Sustainable Solutions

11/02/2016

The Winter Solstice is behind us and our days are getting longer which means it’s time to plant your spring and summer garden, just not outside yet. A good skill every gardener should learn is starting your own seeds. Sure you can buy starts from your local nursery but this get’s expensive and you skip a step in the cycle of growing your own food. In such a short article I can only give tips that have worked for me over the years.
I will start with soil, at first buying a good seed starting mix from the nursery is the way to go then later as you become successful you can make your own with good compost perlite and soil. For containers I like to re-use my old six pack vegetable trays and I just wash them with soap and warm water before planting or get creative and re-use yogurt or milk containers and poke holes in the bottom so water can drain out.
One tool that has completely changed seed starting and will give guaranteed results is a heat mat to help speed the process of germination. Tomato seeds for example will sprout between 60* and 95*, but 85* is optimum.
Another common mistake is allowing seeds to dry out between watering or blasting seeds from above with too much water, so to solve this I use a tray that will hold an inch of water and the plantings can sit in the water and soak it up through the bottom. This also makes it easy to add a drop of liquid kelp or compost tea to help feed the young seeds increases the humidity and eliminates the dirty water that drains all over your floor.
This beginning stage can take place anywhere in your house where you won’t forget about them and they don’t need sunlight yet, but as soon as leaves appear they will need a south facing window or a shop light with a couple of fluorescent bulbs to continue growing. The plants will outgrow a small container quickly and need to be transplanted before they become root bound and stressed. And last, before moving out into the garden the plants need to adjust to outdoor temperatures and direct sunlight so let them spend a few days outside, enjoying the elements before putting them in the ground. ~ Michael Lauher

03/02/2016

Sustainable doesn't mean primitive!

Earthships are 100% sustainable homes that are both cheap to build and awesome to live in. They offer amenities like no other sustainable building style you have come across. For the reasons that follow, I believe Earthships can actually change the world. See for yourself!

03/02/2016

We've spent over a decade teaching children where their food comes from.... Ensuring that the next generation is aware and ready to be active and engaged consumers is the next step.

Sustainable agriculture provides healthy food for consumers while protecting the environment and human health, safeguarding animal welfare and supporting local communities.

01/02/2016

Celebrating the threshold between winter and spring✨🌀
Bringing back the light with organic & pure candles.

31/01/2016

Sustainable Saturday! Making medicine, salve, healing body balms and gluten free breads.

20/01/2016

☀️

Creating environmental movement through a network of amazing people ready to make global change.

15/01/2016

Tea with worms? Sounds disgusting! Wait, it’s not what you might thinking. We’re talking about compost tea, a liquid fertilizer made by steeping composted organic material in water and then using it to give your plants a dose of the nutrients they need to survive and thrive. Compost tea is useful in that the liquid …

10/01/2016

This is what we've been up to! The winter weather is slowing down the process, but it's still bubbling away. This is an all around great drink, but also an awesome anti inflammatory and immune booster.

A ginger bug is a culture of beneficial bacteria made from ginger root and is the starter culture for many homemade fermented sodas and drinks.

10/01/2016

Taking a small poll to try and see who this page is reaching... Please like this post...even if you don't like snakes!
This beauty was spotted in Maquenco,Costa Rica. Surprisingly big, but relatively harmless :)

03/01/2016

There is a reason we love this place.

During the past decade, I’ve made two expeditions to Nicoya, Costa Rica as part of my research into the “Blue Zones,” places in the world with the highest number of centenarians. Today middle-aged

18/12/2015

I love that Holistic Decision Making is #1 on the list.

These are some of the most effective and important Regenerative Agriculture techniques. They can dramatically improve most farming and ranching operations. Most

04/12/2015

It's time to let the genie out of the bottle. Tony Rinaudo presents this good news story for a deforested and degraded world - it's all about Farmer Managed ...