That’s why I love Using Less Plastic Every Day from HOMEGROWN.org, created by the folks at Farm Aid. It’s full of clever ideas to get your brain working to reduce your dependence on plastic, another petroleum product:

Abby keeps plastic out of the home by making her own Mason jar kids cups. The straws are plastic, but, as Carol suggests, paper straws are available!

The Homemade Cosmetics group is brimming with ideas for avoiding plastic bottle and jars: DIY Lotion, No Poo and home made deodorant among them.

Check out the full post more more ideas and links to resources.

Link: Using Less Plastic Every Day

Build a SeedHouse/MiniGreenhouse!

This is actually a cold frame, a good way to recycle a window or windowed door into a cozy place get seedlings and cuttings off to a good start!

Grow 100 lbs. Of Potatoes In 4 Square Feet: How To

This article from TipNut gives three methods of setting up a potato box. I like growing potatoes in containers, especially in gopher country. In case none of those look like the right method for you, here’s a couple of others:

• Potatoes in a Tire
• Growing Potatoes in Bin Bags

If you’ve never tasted roasted potatoes fresh from the garden, you are in for such a treat!

Garden Work Tables From Old Pallets

This quick post from Lloyd’s Blog shows off the pallet table from Home Grown Evolution:

By the way, I highly recommend that you follow both Lloyd’s Blog and Home Grown Evolution…both have excellent content. Home Grown Evolution is by the authors of the excellent book The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City. Lloyd Khan is the author and publisher of wonderful books on (among other things) DIY home building: Shelter, Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter, and the most recent, Builders of the Pacific Coast.

Natural Wood Raised Garden

I like projects that remind us of how to use waste products in creative beautiful ways, and this idea for raised beds out of natural wood, perhaps from your post-storm brush pile, is a great example.

Just some ideas to get your started. What projects are you thinking about for your garden this year?

REculture, a study into the ways and means those at the Base of the Pyramid across the developing world earn a living by the repair, reuse, repurposing, resale and recycling of goods

Highlighting the work of people like repairmen, cobblers, and ragpickers, REculture helps me bring some of my own consumer longings back down to earth.

Link: REculture

Via @leonardbarrett of Permaculture for Renters.

Central Disposal Site, from the hill across the road.

The dump is one of my favorite places to shop…that’s right, shop. That’s because there are two sub-agencies within the Central Landfill space: Recycle Town and Sonoma Compost.

Recycle Town

Recycle Town has all the usual recycling options for glass, metals, and other materials, of course. But the real jewel is the perpetual yard sale, where you’ll find all sorts of building materials and other goodies at rock-bottom prices. Find something you want? Just ask at the window for the price.

Ladders for sale at Recycle Town.

Doors at Recycle Town. Things are organized nicely, much better than the typical yard sale.

Treasures I’ve found at Recycle Town include a Singer 500a “Rocketeer” sewing machine ($9.00), a serving plate and two wooden bowls ($1.00 for all), and a 50-foot roll of wire fencing ($20) that I used to build a chicken coop…it took some effort to remove the grape vine that had grown through the fencing, but it was well worth the savings.

Sonoma Compost

Up the hill from Recycle Town is Sonoma Compost, my favorite place to go if I need a source for compost, mulch, or reclaimed lumber.

Sonoma Compost diverts organic matter headed for the landfill and creates black gold. You can buy compost and mulch at great prices by the truckload or by the bag (bring used feed bags if you have them…there’s usually a few available for free or you can buy new ones). I love going to Sonoma Compost…the place truly feels full of life, and of course, it is! It’s hilltop location has one of the best views in the county. I’ll never forget the time one of the employees walked out of the office door, took at deep breath, and exclaimed, “I love how it smells here when it rains.” She was right. And remember…we’re at the dump!

And there’s more treasure to be found here. Sonoma Compost also sells used lumber. You might have to remove some nails, but with used 2×4’s available at 20 cents per foot, it’s also a great deal.

Part of the lumber yard at Sonoma Compost.

I hope I live to see a time when we don’t need garbage pickup or landfills…when we’re living in a truly sustainable way, and composting and reuse is simply a part of our daily routines. Until then…I love our dump!

Here’s some photos showing what the store is like:

It’s located near Railroad Square at 24 10th Street in Santa Rosa. Check their web site for current hours and more information; selection varies but they do post updates to their web site.

Link: Sonoma County Habitat for Humanity ReStore