Day 16 of our Green Year: Recylcing E-Waste

As a former Information Technology graduate and network administrator, I have a few bits of electronics around my home. Old computers, old printers and the like. In the past, I have sadly simply thrown these items out. However, as part of our Green Year, both Layla and I have chosen not to do this anymore.
From this point on, we will be recycling our e-waste in an effort to take harmful items and chemicals out of the environment, and put old computers and other electronics to use as something else.

Currently, e-waste represents two percent of the trash in the landfills of the United States, however they represent 70 percent of all the toxic waste in America's landfills. As well, since China, India, Kenya and other third world countries don't have stringent environmental standards, e-waste is sent to them to process, often illegally. With the burning, disassembly and disposal of these items there, huge environmental and health problems result. The reason for this is that e-waste has large amounts of toxic items in them, including lead, mercury and cadmium. For example, a typical computer monitor is made up of six percent lead, usually in the glass. The lead and mercury can often leak into the soil and groundwater of these countries that handle e-waste.

On top of all this, e-waste is the fastest growing source of waste in North America, where only 11 percent of all e-waste is recycled. In one landfill in Vancouver, over 12,000 tonnes of computer equipment was dumped in 2004. E-waste does not decompose, so centuries after it was used, computers will still sit, with their chemicals seeping into the ground and air around them.

From now on, in our household we will recycle all our old electronics to eliminate this problem and we hope you do too.

Day 227 of our Green Year: Christmas e-cards

Weeks ago, we decided to go green through sending e-cards from Care2.com. Care2.com would donate to environmental causes for every card we sent, and that meant it was a great way to brighten up a day and help the environment.

Well, being that it is the Christmas season, it is time to begin sending out Christmas cards to everyone. While this is a great tradition, it uses a lot of paper for the cards and even more for the envelopes. With trees more important than ever in the drive to get CO2 levels down, it seems like a waste to use them for this, or even recycled paper for this when it could be used for something else.

So, this Christmas, Layla and I will be sending out our Christmas cards with e-cards. There are several wonderful Christmas e-cards that are available for free through many organizations, or through Care2.com. You can brighten up someone's day by sending them a great Christmas e-card and you do not consume any trees either to do it. Granted, it takes a bit of CO2 (very small amount) to send the card out through Internet servers, but unless the person is standing in front of you so you can personally say "Merry Christmas" it is impossible not to use CO2 to send Christmas greetings. Even calling them will use some CO2. With Christmas e-cards, you send them essentially through the air, you use no trees and you do not contribute to transportation CO2 to get the card from you to the recipient.

If you would like an e-card from us, be sure to send us your e-mail address and we will be happy to send you one.

Day 166 of our Green Year: Environmental Clicking

Throughout Our Green Year, we have joined causes where we will click on sponsored buttons once or twice a week to help support giving rice to people, saving the rain forest and more. Well, we have found another place where you can help the environment while clicking buttons from your computer. This place is kind of a one-stop shop for this and it is courtesy of the same place where we have our e-mails set up (craigbaird@wildmail.com); Care2.com.

At this link, you can save seals, big cats, fight global warming, save the rain forest, save the oceans and save primates and pets. It is a great place to visit a few times a week to help save the environment through clicking. You can take a minute or two out of your day to do this and all you have to do is create a Care2.com account, which also provides you with a Care2.com e-mail address (should you want it). Care2.com will donate to environmental causes for every single e-mail you send.
As well, you will be able to track how many animals you save, how your fight against global warming is going and more. It is a great site that we will be using a few times a week as part of Our Green Year.

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A busy day for us, as outlined in Our Green Year Journal by Layla. Here are some pictures of the butter we made, the fly strips we made out of syrup and organic sugar, the bread we made, our new plants in the basement, the green swear jar we have set up and the shower container for excess water we put in the bathroom.


Also, here is a picture of the cake we made from nearly total organic ingredients, except for the icing sugar and some other small ingredients that were already here when we moved in, and therefore could not waste.

The other picture is of our kitchen table with solar powered candles on it. The vegetables on the table are fresh from the garden and the fish dish is made from fresh fish. Behind the table, you can see that we are taking out the wall between the kitchen and the living room. We are doing this because the fireplace is in the living room, and taking out this wall will help improve heat circulation during the winter, meaning less reliance on the furnace.

Day 162 of our Green Year: Boycotting Retailers

Yesterday, Layla and I went about boycotting various food companies and today we are moving on to the boycotts of retailers who have less than stellar records with the environment. Once again, we use the same website we used yesterday for our list. We focus on North American companies that are actually available to us and companies that actually have a play in our lives (hence no Mattel, since we don't buy toys)

• Colgate-Palmolive: Dropping hazardous waste in New Jersey means we won't be using this company for anything in our lives. We use natural toothpastes anyways.
• J. Crew: This company has been fined $1.4 million for discharging ten million tons of waste in the past two years.
  
• Home Depot: This mega-company carries virtually no non-toxic, poison-free lawn and garden products in their stores. For all our home hardware needs, including making things for Our Green Year, we won't be going to Home Depot.
• Disney: Disney plans to release disposable rental DVDs that stop working after 48 hours, which is a huge waste added to landfills. No more Disney purchases for us, including Disney DVDs.
• L.L. Bean: This company has sold clothing with carcinogenic synthetic pesticides in them. It repels pests and gets into your body.
  
• Canon USA: Canon comes into play on this list because they send small customer chips (Smaller than a dime) in a huge box of packaging. No more Canon for us, including for our company.
• K-Mart: This company has sold outdoor furniture made from Endangered hardwood, so no more K-Mart or Sears for us.
• Lowe's: This company does not use non-toxic or poison-free lawn and garden products.
• Clorox: The former factory of Clorox in Oakland is heavily contaminated with mercury.
• Costco: This company constructed one stop on top of wetlands that used to filter storm water, and provide a transportation corridor for 100 species of animals. Who needs a bag of 200 disposable razors anyways?
• Wal-Mart: The biggest company in the world has done some environmentally important initiatives, but still fails in regards to inefficient shipping. We are not fans of Wal-Mart anyways and do not shop there.

Thank you again to Kelly for providing us with a list of 100 companies to boycott. Do you have a company we forgot? Let us know. E-mail us at crwbaird@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!

Day 86 of our Green Year: The Plain Truth About Paper

Every single day, we all use paper. It may be reading the newspaper, reading a book, writing something down or cleaning up after Fido. That paper, unless recycled or manufactured in a way that is sustainable, can cause large problems for the environment.

Living in Canada, Layla and I are lucky. We are able to work out on our deck, surrounded by tall trees and the environment. Trees are everywhere I look, and the air smells sweet thanks to them. However, recently I read a story on Treehugger.com that stated the two biggest offenders in the world for the destruction of forests and pollution from pulp mills, are the two countries with 50 percent of the world's forests; Canada and Russia.

This really bothered us because we always take pride in the fact that we are Canadian. We feel that as Canadians, we see the environment all around us. However to find out that we are the worst in the world for protecting our forests, well that hurts our Canadian pride deeply. On the news we hear a lot about China's environmental record, but in many ways they are starting to outstrip Canada in terms of protecting the environment and its forests. In fact, China is the best in terms of preserving forests. Studies have shown that 90 percent, yes 90 percent, of the logging in Canada is done in old growth forests. These are forests that are literally hundreds, if not thousands of years old. On top of that, some of the worst cases for paper mill pollution are found in Canada.

It is not all bad of course, Canada did publish all of its Harry Potter books on recycled paper. While that is a lot of books, it does not make what Canada is doing right. As well, one thing we try to do here at Our Green Year is educate people, so here is some 'fun' facts about paper and how it is used, or misused, on Earth.

• Half of the forests on the earth have been burned or cleared, and 80 percent of what is left is seriously degraded.
• 42 percent of the wood harvest is used to make paper.
• The paper industry is the fourth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions
• One-quarter of the waste in the landfills of North America is paper.
• If the United States cut its paper use by only 10 percent, it would prevent 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases from going into the atmosphere. That is like taking 280,000 cars off the road.
• Recycled paper uses 44 percent less energy, produces 38 percent less emissions, 50 percent less waste water, 49 percent less solid waste and 100 percent less wood. Sadly, only 48.3 percent of all paper is recycled

Obviously there is a problem.

So, for our 86th day of Our Green Year, Layla and I are being paper-conscious.

• When we receive an e-mail, or have something on the computer (other than stories that need to be sent by snail mail), we will not be printing anything off.
• All the paper we will be buying, from toilet paper to writing pads will be recycled.
• We already recycle all the paper we can, and we will continue to do that.
• We will make our own birthday and Christmas cards, while reusing envelopes as well.
• We will read magazines and news online, not buying them, unless they are from recycled paper.
• We will write small on our paper pads and we will use both sides.

Also, Layla and I plan on writing a book about our experience with Our Green Year following this (any agents or publishers reading this?...) and we plan to publish with recycled paper as well.
I encourage everyone to check out one of the best sites I have found on the internet, and one of our Green Friends; Eco-Libris. They plant a tree for every book that you read and they should be commended for what they are doing. We need more companies like them.

Yesterday, when we did our TV interview, we were asked if we felt we were making a difference. I have thought about this and I hope we are. I hope that the people who read this are learning about the environment and learning that going green can be a small step (changing lightbulbs) or a big step (recycling everything and being zero-impact). I hope everyone who reads our blogs enjoys them and becomes educated from them about the world around us. We are on day 86 and still have about 250 days left, which is about nine months. There is still a long way to go, and Layla and I appreciate everyone who comes to our site to read our journey.

Day 188 of our Green Year: One Million Acts of Green

Last week, I was watching CBC Newsworld when they broadcast a story about CBC's One Million Acts of Green. It was an interesting concept and it follows what Layla and I are trying to do, which is making a series of small changes in our lives that we hope will add up to big change.

For CBC's initiative, they want to have one million acts of green that are small, but add up to one big change. As it is described on the website, "It is not about overhauling your life; it's about one act from each individual amassing to a million. It can be as simple as switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs, starting a recycling program or walking to work. You can do one act, or you can do all one million! It's up to you."

This is a great idea and kudos to CBC for showing that small changes can make a big difference for the environment. With Our Green Year, we know that not everyone can do what we do. However, as we have stressed in our interviews with media, if we can do 365 green things, someone else can do 10. If one million people do ten things, that adds up to a huge difference.

So, for this blog, we are promoting One Million Acts of Greens and asking you all to register your acts of green as we have. As of this writing, the total on the website is at 89,498 green things done and 6.1 million kilograms of greenhouse gases saved. Good for you CBC!

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Thank you to Jim Caudill from Bonterra, who was nice enough to drop me an e-mail and thank Layla and I for talking about his vineyard yesterday.

He sent us a pdf file that showed his vineyard has been growing organic grapes since 1987, well before green was the new buzz word for business. If you are interested in seeing the pdf, which also talks about the organic industry and is actually quite interesting, send me an e-mail to craigbaird@wildmail.com

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In an effort to help show people what not to do in terms of going green, a good friend of ours, Jay in Ontario, dressed as me during a Halloween party at his sister Min's house, and took a series of shots of him/me doing bad environmental things. Here are the photos below:

As Jay shows us, running the air conditioner while wearing two shirts is bad for the environment!

Jay shows us that talking on the phone while leaving the fridge open is a great way to waste energy.

Leaving the water running while reading a magazine (that could be read online) is a no-no.

Jay should know better than to use bottled water, let alone microwave it to heat it up....

Throwing out glass bottles is a big no-no! Recycle those Jay!

Day 38 of our Green Year: Going Green With Newspapers

I am a big fan of reading the newspaper. I love to learn the news of the day, find out about upcoming events and more. Not a week goes by that I don't pick the paper up a few times. Now, each time I do this I am creating paper waste, because I use the paper for only a few minutes to an hour, it seems like a big waste.
Naturally, you can take your paper to be recycled, which is a great thing, but why not reuse the paper to reduce your purchase and use of other items. There is no better way to be green than by taking items you already have and using them to prevent you from buying more items.

So, Layla and I have decided that not only will we recycle our papers, but we will also use them in other ways to go green.

1. We have already talked about how you can use newspaper in compost, as long as it is not color pages. However, why not use the newspapers as a great way to block weeds? There have been several people who have laid down newspaper in their backyard, after digging out a bit of space, then putting dirt and compost over top of the papers. This helped prevent weeds from growing, and allowed beautiful flowers that were planted on top of the newspapers to bloom nicely.
2. If you have kids, nothing works better for them to scribble on than paper.
3. You can line cabinet bottoms with newspaper instead of buying cabinet paper.
4. We have already shown how you can clean windows with newspaper, but did you know that using newspaper to clean windows prevents streaks on the window?
5. You can also use newspaper in a seed starter pot? It is truly amazing how this can be put together and it eliminates the need for you to buy pots for the seeds. Here is a great tutorial: http://www.geocities.com/newspaperpots/
6. It can be used as wrapping paper, instead of wrapping paper from the stores.

The great thing is that after you use it for scribbling, cleaning or whatever, you can still go and recycle it, so you have reused it for something else, and then recycled it. Win-Win!
Do you have any ideas for what you could use newspaper for? Let us know!

Remember, if you have pictures of yourself or your family doing green things we have mentioned in our blog, be sure to let us know by sending us a picture. We will put it up in the blog to show the world the steps you are taking in your own green year. E-mail pictures to crwbaird@gmail.com

Day 224 of our Green Year: Reusing Envelopes

In our work, sometimes it is required that we send something to a client, contractor or as a submission to a magazine or publisher. Despite the digital age we live in, many magazines and publishers require hard copies of submissions sent to them, rather than e-mail. Until these publishers and magazines make the effort to allow e-mails to be sent to them, we are stuck sending off hard copies in the mail.

We already print everything off on recycled paper when we print something off and we think that we could go even further by making sure what we send hard copies of our work in is reused as well. You can get recycled envelopes, but why not reuse what you already have?

If you open your mail neatly, by just cutting the side, you can easily reuse it. Putting white out or a blank label over the envelope is a good way to put a new address on, and tape or glue is effective for sealing the envelope back up. That way, you do not have to worry about using a new envelope if you have plenty of previously used envelopes to work with.

It is a small solution that can help lower the amount of waste that is generated in our offices and lives every day.

Day 4 of our Green Year: Storing Snow

We are just about one week into our Green Year, and today we took the advice of someone who has read the blog and began storing snow.
Yes, it may seem odd that we are storing snow, but the truth is that it is an excellent way to save water for the summer.
When people water their lawns, they can waste between 50 and 500 gallons of water. Some water in the afternoons, when most of the water evaporates, while others water their lawn too much. Typically, your lawn needs only one inch of water per week. This means that if you have a rectangle lawn (for simplicity's sake) that is 15 by 35 feet, you will need 271 gallons of water per week to water it. However, your lawn can survive on less, so watering your lawn as little as 100 gallons of water per week should be fine.
To that end, we have begun gathering up snow, which we will store in a 71 gallon rain barrel that can be bought from Canadian Tire for about $70 to $90. While we fill the barrel with snow, rain will also keep it full. This means that if we can maintain the barrel with enough rain water so that it is full twice a month, that is 142 less gallons of water we will be using on the lawn each month.
We have not bought the barrel yet, and are just using some containers we have around the house instead. They may be small, but every single drop of water helps and it is another drop less that we use from the watersheds in the area.

It should be noted that when we store our water, we will be purchasing a mosquito net so that no mosquito can get to the water to lay its larvae. You should never let still water exist in your yard, unless it is covered or protected from mosquitoes, who will use it as a breeding ground.

A Shout Out!
Thank you to everyone who has read the blog and sent us e-mails. In particular, Min, Jay and Sue have all told us they will be implementing some of the ten things you can do to save the environment. Every big change starts small, but overtime it grows larger and larger until it cannot be denied. We look forward to receiving more comments and feedback in the future.

Water Saved With Two Small Containers: 5.3 Gallons (small but a start)

Day 31 of our Green Year: Lovin' Lemons

We now enter our second month of Our Green Year and things are going strong. We have had some wonderful feedback from our readers, who have suggested some great ideas that we will be incorporating into our future blogs. As well, today we were interviewed by our local paper, The Trail Daily Times, who are doing a story on Our Green Year.

For today, we have decided to show the great environmental side of lemons, much like we did with vinegar, to show some of the great things it can do and to help prevent chemicals and other harmful substances from getting into our air, water and earth. It is important to note that when you use chemical cleaners, you are breathing the fumes into your body and it can stay there. Going natural is the best way. Here are some great tips:

• Take equal parts lemon and water and you have a great air freshener.
• Pour lemon juice on places where you have ants and they will stay away.
• Forget about cleaners with harmful chemicals in them, just mix equal parts lemon juice and water and you have an all-purpose cleaner. You can also mix it with vinegar and the lemon juice will mask the smell of the vinegar.
• If you need to clean chrome or copper, just mix lemon juice with baking soda and wipe away the blemishes on the copper or chrome with a towel.
• Use hot lemon juice with baking soda to clean drains.
• If you want to kill the germs on your chopping board, sprinkle lemon juice on it and wash it off.
• Lemon juice works great for cleaning glass and mirrors, as well as serving as a great furniture polish.
• On top of this, if you mix it with equal parts water, then you have a natural mouth wash, and it can also be used to disinfect wounds.

There are many uses for lemon juice in your home, and we are only scratching the surface. However, it is important to use natural products like this instead of chemicals because then you are not contributing to waste or putting chemicals into the environment.

As well, if you implement any of the solutions we have offered in Our Green Year, from the solar cooking to this, send us some photos. We will put them up on our website. Remember, this is not just our green year, it is everyone's green year and we are all in this together. E-mail pictures to crwbaird@gmail.com

Also, today I baked some dandelion leaves in the solar cooker and made some coffee out of it and I gotta say...mmmmm it is surprisingly good, and healthy. See how we made it in our tutorial section later this week.

Day 340 of our Green Year: Natural Medicines

Happy Earth Hour everyone! I am making sure I get this done before 8:30 pm so that we can observe Earth Hour here at the ranch.

So, this day, our 340th, we are going to talk about using natural medicines. Natural medicines are becoming more and more popular among people in the western world because people want to try curing themselves with what nature gives them. As well, when we take medication, some of that medication often comes out in our waste (urine and feces) and then flushed down the toilet. They have found that many animals are being affected by high estrogen levels because of the birth control pill. The same goes for other medications.

Now, before we go further, we are not doctors. We are not saying that these natural medicines are going to cure everything. These are just some alternatives we have found. if you truly worry about your health, contact a doctor!

If you are feeling down, instead of taking anti-depressants, you can put a couple of drops of lavender oil on your temples. This can temporarily relieve anxieties and help calm you. Having lavender smells in your home or office will also help.

If you want to heal your skin, instead of using department store facial creams or medicines, you can try 100 percent therapeutic grade massage oil or vitamin E cream.

Another tip for your mood is to buy 100 percent natural flower essences. What are those? Well they are flowers you grow outside with nothing but water and the sun. Flowers are a great way to add nice aromas and balance your mood.

If you are having troubles with high blood pressure, try some nice herbal teas or use some dandelion tea.

If you have trouble with diabetes, asthma or any number of conditions, you can contact a herbalist and see what options are available to you. Make sure you choose someone who has credentials and training with herbs and you should be able to get some very beneficial herbs.

Several years ago, I went for a physical and found out that I had cysts in a certain area. I consulted a homeopathic doctor, and they not only provide me with natural medication for the cysts, but also for my fatty liver (I used to have a weight problem). When I went to get a ultrasound on the cysts, they were gone and my fatty liver had improved. That is just one way that natural medicines can help.

So, unless it is a severe medical issue that only a doctor can help with, we will be using natural remedies for minor things like colds, flus, aches, pains, headaches and more.

Day 256 of our Green Year: Steeping Differently

Layla loves tea, and months ago we went green by buying fair-trade tea and making dandelion tea when we have dandelions at our disposal.
Today, we are going green again by choosing not to buy tea bags, and instead buying loose tea leaves that we will put into a small steeping canister to make tea. Tea bags can create a lot of waste and they are only used briefly. By using reusable tea canisters, we can keep from using those tea bags, and instead use the loose tea leaves.

Not all companies are bad for their tea bags. Some companies have bio-degradable tea bags that break down when composted. These are great products but we thought it was better to just use the tea canister.

Once we are done with the tea leaves, we will put them in the compost so that they can be broken down over time and then reused as part of the soil to make our plants and garden grow high.

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Day 267 of our Green Year: Soaker Hoses

It is January, but that does not mean we can't start thinking about the green things we want to do when the snow melts and the time comes to again be watering our garden. We already gather snow for the plants inside, and come spring we will be catching rain once again to water the garden. However, we thought there must be a better way to water the garden than just turning on a sprinkler, and that is what led us to the soaker hose.

When you use a sprinkler, a lot of water is wasted on dirt and ground that has no plants in it. However, with a soaker hose, you can position the hose so that it only hits your rows of vegetables and plants, and therefore there is very little water that is wasted. A soaker hose has thousands of holes that seep water out into the soil, exactly where you want it to, without wasting anything. It is the environmentally friendly alternative to watering your garden. With a soaker hose, there is no need to waste water where there is no vegetables or plants to water.


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Day 254 of our Green Year: Improving Air Purity

When most people want to purify the air in their homes, they will purchase an air purifier. This device is made to clean the air and make it smell nice and fresh. In our home, we generally use plants to do this, but there is something else you can do if you don't want plants in your home. All you have to do is open windows.

Opening windows may not always seem like it is something you can do to go green, but it is a much better alternative to clearing their without using the energy of an air purifier. As well, some air purifiers don't remove various pollutants, and some even produce gases like formeldahyde, which is banned in our home.

Even in winter you can open your windows, albeit only for a short time, to help clear the air. Keep your furnace turned low of course, put on a scarf and toque and open the window for a fresh blast of cool air coming into the home. The air will feel pure, you will feel refreshed and you didn't waste any energy with an air purifier.

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Day 238 of our Green Year: Bulbs and Empty Sockets

Today, it was an easy task to take care of at the ranch. Months ago, early on in Our Green Year, Layla and I began unplugging anything not in use in an effort to keep vampire power from being a problem.

Well, recently I looked up at one of our lights with CFL bulbs in them and saw that one socket was empty. As a result, I began to think that the empty socket may still be drawing power, albeit only a small amount. This seemed like wasted power since there is nothing there to use the power. If you are going to have light while you are in a room, you might as well use all the power efficiently, without waste. I'm not an electrician, so I can't say if having a light in two of three light sockets in the kitchen is better than having a light in all three, but might as well use what we have.

Therefore, we went around the house today and made sure that all sockets had CFL lights in them. The argument could be made that leaving a socket empty can save energy, but we see it as more of wasted energy. One of the worst things for the environment is wasted energy, hence why we unplug everything.

If you have wasted energy in your home, whether it is heat escaping through windows, an open fridge or empty sockets, you need to take care of it.

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We did laundry today by hand and dried by the heat of the wood stove. As well, we cleared out some of the snow with the snow shovel. One thing everyone in the house has been doing to keep warm, without using extra heat, is wearing a toque. I started wearing one in our downstairs office, and before long everyone was wearing them. It is amazing how much you can heat yourself up by just wearing a toque indoors.

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Thanks!

Day 247 of our Green Year: Recycling Everything On Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! This is a busy day for us so this post will be a short one.

After the presents are open and everyone is coming off that Christmas high, it is time to start cleaning up the mess from everything. At our ranch, we are making sure that everything is being re-used by us so that we do not waste anything.

First, everything was wrapped in reusable bags or in newspaper. The bags will be used again, the newspapers will be used to start fires in the fireplace.

Second, all cardboard boxes that gifts may have come in will be recycled or stored so they can be reused again.

Third, all plastic and any other pieces that are part of the gifts packaging (as little as we made sure there would be), will be recycled in the best way that we can find.

That is all there really is to making sure you can be green on Christmas. Recycling and reusing everything that the gifts came in, so that all you are left with is the gifts, and the memories of Christmas.

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Day 258 of our Green Year: Composting......Hair?

Today it is a bit of a weird thing we are doing, but it is a green thing to do. In our home, Layla and I cut out own hair. Mine is quite easy to cut because it just involves buzzing it off, and Layla usually just chops off a portion of her hair when it gets too long.

Well, we learned recently that rather than just throw that hair out, you can compost it. Apparently, hair is a great source of nitrogen for the compost. Animal hair is as well and with all the cats and dogs we have, it seems like a waste to just throw all that hair in the garbage. Instead, we will now compost it. Hair is composed of 45 percent carbon, 28 percent oxygen, 15 percent nitrogen, seven percent hydrogen and five percent sulfur. All of this helps your compost and makes it work better for you.

In the spring and summer, we will be using our old cut hair outside, by providing it as something that birds can make their nests out of. Just another cool use for hair.

Used hair is used in many amazing ways. Old hair is actually used in the making of oil spill mats for car mechanics. Ottimatt is a company that does this.

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The homemade seed bell worked great and the birds were swarming around it this morning. Wonderful sight to see.
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Do you have a tip for us?
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