LowCarbonHome.info » landscaping

Earth Day: Getting Your Garden On

Seamus Ford — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:26:52 +0000

Last year, I got curious about the our food supply and where food comes from. For the first time in our adult lives, my wife and took up gardening. The video footage below was shot over the course of last summer. .

On Earthday 2009, I am looking back at last summer and what we had do say about our motivations for doing this. Our motivations remain unchanged and infact we are even more passionate about local food and have dedicated ourselves to learning more about it. We are out to inspire the people we know to do the same. One day my neighbor Tony popped his head over the fence while I was out back working and said "Hey Man! I see you’re gettin your garden on. Thats cool." It made me think, that is what the experience is like. Gardening is like getting a groove on with the earth.

We invite you to "Get your Garden On"

The Mike Nowak Show: Confidant to the Nascent Gardener, Organic Ambassador to the World

Seamus Ford — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:21:24 +0000

Last year, I made a commitment to gradually eliminate my lawn and found a patch of ground that didn’t seem to like grass much anyway. A friend of mine came across some discarded stone from a building that was torn down and said I could have it if I was willing to come and pick it up. So in two trips with my homemade trailer I collected several tons of free limestone.

I had some unused cement from a previous project and at about noon on Easter Sunday I couldn’t wait any longer and got to work in my back yard creating a raised bed for vegetables. I was flipping through the radio channels and came across the Mike Nowak Show. To my delight I called in just as they were giving out the call in number and I got to ask my questions on the show. I was thrilled by how knowledgeable Mike Nowak is and I even got to even share about Low Carbon Home on the radio. Listen here.

Mike is a wonderful host with an infectious enthusiasm. On this particular show he was interviewing master gardener Scott Thalman. My question was about what vegetables are best to grow in my side yard (see related video). I was even more excited to know that his show is on for two hours every Sunday from noon until 2pm. In the Chicago area you can tune into AM 820 and FM 92.5 (west) FM 92.7 (north) FM 99.9 (south). Mike Nowak has been on the radio for more than a decade sharing his passion for gardening and all things horticultural is a vast resource for anyone who wants to learn how to garden. More of us need to!

I will be tuning in on Sundays from now on!

Turning Your Dog Into a Good Environmental Citizen

Seamus Ford — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:45:34 +0000

Our dogs and cats are our companions and we naturally want to take care of them. If you are a pet owner you probably give a lot of thought to what you feed your pet. What you probably don’t think about is what happens to the waste they generate once you dispose of it. Most people put dog waste into a plastic bag that is then thrown into the garbage. When it is all added up more than 10 million tons of animal waste goes into landfills each year. Since most of it is wrapped in plastic, it never really biodegrades. This video is about a possible alternative to sending your pet waste to the landfill: A dog waste composter.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Why are people talking about Rain Barrels?

Seamus Ford — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:00:56 +0000

I live in the Great Lakes region and for the millions of us who do, water is abundant, rain is regular and plentiful, so why would a non-profit organization in Madison, Wisconsin be advocating the use of rain barrels?

A rain barrel acts as cistern that captures rain water from your downspout and and makes it available for use in your garden or perhaps in an emergency situation, even a supply of water that you could purify and use for drinking.

I was greatly inspired when I interviewed Jessie Lerner of Sustain Dane at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair about the difference that having a rain barrel can make.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sustain Dane is a not-for-profit organization based in Dane County Wisconsin, which is dedicated to creating communities that deeply enjoy, care for and are sustained by their unique environment.

For less than $90 you can equip your house with one of these unique rain barrels. Sustain Dane also offers discussion courses that allow you to educate yourself in creating a more sustainable lifestyle and local community along with fellow global citizens.

Learn more at www.sustaindane.org. RainReserve™ focuses on raising community awareness of water related issues. For additional information rain barrels and indoor water conservation kites for kitchen and bath, visit www.rainfordane.org.

Environmentally Conscious Landscaping

Seamus Ford — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:39:41 +0000

In another article we talked about the idea of killing your front lawn. The idea being that in the United States a huge amount of resources go into keeping lawns green. 40 billions dollars is spent annually on 18 million acres of residential lawns in the United States.

The treatment and upkeep of those 18 million acres involves another 5 billion dollars worth of chemicals derived from petroleum. To give you an idea of what 18 million acres and 5 billion dollars represents that is 8 times bigger than Yellowstone National Park and 3 times the annual budget of the US National Park Service.

As part of walking the talk of Low Carbon Home, I share my experience of beginning the process of replacing my front lawn. This video was taken towards the end of two very long hot and dirty days of work.

Kill your front lawn- or at least really neglect it.

Seamus Ford — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:02:18 +0000

This article is about what happens if you ignore propaganda that your front lawn is supposed to look like a fairway at Cog Hill.

DO YOU REALLY CARE THAT MUCH ABOUT WHAT YOUR NEIGHBORS THINK?

Who said that a well kept home is supposed be surrounded by sea of manicured grass. Do people actually like pushing or riding a lawn mower for several hours per week?!

I admit this is my opinion, but it is a very strongly held one; I think that a broad perfectly green front lawn is vulgar.

I recognize that the kids may need a patch of grass to play on. Leave that for the back yard.

What if you just let most of the rest grow?

I live in a state nicknamed the “Prairie State”. It seems difficult to imagine, but at one time, the majority of what is now Illinois was once a vast unbroken sea of native grass and wild flowers that by the end of each summer, would rise as high as the shoulder of a man on a horse. When European settlers came in the 19th century this sea was carved up into farms and a vast ecosystem became broken and fragmented. With 20th century urban and suburban development the situation became worse as the diversity of the prairie was replaced with mono-cultures of kentucky blue grass separated by vast strips of asphalt and concrete. Birds and insects that once thrived in Illinois became increasingly rare and in some cases disappeared.

10 reasons to let your lawn go.

Save time not having to mow grass
Save fuel not having to mow grass
Save water not having to water grass
Create habitat for Birds
Create habitat for butter flies
Create an educational tool for your kids.

Wild Bird Food Recipes

Create your own residential Prarie