Mindzle

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Did you know that coffee is the most popular commodity in the world, after oil? Of course you did… you’re smart and sophisticated. That’s why you’re reading this blog. But what most people don’t consider is that all of this demand for coffee is beating up the environment. Just think of how many coffee houses there are in the US. Then think about the coffee shops in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. Then consider the amount of fuel it takes to transport coffee beans from Indonesia, Africa, Columbia, etc across the world. Then imagine the millions of disposable paper cups, styrofoam cups, napkins, coffee stirrers,coffee tops, etc. that are thrown into garbage heaps every day. Then think of how much water it takes to cultivate, harvest, and eventually brew all of that coffee. Some stats say that it takes 200 liters of water to produce just one latte.

These stats are pretty dis-heartening, but don’t let it get you down. Yes coffee does do a number on the environment, but it doesn’t mean you have to stop drinking it altogether. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do the lessen the effect of your coffee habit on the earth.

1). Drink Less – This isn’t the easiest thing for most people, but cutting at least some coffee out of your diet is bound to help the environment (not to mention keep your teeth wither) If this isn’t possible, don’t fret, there are plenty of good tips below.

2). Drink Local Coffee – Because shipping coffee beans around the world spews tons of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, look for coffee beans grown in countries closer to you. Love Kopi Luwak (the bean is best when it passes through the digestive tract of a small tree mammal called the luwak)? There are tons of other specialty blends that you can get that are grown much closer to home. I know Kopi Luwak tastes good, but it comes from an animal’s feces and it shipped from half-way across the world. I’m just sayin’…

3). Buy Organic – Organic coffee is great because it’s (obviously) grown without chemicals, and is usually grown in such a way that protects sensitive ecosystems and the birds that live within them. Most of these toxic chemicals are produced in factories that spew toxins into the environment themselves, so you’re killing birds with one stone by going organic.

4). Stay Away From Corporate Coffee – More and more coffee giants are cutting down forest and converting them into large agricultural coffee plantations. The deforestation is not only horrible for the environment, it produces inferior quality coffee. Add that to the fact that the coffee farmers themselves can barely make a living working in these massive corporate coffee farms.

5). Choose Fair Trade Coffee – If you’re going organic, and avoiding corporate coffee, you might as well buy fair trade coffee. Rainforest Alliance and Transfair coffees not only ensure fair living wages for coffee farmers, they take into account environmental standards in their certification process. It won’t immediately lift people out of poverty, but it’s a start.

6). Just Use a Mug – This one is a no-brainer. But it’s easier if you invest in a really cool mug that you will want to use over and over again; eliminating the need for plastic or Styrofoam cups. There are plenty of websites that sell cool, unique, and funny coffee mugs. Or you can create one by yourself at CafePress.

7). Ditch the Stirrer – Rather than mixing sugar and cream with a plastic spoon or stirrer, try pouring them into an empty cup. Then gently pour your hot coffee on top, letting the heat naturally dissolve the sugar and mix the cream. It takes some practice. Or you could just use a metal spoon.

8). Use Better Filters – Not only are they better for the environment, re-usable gold coffee filters yield a better, less bitter cup of coffee. If that’s not your thing, just look for unbleached, biodegradable ones.

9). Make a Compost Heap – If you already have a compost heap, you probably throw egg shells, banana peels, and old food into it. Why not add coffee grounds (if you don’t already)? The next time you make some coffee, rather than throwing out the used coffee grounds, toss them in your compost heap, or directly into your garden. All the nitrogen in the coffee is a powerful fertilizer.

10). Keep Away Pesky Felines – Instead of using harsh chemicals in your garden to keep away unwanted pests like ants and neighborhood cats, sprinkle coffee grounds and orange peels in your garden. The nitrogen in the coffee burns ants’ legs and is better for the environment than using harmful chemicals. Cats don’t like the smell of coffee either.

So here are 10 easy ways to make your coffee habit less harmful to the environment. I’m sure there are tons of others. Please feel free to share your own tips.

http://TheCoffeeMakerStore.com is a daily blog and e-commerce store about coffee, coffee makers, and coffee culture. Feel free to download the free “eco friendly coffee tips” widget from there as well.

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• Local Joe (blogschu.com)
• Poll: Do you buy organic coffee? (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

aquaponics is the attempt to create a intertwined biosphere of plant and animal life (primarily fish) that benefits the growth of both. More often than not these systems are used to grow food, however that is not always the case.

I have been researching these systems, looking for the best designs, and noting the pitfalls, so that in the near future, I may have the understanding to build my own system.

In all my digging for the nuggets of knowledge regarding this fairly obscure topic, these are the 5 most useful blogs I have found.

1. Backyard Aquaponics – The premiere information portal for the would be Aquaponaut. This site is the home of the Backyards Aquaponics magazine and has more information in it’s forums than pretty much the rest of the Internet combined. It is a fantastic resource and should not be missed by anyone seriously considering their own system.
2. Snow Camp Aquaponics – This wonderful little blog documents the trials and tribulations of Brian Naess in his quest to develop an aquaponics system on a shoestring budget. He posts only about once a month, but his perseverance through every disaster and his dedication to just making it work gives me hope for my future system and should inspire any would-be aquaponaut.
3. Aquaponics Made Easy – Murray Hallam runs a business that creates a wide variety of products for use in Aquaponics including grow beds and tanks. His blog is full of useful videos, tips, tricks, advice, system designs and installations. This site is a treasure trove of information, and a great resource for buying material if you happen to live in Australia. The videos alone make it a must see.
4. A Thought Adrift – Simon Gemmell was so successful with his own aquaponics system that he launched Capital Aquaponics as a business to design and develop systems for others. His photos give you an idea of the incredible potential of these systems. The growth of both plants and trout is impressive and shows everyone what they should strive for their system to be.
5. Backyard Aquaponics Forum – Yes this is basically just the forum from the first site mentioned, and no it is not a blog. Regardless, it is so important as a resource that it must be given more real estate on this post. The forums are very active with people designing and building their own systems. Some of the larger ones are commercial in scale, and f it were not for the pictures I wouldn’t believe them. I regularly lurk the forums, just trying to gain as much info, from the community, that my brain can absorb.

So there you have it, my top 5 aquaponics Blogs. If anyone has any more suggestions I’d love to hear them. Cheers!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Aquaponics Aquaponics, energy efficiency, and an ecosystem approach to food production (slideshare.net)
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For me the daily question is “How do I make my existence matter?”. I have a firm belief that the only way we live on past our own death is through the memories of others. There are two ways to that result, one is to be terrible, ruthless and merciless, to be hated. The other is to be helpful, kind and generous, to be loved. In my opinion it is easier to be ruthless than generous. So it is easier to be hated than loved. My own natural tendencies and talents put me into a venue (business) where cut-throat mercenary sensibilities are the norm. I have chosen a different path. My strength is solving complex problems. This has lead me to start many companies, and invent.

OK, so what? How does my beliefs of immortality relate to my strengths? Well, that has been somewhat difficult to reason through. But I have come to realization that I can do more good, and add more value to the world by helping others build a successful future for themselves and those they care for.

How? I have started consulting to start-up businesses who focus on green, eco and sustainability. I will help them bring products to the market, get the word out and innovate their industry.

Meanwhile on the home front, I have been working through several projects in the effort to make my home more sustainable. My ultimate goal is to have a completely self reliant “homestead”. My wife and I live on 5 acres of woods. This means that a large garden is out of the question, at least without cutting down most of the trees. This represents quite a challenge. Here on Mindzle I will try to document how I solve this problem using permaculture, aquaponics, solar electric and rainwater harvesting. Many other topics will likely be covered such as composting and the raising of chickens. I am excited by the challenges now before me and hope that you will follow along and join in the conversation.

until next time, cheers!

Call me a cynic, call me a conspiracy nut, just don’t call me a fool.
For some time now this wonderful nation of ours has been under attack. Our ideals, goals and history are being revised by those who believe they have the divine right to rule. They were born into wealth and see it as evolution on a social order, that money and power show superior genes. They were born to wield almighty power, and only they know right from wrong, that all of us “peasants” should gladly accept their divinations from on high. They are the moral authority; they are the authors of our destiny. They are above the law, above the constitution and beyond reproach. And they sell us this story in every media and outlet, and we buy it with enthusiasm.

Who are they? It would be simple and naive to say Republicans. As Former president George W. bush once said “This is an impressive crowd of the haves and have mores. Some people call you the elite, I call you my base.” At least he was honest about it. This group of elitists really is the base of the Republican Party, no matter their new-found populist mantra. But the Democratic Party is far from free of guilt. Following the overwhelming victory of Ronald Reagan in 1980, a new movement in the party began. This group of southern Democrats gained strength and momentum as Reagan began union busting.
This move by Reagan was both political and ideological in nature.

This is where I start to see the pattern. Reagan went about systematically destroying the unions for two related reasons. First the Democratic Party, his chief rivals, were heavily funded and supported by unions. Destroying the unions eliminated his opposition’s chief strength. And second, Reagan, and the Republican’s in general, were supported by corporatists that wanted unions to lose power and there-by strengthen the power at the top of their enterprises. After all unions represent democracy in the workplace, and what monarch (CEO) wants to deal with that?

In this power vacuum within the Democratic Party, caused by the fall of the unions, the new corporatist’s element gained strength. It is obvious why; to win major national and even regional elections you need money, mountains of it. The unions were smaller, less powerful and far poorer. They could no longer be relied upon to fund the party. The Blue Dog Democrats had the answer. Go to the same deep well the Republicans siphoned from. Support corporations over workers. Support the rich over the poor. Support anything that helps convince the rich, elite and powerful to fund your campaign. And boy did they.

I’ve never met a neo-liberal a.k.a. neo-conservative a.k.a. conservative who liked former president Bill Clinton. I’ve also never met an actual liberal who supported his policies. He was hated by the Neo-Conservatives because he was not a Republican. And the Republicans as a party are great at tearing down. They began his destruction in the eyes of their loyal followers even before he was elected president. And they put the petal to the metal the moment he entered the White House. They fabricated or exaggerated every possible failure or character flaw in the man. They should have loved him; he was as much a neo-conservative as Newt Gingrich. A Liberal president NEVER signs NAFTA. Even a true conservative never signs NAFTA. He continued the Reagan Tax cuts; he continued the ridiculous military spending of his Neo-Conservative predecessors. The only thing that stopped him from being openly embraced by the Neo-Cons was his party affiliation and that he didn’t openly support their social policies.

The Newt Gingrich Revolution
On the backs of trumped up scandal and outrage, the Neo-Conservatives took control of Congress in a sweeping victory. They denounced then President Clinton for being an adulterer; they denounced his Liberal agenda, and promoted populist change. Fewer taxes, smaller government, promote family values etc. And here is one of those moments when truth is spun on its head. Most of those promoting “family values” and “saving marriage” were adulterers caught in scandals beyond imagination. (Scandals)
This is the legacy of the so called “Moral Majority”. It goes to the old adage, “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” You cannot scream about illegal aliens and then hire them, you cannot fight a war on Drugs and use them (Ehem, Rush…), and you cannot condemn adultery and then have affairs. It makes a liar of you, and a fool of those that buy into your rhetoric.

This “Moral Outrage” is a screen, its cover, nothing else. As is their embracing of the Religious Fundamentalists. Organized religion has long been a tool of the powerful. Preach politics from the pulpit and use the church to promote your goals. Turn followers into evangelists, it is a very powerful tool.
If the modern Corporatists (I shy away from calling them conservatives, or Republicans as it crosses party lines) were to show their actual goals in the light of day, they would be hunted down and destroyed publicly. Their goals are as Anti-American as Stalin’s Russia. Grover Norquist put it succinctly: “My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” I have no problem with cutting the government in half, in many ways I support that, but that is not what he is saying, he wants to be able to drown it in a bathtub, to kill it entirely. That is anarchy, not democracy. It is the goal of the Corporatists to utterly destroy the American Republic; after all it was George W Bush who said: “If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier, just as long as I’m the dictator.”

Never forget that his is the whole goal, starve government until it can be drowned in a bathtub, so that the wealthy can influence every decision for their best interests. Thereby turning a Democracy into a corporate state. Fascism in the 21st Century.
We are already on the brink. Maybe we have already slipped into it.

It was Eisenhower who warned, during his farewell address: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.” He was Right, but we must guard against all of the industrial complexes.

Today the medical Industrial complex fights against Health Insurance for all, because it will cut into their profits. They claim that a state run program will have unfair advantages and reduce the quality of Healthcare. They claim that we will have to stand in lines to get medical treatment. (I don’t know about you, but every time I’ve been to an Emergency room I already have to wait for sometimes hours. At for profit hospitals) So how can it be that a not-for-profit system would hurt me as a consumer? I find this very confusing, if you listen to the Neo-Conservative Free Market ideologues, they state that the free market is always better for the consumer, competition keeps prices down etc. So how can a government run institution, not motivated by profit hurt the consumer? The truth is, it doesn’t, this is just the typical hysterical fear-mongering they promote to convince us to vote against our own best interests.

What we actually find, is that in a Free market eventually you always end up with monopolies controlling entire industries. A company gets an advantage, uses it to pressure competitors, gain market share, then they acquire the competitors, use the new size to pressure other competitors, and on and on, until only the one remains. Corporations have no interest in the public good; their only goal is to make a profit. It is the part of government to regulate the markets to ensure that the public is not being fed upon by predatory forces and to stop monopolies from forming in the first place.

In Health Care many people wonder why the costs have sky rocketed over the last 25 years. It doesn’t take a cryptologist to figure this one out. We deregulated the medical industry and allowed hospitals to become profit based entities. Me, personally, I do not want a hospitals decision to save a my life to depend on whether or not it positively affects the corporation’s bottom line.

It happened in banking, it happened in health Care, and it happens in every market we deregulate. Prices go up, and eventually the quality of service goes down. The Health Insurance Industry is trying to stop Healthcare for all, not because it will help American’s but because they are trying to protect their enormous profits, and overly generous Executive compensation. They know that an entity that doesn’t pay its CEO tens of millions of dollars a year has a competitive advantage. They know that an enterprise that doesn’t pay stock dividends has an advantage. Those advantages will reduce the cost of healthcare at the not-for-profit’s and cause the for profits to have to cut costs. But to do it without degrading the quality of care provided they will need to cut bonuses for executives and administrators as well as salaries and dividend payments, what do you think the likely-hood of that will be? So maybe they are right that it will cut quality at the for-profit institutions, because god forbid they cut administrative and Executive costs.

So this political battle, as with most we face, pits the Uber-Rich vested interests against those of the general American population. It is the Rich versus every one else. For the last 30 years the rich have won. Who will win this time?

This is not a Democrat versus Republican war; this is not a Liberal versus Conservative fight. This is the Rich Elite versus all of us. They control the media, the message, the government, and the economy. The economy has been taken hostage by Wall Street. The nation is being held at ransom by thieves, and criminals. There is a war on Terror, but the terrorists are not in some distant land, they are right here at home. They control the banks, they control the systems of money and they own our nation.

“During the short boom of the late 1990s, conservative analysts asserted that, yes, the gap between rich and poor was growing, but that incomes for the poor were still increasing over previous levels. Today most economists, regardless of their political persuasion, agree that the data over the last 25 to 30 years is unequivocal. The top 5% is capturing an increasingly greater portion of the pie while the bottom 95% is clearly losing ground, and the highly touted American middle class is fast disappearing.” — Project Censored.org

The numbers we now see on the distribution of wealth in this nation more match 3rd world nations than our other industrialized counterparts.

I’d like to end with this quote:
“…The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few is the death knell of democracy. No republic in the history of humanity has survived this.” – GARRISON KEILLOR

It can be quite a daunting experience when you try to make a positive change. In our modern world with the information thrown at the speed of light in your direction 24 hours a day 7 days a week, how do you filter out the important information and make wise decisions about the choices in your life? To help you find a greener path, and probably a happier one as well, here are my top ten web resources for living green:

10) Paystolivegreen.com – This great little blog is about saving money by going green.  They discuss topics including the environment, alternative sources of energy, going green, organic and sustainable products, finance, the environment, nutrition and technology. I have only recently come across this blog, but it is a well spring of ideas and information and anyone wanting to be more ecologically sound should check it out.

9) Dailyecotips.com – A blog with a new daily eco tip listed on the site every day. Find out how to save money, save energy, recycle, reuse and live a greener life! How much more can I say. The blogs author has a done a wonderful job of coming up with a new eco tip every day that is both practical and smart.

Backyardaquaponics.com – Without this website I would have no idea about aquaponics, nor would most of the rest of the world. If you don’t know about aquaponics I suggest you head over there right away. They have opened my eyes to a better way of growing both fish and plants for food. Any self respecting survivalist should have an aquaponics system . In fact NASA is using ideas like this in their long term space exploration plans. Of particular interest is the forums and specifically Member Systems. This is a large group of people who have been building and testing their own designs in sometimes very remote parts of the world, where they actually rely on the productively of these systems to eat.

7) Organicgardeningzone.com - This blog has the best Info You Can Find About Tips And Ideas On Organic Gardening, Gardening Advice, Supplies And Equipment Reviews. They have been a dependable resource with a great deal of knowledge and experience to help the new Organic gardener get up and running successfully.

6) Articlegarden.com – This website is a collection of articles from a wide sampling of blogs on sustainability. Their own self description tells it best: “is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for human and natural environments for both now and the indefinite future. It relates to the connection of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment. It is intended to be a means of balancing civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential today, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals in a very long term. Sustainability affects every level of organization, from the local family to the entire planet. We must all strive to live a sustainable lifestyle. From biodeisel to recycling this is a sustainable living resource meant to help us all learn to do this.”

5) Mindzle.com – Yes, I know, shameless self promotion. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this site, which has been one of my top resources for living a more sustainable life. It has motivated me to make better decisions and is a repository of knowledge I have compiled from literally thousands of sources.

4)The Green Guide – National Geographic magazines Green Guide is a deep resource, whether you want tips to green your life, or to research which product you should buy. It tends to be heavily leaning towards the latter.  When my wife and I decided to buy a new freezer it was the first place we looked. Some of what they are selling is little more than green-washing, but a savvy individual can usually find useful information regardless.

3) Organicgardening.com- This is the website for the magazine of the same name. If you are looking for anything related to organic gardening you will find it here. We will be using thier Organic Gardening Composter plans to build our own version.

2) Mother Earth News – The Original Guide to Living Wisely. This website for the oldest magazine related to green living and homesteading with 40 years of articles and how-to’s in one place is an imeesruarable asset. It was tough deciding these top two places, and Mother Earth News could easily have taken the top spot. It is hard to argue with 40 years of environmental and rural knowledge available in one place. From this singular resource you can learn anything related to organic gardening, home power generation, alternative fuels, electric cars… well pretty much anything green.

1)Treehugger.com – Arguably the top online news and information portal on sustainability in business, home, politics and products. There is an ocean of articles by many of the top experts in every related field.  There are interviews, how-to’s as well as the news you need to know. They easily made my top two, but it is the constant updates daily that moved them into the top spot. They have been a big motivator for me and my family.