The end of summer is the perfect time to start planning and preparing projects to get us through the upcoming winter.  I have been reading about a number of inspirational projects the last few weeks.  Here is a sampling:

DIY School Supplies

One of my favorite things about school was putting the brown paper grocery bag on all my schoolbooks – I could then decorate it any way I wanted.  Why not go DIY with all your needed school supplies?  Reuse binders, bring in a reusble snack bag, and more.  Crafting a Green World has some more ideas…

Sheets into Tanks

One of our favorite blogs, New England through Yummy Mommy’s Eyes, recently featured a great project on how to take bed sheets and transform them into comfortable tank tops.  This is a great idea for those vintage patterned sheets you often find!  The tank looks super comfortable and is perfect for hot weather.

Dreamcatchers

Apron Thrift Girl shared a beautiful dreamcatcher her daughter made using an old embroidery hoop, yarn and odds and ends.  This is a great project for kids and adults and allows you use anything you have around the house.  Imagine how nice these will look in your windows all winter!

Toothpaste Caddy

I LOVE THIS PROJECT!  Crafting a Green World featured this very easy project.  It is a great way to reuse old toothpaste tubes.  Though the project calls for Colgate tubes, use any tubes you have around the house.

If you are in Maine, check out the Commute Another Way Week website.  It has lots of information on how to commute green, participating employers, and how to get free prizes!

For New Hampshire folks, check out PATH-NH (Program for Alternative Transporation and Health), which is based in Concord.  They are hosting a great week of activities, including a ride with Governor John Lynch this Friday!  Check out the great events happening every day, including bike safety classes, group bike rides, walk to work day, carpooling events, and more.  There are also several businesses in downtown Concord who are offering up free coffee and discounts.  For other statewide opportunities, please the NH Department of Transportation.

Vermont is celebrating “Way to go Vermont” and has a great website listing statewide green commuting events.  There are events happening across the state, as well as countless opportunities to learn more about safe alternative transportation options.

Have a great week of walking, biking, busing, and carpooling!

Tin Can Planters

Garden Pot Pick-Me-Up

15 Creative Container Ideas from Planet Green (Discovery)

Container Gardening: Tips for the Beginning Gardener

Container gardening is a great alternative to the traditional garden, especially if you do not have the space or time to maintain a garden.  You can grow flowers, veggies, or a mix of both.  Some types of flowers and herbs are a natural pest/animal deterrent, which will give your veggies an edge on making it to your table.  For example, planting nasturtium near radishes and any plants in the cabbage family  helps to ward off aphids and squash bugs.  Golden Harvest Organics lists suggestions on companion planting.

Container gardening is pretty simple: all you need is a sunny spot (not too hot), containers, and soil.  Get creative with the containers you use – just avoid woods that have been treated, stained, or painted.  All of these have the possibility of leaching chemicals into the soil.  Five gallon plastic buckets are probably the easiest and most common; these are perfect for tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, or peas.  The deep bucket will give a good weight to offset the height and weight of these plants.  Old wooden bushel barrels are a good choice and will give your garden a more rustic look.  If you kid has outgrown the old Radio Flyer wagon, use it to plant lettuce. Old sinks will also add some character to your yard.  Whatever your choice of container, make sure it has holes in the bottom to drain off any excess water.

Next, you will need decent soil to give your plants a good start.  I recommend using potting soil for container gardening.  Avoid digging up soil from you yard, as it will contain seeds from grass or other weeds.  The idea of container gardening is to give you the most reward in plants with the least amount of work, so you don’t want to spend your time weeding.

The articles I have read recommend a mixture of organic potting soil mixed with peat moss, 2/3 soil to 1/3 moss.  Another article added that compost mixed in will replace the need for any fertilizer.

So give it a try and have fun in your new “garden.”

It has been gorgeous outside these last few days.  As I prepare to plant my leeks, peas, kale, and chard this weekend, I thought it was an excellent time to share some of the thrifty gardening projects I have been reading the last few months.  I have been reading a LOT, so look for more gardening posts in the upcoming months.  Today’s post features some ideas for creative garden stakes.

Turn Vinyl Blinds into Plant Markers!

Do you have a set of old blinds hanging around?  Don’t throw them away!  Crafting a Green World shared this great idea: cut them up and they make fantastic, durable garden markers.  Easy as pie!

Chalk it up!

Design*Sponge featured a great project on how to make chalk garden stakes – they might not be practical for your outdoor garden (hi rain!), but they are great for indoor container gardens and a great project for kids.

Fancy Garden Markers

If you are looking for a gift for a gardening friend, these ceramic markers are very sweet and would work well for container gardens or potted herbs.

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]]> http://www.goodwillnne.org/blog/2010/04/thrifty-gardening-ideas-plant-stakes/feed/ 2 http://www.goodwillnne.org/blog/2010/03/join-goodwill-at-portsmouth-green-drinks/ http://www.goodwillnne.org/blog/2010/03/join-goodwill-at-portsmouth-green-drinks/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:39:58 +0000 Michelle Smith http://www.goodwillnne.org/blog/?p=3819 Dear friends in New Hampshire,

Goodwill is hosting Portsmouth Green Drinks on Thursday, March 18 (tomorrow!) at Two Ceres Street Restaurant in Portsmouth.

Help us celebrate the one year anniversary of ReConnect, Goodwill’s computer recycling program.  Yours truly, and Bob Frederick, Goodwill’s Operations Manager, will also be sharing information on some of our other accomplishments and sustainability initiatives, as well as upcoming events in the Seacoast area.

Green Drinks is a great way to network and meet new people and businesses involved with sustainability.  Come join the conversation!

We hope to see you there!

On this cold Friday morning, I would like to share some design ideas we have seen this past week around the web – enjoy and be inspired!

Turn your tin can lids into wall art!

From Righteous (re)Style

Ice Lanterns

From Design*Sponge

Looking to refinish old wood furniture, but don’t want to deal with fumes and headaches of toxic wood stripper?  Check out this post on Soy Gel, a healthy alternative for wood stripping

From Crafting a Green World

First up, for those friends and family members in your life who like to craft or aspire to craft, Crafting a Green World posted some new crafting books they recommend:

Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, and Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist

And for parents, this is a great resource: Green Crafts for Children: 35 Step-by-Step Projects Using Natural, Recycled, and Found Materials.

I really like this one: The Green Crafter: 53 Eco-Friendly Projects for Every Week of the Year.

There are more books they recommend, so make a visit to their site!

Next, the Advent Calendar.  Though it’s a bit late for this year, I also think yo could make one as a present to give to someone for next year’s holiday season.  It’s a very easy project and great for multiple people to work on together.  All you need are some office supplies, brown paper bags, and surprises for each day.

Next, Superhero capes! I really love these and will most likely make one for my nephew next year.  All you need are some old sheets and a sewing machine.  I also know that recovergirl has made similar capes using old towels.

Holiday Wreaths! I have two to share with you – Design*Sponge featured this clothesline wreath last week that is EASY to make and looks great – I really like the subtle colors.  Also, last year recovergirl made a beautiful, colorful felted wreath out of sweater scraps.  Handmade wreaths are great gifts that friends and family can take out every year and think of you!

What are you making for gifts this year?

Into this:

Or this?

This is a question I received awhile ago and since then, I have been trying to think of/ find ways to reuse old fleece jackets.  Fleece is very handy – it is really warm, but after some time, it starts to not look all that great – but never fear, I have found some great ideas on how to prolong the life of a fleece and help with your cleaning and crafting creations, to boot.

- How can I Recycle This?, a great site based in the UK posed a similar question awhile ago and several people responded with pretty interesting ideas, including : using fleece as an insulator for frost-sensitive plants, as hot water bottle covers, rag rugs, dog blankets, bean bags, and cleaning cloths!

- If you are crafty with sewing, this site lists a couple of dozen suggestions (note that some of the links they list no longer exist)

- Homemade dust mops!

- Baby Toys! (no sewing required!)

- Polar Fleece Hats (thanks, Martha!)

- Crafty Fringe Scarf

Do you have ideas on how to use old fleece jackets?  I know there are hundreds of ideas out there.  Please leave us a comment!

The purpose of the competition is to install creative window displays with clotheslines, educating the local  community of the many “green” benefits of clothesline drying.  We have written about clothesline drying in past blog posts, but here are some more facts we learned:

1. Dryers use 6-10% of total residential energy use.

2. Americans use more energy on drying their laundry than Africans uses on all their consumption needs.

3. Some communities prohibit clotheslines, ostensibly, for aesthetic reasons.

4. Hang drying your laundry is better on your wallet and on the environment

5. For many people, hanging out clothes is a therapeutic activity.

6. There are numerous different sizes and styles of drying rack/lines available for individual needs and accommodations.

7. April 19 is National Hanging Out Day, a day of recognition and celebration for hang drying.

8. Alex Lee, Executive Director of Project Laundry List lives in Concord, NH

We look forward to participating in the competition again next year!  Enjoy the pictures below!

About two years ago, the majority of the Goodwill fleet of trucks switched to biodiesel.  Twelve out of the sixteen trucks currently operate on fuel that contains 5% biodiesel.

The trucks on biodiesel go through roughly 68,000 gallons of diesel each a month. Because 5% of that diesel is biofuel, Goodwill saves 54,776 pounds of carbon from being emitted in the atmosphere each month!

While we are excited about this accomplishment, Goodwill continues to look at further ways to decrease our fuel intake as we work together to decrease our carbon footprint.

For more information about Goodwill’s environmental initiatives, please visit our Green page.

What is your organization or business doing to reduce your environmental impact?  Please leave a comment and share your stories!