Anyway,

Here are is the how to of worm farming.

First, you will need several materials:

1. a dark rubbermaid type bin – the reason it should be dark is to keep excess light out. If you can’t find a dark bin, make sure you put lots of newspaper around the sides to keep it nice and dark inside. You may want to buy 2 bins (just one lid though) for reasons you will see in a minute. I have a 10 gallon bin. Much smaller than that, there may not be enough room but you shouldn’t really need to go bigger either.

2. WORMS!!! Don’t go out to your yard and dig up worms. You have to order them online or if you live near a farm that sells worms, you can go there and buy them. See step 4 for the name of the farm where I got my worms. The worms should be red worms, or red wigglers. They are the best kind because of their large appetites, ability to reproduce and control their own population and they thrive in small spaces. You can order right online and most breeders take paypal too and will answer any questions you may have.

3. Dirt – Not any old dirt will do. You should really use a dirt that is free from a lot of added chemicals so steer clear of shoveling dirt from your yard. However, the dirt sold at pet stores or hardware stores or from the farms that your worms are coming from is totally fine. ABout 2 lbs will do. This also depends on the size of your bin.

4. Newspaper – black and white newspaper is the best. If there is a little color, ok, but avoid the glossy ads and comics!

5. food – this can be anything from your kitchen that is starting to go bad or the rinds, pits and cut off bits that you don’t use

SETTING UP YOUR BIN

1. On the lid of your bin take a screwdriver or pen, whatever you have and punch holes in the top. You need enough to let in a tiny bit of light as well as air. Now, here is the reason to get 2 bins. On the bottom of one bin, punch small holes in it. These holes will allow excess liquid to run through and collect in the 2nd bin. **Now, you don’t have to buy 2 bins (they fit right into each other though, so don’t worry about space) but if you are only buying one bin, you will have to drain out excess liquids about once a week.**

2. Take 2 sheets of newspaper and soak them with water. They should not be dripping but moist enough to keep the worms hydrated. Lay these sheets right on the bottom of the bin. Next, take several sheets of newspaper and tear them into strips about 1/2 thick and about 6-9 inches long. Soak them in water and shake off excess. Put them aside.

3. Take the dirt you bought and put it into the bin. Next take those newspaper strips and mix them in with the dirt. Spread the dirt and newspaper mix along the bottom of the bin, over the sheets of newpaper.

4. Add your worms. I bought my worms through Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm in PA. They were very helpful in answering all the questions I had. I ordered the smallest amount I could – 500 worms. They are not very big worms so don’t worry about the number because they don’t take up that much space. Give them about half a glass of water to stay hydrated. Don’t pour it right over them, but sprinkle it over the whole bin.

5. Add your food. Worms can eat about half their body weight, so don’t worry about overfeeding them. However, do keep an eye on what they are eating. It’s an experiment at first. You will find that they may not like one thing or another, so play around with it a bit. Also, if you are adding foods such as eggshells, bread or meats, you will need to also give them water everyday – about half a glass sprinkled over the bin. This will keep them hydrated and the dirt moist, providing a cool place to live. If you add lots of produce don’t worry about water because there is so much water in the veggies and fruit already.

6. THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT!! Don’t leave your worm bin just anywhere. Worms like cool, dark places. A basement, under a sink, in the back of a closet, these are just a few examples of good places to store your bins.If you put the bin outside, it needs to be in a place that is not always exposed to the elements – under a porch or patio for example.

Ok, that is it. Please email me with any questions you may have – emeline@thehpalliance.org and check out the video on youtube to see how I set my bin up!

Happy farming!!!

I want the groups to do something awesome with this since it is Earth Month (although every month should be Earth month). Anyway, hopefully that will get off the ground soon.

Also, I started a new blog on my livejournal page, called The Vegan Experiment. As of yesterday, I am officially a vegan. I thought I would share the experience with everyone. Here’s the link. The Vegan Experiment

OK, that’s all for now. I will be making sure to get on here at least once a week, hopefully more than that.

Green tip #1 – Instead of cleaning your stainless steel appliances with harmful, toxic chemicals, try using a cloth dampened with undiluted white vinegar; it works just as well, is cheaper and a lot safer for you and the environment.

Green tip #2 – Beer can save the planet. That’s right, you heard me. Most manufacturing byproducts do nothing but harm the environment, but beer brewing is the opposite case. Beer bran, a byproduct of brewing with barley, can be used to remove pollutants such as benzene from industrial waste, keeping them out of rivers and lakes. So, to support your local ecosystem, support your local brewer!

Green tip #3 – Get a solar backpack. Most solar backpacks come with power pockets that charge ipods, cell phones, pdas, etc. They retail for anywhere between 50 and 200 dollars.

Green tip #4 – All those odd socks you have collected from the dryer all your life are totally reusable! Stuff them with cotton or old rags, sew up the open ends and use them as door insulators. This will save you energy from heating on those cold nights.

Green tip #5 – Have bored children? Give them an old  box or two or more. Old cardboard boxes make  great forts, castles and building blocks.

Green tip #6 – When it comes time to repaint a room or the exterior of your home, use a darker color. No, you don’t have to use black, but darker or richer colors help absorb sun and heat, which makes it easier to stay warm and turn down that thermostat in the fall and winter.

Green tip #7 – Are you done with that over the counter cold medicine or a prescription you no longer take? Well take the leftover meds to a humanitarian organization near you and they will safely redistribute it to some of the millions of people who are dying each day because they have no access to medicines like those.

When I say appliances, I mean the big ones. Washers, dryers, dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators. These are the 5 major appliances that I will focus on in this blog.

I went to two different stores. I went to Home Depot and a local store, Tri-City Sales. Here is what I found out.

Both stores have similar products, while not necessarily all the same brands, both retailers carry energy-star appliances. At Home Depot, they have something called EcoOptions. Any product with an EcoOption logo/sticker on it, are the greener products that they sell. At both Tri-City Sales and Home Depot, the energy-star products offered a $50 mail-in rebate to consumers.

The first appliances I looked at were the washers and dryers.

At Home depot, there were 3 brands that carried appliances with the Energy Star (ES) logo; LG, GE and Maytag. Now the only one I found information on in the store was the Maytag. The description claimed that it uses 64% less energy because of less water usage.

Now at Tri-City, there were a few brands that were labeled with the Energy Star sticker. One brand in particular that provided a lot of information was Bosch. Bosch uses a technology known as EcoSmart. This technology uses sensors to maximize efficiency. “The Ecosensor automatically stops clothes when dry, preventing damage from overdrying and saving energy. The EcoAction lowers the temperature of the air and enhances cycle efficiency which reduces energy consumption up to 10% each cycle. The ActiveWater technology uses up to 70% less water per load than industry average. (Based on the average energy consumption by brand, for full-size front loaders).”

The next appliance I looked at were the refrigerators. At Home Depot, there was again, not a lot of information. The same brands were labeled energy star approved (Maytag, LG and GE) but the Maytag was the only product to offer any information. The Maytag fridge claims to use less energy than a 75 watt light bulb.

At Tri-City, the refrigerators were limited in the ES rating. There were general tips displayed near the fridges though, such as checking filters and bulbs in the freezer every 6 months to ensure the most efficient energy usage.

Lastly, I looked at the dishwashers. Here Home Depot did better than Tri-City at offering energy efficient products. Home Depot had 2 brands available with the ES logo, GE and LG. They also provided information on energy efficiency with dishwashers. One of the tips I really liked was to let the dishes air dry instead of using the heat dry setting. This uses a lot less energy. Also, dishwashing in general uses 1/2 the water that hand washing dishes does.

As for ovens and microwaves, there are no ES approved products on the market yet, but according to Susan at Tri-City (thank you Susan), the best thing to do is look for a microwave with a lower wattage. Now this may mean adding an extra minute to your Rahman noodles, but that extra minute still uses less energy than a more powerful microwave. Also, she mentioned that gas is a great alternative to electric stoves, especially in a power failure. Gas is a better resource than electricity, at least in this situation.

Ok, now one thing that Home Depot does is they provide booklets on being more green in your home. The booklet has handy tips on home insulation, CFLs and how to stop leaks and drips (which waste a lot more water than you think).

One thing I want you to watch for is this; just because there is an Energy Star logo on something, doesn’t mean it is the most efficient product on the market. The Energy Star ratings are flexible depending on the appliances, the markets, the companies. There are always loopholes that corporations take. So, that said, do your research prior to buying a product. Sometimes an energy star product may not be the most efficient way to go, especially since many of these products are on the larger side to accomodate bigger household needs. If you are like me who only does laundry about once a month or the dishes twice a week because I don’t use that much, then a smaller appliance is going to more appropriate and that sometimes means not an energystar product.

Does all that make sense? Bottom line, think about your needs before buying. Below are some great websites to help you in your decision making.

Energy Star

Energy Efficient Appliances – Home Depot

Consumer Reports

CBS – The truth behind Energy Star

Greenliving Ideas

I talked about a few different drying methods. One of them was air drying on a rack. This method sometimes takes awhile longer than a dryer but it in the long run can be better for your clothes and the environment. Air drying doesn’t shrink or wear anything out quite like the dryer does. A drying rack can be found at a number of stores, Target included. They are great because they work in small spaces because they fold up and can be put away when you are not using it.

Another method I talked about was sun drying. Now there are a couple of ways to go about this method. There are outdoor drying racks that you can buy. I saw one of those round ones that spins around and is used by digging a small hole in the ground and putting it in. They are great but on the expensive side. I saw those at Home Depot.

The second method is a dryer machine.When using a dryer consider the different settings. Low heat or air dry are the best settings because they use the least amount of energy, but when you have a heavy load, (ie denim jeans, wool sweaters, rugs or blankets, etc) the load may not dry properly on the lower settings. A high heat will get your heavier loads dry and fast, but it uses a lot more energy to heat that air. Just something to consider.

Another way to sun dry is to install a clothes line. Below are step by step instructions on how to install your own clothes line and the supplies you need to do that.

Before you get started with your clothes line be sure to check with your condo bylaws or landlord to make sure that hanging a line will be ok. You don’t want to drill holes and do all the work just to have to take it down again.

Supplies Required:

A place to hang a line. I hung mine between a tree and my house (watch the video).

At least 1 screw eye (you may need 2 depending on where you hang it)

At least one S hook (again, you may need 2)

A pulley – size depends on how thick your rope line is

Rope

Pliers and scissors

Clothes pin

Drill and drill bits (drill bit size depends on screw end size of your screw eye)

Step 1: Drill a hole in the wall that you have chosen to hang the line on.

Step 2: Screw the screw eye into the drilled hole. You should be able to twist it in with your bare hands. If not use pliers.

Step 3: Hook your S hook through the eye of the screw. Use the pliers to pinch the end of the s hook closed.

Step 4: Hook your pulley from the other end of the S hook. Pinch that end too.

Step 5: Cut a length of rope so that you have enough to run the line from one end of your intended space to the pulley and back to the other end again.

Step 6: Run the rope from one side through your pulley and back to the side you started from. (see video)

Step 7: On the end without the pulley, if it is a wall interior or exterior, you will need that second screw eye and S hook. Put those up the same way as steps 1, 2 and 3. If you are using a tree, like I did, then you can tie the rope around the tree. I used a strong figure 8 knot and finished off with a square knot, but as long as it feels secure to you then use whatever knot you feel comfortable with.

Step 8: Test your line. Place a heaver item around the center of your clothes line like a jacket or pair of jeans. Use the clothes pins to hold it in place. You want to make sure that your clothes don’t drag on the floor or ground.

Anyway, here are some more little tips to keep you green!

Green tip #1 – Cut your shower time by 5 minutes. Cutting just 5 minutes off your bathing time reduces your water bill and can save gallons of water. The trick to doing this, get a radio for the shower. One that has a clock is even better and then trying keeping your shower to the length of one or two songs at most.

Green tip #2 – Turn the water off when you brush you teeth.

Green tip #3 – Cut meat out of one day a week. Just reducing your meat intake once a week can help the planet by reducing carbon emissions by up to 1000 lbs. For ideas on meat free recipes, try Almost Meatless by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza.Desmond

Green tip #4 – If you are in the process of redmodeling, consider graywater systems. These systems allow you to reuse the water from your sinks, baths and laundry machines to water plants and for toliet water.

Green tip #5 – freeze your food. A lot of your food can be frozen if you are not going to eat it all in one meal. By freezing say leftover bread or veggies or even that delicious pasta dinner you made but couldn’t finish, the food will last longer and be ready made when you are hungry again.

Green tip 6 – Recycle junk mail. Those stupid credit card offers and mass mailings you may receive can be recycled. If there is information you don’t want people getting, shred it first and then recycle it.

Green tip #7 – Line dry. Don’t use the dryer if you don’t have to. It’s still summer, take advantage of the sun and air dry the laundry. Look out for the video on this. It’s coming today!!!

Sorry this topic took so long. The video I had to go along with this doesn’t work, so instead of redoing the whole thing, I am just going to blog about it.

My friend and I went to the Farmers Market a couple of Saturdays ago and I bought everything on my list. I was able to get bread, cheese, milk, fruit and veggies. I also got breakfast that day. =)

The benefits of going to a Farmers Market are clear.

• You can get almost everything you need that you would normally buy at a chain store. The food found at a farmers market is fresher and healthier for you.
• You can ask questions. Any of the farmers that go to the market can answer any questions you may have. I asked how certain food were grown, what fruits and veggies grow best in this late summer season, are chemicals used to keep bugs off plants? Any question you may have can be answered. Going to a chain store, you won’t get that kind of help.
• NO PESTICIDES! 99.9% of farmers don’t use chemicals at all on their plants, so you are getting toxin free food.
• Going to the Farmers Market can be a great day outing. My farmers market has local musicians playing and the local bakery comes so I can get breakfast there too. It’s the perfect Saturday morning activity

Now there are some fallbacks to the Farmers Market.

• It can be expensive. The food is fresher and healthier. However, it can also be a lot more expensive. The blueberries I bought cost about 8 dollars for a pint. That’s about 5 dollars more than the chain stores. Not everything is expensive though. I did get peaches for cheap.
• It is not always convenient. Most town farmers markets are only once a week during the warmer times of the year. So winter comes along and no farmers market.
• You can’t get everything at a farmers market. Most markets don’t sell meat, for instance.

Ok, so if you go to a grocery store, do the research first. Most big stores have websites nowadays. Log on and check where their distributors are located. Where is there food being grown? Try to find grocery stores that don’t import food from overseas, or use unethical trading practices, like child laboring or unfair wages for workers. These things take a bit of research, but it’s worth it.

I do shop at Shaw’s market which is a local chain here in MA. They have a great healthy food section and the prices are reasonable. Below are a few resource links that have helped me in my quest to be more green. Also for all you iTouch and iPhone users, there is a great application called Locavore. Using a wi-fi signal, it lists all the farmers markets near you as well as tells you what foods are in season currently. It’s a great program, so check it out!

I hope this is helpful to everyone.

Local Harvest

Agricultural Marketing Service

Trader Joes

Whole Foods

Market to Mouth

Where does your food come from?

Green tip #1 – Spend the 12 bucks and get a metal travel coffee mug. You save the planet by not using paper cups and you get free refills at Starbucks.

Green tip #2 –  Use reusable bags! Bring your own bags with you to the grocery store. If you don’t have any, I know for a fact that they are 99 cents at Stop & Shop and Trader Joe’s.

Green tip #3 – Switch out your lightbulbs for CFLs. They use less energy, burn brighter and last longer. They are also really inexpensive!

Green tip #4 – Separate your loads. Lights and darks. You actually use less detergent, less water for each smaller load and your clothes will last longer because there is no color bleeding or fading when you wash like colors. Trust me, I know. I learned the hard way.

Green tip #5 – On the next sunny day you have, walk, ride your bike or if you really have to go far, take public transportation. These days it’s cheaper riding the bus than putting gas in your car.

Green tip #6 – Switch to email. Most bill companies (cell phone, lights, heat, etc) use e-billing nowadays. Save paper by signing up for online billing and checking.

Green tip #7 – Buy a water purifier/filter. Instead of drinking six bottles of water a day, drink filtered water from your own home out of a reusable bottle such as a nalgene or a mug. Good for you and the planet!

That’s it for now.

Check back for more next week!

This little post is the written accompaniment to tonight’s recipe video. Below you will find the recipe along with the website that I got it from. There are also links to Whole Foods and youtube where the video is posted.

Vegetarian Bean Dip

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked or raw garbanzo beans

1 small onion

3-4 large garlic cloves

1/4 cup tahini  (sesame seed paste)

2 1/2 tablespoons miso

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

If using raw beans, you will need to soak them first in cool water. Let them sit in a bowl of cool water for about 5-10 minutes until they are soft enough to crush/blend. Also, if you are making a large amount of this, you may find it easier to use a food processor instead.

Next mix the beans and the other ingredients together in the blender. Be sure to chop the onion in small enough pieces so that the blender doesn’t miss any chunks. When adding garlic, miso and lemon, add the amounts given above first. Blend that then taste it to see if it is to your personal preferences. Feel free to add more lemon or garlic or another spice entirely if you like. Those ingredients are what give the dip flavor so it’s ok to vary it.

Once everything is blended, pour into a serving bowl and feel free to garnish it. I put parsley and sprinkled a little paprika on mine. Then either immediately serve it or put into the fridge with plastic wrap over it.

This should serve about 15 to 20 people.

The link to the recipe is:

The Happy Cow Bean Dip

Also, this is the healthy supermarket near me that I mentioned in the video:

Whole Foods

Below, I am going to list a couple of great websites on how to start being green in your own home – consider these intro links.

At the end of each blog, each week or however often I do another video, I will also post a list of relevant resources for that video’s topic. So, for instance, this week I am focusing on Farmer’s Markets and Local Grocers, so I will be listing some resources about finding your own local markets as well as buying organic/local.

Keep checking back for more information! Thanks for following along!

Some helpful general resources:

Global Green USA – www.globalgreen.org

Friends of the Earth – www.foe.org

Worldwatch Institute – www.worldwatch.org

The Ecologist Online Magazine – www.theecologist.org