuts! unsuccessful as well

-pumpkins-flop!

-carrots-flop!

-cabbage-good

-raspberries-excellent

 

The potatoes were amazing, as were all of the others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Passive Solar Air Heater

 

In order to moderate the temperature in my workshop, I'm building a passive solar air heater that heats air when the sun hits it. I used reclaimed 5" ducting as the core and reclaimed flexi-duct to make the elbows.  

 

 

I painted the pipes flat black and I figure because the flexible sections are corrugated, they should capture heat well.

 

I built a 4 x 8 box to fit a reclaimed patio glass door, which will be the faceplate for the collector.

 

 

The sides are just deep enough so the glass front can fit snug/flush over the core and the space between the inner and outer wall is insulated with reclaimed 2" stiff styrofoam.

 

   

 

  I cut a hole for the first elbow to drop into, it will become the intake and It has to protrude to go through the exterior wall into the room. I sealed it with expanding foam and black caulking, it can be touched up with flat black from the inside to look tidy.

 

 

 

One section at a time I locate and assemble the tubes and put 1 wood screw in each section, into the wooden back of the box - keeps it all from moving. I haven't sealed the sections together because I figure if the box itself is airtight enough, the air won't want to leak into the box due to increased pressure in there The natural convection current that will be created by the sun's heat should drop pressure in the tube compared to the box so the leakage should occur into the pipe and not out of it

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY ?

-why would you want to use a big bicycle when the car is right there in the driveway?

 

We decided to take on the Mundo because it offers a real solution to several key problems.

 

It is a sustainable mode of transportation that is not dependent on fossil-fuel and causes no pollution. It also means you increase your physical health. 

 

Sustainable Living is something we've been learning a lot about lately

 

www.continuo.com

 

We're incorporating several new /old ideas in our home life now such as:

 

-a large and productive vegetable garden

-free-range laying hens (3) for 'free' fresh eggs

-a solar domestic hot water system

-rain water collection

-passive solar air heater

-composting

-slowfood/local food

 

 

None of these ideas/projects are new. As a matter of fact, all of these are old but often forgotten methods. Solar energy is nothing new either. It's been around forever. (ha)

 

It's just the thinking that is new. Or awareness of impending crisies...

 

We're trying to re-learn skills that have only been forgotten for one generation. The Grandmother that lived nextdoor to us when we moved in here had the biggest vegetable garden I have ever seen. She was 95 yrs old at the time.

 

Our neighbors on the other side were already well into raising all manner of birds for eggs and food. And their yard is a well planned natural regeneration zone. They're onto bigger projects still, in their efforts to make significant environmental improvements.

 

 

Why did it take me 15 years to wake-up and start applying what I learned from my neighbors in my own backyard?

 

  

 

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Sustainable Living Project #2 - Backyard Chickens !

 

I started by building a rather basic but effective coop on wheels. We got the chicks from a neighbor (Janet- she's way ahead of us on the chicken thing) three little "Barred Rock" hens.

 

 

I started by building the coop house...

 

 

 

Then the coop frame...using 2bythrees

 

 

In typical fashion, I just went to it once I had the idea in my head...

 

 

 

 

 

  A lot of staining and stapling of chicken wire- should have bought the electric stapler before I did this part.