Wood has got to be one of nature’s most miraculous gifts to the human race. We have depended on wood for fuel, tools, weapons, and shelter since before the dawn of history. Even in this high tech world of the twenty first century there is wood everywhere, in one form or another, no matter if we are flying across the country at 30,000 feet, riding in a subway beneath the streets of Manhattan, or sitting on the sofa in front of the TV set. The sad fact is that wood has been with us for so long and is present in so many different forms that we no longer notice…
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Tips for an Eco-Conscious Wedding
Weddings are a huge and expensive undertaking and can leave an even bigger footprint on the environment. More and more couples are looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly which can be difficult since weddings are typically associated with hyper-consumption and produce a great deal of waste. Invitations, decorations, food, travel, etc. the list is endless. Unfortunately, many items at a wedding only get used once and are tossed. By incorporating any number of these suggestions for an eco-conscious wedding, you’ll be doing your part to sustain the earth while being a role model for others.Invitations and PaperCutting down on paper invitations is one of the easiest ways to…
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The RINSE Project Helps Wineries Reuse Wine Bottles
Cowhorn Winery in Applegate Valley, Oregon has teamed up with Wine Bottle Renew to establish a powerful new bioregional program called ‘The RINSE Project.’ The project cuts per-bottle costs and reduces wineries’ carbon footprints by recycling used wine bottles and preparing them for industry reuse. Some 300 million cases of wine are sold in the United States each year and the wine bottles from about 210 million end up in landfills. As the first Southern Oregon winery to ship used bottles through the RINSE Project, Cowhorn Winery aims to help change that and cut its carbon footprint in the bargain. In addition to cleaning, packing, and shipping wine bottles for…
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Portland Garden Cottages – Intimate Spaces from Recycled Building Materials
There’s an ongoing debate in my house over what constitutes a “too small” dwelling, so I’m always on the prowl to bolster my position that we can live well in small spaces. Evidence: The Portland Garden Cottages designed and built by Jeffrey Gantert and Brad Bloom. Gantert and Bloom built two small, (364 square-feet) cottages from mostly used building materials. The cottages took advantage of an empty lot in the Mississippi Historic District of the upper Albina neighborhood of Portland. They are designed to fith with the history and character of the neighboring structures, a mixture of ordinary working-class homes and ornate Victorian-style architecture. From the outside,…
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Bottled Water: A Shrinking Market
Some cities have gone as far as outlawing the sale of bottled water. Some states charge a refund deposit on water bottles in an effort to corral the burgeoning number of discarded one-use water bottles. Here are some facts from TwilightEarth.com: Bottled water costs up to 4,000 times more than tap water. Bottled water is essentially tap water Bottled water does not fall under FDA guidelines, and often has more mercury and other pollutants in it than public utility water. 80% of water bottles end up in landfills, streams and the environment. It takes 5 bottles of water to create the plastic for 1 water bottle. The good news is…
