Living Like Ed: One Man's Guide to Living an Environmentally Friendly Life
Ed Begley Jr. - 2008
From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style–with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic. From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas–from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.
Radical Simplicity
Dan Price - 2005
Author Dan Price, a Thoreau for the twenty-first century, has helped champion a growing trend that’s been variously referred to as downshifting,” opting out,” or simple living.” What makes his book so different and engaging is that he speaks from the authenticity of first-hand experience, for Price is an American original who has made his dreams a reality. His message is: You can live a life of freedom, in harmony with the rhythms of nature, and your own internal rhythm and creativity. You can live very well with very little money. That’s what I’ve done, and I can show you how.” This is as much a reading” book as a how-to guide, one that expresses its profound insights into carving out a life of meaning in a beautiful, practical way. It is bound to strike a chord with world-weary baby boomers as well as time-pressured but still idealistic members of the younger generation.
Lawns into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape
Owen Wormser - 2020
This is a how-to book on meadow-making that's also about sustainability, regeneration, and beauty.In a world where lawns have wreaked havoc on our natural ecosystems, meadows offer a compelling solution. It is garden landscaping that is beautiful, all year round. Meadows establish wildlife and pollinator habitats, are low-maintenance and low-cost, have a built-in resilience that helps them weather climate extremes, and can draw down and store far more carbon dioxide than any manicured lawn. Wormser describes how to plant an organic meadow garden or traditional meadow, that’s right for your site. His book includes guidance on:-Preparing your plot-Designing your meadow-Planting without using synthetic chemicals-Growing 21 starter native grasses and wildflowers, including butterfly weed, smooth blue aster, purple coneflower, wild bergamot, and many more.He also includes tips on building support in neighborhoods where a tidy lawn is the standard, and how to become a meadow activist. To illuminate the many joys of meadow-building, Wormser draws on his own stories, including how growing up off the grid in northern Maine, with no electricity or plumbing, prepared him for his work."It’s time to rebuild meadows wherever we can, including the deadscape we call lawn. Owen Wormser explains why, and how to do this, with oodles of highly readable, ecologically sound advice." -Douglas W. Tallamy, Professor of Entomology, author of Bringing Nature Home and Nature's Best Hope"The author tells us how to grow a meadow, and become a positive force on behalf of the planet. I highly recommend this book." -Dr. John Todd, Ecologist, author of Healing Earth
Real Simple: Solutions: Tricks, Wisdom, and Easy Ideas to Simplify Every Day
Real Simple - 2005
It does, however, provide priceless tips for removing an ink stain, slicing a grapefruit, or painting a room. Inspired by a perennially popular Real Simple magazine feature, the book organizes its jiffy-fix tricks by activity that cover cooking, cleaning, decorating, entertaining, dressing, grooming, working, and more.
Simply Living Well: A Guide to Creating a Natural, Low-Waste Home
Julia Watkins - 2020
For every area of your household—kitchen, cleaning, wellness, bath, and garden—Julia shows you how to eliminate wasteful packaging, harmful ingredients, and disposable items. Practical checklists outline easy swaps (instead of disposable sponges, opt for biodegradable sponges or Swedish dishcloths; choose a bamboo toothbrush over a plastic one) and sustainable upgrades for common household tools and products. Projects include scrap apple cider vinegar, wool dryer balls, kitchen bowl covers and cloth produce bags, non-toxic dryer sheets, all-purpose citrus cleaner, herbal tinctures and balms, and more, plus recipes for package-free essentials like homemade nut milk, hummus, ketchup, salad dressings, and veggie stock.
Everyday Bicycling: How to Ride a Bike for Transportation (Whatever Your Lifestyle)
Elly Blue - 2012
Elly Blue introduces you to the basics, including street smarts, bike shopping, dressing professionally, carrying everything from groceries to children to furniture, and riding in all weather. With its positive practical approach, this book is perfect for encouraging anyone who has ever dreamed of making this lifestyle change to just hop on a bike.
More Show Me How: Everything We Couldn't Fit in the First Book Instructions for Life from the Everyday to the Exotic
Derek Fagerstrom - 2010
Volume two of the Show Me How series contains brand-new instructions that show readers how to amaze, trick, create, style, and love, among other endeavors. Ideas range from the practical (hang a ceiling fixture; hem a pair of pants) to the outrageous (boobytrap a bathroom; forge an antiquity) to the romantic (ace a school crush; send a saucy cell phone pic.) So go ahead and learn some killer pool moves. Or stage your own impromptu gallery show. Style you hair in a fauxhawk. More Show Me How is the indispensable real-life resource that helps readers live life to the fullest and be the star of the party.
Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces: A Layering System for Big Results in Small Gardens and Containers
Patricia Lanza - 2002
Pat Lanza's proven lasagna gardening method produces amazing results in pots and small plots. Even in beds just 4 inches wide, you can grow bountiful, beautiful gardens with no digging, no weeding-- no kidding!
The Self-Sufficiency Handbook: A Complete Guide to Greener Living
Alan Bridgewater - 2007
With easy-to-read layouts and simple text, it runs the full ecological gamut, from geothermal heating to crop rotation to soap making. The Bridgewaters, well-regarded garden writers, help readers answer questions such as how much land they really require, whether or not to depend entirely on natural forms of energy, and which farm animals will best meet their needs. There’s practical information on building an insulated flue-pipe chimney, identifying edible wild plants, and composting with worms. In addition to recipes for jams, rhubarb wine, and other delicious foods, three A-Z sections offer planting and harvesting instructions for vegetables and salad crops, fruits, and herbs.
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills
Abigail R. Gehring - 2007
Created to both inspire and instruct, it returns readers to an era before power saws and fast food restaurants so they can rediscover the pleasures and challenges of a more self-sufficient, economical, and healthy lifestyle. Packed with hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, charts, tables, diagrams, and illustrations, it explains how to dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees for propagation, raise chickens, create a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will learn how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead.
How To Live Off-Grid - Journeys Outside The System
Nick Rosen - 2007
Off-grid locations can range from private islands to yurts and tree-houses; the people living there might be back-packers, right wing survivalists, international business travellers or hippies; they may move around in buses or yachts, houseboats or 4-wheel drives. All are outside or in between the criss-crossing lines of power, water and phone that delineate the civilized world. Some are trying to save the planet, some live that way because it is all they can afford, some just want the freedom.This book is about that physical sense of off-grid. But it is also about taking the off-grid attitude into your local park or your own back garden. It is part travellogue as Nick Rosen, his wife and baby take off in a camper van to visit off-gridders representing every aspect of living off-grid, both part-time or permanent. And it is also a guide to avoiding the pitfalls and finding the best solutions - and the most appealing gadgetry - for going off-grid yourself.
Building Chicken Coops for Dummies
Todd Brock - 2010
Building Chicken Coops For Dummies gives you the information you need to build the most cost-efficient, safe, and easy-on-the-eye enclosures for your backyard flock. This practical guide gives you easy-to-follow and customizable plans for building the backyard chicken coop that works best for you. You'll get the basic construction know-how and key information you need to design and build a coop tailored to your flock, whether you live in a small city loft, a suburban backyard, or a small rural farm.Includes detailed material lists, instructions, and schematic plans for building a host of different chicken coops Step-by-step guidance on how to build a coop--or design your own Accessible for every level of reader Whether you're just beginning to gain an interest in a back-to-basics lifestyle or looking to add more attractive and efficient coops to your current flock's digs, Building Chicken Coops For Dummies gives you everything you need to build a winning coop!
Graphic Guide to Frame Construction
Rob Thallon - 1991
This revised fourth edition reflects the most recent changes in residential frame construction. It contains more details for engineered wood products, fasteners, and seismic hold-down requirements, as well as the latest IRC code updates. It is well annotated and covers foundations, floors, walls, stairs, and roofs. Because examples are taken from actual job sites by a trusted expert, this book is an invaluable visual aid that can help builders and homeowners alike to tackle a wide range of framing projects.
Putting Food By
Janet Greene - 1975
This new revised edition updates the information and adds several new sections on how to: preserve with less sugar and salt, make better-than-store-bought foods at home, freeze for the microwave, preserve and can for the small family, can and freeze convenience foods, choose the right equipment, and make Christmas presents.
Freakin' Fabulous on a Budget
Clinton Kelly - 2013
Now Clinton Kelly—America’s favorite expert on, well, everything—applies his brilliant sense of style and humor to all aspects of life, from dining and entertaining to decorating and etiquette. And he does it all without spending a fortune!In this ingenious new collection of must haves, whatnots, and need-to-knows, Clinton Kelly proves that it doesn’t take a lot of money to look like a million bucks. In fact, you can dress, entertain, and decorate in a way that makes everyone think you’re filthy rich!Clinton shows you how to:LOOK YOUR BEST—FOR LESS Put together beautiful designer looks at a fraction of the cost!EAT LIKE A KING (OR QUEEN) Stuffed Artichokes! Beef Bourguignon! Chocolate Soufflé!LIVE IT UP & PARTY DOWN Throw fabulous dinner parties that won’t break the bank!DIY YOUR HOME, CHIC HOME Make your own “mercury glass” lamps, haute-couture napkins, high-end centerpieces, and MoMA-worthy artwork! Packed with full-color photos, bargain-hunting tips, posh party ideas, easy-but impressive recipes, dazzling home projects, and everyday indulgences that don’t cost a dime, Clinton’s book is the perfect fit for any size bank account. Now that’s freakin’ fabulous!