Discussion Board

started collecting compost at my new office
used water from the rain barrel to water houseplants - in spite of the extra effort
planted 6 shrubs and 2 trees in my yard
mowed the lawn twice with the push mower (it's a full-size suburban lawn with a hill)

my ex and i honeymooned in SF during a drought years ago, and we learned to brush teach drought style - still do that today!

we only wash clothes when they're dirty.

dishes are washed "drought style" as well w. a basin of soapy and basin of clean water.

CFBs (but suspect these will actually be deemed a public hazard as time goes on....) in all lights.

planned errands.

tried growing native flora, but the native fauna quickly wiped out THAT effort (mmmmm tastes like home!)

We dealt with the battery problem by getting rechargeables and a solar battery recharger.

We do so many little things each day that it's hard to pinpoint just one little thing. (Heck, it's why I have a blog!) But, here's a list of the environmentally friendly stuff I did today:

- washed laundry in cold water and hauled all the rinse water out to the oak tree in the yard
- hung the laundry to dry on the clothesline
- washed the vehicle in the driveway. Yes, this was a good thing to do - I only do it twice a year, using minimal water and Simple Green. I left the vehicle parked on the gravel drive under a mesquite tree that really needed some water.
- shredded bills for the compost bin
- saved the Sunday paper for my sweetie to use as sheet mulch
- restocked the cloth wipes in the bathroom for use after #1
- harvested green onions from the garden
- had homemade hummus for lunch with fresh organic vegetables (unfortunately not from my CSA because I was out of town last week)
- looked up a bleach alternative recipe online that I'm going to try for cleaning, using the crappy tasting "rough lemons" just sitting on my tree. (Recipe = 12 cups water, 1/4 cup lemon or grapefruit juice, 1 cup hydrogen peroxide. Use 2 cups per load of laundry or pour in a spray bottle to use as a cleaner. 1 cup works well to clean the toilet, too.)

My husband spent much of the day putting together a big shade structure for the garden. Tomorrow he'll dig up the ground under it. I'll be sifting the compost bin for him, which is made from organic sheep/goat/pig/chicken manure I've collected from folks around town, shredded paper, leaves, and kitchen waste. The top mulch layer will be pine needles and oak leaves I got free on craigslist. Another little thing he probably did early this morning when he took the dog out was pee on the citrus trees. Urine is a great source of nitrogen.

wondering about the rechargeable batteries... any hints out there?

bought some several months ago, but not totally pleased w the technology right now. they don't hold a charge as long as other commercial batteries. it'd be a sad discovery in an emergency if they were being relied on for necessary equipment.

we have cranking lights and radios, but it would probably be wise to hang on to a few nonrechargeable batteries if one lives in an area w/ a need for emergency info/ light (we've been w/o power for 7- 10 days a few times in the past few years)

bought muslim produce bags from reusablebags.com.... (people w/ more time could easily make 'em...)

You're right that the batteries don't seem to last as long. We always try to keep a few spare ones charged, but we also have a few nonrechargeable batteries for an emergency. We just don't use them on an ongoing basis. And, after the first sunny day once an emergency has begun, we'd have charged rechargeable batteries thanks to the solar recharger.

Thanks for this recipe. I plan to try it.


Can't manage the posture for this one!

Clary, there are lots of websites with instructions for females on "how to pee standing up" (use that as your search phrase). There's even a video, but I didn't check it out. There are also camping aids for this purpose.

An easy alternative for women that wish to fertilize the garden is to use a "butter" tub, just like having to pee in a cup at the doctor's but don't worry about the sterilization part of peeing in the toilet first. Using a cloth wipe instead of TP eliminates the waste problem.

Urine is strong nitrogen, so it is recommended to dilute it 10 parts water to 1 part urine. It's best applied to a good mulch layer which contains carbon (straw, leaf litter, etc.). It's a great way to add moisture to a dry compost pile.

There are commercial urine diverters available for installation in the bathroom as well. See the website I linked to before for more information if interested.

Why waste drinking water flushing perfectly good fertilizer down the toilet?

It seems to me that those who understand the importance of a healthy diet should not link that understanding with alledged global warming. I am a vegan and I question the validity of man made global warming. The temperature has risen a scant 0.7 degrees farenheight since the advent of the industrial revolution. There has been no measurable sea level rise.

During the 1970s, a mere 30 to 40 years ago, science thought the earth was headed for another ice age. 30 or so years is miniscule on the geologic time scale.

On the other hand, the sense of the whole food, plant based diet is proven by extensive evidence.

Well, I don't think this thread was intended to debate whether or not man-made global warming is real or not. I don't know for sure, but I do know this. I want to tread gently on Mother Earth while I exist. I want to respect our planet and it's creatures. I'd like to think I can strive to be an example to others and maybe, just maybe, help improve something while I'm here. I would feel that way whether we were talking about global warming or not. So please lets not debate global warming in every single thread on here. I still want to know what everyone is doing to be friendly to Mother Earth.

Speaking of urine as fertilizer.....I'm going to start having my hubby and 2 sons pee around the perimeter of our vegetable garden. I've heard, and maybe someone here knows, that it will keep rabbits and squirrels out of the garden. I'll keep you posted on this one. Garden is all planted. 12 rutger tomato plants, 6 roma tomato, cucumbers, sweet corn, green peppers, peas, green beans, onions, radishes, buttercrunch lettuce, strawberries, rhubarb, fennel, rosemary, cilantro, basil, dill and chives. Whew! Looking forward to watching it all grow!! Also, my 2 new grape vines and my blackberry bush are all taking off. I was worried about them for a while.

How about just recycling it. Instead of flushing it down, collect it and pour it back into that convenient tank right behind the toilet.
There!, you not only saved a flush, but you also haven't wasted anything.
I don't know much about plumbing and I've always wondered what those tanks were for,.... water cut-off emergencies I guess

Hello friends.I'm cristiano from spain.Well,I believe we McDougallers can have a loud enough voice to influence enough people to cut back on livestock consumption/farming that we CAN have a positive impact on global warming.Thank you all.
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floating tanks
shamans