What is it? What does true sustainability look like, and how does it work?

The definition of sustainable is:

1. Capable of being sustained
2. a. of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. b. of, or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods.

The first definition doesn’t really help us much. Many things are capable of being sustained from the notes on your piano to your sourdough starter. It does seem to rule out genetically modified foods and mules… Well, the GMOs anyway.

The next definition (2 a.) is much more conclusive for our use. It seems rather geared towards agriculture, which certainly has a huge part in sustainability, but that’s not necessarily everybody’s forte. What resources are they talking about here? Well, obviously not fossil fuels. They aren’t very sustainable in the most liberal sense of the word, and you can’t really use them without depleting them. Wood perhaps,  and water, and soil maybe. Could it not also include people though? Everything needs to be worked by people with enough energy to do their job (perhaps yourself, or your family), and if they are pushed too hard, too long, or too often then your efficiency is going to drop dramatically, and your “resource” will be depleted. Just a thought there.

The final definition (2 b.) also has some interesting aspects  to it. An entirely sustainable lifestyle? Sounds a little Amish to me. In many respects their societies seem ideal: disconnected from the grid, growing enough food to sustain not only themselves but also to sell for profit, many even use horses or mules in lieu of tractors or trucks. They also have large families that work and learn together. In many ways they are generational thinkers. They pass on the family trade from father to son, mother to daughter. This used to be standard for everyone, not just the Amish/Mennonite communities, but that is not something to go into right now.

The last thought I want to leave here with is this: Is it possible to be utterly and completely sustainable outside a community? Can one man or woman or family go out into the wilds and create a sustainable lifestyle for themselves without others around them? Is that true sustainability?

Alright, I’m done now.

When you don’t have a clean water source in the immediate vicinity, wells are an option worth looking into, especially if hooking into city water is not viable. However, depending on your location, having someone out to drive your well can be quite expensive too. So, here are a few links about driving your well on your own! It’s not a good option for everyone, but it’ll work for some.

• Mother Earth News has an article with well-driving tips.

• Waterhole: How to Dig Your Own Well, by Bob Mellin, looks like a good resource. Available HERE.

• Types of wells are described at THIS page.

While root cellars might not do much to increase your personal efficiency, they will help you become more self-sufficient. Much of your garden produce can be stored in a root cellar… if you have one, so here are several links with different ideas for building your own out of materials you might just have on hand!

• The Pallet Root Cellar

• THIS site has lots of info about different types of root cellars, but not too much about building your own. However, it looks very helpful.

• Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar, by Phyllis Hobson, looks like a really good resource as well. HERE

• More root cellar tips HERE.

• Thefoodguys.com has a clever variation on traditional root cellars.

Wood stoves are becoming increasingly popular for heating entire homes, but the ones on the market are still quite expensive. Here are a few links by folks who have built their own wood stove, and are willing to share their experience with others who have the same dream of greater self-sufficiency.

Old, discarded water heaters are the material of the day:

• THIS website has pictures with plenty of instructions.

• Mother Earth News has an old article with steps for building one of these heaters.

• HERE are step-by-step instructions as well.

Water. It is probably the most underutilized of the three major renewable energy sources (the others being solar and wind). Strangely enough, it also has the potential for being the most reliable and powerful; you’ve just got to harness all that energy somehow. Here are a few links to help you in that endeavor:

• RE-Energy.ca has plans for a very small micro hydroelectric generator. It’s more like a school science project, but it could be very helpful as a starting point if you want to build you own generator and have had minimal experience.

• Oregon.gov has many tips for helping you determine everything you need as well as how much power is available from the water source.

• THIS site gives step-by-step instructions although they are a bit vague.

• And THIS site has quite a lot of information about all types of micro hydroelectric systems.

THIS website has several workshops, including a couple for building your own solar water heater! The hands-on experience would, no doubt, be worth the money spent, and much of the cost can be paid by work exchange.

The Sustainable Village has a 30-gallon passive solar water heater kit that looks like it wouldn’t be difficult to assemble. Kits would definitely be easier than starting from scratch, even if it is a bit pricier.

Here are several links all about ethanol. This includes instructions for making your own still to produce your own ethanol, and helpful tips for converting your vehicle to run on ethanol, if you don’t already have a flex fuel vehicle.

• Making Your Own Fuel

• Ethanol Fuel: Journey to Forever

• myownfuel.com

Wind power is a wonderful source of energy, IF you can harness it. It’s even better if you can harness it cheaply, and that’s easier to do if you can build your own turbine. So, here are a few links to help you in your turbine adventures.

• THIS man built his own turbine in rural Arizona. His article has pictures and links throughout the process.

• Instructables also gives step-by-step instructions with photos.

• THIS SITE has things to consider before you begin making your own wind turbine.

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There are a few articles that show how to build a solar panel much cheaper than you could buy one. Here are a few links:

• TheSolarPlan.com has an article with photos.

• THIS SITE gives instructions as well as links to places where you can obtain the materials online.

• THIS ONE tells how to make a solar panel for heating your water.

A small-scale, off-the-grid water system doesn’t have to be expensive; in fact, you can build your own without too much trouble.

Rainwater is a fairly obvious approach; you can even build your own cistern using concrete blocks or bricks. If you’re not that much of a do-it-yourself person you can purchase a concrete cistern from the local septic tank installer. The cheapest option is probably buying a large plastic holding tank from the farm supply store.

If you are going to use this water for anything other than watering your garden it will need filtering. A cheap filter is sufficient for most operations. Getting the water to the desired area is another thing to consider. If your cistern is elevated then the water can probably be easily gravity fed, but if not, electric pumps or, if you’re completely off-the-grid, battery-powered pumps will most like do the trick.

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There are a couple of popular websites that instruct their readers in how to make their own passive water heater. One website, Instructables, gives step by step instructions for making your own solar thermal water heater for less than $5, if you’re willing to go rummaging for your materials. The other website, probably even more well known, is taking forever to load… Anyway, Mother Earth News, tells how to build your own passive solar water heater.

The benefits of building your own solar water heater are immediately seen. Compare the cost of a normal water heater, or even of conventional solar water heaters, to that of the water heater you could build. Although you may not be able to provide your entire household’s hot water with these, it could certainly reduce some of your energy costs.

There are a few things you can do to make your computer more efficient:

• One of the biggest things you can do is to either turn the computer completely off or suspend operations.

• Also, the longer you can keep your computer alive the lower your carbon footprint will be. A lot more energy goes into making a computer than is usually used throughout it’s life.

• When you’re ready to get a new computer get one that is specifically designed for efficiency, and most laptops are more efficient than desktops.

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After a certain period of inactivity, your computer should go into sleep mode. This is standard with Windows and Macintosh operating systems. The EPA recommends setting your computer to go into hibernation or system standby after a period of thirty minutes to an hour of no activity. The lower the time you set your computer to hibernate the more energy you will save. If you have a laptop, make sure these settings work when it is running on AC power as well as when it runs on the battery.

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… for a new computer?

 Here are a few things to look for in an efficient computer; we’ll go into more detail in later posts:

• Energy Star: Whenever possible, look for the Energy Star.

• Sleep and idle modes are good, but they will be there already if you’re going with a computer that’s met Energy Star’s requirements. In fact, most things will, so we’ll probably just do one or two posts looking at several different aspects of the Energy Star rating.

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Now that we have determined there are four options for the typical customer, which string trimmer is right for you? Well, here is a quick synopsis of the four options and who they’d be best for:

• Corded electric: Light-weight and quiet, but best for a very small yard with minimal trimming.

• Cordless electric: Again, light-weight and quiet, also gives a bit more freedom with no cord. Not as powerful as gas trimmers, but good enough for most small yards.

• Two-stroke gas: Lighter than four-stroke trimmers, but requires oil to be mixed with the fuel. Great for large yards with lots of trimming

• Four-stroke gas: Heavier than the two-stroke trimmers, but they cut down significantly on the emissions. These are also really good for places with lots of weed whacking to do.

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Gas string trimmers are best if you have a large area to trim, will be trimming for a long time, or an area with large or difficult weeds. In most other situations a high-end electric model will probably work fine. Gas-powered string trimmers are typically a bit heavier than electric models though, and they require more maintenance.

There are two types of gas string trimmers: two-stroke, and four-stroke. The two-stroke trimmers require oil to be mixed with the fuel. Four-stroke trimmers cut down on the emissions by about 75%. They are also usually quieter and vibrate less, but they are a bit heavier.

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There are two types of electric string trimmers: corded and cordless.

Corded models work best for smaller-sized yards with minimal trimming needs. They are typically cheaper, easier to start, quieter, and lighter than gas-powered models. However, they are usually not as powerful.

Cordless models are battery operated, which means you get the freedom of gas-powered models along with the quiet and cleanliness of electric corded models. These trimmers are still not usually as powerful as gas-powered trimmers, but they are generally good enough for typical trimming needs.

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… for a string trimmer?

In this short series we’ll dig around and focus mainly on determining which string trimmers are more efficient: electric or gas.

‘Course, you probably won’t find anything more efficient that this guy! LINK.

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Well, one obvious thing you can do to make your mower more efficient is to keep it maintained. Regularly giving your mower a check up will hopefully help ward off surprising and unnecessary repair expenses.

Here are some things to remember while you’re mowing that will increase efficiency:

• Mowing in a circular pattern enables you to never turn the mower around, and the grass clippings are blown in. Grass clippings are excellent mulch.

• Putting some sort of mulch or ground cover around the base of the trees and shrubs keeps you from having to mow and weed eat too near your landscaping.

• Don’t mow unless it needs it. The less you mow the less money you will pour into your machinery, and the less time you spend on unnecessary chores.

• Don’t mow when the grass is wet.

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Well, obviously the most fuel efficient lawn mower would be the manual reel mower (well, if you don’t want to use the scythe), but that’s not always the best option for some households. The next most efficient mower would probably be the self-propelled reel mowers. These are kind of like push mowers, but they use the reel style blades rather than the rotary blades. The fuel efficiency continues to go down the larger you get, but that is replaced by the time you save and the convenience. There are some diesel models out there, but expect to pay more for them.

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Before we jump right into the types of lawn mowers, let’s lay down a few things that you’re going to need to know before buying a mower of any kind. Here’s a quick list:

• Size of your yard. This will help you determine how large a mower to buy.

• What kind of yard you have. Smooth and flat with nothing in the way to steep hillside with trees and rocks everywhere.

• How mechanical you are. Well, let’s face it. Pretty much every type of mower is going to need some kind of work sometime.

• What your budget is. If you have one, stick to it.

There are two main types of mowers today: reel and rotary mowers. Some people do still use scythes, but they were pretty much replaced by the reel mower in the 1830s. Reel mowers were much easier to use than scythes. Those early reel mowers were much harder to operate and maneuver than the modern styles.

Modern reel mowers are much lighter than their ancient predecessors. They are also silent, practically maintenance free, and efficient. Many people say that reel mowers are the most environmentally friendly because there is no source of energy other than yourself. Reel mowers are not without difficulties though. They don’t work on tall-ish, flexible weeds (e.g. dandelions), and they will bog down on tall grass. It’s also going to take you longer to mow your lawn with a reel mower; and if your lawn is larger than a half acre or so, reel mowers probably aren’t for you.

Push mowers can be electric or gas powered. Gas-powered mowers tend to be more powerful, but with the electric models you don’t have to deal with the mess and inconvenience of gas. The push mowers are available in both rotary and reel styles.

Riding lawn mowers are used for large yards. Most models are designed to be used with the operator sitting, but some models are stand-behind. The stand-behind models are typically used by professionals. Riding mowers have rotary blades, and they work better on longer grass.

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… for a new lawn mower?

Here’s some things we’ll look at in later posts:

• Type: From those manual scythes to the solar-powered lawn mowers that do it all.

• Efficiency: We’ll try to discover which of those lawn mowers are the most efficient.

• What can you do? Finally, we’ll work on digging things up that you can do with your current lawn mower to make it more efficient.

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Okay, so this doesn’t necessarily fit in the “stove tops” category, but it kind of does. Whether it does or not though, here it is.

Size has already been mentioned a time or two, but it does make a difference… at least on those stove tops that aren’t induction. Think for a second: if you’re boiling water in a pot on a burner that’s close to twice the size of the pot, how much energy are you wasting by heating up all that extra space? Small pots and pans on the small burners, and large pots and pans on large burners!

The size of your pot is something to consider too. Using a larger pot than you really need wastes energy heating up the all that extra space. It will always be more efficient to use just the right-sized equipment.

What your cookware is made of also matters. Some materials heat up quickly, using less energy; copper is a good example of that. Other materials retain heat well. A good example of this is cast iron. Remember: when you’re buying cookware, check what will work on your cook top. For example, induction stoves require magnetic cookware to work.

Make sure your pots and pans have flat, or very nearly flat, bottoms. That lets the pans touch as much of the burner as possible, maximizing efficiency.

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Here are a few things you can do to increase your current stove’s efficiency:

On electric stove tops:

•  Turn off the burner before you’re completely done cooking; use the residual heat to finish.

• Keep the burners and reflectors clean; they will work much more efficiently.

• Use the correct size pan: large pan on large burner, small pan on small burner.

• Flat-bottom pans will waste much less energy.

• Make sure all the elements work correctly.

On gas stove tops:

• Moderate flame settings will conserve gas

• A blue flame means the stove is working correctly.

• Pressure cookers are efficient. Cooking high and fast reduces the energy by as much as 75%.

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Most of the options that I’m going to touch on come with the electric stoves. Here’s a quick list of the options I’ll look into:

• Induction elements

• Halogen elements

• Standard electric coils

• Solid disk elements

Induction elements. With this option you can adjust the heat immediately and precisely. Induction stoves are, in this way, like gas stoves. Because the energy is applied directly to the pot or pan with which you are cooking, there is virtually no wasted energy. The stove doesn’t even get hot except where the bottom of the pan transferred it! The biggest drawback to induction stoves is that they require magnetic cookware such as stainless steel or cast iron. These can be difficult to find too.

Halogen elements. These are fairly common. Halogen elements are usually under ceramic glass tops. They heat up and respond fairly quickly, but they only work well if there is good contact by the cookware to the cook top.

Standard electric coils. This type of stove top is only above the solid disk elements in the efficiency department. They are hard to clean, but they are common…

Solid disk elements. These have the advantage of having absolutely no hot spots, but they are still at the very bottom on the efficiency scale.

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