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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