Towards Sustainability

Hi,Laundry powder sounds good,going to try it soon...

2012-02-16T08:57:37.360+11:00

Hi,Laundry powder sounds good,going to try it soon,could you put all the ingredients into a food processor to mix up,and still use 2 tablespoon fulls to washing machine,thanks Dianne

This post is worth reading as usual. Besides your ...

2012-02-08T17:32:37.087+11:00

This post is worth reading as usual. Besides your post, the images that you shared help us to understand post easily.

Hi, Just found this post which was so handy for g...

2012-01-26T17:19:35.224+11:00

Hi,

Just found this post which was so handy for giving me ideas about how to make some homemade peach cordial - it's divine... (you can see it here; http://www.jenowens.com.au/deliberate-sustainable-living/home-made-peach-cordial/ Thankyou! Will be having a look at your other posts for other great and inspiring ideas,

Cheers, Jen

What would be neat is to make a wrapped for every ...

2012-01-20T03:34:09.392+11:00

What would be neat is to make a wrapped for every season of the year in coordinating fabric. I work at a quilt store and was hunting for the perfect manly valentine fabric yesterday for my husband, I had no luck.

I found your site fairly recently, and goodness, t...

2012-01-19T17:29:13.017+11:00

I found your site fairly recently, and goodness, there's so much cool and useful stuff here. It's a keeper. I hope whatever brought on the hiatus works itself out. Or if you're just vacationing from tech, enjoy yourself. Thanks for all you share.

brenda from ar

Julie, what you are doing would make a good articl...

2012-01-18T11:39:49.493+11:00

Julie, what you are doing would make a good article for my Living Green section, published every Monday in the Newcastle Herald. Drop me an email if interested.
Stephen Willaims
swilliams@theherald.coma.u

Hi Dan, Awesome! Thank you so much for your commen...

2012-01-16T08:10:12.014+11:00

Hi Dan,
Awesome! Thank you so much for your comments :-)

Hi Tanya,
Yes definitely, scenting with essential oils (I sometimes use tea tree oil or eucalyptus) is wonderful.

Hi Anon,
It's best to follow the directions for your machine, so it certainly won't hurt to dissolve the powder first. If you find that step time consuming, you might like to look at using a homemade liquid detergent. There are several terrific - and cheap - recipes on the net and I can recommend Rhonda's recipe at Down To Earth.

Cheers, Julie

I was wondering whether you just put the mixture i...

2012-01-16T00:15:48.420+11:00

I was wondering whether you just put the mixture in the soap drawer? On the soap flakes box it says to mix well with water until fully dissolved and pour through the drawer when the washing machine is running? I dont want to damage my expensive machine!

Hi Anon, The previous comments have some great tip...

2012-01-15T19:21:09.039+11:00

Hi Anon,
The previous comments have some great tips on setting - try 'Jamsetta' and/or natural sources of pectin such as cooking apples (especially Granny Smiths) or lemon or lime juice. Using substantially less sugar may also affect the storage of the jam, so it would be best to keep it in the fridge - in which case, having a slightly runny jam wouldn't be a problem.

Have fun :-)

Just about to tackle the lillipilli jam. My lillip...

2012-01-15T17:45:19.137+11:00

Just about to tackle the lillipilli jam. My lillipillies do not have a hard seed. We eat the lot in fruit salads, and they give a really nice tang to the fruit salads. They have a lingering aftertaste which I hope will come through in the jam. I am going to try a lot less sugar than you but worry that it may not set. Ideas?

Hi Julie! I've been meaning to make this for a...

2012-01-09T14:08:12.097+11:00

Hi Julie!
I've been meaning to make this for a while - I've been buying handmade soap from a lovely lady on Etsy, but Customs and Quarantine keep stopping it (I'm also in Australia, and I was buying it from the US).
Just wanted to know, is there a way to add a scent to it? I have some essential oils and food essences I would love to scent it with.

Hi All, I am a little behind and I am just findin...

2012-01-05T14:32:10.707+11:00

Hi All,

I am a little behind and I am just finding out about all these chemicals that are used on the tea plants. Would anyone be able to recommend some chemical free teas?
Also I was looking around on various tea websites, and it seems like it is hard to find what sort of chemicals/farming practices they use.

Thanks!
abby

Hi Julie, I am a farmer in Southern Philippines an...

2012-01-03T12:49:42.794+11:00

Hi Julie, I am a farmer in Southern Philippines and just discovered that the coconut sap vinegar is and excellent deodorant as is.

I'm in the minority here, I know, but I did no...

2012-01-02T18:38:18.522+11:00

I'm in the minority here, I know, but I did not like them. The taste and texture were almost unpalatable to me. My husband (who will eat about anything) isn't very keen on them either. I made two batches that are now going bad because no one in the house will eat them. Such a shame because I was really hoping they would work out.

i love this. i'm going to try it and get back ...

2011-12-28T10:49:48.069+11:00

i love this. i'm going to try it and get back to you. thanks.

Quick follow up: I've been using the simple c...

2011-12-17T14:56:30.749+11:00

Quick follow up:

I've been using the simple combination of a tablespoon of soap flakes and a teaspoon of boric acid. Getting excellent results particularly noticable on white t-shirts. Seems to be working fine without the Sodium carbonate.

For the soap flakes just grate up a bar of whatever soap you normally use in the bathroom. It is suprisingly quick and leaves it nicely scented.

Dan

Another toothpaste recipe that my husband and chil...

2011-12-12T07:23:08.513+11:00

Another toothpaste recipe that my husband and children love is as follows

3 TBSP Coconut Oil
3 TBSP Baking Soda
1 TBSP fine grain salt (breath sweetener -- optional)
20 drops essential oil -- for the kids I use 17 tangerine and 3 drops clove oil.
2 pckts Stevia -- just to make it sweeter (I only use it for the kids)

Make sure your coconut oil is melted before putting other ingredients in. Then cool down. In the summer if the house is hotter than 78F which our is, you'll have to put it in the fridge to keep it solid. :-)

We like this because it stays on the brush so nicely and isn't quite so difficult in taste as straight baking soda. The coconut oil is good for yeast, soothes skin (like inflamed gums), and it tastes yummy (if you like coconut).

Enjoy! Leanne

Hi! Beautiful stuff, all of it. I am especially ...

2011-12-03T13:53:37.179+11:00

Hi!

Beautiful stuff, all of it. I am especially interested in the Agee Pyrex. I collect all sorts of Pyrex, but the Agee pieces in my collection remain the biggest mystery. I am still trying to find information about Agee, do you know of any good links?

Cheers,

Nicole

Hi Julie, Thanks for posting this recipe. I was wo...

2011-12-02T10:59:49.049+11:00

Hi Julie,
Thanks for posting this recipe. I was wondering what bottle you are using? I'm having a hard time finding anything bigger than 2oz.

Thanks,
Christy

Hi Julie, I would like to plant water chestnuts i...

2011-11-28T15:48:48.838+11:00

Hi Julie,

I would like to plant water chestnuts in bucket, but i am concern about mosquito breeding within the bucket.

i understand keeping fishes in the water may prevent mosquito, but the water level above soil is only ~ 1.5in. I don't think the fish will survive in such low level of water.

Is there alternatives?

thanks
Greeny

Boric acid can be used instead of Borax. If you...

2011-11-21T13:21:11.349+11:00

Boric acid can be used instead of Borax. If you're using greywater systems it won't cause a sodium build up in the soil. (Boron is actualy an essential trace element for plants, so occasionally I throw some directly on the garden. Deficiency symptoms are new leaf curl and tip burn of new growth).

It has many other uses so its pure coincedence that I happen to have some. I picked up a 25kg bag for under $40 a while back. Saw them recently for $50 (2kg bags for $8). Much cheaper than buying Borax retail and more friendly to the environment.

Dan

I got it for 2200 dollars + 499 flue kit. No insta...

2011-11-19T12:54:54.648+11:00

I got it for 2200 dollars + 499 flue kit. No installation costs since I was replacing the roof anyway...
100% cast iron. Should last a lifetime. Heats over 12 squares...
Witold, Ryde, NSW

I have used this recipe for a LONG time. I will on...

2011-11-19T03:16:45.671+11:00

I have used this recipe for a LONG time. I will only mix it up a little at a time because it does clump. If you only use 1/4 c Borax, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/16 cup salt, 1/16 cup citric acid and omit the essential oil you should be able to use it up before it clumps.

Also if you are getting a residue you can fill the resevior with white vinegar instead of a store bought rinse aid.

Not all dishwashers need a full tablespoon of detergent at a time. You might have to play around with it a bit before you find how much or how little your dishwasher requires. I hope this helps.

I have read that Dom has been very ill, maybe he h...

2011-11-18T10:32:48.629+11:00

I have read that Dom has been very ill, maybe he has passed away.

You haven't updated in a while. I hope that yo...

2011-11-13T18:25:31.892+11:00

You haven't updated in a while. I hope that you're okay.