Consumable Earth – Kamloops

The water from our washing machine is going to be drained into a garbage can that sits beside it. There is room there because we don’t have a dryer. When I was hooking up the washing machine I discovered that what came out the back of it was a hose that I was supposed to shove into a tube that led to the sewer. What a waste! Not to mention that soap has long been touted as a gentle insecticide so my soapy water also keeps the bugs out of my garden, bonus! Note that I exclusively use homemade soaps for everything in my house – no chemicals or freaky stuff allowed.

It is honestly dumbfounding to me that we do not collect the grey water in our homes. Perhaps when I was washing cloth diapers a couple times a week I might not have wanted that water on my herbs and vegetables but as far as regular everyday clothes washing absolutely! The average wash cycle uses 33 gallons of water. I did the conversion on that (cuz I have no idea what a gallon is) and that is 125L. I’ll say it again 125L. On laundry day in our house we do three or more loads of laundry. That is almost 400 liters of water which is more than enough water to keep our garden and the grass under the fruit trees happy.

The trick is that I need to get that heavy water filled garbage can outside because I don’t have any sort of plumbing on it the water just comes out the washer into the can. I need either a) a big strong man to carry it out so that I can dump it into the herb garden or b) to put the thing on wheels or something.

I also would like to capture the water from our baths and showers. We are just not that dirty and all that water that goes down the drain right back into the system to be cleaned and treated all over again, another 100 or so liters of it. Count up the number of households in the city, people having daily showers, washing clothes and watering lawns and gardens and it doesn’t take long to realize we have been doing things all wrong.

Solution 1: garbage can beside washing machine.

Solution 2: not sure yet… share your thoughts and ideas please!

Until today I used to be able to say that I had never mowed a lawn in my life. And that would be a completely true statement. I grew up on a farm where mowing the ‘lawn’ consisted of getting a horse or pony and a book and laying out on the grass for a couple hours. As an adult either I lived somewhere that didn’t have a lawn to maintain or someone else took care of it and it just wasn’t my deal.

I now live in a house, with a yard, a sad dust bowl weed infested yard but there is some grass. Someday the grass will be replaced with something useful but for now it has to be cut occasionally or my landlord will complain. Not being a fan of noisy mowers or the whole ‘lawn care’ industry in general I have managed to pick up a second hand push reel mower! I was so excited I mowed the ‘lawn’. All 5 square feet of it and it was long.  It definitely took some force to push but the grass got cut. I have nothing to compare it to so I really couldn’t say what the difference is labour wise.

My yard is flat. No big hills or inclines. The person who sold it to me could not say the same for their yard which consisted of several steep grassy slopes. I’ve always thought that lawns were for playing lawn type activities on which sort of negates the grassy hill but I digress. Flat yard with grass + push mower = easy and awesome. Hilly yard with grass + any mower = difficult.

There was a time that you could get a rebate if you purchased a push mower new. I am generally not about the new things and if there is someone out there who can imagine how you might modify a gas mower into a push mower you need to start a business! Until that time go buy a push mower and cut down your grass!

I finally did it. I hung a clothesline. I now have a 40ft made mostly by nature clothes dryer and it cost me $40 whole dollars. It was surprisingly easy to hang also granted I had some help.

First we screwed in two hooks to studs coming off the house and the garage one of said studs was high up so there was some precarious ladder climbing involved. We thread the wire through each of the reels and into the winch tightener thingy. A couple muscular turns and viola! Clothesline.

Hardest part was finding somewhere sturdy clear and safe to string it. Oh and cutting the darn wire wasn’t easy either thank goodness for wire cutters. I’ve read on BC Hydro’s website that you can actually string a wire off a utility pole so long as it is just a hook and someone can unhook it easily if they need access. Best to give them a call first if you are considering this option.

We also have a mini retractable clothesline for in the house to hang the, um, more delicate items. That one was just as easy to install; two screws in the wall for the unit and screwing a hook into a stud for the other end. We don’t actually own a dryer which means hanging clothes is our only method and I am completely ok with that.

I have recently started to substitute honey for white and brown sugar in my recipes. Half of the required sugar is the measurement of honey that I have been using. 1 cup white sugar = 1/2 cup honey

Honey is amazing!! If you want soft chewy cookies that stay like they were just taken out of the oven use honey! Shh…. I bet the cookie companies don’t want you to know this!

I’ve long had this thought that cutting down grass and having a lawn in general is a really odd thing to do. Grass is food and if you let it grow it produces something that we all eat a whole lot of – wheat. I want to grow useful grass in my yard. I want to cut it two or three times a season and we can play on the ‘grass’ for a couple weeks after we cut it. There is a field near my childhood home where a community baseball game occurs three times a year after the hay is cut down. So cool.

Anyway aside from swapping all my conventional grass for barley, spelt and millet I thought some others might like a local source of flours and whole grains.

Fieldstone Granary is located in Armstrong and is the only organic grain grower that I am aware of. I did at one time have information on a spelt and wheat grower in Kaslo, I will have to dig that up for you.

This comment was posted at the bottom of an article I read recently about eco-friendly shampoos. I have long bought shampoo and conditioner in bulk and I think I’ve only bought two bottles of conditioner in my adult life. I have recently been trying to brainstorm a more natural solution to the supermarket no-name brands and I dug this girls comments:

I have been using the system below for the last year and am very happy with it. I have VERY thick, curly, frizzy hair, so my old routine involved shampoo, conditioner, and lots of products. No more!

I buy Dr Bronners by the gallon. And I buy lavender essential oil, since that’s good for calming the scalp. A gallon of Dr Bronners and a small jar of lavendar oil lasts a LONG TIME. So there is very little packaing involved. I make an herbal tea from rosemary & thyme from the garden, or just use leftover green tea from breakfast, depending on how much work I feel like doing. In a shampoo-sized plastic container (maybe half a liter) I mix:

20% Dr Bronners soap

50 drops lavendar essential oil

Fill with tea

That’s it. You have to shake it before using it. It is very liquidy, but I find it easy enough to squirt some on my head and work it in. I also use it as body wash, and find that a sponge is the easiest way to apply it. This shampoo leaves my hair feeling squeaky clean–which at first was strange but then made me realize what a weird nasty coating store-bought shampoos leave in to make your hair feel artificially smooth.

Conditioner? I was so pleased to learn that even for my curls and frizz, I don’t need it! I buy jojoba oil by the gallon. After I get out of the shower, I massage a small amount into my wet hair. When it dries, its not oily at all, but my curls are all separated and un-frizzy and my hair is shiny and beautiful. I get so many compliments on how healthy my hair looks since I switched to this. I also use the jojoba oil on my body instead of lotion (rub on in very small amounts while your skin is still wet). Jojoba oil is not as expensive as you think if you buy it by the gallon (see Amazon retailers). So that’s pretty much all the cosmetics I need. Except toothpaste… but making toothpaste is another post entirely!

Gloria in Altadena, CA

.: Be good to yourself and to others :.

Someone near us is building an earthship and they want you to come and see what they are doing!

If you have seen the movie ‘The Garbage Warrior‘ then you know what the heck I am talking about. If you haven’t the movie begs the question what do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? Not much unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, in which case they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing. For 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony.

The Burkholders are building an earthship in Darfield BC and are sharing their journey and the story on their blog. Also they could use some old tires. Not random tires but fairly specific ones to simplify their constructive process.

"They MUST be 245, 235 or 225 as we use them like bricks so the thickness has
to be the same.  Diameter (anything after the R on the tire) doesn't matter.
We certainly appreciate any donations of these sizes!  And after going
around the tire shops for the last 6 months, there is certainly no end of
tires....a real eye opener."

We would love to go out and visit when they start constructing walls and would like to arrange a group of people who are interested. I imagine they are pretty busy so showing a larger group around once would take up less of their time than a whole bunch of people lots of times. Comment or post here to express your interest and we’ll make it happen!

A Winner Of CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative

KAMLOOPS, February 13, 2009 — A Kamloops builder and developer team made up of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) Central Interior Chapter, and Thompson Rivers University, has been chosen to build one of three new CMHC EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative homes, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) announced today.

read the full article at CMHC

I’ve taken this information from the Green Drinks Kamloops Facebook group. To connect and share with them please join their group and go meet with them every month people with an interest in environmental conservation meet up for a beer at informal sessions known as Green Drinks:

From Deanna:

• This book at the public library is very detailed about types of cold storage and root cellars that can be constructed.
• DIY Root Cellar - this is a simple root cellar plan I came across on the web. Note: in rural / urban interface areas this simple design may cause problems – ie bear attractant.

Solar Canning:

• A good place to start Solar Food Processing including canning.
• Build It Solar - this is also a good resource. Note: it also has some information on root cellars.

I am interested in talking with anyone in Kamloops about solar cooking / food processing. Contact Deanna 250-376-4723

Share your tips and ideas about how you are living greener and more chemical free in your home. Post information about products you are using or not using and how you are trying to stay closer to home.