Line up!
Being part of the solution means different things to different people. Money saved, a smaller carbon footprint, and fresh-smelling sheets: Line-dried laundry is the solution that City Councilor David Brown has chosen for over 28 years. Your dryer is second only to the fridge as an energy-loser appliance, consuming 6-10 percent of home energy—so try the solar-powered method!
Benefits:
*Saving money; possibly $100 per year
*Energy conservation
*Clean, fresh-smelling sheets
*Longer clothing life-span
*Zen-like time spent in the sunshine
Tips:
*Watch the weather
*Plan on longer drying times
*Avoid below-freezing temperatures
*Dark clothing may fade outside
Supplies:
Outside, use standard vinyl-covered rope and wooden clothespins found at your grocery store. Indoors, you’ll need an FSC-certified wooden drying stand or retractable aluminum rack (some provide nearly 50′ of line).
Trade secrets:
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Half a cup of vinegar in the wash cycle softens clothes and eliminates dryer sheets (an eco no-no). “Snapping” clothes hard, one time, is key and hanging clothes by the seams avoids wrinkling. Jeans and towels can dry stiff, so puff them up with a few minutes of dryer time.
One misadventure Councilor Brown recounts: occasional fecal matter. Contrary to what our feathered friends think, line-drying is not just for the birds.—Teri Kent
WORD UP
Back road know-how
One of our favorite books—kept faithfully on the official ABODE shelf for easy reference—is Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living. Rather legendary among the same sort of folks who subscribe to Mother Earth News (in other words, back-to-the-landers), this nearly 900-page tome can be just as useful if you’re living on a small city lot. That’s because it not only delivers the basics on managing a stand of trees or buying a young calf, it also delves into topics like food preservation (think farmers’ market tomatoes filling your pantry next January) and harvesting dill (which takes only a tiny amount of space to grow).
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Emery herself is a palpable presence in the book, sandwiching personal history between staggering amounts of information on gardens, thrifty household management and old-time cookery. She seems to have done it all: milked cows, stitched quilts and baked goat-milk brown bread. She’s friendly, encouraging, and a little bit strict: “You don’t need new sheets; learn to sleep between patched ones or between blankets,” she advises in the “How to Pinch a Penny” section.
An indomitable reference, the encyclopedia incorporates wisdom from Emery’s readers over the nine editions she’s published since 1971. Maybe you’ll be the next one to contribute a pickling recipe—or just give one a try.—Erika Howsare
BY THE NUMBERS
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“In most metropolitan areas, only 5 to 10 percent of the housing stock is located in walkable urban places…Yet recent consumer research by Jonathan Levine of the University of Michigan and Lawrence Frank of the University of British Columbia suggests that roughly one in three homeowners would prefer to live in these types of places.”
—Christopher Leinberger, in The Atlantic
Shine on
We love finding examples of the happy union between greenness and high style. Here’s one for your idea book: the recycled-metal tiles made by Oregon-based Eleek. They’re a shimmery alternative to ceramic tiles for your kitchen or bathroom countertops.
The company compares the finish of its aluminum tiles to weathered stone—it’s smooth to the touch (and room-temperature, not chilly as you might expect) but contains patterns that give it visual texture. You can order tiles in five hues and a variety of sizes and shapes, but if you’re on a tight budget, these tiles might go best in a small area like a backsplash or bathroom countertop. (A sample price: A 4×4" square tile in the basic aluminum finish is $11.)
The West Coast company obviously isn’t local, but it does earn green points for running its shop on habitat-safe electricity and salvaging materials used in its manufacturing process. Plus, if you remodel in the future, you can recycle the tiles yet again. You can order through the Eleek website (eleekinc.com) or by calling (503) 232-5526. Check out their snazzy hardware and lighting fixtures, too.—E.H.
Chicken winner
Thought about getting on the poultry bandwagon? Now’s the time to get your backyard ready for those feathered family members you’ve been wanting to bring home, since spring is the time when chicks are most readily available for adoption. The basics you need to consider: housing (coops should provide 3-4 square feet per bird), litter (pine shavings or shredded paper), food and water. Your flock will not only donate delicious eggs to your breakfast table, but will nontoxically relieve your yard and garden of insect pests. Get started at backyardchickens.com.—E.H.
Big art
Being an artist is rarely a lucrative alternative to a regular job. But for elephants throughout Asia, being an artist doesn’t mean working for peanuts.
The Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project was started in the late ’80s by artists Komar & Melamid (so conceptual that they go by single names) in response to a logging ban that left thousands of domesticated elephants out of work, and with little habitat to return to. The AEACP’s aim is to provide fulfilling and creative outlets for down-and-out elephants and their caretakers, who would otherwise be forced to beg.
Here’s the bottom line: Trunk-made masterpieces can take a place on your wall and help support the elephants at the same time. The artwork is available for viewing and purchase at elephantart.com, at prices ranging from $400 to $500. They are bright, abstract and all you might expect from a happy, creatively stimulated pachyderm. The AEACP uses the proceeds to provide veterinary care for the elephants, training for their caretakers, and presumably some paint. Money raised also goes toward conservation efforts for the endangered wild Asian elephants.
So, next time some pretentious beret-wearing art snob asks about your new acquisition you can answer that it’s an “Elsa.” Then savor the surprise when you explain that Elsa is not only an up-and-coming artist, but an elephant from Thailand.—Lily Robertson