I have always wanted to grow my own fruits and vegetables. Nothing can match the taste and freshness. With raised garden beds, you can create a perfect growing environment. Raised planter beds offer a lot of advantages over planting traditionally in the ground. This is the first post in a series that will take you through the planning and development stages of a raised planter bed.

There are a lot of easy and effective ways to eliminate weeds and pests from your garden without the use of commercial pesticides. Most of these methods have been used for decades by traditional farmers with success.

Photo: Meredith_James
But first, an overview on why the commercial options should be avoided:
The number one selling herbicide, or weed-killer, is Roundup. Roundup is produced by the U.S. company Monsanto and contains the active ingredient glyphosate. In the US, 5-8 million pounds are used every year on lawns and …

Photo: marinegirl
I was first introduced to natural cleaning products last year, and have since completely switched over. These new products are great because they work well, and your hands aren’t left with a terrible bleach smell that lasts all day. (Not to mention how much better they are on our planet!)
Most of the popular cleaning products you can buy off the shelf have refreshingly simple ingredient lists. Which made me think…I can probably save a few dollars and make them at home. Well, sure enough, I did some experimenting and …

Spring is in the air, the temperatures are rising, the winter clothes are heading to storage and it’s time to get rid of some old stuff that’s bogging you down.  Spring cleaning time folks!  Now, what do with all that stuff?  Whatever you do, don’t toss it out with the rubbish.  Depending on if you have the time to sell, or not here are some suggestions:
If you want to sell your gently used items:

Garage Sale – these can be fun, but are a ton of work.  Here is a great …

For most people, the word sustainability and a career in environmental conservation, is considered new. However, Michael Laurie, owner of Watershed L.L.C. based in Vashon, Washington, sustainability and a career revolving around environmental activism is something he has been doing for over 25 years! He is currently a sustainability consultant specializing in indoor and outdoor water efficiency. He has a BS in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, an Associate of Technical Arts in Energy Management from Edmonds Community College, and a Masters …

Rain harvesting systems date back to the earliest civilizations, particularly those that were located in arid regions. For these early civilizations, captured rain water was extremely important as it was used for cooking, irrigation, and cleaning. Even a short rain can provide a lot of water. For example, if you had a 2000 square foot roof and your city gets approximately 12 inches of rain during a year. For every inch of rain that fell, you could collect 1200 gallons from your roof! Even …

What?!
Composting is the controlled natural decomposition of organic material, such as leaves, grass clippings, prunnings, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Microorganisms break down these materials into compost, or humus, a nutrient rich soil product.
Where?!
Composting can be setup almost anywhere…in your backyard, at work or school, even if you live in an apartment! All you need to get started is a bit of space, a bin or container, and a basic understanding of the composting process.
Space: Your compost pile will need an area about 3 square feet at minimum. It should …

While I may have gotten carried away with three letter acronyms in the title of this post, energy savings in your home achieved through the use of energy efficient bulbs is no laughing matter! Energy efficient bulbs can save you hundreds of dollars every year on your electricity bill. CFL, which stands for compact fluorescent lamp, is a popular energy saving replacement to your old incandescent bulbs, as they generally use less power, and have a longer rated life. However, there are a few downsides to these bulbs, in that …

It is time to take control of our utility and water bills.  States across the nation are experiencing rising rates, California’s water rates are rising up to 40% in the next 2 years, if it wasn’t time for action before, it certainly is now.  Please do not think that this list should only hit home for the people already facing rolling blackouts and water restrictions.  We all need to do our part to conserve resources, even if your rates haven’t gone up yet, it has affected us all.  Yes, I …