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Build Soil Biology and Build Soil Fertility.

          
           Step 1
             Soil PH
          
           Soil PH is very important to plant health as well. PH is a chemical property of the soil that effects how nutrients are available to living organisms. Many people change their soils PH by adding lime or sulfur to raise or lower PH. For more detailed information on PH see Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_ph

STEP 2
             Soil Inoculation
            
           Soils in new landscape that have been imported may be low in natural soil microbes. You can add these organisms with commercially available products. You can also use your own compost pile if you have one. By spreading your aged compost on your lawn the native microbes will take hold and grow. One word on buying soil microbes from a commercial supplier. Like plant communities, soil microbes are different genetically from region to region. Commercial products are fine but any naturally occurring populations will be better. As I stated above, changing your soils is hard if not impossible. Yet a layer of active, healthy soils can be achieved with a little patience and a few afternoons a month. It basically breaks down to two things.
          
           Building a compost bin to grow soil biology.
    Applying the active soil microbes from the compost to the landscape.

                  
            
           A simple compost bin can be made out of strong wire fencing, a pallet, four cinder blocks, and a refrigerator pan. The wire fence allows air to circulate freely. The pallet will elevate the pile above the tray. When running, the water from a hose will soak through the compost pile and wash all the microbes, arthropods, and nematodes down into the tray.
            
             This example was made from recycled metal fence posts, cattle wire, and a cooking tray. The tarp is to hold moisture due to the arid climate where this is located. The wood at the bottom has a hole to funnel water into the catch tray. All recycled materials.
            
           At this point you can take that liquid and add water, and molasses, then ferment it to make larger amounts of compost tea for larger projects. I feel their is an easier way to do this that skips a few steps by allowing the fermentation to occur in the lawn. It involves using what's called a 'hose end applicator'. Water can be run through a commercial compost bin and caught in a barrel or other container.            The excess water is collected in the tray. then it is filtered to remove large debris like leaves, twigs, etc. This water has billions of good soil microbes. Mix it in the hose end applicator with the right amount of molasses. Then turn on the hose and spray on your lawn and landscape.

Comercial Compost Bins can be used to "extract" compost tea like the example above by running water through the compost to capture the live biology in the runoff. If vermacomposting or worm composting is employed then the rich biologcal liquid that collects at the bottom of vermacompost bins can be applied through the Hose End Sprayer.         
          
           Compost            tea can be brewed by placing a portion of compost in water with air bubbles added to grow soil microbs to be sprayed back to the landscape and garden.
          
           A Hose End Applicator is easy to get at any hardware store. It uses the water from your hose to mix small amounts of any material in the applicator to be sprayed out with the hose to wherever it is needed. Mix a full strength portion of tea with about three onces of molasses. Spray on the yard and lawn untill liquid in the sprayer is clear. Repeat.

The population growth takes place in the soil. These are handy tools to have on hand. It will allow you to apply small amounts of compost teas to the yard quickly and effectively.

          
 
 Step 3
 Adding Sugars
 
           Adding sugars to soil may sound a little strange. But the science is solid. When plants carry out photosynthesis they create sugar. This is the food that animals eat. It's also the food source that soil microbes are after as well. By boosting the sugars present in soils, microbial populations are boosted. This is beneficial by speeding the processes that break down the dead and dying leaves, grass blades, etc. As this occurs organic matter is added to the soil naturally.
 
           One word of caution about applying sugars to your lawn. Of too much sugar is applied then the bacteria population explodes. As this happens the bacteria consume the soils available nitrogen to grow and reproduce. This can rod the grass of nitrogen and cause yellowing of the turf. It is temporary. As the bacteria die off because the sugars are used up, the nitrogen stored in their bodies is released back to the lawn and the green color will com back. A good rule of thumb is this:
 
 3-5 oz. of molasses per 1000 sq.ft. ( 20'x50')

            
             Step 4
             Monitoring Moisture
          
           Moisture levels are very important also. Soil microbial populations need water just like plants do. See my post Save Water in Five Steps for more detailed information on water management.  Hopefully the addition of fossil fuel based artificial fertilizers can be eliminated or at least reduced as your landscape soils grow and become more active, and alive.

We've been hearing a lot about Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), and Green Home Energy Programs Local governments and non-profits have been holding workshops to explain it all and I attended one recently. The idea sounds great -- jump-start the green economy with solar panel installations that provide meaningful jobs for at-risk youth plus new careers for seasoned employees in transition. Vocational colleges have popped up to offer classes in connection with the Solar Living Institute, Building Performance Institute and other non-profits. Some people can even get financial aid that covers the entire training.

So what's the controversy? There are several concerns.

FUNDING The proposed funding for PACE projects would have come from selling bonds, which would be paid off through special tax assessments for the homes on which the panels were installed. These assessments would run with the land, not with the owner. That means you could borrow the money to install solar panels and sell the house before you paid them off. The next owner would just finish paying for them. This approach is commonly used for municipal improvements, like streets. But that puts another creditor in line ahead of all the lenders. And panels on your home do not constitute a municipal improvement. Nice Try! Unfortunately, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised against granting loans on homes encumbered by PACE assessments. As a result, most PACE programs are now on hold, and some of the training is on hold as well.

TRAINING It should be called Green Job (singular) Training, because it's so narrowly focused on solar PV installation. In states like California, where solar PV doesn't really pencil out, it's hard to make sense of that approach -- especially in this economic environment. In addition, the training lasts about 5 weeks but does not count toward or prepare trainees for taking the state contractor's license test. To do this work, you must have a contractor's license or work for a company that has one.

EMPLOYMENT Another controversy is over how many trainees will be gainfully employed doing PV installation. A speaker from a well-known solar installation firm said his company looks for people with building trades experience. Unless forced to do otherwise, these companies will probably just hire the construction pros who are out of work right now -- people who are over-qualified for these particular jobs. But there is still hope -- if cities adopt plans like Richmond implemented, and require these jobs be given to their own at-risk youth and displaced workers who need retraining.

TAKE ACTION We must write letters and talk to our county and city representatives, and ask them to follow Richmond's example. Otherwise, the green jobs we think will provide hope for our at-risk youth and people whose jobs were sent offshore -- those green jobs will be a long time coming.

After years of discussing unhealthy buildings and lecturing on the dangers of sick building syndrome I found myself growing tired of the way I present the data. I reached out to a local theatre company to develop a mock trailer that would present the information for me. They ran with it and turned out quite a nice piece of work in my opinion.

Our background is in historic preservation. Fifteen years ago we re-invented and made commercially available products that hadn't been seen for century. With these products we found ourselves providing goods and services to many of the top preservation projects in the country. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, five state capitals, the White House, and Presidential homes across the country have been our clients. And in the field of historic preservation we found that in many ways traditional construction (mass walls, flexible mortars, permeable materials to allow the dissipation of moisture) could solve many of the problems we currently face in conventional construction.

So we went to the drawing board and started incorporating lime (which made many of this historic properties possible) in as many conventional applications as we could. First, we developed a mortar, then stuccoes. Our limewashes and coatings were already held in high regard as they are VOC free and do not dust like many other products. Then we developed a cement free masonry unit that would allow quick and easy construction of mass (or thick) walls and a permeable insulating grout that helped add to the thermal mass of the structure. All of this was to combat what we thought was one of the greatly overlooked problems in conventional design. Poor air quality.

But air quality, as important as it is, can sometimes get lost in delivery. I wanted to develop some way of communicating poor indoor air quality issues so that folks not only got it, but remembered. About a month ago, it hit me: a mock-movie trailer for a thriller movie. I am on the board of directors of a small theatre company that brings in actors from all over the country to our rural area to produce a summer theatre festival. After chatting with our Artistic Director, he told me he had some guys that would definitely be able to rise to the challenge. So with no budget whatsoever, these extremely talented guys at Endstation Theatre Company produced the following video which I hope will not only be of service to us at Virginia Lime Works, but to the sustainable community as a whole.

Watch the Syndrome here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp4jyZToq1k we hope you enjoy it.

The home appliances, accessories and gadgets dictate much of our lifestyle, using up a ton of electricity. It seems the nature of the beast dictates that everything is made to be broken. The old coffee maker lasted 20 years but the new dies in 6 months? Are you kidding me, dude?

So now it is time to get another coffee maker. The receipt for the old coffee maker is gone. It is time to throw the old one away. lather, rinse, repeat.

There is a big problem in America in terms of savings and in terms of normal practices of its citizens.

It should not take an iPhone repair technician cracking a iPhone 4 screen to make us realize even the top products break easy.

Luckily the internet has come to increase communication and networking - giving us a fighting chance.

What do I mean? It seems that while most of us hide in our homes and avoid our neighbors, on the internet we can be friendly and communicate real well. This is called social networking, aka, messing around.

As a result, tutorials and product repair guides have sprung up all over blogs like this. It really sucks that our products are made to be broken but now there are solutions for most big name products.

Craigslist creates natural networks but be warned, its best to deal with money exchanges during the day and in busy areas. Other networking services are emerging, along with trade-in options for any number of appliances, which are changing the game.

Gardens continue to burst forth with blooms illustrating why as a nation we not only designate the month of May but June too as national Flower Month.

I am in awe of the splendor of year 2010 blooms. I’ve observed an unusual quantity, size, health and aesthetic beauty. Whether a fragile rose or hardy hydrangea, all peak in blossom. Still, typically, there are plants that over time acquire distinction.

As an advocate for sustainability, not simply a use of plants that work-well in a region but those that contribute to regional economic sustainability: developed, grown and distributed within their community, I want to make you aware of a Virginia implemented plant introduction program Beautiful Gardens®, www.BeautifulGardens.org.

Beautiful Gardens® focus is ‘Plants of Distinction’, plants tested across varied climactic zones through out the state of Virginia. To initiate the program, eleven underutilized plants which performed well in USDA hardiness/AHS heat zones 6a/2 to 8a/7, the range of state of Virginia plant zones, were identified and promoted. In 2010, the program added eight plants. Additional detail is available by linking to web site www.beautifulgardens.org option ‘Plants of Distinction10’.

Gardening colleague Linda Pinkham, who has been involved in the development of this program since 2002, first opened her garden as a test site and recently as an activity for the 2010 Virginia Garden Week. Through experience, Linda found the foliage of Cercis canadensis ‘Hearts of Gold’ Eastern Redbud to hold up throughout the summer. She identified Buxus sempervirens ‘Dee Runk’ American Boxwood to provide vertical accents and work-well in sunny or shady situations. Corylopsis pauciflora ‘Goldleaf Buttercup’ Winterhazel was identified as a great plant that announced spring with its soft yellow "bells" blooms and Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’ Autumn Fern to work in almost any shaded area. Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ Pineapple Lily Eucomis in Linda’s Tidewater region emerges in late spring and provides foliage during the hottest summer months. Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’, she found, was more versatile than expected providing linear lines that create design focal points. But it was Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ Little Bluestem Grass, a native grass, which proved excellent for her region’s dry spots and Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’ Coneflower that performed differently than any other form of Rudbeckias in her garden.

While I don’t have Linda’s varied experience with these plants, I can vouch for Virginia native plants - redbud and Rudbeckias, ‘black-eye Susans’. I’ve found these ‘plants of distinction’ to not only work-well but trigger memories of my grandparent’s farm, a site surrounded by colorful redbud woodland and golden bloom Rudbeckias meadows. As program spokesperson Neal Beasley says, “The Beautiful Gardens® program provides Virginians with a wide-range of choice supported by demonstrated sustainable use, an opportunity to identify – connect – with ‘living green’.”

Both in my book, From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green (http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/from-eco-weak-to-eco-chic-lan...) and during ongoing eco-landscape activities, I advocate the installation and maintenance of sustainable landscapes. For, as urban/suburban Communities, we need to be aware of the eco-consequences of individual choices and insure Beautiful Gardens grow with confidence®.

It's almost summer, which means that season is in the full swing. Many homeowners are interested in remodeling their homes in a green, and environmentally responsible way. Green home improvements and energy efficient remodeling are in the hearts and minds of many homeowners this year, especially because the U.S. economic stimulus and recovery act has appropriated funds encouraging green home improvements. Homeowners can receive up to 1500 dollars in tax credits for qualifying energy efficient improvements. With that in mind, I would like to present my top 10 energy efficient home improvements for 2010.

Energy efficient windows - 1

This is the first upgrade that comes to mind because older windows tend to have a lot of problems due to lack of proper insulation, aged window frames with the effects of wear and tear. These little things contribute to energy inefficiency resulting from air leaks, and inadequate insulating properties of the older windows. I recommend installing a minimum of double pane Low-E windows as a replacement for the single pane windows.

Solar mass thermal windows - 2

Some of the latest green building technology innovations, had brought us a new product; thermal mass solar windows engineered to collect solar thermal energy to warm the living space in the winter. In the summer, when the sun is high and with use of appropriate shading, thermal mass solar windows actually help insulate the living space of your home and keep it cool. The special windows are designed as building blocks that are easiest to integrate with the new construction, but they can still be used in some remodeling projects.

Thermal mass solar windows

Energy efficient insulation - 3

Most homes in the United States are not sufficiently insulated. By installing energy efficient insulation, and properly insulating walls, ceilings, attic space, and living space of your home, you can gain as much as 60% improvement in energy efficiency of your home.

Energy efficient roof - 4

If your home needs a re roofing job, then choosing to replace your existing the roof with a metal roof can Provide up to 35% in additional energy savings, increase the short term and long-term value of your home, and finally metal roof can be the last roof you ever have to install. If your roof is flat, you can still install energy efficient flat roof by IB roof systems.

Energy efficient metal roof

Solar roofing upgrade - 5

Would you like to take your energy efficiency to yet another level? Why not upgrade your existing metal roof with solar roofing panels? Standing-seam metal roofs can be integrated with thin film photovoltaic solar laminates that convert solar energy into electricity. Even if you do not have a standing-seam metal roof, investing in solar systems can provide you with significant energy savings and in some cases, completely make your home independent of the electric grid.

Solar panel systems upgrades - 6

Many states are providing some very attractive and financially feasible solar rebates. Solar systems are rated by the number of kilowatts of electricity they can produce per hour. It is rumored that state governments will make investing into solar systems even more lucrative and financially feasible. You can learn more about solar prices, and calculate the cost of installing solar panel systems at solar-calculator.org.

Solar hot water systems - 7

Solar hot water technology has been available for years, but ongoing technological advances has greatly improved their quality, and longevity. Using the energy of the sun to warm up the water is another great way to take advantage of alternative energy innovations.

Energy efficient siding and metal wall panels - 8

This is yet another building envelope energy efficient upgrade that homeowners can take advantage of. Energy efficient siding, or metal wall panels can help further reduce the energy costs of your home and provide long-term reliable protection against the harsh climate and nature's elements.

Geothermal heat and cooling - 9

Geothermal energy uses a special technology that leverages differences in temperature deep underground, and surface temperature. Homeowners can choose to install geothermal heat units in their backyards, which can lower the energy costs by 40 percents.

Energy efficient lighting - 10

Led lighting technology stands for light emitting diodes. Led lighting uses very little energy compared to fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. Led lights are very cool in terms of temperature, which means that energy goes towards production of the light and does not get wasted to generate heat. Led lights last significantly longer than conventional lighting, which makes it a viable energy efficient upgrade for your home despite the high initial cost.

Further reading:

Green building information - learn about green building practices, materials and sustainability.

Energy efficient roofing materials - compare and contrast conventional roofing materials vs.  Energy efficient PVC flat roofs and green metal roofing.

Green roof options - discover elements that make up a green roof.

Roofing prices - survey of residential roof prices in the North Eastern United States.

Roof calculator - estimates roof and prices for any roof type.

Well, what-a-weekend in the off grid prefab house kit that was!

Friday I raced to the prefab modern house, cleaned up, and met with a reporter. Then my family and friends arrived, and honeychile, we trashed the prefab house kit. Saturday we woke up and frantically cleaned up for the Prefab Open House, which was really fun! Thank you all who drove from so far to come visit us in the off grid prefab house kit, STILL with no systems! Then the Prefab Open House was over, and we promptly trashed the house, again. THEN Sunday we woke up and frantically cleaned, again! And a photographer came out. And then we trashed the house! Then I cleaned it again! I. Am. Pooped. It. Was. FUN. : ) We are very grateful to The Ault's Family Farm who not only let us take showers, but sent us back to the prefab passive solar house kit with cartons of gorgeous pullet eggs to give our guests!!! And, why yes, we *did* eat cake! : )

Handsome Husband spoke about the off grid systems we are installing in the net zero passive solar prefab house.

Off Grid Net Zero Systems Talk Part 1 for Prefab House Kit

Off Grid Net Zero Systems Talk Part 2 for Prefab House Kit

As we mentioned, it's not just about a cool modern, energy efficient prefab house. It's about purposely spec'ing for less systems, for off grid, doing more with less. It's the fun treasure hunt to Make Somethin' Outta Nothin' - note as you look at pictures of the prefab, that almost *everything* has been recycled and reused - from the passing-down of my grandmothers bed, to the bookcase found in a thrift store used and already reused within our own family in four different ways before finding its fifth use in the prefab house. A nice woman from Maryland asked me how we got into "green living." (And she is in wildlife management! She should be giving us advice! : ) ) The simple answer is... we grew up with land, feel connected to it, see the cause and effect in how people treat it.  We grew up sailing, so understand the wind and sun and how to use it.  We camp, so appreciate bringing this all together to preserve but also shelter and sustain our family, comfortably. Plus supa coolio modern design is really fun on a shoestring. I like the hunt!

Seriously, it just makes sense. Living carefully, purposely, frugally just. makes. sense. And is tons of fun.

With so much money to be made in the energy production industry, more kids are likely choose to attend a college that offers an education that will land them a high-paying job developing alternative energy or researching the cleanest, most efficient fuels of the future. And more colleges are now offering courses and even majors that concern green technologies. A Newsweek article from one year later notes "Green Degrees in Bloom" with talk of degree offerings that will enable students to graduate as LEED-certified contractors. 

This post was submitted by ThinkDwell. Visit Our Blog.

States and municipalities from coast to coast have stopped using crumb rubber as an infill for artificial lawns, even though the debate continues over the health risk posed by the used-tire granules.

The debate over the safety of crumb rubber is being waged among environmental groups, concerned-parent organizations, the rubber industry and some members of the synthetic grass industry. Although an increasing number of more environmentally conscious alternatives are now on the market, crumb-rubber granules continue to be the leading synthetic infill for fake grass installations.

Early studies of crumb rubber detected potentially toxic substances including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi- volatile organic compounds, phthalates, latex allergens, carbon disulfide, aluminum, arsenic, nickel, cobalt, zinc, selenium, cadmium, iron, manganese, and lead, according to an in-depth article in the Journal of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

In some cases, the calculated risk has been greater than the threshold often used by one agency or another, the journal reported. But in other cases, the conclusion has been that crumb rubber was no more hazardous than the ambient air in the areas where the synthetic grass had been installed.

New York City early last year ordered as a precautionary measure that crumb rubber infill no longer be used on artificial lawns in its parks and school yards. It has not ordered the removal of any fake grass installations because of the concern, however.

The Connecticut-based based advocacy group Environment and Human Health, Inc. has argued that the tire crumbs, which are two to three inches thick and can account for up to 90 percent of the weight of an installed fake grass surface, expose users to the same chemicals to which rubber workers are expose. But the EHHI also acknowledged that the actual risks to artificial turf field users remain largely unknown. Nonetheless, EHHI recommended a moratorium on use of crumb rubber infill until additional studies were done. The group argued that existing evidence shows a “technical possibility” exists that the tire crumbs could cause health effects such as irritation of the respiratory system, eyes, skin and mucous membranes, systemic effects on the liver and kidneys, neurotoxic responses, allergic reactions, cancers, and developmental damage.

On the other hand, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released results late last year of a very limited field study of artificial turf playing fields and playgrounds installed with recycled-tire crumb rubber. The “scoping study” from three sites in Raleigh, N.C., Athens, Ga., Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Washington, D.C. area found that the concentrations of materials that made up tire crumb were “below levels considered harmful,” the EPA said. But the agency also said the study was only a first step, was limited in scope and that it will use the results to determine possible next steps to address safety questions of crumb infill.

Industry groups generally say that the crumb-tire surface is safe to use, and that there is no evidence indicating that users face significant risk.The Synthetic Turf Council, the industry’s leading trade association, said in a June, 2009, statement that a follow-up report by the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation supported the trade group’s claims of crumb rubber’s safety.

The better-safe-than-sorry position taken by New York City and other jurisdictions is meanwhile the stance that some artificial grass companies have taken.

“We’d rather err on the side of being responsible when it comes to public health,” said Greg Goehner, president of NewGrass, a leading manufacturer of synthetic grass.

NewGrass is among the synthetic lawn companies that encourage their distributors to opt for an environmentally friendly infill alternative that’s basically a form of silica and sand. There are in fact several alternatives to rubber infill for synthetic grass. Most are completely void of any kind of rubber granules. A few examples include infill materials made from:

• A combination of natural plant fibers and cork

• Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), also known as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), a stabilizing and shock-absorbent material that has been developed specifically for synthetic turf.

• EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), a cross-linked rubber compound, also referred to as “virgin material.” These infills are made of pure EPDM rubber and fillers whose composition varies (not used-tire rubber).

• Granules made from polyolefin, a thermoplastic polymer produced from a single monomer and which is environmentally friendly in its composition and completely recyclable. Some makers use a combination of post-consumer recycled resilient granules and sub-angular sand.

“In addition to the jury still being out on crumb rubber infill,” NewGrass's Goehner said, “we believe artificial grass is an eco-friendly and environmentally sound alternative to turf grass for many reasons, from saving water to not needing fertilizers. Getting rid of used-tire granules in our installations is part of acting on that belief.”