Leave Those Leaves

Tired of raking and bagging the fallen leaves?  Are you going deaf from the leaf blower?  Then leave those leaves.  The leaves will decompose over the winter and help fertilize your soil.  Any leaves that are not decomposed in the winter will eventually break down over the spring.

If you insist on a tidy yard, rake the leaves into your flower beds.  The leaves make a great mulch in the spring.

Benefits:       No green house gases from leaf blower usage.
                     Your soil will not need synthetic fertilizer.
                     The leaves will not need to be shipped away by your garbage company, reducing the
                     carbon emissions.

Drawbacks:  Your yard may look untidy until the leaves decompose.
                      If the leaves are too thick, rain water may not reach the soil.

Repurpose with a Purpose: Old Charcoal Grills

With hamburgers, ribs, and brats teasing our imagination, we purchased a charcoal grill six years ago.  During the first few summers that we had it, we used it a few times each year.  I always stored it in the shed when it wasn't being used and cleaned the grilling surface before and after using it.  Over time, the grilling surface rusted, and there was no way I was going to prepare food on that.

So it sat in the shed, year after year, until a few days ago.  While it isn't the most environmentally friendly activity, we would like to roast marshmallows over a campfire once or twice a year.  Although we kept our eyes open at garage sales for raised fire pits, no one was parting with them.  While I was cleaning out the shed, I figured it was time to do something with the old grill.
 
If you are planning to have a campfire, use locally sourced wood or charcoals, ideally cut from dead trees and not living ones.  If purchasing wood, be wary since the wood may harbor pests, such as the emerald ash bore, and could encourage deforestation.

While a campfire creates carbon emissions, it is a way to dispose of diseased tree branches.  If you compost or shred the diseased wood, the disease can survive and spread to other plants.  By burning the diseased portion of the wood, you can eliminate the disease, have a campfire, and create woodash that you can use with your compost or to melt ice on the driveway. 


For a project like this, you need some tools and about half an hour.

Tools:
Phillips Screwdriver
Tape Measure
Hacksaw
Leather Gloves
Rasp (optional)

1. To begin, unscrew the handles and hinges that hold the lid on.  The lid, handles, and screws were fairly beat up so they were placed in recycling since I didn't have a plan for there use.  

2. Next, you'll be shortening the legs with a hacksaw.  For my grill, I kept six inches of each leg and recycled the rest.  I wanted to keep the ash collecting can that is underneath the grill to help increase airflow with the fire.  The cut edges of the legs may be sharp or have burrs on them.  If you wish, you can file them with a rasp.

3. Now you're ready for a campfire.  Use it only outdoors in open areas.

Repurposing with a Purpose

Many of the things that we have around the home and yard are not made to be permanent.  Fortunately, a better solution is available instead of tossing things into the trash can, or even the recycling bin.  Repurposing can help you can find a new life for old items, thus reducing our contributions to the landfill and the necessary energy used for recycling.  When it comes to repurposing, our only limitation is our creativity.

How often should you replace your toothbrush?  The American Dental Association recommends every three to four months.  Those old toothbrushes may not be good for your teeth, but they are still fantastic for other purposes. 

Old toothbrushes are fantastic for cleaning between cracks and in hard to reach places.  Grime often builds up around fixtures to sinks, bathtubs, and toilets.  A toothbrush, with a solution of vinegar and water, can clean around those fixtures as well in the grooves between the fixtures and surfaces.  You can also use a toothbrush to clean exhaust fans in the bathroom, the grill-work under the refrigerator, vacuum filters, and the inside of the clothes dryer. You can even use a toothbrush to remove the silk from corn.

Since you are replacing toothbrushes fairly frequently, you can easily accumulate enough old toothbrushes that they can be specialized.  And truthfully, you probably don't want to use the same old toothbrush on your toilet and kitchen sink.  I mark the handle of each of my repurposed toothbrushes with a certain kind of tape: duct tape for the filters and fans, clear tape for the toilet, one stripe of masking tape for the bathroom sink, and two stripes for the kitchen sink. 

What great uses do you have for old toothbrushes?