My solar clothes dryer and other fun green topics

Well, I thought GD could use a bit of happy news today. Inspired by Al Gore, I wanted to ramp up my personal efficiency and lessen my impact on the environment. I have done the CFLs, and switched to a renewable electric company, and I work out of my house, but I would like to take it further. So here is my first-ever use of my new solar-powered clothes dryer!



Here is what I'm calling my "Al Gore Victory Over Climate Change So Grow Your Food Locally" winter garden. First attempt ever!
This is romaine:


Here are Brussels sprouts:


Here is my faboo compost pile:


Here is the area behind the shed where I will be installing my rain barrels to collect rain and water the garden:


Who else wants to share their efforts? :D

Thanks for posting!

this long. (alaska-snowed today) I put all my stuff on electrical surge blocks and pull the plug when not in use. Also, I have energy efficient stuff.

Have you looked into cold frames and/or heated beds? I hear you can use those and make your growies last a bit longer in the year. I don't have any myself -- but they're on the list! :)

pretty good if you don't have the pads they use in greenhouses. A dream? A heated greenhouse attached to my house. SIGH!

:yourock:

Where ya been? We miss ya at the KOEB. :cry:

dg

I don't do a lot of DU time anymore -- and would you believe, I don't have cable now? :( Long story -- I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I am holding out for AT&T to wire my hood for FIOS, but we'll see! I should drop by the clubhouse soon and say HI anyway? How you doing? :D

Gearing up for 2008 & all the drama (Gore/Edwards, baby!). It's already :crazy: on DU! Anyway, I'm working on my container garden. I can't seem to get the tomatoes to bloom & give me tomatoes, though. :(

By all means, drop by the Clubhouse. We miss ya! And you can always get good Keith clips on YouTube. :)

dg

Good luck on those 'maters! I have never had much luck with mine, myself, so I am trying something different. One thing gardening is teaching me -- PERSISTENCE! :D

who can't seem to grow tomatoes. I really love fresh tomatoes & was looking forward to have them coming out my ears, but alas, it was not to be. :(

dg

bring your ideas indoors as I live in a condo with no garden. I can hang my clothes on the shower rod to dry, and look into container gardens. Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for the inspiration! :yourock:

You can also buy a "hide-a-clothesline" at Home Depot or online -- it's retractable so it can give you even more clothesline space! Or, many Europeans have clotheslines out of their windows, similar to this one:



This might not be the best setup if you think your neighbors would object, but if you have a back facing window it might suit!

Many herbs do well in pots. I grow a lot of lemon balm every year and make tea. Good luck! :D

Can't remember the guy's name offhand, but google has tons of links for that & organic gardening.

dg

when rich people show off their fancy solar clothes dryers that the rest of us cannot afford.

I do confess, I sprung for the "deluxe" pulleys! :D $6.99 each!

out of Clausmas lights that I found in the trash :cry:

Initially it was due to poverty but I found out that I enjoyed the lifestyle so much I never bothered buying a car.

I live with someone now so we share a car but it spends most of the time in our driveway.

by making "regular" deposits :rofl:

I still use my clothes dryer, but also I'm using this one in the bathtub. Will move it nearer to the woodstove-but not too close-in the winter. It's made in the USA & works great!




http://www.skyburst.com/dry303.html

I may have to get me one of those too!

B-)

I throw em in the dryer when they are almost "done".

Great post.

You're not one of those trench coat dudes, are you?

:scared:

ensuring all of the darks will hang together on the line.:D

Washing darks together. Interesting.

Must investigate.

:hi:

We planted our Fall crop 2 weeks ago...onion, lettuce, garlic, mustard, radish, peas, carrots, brocolli, leeks....

We haven't had a frost here yet.
Picked and ate a ripe tomato today, though they are becoming rare. :(

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x5729


Good Luck with your garden and other endeavors! :toast:

"An open house on passive solar home heating concepts" this weekend. I can't wait to check it out.

I'm in Maine, so winter gardening is not very practical for me but I had a kick ass organic garden this summer fertilized only with compost from my backyard piles. Four years ago I had no garden at all and bought all my produce at the local farmer's market during the spring/fall/summer. This year I actually sold some of my hot chiles at that same market and needed to buy very little.

I added another six inches of insulation to the attic and will bank the foundation with insulated panels this winter to conserve more heat.

Last winter, my wife hung a very dark tapestry on the wall of the living room opposite our south facing windows to see if it would help warm the room when the sun shines on the otherwise white wall. I have no data to prove it, but it sure seemed to make a difference. I'm hoping to learn more about passive solar heat this weekend.

Good job!

We've changed out all our light bulbs to compact fluorescents and beefed up the insulation around the house to conserve heat. We already do composting, but can't have much of a garden because of all the deer around.

Any ideas for conserving water?

and keep my apartment 65° during the day and 60° at night. In the summer, I don't turn on the air conditioning unless I'm half dead from the humidity.

This month, when I took an out-of-town friend on a tour of the fall colors, was the first time in MONTHS that I had to fill the gas tank more than once a month. :-)

Or bike when I feel like it. I bought an old beater almost 3 weeks ago, and I haven't driven it to work yet.

I have CFL's as well.

I can't grow anything (live in an apartment), but I'm very conservative in my buying habits. I don't buy anything new, when I can get something older. Sure my furniture is ugly, and I don't have anything fancy, but who gives a shit. Although, this facet of my life has changed somewhat since my gf moved in :blush:.

Small apartment, barely ever drive, don't use much power, don't buy stuff, run the thermostat low and never use AC....I may not have the smallest footprint, but I ain't that bad either.