Green

'You can fire my teachers' says @nikhilgoya_l to @NYGovCuomo 'but don't tell me you want the best for me'

Shareholders Press for More Disclosure from Fracking Companies #green

This past weekend, over at the Tiny House Talk Facebook page, Alex reposted my video tour of my tiny house with the question, “Could you cook in this kitchen?” While there were plenty of positive responses, there were also some questions and concerns about our kitchen I wanted to address right here on Tiny House Talk. Our Kitchen under construction by Laura M. LaVoie Click below to read more about my tiny kitchen. No Plumbing. Our tiny house is not traditionally plumbed. We are 100% off the grid and all of our water comes from a spring on the land. We fill 4 gallon containers and carry them to our house and use that water to fill the Berkey water filter that sits on our counter with a basin that we use as a “sink.” This was a lifestyle choice and we’ve been happy with the decision. We have collapsible basins and a collapsible dish drainer that we use when we wash the dishes and are stored out of the way when we don’t use them. The system is rustic by most standards but we find that it works well. Unexpectedly, I also discovered that the simplicity of our water system made me connect more to household work. Chores that I use to dread are now just part of my daily experience and I look forward to them. Berkey with Basin by Laura M. LaVoie No refrigeration. We do not have any refrigeration in our tiny house. We use a Coleman Stirling Engine Cooler which is extremely efficient and can cool or freeze anything we need.  It is currently kept under our house (which is on a foundation) and hooked up directly to our batteries. We found that primarily use it to keep our beer cool. It is unnecessary to automatically refrigerate many fresh foods. We shop at farmers markets and plan our meals each week. We eat fresh food fast so we don’t have to worry about it spoiling. Eggs, for instance, can stay room temperature for a week so we use them for sandwiches, fried rice dishes and scrambles. Fresh meats will be used the same day we shop and cured meats can last for a while. We eat a lot of fresh and local vegetables. This has completely changed my eating habits for the better. We might not be able to keep ice cream in the house, but when we want it we go out for a special treat. Coleman Stirling Engine Cooler by Laura M. LaVoie Cooktop and oven. In the video you only see on butane burner on the counter. We have two portable burners we can pull out when we need them. We use our kettle for making coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and even to heat water for our showers. We also have plenty of pots and pans (including a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, and wok,) which are stored in an out of the way but accessible space. We live in the Appalachian Mountains and the weather is gorgeous from spring to fall so we like to make use of our outdoor space for cooking as well. We built an outdoor prep counter and use a smoker and a Camp Chef Camp Oven. Outdoor kitchen by Laura M. LaVoie Storage. Someone mentioned in the Facebook comments that there was a lot of empty wall space. This was entirely by design. We chose to have open shelves for our dishes and glasses and everything else is stored in the cabinets below. This keeps the space open visually, which is something we prefer. There is so much space in the lower cabinets that we have room to spare. Kitchen shelves by Laura M. LaVoie Pine counter top. We spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted to do with our counters. We thought about granite and tile but in the end we decided to use very nice pine board which we stained green to match our accents in the house. We used Salad Bowl Oil to finish it which gives it a protective and easy to clean coating. All of our food preparation happens on cutting boards and hot pots are placed on trivets, but these are things we used in our traditional house as well. After a year of use, the counter top is holding up quite well. Counter and loft color by Laura M. LaVoie You can see some of the meals we’ve made in our tiny house here. This is our kitch

A fall scene at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

The flights stretch on for 18 hours or more. So what does the Solar Impulse pilot do when he has to, you know, go?

The Democratic Republic of Congo to build the largest hydroelectric plant in the world #green

Senator Joe Donnelly emphasized the importance of passing a long-term farm bill that provides help to the agriculture community while reducing the deficit.

I don’t know about you, but sloppy joes were a staple of my childhood. This vegan (much healthier) version takes me back to childhood with a smile, but without the stomachache! Veganized...

There’s a big trend of people finding their mission, quitting their jobs, and starting their own thing. You may think that they’re lucky to have this opportunity or insane to leave everything behind...

When I was a young kid I was diagnosed as lactose-intolerant, and was told to not consume dairy. Yeah … that didn't happen. When I was 16, I was diagnosed as being hypoglycemic, and was told to not...