BLOG REPOST FROM 6/29/2009: HOW TO MAKE A SWP!

Since I demonstrated how to make a SWP (Self Watering Planter) over the weekend, I thought I would repost this post. Good info to know if you want to grow some of your own food and don't have room for a garden! A few have commented on my SWP's, and a few more have sent me emails askinf how I make them. Well luckily I had one more Pepper to transplant so I needed to make one. The actual idea comes from Gary Ibsen's Tomatofest website, where they are called EarthTainers™. He and his friend Ray,(the original inventor of the EarthTainer™) ask that if you use their design that you simply make a donation to Feed the Children. Since I basically use the same directions- no problem. I just wanted a free or cheaper way of making the SWP's instead of buying roughneck totes to make them. Cheap Veggie Gardner should appreciate this stinginess thriftiness.
Anyway if you don't want to look at the videos, here is how I make SWP's
First I get 2 buckets in this case a 5 gallon and a 3 gallon bucket. You can get these from restaurant type places- just ask! (Thanks Wah Kue Café!)

Then in one bucket cut a hole big enough for a plastic planter or a tomato can to fit in this case I am using a galvanized steel planter I had laying around. If you have access to hole saws this is easy. Or use a jig saw. A jab saw or drywall saw will work as well, This time I used a jigsaw.

Then make a hole towards the side of the same bucket big enough to fit a piece of PVC Tubing through.

Then drill some holes in your tomato can or planter.

Most buckets will fit together leaving about 2" of room between the two buckets- I don't have to worry here as I am using a 3 gallon and a 5 gallon This is good as the bucket will have some room between the upper bucket –or planter and the 2nd bucket or “reservoir”. If it doesn’t HAve this lip or the top bucket goes all the way down simply insert a brick or a couple of rocks in the bottom bucket to raise the top bucket.

That done, drill a hole in the bottom bucket, taking note where the top bucket’s bottom is. Drill the hole just below the bottom of the top bucket. Put the PVC tubing in the hole you made for it.

. . Now fill it with about two cups of soil into your tomato can/planter, fill with water.
Fill the rest of the top bucket with soil and make sure to water a bit between layers of soil or compost. Until it is full and wet. Some times I rip up old t-shirts and make a “wick” throughout the planter. But I have seen no evidence yet in the planters I have done this to that it is any better than letting the soil “wick” the planters. Then plant your plant or seeds in it. When watering fill the bottom bucket through the PVC tube until water comes out the drain hole you drilled. You now have a Self watering planter! Very nice if your forget for a day to water or you go out of town for a weekend. Saves on water as well. If you like you can cut the lid to the bucket, leaving only a ring, then take a garbage bag or you can use a plastic shopping bag put over the bucket and snap your ring on- works as a mulch cover!

Simple Patio Table

Super simple. Just take an old wire spool, and put a microwave glass turntable on the top! Use as a side table or plant stand. Weather proof, should last for a while! And it keeps that spool and the Turntable out of the waste stream!

DIY Business Card Holder

Ever need a place to hold all those business cards you aquire? Here is a simple idea... Take a book, (one you don't read anymore or like- or in my case an old contract book from 1999) fold the pages in half and fold them on towards the spine. Now you have something to grab that contractors number when you need to swear at someone. Could also be used as a recipe file, or a Baseball card file.

Making a Squash Ladder

My neighbors, (the like minded ones) who like me put out stuff the no longer want on the side of the street, put out a broken Gorm shelf unit. Bless their hearts. You know who scooped it up. And since it was missing two of the support posts, I decided to hack the hell out of it and make a "trellis" for my pumpkins this year at the Community Garden. I took the shelves apart, used an old 2X2's for the back "legs", and re used some of the shelving material for supports (The rest I am going to use for a bucket project- using 100% instead of sending to the landfill!) I am hoping to get them (the pumpkins) to climb up the trellis, or ladder as I call it, making a bit more room. And I can hang my lettuce bowl in the middle! No slugs! Or if they make it that far more power to them!

Trash Can Audit

You can save money with your garbage! I read this long after I went to the smallest can available in my area, but Earth 911 has a great article on doing your own garbage can audit. Saving garbage and recycling is a no brainer! It helps you save money, and be kinder to your mother earth!

Shake... Fold! And Help Save 571,230,000 pounds of paper!

I know everyone is trying to remember to use cloth rags to dry their hands. But what about those times when you forget to put one in your pocket or purse? Well Joe Smith shows how we can save 571,230,000 pounds of paper could be saved if we follow his advice in the video. You can do it all with one towel! Next year Toilet paper!!!

FIVE SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SAVE WATER

FIVE SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SAVE WATER
Depressed because you don’t have a gray water system? Want to save hundreds maybe even thousands of gallons of water per month (thus lowering your water bill?) Just by following some simple steps you can save!

1- Replace your faucet aerators and shower heads with low flow ones- Just doing this alone can save hundreds of gallons of water per month For example I just changed to lower flow shower heads (my old ones were 3 Gallons Per Minute my new ones are 2.0 GPM) MY average shower lasts 5 minutes, for every 5 minutes I save 5 gallons of water per shower Multiply that by 7 showers a week, that’s 35 gallons, and multiply that by the month (four weeks)and it is 140 gallons per month.And on the theory that the average family of 4 and they all shower, that would be 560 gallons per month. No Cheating- just because you use a lower flow shower head is no excuse to take longer showers!
2- SAVE THE WARM UP WATER- I keep a bucket in the bathroom and warm up my shower water by turning on the tub faucet and let it run into the bucket. Save about 2 gallons each shower- I then use the saved water to water plants in the garden, or wash the dog or even to flush the toilet

3- Don’t flush as much- If you can stand it, use the old if "it’s yellow let it mellow rule"- Don’t flush for Number one. Depending on your toilet you can save between 1.6 and 5 gallons each time you don’t flush. (And yes I am counting dual flush toilets) That adds up to many gallons saved per month.EXTREME WATER SAVERS- Will use a composting toilet and do odd things like save their urine for fertilizer.
4- Turn the water off – brushing your teeth… it is a necessary evil unless you have falsies. Don’t run the water while brushing.
5- Save the water- while shaving. Fill a small bowl with hot water to rinse your razor out in.Or just plug the sink. Just don't run the water while shaving! The advantage to the bowl is you will be able to save the water for other uses like plant watering. Me? I just put it in the shower bucket to water plants, flush the toilet, etc etc.

Meet Evelyn

I would like to introduce you to Evelyn, Seattle Public Utilities go to gal on what to do with your garbage. Evelyn is actually an A to Z data base on just about everything garbage. What can be recycled, which bin to put it in, etc. And even though Evelyn is Seattle based, she may be a great tool to use in any city's recycling. I know she works pretty much here!

Another Small Change

Well one small change I am making is re-using the water that has run through my sprouter to water my seedlings and plant starts… You can smell and taste the nutrients in the water (yes I tasted it), and if starting beet sprouts, see it. Not a significant change, re-ducing and re-using this small amount of water… but a change is a change. And if it helps fertilize, a bonus to boot!

Whatcha Gonna Do With That Lid, Man???

Whatcha gonna do with that lid, man???

Conversation from high school in the seventies? No, The lid from my tuna fish can. Lemme ‘splain:
I have one of those newer fangled can openers that actually cuts the lid off from just below the ring, on the side of the can. Sometimes frustrating- I use to use the lid for strain the tuna fish, but now that is a thing of the past. Anyway, one of my coworkers noticed I save the lids and wanted to know what I would do with them.
So I thought. And Thought. Then it came to me! Coasters! I got out my Peel and stick cork shelf liner paper (This really is a must have- you can make trivets, coasters, line the underneath of lamps or make your own cork tabs for a cabinet door. Any hoo, I got out the cork paper (as I call it) used the bottom of a cleaned out tuna can for a template, traced out a circle in the cork paper, cut, peeled the paper covering the adhesive on the cork place it in the lid, and I have a cork coaster made from garbage. The rest of the can? Would make a great biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter. That’s all from my world!

I only party down with the best at:

DIY Produce Bags

I am getting into using my own Produce bags. What I have done before is just put the orange or banana or apple with my other groceries on the checkout belt without a bag, for some reason checkout clerks hate that! Or I just reuse the produce bags and Big Bertha, the check out clerk never is the wiser! I just wash them (rarely need too) and stuff them in my pockets when I go to the store. But then I get to think about the eco- mantras about not using more material… and I start to think maybe there is a better way! And every so often I need sturdy little produce bags. So I got to thinking (always dangerous) about how I could I, make my own produce bags, even though I don't sew?
BURLAP BAGS:
I got these cool burlap bags that my raspberry plants and some strawberry plants came in. Just add a draw string and voila! A produce bag! Probably make great Christmas wrappings too
These little burlap bags are easy to add a drawstring to- or a shoestring -which I had lying around
Originally they came with these paper clamp thingys- another great way to keep the top closed!

Mesh Produce Bags:

MESH BAGS
I made these up from those little mesh bags from Trader Joe's- You know the ones that new/baby potatoes, avocados and limes come in? Super easy to put a drawstring through, simply weave the string through the mesh holes about every fourth hole.

This blog post is linked to: trash to treasure Tuesdays at "Reinvented blog";
Diy Day at Soft Place to Land and
2nd Time around on "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words blog"

Report on Enviormental Education Week Challenge

When Abbie first put this challenge out, I thought who can I work on to educate, besides myself? I am surrounded by folks who just don't care about the environment. I have an Uncle who swears that this country wouldn't be great without the pesticides of the 40's, 50's and 60's. My Mom loves the convenience of packaged foods. Martin has more food packaging going into the garbage can than I care to admit to. At least some of my coworkers seem to get it- a bit. At one of my buildings, were they cook their own lunches,which on it's own is an eco-concept- one co-worker feeds the crows leftovers. Not perfect but an eco-way in reducing food wastes, but the birds get fed- the garbage goes away. In my building the recycle bins for bottles and cans are still there and still used.

I decided to work with Mom and Martin...

Martin quit his 6+ a day Diet Coke habit. To celebrate I got him a stainless steel Water bottle- I think he sees the advantages of carrying a stainless steel water bottle over the old BPA Infested one he had from work! The downside is his workplace will only allow approved containers for drinking at his work... which just happen to be the BPA infested water bottles that say "AAA" Washington on them.

Now if I can get him to lessen the plastic clamshell habit? That and heating up soup from the store in the plastic container! But not to preach- using the stainless steel bottle is a baby step.

As for Mom, one of her issues was no recycling at her apartment complex. So I left her with a recycle bin, smaller version, and told her I would pick it up when full. Now she can recycle cans and bottles again. Also I showed her where there is a paper collection box for recycling not far from her house- in fact she can go there when she goes to the swimming pool where she does water aerobics. I discussed the Pacific Gyre with her. I think she has an understanding. But she does take her canvas grocery bag with her. Of course there is a bit of Trader Joe's making you feel like a criminal when you don't bring your own bag, I never thought that would help. But it does, even though TJ's is a ridiculous store with their plastic packaging. (I have never gotten over seeing 4 apples in a plastic clamshell!)

As for trying to educate either one- well Martin and Mom both think I have turned into an environut, so trying to talk or show them things is met with rolling eyes. Martin likes the convenience of take out containers of soup and styrofoam clamshells. But seeing as he isn't putting a six pack of cans in the recycling bin daily, is cause for celebration.

Mom is enthralled with the plastic encased goodies at Trader Joe's and Safeway. But she willingly recycled in the past and it is good to see her do it again.

Just keep telling myself... Babysteps Rob

4R's Superheros = Some Trees Are More Green Than Others

Let's start the year off right with a

I hope every one had a safe and celebratory New Year. I just had to post this pic I found on Ikea Hacker. It appears that a gal named Rose gave her sister, "StarvingArtistGirl" an Ikea desk, and they decided to make Christmas Tree out of the box. Looks like they reused the Styrofoam as well! And they made ornaments as well. Nice looking tree! Congratulations Girls- This is one of the greenest Christmas trees I have ever seen. KUDOS and congratulations.

"The 4R award goes to individuals who do something great for the planet by
reducing, re-using, recycling or repairing, thus keeping items out of the waste
stream. Not a meme, the recipient is allowed to post the fancy logo on the
website, they don't have to print anything, pass it on or divulge any secrets of
their lives. Just accept the award and know in their hearts they are a "4-R
Superhero"

Would be a great 4R Superhero

Whoever owns this bike would make my 4R Superhero List, if I knew him or her- This is a great re-use for those damn campaign signs- making a bicycle more weather friendly- Anyway Kudos to whomever!

4R SUPER HERO

Once again time for a 4R SuperHero award- this one goes to Mudnessa for thinking outside the box and making it new! She looked at the pretty imprinting on the inside of her "Yogi Tea" boxes and turned them inside out to make nifty little gift boxes. I, as esteemed and benevolent dictator of Rob's World do hereby decree Mudnessa a 4R super hero for thinking outside inside out of the box.
The 4R award goes to individuals who do something great for the planet by reducing, re-using, recycling or repairing, thus keeping items out of the waste stream. Not a meme, the recipient is allowed to post the fancy logo on the website, they don't have to print anything, pass it on or divulge any secrets of their lives. Just accept the award and know in their hearts they are a "4-R Superhero"

Burien and Normandy Park Compost Bin and Rain Barrel Sale:

The cities of Normandy Park and Burien Spring Recycling Event and Rain Barrel Sale is scheduled for this Saturday, May 16th from 9am - 3pm at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, which is located at 19010 First Avenue South.

Compost Bin and Rain Barrel sale:
A good oppurtunity to get a rain Barrel or cool compost bin for $20!
Rain Barrel & Compost Bin Sale:To encourage the use of recycled content material and more efficient use of water, the cities of Burien and Normandy Park are offering recycled plastic rain barrels at a huge discount. In addition, start backyard composting with a compost bin to save resources and money. Composting is a natural process that turns yard waste into rich soil. Yard waste—grass, leaves, old flowers—contain mostly water. Once the material decomposes, rich soil is all that’s left.$20 each. Cash only. While supplies last. No pre or post event sales.


At this event you can safely dispose of numerous unwanted materials, some for free, others for a small fee.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Normandy Park & Burien Recycling Collection Event
WHEN: Saturday, May 16th from 9 am to 3 pm
WHERE: Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center
INFO: Recycle these household wastes:
TIRES: Bias ply, steel belted, and studded tires accepted. Limit 6 passenger tires per household (18 inches and below) free of charge. $1.50 charge for each tire on a rim. $5 charged for each large truck tire and $15 charged for each truck tire on rim (cash only). No oversized tires accepted.
MOTOR OIL, FILTERS, & ANTIFREEZE: Motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze, brake fluid, transmission fluid, 2-cycle oil, steering fluid, crankcase oil, kerosene, and home heating fuel. Do not mix with antifreeze, solvents, gasoline, or other substances.
Items Must Meet the Following Guidelines:
LEAD ACID BATTERIES: Car, truck, marine, and motorcycle batteries accepted.
ALKALINE BATTERIES: AAAA, AAA, AA, A, B, C, and D cell batteries only.
CARDBOARD: Please flatten. No wax coated cardboard.
REUSEABLE HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND CLOTHING: Clothing and miscellaneous household items in good condition will be collected by Seattle Goodwill. Mattresses and furniture will not be accepted. Items in need of repair will not be accepted.
PORCELAIN TOILETS AND SINKS: $5 charge (cash only). Toilet seats, hardware, and base wax rings must be removed.
PROPANE TANKS: Residential tanks only. $5 charge (cash only).
CLEAN SCRAP WOOD: Includes milled wood, plywood, pallets, and other untreated and unpainted wood. No peg board, particle or press board.
BULKY WOOD: Includes large tree branches (minimum 6 inches in diameter), logs, and stumps. No leaves, grass, small branches, sod, or brush. Please lay a tarp under material for ease of removal.
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT: DVD players, VCRs, stereo equipment, printers, copiers, fax machines, scanners, cellular phones and computer peripherals such as keyboards and mice. Computer monitors and televisions will not be accepted. You can recycle these items for free at other locations - see the E-Cycle box for more information.
Household Hazardous Wastes can be taken to the Household Hazardous Wastemobile or one of three household hazardous waste collection sites. Normandy Park and Burien residents may use the South Seattle Household Hazardous Waste Facility – 8105 5th Avenue South, Seattle. Open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (except holidays). Volume restrictions apply.
Latex paint is no longer considered hazardous waste and the household hazardous waste facilities in King County (the Wastemobile, Factoria, and two Seattle sites) no longer accept it. Residents who cannot use up latex paint, please dry it out and put it in the garbage with the lid off. Visit the King County website www.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/swd for more information on how to dry out latex paint.
DON’T BRING:
No Scrap Metal
No construction/demolition debris
No plastic toys, hoses, etc.
No window glass
These hazardous wastes:
No oil based paint
No pesticides/herbicides
No household chemicals
No cleaning products
No fluorescent lights
For event information, call 206-248-7603 or visit www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/ or call the Household Hazards Line Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm except holidays at 206-296-4692.
Appliances and scrap metals will not be collected at this event. Appliances and scrap metals will be collected at a similar event this fall. Washington now has a FREE recycling program called “E-Cycle Washington” for computers, computers monitors, laptops, and televisions. Call 1-800-RECYCLE or visit 1800recycle.wa.gov to find authorized E-Cycle Washington collection locations. In the Burien/Normandy Park area you may drop off computers, computers monitors, laptops, and televisions at no charge at the following E-Cycle Washington locations: Burien Goodwill Store (1031 SW 128th Street, Burien, WA 98146) and Salvation Army Burien Store (16033 1st Ave S, Burien, WA 98148). Please note - drop off locations may change. Quantities accepted are limited. Please also note that computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and printers are not included in this program but will be accepted at City Recycling Collection Events.

Ode To My Favorite Mug

Rob in love? with a Coffee Mug? Kinky? No. My stainless steel commuter mug thaat I have had going on ten or so years is on of my favorite things. I even nicknamed it Muggsly. Still in use. And since I drink countless cups of java, I would say that it has probably been responnsible for at least over a 1000 disposable cups per year (estimate based on 3 disposable cups per day) or 10,000 cups in its lifetime,That makes it sexy-No? I thought I lost it once and was very upset. But now I have it and I aint letting it go.

Oh muggsly, how do I love thee? let me count the ways!

1. You fit in every car! That makes you the perfect commuter mug.
2. I love your Stainless Steel body and inside. No plastic taste.
3. You double as a water container as well as a coffee mug. Too Cool.
4. Although there are others like ceramic and home made mugs, you still are the classy one.
5. When I thought I lost you I was upset. I felt like I lost a friend. Sniff.
6. You can't count the number of disposable cups I have saved from the waste stream using you.
7. You fit in my hand like a glove.
8. Even though Starbucks discontinued you years ago... you still are the looker you always have been.
9- even though you have a few dents and scratches, you still are a one sexy commuter mug!
10- You keep my coffee warm.

I LOVE YOU MUGGSLY!

I wanna go back to my little grass shack....Weekly Challenge update

Well not much got down around Casa De Los Pink flamingos this week- I did start a new project- I had an old canopy (an "e-z up) whose top has seen better days - it was torn- so I did what any good re-user would do and made a new one from reed fencing. I am gonna put this where you see the bikes in front of the rain barrel. I was pricing gazebos and pergolas- $500 to $1500! And you know I am really cheap!
So I got my creative freak on and made this "roof" for my old canopy frame. Cost was about $50 for the reed fencing and $2 for the tie-wraps to attach it.

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge-
Plant Something: Nothing really- restarted some new sprouts
Harvest Something: some pea sprouts
Preserve something: nope
Store something: Bought some Morningstar products on sale, and Safeway had a sale- buy $25 in frozen food get a coupon for $10 of shopping, put all in the freezer
Manage Reserves: Made a new raised bed for garden.
Cook Something New: still into the sorbet thing – made some blueberry (so far it is my favorite) Made some roast chicken thighs topped with Rotola cheese ( mozzarella and persciutto ham rolled up and sliced- very good
Prep Something: Nope
Reduce Waste: Saved the canopy frame and top from going in to the waste stream (see above), Will use the old canopy for gardening and covering my load in the pickup.
Learn a New Skill:
Work on Community Food Security: Made a donation to the food bank, bought some Via coffee (from Starbucks) for troops over seas;

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: Bought some reed fencing for canopy project; and some tie wraps at dollar store; got two free tickets to Regal cinemas, used those to see "I Love You Man"

Melinda’s Growing Challenge- Nothing to report (tomato starts are still not dead!)

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: Last week of this challenge- I cannot remember a winter with low temps this late into the season (It’s spring, dammit!) But have toughed it out all winter with exception for when I hold the mother of all colds. My power bills reflect the lower thermostats.

FUROSHIKI- THE ART OF WRAPPING IN CLOTH

This Valentine's Day, why not be kinder to the earth and use plastic free wrapping for your loved ones gift. One way to do this is FUROSHIKI, the Japanese art of wrapping gifts. Simular to oragami,except you use cloth, it is an easy simple way to wrap- you can use scarves, napkins, tableclothes whatever here is an easy video to show how via life less plastic's blog

Furoshiki gift wrapping from RecycleNow on Vimeo

Introducing Fake Plastic Rob

As accustomed as I am to not having original thoughts shut me up on this blog, today I think I will copy Fake Plastic Fish. Yesterday Beth made wonderful mustard and eliminated one more plastic condiment bottle from her clutches. Today I will make Catsup in an effort to eliminate a plastic bottle from mine!
This recipe is from the All Things Frugal site. I unashamedly stole it. First gather your ingredients:
1 Can Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar



Mix together, cover and refrigerate. (Note the human power mixer I used whereas Beth used an electric blender). *Electric-power consuming Fake Plastique Fish? Fake plastic Fish is really an Electric Eel?

This is how much I got out one batch plus about enough to cover two weenies- Refrigerate and it should keep for a month

The taste of this is very similar to chutney I buy at Trader Joes. Very sweet and good. And while the initial expense of the spices seems far from frugal, I would imagine one could buy them in bulk for a fraction of what I paid. You should also note that keeping in the spirit of FPF, I tried not to buy too many plastic bottle spices- I chose Colman's Dry Mustard (In a tin) and used my Trader Joe's cinnamon (in a glass bottle)- Any way I can now say that i will not buy ketchup in plastic bottles again. Thanks Beth. As far as the frugal goes you use just a small amount of the spices that cost wise it should be good.

*I tease Beth unmercifully in this post. But she is one cool fish, and her campaign against plastic usage is important and sincere. Anything I can do to help reduce plastic waste is always OK by me.