Paul shows off his sun oven design

It's summer and that means dusting off those solar ovens.  No need to heat up the house hotter than it is for cooking simple foods.    We built our first sun oven back in the mid 90's and have been harnessing the sun's free energy ever since.

Solar cooking is fun, easy and better yet you can make solar ovens simply and cheaply - with free "cast offs."

Like our friend here (shown in picture) did for a class project (he got an "A" btw!)

"This was an old plastic file cabinet on a stand. It can look straight up or usually best at a 45 degree angle as the Sun's path changes throughout the day. I used Hardibacker concrete board for the thermal mass layer cut to fit on the inside of the plastic box, Sealed as a complete concrete board box prior to pressing it in with gaff/fabric tape.

This is all sprayed black with toxic free black paint. (Flat black is best. It has a low Albedo. High absorption, low reflectivity.) I replaced the original plastic lid (which melted on the first test) with a double paned glass & wood lid, using an old picture frame glass and hardware and an old wood TV table tray top... The new wood lid frame was cut and routed to fit tightly in the oven opening, the glass installed matching the original picture frame template glass size using the original picture frame hardware to mount the glass. Old hinges served for the new lid, but is not necessary.

You want a tight fit to keep the air trapped. This is important and pointing the oven directly at the sun is best. The reflector dish is cardboard covered with aluminum foil. If you look at thes DIY videos you'll find the info. There are some good ones there. "

- Paul

:: Resources ::

DIY Solar Oven

Solar Oven Plants

Solar Cookers World Network

Pre Built Sun Ovens

Solar Oven/Cooking Books

Across the street from the urban homestead, sun ovens lined up in the school parking lot for the bake off

Yesterday, we spent a wonderful afternoon across the street from the urban homestead with some very energetic 3rd graders who, for their science & social studies project, had to build a pizza box solar ovens. Not only did they do a great job of making the pizza box ovens, tbut hey also decorated the ovens with recycled materials! Great job, guys and gals.  There were some pretty impressive ovens displayed - loved the one with the CD mixer attached! Guess this kid had visions of baking & being a DJ - mixing up some cool music and good eats.

In the classroom, we talked about the principles of trapping light for cooking and how the sun is a renewable resource.

Here's an OLD video of me demoing how to make your own Pizza Box Sun Oven (note: I said it's rather OLD so I KNOW there's some issues with using the black paint, etc, etc)

Learning about harnessing the sun's energy

Q & A time

Now for the hands on learning, pass out the cookie dough!

First step in cooking with the sun - face the oven towards the sun

The kids look at our oven and wonder are the cookies ready yet?

Kids check on their cookies, see how well they are baking

Then it was outside to see the solar ovens at work! Thankfully, the sun peeked thru the June morning gloom just in time for us to bake some chocolate chip cookies, though I think we and the kids could have eaten the raw cookie dough just fine.

We brought our Sport Sun Oven (also made out of recycled materials) out for the cook off to show the kids another type of sun oven within minutes the cookie tray in our solar oven was too hot to touch! The kids were amazed how much heat was generated in such a short time.

:: Resources ::

What is a solar oven? Solar ovens are ovens that use the sun's power to bake, boil or steam a meal without gas or electricity. They can be used on weekend trips to the mountains, in your own backyard or in rural areas, basically anywhere the sun shines! Solar ovens allow food to be cooked slowly, allowing the nutrients to stay in the meal, and permitting the cook to not worry about burning the food.

Pizza Box Sun Oven Plans

Solar Science Lesson Plan (PDF)

Collection of sun ovens from our online shop

Cooking With Sunshine

Solar Cooking Primer & Cookbook

How to Make & Enjoy Solar Cookers

Using Energy (This a kid's book that our family was featured in that shows us installing our solar panels on our garage roof.  In fact, we donated a copy to the school's library, too!)

FACT: every day the sun shines, an equivalent of 4.25 TRILLION barrels of oil falls on the US alone in the form of solar energy

I have a confession, I been addicted to solar ovens ever since we built our first cardboard, aluminum oven back in the days -- 1990 to be exact.   Yep, we were granolas way back when.  This sort of self reliant and sustainable lifestyle has been a common thread throughout my whole life.  We've gone from hippie to hip in the last few years.

In the last decade, the appropriate technology in solar cooking has left those cardboard, black paint and glue days in the dust or sun rays I should say.

A solar oven is the ultimate in energy-efficient cooking. Solar ovens will cook anything that can be cooked in a conventional oven, in approximately the same amount of time.

Here on the urban homestead we have accumulated a small family of solar ovens.  A homemade solar oven,  two Sport Solar Ovens (one given to us), one Global Sun Oven (given to us also) and now this really awesome hybrid solar model from India joins the collection.

Tulsi Hybrid Solar Oven Heats up to 400degrees Electrical consumption: Approx. 0.15 to 0.4 KW/h. Uses 75% less energy than a conventional oven.

Boy howdy, I am sure going to get spoiled with this beauty.  I won't have worry about cloudy days or AM sun angles, I can just plug it in and tap into our 12 solar panels on the garage roof.  Still tapping into the energy from the sun!

And the best part is we are adding this Tulsi Hybrid Solar Oven to the family of sun ovens offered on the Peddler's Wagon.

Good for the Environment

I really like using the solar ovens - food taste better and is in fact more healthier and best of all you aren't using polluted energy to cook meals.  Something as simple as a solar oven can have a positive impact on lightening your footprint.  I mean, imagine how many meals are cooked in a lifetime - hundreds, thousands?

Stay tuned for some solar cooking fun here on the urban homestead.   With this solar oven, I may never need to use our gas oven again.  Sweet.

Good for Health

Fact is, by cooking foods you can lose as much as 80 percent vitamin C, 50 percent vitamin B and 97 Percent folic acid.

Food cooked by solar heat is lovely in appearance, aroma, flavor, and taste. It is ultimate medicine (Amrita) for manly vigor and glorious skin complexion without doubt. -- 'Yagyavalk Smriti'

Reading the informative manual that came in DVD form with this Tulsi Hybrid Solar Oven, not only does solar energy reduce one's impact but it also has a positive health effect.  Indians believe that most of mankind illness are due to an unhealthy gut. Most of their Their ancient Ayurvedic treatments are for improving your "inner plumbing"  And so it is with solar cooking you are choosing a more healthful way to cook your meals, harnessing the healthful solar rays into your food.

Solar cooking is similar to slow cooking. Slow cooking retains flavor, moisture and nutrients and makes meats tender. Recent studies indicate that foods cooked at moderate temperatures may be healthier.  Solar cooked food is succulent, moist and delicious.

Sunshine is the primary element for life here on planet earth.  Solar cooking dates back as far as a few thousand years in India where solar cooked food was called AMRITA and the cooking appliance was know as AKSHAY PATRA or SUYRA BHAND they believe that solar cooked foods are charged with positive photons or energies.

Modern cooking methods destroy the nutrients and medicinal powers of foods. A healthy diet involves eating raw or lightly cooked foods that can provide our body with all the nourishment that our body needs for growth and energy.

Eating the Wild Electron

From personal tasting experience food does indeed have a truly more flavorful, superior taste when cooked in the solar oven.

I broke in the  Tulsi Hybrid Solar Oven warming up some homegrown vegetable soup (known by some of our longtime readers as the 007 soup) and some organic rice.

What's your solar cooking experience, do you also taste a difference in solar cooked cooks?  Let's hear from all you solar cooks out there.

:: Field Hand Appreciation :: DS $5.00 donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

GROW FOR TEN THOUSAND

Our readers know that that we've been hinting for months about a great new project in the works. As we start the new year, the moment has come to reveal our plan, along with a new logo exemplifying the revolutionary spirit of PTF's Homegrown Revolution™: To harvest 10,000 pounds in 2008 from 1/10 acre.

We had wanted this announcement to coincide with the launch of our new website, but it looks like the new website won’t be online for a few months yet. And nature won’t wait for the new site.

Once again, the driving force behind PTF, Jules Dervaes, has led the way with a radical challenge. Can we urban homesteaders deliver? PTF will be trailblazing a new path as we ask: How much food can be grown on such a small scale?

Back in 2003, we at PTF first shocked ourselves and “the world” by growing 6,000 lbs (3 tons) of fruits, vegetables and herbs on our 1/10 acre growing space and proved that we could approach a high level of self sufficiency both directly and indirectly from our city lot.

Learning through years of self-taught, hands-on growing experience, none of us has any agriculture accreditation or has taken permaculture or master gardening courses. From firsthand knowledge, mixed with a passion for the environment and growing things, Jules has dramatically upped the ante on the urban food movement. Living by example, we use our "hands as weapons of mass creation™" to create a better present and a real future.

Can 1/10 of an acre (about 4,300 sq ft) grow a cornucopia of 10,000 pounds without using ANY organic NPK fertilizers? We are talking about a piece of land equivalent to 66'x66'! Such an urban food production feat has not been undertaken and documented with stats to prove its possibility. Are we crazy? Crazy, you say? Yes siree, bob. Whether or not this happens all depends on the weather. God willing, we hope to be blessed with abundant rainfall and good weather to reap a bountiful harvest! Stay tuned to this journal for the out-of-this world developments.

Join us in our mission to be the change by living the solution! The seeds of PTF's Homegrown Revolution™ have been growing for nearly seven years now and are reaching maturity. You can contribute your support through purchases from our online store or making a timely (tax deductible) donation. We need your help to spread the word to friends and family and throughout the cyber world (via message boards, blogs, etc.). It's our mission to Grow the Future™, and you can help support our efforts in launching a new site to document this project along with our ongoing urban homesteading adventures.

We want to extend the challenge to grow for 10,000 pounds to our readers and propose that you pledge to match us penny for pound (or whatever amount you’d like to contribute). By donating one, half or more penny for each pound of produce we harvest ($100 over one year—if we meet our goal), you can help us purchase the necessary technological tools and services needed to document, publish and publicize this sustainability challenge! You can be involved directly in reaching others with this radical solution to save the people and the planet.

Also stay tuned for the final harvest tally for 2007!

Answers From the Urban Homestead - Solar Ovens

Q. I would like to start using a solar oven, but the temps are dropping here in PA. Is there a minimum temperature at which the solar oven will work?Thanks for answering my question. And thanks for your work!Kym Helwig

A. Thank you for your question and positive comments, Kym. Glad to be of help.
For solar cooking as long the sun is shining you can cook food, no matter the outside temperature. The most important factor in using a solar oven is the brightness of the day, NOT the outside air temperature. Often, a 40-degree, clear, low-humidity day will allow food to cook faster than a 100-degree day with high humidity. There are, however, more cooking hours available in the summer than in the winter. In the early summer, it is not unusual to cook from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, whereas during the early winter, effective cooking is limited to 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. And here's feedback from a reader's who's also a solar cooker user:

I just wanted to share my experience with the solar oven. Our low last night was 8 degrees F. We are in the rockies. I use my sun oven all winter long. The out side temp is less important than the amount of sun. If it is crystal clear mine will get to 350F even if it is sitting in the snow. But if it's hazy or cloudy even when its 100F outside it may not get above 250. Another important factor is the angle the cooker is set to. In mid winter the sun is much lower in the sky than the little leg on the back can handle, so I put a brick under the front. I really love my sun oven. If I could afford it I would buy one for every one in my family. And a second one for myself.SS

Thank you for sharing your solar oven cooking experience!

SEASON'S GREENINGS

Give a gift that really keeps on giving. SOLAR OVENS are gifts that shows you care… about the recipient and the environment, and will never go out of style. Cooking will be tasty, fun, unique, and memorable and can occur in the event of a power failure. This is a gift that truly that keeps on giving for years to come to the recipient and the environment.   Order a sun oven today!

Solar ovens

Peddler's Wagon Product Review

Practical products for the urban homesteader Sun Ovens

Back in the early 1990's I remember building our first sun oven using cardboard boxes, aluminum foil and piece of glass.   Although homemade ovens are a great diy project (a few years back we built a sturdier sun oven using scraps of plywood and cooking sheets) solar ovens have come a long way this decade. Now there's no excuse not to use the sun's energy with these commercial models.

Besides our homemade one, we have two other solar ovens models here on the urban homestead: the Sport Sun Oven and Global Sun Oven (both were featured on CBS' New Morning with the American Test Kitchen -watch video & read full article)   Having used them both I like this about one and that about the other.  

Global Sun Oven

Like: Sturdiness

Dislike: Small interior oven space

Sport Sun Oven

Like: Lightweight, made from recycled materials. Larger interior oven space - able to fit cookie trays, 9 x 13 casserole dish, two 3 liter pots.

Dislike: The reflectors are somewhat lightweight, but that doesn't necessarily affect the cooking in the least.

Other advantages of both sun ovens, food tastes better, is healthier, food never burns and, better yet, you are harnessing free, natural energy to cook your food.

Solar cooking is one of the easiest, most enjoyable way to reduce your carbon footprint. The energy you waste when cooking indoors is more than what's burned on your stovetop or in your oven. In the summer, additional energy is often required to cool down the rest of the house, which can get heated up by cooking in the kitchen.

Temperatures in a sun oven rise slowly and evenly, allowing complex carbohydrates time to break down into simple sugars, emanating subtle natural flavors. The even temperature of the sun oven prevents burning, so you do not need to stir your food while it is cooking.

We urban homesteaders like to use our solar ovens to bake and cook a variety of foods. Once you taste a sun baked cookie, you're hooked for life.   Rice, dried beans, potatoes, casseroles really cook up well, and the flavors are intense.     I like the fact that one is outdoors and using natural energy -- sunshine. There's no impersonal knobs or temperature gauges; one feels connected with the natural world.   When folks ask me what they can cook in a solar oven, I simply answer them "anything that you cook in a regular gas or electric oven can be cook in a sun oven."   Yet another practical solution to being the change by actually incorporating steps to live the solution.

:: BUY :: Solar Ovens

Next review Solar Cone Composter

Growing the Future

PTF has been busy -- out and about this month. UCLA, PCC, Universal Studios, Downtown LA and more.  We could travel to and fro as there has definitely been an increase in outreach opportunities and thousands of folks wanting tours, but we are struggling balancing urban homesteading and inspiring others.   Requests just keep pouring in.  It's really great to see PTF so much in demand, talking with the folks on the phone and reading their emails. They want "people who are walking the talk."    Our PTF booth  and project does just that, by plainly laying out the steps we have taken in our sustainable journey, and we truly, truly wish we could accommodate all such requests.

Good news, we've run out of PTF brochures. Bad news, we need to print more.  The seeds of the urban sustainable message have been sown not only to thousands of online worldwide readers but also through our outreach efforts.   Since the first professionally printed brochure a few years ago, we've given away nearly 20,000!  

PTF is not just an urban homestead; it's a local and worldwide growing movement and outreach (this year PTF website topped nearly 2 million unique visitors and nearly 50 million hits). Many of the expenses to run the outreach have been supported out of our very own pockets.   But as our outreach continues to grow, we can no longer support the urban homestead, ourselves and the public work.   So that's why we formed Dervaes Institute, which is a earth based/stewardship "ministry" able to accept tax deductible donations to support the outreach (and only the outreach) aspect of PTF.

One PTF reader asked if we could breakdown expenses and needs. Sorry, it took awhile to finally getting around to it. Not having time to included all the "little stuff" just now, here's a brief overview:

1. PTF banner, sign ($300) for tabling display

2. PTF (revised) Brochure eco printed ($2,000 for 5,000 )

3. PTF Web Upgrades $8,000+ (open source compatibility, templates, software, assistance for coding so we can get the website online --FASTER!)

4. PTF yearly webhosting fee ($1,500+)

5. Video Software ($2,000)6. PTF Video Brochure (cost of copying 1000 dvd's $ 1,000)7. PTF downloadable docs, additional educational handouts and "merchandise" (i.e. calendar, garden journal, etc) ($2,000-$6,000+)

Total $17,000 - $20,000

So far raised this year nearly$4,000  Yes, I know, we sorely underestimated putting the goal at $6,000 but that was before we decided it was high time to finally bite the bullet and invest in improving the PTF site to keep up with the urban homestead's growth and reach. The new site will make it easier to incorporate new projects, future plans and any unforeseeable scenarios that may pop up in the future.   PTF has a lot to offer, and we are finally taking time to build the foundation straight and strong for future growth because right now everything is just held together with strings and band aids.Your support is valued and greatly appreciated. PTF continues to chart a course towards a sustainable future and inspiring others along the way to leave the crowded freeway of life and set out on their own path.

:: Field Hand Appreciation ::

KS $50.00 donation. Thank you for your support!

Thanksgiving

The entire PTF family is off to a nearby friend's house for a community potluck type of Thanksgiving on Thursday.

Although I wish we could camp at our favorite beach like we have done Thanksgiving's past (way past), we have too much work here on the urban homestead. These past couple years Thanksgiving has been a time when we've accomplished some really big projects (solar panels, taking out the concrete patio, helping out folks in New Orleans after Katrina). This year we are going to be moving the bees to a more permanent location here on the urban homestead - should be quite interesting because they'll be moving up in the world, if you get my drift.

I am going to be taking some time off, working all the mundane tasks needed to get the new PTF website up and running (new deadline is Feb/Mar '08 - the new site is slowing taking shape - too bad you all can't see it just yet). Posting will resume on Monday.  

Simple Solar Solutions

Hallmark Channel's New Morning show visits the Dervaes family urban homestead. This family has started a homegrown revolution™ by being the change they wish to see by living the solution.

On today's show urban homesteader, Anais, show us how to build a simple sun oven using a pizza box. With this diy sun oven you can use the sun's free energy to cook your own food.

Edible landscaping in front yard (basil, marigolds,peppers, calamondin)

Life Interrupted

To find fault is easy; to do better may be difficult. — Plutarch

We had hoped to have a few outstanding sustainable projects finished this summer, but we were so busy with the bumper summer harvest and other little things that interrupted our plans.   However, we are still chopping slowly away at the ever growing "to do list."   Progress is slow but there is some progress to speak of even though some day's it's hard to even spot.The new PTF website is coming along slower than expected.

We have a few tough decisions to make, since we aren't compromising (yet) by putting ads on this site we are discussing if and what we should be cut - message board being on the table.   So far it's been decided to remove the "Trail Guide" of Resources. Although these decisions are tough, we feel that they will make PTF more productive by concentrating only on a few sections - journal, photo gallery, etc.   Right now we are pulled into too many directions and we feel that we need to rid ourselves of the extra weight. It's in our best interests (and our readers) to not be so tied down by the running of this website especially if it's costing us time and money. By simplifying we feel that PTF website and outreach will be better than ever.

Anais demonstrates solar cooking

Sun Baked

Last week, we urban pioneers had to put on an alternative energy demo for some local kids. We thought it would be a nice to treat them to some solar baked cookies. When Jordanne bakes, she likes to make it worth her while and rightly so because her baked goodies are gone in a matter of hours. So she doubled the recipe to make about 6 dozen cookies to have enough to go around. All 72 cookies were baked in the 2 solar ovens we have in the backyard and they came out delicious. Of course we couldn't bake them all at once, but planning the baking at the peak of the day (between 11 & 3) we were able to get batches in and out within 15 minutes of each other.    To me (us) sun baked or cooked goods taste much better than if they were baked in a traditional oven. It must have something to do with the slow cooking method I am sure.

Pomegranate Harvest

So far harvested nearly 70 lbs of fruit from the two small trees that grow in the animal's enclosure (to keep them shaded in summer). Justin thinks there could be possibly another 40 lbs more. I know what I'll be doing in the days/weeks ahead - preserving!   The pomegranate seeds are a wonderfully delicious addition to a freshly picked mixed green salad - yum.

:: Field Hand Appreciation :: LF $20, LM $30 & MS $15 donations gives us 50% of this year's goal of 6,000 (pounds, er dollars) Thank you all for your generosity. We appreciate your support and are working hard to bring you a new improved PTF website sometime this fall. The new journal is going to be better than ever! Stay tuned.
MA writes:

Thank you for all your great inspiration. I keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers daily and wish all the best for you. Thank you again for the excellent solar cooker. We use it constantly, every chance we get, and the meals we've made have been just as good as I remember from our solar cooker we had when I was a kid. And many thanks for the excellent tote bags we purchased from you. I keep one in my backpack at all times so I can easily take the bus straight to the store or farmer's market after work (I don't own a car) and the bags have stood up to quite a bit of use and abuse and are still in perfect shape. They are such a hit at my house that I am planning to buy more as a household Christmas present (*what* was I thinking only buying 2 bags??)

Thank you MA for your support and positive comments. We are so glad you are enjoying your su ove. Interested in having your own solar cooker. You can purchase solar ovens and more from our online store
BOOKMARKS

The battle against body odour stinks for the planet {Globe & Mail}

We absorb just under five pounds of chemicals through our skin each year in the form of creams, lotions, sprays, deodorants and antiperspirants. And though the alleged link between aluminum-containing antiperspirants and Alzheimer's has long been in the public consciousness, many of the so-called "natural" (supposedly chemical-free) deodorants are startlingly far from non-toxic. Terra Naturals' Zemea, a corn-based aluminum- and petroleum-free deodorant launched this week, begs the question: Is it possible to obliterate body odour and be good to the planet?50Percentage of natural deodorants that contain petroleum-based propylene glycol - also known as antifreeze in 100-per-cent concentrations. It is extremely toxic to aquatic life.
read more

6 die from brain-eating amoeba in lakes {Yahool}

PHOENIX - It sounds like science fiction but it's true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die. Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."
...Evans lives within eyesight of the lake. Temperatures hover in the triple digits all summer, and like almost everyone else in this desert region, the Evanses look to the lake to cool off. It was on David Evans' birthday Sept. 8 that he brought Aaron, his other two children, and his parents to Lake Havasu. They ate sandwiches and spent a few hours splashing around. "For a week, everything was fine," Evans said. Then Aaron got the headache that wouldn't go away. At the hospital, doctors first suspected meningitis. Aaron was rushed to another hospital in Las Vegas."He asked me at one time, 'Can I die from this?'" David Evans said. "We said, 'No, no.'" On Sept. 17, Aaron stopped breathing as his father held him in his arms. "He was brain dead," Evans said. Only later did doctors and the CDC determine that the boy had been infected with Naegleria. "My kids won't ever swim on Lake Havasu again," he said.
read more

Hot & Muggy

Whew, it feels as if we are living in a sauna. Temperatures and humidity levels are insane and there's no relief in relief in sight

The power companies are asking (should be mandatory!) folks to conserve energy and of course, we do our part here on the urban homestead.

Opening doors and windows just doesn't seem to help generate any cooling - the air is thick and still. You can sit in the shade and still drip with sweat. Yuck.    I can't remember it being this humid, this long.   These last couple days have been brutal here in the valley. We broil while the beach temperatures remain 40 degrees cooler!

It's so hot outside, well, it's hot enough to cook, steam, bake, fry just about anything. And that means our three solar ovens are in use more than ever. Besides using the sun's free energy to cook meals better yet one doesn't have to heat the house and make things hotter and stickier.   

With all the sun that's been shinning we are even heating water in the ovens to wash dishes.   Why not - sun's out why not use it.   Such a practice teaches one to 1. conserve water 2.  realize  the energy needed to heat water . After cooking the days meal or dish, in go two black pots in which will wash the dishes in.    So our sun ovens are serving us in two purchases 1. cooking food   2. heating water.  

Not to mention our solar outdoor shower is in much demand these days (it's been months now since we've used indoor bathing facilities); however, with this heat we aren't wanting to use the hot water and opt for a cold shower instead. So what to do with the already heated water?    If needed we can fill a 5 gallon bucket of scalding hot water to do dishes or wash kitchen towels.

Another water and energy conservation effort on our part is when I'm finished all the water bath canning for the day I will recycle the still warm water to wash the dirty dishes. Makes sense.

Just doing our part to save, conserve energy and resources here on the urban homestead.

BOOKMARKS

WATER FACTS * If all the world's water were fit into a gallon jug, the fresh water available for us to use would equal only about one tablespoon. * By 2025, 52 countries -- with two-thirds of the world's population -- will likely have water shortages. * Drought conditions exist across the U.S., from New York to Arizona, impacting the regulation of water usage * On average, 50 to 70 percent of home water is used outdoors for watering lawns and gardens.

Water supply could be cut {Pasadena Star News}

Local officials weigh conservation optionsSouthern California officials are bracing for a federal judge's ruling that could cut back the local water supply from Northern California by up to 50percent.
read more

Do Your Part

It's way past time to get serious on rainwater, greywater and other water saving ways. The Peddler's Wagon stocks a few water wise goods  - rain barrels, toilet lid sink, grey water systems andollas.

Jumbo jar is ready for rain {Portland Tribune}

Water-saving ideas from rural Thailand inspire park projectCrowley has newfound respect for the traditional water supply system found throughout rural Thailand.
read more

:: DIY:: Build yourThai Rain Jar
Arctic’s Legendary Northwest Passage is Ice-Free for the First Time in Recorded History {via IdleWorm}

"Since August 21 the North-West Passage is open to navigation. This is the first time that it happens," Nalan Koc, head of the Norwegian Polar Institute's climate change program, told reporters in Longyearbyen, a town in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
read more

Food demand and climate straining soil

VIENNA (Reuters) - World food demand will surge this century with a leap in population, highlighting a need to protect soils under strain from climate change, experts said on Thursday.
read more

Dirt Isn’t So Cheap After All {Common Dreams]

BROOKLIN, Canada - “We are overlooking soil as the foundation of all life on Earth,” said Andres Arnalds, assistant director of the Icelandic Soil Conservation Service.“Soil and vegetation is being lost at an alarming rate around the globe, which in turn has devastating effects on food production and accelerates climate change,” Arnalds told IPS from Selfoss, Iceland, host city of the International Forum on Soils, Society and Climate Change which starts Friday
read more

[ Last two articles courtesy of PTF reader, Byron - thanks for sharing ]

Solar cooking has long been the domain of wilderness campers looking to harness the sun's energy to make backwoods brownies.But with global warming in the collective consciousness, a small, growing number of urban dwellers are turning to solar grills and ovens to whip up carbon-free meals at home.And while the solar-cooking movement has been fuelled by NGOs working in the Third World to provide a cheap, low-tech way to prepare meals, in North America there are solar-cooking aficionados in the gourmet set.Brook Kavanagh, chef at the French bistro La Palette in Toronto, is a recent convert. Cooking with the sun, he says, is no different than conventional means.
read more

:: Purchase :: Your very ownSOS SOLAR OVEN from PTF's online store ( please note: due to the popularity of the oven ,which was recent featured on CBS Early Morning, TreeHugger and other various media outlets expect 4 weeks for delivery.)