Dear Eco Wing,

Now that the semester has come to a close and my life is squished into cardboard boxes, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on the last set of adventures before embarking on a new one.

It's been a very, very full semester of planning, planting, and cooking...in the best way possible, of course. I sprayed aphids until they filled my dreams. I filled my fridge with sauerkraut. I ate probably way too many beets. And I'm so glad that I did.

A student's life isn't easy, and it's not always fun. But I can honestly say that my memories with the Eco Wing girls has been some of the best from this year. Knowing that somebody--multiple somebodies!--on campus cared about my passions, even if they seemed a little weird or gross to others, was such a comfort. Having adventures and making food was a fantastic way to relieve stress. Most importantly, I am so happy that I've had the chance to be part of this community in a new way and really connect to these girls--my classmates, my neighbors, my friends. I think that our scheming and creating this semester has prepared me not only for my work with Environmental Department  next year but also for becoming the kind of person that I want to be for the rest of my life.

I'd like to express my hope that we keep updating each other and making records here of our ideas, realizations, projects and experiments. I'd like to wish next year's Eco Wings the best of luck. I hope you are inventive and silly, and I hope you make messes. I hope you come to us when you need us, and I hope you do things we never even thought of.

Cheers to a great year, and cheers to whatever comes next!

And send many tomatoes.

xoxoxo
Yona

Cleaning!

After my roommate and I returned from study abroad, the subject came up of buying new cleaning products for the bathroom. I said no.

 I wanted to try cleaning the bathroom with all natural products. This is not only safer for me and my roommate, who do the cleaning and use the bathroom, but also reduces the amount of chemicals going down the drain and contaminating water. I’d heard about cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, so I set about teaching myself to do so.

There are so many how-to’s and videos about how to clean your bathroom with natural products that it was kind of overwhelming. I realized I had to develop my own system that works for me. I improvised and came up with this process. It works for me but may not work for you, so practice and tailor it to your own needs/ means.

 

The tools:

Sponge- I used a regular green and yellow one, the “natural” ones from specialty stores are quite expensive

Plain white vinegar- Vinegar is the agent that kills germs. It is not as strong as other synthetic cleaning products, but it is less toxic because it breaks down easily. Use diluted with water (1:1)

Baking soda- Acts as a deodorizer and abrasive

Towels

Old shirt (leaves less lint on the mirror)

Old toothbrush for scrubbing grout

The process:

For cleaning the sink, bathtub, and toilet I used pretty much the same process. I squirted the vinegar mixture on the surface, or poured it on the sponge, or dipped the sponge in a cup of it. I then used elbow grease to scrub the surface.
 

For tougher areas (TUB) I sprinkled baking soda on top and scrubbed.

elbow grease!!!

 

For scrubbing the tile/grout in the shower, I mixed the baking soda and vinegar so that they would foam/bubble.
 

 For the bowl of the toilet I poured vinegar around the top of the bowl, then shook some baking powder into the water. I used a toilet brush to mix it so it would foam and then waited a few minutes before scrubbing it like usual. For the mirror, since I don’t have a spray bottle, I poured vinegar on the shirt and used it to wipe the mirror and dried with a dry side of the shirt.

 

Sqeaky clean!

My thoughts:

-          Vinegar is made from corn, which is often farmed usnsustainably.

-          These products don’t smell or foam so it doesn’t feel like my old idea of “clean”. Just a cultural thing I need to let go of. (Well, the vinegar does smell, but it goes away very quickly).

-          Because they are not toxic chemicals, there’s no real need to rinse. I just wipe off with a towel and save water. :)

-          I think it is much cheaper to use, haven’t done the calculations though
 

-          Because it doesn’t smell and they aren’t chemicals and they are cheap, I tend not to be careful with the amount I use: I probably waste a lot of vinegar and baking soda.

-          I don’t need to use gloves or feel bad for inhaling fumes.

 

look at that cutie ;)

Now to figure out cleaning the tile floor….

 

Would you ever clean your bathroom with just baking soda and vinegar?

The Ecology Center Field Trip

Beautiful. Clean. Crisp. Healthy. Natural. Raw. Cozy. SoCal. Sustainable.

What More Could You Ask For?

The Ecology Center, San Juan Capistrano.

What Crafty Skills Have You Got Up Your Sleeve?

There is nothing like throwing some blankets on the grass, listening to Sarah & Ashlyn on the uke, basking in the sun, and learning some fun crafty activities from your friends. Regardless of how many people showed up, I surely learned some awesome (possibly life-saving) skills at our little Skills Exchange Party! Yona shared how to make beads with magazines, Lizzy blessed us with her handy-dandy knowledge of how to make a basket with pine needles, and Ashlyn taught us how to give an epic massage! If I'm ever stuck in the woods, at least I'll be able to hold the beads I made in the pine needle basket, while giving myself a massage.

EcoWing Hosts Skills Exchange Party!

Eco Wing Visits the Ecology Center

All semester long, I’ve felt a little like Sherlock Holmes investing a crime scene: the case of the missing pro-environmental attitude. (Or something.) So many of the people we’ve run across have mentioned or taken part in the Ecology Center—all of our clues lead us that way. So, finally, after a great deal of scheduling and re-scheduling, the eco wing girls and I took a tour of the Ecology Center at San Juan Capistrano today. So, here's my take on what we learned today, and perhaps the other girls will want to share some of their thoughts in a post as well.

            The Ecology Center, now in its fifth year of operations, is an old farmhouse (Victorian details) surrounded on three sides by an unaffiliated farm. The front yard is not a lawn but instead native plants, succulents, and other drought-resistant plants.

            Inside the house is a small gift shop, but the center’s main focus is children’s education and workshops. Around the site they have multiple displays and interactive activities (scavenger hunts, workshops) under the themes of water, food, waste management, shelter, and energy. For example, they have a traveling watershed-mobile, which is a trailer (painted with whales and water) that opens up to an interactive game where children choose how to spend their “water allowance” and see the effects their choices make. Sarah and I want to invite the watershed-mobile on campus for International Festival next year through Environmental Department.

            Overall, I think my favorite thing about the Ecology Center was the crisp, simple design of all the art and layouts. They were iconic, replicable, and easy to spot in the foliage. The pretty, thoughtful design made me want to be there and made me want to try making my own… everything!

            The day after graduation, the Ecology Center is hosting a beekeeping workshop, and I am determined to go. I’ve tried twice this semester to go to two other beekeeping workshops, but have been thwarted by bad weather or lack of a car. Maybe the third attempt will be the charm!

Blue bins for recyclables - color coding + examples

A rainwater catchment cistern

The inside of the greenhouse - designed like a beehive to use the least amount of materials and remain strong

A sink that helps monitor water usage

A Quick Video How-To for Tire Pounding

Youtube is full of information on Earthships. If you want, you can start with a 2 minute-long video of a tire pounding workshop this weekend at Barndstall Art Park in Hollywood, made by yours truly.

You can also check out the man behind the earthships, Mike Reynolds, in this full-length movie about him, his earthships, and his attempt to change New Mexico law to allow experimental building.

When we applied for the grant, we promised we'd present what we learned to the campus...so we'll be putting together a lot of information about earthships in the coming weeks, which we'll start posting here when we can.