FREE POTs!!!!

Today I went to Coos County Solid Waste Station between Chareleston and Bandon. I came home technically richer for getting rid of my garbage. Taking garbage to the dump yourself is huge savings. For example, this is the 3rd time I have paid $14 this year. 3 x 14$ = $42. Normal garbage delivery service here is roughly $30/month or $360 a year.

So, most people will pay nearly $400 this year in my area for garbage removal, and I will pay at most $56 this year, a savings of roughly $300!!! On top of this, I saw a huge stack of flower pots of all shapes and sizes on the way in. Asked if I could have a few. I was told to take as much as I need because Coos County doesn't recycle that type of plastic.

I left with 4+ garbage cans filled with good flower pots of various sizes and shapes, including a few terra cotta pots! I totally scored in my humble opinion and so did the county. These flower pots will get used, and they are staying out of a landfill. It's win for everyone. So next time you need some pots, go hit up the County waste station and not Walmart.

I'm back!!!

Seriously everyone, sorry about that. Had wee bout of life slapping me around with its ring hand. Anyway, onto what's been going on. Yes, still working on the accursed fence line. Still waiting to get more sand to finish off the cob oven area in time for the Holidays.

However, some new & good things. Salmon, and crab have been running and well. My freezer has more crab then some buffets in Las Vegas. Friends have traded me deer for veggies. Oh, and speaking of veggies. Seeds of Change dropped the ball and still hasn't sent my Pink Music Organic Garlic, however, the Coos Grange was more then happy to help me out with seed garlic.

I recently got from them Oregon Blue, & Chesson Garlic, as well as Shallots for the garden, all of which are planted. I also purchased some cover crops. Crimson Clover went into the Hazlip veggie beds, and I purchased Winter Pea to be used in seed balls with other crops yet to be determined in the orchard.

I have also been drafting, and burning many drafts of next years major project... ..art studio / wood shop with attached greenhouse. I have been studying the "Low Impact Woodland Home" as a source of inspiration.

Here are some more links and inspiration for Low-Impact housing.

Here are other ideas as well.


http://www.strawbale.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_bale_house

http://ptlogcrafters.com/gallery.html


http://www.makepapercrete.com/

Rammed earth

http://rammedearth.blogspot.com/

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Moder...ing-Costs.aspx

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/rammedearth.htm


Rammed Earth video- Melbourne resident John Novotny
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...74008049870920

Adobe or cob also

Cody Lundin has built one out of rebar and concrete (if you're concerned about fire) -
http://www.codylundin.com/codys_house.html

Earthbag

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/earthbag.htm

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/Qan...hshipQandA.htm
Links to the Ask the Experts page

Michael Reynolds, creator of the Earthship concept, is a world leader in environmental building. He is the author of five books and has 30 years experience designing and building fully self-sufficient homes. The innovative Earthship design combines passive solar heating with thermal mass construction to create buildings that heat and cool themselves without consuming fossil fuels. Earthships create all their own electrical power with sun and wind, collect and treat their own water with integrated water systems. The main building block of the Earthship makes use of one of the worlds most plentiful, and most troublesome “natural resources”, scrap automobile tires. Thousands of Earthships have been built all over the world in the US, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Japan, South Africa, Honduras and Belgium. Michael's Earthship/Biotecture website provides a wealth of information about his innovative building concepts

Check out the documentary The Garbage Warrior sometime
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYJ0dsd-x0
This is just a trailer for it. I rented it from Netflix, it was great!!

BC Cobbing
http://www.mudgirls.ca/Site/upcoming.html

YouTube Videos

Cob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abYZLmPwgwQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLf8J7k69j0

Sandbag/ Earthbag shelters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ0dq4VmTvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMNzo...eature=related

Eco Dome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R647it4LAg

No HFCS!!!

Part of Permaculture is being part of the community. 2 things were on my mind this morning while planting garlic bulbs for next year.

Why did I see flavor enhanced milk in Safeway & McKay's recently? Also, do Coos County Schools have edible lawns, and if not, why the hell not?

Let's start with the first part. HFCS. High Fructose Corn Syrup. People, it's KILLING you, & your CHILDREN. That's right, it is. There is proof that the government subsidized corn syrup is actually killing Americans left and right. Check this article out.

Child Diabetes Blamed on Food Sweetener HFCS

Child diabetes blamed on food sweetener
By Lois Rogers
Times Online, December 13, 2009
Straight to the Source

Scary stuff in my opinion. The second part of all this is our children and schools. I have recently seen lots of signs this summer for summer lunch programs. This, on the surface is great. I 110% support it, but what are they eating? Is it healthy? Are they getting a bag of Doritos & a Coke?

I have seen in the Aloha State the schools there now all have vegetable gardens ((really large ones)) and the children take care of it organically as part of a learning process through out the year, each grade helps. Then, while food is ripe, these children are allowed to bring home a box of vegetables and fruit home to share with the family about every other week.

It seems to me that this would help lessen the schools overhead for lunch programs, and the community at large here in Coos County. Food for thought. I'm going back out to pick more blackberries.