My little garden is shaping up, planted a boy and girl Sea Buckthorn, with one pathetic yellow berry. We will see how they take.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippophae_rhamnoides

Found some bastard Peonies growing by the road on the remains of a demolished garden. Tore the roots out and planted them as well, they do say Peonies sulk for 3 years after you tear them out.

Some great ideas to replace decorative japanese garden plants with edible.

http://balconyofdreams.blogspot.com/

Replace Bamboo with Asparagus

Replace clipped pine with clipped rosemary

Masanobu Fukuoka is a farmer/philosopher who lives on the Island of Shikoku, in southern Japan. His farming technique requires no machines, no chemicals and very little weeding. He does not plow the soil or use prepared compost and yet the condition of the soil in his orchards and fields improve each year. His method creates no pollution and does not require fossil fuels. His method requires less labor than any other, yet the yields in his orchard and fields compare favorably with the most productive Japanese farms which use all the technical know-how of modern science.

Instead of deciding which vegetables would do well in which locations he mixes all the seeds together and scatters them everywhere. He lets the vegetables find their own location, often in areas he would have least have expected.

Slow sand filter- filter your water with a simple sand filter to 99.7 cleanliness.

strange edibles

to end – this is wonderful

and some Swedish permaculture resources
swedish DN article on biochar
Sweden/ Sverige permaculture

One couple’s journey to independence with a green house and motel.

Papercrete, reuse and recycle, and a lot of great ideas.

http://blog.holyscraphotsprings.com/

Found via Ryan Is Hungry

http://ryanishungry.com/2007/04/26/green-acre-the-40-yr-old-mobile-gets-a-green-re-do/

Maybe with 2 laptops to power and 4 LED lights for the house we will be ok, store food in the basement cellar (will have to cut some rock, it is all rock in Sweden, all the way down)and do laundry in a hand-crank machine.

http://www.velacreations.com/

I have a friend, farmer Paul, that put up a wind turbine on a 30 meter pole, and no wind…. This was in NY. So i am sceptical of alternative energy, no hippie that I am. It’s just that it does seem the only way for independence.

I am thus looking into atmospheric water generators. $1300 and up

white buffalo nation
aquamaker
EcoloBlue
MirageWaterMaker

side note to self
An interesting hydrogen tech as well

http://www.oxy-hydrogen.com/

A cheap solar cooker has won first prize in a contest for green ideas.

The Kyoto Box is made from cardboard and can be used for sterilising water or boiling or baking food.

The Kenyan-based inventor hopes it can make solar cooking widespread in the developing world, supplanting the use of wood which is driving deforestation.

Other finalists in the $75,000 (£51,000) competition included a device for streamlining lorries, and a ceiling tile that cools hot rooms.

Organised by Forum for the Future, the sustainable development charity founded by Jonathan Porritt, the competition aims to support concepts that have “moved off the drawing board and demonstrated their feasibility” for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but have not gained corporate backing.

The Kyoto Box has the potential to transform millions of lives and is a model of scalable, sustainable innovation,” said Peter Madden, the forum’s chief executive.

It is made from two cardboard boxes, which use reflective foil and black paint to maximise absorption of solar energy.

Covering the cooking pot with a transparent cover retains heat and water, and temperatures inside the pot can reach at least 80C.

As many as two billion people in the world use firewood as their primary fuel.

The official website (no information )
http://kyoto-energy.com/
The BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7991654.stm
sky news link

Stationary Water Filters

For heavy use

Berkey Filter

http://www.berkeywater.com/
Berkey filters are recommended worldwide as the best
Berkey system removes pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites entirely and extracts harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes. It also reduces nitrates, nitrites and unhealthy minerals such as lead and mercury. This system is so powerful it can remove red food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. Virtually no other system can duplicate this performance.

A wonderful idea to save lots of money is to buy just the filters and use two buckets. One to pour the water in (and have the filters), the other to collect water.

You should use food grade plastic or stainless steel.

DIY Berkey filter on the cheap

Save $100 or more in 5 minutes.
Set of Two 9″ Black Berkey Water Purification Elements

Needed: 2 Berkey filters / filter elements ($100 or less, shop around), Two five gallon buckets, a spigot.

Tools: drill or knife.

1)Drill or cut an appropriate size  hole for the threaded filter tube on the bottom of the filter in the top  bucket and in the lid of  the other bucket

making sure that they line up

2) put the threaded filter tip section through the bottom of the bucket and then the lid of the second bucket

3)secure with nut that comes with the filter. Place this on the other 5 gallon bucket and fill the top with water. Have a base for the bottom bucket (secure with wood, wire, rope) so the filter does not topple over.

Optional) Add a spigot to the bottom bucket to get the clean water out.

I would suggest the recieving container is larger than the top container, that way you can add more water to the top without worrying about overflow.
Here is a good starter link

If you think you will only need to filter water in emergencies (floods, blackouts) there are cheaper options, although not as reliable.

Just Water, ceramic drip filter

Hiking and outdoors

When you are out in nature, often filtering water through a cloth filter and adding iodine or chlorine bleach is enough.

Some people use an ultraviolet pen or oxygen.

It is a better idea to use a filter with charcoal, membranes and silver, as this will take out pathogens and chemicals more efficiently, provided the filter is fresh.

I have had several search engine visitors asking- “how they make ecological green homes in Sweden“.
I would have to say that they don’t.

We are nowhere as advanced as builders of earthship and strawbale houses in other parts of the world.

Often, when you read about an “ecological house”, they just end up saying they used non-toxic materials in building the home.

Non-poisonous building doesn’t mean green in my book!

But let us think about this very important question- where do you start in building an ecological house?

My answer is very simple- do your own homework! Every single ecological house I have heard of has received some kind of end user criticism.

People building earthships in harsh northern climate have complained of cold, humid area dwellers are complaining of heat, and straw bale construction has brought complaints of mold.

However, a smartly planned ecological home can save you money, health, and make you financially independent at an early age, if you are willing to rough it and homestead.

Here is where to start

1) Decide what you want.

People often do not know what they want. This is where the kind universe comes in and beats you on the head until you at least know exactly what you do not want.
If you don’t have money, you will probably want to build your own home (which you can, a la Simon Dale).
If you are making lots of money and have no time, you can hire someone to do it for you.

Do you have health concerns? Are you allergic to certain materials or electricity/wi-fi (some people are). Do you need constant hot-like warmth in your house, or are you content with wearing warm clothing?
Is there enough wind and sun in your area to provide for off-the grid living? (Surprisingly, deserts are energy-plentiful, what with hot sun and strong winds)

Every single aspect of your life will determine your needs, and thus your house.

Do you know how much of a commitment to the house you want to make? Planning every aspect of the new green dwelling, is this something you will enjoy? Are you a happy shopper or a happy maker?

Ecological is a term that is often too broad to give any definition.
Think of it as a sliding scale that should fit around your life.

On one end, you can grow your own food, make your own electricity, recycle all your water (so you do not need sewage connection), and need no heating.
On the other, you can simply use energy efficient appliances, better insulation, LED lights and use of sun’s energy to cut your heat and energy bills in half.

The start with green solutions is in realizing that green truly is the color of simplifying your life.
With a bit of careful planning.

Stay tuned for your future articles on
2) Planning your green home

3)Homesteading
How to stop renting and live at the site of your future home- right now.

Helpful Hint: After doing all of your homework on you ecohouse, you will most likely want to protect it. To find certain deals in your area you could do a search such as “ADT Seattle” and see what potential offers and installation they provide.