The Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative is a planned project to plant a wall of trees across Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara desert as a means to prevent desertification. It was developed by the African Union to address the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in the Sahel and the Sahara. Crossing 11 nations this is a political as well as a physical and economic challenge and progress currently varies from … Read more
Composting difficult-to-compost waste Rapid composting in limited space with Bokashi
Alys Fowler reports her test of the system:- ' The bokashi bin is a Japanese system that pickles your waste (bokashi means fermentation) and is perfectly suited to small spaces. You need two bins (they can be kept indoors) and special bran inoculated with good bacteria. In goes all your cooked and uncooked kitchen waste and a sprinkle of the magic bran. I tested the system indoors by loading it up with the most revolting mix – fish skin, pork bones, soured milk, old meat, cheese plus all the … Read more
Seawater Greenhouses Sourcing Water and Growing in Arid/Semi-Arid Regions
A fine spray of sea water is used to humidify and cool air entering a poly tunnel beyond which a filter excludes salt from the growing beds. The air is drawn through the tunnel by fans cooling the environment around the crops and when it strikes tubes filled with cold sea water condensation forms and pure fresh water that is fed back to the plants. … Read more
Urine and Composting Make Better Compost and Save Water
90% of nutrients in human waste are found in urine and diverting urine to the compost heap will really help make better compost adding valuable nitrogen that reacts with decaying carbon plant matter. Pee directly onto your compost heap or dilute with 10 parts water and apply directly to the garden. Urine from healthy people is sterile and safe to use although undiluted it will burn plants. … Read more
5 Steps to Fast Composting Garden Ready Compost in About 30 Days
Making compost is probably the single most important thing you can do for your organic garden. The success of your garden depends on the soil, and the health of your soil depends on the compost you give it. And making compost isn’t difficult. With very little effort on your part, you can turn throw-away materials into this sweet-smelling, nutrient-rich, no-cost soil conditioner. So how do you start this easy composting? Follow the link to discover the five key steps in making great compost in … Read more
Benefits of a Vegetarian / Vegan diet A life style choice with big benefits
Many animals are raised in cruel and inhumane conditions and live brutally short lives to meet the human demand for meat. However, people can live healthier and with a significantly lower environmental impact by reducing meat consumption. It has been estimated by the UN that 18% of Climate Change can be attributed to animals raised for meat and some research has even suggested figures as high as 51%. Excessive numbers of farm animals also require too much land and contribute to deforestation, … Read more
Comfrey The Permaculture Plant
Comfrey has long been recognized by both organic gardeners and herbalists for its great usefulness and versatility; of particular interest is the 'Bocking 14' cultivar of Russian Comfrey, a strain developed in the 1950s by Lawrence D Hills, the founder of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (the organic gardening organisation) Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator,[7] mining a host of … Read more
Making roads ice-free Clearing the road with green alternatives to the salt, sand and chemicals
Cold-climate researchers at Washington State University are clearing the road with green alternatives to the salt, sand and chemicals typically used for highway snow and ice control. One of these alternatives is using leftover barley residue from vodka distilleries. … Read more
Billboards that clean air Hong Kong experiments with billboards that clean the air.
Designers in China have developed a concept for “parasitic robots” (they look like insects) which attach to city billboards to suck in carbon dioxide and purify the air. The company Fast Co Exist has developed these robots and is hoping to attach them to the neon signs in Hong Kong, where they would collect urban pollution in the daytime and use the heat from the neon lighting at night to harvest the carbon dioxide into an energy source. … Read more
Small Homes Inspiration and ideas for lighter living
Thoughtful design of a small space is crucial if it is to work efficiently and provide warmth, light and comfort. Sharing ideas provides inspiration and a tool to make your space work without taking more resources than you really need. … Read more
