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Hint: 钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠钠 BATMAN!
Did you count the symbols?
Yes, the pronunciation of the element Sodium sounds like “na” in Chinese.
Guess what Lithium is in Chinese? “Li.”
Not only that, in Swedish and Dutch it’s “Natrium.”
Anyone know anymore Chinese or other interesting coincidences? In the meantime, Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium, Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye…. But really, keep reading one of the posts below on the blog.
Sustainable Living? This Urban Homestead Produces 6,000lbs of Food Every Year!
Everyone loves the concept of being self-sufficient and being able to cultivate and grow one’s food. However, it is not that simple and easy to have a self-sustaining lifestyle, especially when there are instant and processed foods in every corner of the city. But an inspiring way of living that the Dervaes family is showing to people makes it interesting for others. At present, the family of four yields around 6,000lbs (approximately 2,720kg) of organic food a year on their 1/10 acre plot.
Their house is in Pasadena, California and it is a sweet dwelling for their three kids and all their cultivated vegetable and fruits plus their animals. Finding land for sustainable living can certainly be a challenge, but this family has managed just that. It even gets better.
They are able to save a big amount of money with their lifestyle and they get extra income from selling their crops to restaurants. That’s about $20,000 annually!
These 6,000 pounds of produced foods on only 1/10-acre of land every year, it’s undeniable that they are an incredible family!
The family is able to grow around four hundred types of fruits, berries, vegetables, and even herbs. This vegetarian family also takes good care of ducks, hens, small goats and little rabbits for eggs, dairy milk and compost.
This urban farmhouse does not just dwell merely on foods; they also do their best to conserve energy by making use of solar panels. Using solar panels is one way in which you can be energy savvy, and try to keep bills to a minimum. If purchasing solar panels is unattainable for you then you might like to try other ways to save money. These include trying out an energy comparison site to see if you could be better off elsewhere. The family does not have to worry about high energy consumption and they only spend around $12 for the whole year! And how about spending on gas? Deaves family brew theirs! They use biodiesel from used oil from restaurants. They use a processor that will turn used vegetable oil into biodiesel gas!
How all these things started?
In mid-1980’s, Jules Dervaes purchased a house and lot in Northwest Pasadena needed a lot of restoration. He was really desperate to live a simple country lifestyle that made him decide to start with growing their own vegatables. This did not make them satisfied so they thought to become more self-reliant and be able to create less impact to the environment.
Growing and Preserving Food
Hence, they grow their own food and also started to preserve food. Making their own bread, butter, cheese and yogurt also made them more self-sustaining.
Water Conservation
And for water conservation, they use low-flush toilets. If this is something you are not familiar with, it might be in your best interest to look at a site like https://toiletreviewer.com/best-dual-flush-toilets/. At least this way, you can understand how saving money through an everyday item like a toilet could make all the difference. You can also look into solar-powered shower, as they also reuse water. For conserve moisture for their plants, they make use of mulch and they use clay pot for plant irrigation. Imagine, this system made them conserve at least 50% of water!
Energy Conservation
The family uses energy-efficient appliances and for their lighting, they have olive oil lamps and home-produced beeswax candles. They also opted to have manual appliances such as toaster, blender, and a pedal-powered grinder. They are able to save big on their gas because they make use of brewed biodiesel. And if they can, they also use a bike or just commute.
Simple Living
With this modest country way of living, they are really mindful of whatever they consume, hence, they have learnt to reuse and recycle, spot for pre-loved items instead purchasing new ones and if possible they also use. Their cleansers, roll-ons, toothpastes and all other cleaning goods are all home-produced and made out of natural substances which makes them nontoxic. For their medicines, they make use of herbs, for their hair, they know how cut theirs and whatever DIY that they can do, they use it!
Aside from just living this life themselves, the family loves to teach people that urban homestead is sustainable. They are making a recording of their means and practices online for at least a decade now to show to people how they start this way of living. They have an updated blog, they also arrange events and even workshops for others to learn basic skills on how to have sustainable homestead.
It is really a fantastic and remarkable lifestyle. The Urban Homestead tells us that it is not just a fanciful model – it is actually a very manageable way of living even if you are in a very busy and highly modern city. You can start a few steps at a time.
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Full Time RVing Across the Country
Almost all youngsters like those who are in their 20’s don’t have that much know-how about RVing.
Here are great information that you need to know before hitting the road!
- You can settle with medium-sized Rig, big ones are not advisable.
Some people think of getting a big one like a truck camper and it seems to be an economical scheme. But it would be difficult to go around the city with a big vehicle.
- Keep only necessary stuff with you.
It’s really stressful to store a lot of stuff that isn’t really necessary. It’s annoying to see a lot of clutter inside your cabinets, and some might be hanging on the floor as you have filled all cupboards and cabinets with various stuff that isn’t really necessary. Pack only what’s useful and enjoy a simple, clutter-free space.
- Learning how to clean your RV will create a good setting for you.
Unwept flooring boards, dishes with piled sink, stinky bathroom tiles will make you stressed the whole day. Being able to organize your time and learning on how to make it orderly and clean is a must. It’s after all your little space and cleaning the whole area makes a great difference.
- Don’t always rely on what Google Maps tells you. If it says it is just three hours and forty-five minutes away, then must be five hours.
Bear in mind that driving a n RV is really cannot be compared with driving a car. You can’t veer off through traffic and it will take time to get from one point to another point.
- It’s a fact that there will be time that you need to have it repaired as one part of it can be broken.
No one can claim that an RV is perfect. Light bulbs have to be replaced and the sockets have to be inspected by an electrician. The kitchen sink might be leaking or the countertop tiles need to be replaced or all other things that may break as materials wear out.
- Make time your best friend.
Time becomes your friend when you make time for everything. This is for RVing and it also applies to our life. Exploring things are you hit the road is an awesome adventure that you must not miss. Enjoy scenic lunch breaks and have a time of your life.
- If there are RV reward points and discount programs, grab it!
Be aware of reward points and discount programs that companies offer. It will pay off and you’ll be glad that you are getting sliced prices even if it’s just 10-15%.
- Stay alert with Walmarts policy.
You’ll be disappointed if you will be greeted with a policy that says ‘NO overnight staying please’. Those who RVed before would advise you to just make Wal-Mart your parking lot and you’ll be able to stay overnight!
But to be safe and sure, seek the manager’s consent if night camping is allowed.
- If you love Mexican Food, take not that aren’t around in many places.
Pack a lot of salsa and nachos for your enjoyable snacks. You might be disappointed while hitting the road and you’re so hungry but there are no Mexican Foods around the town.
- It must be true that the people who are in RV Park are the people you can really rely on.
You can seek help on how to replace the hose from them and every time you need them, call for their help.
The ten great points must be some of things you should know before starting a full time RVing.
