Self Sufficiency | Bay Area Community Exchange

Sustainability 101: Learn How To Fix Your Own Clothes

16-09-2011

Uncategorized

Are you one of those people who tend to throw clothes out because you simply don’t have the basic sewing skills to make a small fix?

Losing a button here and there and having a few small rips on your clothes is a small natural disaster that happens to everyone. The trick is to know how to make the fix before it’s no longer fixable! For major fixes like alterations, it should be brought to a tailor. But if you have a few family members in your household, those bills can easily add up. Once you have some basic knowledge and if you’re willing to learn a bit more, it can save you money and avoid wasting new materials for unnecessary new clothes.

Personally, I tend to do all my sewing when it comes to easy clothing like pajamas, socks and even fixing a few buttons. They may be small fixes but boy do I save from consistently buying new pajamas! For bigger projects listed below, here are some step-by-step instructions to guide you through keeping your wardrobe at it’s best state.

If you’re looking to be a bit more expertise in sewing, consider taking an on-line sewing course with Diana Rupp. She teaches you basics from pinning to learning how to use commercial sewing patterns. Take a look at her video to see the wide range of projects she teaches that you can easily learn in your own home.

Image via Dvortygirl

Three Easy Ways To Preserve Blueberries

By: Michele B. Decoteau

14-09-2011

Uncategorized

Blueberry season is at or just past peak in most parts of the country and this means low prices for blueberries at the market or your favorite pick your own farm.

Blueberries are an easy crop to pick and all ages can participate since the berries are at all heights you don’t need to reach up or down to get them. If picking your own isn’t an option, pick up berries at the super market when they are at peak season and have a low price. Stock up with more than you can use right away, and use these handy methods to preserve them for the winter.

Freezing

Freezing is the easiest way to story extra blueberries. First, rinse them an pick them over removing stems, flowers and unripe berries. Give them a rinse and lay them on a drying rack or fluffy towel to dry.

Once dry put them on a baking sheet or tray in a single layer so they aren’t touching. Pop this in to the freezer at least overnight. Then scoop the berries in to freezer bags or reusable containers. Check your favorite recipe and bag that amount for easy use. Generally recipes for cakes and muffins use a single cup of berries so that is a good place to start. Label and store. Put the date frozen and the amount on the bag so in a few months you can quickly know what you have.

Canning

Canning blue berries is quite straightforward. They don’t have skins or leaves that have to be removed nor do they have pits or seeds to take out. They are wash and go for canning. Jam is an easy place to start. If cost is an issue, check yard sales for canning jars and equipment. Jars and rings, the bit you turn, are reusable. The lid, the bit that is on top of the jar, is not reusable so plan on purchasing them.

Not sure where to begin? Try asking your mother or grandmother or an older neighbor. Many people canned more frequently during times of economic stress and of these folks can give you guidance. If this isn’t an option, try The Blue Canning Book from Ball. It is the best guide to preserving your harvest and has very clear directions for beginners.

For any canning project it is always helpful to have a jar grabber, lid magnet and large funnel. These can be purchased as a kit at most big box stores for very little money.

Freezer jam is a good place to start if you don’t want to purchase much extra equipment. Also don’t think of canning as just jam. Pie filling and syrup can also be made from blueberries.

Drying

Drying blueberries is quite an art. The skin of the berry needs to break first and the easiest way to do this is to freeze the berries first. Once the berries are frozen, defrost them right on your dehydrator trays. If the holes are too big, use some parchment paper or wax paper first. This will slow the process down a bit, but blueberries don’t take that long to dry since they are already small.

Enjoy the harvest as long as you can – berries are a delicious treat all year long and when you save them yourself, you know exactly what is, and isn’t, in the foods you eat.

Have you ever preserved fresh fruit or veggies? Tell us about it in a comment!

Top Image Credit: Flickr – kckellner

Lessons In Self-Sufficiency Learned From Hurricane Irene

By: Michele B. Decoteau

01-09-2011

Uncategorized

Hurricane Irene came sweeping through our southern New England homestead last Saturday night and like many of our neighbors, we lost power, phones, and internet access. As the storm cleared on Monday, there were a number of lessons we learned about being prepared for disasters and weather challenges.

1. Friends: It is good to have nice friends. Friends helped in so many ways. Most of our friends also lost power and we used our cell phones to share information and to maintain contact. Others who did have power offered showers, laundry facilities and hot meals.

2. Prepare: Think about disasters before they happen. Being prepared with bottled water, food that could be eaten without heating, and having fresh batteries in the flashlights helped us shelter in place. We also had non-electronic entertainment available and amused ourselves with crafts, games and books. FEMA and the Red Cross have great lists of three day emergency kits. They do a good job covering what you need.

When you expect a disaster, charge all your electronic devices such as cell phones and laptops. Get a car charger for these devices if possible. In a pinch, you can use your car to recharge your cell phone if you have no power.

3. Gas: Make sure you have plenty of gas in your car and extra available for chainsaws and generators. Even if you don’t have a chainsaw or generator, it is nice to offer gas to your neighbor to who does and gets the trees off your deck or runs their generator to run your sump pump.

4. Hot food helps: We pulled out the backpacking stoves to heat water to make hot cocoa and instant food. Having a hot meal helped not only fill our bellies but calmed everyone down. Food that can be eaten with minimal cooking is easy to have on hand. Next shopping trip grab an extra can of ready-to-eat soup or pasta and instant oatmeal or noodles. They don’t take up much room in the pantry and can make a big difference to everyone’s peace-of-mind when disaster strikes..

Think about your BBQ grill as a back up way of cooking. If you have an extra tank for your grill, make sure it is full so you can use to cook. Clearly in the middle of a hurricane you can’t use your grill, but if you don’t have power the next day, it is handy.

5. Toilets: With the power out, our water pump didn’t work and our toilets didn’t refill. We used rainwater from our rain barrels to refill. What we discovered is that our old toilet took four and a half gallons of water per flush. After having to haul that amount of water from the back yard, we all want to get that toilet replaced soon. Our second bathroom had a newer toilet that took a mere one and half gallons per flush but uses an electronic pump to pump the waste up the hill to our sewer connection.

The power is on and now starts the clean up and restocking. Winter will be here and snow and ice will be here before we know it…and we’ll be ready!

Image Credit: Flickr - NASA Photo and Video

Dwindling Food Biodiversity

By: Becky Striepe

01-09-2011

Uncategorized

National Geographic shared a shocking infographic highlighting the loss of biodiversity in our food supply. Check it:

Click to view the full-sized image.

What’s wrong with this picture? A few things, but the biggest problem is that these lost varieties represent our food security. The reason that biodiversity, especially in our food supply, is a good thing is that if a pest or plant disease wipes out one variety of say, potato, there are lots of other sorts to fall back on.

Loss of biodiversity is one of the major problems with the rise of GMOs. Instead of planting lots of types of corn, soybeans, and other crops that are commonly genetically modified, we’re putting all of our eggs in one basket. Or all of our seeds in one field? Either way, it strikes me as very short sighted.

What do you guys think about this graphic? Does it worry you?

Real Food Advocates Collaborate For 2011 Food & Freedom Ride

By: Beth Buczynski

29-08-2011

Uncategorized

Whether you grow your own or now, the food in your fridge and pantry has more to do with personal and political freedom than you might think. Banking on the fact that the way to a human’s mind is through his or her stomach, real food advocates are taking to the open road to share a meal–and their ideas about freedom–with communities all over the United States.

This summer, Live Real has joined forces with Rooted In Community, Seventh Native American Generation, and Food & Water Watch to assert the right of all people to real food, real culture and real jobs.

Thirteen riders, including Live Real staff, Real Food Fellows and allies, will travel across America to expose and uplift stories from farmers, food chain workers and #foodandfreedom fighters. The riders will teach youth about federal food policy, and carry this message to political decision-makers: Real food is a real solution.

Learn about the second (California) leg of the Live Real trip in the video below:

Want to support this ride or join the Freedom Riders on the bus? Donate here and get some great rewards! Email us (info@liverealnow.org) to receive updates from the road!

Check out upcoming events here.

And of course, ride along online! Stay up to date with the 2011 Food & Freedom Ride’s daily blog and vlog posts on this website, in addition to Facebook and Twitter.

Via Grist
Image Credit: Flickr – Live Real

Sustainability 101: How To Start Foraging For Food

By: Luke Seall

22-08-2011

Uncategorized

Could You Make All Your Clothes For An Entire Year?

By: Joanna

20-08-2011

Uncategorized

What if someone told you that for the next 12 months, the only clothes in your closet would be those made with your own two hands? An artist from Vancouver challenged herself to just such a task, and discovered that clothing about more than just what you wear.

In September 2009, Natalie Purschwitz, an artist from Vancouver, British Columbia, took on the creative challenge of a lifetime by pledging make all her clothing (including shoes, socks, underwear, coats, hats, bathing suits and accessories) for an entire year.

Why would she embark on such a task? Purschwitz said she was “hoping to gain some understanding of the limitations of clothing and how they affect the development of ideology. Ultimately, I would like to examine the role of clothing as a form of cultural production.”

When it was all said and done, Purschwitz admitted that she could hardly remember what her old, store-bought wardrobe looked like. She also realized that, while she did long for shoes, socks and underwear without annoying seams, she had grown fond of the garments that she created herself.

“I do know that I don’t want to just rush out and buy a bunch of new stuff. And even though a part of me would like to put all of my makeshift clothes into a big heap and light it on fire, I’m not going to. Mostly because I will likely still be wearing it all.”

To take on the role of seamstress, shoemaker and a savvy designer is a huge challenge to which many of us would be unable to commit. The time and planning it takes to execute multiple outfits would probably limit most of us to the simplest of garments.

However, the biggest challenge of all would be to reject society’s standard on what clothing should be and look like. Not many of us can make pure individualistic choices for ourselves without the pressure of society’s norm, so to start from scratch based on your own personal creativity is a tough challenge to the mind.

The only boundaries and limitations one can set for themselves depends on how far they allow creativity to pursue. By choosing freely to making one’s own wardrobe is definitely a good start to defer our culture’s need to mass produce, and to choose carefully as to what we really need versus what we think we need.

See images of all 365 garments that emerged from the MakeShift project on Purschwitz’s blog.

Image via Sewing Daisies

UnCollege: The Answer For Students Who Are Fed Up With Higher Ed

By: Beth Buczynski

10-08-2011

Uncategorized

Higher education costs are skyrocketing, while the real-world value of an undergraduate degree has almost disappeared. So what’s a smart, motivated student to do?

There was a time when going to college set you apart from the pack, gave you an advantage in the job market and served as a source of pride for your family. But those days are gone. Today, most kids treat college like a second high-school, skipping class and working on their drinking skills rather than applying for internships or volunteering. And when it’s over, they move right back into mom and dad’s basement until they can find an hourly job that doesn’t even require a college degree.

Fed up with the lack of academic rigor and real life experience offered by traditional colleges, Dale Stephens decided to create something better.

UnCollege is a social movement changing the notion that going to college is the only path to success. Designed to appeal to today’s technologically savvy young adults, UnCollege offers students a no-cost way to take control of their own learning experience. Run completely by volunteers, UnCollege is developing its own self-directed “uncurriculum” based on the following principles:

1. Introspection is essential. It is vitally important that you know yourself before you pursue higher education.
2. Passionate action outweighs school. Real-world success proves more than homework.
3. Self-motivation is requisite for success. Taking initiative is more valuable than completing assignments.

In a world dominated by freelancers, self-starters and college drop-outs like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (just to name a few) students aren’t interested in taking the same old 101 courses their parents sat through 20 years ago. They want to learn the skills and information that will prepare them for the future and allow them to achieve their dreams.

To help educate his fellow “educational deviants” and generate support for the UnCollege movement, Stephens has published a manifesto, titled Your Guide to Academic Deviance. And if you’re already attending college, don’t worry: you don’t need to drop out! UnCollege can help you add street smarts to academic understanding and give you the real-world experience you’ll need to succeed in the 21st century.

If you want to help change the notion that college is the only path to success, please email Priscilla Sanstead. Keep up with the UnCollege movement via Facebook and Twitter.

Make Your Own Air Conditioner For Less Than $40 [Video]

By: Beth Buczynski

07-08-2011

Uncategorized

If you use a traditional air conditioner to keep your home cool during the hottest months of the year can really take a toll on your wallet.

Depending on the size of the unit, air conditioners can cost hundreds of dollars, and cost you about the same on your monthly utility bill. Of course, human beings survived in the hottest regions of the planet long before there were fans or air conditioners.

If you’re handy and looking for a challenge, why not use this video to make your own low-energy air conditioner instead?

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How Much Does Your Wine Weigh?

By: Joanna

06-08-2011

Uncategorized

Ever notice how heavy a wine bottle weighs? Heavier wine bottles means more energy to transport since most wines are imported. Here are some ways to lighten up the environmental impact of your favorite wine.

Alternative packaging
Choosing a wine that weighs less or using alternative packaging such as plastic will help reduce the carbon footprint in consuming wine. Plastic containers won’t change the taste of Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, which both have tested well in blind wine tasting competitions. You can also look for boxed wines, which despite their reputation, actually keep young wines tasting fresher, and replace four bottles with one easily recyclable cardboard box.

Choose a reduced weight glass bottle
A beer bottle today is 30 percent lighter than it was 20 years ago, and Coca-Cola’s 2007 Ultra bottle is 40 percent stronger but 20 percent lighter than in the past. Although the wine industry hasn’t caught on the motion to reduce their bottle weight, it’s time for consumers to make that request. The biggest weight reduction in the bottle would be the base, which helps with aging sediment. However, if you’re not aging your wine that feature wouldn’t be necessary.

Bottle your own wine
Thanks to an increase in wine making facilities, you don’t need a vineyard or centuries of experience to bottle your own great-tasting wines. Most allow you to choose from a large selection of red and white grape concentrates to produce wines like Australian Shiraz to Sauvignon Blanc and Italian Amarone that normally sell for about $30 a bottle at the liquor store. Making your own wine reduces this cost to between $3.50 to $5 per 750 ml bottle. Although you’ll have to supply or purchase the glass bottles initially, they can be used over and over again every time you make a new batch of wine.

What’s your favorite kind of wine? How do you reduce the environmental impact of the packaging?

Image via ScriS

Grow Your Own: Top 5 Yard-Sharing Websites

By: Beth Buczynski

27-07-2011

Uncategorized

Even though doing it in some cities can earn you time in jail, growing at least some of your own food is a great way to start your journey toward total self-sufficiency.

The only problem is, the world’s population is moving away from the spacious suburbs and back into the dense urban geography of major cities. While big cities are more sustainable in lots of different ways, one thing they lack is open, fertile, affordable land on which food can be grown.

If you don’t have your own yard space, but still want to grow your own food, yard-sharing is the solution offered by the collaborative consumption movement.

Through online forums like the sites listed below, people who have land can connect with those don’t. The work and harvest is shared between multiple community members, building friendships and strengthening the local food system at the same time.

Urban Garden Share: The folks that created this website believe matching homeowners (with garden space) to gardeners (with experience) is the perfect solution for cultivating both food production and community. Although based in Seattle, the site currently has listings elsewhere in Washington State, Idaho, Kentucky, Georgia, and California.

Hyperlocavore: One of the oldest and most-respected yard sharing networks, this website facilitates the sharing of garden space, seeds, tools, know-how, potlucks and good times. Those who sign up for the free membership benefit from the collective strength of the community, as well as discounts on gardening supplies and magazines.

Landshare UK: Since its launch in 2009, this online community of growers and sharers has grown to over 60,000 members. Through its networking tools, Landshare brings together people in the UK who have a passion for home-grown food, connecting those who have land to share with those who need land for cultivating food.

Bonus! There is also a website called Landshare Colorado, which does pretty much the same thing for people in Colorado. One interesting feature of this site is the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator: an online farm and garden planning tool that draws upon a proprietary system of calculations to help farmers or gardeners plan diverse vegetable gardens or farms using intensive growing methods.

Shared Earth: This site was born out of its creators’ own experience finding a gardener online. They built SharedEarth.com to help facilitate more urban farming and to create a national land and gardener match-making service.

Sharing Backyards: One of the biggest barriers to growing food in the city is access to land – despite the fact that many yards, lawns, and backyards have plenty of room to spare. Sharing Backyards links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food.

Have you ever participated in yard-sharing or community food-growing? Share your experience in a comment!

Image Credit: Flickr – USFS Region 5

Can Sharing Save Us If The U.S. Monetary System Collapses?

By: Beth Buczynski

24-07-2011

Uncategorized

Just days ago, House Speaker John Boehner walked out of meetings with the Obama administration that were supposed to result in a debt-ceiling deal. Despite reports that an agreement about the future of the American economy is days away, it seems like neither part can put aside differences to do what’s best for the citizens of the United States.

In May, a senior official told reporters at the White House that the government has no plan B if an agreement can’t be reached, and the country defaults on its debt.

Commerce might stop. Criminal activity might skyrocket. Food and fuel might become scarce.

What would we do if the U.S. monetary system collapsed?

Randy White, the brave and brilliant founder of BrightNeighbor, refuses to accept the fact that the fate of America is solely in the hands of a few gutless politicians in Washington, D.C.

In the inspiring TEDx presentation below, White proposes that we, the people, are our own plan B. He suggests that we expect the best but prepare for the worst by working to restore our trust and faith in each other, and returning to the barter, share, and trade systems of past decades, we can rebuild this economy and nation into something truly great.

What Are You Doing To Strengthen The Sharing Economy? Share your ideas in a comment!

Documentary Proves It’s Possible To Live Well Without Money

Congressman To Americans: Cut Up Your Credit Cards!

Image Credit: Flickr – SEIU Local 1

Documentary Proves It’s Possible To Live Well Without Money

By: Beth Buczynski

21-07-2011

Uncategorized

Is it possible to feel rich without possessions? Can you live happily without money? A new film discovers the unexpectedly positive answer.

Last year, my partner Eric and I reduced our possessions to everything we could fit inside a 26′ motorhome, and set out to explore the challenges of a location-independent lifestyle. It only took us 4 months to run out of money, panic, and head back to our normal life in Colorado.

At the time, I resented our dependence on money as it got in the way of our adventure and forced us to calculate each move carefully based on how much it would cost. Imagine how much fun we could have had if money were no object!

Many people think the only way to achieve true freedom and happiness is to make so much money that wasting it has no consequences. But what if the truth was exactly the opposite?

In the documentary Living Without Money we meet 68 year-old Heidemarie Schwermer, a former teacher and psychoterapist from Germany, who one day made a deliberate choice to stop using money. She cancelled the lease on her apartment, gave away all of her belongings and kept nothing but a suitcase full of clothes. This decision that changed the entire outlook on her life dramatically.

Today, 14 years later, she is still living almost without money and claims she is feeling more free and independent than ever. The film follows Heidemarie in her day to day life and shows the challenges she meets by living an alternative lifestyle.

Watch the trailer below, and learn how to host a free screening of the film in your town.

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Build This Automated Greenhouse For A Garden Without The Work

By: Beth Buczynski

14-07-2011

Uncategorized

I love the idea of having a garden. Fresh veggies and fruits grown free of toxic chemicals, left to ripen until the moment of perfection when they travel just a few feet to my kitchen.

Actually growing this bounty from seed to salad is another story. My previous outdoor gardening attempts have ended in caterpillar infestations and death by lack of water, respectively.

That’s why I was thrilled to stumble across a Treehugger post featuring a DIY automated greenhouse.

Called the “Plantduino,” this homemade backyard greenhouse has automated temperature controls, can sense when more water is needed, and can turn its own watering system on and off.

Talk about effortless! As long as you can tell a sprout from a weed, the Plantduino pretty much takes care of the rest.

Although it requires a beginner’s knowledge of electrical wiring (or the energy to learn) the creator, Clover, alleges that it can be built in a weekend.

Here’s the Instructable, and below is the video. The project is also documented on Revoltlab.com, and you can get extra details there.

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via Treehugger

Could Growing Your Own Food Land You In Jail?

By: Beth Buczynski

11-07-2011

Uncategorized

Millions of people plant gardens to provide fresh food for their families at a fraction of grocery store prices. But recently, it seems that cities have launched a war against this simple act of self-sufficiency.

For the past week, the online world has been ablaze with news that a Michigan woman has been fined and threatened with jail time for planting a vegetable garden in her yard. Seem impossible? Watch below:

EatDrinkBetter reports:

After a sewer pipe broke on their property, Julie Bass and her family had to dig up their whole front yard to repair it. Rather than plant a water-sucking lawn or ornamental plants, they opted to build a set of raised beds and grow food on their property instead. After checking with the zoning board, they learned that the city of Oak Park allows decorative plantings, and Bass felt that a beautiful yard full of fruits and veggies would fit the bill.

But soon after getting the plants in the ground, the Bass family got an unexpected visit from the City Planner for the city of Oak Park, Michigan, who recited the following portion of city code with an amazing lack of perspective or understanding: ”All unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with grass, shrubbery or other suitable live plant material.”

This means a) somehow vegetables aren’t considered suitable live plant material and b) if Julie Bass had chosen to instead pave over her entire lawn with asphalt, the City would have left her alone.

How You Can Help

Starting today, Natural News is urging real food advocates to bombard the Oak Park City Planner’s office with phone, fax and email complaints that point out the inappropriate interpretation of city code and the wisdom of planting a vegetable garden.

Action Item #1) Sign the online petition!
It already has 14,000 signatures (as of this writing) and lots more on the way!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oak-park-hates-veggies/

Action Item #2) Contact Oak Park city officials, including City Planner Kevin Rulkowski:

Phone:248-691-7450
Email:krulkowski@ci.oak-park.mi.us

Be sure to CC the City Manager Rick Fox who needs to be kept in the loop so he understands the gravity of Rulkowski’s actions:

Phone:248-691-7406
Email:rfox@ci.oak-park.mi.us

If you wish, you may also cc the Mayor of Oak Park,Gerald E. Naftaly:
Email: gnaftaly@att.net

Action Item #3) Follow developments on Julie’s blog, which you will find at:
http://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpres…

She has a “donate here” button on the top of the page where you can donate to her legal defense fund (to help pay some of her legal bills). Please consider making a donation to this cause. She is now being represented by Solomon M. Radner, founder of Radner Law Group (in the Detroit area).

***Remember: if you choose to contact Oak Park city officials, keep it respectful and heart-felt. Threats or insults will not help this cause.

Big Vegetables In Small Spaces: How To Start A Container Garden

Image Credit: Flickr – ksuyin

Off-Grid vs. Grid-Tied Home Solar Systems

By: Beth Buczynski

07-07-2011

Uncategorized

When someone mentions living “off the grid,” what do you picture? Most people see a remote location, with a small, ultra-efficient house, and no one else around for miles. For many years, this was exactly how off-grid home solar systems were used: as a way to generate power for those who lived in an area where no power lines existed.

As the world’s population grows, however, it’s increasingly hard to find a place to live where power lines haven’t already been installed. Additionally, there are millions of people living in cities around the world that want to experiment with off-grid living without moving out of the urban areas they know and love.

Luckily, it is still possible to generate your own electricity whether you live in the middle of town, or the middle of nowhere. To decide which is better for you, it’s essential to know the difference between off-grid and grid-tied home solar systems. Each has its own benefits and challenges, but both will help reduce your energy costs and improve the environment.

Off-Grid Home Solar Systems

An off-grid solar system means that you are 100 percent reliant on the power generated by your own solar panels.

Advantages of an off-grid solar include lack of electricity bills, freedom from rate hikes, and the knowledge that you’ll be able to enjoy power in most emergency situations.
Disadvantages of an off-grid solar system include the need for large battery storage banks, a lack of power if there’s no sun for more than a few days, and no emergency power if inclement weather were to damage or destroy your system.

Grid-Tied Home Solar Systems

A grid-tied home solar system means that solar power is your default power source, but the home is still connected to a municipal power supply.

Advantages of a grid-tied solar system include the flexibility that comes from having a secure source of backup power. Excess power generated by home solar system can be fed back into the grid, and net metering can actually turn your meter backwards, earning you profit from the power company. If, during an emergency or inclement weather, you need to draw on grid-based electricity, the cost is lowered as a result or may even be free.
The main disadvantage of a grid-tied system is the need to live close to power transmission lines.

Does your home run on solar power? Tell us why you chose an off-grid or grid-tied system in the comments!

About the author: Lorna Li is Editor in Chief of Green Marketing TV and Entrepreneurs For a Change, where she enjoys writing about green business and marketing.

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Image Credit: Flickr – Living Off Grid

Fourth of July Challenge: DIY Altoids Mini-BBQ

By: Beth Buczynski

04-07-2011

Uncategorized

Happy Independence Day!

Today Americans focus on two things that they love more than anything else: eating food and blowing stuff up.

We know you’re probably spending the last day of your long weekend playing outside or hanging out with friends and family, but just in case you’re looking for something to do, we’ve got a fun and easy Fourth of July challenge for you.

Wired’s Gadget Lab recently posted a great article on how to make a mini-BBQ from a round Altoids tin and a few other odds and ends.

Not only is the end result adorable and perfect for roasting mini-marshmallows, it’s a great way to create and upcycled item from something you might have otherwise thrown away!

Supplies

Altoids sours tin

4x 1.5″ sheet metal screws with wide heads (or 4x washers to match)

8x nuts to thread on screws

70mm metal computer fan guard (similar style to the one shown)

92mm metal computer fan guard (similar style to the one shown)

Tools

Dremel tool with cutting wheel

Drill with bit slightly bigger than screws

Tin snips

Pliers/Needle nose pliers

Screwdriver

Safety goggles and gloves

If any Insteaders attempt to make this little BBQ this summer, we’d love to see the end result! Please post pictures on our Facebook page!

h/t to WV Outpost for sharing this first!

— Bay Area Community Exchange

Sustainability 101: Learn How To Fix Your Own Clothes

Are you one of those people who tend to throw clothes out because you simply don’t have the basic sewing skills to make a small fix?

How to Sew on a Button

How to Mend a Ripped Seam

How to Repair a Broken Zipper

Replace a Missing Zipper Pull

How to Replace a Drawstring

How to Patch a Hole in Jeans

How to Mend a Torn Lining

How to Hem Jeans

How to Hem Pants

Three Easy Ways To Preserve Blueberries

Blueberry season is at or just past peak in most parts of the country and this means low prices for blueberries at the market or your favorite pick your own farm.

Lessons In Self-Sufficiency Learned From Hurricane Irene

Dwindling Food Biodiversity

National Geographic shared a shocking infographic highlighting the loss of biodiversity in our food supply. Check it:

Real Food Advocates Collaborate For 2011 Food & Freedom Ride

Sustainability 101: How To Start Foraging For Food

Could You Make All Your Clothes For An Entire Year?

Make Your Own Air Conditioner For Less Than $40 [Video]

How Much Does Your Wine Weigh?

Documentary Proves It’s Possible To Live Well Without Money

Is it possible to feel rich without possessions? Can you live happily without money? A new film discovers the unexpectedly positive answer.

Build This Automated Greenhouse For A Garden Without The Work

Could Growing Your Own Food Land You In Jail?

Off-Grid vs. Grid-Tied Home Solar Systems

Fourth of July Challenge: DIY Altoids Mini-BBQ

Homestead Skillshare Festival

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