As I read more and more about clean energy production and learn more about the detrimental effects of urbanization, the more annoyed I get at all the blank roofs across the US. Just think about how much we could be doing if every roof actually had a purpose?

If there were solar panels, or solar air heaters or solar water heaters or green spaces on roofs across our country, we could be producing clean power, increasing individual independence and improving our air quality, water quality and environment. That’s why I was really intrigued when I saw this article on TreeHugger.con about Toronto’s green roof movement.

Have you heard of the Green Roof Movement?

The Green Roof Movement related to the transformation of roofs from wastelands to green spaces. The concept is to replace some of the green space taken up by urbanization and to offer several benefits to people, the environment and even to civil engineering challenges at the same time.

There are two basic types of green roofs – intensive and extensive. Intensive green roofs incorporate larger plants, shrubs and trees and are typically considered roof gardens. They require a great deal of maintenance and forethought because of the necessary depth of earth and the root structure management. They are usually on flat roofs as well. Extensive roof gardens employ grasses, drought tolerant species, herbs and other lighter weight plant materials. Extensive green roofs require less plantable earth, can be employed on a wider variety of roofs and tend to require far less maintenance.

The benefits of green roofs are more understood and supported in Europe, for example Germany has employed green roofs on about 10% of their buildings. Most people think a green roof will actually cause damage to their property but in truth there are several benefits to the building, to people and to our water infrastructure.

In fact, when employed properly, green roof technology can actually reduce heating bills and energy consumption, improve air quality by reintroducing green space and improve storm water management. Essentially, green roofs can absorb rainwater and put it to use, rather than merely creating heavy run-off that can cause flooding, erosion and inadvertently flush raw sewage into water supplies.

These are only a few of the benefits but because so little is known and there is so little known about green roof technologies, America is certainly slow to adapt.

I can’t wait to start implementing green technology on my roof – and you can bet that if I even built a new home, these technologies would be heavily considered in the construction.

To learn more about green roofs - check out the The Green Roof Research Program at MSU

Ok, yes you can argue that using electricity to grow things indoors is counter productive - but I’m trying to balance self sustainability and minimal energy consumption - so hear me out!

If you’re going to grow vegetables from seed anywhere that you have a freezing season, you’ll probably need a small setup with lighting for growth. If you have a sunny south facing window, you may be all set, but many people still prefer to set up a grow light for consistent growth.

Here’s a quick guide to your grow light options:

Spot Grow Bulb

Spot Grow Bulbs – Incandescent Grow Lights
Spot grow bulbs are excellent for spotlighting specific plants - like tropical plants, small groups of plants and they can be effective for starting your seeds. This means that you may want a general light source, like a fluorescent system and then use the spot grow bulbs to supplement.

Spot Grow Bulbs can be used in most standard incandescent fixtures but ideally, you’ll want a fixture that can be clipped to a specific location or hung directly where you need it. They should not be too close to your plants because they run hotter and can cause damage.

Compact Fluorescent Grow Light

Fluorescent Grow Lights
Fluorescent grow lights are well regarded for offering low heat, indoor plant growth light. You can actually get these in multiple fixtures whether hanging or even built into a plant cart. There are also compact fluorescent grow lights for maximum light and minimal energy consumption.

High output fluorescent grow lights are also well regarded and put out the most light of any fluorescent bulb for growing. You can use these for cutting propagation, seeds and seedlings, and any planting that is less than three feet tall. One of the largest benefits of using fluorescent grow lights is their low heat. They can be as close as four inches away from plants without damaging them in any way.

Metal Halide Bulb

High Intensity (HID) Grow Lights
High intensity plant grow lights are very bright and strong and can actually be used to grow small herb gardens and fruiting vegetables like tomatoes indoors. High intensity lights usually come in metal halide(MH) type which is great for natural appearance and growth and sodium (HPS) which is excellent for the fruiting and flowering cycle. In fact, metal halide grow lights are the closest to natural sunlight and they produce plants that look the most like those grown in the outdoors.

I, for one, have fluorescent tube lighting fixtures over my greenhouse trays. But I’m tempted to test the energy consumption of a metal halide system to experiment with some leafy green vegetables and fresh herbs all winter long!

I found these guys out there on the interwebs and I think their videos are AWESOME!

In this little tutorial, we learn all about vermicomposting - which is basically creating your very own, entirely self contained worm farm! You can keep this in your kitchen, or in your basement but its a great way to make more worms (which is great for your garden) and create compost (which is great for your garden) and reduce your trash (which is great for the earth!).

Also, these guys are just really funny - so enjoy the video and let me know what you think!

We had an ice storm last week. It didn’t seem so bad during the storm – at least in our little house – but when we woke up to no power we knew something was amiss. Apparently there were 250,000 other people who woke up with the same issue that morning.

In reality, we were really lucky. We have a propane stove and a French press so there was coffee and a hot breakfast. The house was still pretty warm and I had my iPhone so I could connect with the outside world and find out that most of Massachusetts was blacked out along with me. We have plenty of candles and lots of cozy fleece blankets.

At first I had an instinct to escape the house with my husband and small daughter but my husband didn’t want to drive so we stayed in. He picked up his biography on Miles Davis, I started a fire and we set up our four year old with some coloring and alphabet work. I picked up my needlepoint and we sat, in the silence of our small sitting room in front of the fire, quietly occupied as a family.

Rather than being stir crazy and seeking sounds and activity, I found myself relaxing. We were warm and full and happily occupied. The rhythm of my stitching became almost meditative and the dogs and child were lulled by the sounds and warmth of the fire.

I’ve been reading and writing a great deal about the holidays for the last weeks. I’m gearing up to host 10+ for Christmas dinner after feeding 23 at Thanksgiving. Although our family doesn’t go in for the tons of presents under the tree thing, the holidays still manage to stress me out a bit and now, I think back to that morning with no power and no heat and I’m so thankful because it reminds me what a holiday should be like.

I’m always busy – working, cleaning, wife-ing, mom-ing – it takes a lot to get me to slow down, and the holidays nowadays are really set up to wear everyone out.

I think a lot of it comes down to habit. As I grew up, the holidays needed to look perfect and be perfect. Lots of decorations, lots of presents, lots of food, lots of friends – everything in excess. Some memories are fond but mostly they blur together in a red and green haze wrapped with stress and fatigue. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I actually started to break those old habits – much like forcing myself to sit still on the blackout morning.

We’ve come a long way already. I’ve exorcised the yearning for excess on Christmas morning and I’m working hard to make sure my daughter isn’t raised with those expectations or needs. We get each other a few gifts and we create a delicious meal each year. We make a great event of building the gingerbread house. We get together with friends to relax and make merry.

Since I let go of the shopping and the buying, my holidays have been much more fulfilling. My gifts are more thoughtful and take more time than money. The holiday itself becomes restful and slow and I realize that I’m offering my daughter the gift of a non-frenetic Christmas - something she’ll probably enjoy far more than the newest gizmo.

It isn’t right for everyone, I’m sure, but the more I read about the effect of consumerism on the environment and the more I see the benefits to my psyche of releasing myself from “stuff” the more I think other people should try to take a break as well.

So now my “perfect holiday” doesn’t involve the images that have been pushed on me by stores and marketing geniuses that want me to buy buy buy – it involves no electricity, no TV, no music and a simple day with my family finding creative ways to have fun together without all the noise.