Solar take the energy of the sun and charges tiny batteries within the light during the day that keep the light lit up in the night. These lights are not as bright as the ones that tap into the electric lines but they are very good and good for energy savings as well. You should compare solar with other types of post cap lights to see which one will work best for your area before you buy. Either way, you will love having light on the posts outside for the safety it brings as well as the fun!

We also don’t know why others have not joined us because the use of these materials are killing thousands of insects and birds every year and polluting the water we drink. I am amazed how many people don’t realize that the ground water that we end up drinking can easily be toxic and full of all kinds of chemicals we are using on our lawns and gardens because they are absorbed into the ground. What is not absorbed is found in the runoff that ends up in our rivers and streams. This water kills butterflies, bees, birds and other small animals and it drank by livestock that ends up in our food system. Living with a few bugs becoames easy once you learn the high cost of pesticides.

The most important way to keep a lawn green is to compost leaves in the fall and let the leaves degrade into a lovely rich soil.  Then that compost can be spread on the lawn to return the rich nutrients from the leaves back to the soil.  It is time consuming, yet free compost.  The trees really do all the work for us.

Another great organic cure is the use of corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent. A pre-emergent is a product that keeps seeds form germinating—all seeds, not just weed seeds.  Pre-emergents can’t tell good seeds from bad seeds.  Usually, pre-emergents are toxic chemicals.  Corn gluten is completely organic.  It is easy to handle and not difficult for a homeowner to apply themselves.

People who say that they get bottled water because it is more convenient are simply not thinking because they have to spend extra money to by the bottled water when they already spend money in the form of taxes to make sure the water in their sink is clean. They say that it is easier to transport but a water bottle that can be reused over again makes more sense because you don’t have to pay every single time you fill it up.

Finally there is the matter of the pollution. A huge amount of people in the world drink bottled water and sadly most of those people do not recycle. That means that millions and millions of plastic bottles go straight to the landfill. That is maybe the biggest waste of all.

With those chickens, my neighbors don’t have to worry about buying eggs. They can take that off their grocery list. On the other hand, they do have to worry about feeding the chickens. But if chickens are anything like pigeons then they are probably not that picky. And if things went really bad they would be able to support themselves on eggs and chicken. That has got to be a bonus.

I’m not saying that everyone should start breaking the law because it is better. I’m just saying that it might be something to think about. Becoming more self-sufficient is something that could be good for all of us. We could all stand to learn how to take care of ourselves, by ourselves.

It took about a month to get the results back and we have found them both informative as well as mostly doable. It broke the changes down into cost and let you know how many months it would take to recoup your investment, which helps you access what you should or could do. If you get the opportunity to do something like this I would highly recommend it because you learn what you have done right and what you can improve and; you save money!

There are a couple of friends that I thought would never even consider buying local and changing the way they cook and eat but they actually showed me a farm they are considering buying as much meat and vegetables from as possible! I almost fell over with surprise. People are starting to realize the benefits of eating local for our planet and our health. I know for me, using local honey has made a difference in how allergies are affecting me these days and though I have not had time to test it, it is well documented that eating a raw or vegan diet can lead to weight loss and eliminating many diseases including diabetes. Of course, you want to talk to your doctor before taking off on this type of diet on your own but who knows, we may be able to control our health by just eating healthier and wiser.

I asked him if he had noticed any considerable changes and he informed me that he no longer suffers from insomnia, stomach pains and headaches and no longer has the insulin imbalance that was leading to diabetes. He said it wasn’t always easy to eat raw and though he can have fruits he has chosen not to. He has also lost about fifteen pounds and continues to loose weight.

If this is what families have to do every time they go shopping just think about how much time they spend getting the necessities taken care of each week. Do they have to get on a bus to get groceries; get to work every day; shop for clothes for them and their children? There are a plethora of things I do every week and never think about how I am going to get to and from wherever my errand takes me. Just the errands I do for the kids activities is mind-blowing to say the least so I understand if under privileged kids have to say no to activities outside of school. I’m not sure what can be done but in our spread out suburban society we need to be more thankful for the cars we have to drive and more sympathetic to those who don’t have them.

Though my aunt could raise Cain with her neighbor she believes this is a good drill for hard times. She washes clothes and dishes by hand, keeps water outside for livestock and other wild creatures in the area, keeps their house a balmy 85 degrees and has a great outlook on life in general. They use the windmill on the property and she laughs about the “new” wind energy since windmills have been used for years to pump water. The last thing she said to me was the younger generation might learn a thing or two if they would just ask some old coots what worked in their day; after all, before modern technology, they still lived well.