Green Gardener

Zero Energy Home

2012-02-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Bird Island is a spectacular urban vitality project this really is currently being created in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Created by Graft Lab designers for the YTL Green Home Competition, the project includes a zero energy home made of sustainably-sourced silicon glass material. Its lightness and flexibility will grant it to sway organically using the breeze just like a treetop, and slots from the fabric will offer visitors an exclusive look into the sky as the wind ebbs and flows.

link - Inhabitat

Rhine Waterfalls

2012-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Rhine Waterfalls symbolize big blur of rushing water. It requires a while for your eye to make out from where the waterfall begins and finishes as the deluge of water simply camouflages with river Rhine and there's no noticeable landscape present at the very top as the sheer volume of the water goes over it all. It's a lowly 23m tall, however boasts large width of 150m, and with the enormity of its water flow, Rhine Falls seizes the no. 7 spot. Actually it makes high appearances on waterfall charts score flow rates. And because of the fact it doesn’t have any rapids and it is massive enough to have a unique look, it may be very easily counted as one of the elite real waterfalls. There's also several watching platforms which usually allow you to observe the falls from close up, increasing the feverish excitement.

Live Your Bonsai Style

2012-01-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

In Japanese, bonsai can be literally translated as 'tray planting' but since originating in Asia, so many centuries ago - it has developed into a whole new form. To begin with, the tree and the pot form a single harmonious unit where the shape, texture and colour of one, compliments the other. Then the tree must be shaped. It is not enough just to plant a tree in a pot and allow nature to take its course - the result would look nothing like a tree and would look very short-lived. Every branch and twig of a bonsai is shaped or eliminated until the chosen image is achieved. From then on, the image is maintained and improved by a constant regime of pruning and trimming.

The five basic bonsai styles are formal upright, informal upright, slanting (or windswept), semi-cascade and cascade. All have their own individual beauty and serenity. I will now attempt to explain the basic principles of each style.

Healthy Living Books

2012-01-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Well being and healthy living can be achieved with the right information from someone who has experience in helping others learn how to achieve healthy living and emotional well being.
These healthy living books and well being books are some of the best because they help you learn a lot about how to take care of your health and well being without wasting your money. I wanted to share this list with you because trying to find a self help book in the area of healthy living and emotional well being area can be quite overwhelming.

Here is some of Katy's favorite resources for living a healthier life and finding emotional well being.

Book Description

Does your body need a tune-up?
In this remarkable new approach to holistic medicine, Michael Murray, N.D., one of the nation’s leading naturopathic doctors, shows you how to use the latest information in natural medicine to customize a program that will have every system in your body running like new. Take Dr. Murray’s self-tests to pinpoint your health priorities. Then go on this fascinating guided tour to better health.

Book Description

Having clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not. Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances -- Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions -- Emotional boundaries help us to deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others -- Spiritual boundaries help us to distinguish God's will from our own and give us renewed awe for our Creator -- Often, Christians focus so much on being loving and unselfish that they forget their own limits and limitations. When confronted with their lack of boundaries, they ask: - Can I set limits and still be a loving person? - What are legitimate boundaries? - What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries? - How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? - Aren't boundaries selfish? - Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider setting boundaries? Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend offer biblically-based answers to these and other tough questions, showing us how to set healthy boundaries with our parents, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and even ourselves.

Healthy Family Meal - Sloppy Joes

2012-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole-wheat burger buns

Directions

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.

Link

The Beirut Wonder Forest

2011-12-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

The Beirut Wonder Forest is definitely an impressive suggestion that wishes to convert the Lebanese capital towards a luxurious eco-friendly metropolis by planting tree on its roofs. The war-torn city of Beirut is burdened by black smog because of significantly overloaded highways stuffed with outdated vehicles which release high levels of CO2 emissions. Studio Invisible's option is easy, low-cost, and isn't going to affect the Beirut's existing focus on city transportation.

Orphaned Fruit Bat

2011-12-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

Meet Lil' Drac, a short-tailed fruit bat taken in by Bat World Sanctuary, an organization with a mission that includes promoting the protection and conservation of wild bats. According to the organization, this little guy was abandoned by his mother who was traumatized when a zoo she was living in closed and she had to be moved. Because he's not being raised by his mother, the volunteers stroke his stomach with a cotton swab to simulate the feeling of a mother's tongue. And as you'll see in the video below, he's learned to suck milk through a small piece of foam.

Blind Kitten Playing With Toy

2011-11-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Some cats happen to be born handicapped, some other have encountered injuries or the degenerative issues of aging. Any handicapped kitty can easily still lead a complete and satisfying life, given by an understanding owner, and this video proves it. During this online video we can see Oskar, a blind cat, having fun with toys for the first-time. This kitten was born without having formed eyeballs so YouTuber Mick12321kciM, who adopted him, brought him a few balls with bells inside.

Mother and Baby Elephant Rescued From a Muddy Grave

2011-11-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

The existence of these two elephants, a newborn and its mother, may have ended in case employees from South Laungwa Conservation Society didn't make an effort to help and free this jammed animals. Conservation employees normally leave nature to take care for itself. Then again, these people couldn't remain indifferent once an elephant and its baby became trapped inside a mud lagoon. The elephant herd tried out to rescue the couple, however was unsuccessful. Therefore, employees slipped a rope beneath calf's trunk and dragged it free. It turned out a difficult act as the little one didn't wish to get away from its mother, and even got trapped inside the lagoon for the second time and make rescuers job a lot more challenging. Once the calf eventually went in the direction of other elephants, individuals tied up the mother to a tractor and helped her make her way to freedom as well.

Hilarious Frog

2011-08-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Poor frog makes an attempt to stay up.

Amazing Snakes

2011-08-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

The majority of species of boas are multi-colored just like the Corallus caninus, a non-venomous snake present in the rainforests of South America. Grownups develop to about 6 feet or 1. 8 m long. They have extremely developed front teeth which are most likely proportionately larger than those of another non-venomous snake.

Emerald Tree Boa

California Red-sided Garter Snake

These are probably the most colorful snake population in North America considered more vibrant then the SFG.

Blind Snake

The family genes of a newly found snake family suggest blind snakes lived on the island of Madagascar since, well, just before it was an island.

Albino Burmese Pythons

Burmese pythons are around every corner although develop to be huge snakes. This really is one of the snakes that require a healthy dose of extreme caution, so think carefully before getting one as a family pet.

Bright Pink Snake

Blue Coral Snake

Coral snakes are highly venomous members of the Elapidae family that are found in all elevations of rainforest in Southeast Asia.

Monkey Bottle Feeds Baby Tiger

2011-07-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

These cute photos reveal the close relationship that has established among a two year old chimpanzee named Do Do and a two month old tiger cub named Aorn. The ape's motherly intuition take control as she bottle feeds the newborn tiger. At one point, Do Do places the bottle inside her own mouth - practically mimicking the actions of a human mommy checking out to determine if the milk is suitable for her offspring to eat. These were photographed at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. The crocodile farm, used being a tourist destination, houses some 80, 000 crocodiles. However, the farm does not just include crocodiles. As you'd probably assume from these images, monkeys and tigers also are living there, together with elephants, lions, horses and hippopotamuses.

Amazing Flower Grenades

2011-07-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

These kind of Flower Grenades were at first created for adding some plants to cities which needed some beautification, however most of us believe you could have a thrilling time using them wherever you live.

Have fun with throwing these out the window or inside the corner of your backyard and watch the plants grow. They’re ideal for the eco-warrior in you. The Flower Grenade’ have been created by Suck UK to introduce plant life in derelict city areas. They're totally biodegradable seed bombs, and arrive filled with soil as well as different seeds, such as Buttercups, Ryegrass and Poppies.

They won’t come up with a big boom once they land, however a couple weeks later, you will see some plants placed within their wake. The plants will need a minimum of 3 weeks to develop, while the Ryegrass will probably pop out after only one week.

The particular clay will totally dissolve during the rainfall, so there won’t be any kind of evidence left of your actions after a couple of days. It’s an ideal method to decorate some horrible backyards that were bugging you for some time.

Monsters In The Holy Book

2011-07-23T02:17:00.000-07:00

No matter whether you believe its God’s word, a historic relic, or perhaps a load of hogwash, there’s no doubt that Holy book includes some fascinating stuff. Such as monsters, for example. Lots of different horrific creatures and mythological beasts can be found in its pages. Like….

The Behemoth

The First Beast

The Second Beast

Unicorns

Abaddon’s Locusts

The 200 Million Horsemen

Daniel’s Beasts

The Dragon

Leviathan

Puzzlewood Magic Forest

2011-07-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

Puzzlewood is really an the ancient forest site, close to Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The site, cover fourteen acres, reveals proof of open cast iron ore exploration dating from Roman time, and perhaps before. It's currently a tourist attraction. More than a mile of path ways were laid down during the early 19th century to offer access to the forest, and provide stunning walks. The region includes unusual stone formations, mystery caves as well as old trees, with a puzzling maze of pathways. Without a doubt John Ronald Reuel Tolkien has been fascinated with the destination and it is said to be an essential inspiration of the person who brought us Bilbo, Frodo and Gandalf.

The End Is Near - Extreme Weather Anomalies

2011-07-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here, in the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere, we have come to divide the year into four seasons: the cold of winter, the warming and greening of spring, the warmth or heat of summer, and the cooling and leaf-changing of autumn. However, on freak occasions, weather does not behave in a manner according to its season. In this list, we will discuss some of the rare cases where the weather has taken an unseasonal turn or has acted otherwise unusually.

1992 Alberta Chinook

The Canadian Province of Alberta has a bout a warm air and weather, known as a chinook, once every several years. However, this was about the most notable and unique one to come to Alberta. On February 27, 1992, Southern Alberta was actually basking in warm, summer-like sunshine, with Calgary reaching a high of 22.6 degrees Celsius (72.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

2010 Russia Heat Wave

In the summer of 2010, Russia encountered scorching, unbearable heat that reached up to the high 40s in some regions. Many people, estimated at 15,000, but possibly more, died of heat stroke and forest fires. The period of hot weather continued through July and August.

2010 Ontario April Heat Wave

Ontario was soaked in a wave of heat from the south and Ottawa was bombarded with two consecutive hot days. The mercury shot up to 28.2 degrees Celsius (82.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on April 2 and 28.5 degrees Celsius (83.3 degrees Fahrenheit) on April 3. Everyone was amazed the temperature could soar so high that time of year and the weatherman, when predicting the heat wave, had to announce, “This is no April Fool’s joke.”

1992 Summer Cold Snap

Now, we go from the extremely hot to the extremely cold. In the same year Calgary saw its 1992 February chinook, it saw some abnormal winter weather on the 23rd of August, where the temperature only reached 5.3 degrees Celsius (41.5 degrees Fahrenheit). In addition to the cold, there was a dusting of snow of 0.4 centimeters. Imagine going to the bus stop or supermarket wearing a winter coat in August. That’s a concept just too bizarre to imagine.

Fast Temperature Increase

How about a quick jump in the temperature? On January 22, 1943, Spearfish, South Dakota, USA, saw a leap in the temperature from -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) to +7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) in…get this…only 2 minutes!

Extreme January Cold

Throughout January, 1950, the Western US and Canada quite literally froze! People from Washington State describe that month as “infamous”, and Vancouver, Canada, almost constantly remained below freezing! The monthly Vancouver high, following a mild November and average December, was -2.9 degrees Celsius, the coldest ever and Vancouver’s only year of the daily average high for January being below freezing. While the average high for Vancouver in January is 6.1 degrees Celsius, Calgary never made it above freezing at all that month, with an extreme high being -6.7 degrees Celsius on January 5, with 2 days having a high > -10 degrees Celsius, and an average monthly high of -20.4 degrees Celsius.

Extreme Cold Winter to Extreme Hot Summer

December 2008, brought much snow to Vancouver streets. Christmas was truly white, with knee-deep snow making walking difficult, and driving nearly impossible. The temperature steadily remained below freezing, with a low of -15.2 degrees Celsius being recorded on December 20, only 2.6 degrees Celsius above the record lowest temperature of -17.8 on January 14, 1950. July 2009, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The temperature rarely reaches or exceeds 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in Vancouver. In fact, this happens about one day every 5 years. However, that Vancouver July saw 4 days where the temperature soared above 30 degrees. Two of these days broke the previous record of 33.3 degrees set on August 9, 1960, and the new record was set as 34.4 degrees on July 30, 2009. Talk about going from one extreme to the other.

Miracle Snow

Inhabitants of Homestead, Florida, a city with a 25-degree Northern latitude, were completely flabbergasted when they got a light dusting of the white stuff on January 19, 1977. It was their first recorded snow ever, and no snow has ever fallen there since. To top all that off, Homestead is a non-elevated sea level city.

Amazing Flyer: Goshawk

2011-07-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable skills

Sweet! Amazing how it manages to continue flying while temporarily not flapping its wings.

Cutest ZooBorns On Earth

2011-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

ZooBorns collects and shares pictures of newborn zoo animals from around the world. These 20 babes are the absolute cutest of all the precious creatures featured on the site.

Fennec Fox

Ocelot

Koala

Sand Cat

Wombat

Clouded Leopard

Bush Baby

Red Panda

Panda

L'Hoest's Monkey

Tiger

Marmoset

Hippo

Polar Bear

Tasmanian Devil

Harbor Seal

Black Footed Kittens

Galapagos Turtle

Gorilla

Fossa

Do You Believe Your Eyes

2011-07-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Believe your eyes can not under any circumstances! All that is needed to test and retest! Another proof of this truth has appeared recently beaten in the street in front of City Hall of Paris. Here, the Belgian artist François Abelane (Francois Abelanet) has created an installation-illusion «Qui Croire?» («Who to believe?")

500-pound Bear - The Closest Friend

2011-07-02T00:45:00.000-07:00

500-pound bear has become Edgy closest friend for 60-year-old trainer from Canada, Mark Dumas.
All his spare time, Mark and Edgy spend together: swimming, hugging, taking pictures and even a kiss. A crown room sweet couple is not for the faint of heart - Dumas puts into the mouth of the huge beast's head without fear to remain without

If someone else would try to repeat the same thing, it would just become dinner Edgy - says Mark. - The only people she loves - it's me and my wife Dawn. I have worked with bears for 40 years, so I can read body language and bears know how to deal with our trust without risk to health and life.

Dumas took Edgy from the zoo when she was still a bear to shoot her in various films and television shows. Bear grew up side by side with the trainer and became attached to him like a mother to his father.

Rescued Animals

2011-07-01T03:59:00.000-07:00

There are good people in this world who care about the animals, they are not afraid to take responsibility and give new life...
In this gallery, see some startling "before" and hopeful "after". Isn't it amazing what a difference a little love can make ?

Oasis In The Middle Of Nowhere

2011-06-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

This amazing place is built in the middle of the desert, around a small lake. Located in the Ica Province, near the city of Ica, Huacachina is known as the oasis of America, where many tourists come for the huge sand dunes and sandsurfing. The legend says the place was created by a princess caught bathing by a local hunter. The pool of water she left became a lagoon, while her mantle transformed into sand dunes. It is sayd that the princess inhabits the lagoon as a mermaid. Just wanted to share with you these amazing pictures:

Meet Dusty, The Klepto Kitty

2011-06-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

He steals all kinds of stuff from them every night, but they don’t mind having a cat burglar around the neighborhood. In fact they love Dusty so much they wouldn’t dream of spoiling his fun by taking better care of their things. But this is only because this cat burglar is an actual cat.

Jean Chu, from San Mateo, California, first noticed Dusty’s klepto tendencies four years ago, about a year after they adopted him from the Peninsula Humane Society. She noticed a latex glove on her bed, one morning, and told her husband, Jim, he should do a better job cleaning his mess. He said: ‘It wasn’t me. I think it was the cat.’ After that, Jean and Jim found all kinds of other stuff, on their doorstep, every morning. Dusty would bring home anything from gloves to towels, bubble wrap, swimsuits, baseball caps and footballs, and along the way, his masters started keeping a log of his junk stash.
Dusty brings home an average of three, four items a night, but has an all-time record of 11 items in 24 hours. Jean goes to the front door every morning and picks the stolen goods as she would the daily paper. She cleans them and walks around the neighborhood looking for the rightful owners. If she can’t find them, she stores everything in boxes, which are starting to get full. But that doesn’t really bother anybody, because whenever something goes missing, all the neighbors know who did it. Dusty has become a local celebrity

Dumping Water Over The Dam

2011-06-22T04:16:00.000-07:00

In early June, many regions of China were torrential rains, causing many rivers burst their banks and sweeping debris flows almost wiped out hundreds of villages and towns. In this regard, the decision to lose some water through the dam, which will lead to a lowering of water levels.

Terrifying Prehistoric Sea Monsters

2011-06-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

The modern ocean is a scary place, filled with barracuda, sharks, super-squids, and possibly Cthulhu. However, no matter what we find in the depths these days, none of them seem to come close to the giant terrors that roamed the seas in Earth’s past; giant sea-lizards, monster sharks and even “hypercarnivorous” whales. For most of these things, humans would barely qualify as a snack.
Here are 10 of the scariest monsters to ever call the ocean home in prehistory.