So, how about you? (With a survey!)

Rude. Vane. Self-centered. Here I sit in my ivory internet tower droning on about green-ness and such.

But what about you, dear reader? How goes your greening? Any big successes? Any setbacks? Okay, I will quit asking questions so you can click the link below and answer a lot of questions - most of which are still very vane and self-centered, but I tried to filter out the rude ones.

Click here for the survey

 

After May 12, I will share the vaguely anonymous results and we can go on with our lives.

 

May you be happy with your answers! 

Be a Master of Foul, Fish, Flowers, and Veggies in Lubbock!

Yep, you have to love beings with "Master" in their title. Master Yoda. Master Splinter. Master Bean. Master Blaster. Masters of the Universe. And, of course, Master Gardener.

Be a Master G! (Sugarhill Gangsters unite!)

The Lubbock Master Gardeners are at it again - and it's your chance to become an apprentice in the art of gardening and backyard farming.

They are offering four stand-alone 2-hour classes - $15 per class or $50 for all four! (Liking the math on that one!)

• Chickens and the Garden
• Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies to the Garden
• Aquaponics
• Mastering Vegetables

Learn more here (Avalanche Journal) and here (Lubbock Master Gardeners site).

May you go to the classes and become a Lubbock Master Eco Hero!

DIY Tiny Biosphere

Do you ever stumble your way into somewhere else?

I have been looking lately ways to build convertible greenhouses and dome greenhouses and other garden structures. Sure, I have plenty to do, but spring looms. So, how did I find myself looking at a Make article on making your own mason jar biosphere? I blame it on the ghost shrimp.

 

Ghost Shrimp Care, Feeding, and Breeding (It gets a little personal sometimes.)

 

You see, crustaceans fascinate me. If you have ever watched a crawdad having lunch, you might feel the same. Part of it is just the alien-ness of crustaceans - once you get past the two eyes and a mouth thing, they just don't look much like us.

Ghost shrimp have that crustacean appeal - not only are they radically different, but you can see through them. (I am very thankful not to have that attribute, but it might make for healthier eating habits - "You've been eating Snickers again?!!!!")

[Make] Your Own Tabletop Biosphere

 

So, for those of you dreaming of a greenhouse or aquaponics system but keep telling yourself that you don't have the time, money, space, chutzpah, or whatever, this may be the project for you.

 

May the scope of your DIY project be just right, and may your shrimp, snails, and plants thrive!

PCR: Olla Update - Blessed with free tomato plants!

Flower Pot meets Olla (made of two 4" pots)

Saturday we went by the preparedness fair - lots of cool stuff there. I even had the opportunity to see one of the self-cloning crawdads I wrote about a while back. (Another Cool Aquaponics System and Send in the Clones)

'Went to a garden party...

The Texas Agrilife Extension group and the Master Gardeners were giving tomato seedlings to passersby, so I passered by and scored some free plants. (Thanks Linda and Vikram!).

That left me with four little tomato plants needing to be planted and a small stack of ollas needing to go underground. I put 4 and 2 together, and the grand experiment has begun. I found some old pots on the back porch and threw everything together. The compost box doubled as a planting table. It looks like things are falling in place. We now have tomatoes and ollas on the front porch. If they thrive, I'll post pics. If they don't, I'll invite you to the composting wake. Either way, we'll find a reason to celebrate.

May your grand experiments thrive.

The Simplest Aquaponics Setup I Have Seen - elive aquaDuo Aquarium Filter

There we were standing in line at Mr. Aquarium this weekend when I looked over and saw a photo of a plant sticking out of a power filter. I admit I was intrigued. So, I left my wife and her new fish Luna (half-moon betta) in line and went over to check it out. The elive aquaDuo is just what it appeared to be - a power filter that incorporates a live plant as part of the filtration system.

The elive sell sheet

Online reviews for it are a bit spotty - pretty equal on the love and hate. I am wondering what plants would be most appropriate since the roots would stay constantly submerged. [I read the manual - they recommend peace lilies, arrowhead plants, pothos, and lucky bamboo.] At this size (and price point) I can not see it feeding a village, but as a novelty item, I am pretty tempted.

The manual

Points for Mr. Aquarium, which is already one of my favorite local businesses, their prices are actually slightly lower than the ones available on Amazon. $24.99 for the 20 gallon version and $19.99 for the 10 gallon version. If I come across any extra spending money this week, I will pick one up and report back to you on it. Maybe the tadpoles would like to hang out under a locally collected semi-aquatic plant...

May your thumb be green and green!

Instructables Contests: Green Energy and Indoor Gardening!

Artist's rendition of the killer in question - buy here.

I did a little refurbish on my Instructables aquaponics setup over the weekend. To be honest, I do very little with it. It plugs along pretty successfully on its own, but I needed to condense tanks a bit - one of the playa-lake perch refugees had gone on a killing spree, so it was time for some changing, and I wanted to make arrangements to share the light with some potted cherry tomatoes.

As does seemingly everything, it got me to thinking. This time I was thinking about Instructables.

So I swung by the Instructables site and found a few contests that I thought would interest you too.

Instructables Green Energy Contest

Instructables Indoor Gardening Contest

And there's lots of good news. First, they are both still open for entries. Second, they reward people for doing things that dorks people like us like to do in our spare time anyways. Third, you can win cool stuff like electronic gizmos and home aquaponics setups! Fourth, Instructables is just plain cool.

So go build something and get it posted, you lazy hippie wonderful inventor!

May you gain fame and prizes for doing cool and productive stuff!

PS. Here is my own Instructables project blog post: Personal Goal Accomplished - Aquaponics

Texas in Eco-News this Week

Just bringing together a few things I have run across this week for you locals and semi-locals.

Texas messes with Texas, pits landowners against pipeline-builders (Keystone XL)

Joel Kotkin thinks you want to live in Houston. Here’s why you don’t. (Suburban vs. Urban)

Spur Coming Up! (Spur Tiny House Pessimism)

Texas couple builds 100 sq. ft. tiny home for $7,000 (Snagit! That thing is tiny!)

Code 3 Hillbilly Emergency (From SmallTownTexas) (Aquaponics and herpetology!)

May you have plenty to talk about around the coffee maker this week!

PS. Here is another tiny house website  with an article about Spur: http://tinyhousebuild.com/tiny-house-friendly-town/

A Really Cheap Greenhouse (If You Don't Mind Digging)

(Find this image here.)

So there we were at at the Sinus Spectrum watching the kids and our spouses run wild, when my sister-in-law started inexplicably speaking my language. "Bryan thinks I'm crazy, but I want to build the kids a playhouse with a green roof." She pulls up a photo on her phone of a thriving green roof. The conversation rolled forward quickly as she got around to some even better buzzwords for me. "I really want to build a 10'x20' aquaponic greenhouse, and I want it to be completely off-grid." Now we're talking! So we started discussing details. She wants to start small with an aquaponic setup using a single IBC tote filled with veggies and tilapia and start expanding from there. When we got around to the off-grid portion, we discussed a solar water system for heating and solar electrical for cooling, and I remembered an older Treehugger article about building a greenhouse partially underground in order to insulate the space very well and to cut down the amount of building material (& $) needed.

All that is to say, for those of you contemplating building a greenhouse, here is that Treehugger article I mentioned:
Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening (Video)

May you start your own healthy and delicious underground revolution!

Aquaponics and Tiny House on Lubbock Craigslist (Mini-post)

Okay, the aquaponics setup is a straight-up steal in terms both money and time-saving. Somebody jump on this deal and and don't try to talk the seller down!

And for you tiny house people who just don't want to be bothered with building, here is a turn-key option:

May green turn you green!

A Quick Followup to Several Recent Posts

A Day Without Waste

For the day:
a q-tip
a small saline packet
two three small lids from one ounce container (the containers were recyclable)
a square of wax paper
4 receipts
Then I went home and blew it all by working at cleaning out the garage. I feel like the owl from the old Tootsie Roll Pop commercials.

Aquaponics

The system is rocking along. The bell pepper plant's health is improving. The wheat grass is skyrocketing. The basil is sprouting and looking good. The spinach seeds have done nothing. The fish and water quality are great.

The Aquaponics Instructable

WOW!!! In creating it, I hoped that Keith, Swartz, Fester, Leyva, and Toni would read it. Creating an Instructable was a mountain I had hoped to someday climb. In five days, 2200 people have checked it out and 120 have added it to their "Favorite" list. Yesterday, it was added to the "Featured" section of Instructables! Wow! I am amazed and very thankful!

The electric bicycle (and battery pack)

Installed the new fork with upgraded brakes - stopping is a wonderful thing. The battery is now housed in a small toolbox which has a nice little meter for volts/amps/watts and a pug-in for the charger. Now I just need to create a way to anchor the box to the built-in basket. I need to do the math, but I think missed my goal of staying under $200. My biggest mistake was choosing to build a vintage bike that needed a full restoration and had no provisions for good brakes. Had I chosen a more modern used but good-conditioned bike from Craigslist I would have been closer to the goal and would have been on the road much sooner.

Rain Barrel Workshop
I admit it - I cheaped out. Instead, Keith, the Swartz, and I had our own little rain barrel workshop and built three (rough-looking) barrels for less than $50. Now, if we could just get some rain...

The Arts Festival
It rocked! We spent more than $50 there...

May your followups be rewarding!

A Personal Goal Accomplished - Aquaponics Instructable

http://www.instructables.com/id/An-Aquaponics-Setup-for-Your-Aquarium/

May you have a wonderful day!

Baby Steps - Aquaponics and A Day Without Waste

Woohoo! We have wheat grass sprouting! (and the bell pepper plants are thriving post-transplant.) We are now watching to see sprouts from the basil and spinach seeds.

As for A Day Without Waste, so far it's a day with very little waste - one Q-tips and a wrapper from a very small saline packet. I will keep you posted. Lunch is going to be a challenge - the boss just came in and offered buy-one get one free tickets for chicken fingers, and the tickets are only good today, snagit!

May green spring up all around you as your garbage shrinks away!

¡Gol, Lubbock, Tejas! DIY Tiny Aquaponics

Back on New Year's Eve I set a few goals and posted about them. Over the weekend, one of those goals became a reality - and just under the deadline.

I will post more details later, but I just wanted to get it out there - the next tiny aquaponics project has begun!

May you reach your goals, and may the world be a better place for it.

(Thanks to Swartz for wiring up the shelf!)

The post from 12-31-13

Aquaponics Epiphany

I just figured out how I want to do this. Hopefully, I will have photos for you on Monday.

May everything in your care thrive!

(Few things offer more inspiration than a deadline.)

Tiny Aquaponics - Here we go again!

Aquaponics - check
Kickstarter Site - check
Straight out of the Texas capitol - check
Cheaper than I could build it - check
Better looking than the one I am building - check
I wonder if they will take a - check.

Click here if you want to - check - it out!

May fish poop turn your food green! (Sorry!)

Answering Aquaponics Questions

So you find yourself interested in aquaponics, hydroponics, aquaculture, backyard chickens, gardening, etc., and you start asking yourself questions. The first (and most valid) question is, "Why?"

And that leads to more questions:

Would this lead to better physical health?

Would this lead to better mental health?

Would this lead to better financial health?

Could I really bring myself to eat that?

Could I make a living doing this?

Is it worth the effort?

Will my family desert me?

Will my neighbors get scared of the hippie and call the city to complain?

An article and video on Treehugger today asks one of these questions and answers many:

Can you make a living from suburban, backyard aquaponics?

May you find answers and healthy foods!

Aggie Aquaponics

I know, it's not much to look at and at that scale we'll be lucky to feed the neighborhood pseudo-jackrabbit - it's really a possum with big ears. But that's the shelf and 20 gallon aquarium that will be the aquaponics setup. My April 2 deadline is fast approaching. I set it up this weekend and the water is cycling now. I will keep you posted as the grow bed comes together and the tadpoles move into their more spacious new home.

As for the Aggies, the take the A in A&M seriously and they offer up all kinds of agricultural advice. Today I learned that they even offer up extensive advice on aquaponics. Whenever I search Texas wildlife, I am amazed at the great resources that come out of that school.

If you have any interest at all in aquaponics, ponds, fish farming, commercial viability, water quality, or (my personal favorite) crawdads, this website links to it all.
http://fisheries.tamu.edu/aquaponics/

May life thrive under your stewardship!

Mesquite Hugger Resolves to Give Up Resolutions

¡Gol, Estados Unidos! (Pero no resolucíones)

I have tried resolutions in the past, and they all turn out to be that nagging Jewish mother voice that sometimes haunts me. I won't subject you to that again, but you can check out the post from October 29th if you feel the need.

I hear that voice a lot. I hear it when I see the unfinished or unstarted projects - wind, solar, efficiency, transportation, etc. I hear it when I am pouring money into a gas pump and breathing those lovely toxic fumes. I hear it when I am drinking sweet tea from a styrofoam cup. I hear it when I analyze my bank statement and see how many things I support in reality but despise in theory.

The problem with a resolution is that it is vague. I am going to save the planet. I am going to live healthier. I am going to go to the gym. (I never say that last one - too much productive work to be done with that energy.)

So I am resolving setting a few quarterly goals, measurable goals that are attainable. If I hear Mrs. Baumgartner's nagging voice this year, I want it to be a specific nagging.

So, here are three small green resolutions goals for this quarter:

Aquaponics:
I will have an aquaponics system built and operational by April 2, 2014.
Details: 20 gallon tank, located in the laundry room, LED lighting

Solar/Transportation:
I will assemble a solar charging station in the garage specifically for charging the electric 2 wheelers that reside there (bicycle, motorcycle, and Vespa).

Reducing/Reusing/Health:
I will start carrying a refillable water bottle and stop buying drinks from restaurants that use disposable cups. Okay, this one feels a lot like a resolution, I will work on a more concrete plan for that.

For those of you who are thinking to yourself Oy vey, this guy talks too much - this blog needs more pictures! Here is a link to last year's HuffPo green resolution slideshow.

Huffington Post Green Resolution Slideshow

May you have a phenomenal 2014, and may the world in which you live become healthier, cleaner, and more filled with joy!

Since I am moving slowly on my project...

Roll out the barrel!!!!!

Here is a very cool (and inexpensive) aquaponics project that popped up on Instructables today. I really like the simplicity and detail on this one. And, I think bell siphons are downright cool.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Barrelponics-Getting-Started-With-Aquaponics/

And a bell siphon animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHaiVhVZ3kM

May your food be healthy,additive free, and delicious!

Another Cool Aquaponics System and Send in the Clones

Those of you who have been following this blog know that I love aquaponics systems and I love locally produced, organic food. The two phenomenal women in my life bought me a pair of aquaponics setups for Christmas last year, and I have learned a great deal from them and have a much better idea of what is needed to be successful with an aquaponics setup. The system limitations taught me the following lessons (Except number 6 - Google taught me that one):

Lesson #1 - Grow bed flooding needs to be intermittent - not constant. Constantly flooded roots = root rot. So, your plant that shot up and thrived for a month will quickly drop dead.
Lesson  #2 - You still need convenient access to the fish tank. You still get algae and other detritus that needs to be cleaned.
Lesson #3 - the fish still need supplememental aeration - apologies to the brave little guys who gave their lives for me to learn this one.
Lesson #4 - 3 gallons of water is not enough for a stable aquatic environment. See apology in Lesson #3.
Lesson #5 - LED grow lights are a game changer and encourage the plants to grow up straight rather than leaning toward the window light.
Lesson #6 - There are mystery crawdads that exist and have the ability to clone themselves. (No - I learned this is a real thing - not just a movie starring Tara Reid on the Sci-Fi channel.) They were somewhat randomly discovered in a German pet shop several years ago. Now you can buy them on Ebay - but you probably should not mess with things like that - especially the mad scientist guy that reads this blog. You know who you are.

Today, I learned about another modular aquaponics system that seems to address lessons 1-5 to some extent, and it looks cool in your Manhattan apartment. And it's got that vaguely hourglass shape that made a big cola company lots of money...

I don't think I'll ask for this one for Christmas - I want to build an ugly one that uses reclaimed materials and has absolutely no visual appeal - so I'll let you judge for yourself.

http://www.aqualibrium.com/

By the way - the random business idea for the week - the Tupperware brand needs to be resurrected if we are going to keep popping out these modular aquaponics systems. :-#

May your food be pesticide free and may you know the joy of seeing something in your care thrive!