So far in this series we have covered how to plan your organic vegetable garden, increase your soil health, plant your crops and make compost. We have also discussed the benefits of mulching and how to weed and prune in the small-scale vegetable garden. After a few months without an article, it’s time to begin the series again. In a prelude to next month's article on what to plant in winter, this article looks at some intelligent tips for watering.
Valentines’ Day is all about Love, but how do you celebrate something that cannot even be described?
In the past when people thought of a sustainable living environment, many imagined a farmhouse lacking modern plumbing and basic comforts. This is no longer the case and modern sustainable designers are proof of that!
So far in this series we have covered how to plan your organic vegetable garden, increase your soil health, plant your crops and make compost. Last month we looked at the benefits of mulching. Today I am writing about weeding and pruning in the organic garden.
Using what is natural, healthy and for free should be our first aim when we intend to green our lifestyles. Wind, sun and rainwater are such resources. These three sustainable assets can be harvested with sometimes small yet clever tricks, at other times with more elaborate and costly measures. But once implemented they all have one thing in common: zero pollution and of course long lasting savings.
When blankets and woolly socks just don't cut it anymore during winter time, we switch on our carbon-emitting heaters. This is no good for our already disturbing carbon escalation, so alternatives we have to find,. Which is what we did this week when we discovered a new closed fire eco-heating stove by T and T Energy Solutions.
Are you about to set up home for the first time, perhaps finally get your dream home, or retiring and down-scaling? Perhaps your washing machine just died, or you realise it's chomping more than its share of power?
Natural medicine, vitamins and nutrition are some of the ways to keep colds and flu at bay in winter. Another way is the often forgotten old housewife's recommendation to keep warm, and it has proved its merit over the centuries.
The invention of fire tens of thousands of years ago was one of the most powerful developments in all of human history. Fire for cooking made it possible for us to eat a whole range of foods that were previously left out of our diets or perhaps consumed raw. Fire for heating allowed us to expand our living area to higher latitudes. This transformed our patterns of social development.
Towards the end of the hottest summer in 80 years, we told you the story of our really cool ice cap that saved us from frying in our flat roofed office. You remember this white paint we had applied to our office roof, which uses ceramic beads to reflect radiant heat from the summer sun right back into the atmosphere.
As part of its EcoVision plan, Philips South Africa is launching its range of energy efficient consumer lifestyle products that enable consumers to save energy. The strategy, which aims to generate 30% of Philips' revenue through environmentally friendly products by the year 2012, highlights the company'scommitment to contributing towards a greener environment.
Every action we take falls into one of 2 categories ' it either destroys or heals the earth. For the future of our planet we need to place every aspect of our lives under a microscope and each time ask: What is the end result of this choice of mine on the planet as a whole. Does it benefit the protection of all species, including people, and all natural resources, or does it destroy our delicate web of life?
Most regular swimmers know that a high chlorine content in swimming pools causes skin and eye irritation. But the health risks posed by swimming pool chlorine are potentially more dangerous than rashes and red eyes.
Green carpets is a new concept to me, so I was pleasantly surprized to find a new range being launched for the home. New BerberPoint Eco from Nexus is a green alternative marketed to architects as a first choice in eco carpeting.
This winter many regions of our country once again experienced bitterly cold temperates. Some of us were shivering in un-insulated homes and offices. Cold bodies struggle with compromised immune systems and viral infections have a field day.
Great news that the toxic pesticide used in flea collars and dog shampoos is now banned. The Department of Agriculture and the Legal Resource Centre have called for the pesticide Chlorpyrifos, the active ingredient in dog shampoos and flea collars, to be completely prohibited in South Africa.
Green Design is an exciting natural spin-off of the drive towards a sustainable future. Today Bronwyn looks at the background to this development. Next time we start telling the stories of innovative green designers and their whacky items we're all going to want in our homes and offices.
Is your pet considered to be a domesticated wolf or wild dog? The answer to this important question will prescribe the diet that you should be feeding your dog and what the appropriate diet really is. The consequences of inferior diets are dire and affects your animal's behavior as well as general well-being, health and longevity.
Almost every pet suffers from some sort of skin condition. Even veterinarians are lost when it comes to treating skin allergies and 'hot spots' and many acknowledge the severity of this ailment. Treating with cortisone or changing to another flavour of processed food will not solve the problem.
Exploring and exposing environmentally-sound solutions and giving visitors the know-how to go home and make their houses more ecologically friendly is the focus of Grand Designs Live, coming to the Coca-Cola Dome from 21 to 23 May.
