Low-hanging, Eco-Friendly Fruit 3B: Bring Your Own!

In our last post, we covered the Just say no! approach to reducing plastic waste and pollution. Here is the follow-up - the Bring your own! method. The idea is pretty simple. Start looking at the single-use disposable stuff that you encounter all the time and find a way to utilize re-usable stuff instead. Somebody on the Mesquite Hugger staff went a little powerpoint crazy and cooked up a few examples for you:

The Nature Conservancy: Paper or Plastic? Neither!

Livestrong: Facts about Landfill and Styrofoam

The Story of a Spoon

The Last Plastic Straw

When you are looking for easy (and cheap) ways to go green, BYO! is a biggie. Really, you can reduce, reuse, and recycle all in this one step. Just find reusable things to take with you. I am a big fan of Mason jars. (Are you planning to bring home leftovers? Put them in a jar. Wanting a to-go beverage? Put it in a jar. Shopping from the bulk bins for granola? Put it in a jar - but be sure to register your tare weight. Need a way to keep your phone dry when you are biking home in the rain? Put it in a jar!) I also find that thrift stores and garage sales offer up some amazing re-usables at very low prices: cups, plates, bags, silverware. The list goes on and on. And it keeps stuff out of the landfill and uses up fewer natural resources. Win-win!

Get this and a lot more detail here at lessplastic.co.uk

The goal here is to stop promoting single-use plastic. Straws, bags, Styrofoam, lids, and drink cups are just a few items that get trashed by the millions every day. Do you want to see how you're doing on this? Make a trash journal. Pick a time period (a day, a week, a weekend) and take a quick note of everything you throw away (and/or recycle). Prepare to be a bit stunned. After you've made your list, look through it. What could you have said no to? What could you have brought with you?

Life Without Plastic: "No plastic straw, please."

  

Are you up for a more ambitious project? Try the No Impact Project Experiment. Me, I am not that ambitious, but I do find it very helpful to keep track of how much plastic (and paper) waste I am producing. It helps me to find more mindful ways to live and do less harm.

So, which Bring Your Own! items have you thinking? What simple steps can you to take to stop consuming plastic (and other petroleum products)?

May you Just say no! and Bring your own! way to a much healthier world for us all.

A Visit to Lubbock's Maker Space: ULabs

So there we were - a pack of unruly scooter hooligans looking for some trouble to stir up. Or more realistically, there we were - two middle-aged dorks on old scooters heading over to see another middle-aged dork who also rides a scooter, but this is no scooter post.

ULabs Lubbock Website

This is a post about the maker movement in Lubbock and a peek inside their lair. I mean space. I mean ULabs.

 

Wait - you don't know what a maker is? Well, a maker is essentially one who would rather make it than buy it. What's the "it"? Pretty much anything - from a tiny piece of jewelry to a tiny house and pretty much anything in between. If you come to this blog looking for DIY/re-use/upcycle, there's a good chance that you are or want to be a maker. (I consider myself a low-rent maker.)

 

One of the big holdups for most makers is lack of access to tools and space and expertise to build the stuff their dreams are made of - things like welders, 3D printers, laser cutters, etcetera.

 

And that's where a maker space comes in. Imagine a place where you can pay a small monthly fee and have access to all that stuff and to people who know how to use it AND love the idea of learning and experimenting and making cool stuff happen.

 

Oh yeah, they offer classes for all this stuff too!

The rather cool patio area.

 

Besides a patio, there is also a metal shop, a wood shop, a welding shop, a textile shop, an electronics/robotics lab, and there are more in the works. There's even an art gallery/meeting place. 

I love Rule 0!

You have to love anything with a big, red Emergency Stop button!

Lathe, anyone?

Yep, I can barely print in one dimension - this thing can do it in three! 

Really - this a place where you want to pay attention to signs!

4 3P0

The important stuff

The jewelry maker room

It's not fair - we missed the Faire!

A robot and a rubber band-ball walk into a bar...

 

For those of you who want to learn more - check out the grand opening!

 

If you just can't wait - here're all their digits: 

 

May you find a place where you can truly make your dreams come true!

 

PS. A special thanks to Keith and Rusty - scooters dorks who are so much more.

Scrounging - the Low-Budget DIY Hardware Store

A bit of brainstorming:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Upcycle

Cheapo Mesquite Hugger who wants to improve the world WITHOUT spending any money

Materialism versus Minimalism versus way too much crap versus way too many unfinished projects

So, let's talk construction dumpsters.

Residential - drawers, 2x4's, and a few ceiling fans

 

JG's daughter and some neighborhood kids are wanting to build a clubhouse. They are all around 8-11 and they are full of ambition and ideas. These industrious kids came up with an amount of cash they need to build the clubhouse - $150. We have been discussing the clubhouse at work. It's one of those things where I realize how differently I look at the world around us. One guy said, "A hundred and fifty dollars - they're not going to build much with that." Several heads nodded agreement. I was thinking That sounds like $125 too much to me.

Guess where this one is.

That's one tall shadow! (and lots of good lumber)

Another residential - pallets and paneling

 

Commercial - lots of shelving and display racks

 

The five sites above are all on my bike ride from home to work. I did not have to go looking for them. When you start looking, you will be amazed at how many you find. People trash a lot of stuff, and a lot of it is very useful stuff. It's not rare to find doors, windows, furniture, appliances, bikes, lawnmowers. If you are into the idea of reduce, reuse, recycle, and upcycle, be watching for construction/remodeling/demolition sites. Me, I try to keep projects in mind and scout while I am out. For example, I need to build some garage shelves soon. I have had my eye out for a few solid-core doors for that project. Sunday afternoon I started building a pallet dog bed (similar to one below) for Condo, our senior greyhound. I have it all cut out, sanded, and ready for home-brewed-coffee stain. So far, I have not spent a penny. Nor have I contributed to a tree being cut down. Also, there is less crap headed to the landfill.

 

Find it here

 

 So, let's talk etiquette:

1. ASK first! We are trying to be responsible stewards - not thieves or gunshot victims. (Remember, I live in Lubbock where two men recently shot each other over a ladle.) If you cannot find anyone to ask (or they tell you no), forget about that one and move on to the next.
2. BE SUPER CAREFUL! Wear leather gloves and safety glasses. Be mindful of what type of waste you are dealing with: nails, screws, glass - these can all tear you up. Be just as mindful of other types waste that can also be harmful to your health - things like mold and medical waste. Again, it's better to walk away than to risk personal injury.
3. Leave the place nicer than you found it. Don't scatter stuff around or make a mess. Besides it being the right thing to do, it will also help to make sure that we scroungers stay welcome there.
4. Show off your new creation or brag about your $ savings - that way we can encourage others to make a dent in our overwhelming waste stream. (Please send pics to the Mesquite Hugger. I love this stuff!)

May you find joy in working toward better!

 

(To Bella and the Blondies - can't wait to see the clubhouse!)

Recycling - Dragging Lubbock out of the Dark Ages

JG sent me a happy pic this weekend - someone is offering curbside pickup for recyclables here in Lubbock again! She found this flyer on her door:

Sounds reasonable to me!

 

I am thankful to see this. Here in Lubbock we don't embrace recycling much. It seems like a good idea in theory, but very few people actually want to bother doing it. So, 123recycling.org, thank you!

The City of Lubbock does offer rather limited recycling services, but they are not conveniently located - unless you live on the outskirts of town. They have satellite locations at a few local grocery stores, but those don't accept cardboard. And the city does not recycle glass, Styrofoam, or plastic grades 3-7.

Recently, Texas Tech has stepped in with vastly upgraded recycling services, but they only have one location, and it is definitely not the easiest to get to, even when you live near the campus. (But I don't mean to complain - Tech has stepped in and offered a great service that our city is unwilling to mess with. Thank you, Texas Tech Recycling, for making Lubbock a better place to live!)

Here's what they take at Tech, plus they have cardboard-only dumpsters.

 

I just wanted an excuse to use this pic again - love tiny trucks that encourage recycling!

 

I have been carpooling recyclables to Tech for my family and co-workers, and it is a bit of a pain, so I am very excited to see that someone in Lubbock is choosing to fill a great need that we have in our city. So, 123 Recycling receives the first ever Mesquite Hugger Be The Change Award this week.

 

(It's not much of an award. MH is a low-budget operation.)

 

Thank you to anyone and everyone who is working to make better choices easier to choose! May you live in a less trashy place!

 

It's easier...

I struggle with easier.

It's easier for me just to turn on the tap.
It's easier for me just to pay the electric bill.
It's easier for me just to drive a car.
It's easier for me just to pump gas.
It's easier for me just to throw plastic dishes away.
It's easier for me not to save and eat leftovers.
It's easier for me just to ignore the news.
It's easier for me just not to vote.
It's easier for me just to buy a new one.
It's easier for me just to trash it.
It's easier for me just to shop at the big store.

Yes. Those things are all easier.

(Here)

 

It is time to find a new adjective.

It's worthwhile for me capture rainwater.
It's worthwhile for me just to conserve electricity.
It's worthwhile for me to walk, pedal a bike, ride a bus, or carpool.
It's worthwhile for me to choose renewable energy in all forms.
It's worthwhile for me to wash dishes.
It's worthwhile for me to save and eat leftovers.
It's worthwhile for me to follow impactful stories.
It's worthwhile for me to research and vote for my beliefs.
It's worthwhile for me to repair my stuff.
It's worthwhile for me to compost.
It's worthwhile for me have a garden, shop local, or buy used.

(My favorite)

 

May you find life rather than ease. (Thank you for reading!)

Political Signs: Upcycling and Recycling

Some of the elections are over, and the town is filled with the political sign carnage. Whether your candidate won or lost, the biggest loser is the landfill - thousands of signs headed to the dump. But there is good news for those of you who are concerned. First, coroplast is recyclable. Learn more here, and know that the city of Lubbock does not recycle that grade of plastic, but Texas Tech does. Second, those coroplast signs are free gold for you DIY types.

[If you have any of the larger political signs to get rid of in Lubbock, please shoot me an email - I have some projects in mind!]

It's shocking, but I'll start with a bicycle:

Bike Fenders and Panniers

or a pannier support (where was this a month ago?)

You know that the Mesquite Hugger staff is crazy for birds!

 

Make a Birdhouse

 

This one may be a little sexy for my physique, but I am sure you could pull off the look:

 

A Halloween costume

 

These next two are from Paul Elkins, a guy who knows how to rock the coroplast. Be sure to check out his trailers, power boat, and teepees.

 

Make a tiny tiny house

Kayak!

 

The Honeycomb Hideout never had it so upcycled cool!

 

A foldable playhouse

 

Any excuse to squeeze in a velomobile!

 

A Velomobile

 

This next one could be adapted for lots of stuff - laundry basket, toolbox, recycle bin, luggage...

 

A storage box

 

I love EcoModder!

Make your car more aerodynamic (and burn less fuel!)

 

Absolutely bananas!

or a yellowmobile

 

 

May you do better with what you build than what you would have bought! Be well and upcycle, friends!

Where we almost went - and may still go

 

Yesterday's post was somewhat recycled. While there are over six hundred published MH posts, there are more than fifty that are unfinished and may never seen the light of day. These are working titles for most of the blog posts that never made it to the Publish screen. Some are well thought out (by MH standards) and some are a few words, a photo, or a link. Yesterday's post was about 2/3 complete, so I finished it up and set it out there. Here are some more:

• *The Motorcycle Fallacy ($)
• The Dwindling Middle Class: Mesquite Hugger's Outlaw Status
• Low Hanging Fruit - Conservation at Home
• Challenge to Change
• *DIY Greenhouses
• How do I want to change this year?
• La Fea y la Bonita - One Guy, Two e-Bikes
• Bird Life Betterment
• The Carbon-Munching Garden 2015 Wrap Up
• We Lost My Older Brother One Year Ago Today
• Another DIY Bike Trailer
• Middle Class Near the Oilfield
• *To Be a Car-Friendly Cyclist
• National Drive Electric Week Shorts
• *How much do you pay for cool?
• Green Consumerism (It's Tricky)
• Introverted Sidebar: Do You or Would You Write?
• A simpleton's wishlist
• Rain Chain
• *Solar Car
• dog poop (compost the crap out of it)
• Eco-Consumerism Conundrum
• Crows vs Ravens vs Grackles
• The Earn-A-Bike Co-Op
• Dome House
• Bike Angel
• *Mesquite Hugger Math
• Route 66
• Cargo Bike Family
• Petroleum-Free Transport - How it started for me
• How well can you afford to eat?

If you see an asterisk beside a title, there is a very good chance that post will eventually be finished. The others, well, let's just say they are composting. If there are any you'd like to see resurrected, let me know.

May your published list greatly outnumber your incompletes. Have a great day, and thank you for reading!



What MH SHOULD Be Writing About - Tiny Houses

Mesquite Hugger Page Views

 

The clicks say it all. Check out the number after Tiny House Posts. The page has more than double the views of any other page. People love tiny houses and visit the tiny house posts often on Mesquite Hugger. Strangely, I write very little about them. Tiny houses are very appealing to me in theory, but not very realistic. Living in less than 400 square feet sounds very do-able for a single human being and it sounds like a pretty good way to cut down on one's expenses, but there's a bit of a hole in that logic. I keep seeing different amounts of money and time frames for building a tiny house.

 

$30,000 is not rare, and very few seem to be built in less than 1 year.

 

So, let's hop over to the Lubbock Craigslist for a second:

 

$30,000 will buy you four used travel trailers

 

Tiny houses make very little sense if your first goal is to save money. If you buy a $10,000 travel trailer you can move in immediately. Save $20,000 on the initial investment and save the money from a year of spending all your time and money trying to build a tiny house. And the trailer already has a title - so there's a lot less bureaucracy in making it legal.

Does the tiny house appeal to you because of mobility? Then check out a bus or a motor home. It's all about mobility. Again, you can get into one for very little money. You can even go off grid pretty easily. Many RV's already have 12 volt DC appliances, so the transition to solar is pretty easy. Tired of supporting oil companies? Convert your diesel to run on used veggie oil. If you get tired of the scenery, start her up and head over to greener pastures.

Now, for the pieces I cannot argue against. The value of building something with your own hands and from your own designs is immeasurable, and having the ability to choose reclaimed/recycled/green materials is amazing.

 

A few questions you might want to ask yourself before you start building:

How good are you at working with your hands?

How well do you persevere on big projects?

Whose nerves and toes will you be stepping on to make this happen?

 

A tiny house can be an amazing project and a worthwhile investment if you are the right person. On the other hand, for many of us (myself definitely included) the tiny house could easily be an unfinished money pit sadly hunkering under a big tarp in the backyard of the larger house you pay for every month. Sometimes the greenest option is the thing already built, the one that allows you to spend time pursuing things that matter most to you.

 

So how about it, tiny house dreamers? Where do you want to spend your time and money? What do you want to be doing?

 

May you find your answer and may it enrich your life and the lives of those around me.

 

Lubbock on a Bike: Helping Others Ride (Co-Op Bike Shops)

Two days in a row commuting on the bike! Beautiful weather! Snagit, it feels good to leave Lucy (the Ford Ranger) at home and pedal to work. It feels good to pedal in silence. It feels good not to be polluting, not to be paying money, not to be supporting OPEC, and not to be getting fatter in traffic.

• Super-low-cost transportation
• Super-low-cost workout program
• Significant personal carbon reduction
• I get to be outside (Yesterday I saw that the Northern Shovelers and the wigeons are back in town!)
• And life is more enjoyable behind handlebars

So, dust off your bike and join me! (I have almost gotten around to the point.)

Besides finding joy in riding, I also find joy in helping others ride. It's not a rare occasion at all to have one of the neighborhood kids show up needing advice or help with repair work. It's not much more rare to have an adult ask for help or advice as well. And my limited mechanical skills are very well suited to things with no carburetors or electronics. (In other words, I'm not the sharpest  tack in the road, but I can help you remove that tack from your tire - and plug the hole!)

I read an article on Grist today that discusses two places where people feel like I do about the joy of biking and the joy of helping others bike.

This co-op bike shop will teach you to fix your own damn bike (and that matters) - Be sure to read about the Bikery and BICAS to see two different approaches.

Co-op, workshop, bike kitchen, whatever you would like to call it, I love the idea of a community space to promote and support bicycling by helping and sharing with people.

Here is my first post on the topic: upCYCLE!

May health, wealth, and joy ride with you!

Simple Conservation Tips for Lubbock: Bottles and Bags

Bottles and cans: plastic, tin, aluminum, or glass?

My favorite brewery favors aluminum cans!

When aluminum is available, it is my favorite option. It is lightweight, transports and recycles easily, and end consumers can save cans and sell them by the pound or donate them to charities that sell aluminum to support their operations. Aluminum is almost infinitely recyclable. Tin has many of the same virtues; however, there is a lot less money in selling it to recyclers. Recycling aluminum and tin lessens the need for mining and the environmental destruction that comes with it.

Choose glass only if you choose to reuse the container for another purpose. Glass does recycle well, but it is expensive to haul and to recycle. It is often cheaper to make new glass than it is to recycle old glass. Plus, Lubbock's glass tumbler is broken - our city no longer recycles glass at all.

Plastic - while plastic has the virtues of light weight and recyclability, it has two big flaws. First, plastic degrades with each recycling, so it cannot be recycled over and over like aluminum, tin, and glass can. Second, plastic is almost always a petroleum-based product that comes at a high carbon cost to the environment and increases our country's dependence on others for petroleum. We are seeing more and more plant-based plastics, but these can still be environmentally destructive because they are very water intensive and also divert farmers from growing food crops - which can lead to higher food prices and food shortages.

Bags: Paper or Plastic?

The most obvious answer is neither. The best option avaialable is to take your own reusable bag. It is even worth it to invest a few more dollars in cotton or canvas bags that hold up longer and that tolerate frequent laundering. Stash a few in your car or backpack so that you always have extras for those unexpected shopping trips (or the windfall veggies from your coworker who overplanted this year's garden.)

You will look eco-sexy shopping with bags like these!

Next in line I choose paper. While both are recyclable, the paper bags are also biodegradable and are not petroleum-based. Do not be afraid to reuse either paper or plastic bags on your shopping trips. You may get a funny look from a cashier, but I have never had a cashier refuse to use a shopping bag I brought with me. Just be mindful that a retailer may not be happy to see your Target or Walmart bag in their store.

May your simple steps make great strides!