greenthumb Hatfield

This link is to a 3.5 minute movie introducing an idea called "the Blue Economy".  Some of the things they describe are permaculture ideas of layering systems to get the most value from each action and also avoiding waste or churn. It is so exciting to see that people everywhere are thinking of ways to stay 'on the land' and do it efficiently. Here's the video link:

What a lovely thought, Kelda! It is helpful to have intentional community spirited people express that spirit in their current communities.  That's how we get to have these cool pocket neighborhoods in cities that can in time influence the whole city.  It takes courage to reach out to our neighbors when we've been taught to fear one another and isolate ourselves inside our mini-castles.  There are no one-size fits all solutions and for those who crave community, this is a great idea.

Very interesting idea! I'm thinking any activity that allows a person to create something of value for the larger community would give a person a sense of connection and possibly redemption.  It doesn't have to be Nature Therapy, just productive. Like being tasked (and taught) to build 20 toy boxes for a local daycare center, paint a mural on a public wall, bake 100 loaves of bread--or better make 200 mini-pretzels (do you know how challenging it is to master that simple twist-flip technique of the perfect pretzel??)  You get the idea.  Just make it something the person and the community could point to in remembrance and appreciation for all it entailed.

Is it possible to create something less pond like and more...marsh like?  Would a reedy marsh area serve the same purpose?  If a marsh is too shallow, keep the pond less than 12" deep and keep lots of plants in it.  I'm thinking reeds, again, and lillies and cattails.  Things that make it look less like a place to splash and swim.

If none of that appeals, embrace the 'nuisance' and be a local attraction!  It's good to have kids around and maybe you could share a few things about food growing and pond-life, like a free summer course for local kiddos.

Hi Lilac,
Just checking in to see how your ant challenge goes.  As I read the post I was thinking of what--besides anteaters--are natural predators for ants.  Being overrun by ants like you are means something's out of balance in the system.

Here are a few natural predators of ants.  Are any of these animals conspicuously MIA at your place?
Jumping spiders, lizards, snakes, birds--especially flickers, wrens, and sparrows.

Here's a link to a full list of ant eating critters.  Hope this helps! http://www.tightloop.com/ants/whatEatsAnts.htm

I haven't been on this forum in a while so you may have already seen this YT vid about Hamish Skermish and his goal of changing the world with composting toilets.  They call him 'Master Poo' and the vid is part of a future documentary about composting toilets.  How cool is that? 

Thanks for the QnE (quick n' easy) tutorial on basket weaving! My list of things to craft is getting longer and I'm lovin' it.  And on the subject of plastics, I am packing a box that needs a little stuffing at the top.  Instead of plastic air bags or styrofoam popcorn, I'm using air popped popcorn--it's compostable and bio-degradable.  I understand it's one thing they used in the days before plastic.  Plus is there anything more squish-resistant than air-popped popcorn?  Yeck!  Totally tasteless for snackin' but great for packin'!

ediblecities wrote:
Lunchboxes other than plastic?

There are lots of alternatives to plastic lunch boxes starting with the old standby, brown paper bags.  You can make your own lunch bag from cloth or buy them from other crafty folks (search etsy for all kinds of eco lunch bag options).  And though I don't think many permies are into juice pouches, here's a cool way to turn juice bags into a lunch bag. http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf984011.tip.html   Happy lunching!

ndomorph wrote:

What body soap alternatives can you suggest? I'm still using bars of natural stuff like Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap.

Well, you could join the 'no-soap' bandwagon.  I've been soap-free for about 1 1/2 years and have no stinky pits issues.  My daily routine involves washing with a hand towel just as I did when I used soap.  Every 3rd day or so I use a pair of plastic scrubby gloves and exfoliate all over--with emphasis on my underarms.  Exfoliation makes the skin so smooth and soft and for the underarms seems like the key to keeping bad odors away.  After bathing I use home made body powders to finish off with a soft perfume-like smell instead of the cloying chemical aromas of body washes and soaps.

I'm a desk-jockey so no-soap works well for me.  When I know I'll have a sweaty day I use a rock crystal after the shower and that absolutely stops the sweaty-stinkies.  Being soap free and shampoo free makes for a very empty shower. My biggest challenge is remembering to put a bar of soap in the shower when I we have guests!

You could have a 'Leaf Stomping' event--kind of like they do grape stomping for wine.  Gather the leaves inside some kind of temporary fencing and call in the troops.  Letting the kids and adults play and smash the leaves down will break up the leaves and reduce the volume a bit so your leaf piles aren't so high.