Leafminers aren't picky about their dwelling. If you were a plant, healthy or puny, they'd invade your leaves too. From the luscious of home gardens to the most unkempt greenhouse, you'll find a few Leafminers there. Really, what are these notorious Leafminers? Leafminers are seen as insects in their larval stage or in plain terms, larva. These insects in their larval stage, feast on the tissues of plants. In extreme cases, a leaf would be infested with at least 6 maggots. It's highly plausible...
The bee population is in trouble. Colony Collapse Disorder is a mysterious malady that is decimating bee colonies all the country and could kill them completely, which would leave all of the plants and honey-loving people of the world in serious trouble. This video will give you some tips for encouraging the bee population, which is really one of the most green things you can do in this, the bees' time of need.
Growing whatever food that you can yourself is tremendously good for the environment because industrial food production has all sorts of ecological problems. If you live in an apartment, it might seem impossible to grow your own food. Think again! This video will show you how to make a window garden in your apartment and use it to grow herbs and other small crops, decreasing your carbon footprint and making your meals more green.
Toilets are one of the greatest boons to public health of all time, but they do use a ton of water when they flush. If the old adage "If it's yellow, stay mellow. If it's brown, flush it down," disgusts you, but you still want to find a more green way to flush, then watch this video. I will show you how to modify your toilet at home, making it use less water without sacrificing flushing efficiency. Don't waste money on a low-flow toilet or destroy the planet. Watch this video.
Cockroaches are one of the most durable and and irritating forms of life on Earth. Many turn to toxic chemicals to get rid of them, but that's not very green is it? This video will give you some eco-friendly tips for preventing infestations, trapping insects, and disposing of them once you've caught them. Yes, cockroaches are part of nature. No, that doesn't mean we're not going to kill them.
Bathing is one of the most enjoyable and least environmentally responsible part of many people's days. Fortunately, showers use less water than baths, so we're better off than we used to be. This video will show you how to green your shower even further, reducing your water usage as well as your water and heating bills, and increasing the longevity of our water supplies and planet.
Science investigatory projects suck, or at least seem to at first. But you shouldn't let school drag you down. Instead, use your homework assignment as an opportunity to solve a problem you've always been interested in. And it doesn't hurt if the end result is eco-friendly, either.
Phantom loads are what happens when you leave electronic devices plugged in when they are not in use. Even if you do not have your electronics turned on, they are still putting out an electric charge. These phantom loads can be prevented with a few simple changes.
Unwanted advertising is everywhere. Annoying pop-up ads, overly loud late night commercials, spam...it never ends. And before spam, there was junk mail. Junk mail is even worse because unlike TV commercials and internet ads, it's physical. You can't just delete or ignore it—and it's an awful waste of paper.
If you want to save money on your electric bill, try building some of these solar panels using solar cells wired in a series. You can save money by using extra glass you or a friend may already own if it isn't being used. Soon you can harness the power of the sun by creating your own solar electricity.
Think you have a stain on your stove or countertop that just won't come off? Think again! This simple trick will have your kitchen surfaces gleaming in no time!
While it might seem strange that something so simple can help you reduce a huge amount of savings, reflecting the light of the sun during the summer helps to keep that air-conditioner turned off, and letting a little light and heat through the slats of your shutters on a chilly December day can help you keep the heater off a little longer. Heating and air-conditioning systems are the number one output of energy in the home, so reducing energy here can really make a big difference.
Feeling inspired by the incredible Biosphere 2 project? Make your own aquatic biosphere and witness the incredible phenomenon of a self-contained marine ecosystem right on your desk. This is a simple project that won't take more than an afternoon to put together, but could last for years.
For on-the-go lighting of birthday candles (those surprise birthday parties really get you), homemade explosives (because making stuff explode is fun), and cigarettes, a cheapo BIC lighter is a totally awesome fix. But most BIC lighters run out pretty quickly and get tossed without second thought.
Fruit flies suck, but the fruit fly traps you can get from a hardware store can sometimes be environmentally damaging. Here is how you can make a safe fruit fly trap out of a votive glass, plastic wrap and apple cider vinegar.
Sputnik, Apollo and the Space Race. If you watched the State of the Union address last night, you probably heard President Barack Obama mention those three things.
Papaya soap can be great for reducing the appearance of scars, but it can sometimes be difficult to find. This tutorial shows you how to make your own papaya cucumber soap at home. All you need is a juicer or blender and some glycerin melt and pour soap.
Lip plumpers can sometimes get expensive, but you can make your own at home! A great handmade gift, or just to use for yourself! This shows you how to create your own lip gloss or lip plumper using cinnamon and peppermint oils.
Christmas is almost over— all of the presents are unwrapped, all of the prime ribs have been eaten, the whole family's drunk off eggnog— and soon it will be time to forget about Christmas until next year.
Think you're more green by going artificial? Think again. The New York Times reports that the most definitive study shows you would have to use your artificial tree for 20 years before it has less impact on the environment than a real tree.
Christmas and the holiday season can generate quite a bit of trash on their own, so what do you do when you want to maintain your green lifestyle over the holidays? This tutorial gives you tips on how to recycle packing material, wrapping paper and even your Christmas tree.
Keep your Christmas green! Don't resort to environmentally unfriendly wrapping paper. You can put your gifts in cloth bags or use catalog and magazine pages as your wrapping paper. Or, just use plain brown paper bags and decorate them as your wrapping paper!
Shopping bags are an ecological nightmare, so many modern shoppers use eco-friendly reusable shopping bags. If you have a stash of eco-friendly bags and want to store them more easily, watch this video to learn a novel way to fold these bags that turns them into a tiny pouch, which you could even still use to hold things if you wanted.
Many Americans save all of the plastic bags that they take home from stores. They get used sometimes, but mostly they just accumulate in some corner of the kitchen until there are so many that you are FORCED to throw some away. If you have this problem, watch this video to learn how to fold plastic shopping bags in on themselves into a tiny package that takes up less room and is easier to grab than a balled-up bag.
Recycling things isn't nearly as efficient a means of conserving resources as reusing your waste material in it's current form. Enter this video. It will teach you how to make an awesome little trash can / waste paper basket out of perhaps the most appropriate material of all: old newspapers!
Want to have a green Thanksgiving this year? You can make a classy, lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece with your children out of recycled materials! This project uses empty glass soda bottles, a few paints, flowers and some old jewelry or colored beads.
Are you an avid gardener who tends to your plans on a daily basis? Then before you step foot outside the door today, check out this video to learn a plethora of tips for going green with your gardening.
When it comes to staying safe, we all know that dish detergents, spray cleaners, and any sort of bleaching cleaners are bad for our health, since they distribute potentially cancer-causing toxins into the air.
In this video, we learn how to recycle cans and make decorative candle votives. First, you will use a straight edge to remove any paper from the top of the can. Then, use the straight edge to cut parallel holes in the bottom of the can. Grab sharp scissors and continue to cut the holes from the bottom all the way up to the top of the can. After this, use scissors to help pry the folds up and into the air for a cute design. Make sure not to use your hands to pry these up, as the edges will be...
In this tutorial, we learn how to install a dual flush toilet kit. First, grab the directions from the box that the toilet came in and read them! After this, you will take the lid off the tank of the toilet. Then, install the flusher into the tank of the toilet after removing the flapper and the chain. Continue to install the kit according to the directions and secure it inside the tank. When finished, place the top of the toilet back on the tank and then turn the water back on. Test this out...
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a homemade compost tumbler. Find a large barrel and mount it on a wood frame. You can use recycled materials, like an old pickle barrel if you can find one. There should be an axle in the middle of the wooden posts that runs through the tumbler as well. There should be a pipe in the middle bottom of the barrel to run air through, that will exit through the top where the handles are at. The aeration system will help your compost work properly, so you can...
In this tutorial, we learn how to recycle an empty can into an ashtray. First, take your can and cut the top off. Then, cut 16 flaps into the can, not cutting the bottom off. Now, flatten them and fold them each into each other. Continue to do this until you have gone all around the can and you have a sort of star shape that has been make. Flatten all of the bends on the tray and then push the bottom of the can in. Now you can use this as a decorative ashtray without having to pay for it, enjoy!
This is a video tutorial in the Home & Garden category where you are going to learn how to recycle an old can to make a candle votive. Take an old can and cut it vertically along the side without cutting off the edges. Now cut along the top and bottom edges starting at the vertical cut and going outwards on each side. Cut up to about half of the circumference of the can. Now pull out the cut halves and you have the basic stand for the votive candle. Now you got to straighten out the jagged...
In this video we learn how to recycle plastic bottles and make a decorative mobile. Start off by cutting the strips off of the water bottle then pinning them down to a table. After this, you will start to cross each of these with another piece to make a checkered effect. Nail them down on the sides as well to make it stick to where you want it. When finished, you will remove the nails and then place in a needle with beads and shells attached to it on each of the holes. Once you are finished...
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a compost toilet. First, you will need a 5 gallon bucket. Then, you will need to put a toilet seat on top of it so it's comfortable. After this, build a cabinet around it to make it look nice. After this, you will need to put something inside it, like sawdust, which will absorb the liquid inside. Now, you can feel free to use this for a bathroom! For ventilation, you can use a hair dryer from your local thrift store which will connect to the back wall and...
In this tutorial, we learn how to recycle cans to make garden decor. First, use small scissors to poke a hole in the top of the can, then cur around the top of it until you have removed the mouth. After this, cut a rigid design in the top of the can and then cut five slits going down on all the sides. Push these down, then cut the sides of them so they are slightly rounded. From here, you will attach these to another can that has been spread out with tons of different slits. Place this on a rod...
With this video, we learn how to recycle milk bottles to make decorative flowers. First, mark eight coupled marks on four sides of the bottom of the bottom. Then, poke holes into them and cut into them with sharp scissors. From here, you will continue to do this all the way around the bottom of the bottle until you have created petals. Then, cut above these to make long oval types of shapes and then spread the petals out on the bottom and on the top. Pull the longer petals into the open areas...
In this video, we learn how to make a small windmill from a permanent magnet motor. You will need: a motor, a rotor, and a stand to make this. First, you need to find a motor that has permanent magnets on it, like one from a printer. Then, grab a windmill like one from the garden and make a stand by combining three pieces of wood. Then, heat up the side of the motor and connect it to the middle of the windmill so that it spins around. After this, you will connect it to the stand with a...
In this tutorial, we learn how to begin composting. When you compost, you have a lot of choices of where you want to compost. You can do it inside of a metal bin, in a small tumble type of container, or a wood cedar box. If you are doing a lot of composting, use a large composting bin that you will turn with a shovel. It's important to get oxygen into the pile to keep the bacteria growing. You can use compost accelerator to help get things going and make it more successful. You can compost...
This may not work for everyone, since each person has a different pH balance. Or you may need to alter the recipe a bit. What you need is: shea butter, baking soda, corn starch, cocoa butter, Vitamin E gel caps and your favorite essential oil.
Dumpsters make great swimming pools and skateboard ramps, but when they're full of trash, they're pretty valuable, too. You can get a surprising amount of free booty dumpster diving. If you're a penny pincher who values low cost (re: free) functionality, check out Apartment Therapy's guide to mastering the craft. Below, my three favorite insider tips.
In this tutorial, we learn how to use an Eco-san toilet. These have been designed to protect and preserve the environment. The excrement are disposed of separately and do not use water for flushing. The structure is above the ground and has a concrete slab on the bottom. Platforms are constructed on top of this, then there is a room built above this. There are three parts, the shallow for urine, the middle for excrement, and the last part for cleaning. The user must know how to do use the...
Your home office is missing something… hmm… maybe something to hold your recycled printer paper, and what better to hold your recycle paper than a recycled paper tray? Nextraker shows you a neat hack involving a few dust-collecting compact discs that will make a eco-friendly paper tray to organize your desk. It's a amazing what you can do with a few old CDs.
If you fancy yourself a nomad, check out Walking House, a mobile and modular dwelling system that is pneumatically powered, all-terrain ready. The vehicle-home crawls along at a snail's pace of 60 meters per hour, which equates to less than 1/2 a mile per hour. Akin in concept to the rolling house-on-the-go (except in the way cooler insect-like robot form), Walking House also boasts some cool eco-friendly features:
If you need to protect your toilet paper rolls from overactive pets, or want a way to travel with tp without having it unroll, you can create a quick and easy toilet paper holder just using an old case for blank CDs and a box cutter.
Start with a cereal box, then measure and cut away the top corner at a diagonal. Once you've cut out your magazine holder, you can further recyle magazines as decorations, or paint and stencil your own! Hold papers, books, magazines or anything else.
Don't throw away your old CDs and DVDs! All you need is a little felt, some glue and an X-acto knife to turn obsolete software into techie home decor. Just glue the felt to the disc, and then cut out once the glue is dry.
Concerned about the unpronounceable chemicals you see on tubes of toothpaste? Clean your tetth and keep your breath fresh without having to introduce unpleasant chemicals to your system! All you need is some baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, essential oils (mints are best) and a few drops of stevia (optional). Combine together, and smile! You have homemade toothpaste!
Killing bugs used to be the domain of fancy chemicals that, it turns out, hurt us as much or more than the bugs. If you have a flying pest problem and need a green way to control it, watch this video to learn how to make a DIY wind tunnel trap for your insect nemeses.
