winter 2014
LIVING GREEN Easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint POPPING TABS on the cover Turn soda tabs into fun jewelry MEAT MADNESS How the meat industry is effecting the environment A PEEK AT BOGGY CREEK on the cover An insider’s look at a local urban farm XERISCAPING SWEEPS THE NATION Makeover your yard and your water bill POPPING TAGS Find out about how to save money at thrift shops FLOWER POWER on the cover Bring nature everywhere with these flower crowns TERRIFIC TERRARIUMS Build your own little ecosystem
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ne early morning I was in the car with my parents, we were heading to Playland. On our
way, we stopped by a park since the drive was two hours long. As I looked around that park I was surprised to find a little clump of living life. Everywhere around the place was filled with lifeless waste: plastic bottles, cigarette leftovers, cardboard boxes, plastic bags that seemed to be chewed by dogs, and broken glass from irresponsible drinkers. The little clump of life was a beautiful, magenta-colored flower with pink and soft petals. I asked my mother if I could take the little flower and responded that I could. I approached the flower with care, and as I walked I realized that some of that waste could be coming from me. I had never thought of where all my old math notebooks ended up, or what they were turned into. I digged up the little plant as my nails ran through all that cold and wet soil. I carried the small, child-like flower into my car and placed it inside plastic bottle. When I got home I placed the flower inside a tiny pot. From that moment on I found out more about the real world. When I picked up that plant, I was 6 years old. I had not known much about the real world and was more focused on advancing my skills on the monkey bars. When I realized that places near me could be filled with trash. I could not believe what farther away and poorer places could look like. From that moment on I started realizing that many of the daily things I threw I could use for projects. Every day I found new and better ways to use bottle caps, leftover party spoons, plates and cups, and even how to use a 5-gallon jug and turn it into multiple pipes for future projects. Every single day I would place a goal on my self to try to reuse, reduce and recycle old materials from around my house. As my interests for fun projects grew, so did my interest for saving the environment. At the age of eleven I started doing projects outside with plants and animals. I made bird houses out of old thrown wood, plant pots out of old tin cans and even organic scents from plants, fruits and vegetables. My passion for plants, animals and projects has grown a lot since that day and still grows on today. Being with these three girls has been a very enjoyable, gratifying and stressful time, but still it has been a very unique experience in my life. It was delightful to find other people who had similar thoughts about the environment and to work with them to build this amazing and marvelous magazine.
YOU WILL NEED:
Gather your materials and align your bottle tabs as shown in the picture.
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3 Thread the top cord over the left edge of the second tab and down through the first’s tab top whole.
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2 Fold the string half way to have the two ends align. Thread one end through the upper opening of the bottle cap, and the second through the bottom opening .
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Lay a second tab on top of the first tab half way through. The openings should match up.
Cut 60 inches of string. If you are not sure if that is the correct length for your wrist feel free to add more inches.
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Repeat the process with the bottom opening. Turn the tabs over and add a third tab.
7 Continue this pattern until it is long enough for your wrist.
Thread the top cord over the first and third tabs, through the third tab’s top opening and down through the second tab’s opening.
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Do the same with the bottom tab’s opening.
8 End with a tab that lies in the top layer and tie both ends together.
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Tips: 1) If you are having trouble threading the ribbon through you can place some tape in the ends. 2)When threading the ribbon you can mix it up by adding two different colored strands or many strands together. 3)When you are finished threading, you can add a few riboon bows to pop colors out.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit DIY Pop Tab Bracelet at FabArtDiy.com Visit 25 Genius Craft Ideas at Listotic.com
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Turn off appliances that are not in use for an extended amount of time. Even though we may believe that an appliance is turned “off”, if it is still plugged into a power source, it continues to drain what is called “phantom power”. The average household contains about 40 appliances using phantom power at any given moment (Brindle). Among the greatest consumers of phantom power are TVs, alarm clocks, stereos, phone, laptop, and tablet chargers, digital clocks, microwaves, and laptops. Though it may seem like an effortless chore to simply pull the plug of your TV, stereo, and microwave before heading off to bed, this simple act can ultimately save up to 10 percent of the energy that your home produces (Brindle). Simply unplugging your appliances greatly reduces your personal carbon footprint as well as your energy bill. Source: money.howstuffworks.com, “How Much Can You Save by Unplugging Appliances?” Replace energy inefficient light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs. The three main types of light bulbs are incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs, and LED bulbs. Of these three types, incandescent is the least energy efficient. Incandescent light bulbs produce great amounts of excess heat which, especially in hot summers, can waste energy as it creates the need to further cool your home. CFL and LED light bulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last from 10 to 25 times longer. Replacing five of the most frequently used light bulbs in your home with energy efficient CFL or LED bulbs can shave $75 annually off of your energy bill. The more effective the light bulb, the longer it lasts. The longer it lasts, the more energy you save. The more energy you save, the less you pay. Source: energy.go, “Lighting Choices to Save You Money” Replace old, large appliances with new, more efficient ones. How long have you had your refrigerator? How about your heating and cooling systems? And how often do you use these things? It is probably pretty regularly, if not 24/7. Well, if you have had the same large appliance for more than 10 years, then it may be time to replace these large, hard-working, tired appliances with something more energy efficient. Appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, water heaters, and heating and cooling systems consume over 60 percent of the energy used by your home. If these appliances are not working as efficiently as possible then a large chunk of that 60 percent is unnecessarily being thrown out of the window and into our atmosphere. Some of today’s most efficient refrigerators use less than half the energy of a model from a dozen years ago. Making an investment in replacing these appliances saves a considerable amount of energy and money. Source: nrdc.org, “Efficient Appliances Save Energy--And Money” Use tap water rather than bottled water. According to duke.edu, “It is estimated that one in six American households use bottled water as either their primary or only source of water,” (duke.edu). The average cost for bottled water in the United States is around $0.90 per gallon while, for example, the average cost for tap water in California is $0.80 for 500 gallons. Though many people believe that bottled water is “better for you” than tap water, but in most places that simply is not the case. In fact, death rates are consistently lower in places with less consumption of bottled water. Not only is it just as healthy or even more healthy to drink tap water, but drinking what comes from the tap in your own kitchen, from your own town is a much more energy efficient practice. When you buy a case of bottled water, it has likely been shipped all around the country, or even the world. The amount of energy and money spent simply getting bottles of water into your hands is incomparable to the convenience of turning the faucet in your kitchen sink. This method again saves money and contributes to a greener future. Sources: duke.edu, “Tap vs. Bottled Water” Turn off your thermostat when no one is home. It may seem like turning your thermostat off while you are not home will use more energy to re-heat or re-cool your home when you arrive home. The truth is your thermostat actually works most efficiently when it is turned off and then on at full speed. For every degree your AC is raised, you save 3 to 5 percent of the energy used. This means that simply turning your thermostat up 4 or 5 degrees when you go to work and school can save 20 percent of the energy you put towards cooling your home. This 20 percent savings is not only saving you energy, but also a considerable amount of money. Source: organicgardening.com, “Leave Your AC On or Turn it Off”• 6
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hat's on your plate can affect many things like your weight or your wallet, but you might not consider how it might affect the world around you. Our planet faces global warming, food and water shortages, and destruction of ecosystems. People’s diet has a very big impact an all of these things. “I always knew that becoming a vegetarian would help prevent cruelty to animals but I was not aware of the environmental consequences of a meat-eating diet,” said Lillie Odgen, a writer for the Vegetarian Times. For instance, it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. In comparison, it takes 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat, according to the Water Education Foundation. Many people think water conservation means taking shorter showers or turn off the faucet when you’re brushing your teeth but actually domestic uses accounts for only 4% of humanity’s water footprint, while 27% of humanity’s water footprint stems from the production of animal products. By transitioning into a vegetarian diet, the industrial world can reduce their food-related water footprint by 36%. Most of the water use from the production of animal products comes from the water used to produce their feed. Animals eat multiple crops in their lifetime to produce some bacon, steak or lamb chops in the end. It is 7 times more 8
efficient to eat grain directly if you get your meat in the US. The livestock industry also pollutes waterways with manure from the animals that contain hormones used to grow the livestock faster as well as antibiotics to keep the animals from getting sick. Industrial farming utilizes giant ponds called lagoons to keep all the waste in. When it rains sometimes these lagoons will overflow, leak or even break completely and flow into neighboring bodies of water. This affects the ecosystem in the water. Manure is a fertilizer and so when it ends up in bodies of water it fertilizes the algae in the water and algae blooms result from it. These algae blooms take up nutrients in the water. Because there are no nutrients in the water for other organisms, these blooms create dead zones. Going vegetarian also lessens the impact on ocean ecosystems because vegetarians don’t support the fishing industry which tends to overfish. “Whether it’s farmed or caught in the wild, eating fish causes significant damage to wildlife and the oceans. Vegetarians don’t eat fish so going veggie will help preserve precious ecosystems,” reports the Vegetarian Times. Many fish, up to 80% of the catch in some cases, are discarded and possibly killed as bycatch, the unwanted fish and marine creatures caught during commercial fishing. This doesn’t only affect our food supply, it also affects the creatures
who eat sea life such as dolphins and sharks. “The big fish, the bill fish, the groupers, the big things will be gone. It is happening now. If things go unchecked, we'll have a sea full of little horrible things that nobody wants to eat. We might end up with a marine junkyard dominated by plankton.” Daniel Pauly said, Professor and Director of the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre. One example of overfishing happened in Newfoundland, Canada. In 1992 at the start of the fishing season, no cod appeared. This resulted in many people losing their livelihood. Still 22 years later, not a single cod has surfaced. “Bottom trawling is the most destructive of any actions that humans conduct in the ocean,” said Dr. Watling, Professor of Zoology at the University of Hawaii. Bottom trawling, a method to catch fish involves dragging a net along the bottom of the sea floor. Bottom trawling doesn’t discriminate, it catches everything in its path. This creates a lot of bycatch that is thrown overboard dead or dying. Bottom trawling also damages a lot of coral reefs. It also stirs up sediment trails that make it harder for sunlight to go into the ocean. These are numerous
and can be seen from space. Bottom trawling can be compared to clear cutting the forest. By not eating fish, vegetarians don’t support the fishing industry, therefore discouraging these practices by the fishing industry. Livestock farming takes up much of the land. Almost 30% of the ice-free land on earth, 70% of arable land, is used for farming. In the Amazon, 70% of tropical rainforest cleared is for pastures. The trees in the Amazon are vital to the ecosystem. They increase biodiversity and provide homes for many species. Deforestation also releases carbon into the atmosphere, which is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. About 805 million people in the world go hungry but the majority of the world’s grain is fed to livestock. In the United States, if all the grain that was fed to animals was fed to people instead, the United States could feed 800 million people, estimates David Pimentel, professor of ecology in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This could solve the world’s hunger problems. If that grain was exported instead the US could boost their trade balance by $80 billion dollars. 9
A grain diet is also bad for the animals as well. Since cows are ruminants they have four-chambered stomachs. Their stomach is for digesting grass, not grain. Eating grain can be harmful to their health and cause liver abscesses, bloating and sudden death syndrome. 37% of the world’s methane is produced by cows. Methane, a greenhouse gas, is 23 more powerful than carbon dioxide in terms of trapping heat. Ruminants, like cows and sheep, are aided in their digestion by bacteria. These bacteria happen to produce methane, so the ruminants release some of this methane by expelling air through the mouth or through waste.
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Now the the real question, should we all become vegetarians? People don’t have to switch completely to a meat-free diet. By just reducing meat consumption by 20% it saves the same amount of resources as everyone switching from a sedan to a hybrid car. Completely cutting meat out of your diet eliminates the need to buy it, therefore not supporting the livestock and fishing industry. This reduces the demand for meat and not as many livestock and fish will be needed to produce meat. This will free up more grain for malnourished people, reduce the environmental impact on oceans’ ecosystems and reduce pollution in air, water and land. •
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he sun beats down hard on the lush green grass, evaporating the dew coating the ground. The smell of the earth is inhaled with every breath of the dry, hot air. Nearby, chickens cluck with excitement as roosters announce the morning’s end. Walls of greenery and row after row of crops make up the entire five-acre property. A worn path of gravel leads visitors through the large opened gate at the entrance, and towards a large, rusty tin shed. Inside, warm lights reveal six tables. Atop them sit large baskets filled to the brim with vibrant, colorful produce. Shoppers, their arms loaded with fresh greens, walk towards a check-out table where owners, Larry Butler and Carol Ann Sayle greet them with smiling faces. This scene plays out each Wednesday and Saturday morning at farmer’s markets at the Boggy Creek Farm in east Austin, Texas. The farm sells the produce, freshly harvested from its fields; the eggs, recently collected from its chickens; and foods made from more of the farm’s products, to any and all who are interested in stopping by and supporting a
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local business in the community. “This is just a beautiful place and it’s such a gem,” shopper Jane Ross said in her description of why she regularly visits the Boggy Creek Farm. “It just makes me feel calm and happy to sit by the fields and know this is where my food comes from.” Although, this morning’s lush, green, healthy fields could quickly become a crispy, brown, dehydrated wasteland with Austin’s prolonged drought as the cause. Austin, Texas has endured extreme drought since 2010 and this record drought stands as a great threat to the environmental and economic success of local urban farms. “Our main challenges are the weather,” Sayle, said. The current Texas drought began in October of 2010. The city of Austin continues to experience extreme drought conditions after more than three years. “Drought conditions are not uncommon, but have been extremely impactful,” said Jason Hill, information and marketing manager for Austin Water.
Austin’s long, frequent dry spells and high temperatures have drained the city’s water supply to a record low. “Current lake levels in our reservoir lakes have reached record lows during this drought of record,” Hill said. These persistent low lake levels pose the serious question to the public of whether or not the city of Austin’s water supply will be enough to support its growing population as well as support local farmers. Austin farmers have had to adopt new techniques to sustain healthy, productive farms and businesses. Local farms must make drastic changes to insure that they are acting as resourcefully as possible. The Boggy Creek Farm, established in 1991, has encountered countless challenges in its years of business. One of the toughest of these challenges has been the current drought. Sayle described Central Texas’ record heat wave at the height of the drought, in the summer of 2011, as one of the greatest challenges
she and Butler have faced in their history of running the farm. “2011 was the worst heat wave and drought in national recorded history,” Sayle said. The entirety of the state of Texas was labeled as being in the midst of an official natural disaster. Temperatures reached 115 degrees in Austin and “It was 130 degrees in the field,” Sayle said. An average of only about 14.8 inches of rain fell, a small enough amount to make 2011 the driest recorded year in Texas History. The inflows to Austin’s reservoir lakes were only about 10 percent of the annual average. During this record drought, the Boggy Creek Farm struggled to produce even a fraction of what it produces in a typical year, and Butler and Sayle had no choice but to water their fields almost constantly. “We just watered all the time and used a lot of water because we were trying to keep things alive,” Sayle said. Watering “all the time” is not the typical approach taken at the Boggy Creek Farm. Butler and Sayle see a great value in working cooperatively and patiently with the environment. The Boggy Creek Farm uses a variety of specific techniques and practices to reduce its intake of resources and conserve resources as well as give back what it takes from the environment. “We do everything we can do. There’s a lot of variety in our methods. All of it comes together to make very tasty produce,” Sayle said. One of the major conservation techniques used by the Boggy Creek Farm is the farm’s use of drip irrigation to water crops. Drip irrigation is a method that allows water to travel through
tubing and drip slowly directly at the base of plants. Drip irrigation is the lone source of water in the fields at the Boggy Creek Farm. It has proven to be a very effective water conservation method as it insures that water goes solely and directly to nourish crops rather than evaporating or being wasted as runoff. Visitors to the Boggy Creek Farm can see yards of hose tubing lining row after row of crops. Sayle recognizes how hard an urban farm like the Boggy Creek Farm works their soil and she sees a great importance in giving back what her farm takes from the soil. “We’re always restoring the soil. We’re feeding the soil. That’s
our biggest deal,” Sayle said. The Boggy Creek Farm feeds their soil through the use of compost and the infusion of minerals into the soil. The farm composts a great majority of the waste it produces. A lot goes into creating quality compost that will give the maximum nourishment to the soil. The neighboring community lends a hand to the Boggy Creek Farm by donating leaves to the farm that are used as compost. The pets of the farm, the chickens, also contribute to the creation of nourished soil. “We use our own organic chicken manure,” Sayle said “It renews the soil… This is fantastic compost.”
Chicken manure is rich in phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. Compost containing chicken manure has a high waterholding capacity which allows the plant to receive more water from the soil over a longer period of time. Weeds, dead plants, and crops that have gone bad are also churned into the compost at the Boggy Creek Farm. Each of these many sources to the compost contributes its own abundance of vitamins and minerals to the soil. Each source acts as a crucial ingredient in the recipe for healthy, nourished soil. “A lot of people will farm and they never… give back to the soil,” Sayle said. Composting is a major way that the Boggy Creek Farm replenishes its soil. Butler and Sayle also analyze their soil in search of any minerals it lacks. Butler and Sayle deliver soil samples to a lab where the samples are analyzed. Results of this analysis reveal what specific minerals the soil may lack. Butler and Sayle then infuse their soil with these pure minerals. All of the efforts made by the Boggy Creek Farm, are made with the ultimate goal of providing the local community with the healthiest, highest quality produce possible. “We want the plants to have the minerals because the people are going to eat the plant and they need the minerals in their bodies,” Sayle said. Every technique used by the Boggy Creek Farm has an important role in the creation of the end product: the produce. “It’s all about nourishing the microbes; they feed the plant; the plant is nourished; we cut the
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plant, put it on the table; people eat it and they are nourished,” Sayle said. “It’s all a big circle around here.” The composting of waste and the infusion of pure minerals into the soil fuels this circle’s cycle. Another of Boggy Creek Farm’s conservation techniques is their utilization of native plants and common-place weeds. Native Texas plants like purslane, amaranth, lamb’s quarters and many other native Texas plants are, to most Texans, good-fornothin’ weeds, but Butler and Sayle know better than to simply groan and complain. Boggy Creek Farm takes advantage of these wild plants and finds uses for them. Sayle believes that though a plant like lambs quarters may be a weed in someone’s front lawn, it can be quite useful on an urban farm. “A weed is only a plant in the wrong place,” Sayle said. Naturally growing weeds are used in compost, fed to chickens, and sold to customers on Boggy Creek Farm. These native plants share characteristics that set them apart from most other common weeds. Lamb’s quarters ,for example, has one of the greatest amounts of iron, calcium,
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potassium, and beta-carotene of any plant on Earth. The Boggy Creek Farm often struggles to provide customers with greens during the summer time because most greens are simply not in season during hot Texas summers. The farm has found a way, though, to satisfy their desperate customers while utilizing native plants
“The weeds are wonderful, Sayle said. “They feed us and our customers and they give us greens in the summers.” It can often be difficult for Butler and Sayle to get customers to take home and eat what they have always considered useless, wild weeds, but Sayle educates shoppers to help them understand the benefits
that will continue to exist on the farm whether or not they are harvested. The Boggy Creek Farm turns weeds into crops. These native weeds get eaten and sold as produce. Growing naturally, these plants are collected from wherever they are found. Amaranth is harvested from along the fence, lamb’s quarters gets up-rooted from where it sprouts around the shed and purslane is plucked from the ground around the front gate.
of harvesting and eating these native plants. “They’re very good for you and they grow in your climate and they grow in the heat. And all this stuff is really good for people,” Sayle said. Boggy Creek Farm’s use of abundant native plants does not stop here. During different seasons or when there are just too many of these native weeds to harvest and sell, the farm turns them into the soil as compost.
These plants provide yet another source of vitamins and minerals to the compost. This will, later, give the iron, potassium, and calcium contained in the weeds to the soil, the plants, and finally, to the people. “The lettuce loves that they bring all those minerals to the soil,” Sayle said. It is these many conservation techniques along with the constant replenishment of the soil that allows the Boggy Creek Farm to sustainably produce healthy, vitamin and mineral rich produce that the local Austin community cannot get enough of. The current Austin drought has had major impacts on the city’s water supply as well as on the lives of many citizens, but active organizations are making great efforts to help solve current Austin water problems. “We are keeping up with scientific forecasts and we are also engaged in responsible planning to ensure we continue to provide
quality reliable water services now and into the future,” said Jason Hill, public information and marketing manager for Austin Water. In addition, the examples set by the Boggy Creek Farm of how to reduce and replenish one’s intake of shared resources can be learned from by the local community. Educating the city’s public about conservation techniques could possibly be a first step to restoring Austin’s lacking resources. “I think it is an opportunity for people in Austin to see what goes into being a small farm, what it takes to run a small farm. I think they have a very important educational function,” Ross said. The Boggy Creek Farm continues to work cooperatively, hand in hand with their local environment and this has enabled them to sustain a productive, successful local business despite the challenges the current
drought conditions have posed. Shoppers like Ross and Gerokey continue to visit and support the Boggy Creek Farm. “I love the vegetables they grow here. They taste better than any vegetables in the United States,” Ross said. “I think it’s really important what they do here and I really believe in organic agriculture and sustainable farming, urban farming, local farming.” Whether customers are visiting the Boggy Creek Farm in search of a meditative setting or just to do some weekly shopping, their support strengthens bonds within a community and teaches the local public about the importance of local urban farms for a community. “I just love being here,” Ross said.•
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ne can see at least two new houses per block when driving around South Austin, built in that modern fashion: light browns of the wood strip siding, against the metallic grays of corrugated steel, the large, open, windows, and all pointed edges, stacked on top of themselves in cubic formations. And another thing they all have in common? Partly, or even completely, xeriscaped landscapes. “...Honestly every time I look around Austin or walk around different neighborhoods, I see new construction with xeriscaping,” said Kate Koberle, a landscape architect in training. Xeriscaping, the act of removing the typical grasses, bushes, and trees, and replacing them with rocks, cacti and other succulents, reduces large amounts of water consumption, and many consider it to be visually appealing. Many Austinites find those to qualities extremely desirable, and are transitioning to the less expensive, modern style. Before you want to start xeriscaping there are a few considerations. Why do we need to conserve water so badly? Isaac Metcalf, a junior at LASA, and the co-vice president of the school’s Environmental Club explains his experiences, and his opinion why. “Well, I have always been interested in water conservation, and I realized that a lot of the water that we were using was going to our lawn, and I didn’t think that
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was necessary,” Metcalf said. To remedy this situation he xeriscaped the whole front of his lawn, changing it from the traditional American landscape of grass, bushes, and trees, to water-conserving plants like: agave, small century plants, pencil catci, barrel cacti and the normal prickly pear cacti. Alisa West, a landscape architect who founded the landscape architect company West Shop, agrees with Metcalf and talks about water conservation in Austin, and around the world. “I think more people are beginning to understand the value of water as a natural resource. As it becomes more of an issue I think we will see the legislature look at more ways to restrict and limit water waste. As the cost of water increases, many people will be likely to reduce the priority of watering their grass,” she said. She values xeriscaping, and hopes for it to prosper around Austin and the world for mainly water conservation reasons. Now that we know that xeriscaping conserves around 50%, a fact stated by the The Xeriscape Landscaping Organization’s website, www.xeriscapelandscaping.org, we need to address the money issue. How does xeriscaping reduce your water costs? Since xeriscaping uses plants like cacti and succulents that don’t consume so much water, you save the money you would have been spending on your lawn water.
“By correctly selecting and placing plants, the amount of water needed to maintain the plants can be significantly minimized or reduced all together. This does not mean only planting succulents and cacti. If you walk around natural landscapes in Austin you can see many examples of plants utilize no additional water,” West said. She uses plants that are from local nurseries because she feels that plants are most successful in the environment in which they started. She uses the example of the Palo Verde tree, stating that this water conserving plant wasn’t seen anywhere around Austin, but in recent years, more and more designers are using it in their designs, showing the rise of water conservation. “...Sometimes we get downed with water, and it floods, and sometimes we don’t get water for a really long time, and I think
it’s really important to plan for going really long period without water, and selecting plants that are either native or droughttolerant non-native plants,” Koberle said. Like West, she also advises the use of local plants, and advises that especially with a xeriscaping project, it is important to source your plants locally so you know that they are tolerant for where you are buying them from, and well adapted to the places where they will be planted. We are aware that xeriscaping any of your landscapes decreases water consumption, but the question arises of whether or not to hire a professional or do it yourself. Metcalf xeriscaped his yard by himself for a couple of reasons: the fact that he waited for his parents to go on vacation so he could do it without permission, he really had no money, and didn’t want to spend the 19
money he did have, and he could easily get free materials because of the construction going on in his neighborhood. Though many people may not have to deal with the parent issue, they can relate with not having or wanting to spend their own money. Koberle agrees with his point, but offers her opinion as a landscape architect. “I think short term it would be more cost effective to do it yourself. However, if you end up having to redo your landscape multiple times because you didn’t select the right plants, consider the soil and work with the topography, it might be worth it to hire someone who can help with this,” She suggests perhaps doing the easier steps by yourself, but hiring a landscape architect to at least consult with for more difficult portions, such as a slanted lawn, which requires terracing. Simply said, if you want to be sure that your lawn turns out well, hire a professional. But how would you get in touch with one? Koberle, of course, has a lot of knowledge on the subject, because of her standing as a landscape architect, having lived and worked in Austin for four summer months, and having been employed on many xeriscaping projects. “I think that the first thing you want to do is establish some inspiration or a concept or idea of what you have in mind, or the types of things you like. You could even probably drive around the city and take pictures of things that you think look really awesome, and
find things on the internet,” Koberle said. She also advocated for the use of Pinterest, the famous photo-sharing website. “..[Find] someone you can trust, [find] someone that has worked on projects that you have enjoyed,” Koberle said. She also added that if you are doing some parts of the xeriscape by yourself, you should keep a landscape architect around for guidance. Now that you have your landscape architect, and the idea for your project, you need to look into the plants you would like to use. We have already established that you want to use plants from the environment you are planting them in, and Metcalf and Koberle offer suggestions on where to buy. “Some of the plants I bought at East Austin Succulents, which is this ultraconvenient plant company that is very near my house. The rest actually I found in parking lots and along ridges in Austin because if you look there are actually quite a lot of wild succulents, which is why I plant them, because they do so well in Texas without any help from watering and lawn care,” Metcalf said. The trend of xeriscaping seems to be sweeping Austin, and perhaps the world. It’s supporters promote xeriscaping’s water conservation and visual appeal. “Well we live in Austin, the hipsterest city in the world, and xeriscaping is already starting to catch on all over, If you just drive around South Austin every other lawn is xeriscaped at least partially,” Metcalf added.
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our years ago, thrift shops were seen as places for old people, with dirty floors and clothing that seemed unfashionable to young people. According to the National Association of Resale Professionals, the amount of resale stores has increased more than 7%. Before, many teens felt ashamed to admit that they shopped at thrift shops . Now, people see how helpful they are in terms of money, space at home, and community help. Everyone wants to save money and have more space, and the most convenient way is by donating, which also helps the community. Donors talk about the positive effects of donating and the bizarre experiences that donors encounter. Employees say what happens inside as your items go through selection and where they end up. Young thrift shoppers explain how they discovered thrift shops in a way fashionable, unique and a major event in their lives. Every morning when we go to our closet, we don’t realize that there pieces of clothing that we don’t use. The display cabinet with unused china bowls collects dust bunnies, the ottoman takes away your yoga space, and even the dining chair that doesn’t belong to a dining table invades your way and it may not be necessary to you, but to others. Francine Jay, an
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author for the huffington post, has stated that more than 15 items sit in your house, not necessarily needed. Donating, an idea that has and continues being practiced all around the world is a way to give to community. Donor of Goodwill, Mia Crockett, has said, “I see my clothes and I say ‘this doesn’t fit me and also I don’t like the style of it anymore’ … when [my sister] grew out of her clothes she would just give them to me because I was like a stick.” Crockett has done a load of donating ever since she could remember and it now has become more of a special event in her life due to her reaching her steady growth. Another donor, Gabe Sorell, has done donating ever since she could remember. Since Gabe just recently moved in to Austin, she has had a lot more time donating, “I just pray for furniture that weird people like us don’t get a hold of it again.” After choosing what type of clothing, Gabe Sorell, goes to her nearest Goodwill to turn it into the employees, “we go put it into a donation box or hand it to somebody ... [my family and I] always talk about who is going to buy it next and we always joke around about it ... we talked about someone who had 18 children would be sitting on it just trying to break the table that we never could.” After donors
have chosen their clothing, usually, some people have after thoughts of what will happen. Both Crockett and Sorell hoped that their clothing would go to a good family because they trusted Goodwill as a helpful organization. “I just feel that it’s nice. It’s going to a good place, hopefully. I trust Goodwill as a really great business. I really like the way they are providing jobs and helping out the community,” said Crockett. After clothes are donated many of the donors don’t think of the benefits of donating, but after reviewing their experience, Sorell and Crockett realize how much they have done. “[Now that] I’m kind of going back on it, I’m really seeing how much I’ve really gotten and how much I’ve gotten to enjoy,” said Crockett explaining how she also does shopping at thrift shops. According to, E.C. LaMeaux, an author of Gaiam Life, “When you donate to a charitable organization or a non-profit group, the amount you donate is tax deductible ... so are the
amounts you spend on travel that are related to the non-profit group.” Not only does it save money for other enjoyments, but it also allows for free space and a good spirit. According to Jay, “[Furniture] it’s both a major household expense and a major space-gobbler. The less we need, the less of our hard-earned cash goes to those home décor superstores.” “The act of helping others can create an improved sense of wellbeing. Knowing that you sacrificed something … in order to help others in need can give you a sense of purpose in life or work and inner satisfaction,” said LaMeaux referring to how giving something in life can help you feel proud of yourself. Even though everyone in life is different, someone out there might have the same sense of style and size. “There is going to be someone who has that really weird shape and your shirt might be the perfect shirt for them, or your pants might be the perfect pants for them and it’s awesome,” said Sorell. Your clothes can work for someone else and
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can make them continue on with the clothing’s story. Every item that you donated is greatly appreciated by the employees at the thrift shops. “[We feel] fantabulous we really appreciate their generosity… I think that it’s a worth a while organization and the funds that we raise go to students,” said Gail Ross, the treasurer, and past volunteer, of Association League of Austin (ALA). Thrift shops accept anything from clothing to old CD records. “The biggest things we would donate would be books, just short novels, whatever we have [of] clothes of course get donated, unless they have holes in them,” said Sorell explaining what items she donates the most. In ALA they accept books, households, items, toys, televisions, edger’s, and clothing as donations. In ALA they are open 6 days a week from Monday to Saturday. In other thrift shops like Goodwill, they open everyday and accept almost anything. When your clothes get accepted by the employees of the thrift shops, they go through a process before placed on the racks. At ALA there are over 150 volunteers and they work from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. They do not get paid and work very long hours to make sure that the thrift shop is running and every-
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thing is worth its price. “Oh, we know we are doing something good and [they are] very hard and long hours. The people who work at the thrift shop put stuff together and price it. When we get toys in and we have to put them together, we have to make sure they are all together and right and that they are safe,” said Ross. These people still go on during the day because they think of the reasons of why they should place all their effort into finishing. Many organizations like Goodwill, ALA, Thrift Town, and others hold special events that they must raise money for. According to the ALA website, ALA has the known “toy cart” that goes around the Dell Children’s Hospital, but that not many people know who holds it. The “toy cart” serves more than 22,000 children annually and not just gives small gifts and toys, but now gives small kits for therapy, infant wear, and other things. All the money that is collected during the thrift shop selling goes to operations like school bell and wish list and to similar projects like the “toy cart”. ”We are all extremely pleased to see a youngster get brand new clothing and we spend time one on one with each child that comes in we have one of our volunteers that works with them”
said Ross referring to operation school bell; how it not only gives them clothing but personal advice. Working at a thrift shop has really helped Ross develop many skills, give to the community and meet new people. “Your returning something to the community by the funds that you raise and end up with very good friendships with a very compatible organization,” said Ross when asked the major advantage of being a volunteer. Ross has worked there since 1980 and is one of the longest remaining members. Even though not many people know of their services they still enjoy doing what they do. Other organizations, like Goodwill, also hold special events and are proud to serve the people. After all items have been checked for good quality they are finally placed onto the racks for sale. The first thought of someone who has never been into a thrift shop is usually negative. “I had a negative perception of thrift shops as most people do. I was exposed to them very early so what I thought of them was just racks of clothing, which is what it is. I always thought that thrift shopping was bad,” said Crockett. When Crockett reached the years 2012 and 2013, her thoughts were much more different than the years before. “I always thought that thrift shopping was bad ... a negative thing to do ... but now I’m like ‘You should be proud of thrift shopping. Thrift shopping is a talent. If you can find a deal, if you can find the diamond within that rust,
than you’ve got talent and it’s like a test of patience, you just gotta keep going for it and you can’t give up’,” said Crockett referring to how she really has changed these past few years. According to dictionary.com, the definition of thrift shop is “ a retail store that sells secondhand goods at reduced prices.” Not only does a thrift shop contain items reduced but also it is “a shop that sells secondhand articles and especially clothes and is often run for charitable purposes,” according to merriam-webster.com. Whenever you shop from a thrift shop a percentage of your money goes to a charity, or to some organization. Thrift shops usually have different styles of clothing that make them different from retail stores. “I really enjoy the uniqueness of thrift shopping . . . I really like the styles of clothes and if I go to a retail shop there is a certain style their and its through the entire stores,” said Crockett. In thrift shops clothes are different sizes and have a different style. Clothes from here can be used for “irony”, how Crockett says, everyday clothing, or just a special event time, Thrift shopping is a way that has been adapted throughout modern day and that is becoming more common around teens. When donating you are giving something to the community and helping those who are in need. The employees really appreciate donors who take their time to drive out and donate. Thrift shops have different senses of style and are becoming more common around teens.•
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FLOWER POWER 1 2 THE SIMPLE STEPS OF MAKING A FLOWER CROWN
B Y A S T R I D T O R R E S -J O H N S O N
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taken by astrid torres-johnson You will need scissors, floral tape, wire or flower stems that hold shape, wire cutters and a glue gun (optional) and of course, flowers and greenery! Hobby Lobby has a wide selection of fake flowers.
taken by astrid torres-johnson Measure up your wire or flower stems around your head. Make sure you have a little extra so you can wrap the excess around, securing it. Wrap the floral tape around the wire base for extra security.
taken by astrid torres-johnson Trim your flowers off the main stem. If you are weaving or taping them on, you need longer stems. If you are gluing the flowers you should use shorter stems.
taken by astrid torres-johnson Attach the flowers to the crown. You can weave them into the crown, tape them on with floral tape or hot glue them on.
taken by astrid torres-johnson
Take your greenery and cover up all of the "bald spots" of the crown where flowers are absent.
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4 6
taken by astrid torres-johnson
Go rock your crown and bring a sense of nature anywhere you go!
FLOWER CROWN INSPIRATION
taken by brittany watson jepson
taken by liz middleton
WILD SIDE: This crown embraces your inner animal by combining flowers and antlers. You could sculpt the antlers out of clay, or buy fake or real ones. For a more simple look, forgo the flowers and just make a crown with leaves and antlers. This crown was made by LittleBlueBirdSays on Etsy.
THE RENAISSANCE: This classic crown is inspired by renaissance paintings. The berries and leaves evoke images of classic still lifes. This crown was made by the blog "The House That Lars Built".
taken by astrid torres-johnson
taken by astrid torres-johnson DELICATE AND DAINTY: This crown is sweet and simple. The tiny buds are reminiscent of something a fairy would wear. This would be good for someone who wants to subtly incorporate flowers into their outfit.
taken by laura higdon
FALL FESTIVE: This crown is seasonally beautiful, based off of fall colors and plants. This would be very pretty for a Thanksgiving party.
THE GRECIAN: This crown will make you feel like you just won the olympics in ancient Greece. The absence of flowers in this crown is almost like the victory laurels that the champions wore. This look isn't flashy but is still very pretty. This crown was made by BloomDesignStudio on Etsy. taken by green wedding shoes
BIG AND BEAUTIFUL: This crown makes a bold statement with these huge flowers. A crown like this would be good for the center of attention. This crown was made by the Green Wedding Shoes blog.
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Simply put, terrariums are mini ecosystems. They are usually glass containers that can rest on a table or even hang from the ceiling, and they hold plants and other things, such as moss, and even little trinkets. Terrariums are very easy to build, and require little to no maintenance, making for a simple but lovely spot of green to brighten up the atmosphere of any room.
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Suzanna Metcalf is a full
blown third generation Eco geek. Her family’s green practices date back to her grandparents recycling cans and newspapers even before recycling was “in”. Today, Suzanna never walks her dog without a empty bag in hand to fill with recyclables. Thanks to Barney’s influence and her burning passion for green living, Suzanna would never be caught brushing her teeth, letting the water run nor would she think to leave a room without turning off the light.
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Maris Alford is a planter
of terrariums, defender of the whales, and tries extremely hard to be an InDesign magician. She loves succulents, every type of flower, and when it rains so hard it floods the back yard. She is fluent in French and is slowly learning Spanish and hopefully Italian, and is proud to say that she has touched a very large snake. She dreams of traveling the world and exploring many different cultures. Hopefully, she will go to France this summer.
Astrid Torres-Johnson
has, for years, been an avid environmentalist. She has lead several conservation projects, including clearing yaupon and other invasive species. Over the summer Astrid worked at a summer camp, teaching kids about conserving the environment. In her free time, Astrid likes to blog and photograph flowers. Her favorite kind of plant is a succulent. She also likes to make lots of flower crowns, and even has sold some. She has made 15 flower crowns.
Noelia Cruz is a young
jewelry maker and organizer who started at the age of 6. Due to economic circumstances she was not always able to buy new products for her jewelry, leading her to reuse household items. She then developed a passion for the environment. Soon, she began to incorporate these materials into her organization projects and later began to make other projects involving plants. She likes making bracelets out of tooth brushes and bottle tabs.