Haha sadly, hanging your laundry outdoors is illegal here(also, it would freeze in winter), and indoors it takes forever to dry ╥﹏╥
I could be wrong, but I believe pilling is most commonly caused by friction (for example, where your legs rub when you walk), so one thing that would help is not washing clothes that tend to pill with clothes that have hard things like zippers or buttons. The balls might help by cutting down on the time the clothes rub together with the air-gaps they create, but I am not sure.
I have been told before that you can remove pilling with a razor, but please look it up before you try haha.
I like the idea of a wicker basket coffin with natural-fiber clothes....and an added sword just to confuse future archaeologists •ˋᴗˊ•
Haha! I think they just mean in comparison to chickens, which will even use their claws to scratch everything up while they forage, but your duck experience made me laugh. They sound like a handful of trouble.
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll absolutely check it out right away
I could be wrong, but I don’t think you can grow all plants in hydroponics. For example, anything that grows on trees(large root systems) as well as grain crops (where you need a lot of plants together, rather in individual pods like in most hydroponics).
The only alternative I can think of is a greenhouse system. Like what indoor botanical gardens use for trees, but instead designed for farming. That would be expensive(more than farmers could afford), but it would also weather-protect crops.
But you are right about hydroponics or aquaponics for a lot of produce, though!
Interesting read! Thanks for sharing
Some do! The food forest method is very popular with fans of permaculture, and companion planting (like The Three Sisters) is sometime brought up in the community.
Thanks for sharing! I will check if my library has it!
As far as I know (I have never 3D printed), yes. I vaguely remember a guy who tows around a 3D printer on his bike into parks, and prints parts for people. It wouldn’t be instant(I’m guessing they tell the person to come back later), but it is possible. I’ll try to find the video haha.
Keeping in mind I’ve never 3D printed, here are some sites that look promising.
https://www.traceparts.com/en https://grabcad.com/library
Also, I’ve seen tutorials for 3D printing on Instructables, and people sometimes give download files in the instructions.
RIGHT TO REPAIR
A big fight is happening world-wide to push governments to ensure people can repair the products they own.
“The right to repair refers to proposed government legislation to forbid manufacturers from imposing barriers that deny consumers the ability to repair and modify their own consumer products.” | Wikipedia
This is happening because of:
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REPAIR CAFES
Repair cafes are typically community-run events where volunteers gather to fix the broken items of strangers for free. My town started doing it a long time ago, and it was so popular that it now happens several times a year.
People bring in stand mixers, vacuums, computers, items that need sewing repairs, and more. Often, the person is very willing to explain the repairs as they do them.
In other places, repair cafes have become more permanent. For example, in Austria, the government started paying those who repair.
Repair cafes not only save people money, but they also can greatly reduce the amount of waste produced by saving those repaired items from the landfill.
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For food forests, you do what you can to use edible plant life to mimic the ecosystems of a wild forest.
“A food forest, also called a forest garden, is a diverse planting of edible plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature.” | Project Food Forest
If done right, this system will…
And more.
Personally, I suggest using as many perennials to your area as you can so you don't have to replant everything every year.
Here are some perennial examples that are for my specific area:
(⚠ means you may want to container garden them to prevent spread)
More Info on Food Forests:
Years ago, I took an online course on mountains, and one fact that stuck with me from it was about how people in the USA accidentally polluted the water in New York City by cutting down trees.
It was the 1800s, and the trees in the Catskill Mountains were cut down to accommodate growing populations, and as a result, the water quality for New Yorkers deteriorated rapidly. Yes, the agriculture pollution and sewage did play a part, but the trees were decided to be such a big problem, that they decided something had to be done.
So, they purchased land, and planted 18000 trees to restore the natural ecosystem.
How does this water-cleaning work? With watersheds.
“Watershed: an area of high ground from which water flows down to a river” | Cambridge Dictionary
Imagine it is raining in a forest. Droplets hit the ground, and —thanks to the vegetation which slows runoff — it is absorbed into the soil like a sponge. As the water moves through the soil, microbes are actively removing harmful pollutants, silt is filtered, and plants removing fertilizers.
Some of the water will end up in our lakes and streams, but will be much cleaner than when it started.
"The ability of forests to aid in the filtration of water doesn’t only provide benefits to our health and the health of an ecosystem, but also to our pocketbooks. Forest cover has been directly linked to drinking water treatment costs, so the more forest in a source water watershed, the lower the cost to treat that water. Forests provide these benefits by filtering sediments and other pollutants from the water in the soil before it reaches a water source, such as a stream, lake or river." | American Forests
Since this intake and outtake of water is gradual, removal of these forests can even to lead to a higher chance of both droughts and floods.
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Have you ever wondered why so many large chain stores have two sets of doors? No, it is not just to store shopping carts.
Where I live, any home that is around 100 years old (that hasn't seen any renovations) will very likely have two front doors. Putting it simply, you open one door, step into a small space, and there will be another door in front of you.
(Image Sources: Image 1 | Image 2)
The space goes by many names, including: arctic entry, mud room, breeze room, vestibule, airlock, foyer, and more. For sake of simplicity, I am going to call them "entry vestibules."
Entry vestibules create a buffer between the outside and the inside of the building, preventing drafts. This can help greatly with temperature regulation in both the winter cold and summer heat. I can't find number details on energy saving, but the fact that large chains still build them may hint of their importance for money-saving.
In homes, this space also typically serves as the mud room ( a place for shoes and jackets).
In the name of "first impressions," and open concept designs, vestibules are often the first thing to go during renovations, and I think that's a real shame.
Have you heard of the beautiful living root bridges in Meghalaya, India? Their construction is a lesson in patience as the roots are gradually encouraged to grow in the supportive shape. They need regular care, but grow stronger with age.
“Once a bamboo structure has been stretched across the river, the roots of the tree, usually the rubber tree (Ficus elastica), are teased and manipulated to become entwined with the bamboo until it becomes a strong mesh. The roots are allowed to grow gradually and strengthen over time. In the initial stages, only about 15-20 people can cross the bridge in a day. Much later, it can be as many as 50 or more, although it can take up to two decades for a living roots bridge to be finished.” | The Guardian
Once done, the bridges can have a lifespan of several hundred years; far outliving the original creators of them.
It is unknown when this tradition started, but they were written about in 1844, so it would be far earlier than that.
I just thought people on here might find this tradition as fascinating as I do.
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Here in Canada, beavers are often not thought of in a kind light. Yes, tourist shops sell beaver merchandise, and one of our coins even has a beaver on it, but among locals, they do not have the best reputation.
Beavers to many are considered a pest. They clog storm drains, cut down forests, and flood farmland.
To make them seem even more frightening, sometimes their work on building dams goes for generations. The worlds biggest beaver dam (in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada) is so large, it can even be seen from space.
However, they don’t really deserve the bad reputation they are getting. Here are just some of the reasons why to love beavers.
1. They help local wildlife
When a beaver builds a dam, it does restrict the flow of water, but it does not stop the flow completely. This creates havens for fish and other wildlife.
“The study found that in the pools created by beaver dams there were 37 percent more fish than in comparable stretches of the river where there were no dams.” | BBC from this article
2. They can help with flooding
The common perception is that beavers cause flooding, and in a way, that is true. They create a dam, and that dam waterlogs habitats on a small scale. However, on a larger scale, those dams can help slow the flow of water in a network of channels, which reduces the chance of damage for people living down stream during floods.
The dams have slowed the flow of floodwater through the village, reducing “peak flows” during flood events. | The Guardian
3. They can help with droughts
Thanks to the holding of water, they can create reserves of water that can last even after every other source in the area goes dry. As well as that, slowing down the water gives the surrounding soil a better chance at absorbing the water.
“Beaver can help lessen the effects of drought because they cause water to be stored on the surface and absorbed into the sub-surface of the land due to the impoundment of water by their dams. This can increase stream flow during drought periods and make ecosystems less vulnerable during dry periods." | Parks Canada
4. They improve water quality
Thanks to "beaver fever," it is commonly thought that beavers dirty the water and make it undrinkable. Beaver fever is a parasitic infection of the digestive system that you can get from drinking contaminated water, eating raw meat, or even changing diapers.
So, no, it is not only restricted to beavers, but it ended up being called that here after some hikers made the poor decision of drinking from a contaminated stream in Banff National Park(Alberta, Canada).
Yes, drinking untreated stream water is never a good idea, but no, beavers are not all to blame for making water less drinkable. In fact, they help remove some harmful pollutants.
“Beaver dams and pools reduce soil erosion and retain sediment, which absorb and filter pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and fertilizers. This improves the quality of water downstream used by humans and other species.” | Parks Canada
5. They help limit the impacts of forest fires
When a beaver makes a dam, it is not just the pool that sees the benefit, but also all the earth around it. While the water does trickle down stream, it also enters the earth in an underground network, moistening the area. This creates a lush green environment that is more protected from fires.
When a fire ignites, that green vegetation near the beaver ponds will be more difficult to burn than other nearby dry vegetation. The fire will often take the path of least resistance and burn through the dry vegetation away from beaver ponds instead of smoldering through the wet vegetation near beaver ponds. | Emily Fairfax, PH.D
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If you want an easy way to help your local pollinators, then consider building a water station! Many plants and crops rely on pollinators, so the more you attract and help, the healthier your garden will be (for example: "“Bee pollination improves crop quality, shelf life and commercial value.”)
For a basic one, you will need:
The tray or dish is to hold everything, and the rocks are to give the pollinators something safe to land on. Without the rocks, you will likely end up with drowned bees. Due to evaporation, you may have to fill the dish once or more a day.
HOWEVER, although that is the most common method, there is another one that I prefer that was taught to me by local beekeepers. They use a refilling dog bowl instead of a dish, so it doesn't have to be filled as often.
While this was advice from beekeepers, the watering stations are not limited to honeybees; you may see all sorts of native pollinators visiting.
If you can't buy a refilling bowl, here is a tutorial on how to DIY one.
No matter what you choose, though, the pollinators will appreciate it! I do suggest putting the water in shade to limit possible algae growth.
Since peat bogs collect and store large amounts of carbon, they are what is known as a “carbon sink.” So, one way to help the planet would be to protect these spaces, but unfortunately peat, and often the land, is valuable.
"Worldwide, the remaining area of near natural peatland (over 3 million km2) sequesters 0.37 gigatonnes of CO2 a year. Peat soils contain more than 600 gigatonnes of carbon which represents up to 44% of all soil carbon, and exceeds the carbon stored in all other vegetation types including the world’s forests.“ IUCN
Peat is built up dead vegetation that(thanks to the wet and low-oxygen environments) does not break down, creating a sponge-like effect. They hold carbon, help control water flow(helping with both floods and droughts), and improve water quality through filtering.
If harvested on a small and sustainable scale, it can provide a firewood alternative, a plant substrate, a fertilizer, and more. However, the peatlands are drained on large scales, so it is important that people know the importance of these (often hated) areas.
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Thanks for explaining that! Your system looks great(it is even cat approved).
I am thinking of just starting with some leafy greens (like Swiss chard, kale, or spinach) on a budget, but there are so many different hydroponic builds it can get overwhelming haha. I will look more into the DWC system!