Neutral Existence Environmental Site

Wreaths of Hope: Crafting a Local, Ethical Christmas

2009-10-30T15:51:52+00:00

Use less, and buy it locally: these are two of the mantras of the movement towards a lower-carbon life. For those who strive for a more local and less consumer-driven Christmas, social enterprise can create a meaningful connection between employees,…

Tree climbing for kids

2009-10-16T15:08:40+00:00

Climbing trees is great fun, and a wonderful way to get kids enjoying the outdoors and appreciating nature. Adventurous kids love the challenge of climbing a new tree, many quiet children love the feeling of getting up and away into a private world…

The Urban Farm: Greening Small City Spaces

2009-10-09T02:14:39+00:00

Urban farming is all the rage these days. Where I live, back lanes are becoming orchards and community gardens continue to sprout. Organizations like the Seattle Urban…

Wildlife in Towns and Cities

2009-10-01T12:28:41+00:00

A great way to spark children’s interest and enthusiasm in all things related to caring for our environment is to encourage them to take an interest in wild animals. There is nothing quite like the rush of excitement that a young child will feel…

Bake Fabulous Bread in Your Own $20 Outdoor Earth Oven

2009-09-28T04:51:46+00:00

If you enjoy baking or cooking, and you have the sort of DIY attitude that drives you to want to create, you can build your own outdoor earth oven for as little as $20! An earth oven can be built with little more than some sand, clay, brick, stone,…

Masonry Heaters are Traditional and Efficient Sources of Wood Heat

2009-09-21T13:31:01+00:00

Masonry heaters have long been built in the colder climates of Europe, but they have taken quite a while to catch on in America. They are massive in size, but they burn wood very cleanly and store heat for long periods of time, making them much more…

Eating Greens and Loving It

2009-09-15T19:38:38+00:00

Reducing the amount of meat we eat is a good way to live a more environmentally friendly family life. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (Livestock’s Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options, 2006)…

The Permaculture Ethic

2009-09-12T18:30:09+00:00

I’m in love with permaculture. It’s an ethic that completely reflects what I believe in creating a world in which people work with the earth’s ecosystems to create a place that is more wonderful than when they arrived. How…

Introducing Children to Environmental Issues

2009-08-31T14:48:21+00:00

As environmentally aware parents, we want to educate our children about environmental issues, and bring them up to consider their own impact on the environment. We want our children to learn to behave in a responsible fashion, making decisions based…

Water Miser, Water Lover: Creative Ways to Conserve Water in the Home

2009-08-24T12:13:48+00:00

From greywater showers to the old-fashioned rain barrel, here are some creative ways to conserve water in the home. We humans love water. We love it hot in showers and hot tubs. We love it cold to drink or in pools on a warm day. But other animals…

Green Driving Tips

2009-08-10T13:41:29+00:00

Making small changes to your driving style, and how you use your car while driving, can make big differences to your environmental impact. You’ll be surprised at how much money it can save you as well. Kwik Fit Insurance have recently gone on record…

Keeping Your Cool: How to “summerize” your home and save on utility costs

2009-08-08T19:10:30+00:00

Summers in the Pacific Northwest are known for being moderate, mild even when compared with other parts of the US. This year however is going down in the record books as the “summer that sizzled.” Not only have the triple digit temps helped…

Why Ecoliteracy?

2009-08-05T17:46:57+00:00

A child walks into the forest. Or does she? In this age of stranger danger and dwindling open spaces, children interact with video screens more than natural places. Natural places are inaccessible to children. Vacant lots are fenced off.…

TV, Kids and Your Family Carbon Footprint

2009-07-27T00:55:16+00:00

According to Energy Star, a U.S. government program promoting energy efficient products, televisions account for 4% of household electricity usage in the USA – sufficient electrical power to supply the entire population of New York state households…

Grow Your Own Food In the Shade

2009-07-17T13:59:23+00:00

Growing food in your yard is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Nothing’s more local than a home grown veggie patch. But what if your personal microclimate just isn’t right for growing food? For a vegetable gardener, nothing is…

How Green is Your Family Bin?

2009-07-07T12:55:59+00:00

Joshua, 11, has a special title: Waste Management Officer. Every Saturday morning he sorts all the recyclables for his family, packing up glass bottles into boxes ready to go to the recycling plant, squashing aluminum cans and sorting paper, cardboard…

Reusing: The Art of the Lost “R”

2009-06-29T14:03:08+00:00

In elementary school, whenever it came to environmental science, they always drilled the “three R’s” into our heads. Like hordes of mini zombies, children the world over would repeat “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle….Reduce, Reuse,…

Build Your Own Converted Grain Bin Home

2009-06-26T13:50:09+00:00

For the past two years, I have lived in a grain bin at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. Or more specifically, a converted grain bin home (pictured to the right). It is insulated with straw bales, has a wood stove…

Green Education - What Nature Can Teach Our Kids

2009-06-22T13:56:41+00:00

Kids today have huge advantages with regard to learning through technology; however, many kids are very - sometimes almost completely - disconnected from nature. Having all the technological advantages for education doesn’t mean that…

Heat Your Home and Save Energy With a Super Efficient Wood Buring Rocket Stove

2009-06-15T16:05:35+00:00

If done responsibly and efficiently, wood heat can keep your home warm without you having to spend hundreds of dollars every month. A rocket stove is a super efficient type of DIY wood stove that can be built using reclaimed and salvaged materials.…

Zero Carbon Activities for Kids

2009-06-01T18:06:02+00:00

Kids’ entertainment is a massive industry and has a massive impact on the environment. Vast quantities of children’s toys and games are manufactured in the U.S. and also imported, particularly from China. Many are made from non-recyclable…

All Dried Up: Water Scarcity a Growing Issue

2009-05-17T18:35:46+00:00

A UN report released in March projects that half the world will face acute water shortages by 2030. Water scarcity is an ever-growing issue that will only become more prevalent with global warming and climate change. Water shortages, and potential…

Shopping for a Green Home Entertainment System

2009-05-15T21:21:21+00:00

So you’ve finally decided to buckle down and get that 50 inch HD TV with Blu-Ray DVD player and surround sound system. Great! Having a home theater is a great way to enjoy your favorite movies with friends and family, and the high definition…