The Greening of Gavin

TGoG 102 – Can You Be Self-Sufficient in the Suburbs?

@ By Leave a Comment

[spp-player optin=”off”]

Tom+and+BarbaraCan you be self-sufficient in the suburbs? That is a big question. It may have worked for Tom and Barbara, but can it actually be done?

Let Gavin guide you through some of the barriers that may hinder true self-sufficiency in the suburban context.  Being self-sufficient is hard work.

There is a bit of something in this episode for everyone.  Very thought-provoking.

Also if you like the show and would like to help it continue, please visit my Patreon page and pledge a dollar or two for hosting and equipment costs. www.patreon.com/greeningofgavin is the place where you can help.

Become my patreon!

Electro-Gadget Madness

@ By 6 Comments

Electro-Gadget Madness

Electric can opener – Note the can. It is a ring pull. Oh the irony!

Here’s an observation.  Today it seems that for almost every task in the home there is now an electric-powered solution, whether it be a can opener, carving knife or an egg cracker (I kid you not).

These appliances may not all the be most energy-intensive products, but when you add all the energy consumption up and the materials need to manufacture and distribute them, you have to decide whether they are really worth it.

Wouldn’t traditional hand-operated devices be far more practical especially when they cost nothing to run, are cheaper to buy, and less prone to breaking?

We always choose hand-operated over electro-gadgets, but I don’t think this is the norm.  Mind you, I have even seen hand-operated gadgets that are simply a waste of space as well as being made from non-recyclable plastic.  Crazy stuff.

What is the strangest electro-gadget madness that you have seen that has a viable hand-operated alternative?  Let me know via comment and start a bit of a community thread happening.  This should be entertaining because I am sure there are lots of crazy things out there.

eBook Writing Again!

@ By 4 Comments

It has been a long while since I wrote and published an eBook.  The last one was my cheese making eBook Keep Calm and Make Cheese, which was published in April 2013.

That is 12 months ago, so I have been slack for far too long.

So what am I writing?  Well, actually dear reader, I am writing two eBooks!

The first one is an eBook idea that I tried to turn into a course, but after a fair bit of mucking around, I decided to go back to the eBook format.

It is titled The Great Kilowatt Challenge – The Step by Step Guide to Saving Easy Money off Your Power Bills.  Just to show that I am serious, I have already half written the manuscript, and have designed the cover.

The Great Kilowatt Challenge

The Great Kilowatt Challenge © 2014 Gavin Webber

I am dedicating two hours per night to get this one wrapped up.  It will only be available on my website which is a change for me.  Normally I format it for Amazon and Smashwords distribution and publish there as well, however, I have decided to up the design stakes and add a lot more information to this one.

It will only be available in Adobe Acrobat reader (PDF) format, however this can be read on all Kindle, iPad, and Android tablet devices.  My personally set deadline for this eBook is 30 April 2014.  I think that date is achievable.

The second eBook is one that I promised ages ago.  Its working title is Suburban Food Farm, but that may change as well.  I am up to the third chapter in the manuscript, but I am not happy on how it reads so far.  I want it to be something that you can only apply to small spaces that most suburban homes have.

Currently it reads like a standard gardening book, which probably doesn’t excite anyone, especially me.  It has to be unique, or not worth writing as far as I am concerned.  Anyway, leave that one with me.  I am sure that if I spend a bit of time in the garden an idea will spring forth out of my brain box.  Maybe I should just design a book cover and see what inspiration takes me.  I haven’t come up with a subtitle for the book as yet, so that will probably make all the difference once I decide upon one.

So there you have it.  It feels good to be writing again after so long.  It seems like it was an eternity since I hit that publish button!

What do you think of the titles?  Worthy additions to my eBook series?