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| Better Arts board members Holly Boname (far left) and Amberlee Clement work with children at last year's event. |
Holiday shopping is upon us; and there's no shortage of
,
, and jacked-up consumerist sensibilities. But while there are inevitably going to be items each holiday season you're compelled to buy—like that video game your kid's
dying
to have, or a new flatscreen for the home, or a certain tie/dress/sweater/coat/fill-in-the-blanks that your spouse/cousin/parent/etc. has specifically asked for—there are also plenty of other gifts you're going to buy this season. You've got stocking stuffers, little gifts for people you love, the obligatory gift for your boss, co-workers, mailperson, dry cleaner, sanitation worker, and child's teacher. So why not do something different this year? How about, instead of buying mass-produced
stuff
, you use your money to make a difference?
There are millions of ways to make real change with your money this holiday season. Whether you want to support artisans, shop local, or buy from organizations that will use your money to help people (
) in need, gifts this year run the gamut from sending young women to school to purchasing handwoven baskets from an underpriveleged person in Nepal. You can donate to a non-profit you believe in on behalf of someone you care about or in memory of a loved one; or simply buy a from a company you believe has ethical business practices. Here's a short list of some of my favorites this year (full disclosure: shameless plug for
to support sustainability outreach is of course included in the roundup):
Better Farm—All sales support sustainability and arts outreach
Etsy—Hand-crafted items supporting artisans of every ilk
The Gentle Barn—This group rescues, rehabilitates, and gives sanctuary to severely abused animals; then supports interaction between them and children who have suffered similar traumas. Animal and child share an extraordinary healing process
Gifts With Humanity—This is the retail component of Global Fair Trade Crafts, a web-based business designed to support individual artisans around the world
Global Girlfriend—This online shop helps women worldwide gain economic security. The fair-trade products are made by women around the world suffering from disadvantages that can be turned around by an income stream
Global Goods Partners—This non-profit works with almost 40 artisan groups employing more than 3,000 women in close to 20 countries
The Shop for Change—An online marketplace enabling disadvantaged sellers around the world to sell online and sustainably grow their livelihoods
Ten Thousand Villages—The founding organization of the Global Fair Trade Movement, this store has got tons of amazing gifts for everyone on your list
World Vision—This Christian humanitarian organization provides support to individuals and families worldwide regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. From their website you can purchase goats or chickens for families in need, supply a village with seeds for gardens or money to dig wells, or furnish a school with supplies
Any individual retailers and/or artisans are encouraged to leave their own website/store information as a comment below for holiday shoppers.
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| Photo by Kristen Harker |
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| Removing lightswitch covers to insert foam insulation takes only a couple of seconds. |
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| Outlet covers. |
Now that the winter holidays are just around the corner, many of you may be preparing elaborate meals for your friends and family. Fresh herbs from your own garden are a great way to pep up any meal, but as it gets colder it may be more practical to use crushed dried herbs instead. You can easily dry your own herbs in your house. Simply tie them up and hand them somewhere out of the way, where it's not too cold or moist. I didn't have a good place to hang them, so I decided to try and make a hanger out of an old lampshade. I chose lampshades since they could provide two levels of hanging space with a small footprint. I picked up two interesting lamp shades at a thrift store for fifty cents each. I looked for ones with unique "skeletons" since the fabric would be removed.
Before I started mutilating—I mean
modifying—
my two lampshades, I gathered my supplies and prepped a flat work space. You will need your shade, butcher's twine or string, scissors and a strong knife (some of the fabric was pretty tough), and what ever it is you want to hang. I had some fresh herbs harvested from the farm earlier that day, along with a small fall bouquet that I wanted to preserve.I separated the flowers into little bouquets and the herbs into small bunches. I wrapped the butcher's twine a few times around the stems and tied a simple knot, leaving about a four inch tail. Once all the bunches were tied, I set them off to the side.
Now it was time for the lampshades! These are the two that I picked. If you want the shape of the shade to be preserved once the fabric is removed, pay attention to the structure of the wire skeleton. The newer shade that I picked basically collapsed with out the fabric to hold it together. The older shade was made of a single solid piece, so it held its shape nicely. There was quite a bit of glue stuck to the wire, so I soaked all of the wire pieces in hot soapy water and scrubbed them down.
The newer shade wasn't a total loss. The large bottom ring had small nobs evenly spaced around it, so that I could still tie the herb bunches around it with out them slipping to the bottom. I used some gold ribbon to make a hanger, and tied on the herbs. I could have also tied the ring horizontally, but I didn't have enough ribbon. It would also have been a pain to make sure the ribbons were all the same so that the ring was parallel to the floor. I really liked the end result, though. Great option if you don't have a lot of space.
The older shade really turned out great. It has a great shape and has lots of space to tie herbs too. I was just going to hang it from some butcher's twine, but I found a chain for a hanging planter that worked perfectly. The whole project only took about an hour. Honestly, the part that took the longest was deciding which herb bunches to hang where. The middle looked a little bare, so I added a small pumpkin for color. Now it looks like a pretty harvest decoration that is also practical. Take that, Pinterest!
Once the herbs have dried, you can chop or crush them and put them in air-tight containers to use throughout the winter. Mine dried long ago, but I admit I haven't taken them down yet. I just love the way the project turned out. I hope you all have as much luck with your own DIY attempts!
Fans: They're not just for summer anymore.
While fans can be great for dispersing cool air during summer months, it's important to realize they can also spread heat through a home all winter long. Most ceiling fans use about the
same amount of electricity as a 100-watt light bulb
; making fans a cheap, effective way to supplement temperature control in your home.
Keep in mind that fans should only be on when people are in the room to benefit from the air movement—fans do take up energy, and they even produce a little heat—a 1996 study in Florida (
not
Redwood!) determined that using ceiling fans appropriately could allow people to
by 2°F, resulting in about a 14-percent annual cooling energy savings. However, the same study found that most people do not adjust their thermostats when using ceiling fans, actually increasing their energy use rather than reducing it. Something to keep in mind throughout the year!
We'll go over ceiling fans below; but also remember that smaller box fans and
can really help to distribute heat throughout your h
ouse. If you've got a fireplace
, wood stove or pellet stove—or if your forced-air furn
ace
vents aren't spread e
ven
ly throughout your house—these
small fans can make a huge
difference in distributing warmer a
ir (and returning cool air) in your ho
me.
Ceiling Fan Direction in Summer and Winter
The below information is gleaned from the
.
Ceiling Fan Direction in Summer – Forward / Counter Clockwise
image via Emerson
A ceiling fan’s direction in the summer should be rotating counter clockwise or forward to produce a
effect by the downward airflow. The thermostat won’t actually change but the room will seem several degrees cooler due to the wind chill factor. You can save on air conditioning bills by placing ceiling fans throughout your home. According to
when you are using a ceiling fan you can then “raise the thermostat setting, resulting in reduced air conditioning energy consumption of 40 percent or more” while still keeping your room cool.
Ceiling Fan Direction in Winter – Reverse / Clockwise
image via Emerson
The ceiling fan direction in winter should be rotating clockwise or reverse. Warm air rises and gets trapped near the ceiling so when the ceiling fan direction is in reverse mode it circulates the warm air from the ceiling to the floor helping take the chill out of the air. Without a ceiling Fan the warm air would continue to be trapped near the ceiling and the floor level would continue to stay cold. The reverse mode only works if the fan is on low. If you have the fan on a higher speed you will create a wind chill effect that you don’t want since it is already cold. Some ceiling fans now come with a wall or remote control that has a forward/reverse option so you can change the direction of the Fan with a push of a button.
Exceptions for Ceiling Fan Directions
There are some exceptions that you should keep in mind when it comes to ceiling fan direction. If your ceiling fan is installed in a room with a high ceiling you still put the ceiling fan direction on clockwise or reverse motion in the winter although you should put the speed on medium or high. With higher ceilings it takes more than low speed to help re-circulate the warm air down to floor level.
Also if you have a ceiling fan directly over a dining room table or a desk you should have the ceiling fan direction rotating clockwise/reverse on a higher speed. By having the ceiling fan direction in reverse on a higher speed you will still get the wind chill effect that helps cool you off but will save you from a cold dinner or papers flying all over the place.
Check out
Energy Star’s Ceiling Fan Usage Tips
on how to help save energy with ceiling fans.
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| Kids in a new Toys 'R' Us ad go wild with joy when they learn they're going to a Toys 'R' Us store instead of going on a nature hike. |
The attached, or "lean-to" greenhouse is perhaps the most practical of all greenhouses in that it actuallybecomes part of your house. Construction is easier and the structure is better braced because one wall of the greenhouse is actually your home.
Lean-to greenhouses can contribute greatly to heating your home in the winter with their passive-solar capabilities—just vent the top into your second-floor, or open up a slider or window into the space for warm air all day long.
Over at
, they've got really simple and free plans to download basic lean-to greenhouse designs for a simple 8' x 12' lean-to greenhouse framed with 2' x 4' redwood or cedar and covered with rigid Lexan polycarbonate panels. Once the foundation is complete and all the supplies are on hand, two people can complete this lean-to greenhouse in a weekend. For energy efficiency it should be constructed around a door or window and insulated.
features a first-person account of constructing a lean-to greenhouse with tips on finding inexpensive glass and troubleshooting advice.
And
offers information on a home that, with solar collectors working in tandem with a lean-to greenhouse, went 25 years without a heating bill.
The main components of lean-to greenhouses are pretty straightforward. A lean-to greenhouse is a half greenhouse, split along the peak of the roof, or ridge line. Lean-tos are useful where space is limited to a width of approximately seven to twelve feet, and they are the least expensive structures. The ridge of the lean-to is attached to a building using one side and an existing doorway, if available. Lean-tos are close to available electricity, water and heat. The disadvantages include some limitations on space, sunlight, ventilation, and temperature control. The height of the supporting wall limits the potential size of the lean-to. The wider the lean-to, the higher the supporting wall must be.
Temperature control is more difficult because the wall that the greenhouse is built on may collect the sun's heat while the translucent cover of the greenhouse may lose heat rapidly. The lean-to should face the best direction for adequate sun exposure. Finally, consider the location of windows and doors on the supporting structure and remember that snow, ice, or heavy rain might slide off the roof or the house onto the structure.
Location: South-facing windows will obviously get the most sun, but morning sunlight on the east side is sufficient for most plants. Morning sunlight is most desirable because it allows the plant's food production process to begin early and maximizes growth. An east side location captures the most November to February sunlight. The next best sites are southwest and west of major structures, where plants receive sunlight later in the day. North of major structures is the least desirable location and is good only for plants that require little light.
Glass: Glass is the highest-quality, highest-price option for greenhouses. It is the heaviest material and so can be the most difficult to install, but if installed properly and protected from shattering, glass will outlast any other plastic option in terms of useful life. It is important to have some windows that open for cross vintilation because plants can cook literally if it gets too hot! you will need to decide what transparent material will be best suited for the walls and roof or your greenhouse. Depending on your application, you may need to consider various types of glass, polycarbonate, greenhouse plastic, or other materials. Every material will have its own set of price, strength, durability, maintenance, and aesthetic considerations. Not all materials are practical in all climates or for all styles of greenhouse construction.Visit Two Green Thumbs for a great guide on figuring out what kind of glass to use.
Drainage: If flooding is an issue where you live, build your greenhouse above surrounding ground so rainwater and irrigation water will drain away.
Size: An attached greenhouse can be a half greenhouse, a full-size structure, or an extended window structure. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type.
Foundations and Floors: Permanent foundations should be provided for glass, fiberglass, or the double-layer rigid-plastic sheet materials. The manufacturer should provide plans for the foundation construction. Most home greenhouses require a poured concrete foundation similar to those in residential houses. Quonset greenhouses with pipe frames and a plastic cover use posts driven into the ground. Permanent flooring is not recommended because it may stay wet and slippery from soil mix media. A concrete, gravel, or stone walkway 24 to 36 inches wide can be built for easy access to the plants. The rest of the floor should be covered by several inches of gravel for drainage of excess water. Water also can be sprayed on the gravel to produce humidity in the greenhouse.
It has come to our attention that one of our new hatchlings from the summer is, in fact, a rooster. While each breed has certain characteristics you can look for (and some generalizations true across the board), sometimes it's a little tricky to tell who's who when you're dealing with offspring of interracial chickens. Our latest brood includes eight birds of mixed descent: barred rock, Americauna, and leghorn.
The babies
, and are now just about full-grown. The rooster in the bunch let his colors show one day last week when his tail feathers became more pronounced, he had (yet another) growth spurt causing him to tower over his siblings, and he jumped up on the garden fence and attempted to crow (so far unsuccessfully). Ladies and gentlemen, introducing our rooster
:
Got a flock of young chickens you're tending to? Here are some easy cues you can use to determine who among them is on the road to roosterdom.
From
:
When sexing most juveniles
, the best, most fail-safe method is to look at the saddle feathers in front of the tail when the bird is about 3 months old. By that age, cockerels will have long and pointy saddle feathers, while a hen's will be rounded. This will indicate for sure whether you have a cockerel or a pullet in every breed but Silkies and Sebrights. You will also be able to see long, curving sickle feathers in the tail of the rooster as he gets a little older.
Crowing is a fairly good indicator, but isn't fail-safe, either. Plus, generally speaking, you will be able to tell by feathers much earlier since roosters don't usually begin to crow until they are 4 or 5 months old. However, we have had roosters wait until a little later, and begin a little sooner, too. Plus, hens will occasionally crow, so even crowing doesn't tell you for sure. To reiterate, the BEST way to tell for sure is by looking at physical characteristics that cannot be mistaken, so check feather shape when your birds are about 3 months old, as other indications are not reliable.
For sebrights
, the cockerels are "hen-feathered," meaning the males have the same shape feathers as females. For sebrights, comb size and wattle size are about the only easy way to tell. (Campines are hen feathered in other countries, but not usually so in the US.)
Sexing juvenile silkies
is complicated, because you can't easily see the shape of the feathers, the comb is often hidden under the crest, and wattles are not evident in most bearded silkies. Experts vent sex (with 90% accuracy) when the babies are a day old, but for the rest of us—and even for silkie breeders—juvenile silkies are especially hard to sex. However, there are a few telltale signs that may help you discern what you have:
Generally the puffy crests on the hens' heads are rounder, while the roosters may have long streamers coming from theirs.
Sometimes males will have slightly shinier feathers.
If they are non-bearded Silkies, the wattles will be larger in males. (Bearded Silkies of both sexes are lacking substantial wattles.)
In both types of silkies, the males' comb will be larger. (A silkie's comb is called a "walnut" comb for its shape. Instead of being red like most chicken combs, it is usually a color described as "mulberry.")
Roosters will generally be bolder in their behavior, and often friendlier to humans when they are young. (Hens generally "catch up" in the friendliness category after they begin laying, while roosters usually get more stand-offish as they get older.)
If you have more than one rooster, they may "chest bump" and assert themselves with each other. However, hens will do this, too--just not as often.
If you have mixed hens and roosters, the roosters usually begin to grow larger more quickly than the hens, so hens may be slightly smaller after a few weeks
Watch for spurs! When these ankle-area spikes come in varies widely from breed to breed, but most develop between three and eight months.
In many older homes, supplemental heat is an ongoing issue. While you work to retroactively replace insulation, upgrade wood stoves, pellet stoves, or furnaces and make your place more efficient, a
is a great way to boost heat where you need it most. The only problem? A lot of them are energy hogs, driving up electric costs quick. So it was a great surprise to stumble on
this video outlining how four tea lights can warm an entire room
in your house!
If you're set on going electric, please be sure to check out
this list of the most energy-efficient space heaters on the market
.
is in the process of outlining a grant that would provide the sustainability campus with start-up funding from SARE to create a network of farms providing a delivery CSA to residents living in the region, and is looking for local farms interested in participating in the proposed programming.
The Northeast Chapter of the
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Pr
(SARE) is offering partnership grants to agricultural agencies, organizations, businesses, or local governments working directly with farmers to address issues that affect the farm community. Farmers must be partners in the planning process and the proposal. SARE funds production, marketing, on-farm demonstrations, and community development efforts that address key themes in sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is understood to be agriculture that is profitable, environmentally sound, provides a good quality of life for farmers, and is beneficial to the community.
To that end, Better Farm is seeking local farms to partner with for the following proposal:
Better Farm plans to increase access to fresh, locally produced foods for community residents in and
around Redwood, N.Y., while strengthening farmer-consumer relationships and supporting local agriculture by creating a delivery CSA service to people living locally. Community-Supported Agriculture programs provide weekly stipends of fresh food to a community; Better Farm enhances this programming by bringing fresh fruits, vegetables, jams, syrup, meats, cheeses, eggs, and milk from a variety of local farms directly to neighbors' doors. Better Farm would act as liaison between individuals, families, and farmers; creating the network of farmers necessary to provide people with a diverse assortment of weekly groceries for a low rate. Redwood is a small community of 500 people with limited access to food. Shopping at a grocery store in Alexandria Bay is a 20-mile round trip; Watertown a 50-mile round trip. Funding would allow Better Farm to coordinate with local farms and families, create inventory lists and price sheets, convert a diesel truck to run off refined vegetable oil thereby eliminating gas costs, and put the program into its first year of production. With EBT cards now accepted at farmers' markets and farm stands, this programming encourages even those with the lowest incomes to purchase local food at a premium rate.
How It Works
This is a buy-in program. In its first phase, Better Farm partners with local farmers interested in selling their goods at a bulk rate to individuals and families living locally.
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Those farms provide Better Farm with available products and bulk rates, along with seasonal information. Then, Better Farm will disseminate information via radio, print, online, and mailers to homes in the community alerting them to this available program. Signing people up will involve educational workshops, greeting people at their homes, calling campaigns, and public seminars. Individual and family seasonal rates will be available, as well as tiers:
Vegetarian (with or without packaged goods, checking all that apply: maple syrup, jams/jellies, lotions/salves, fibers/yarns, dairy products, eggs)
Omnivorous (with or without packaged goods, checking all that apply: maple syrup, jams/jellies, lotions/salves, fibers/yarns, dairy products, eggs)
Rates will include fees to cover all-inclusive delivery fee (driver rate, basic maintenance of delivery vehicle, fees due to participating farms, and overhead costs for future marketing efforts) and will be payable via EBT card, check, credit card, or through monthly or weekly installments.
Interested participants will be given a survey at the beginning of each season to go over their expectations, what products they would be interested in purchasing, and their budgets. A similar survey will be distributed at the end of each season to gauge customer satisfaction with products received, chances of having return customers, and suggestions for improvements.
What
It Does
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Better CSA solves the problem of a
in several ways. One, it creates a network of local farmers offering a variety of goods at competitive rates. Two, it creates a network of buyers that can then purchase food at a bulk rate. Three, it uses a “green” vehicle (a diesel pickup truck converted to run on spent vegetable oil) to deliver the food to people's doorsteps, reducing their fuel costs and amount of time spent grocery shopping.
This project enhances sustainability in the following ways:
Reducing pollution from vehicles going to and from several supermarkets to get groceries
Reducing pollution associated with the import-export of produce, meat, dairy products, and eggs
Shifting demand from large-scale agricultural practices to more sustainable, family operations
Encouraging local farmers to employ sustainable, organic practices
Encouraging consumers to eat more nutritious food that sustains healthy lifestyles in the long-term
Educating children (and adults!) in the community to make healthier food choices and to enjoy a larger diversity of products in their diets
Farmers interested in partnering with Better Farm on this project should email
nicole.caldwell@betterfarm.org
.
