Sustainability

Back to Nature: Planting Tomato Slices

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on August 22, 2016 Respond Permalink

Planting Tomato Slices by Dan Garduno

I recently came across a post online from another gardener and blogger on how he plants slices of tomatoes directly into a pot of soil, resulting in dozens of tomato plants.

I was pretty amazed and skeptical at first. I’ve always been taught to collect the seeds and then rinse them and soak them to remove the coating on the outside of the seed to allow them to germinate and grow properly. When I saw this blog post, I could not believe how much easier this method would be! And I was skeptical, but also I thought to myself, “Why wouldn’t it work? This is exactly how nature works!”

So I watched his video which showed him with several different pots all in different stages of growth. First showing a pot with just soil, then the next pot with 4 slices of tomatoes and the next one with some seedlings growing (as seen to the right). And then a few more pots where he shows how he thins them out until just keeping 1-3 plants per pot.

Being that he showed them in stages and not showing the original pot in each stages as a time lapse, I was still skeptical that it could actually work with such little effort and energy. So I decided I had to try this experiment for myself!

I started out one night by setting aside 2 slices of an organic tomato that we acquired for free from a local food line, as I was preparing dinner. I had some organic compost and some yogurt containers as well as this organic tomato, so I decided to give it a try. I filled the yogurt containers about 3/4 full with compost and in 1 container I put an entire tomato slice on top of the compost. Then loosely covered with more compost. The 2nd slice, I decided to cut into 3 smaller pieces and put each into their own separate containers, so I ended up with 4 planted containers total.

I watered them every other day to keep them moist. I placed them in a cool less lit area of our office and just kept an eye on them for a few days. Within 8 days I have my first sprouts! I was impressed! It had worked!

Over the next few days, more and more sprouts come up. I decided to replant the sprouts that I pulled out while thinning out the containers, unlike the guy in the video who just thinned them out by tossing the sprouts onto the ground. I used up-cycled plastic water bottles that were converted into small self watering containers which are perfect for seed germination and keeping your seedlings watered constantly, especially in this hot dry climate we have here in the high desert of Albuquerque.

By the time I was done making this containers and transplanting the sprouts into them individually, I ended up with 50 separate tomato plants! Being that we are in an office here and just growing some plants in our windowsill for passer byers to see, we didn’t have enough room to grow that many plants here. In the past I’ve sold some plants before, so once they matured to a few inches tall, we decided to sell these for $3 each, or 2 for $5.Just 2 slices from 1 free organic tomato, resulted in a potential of $125-$150 in profit! Imagine if I planted the entire tomato!!! This is a perfect example of my last blog, Eat Organic Produce For Free!

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“The Glassman” will be posting more blogs and ideas as well as hosting many workshops on Self-sustainability, urban farming/agriculture, windowsill gardening, composting, upcycling, self water planters and grow beds, solar passive heating, collecting and purifying rain water, mass heaters and rocket stoves, papercrete, hemp cement, and so much more on his blog!

Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as Multimedia Books while promoting literacy in our communities. We are proud to be a community partner and digital marketer at the Rail Yards Market and the Monte Vista Fire Station. Need help with your web presence and social media marketing? Click here to find out how we can help you! Community Publishing: From the Community For the Community

Filed under: Sustainability and Tagged: Compost, Gardening, Green Thumb, sustainability

Back to Nature: 4 DIY Projects You Can Start Today

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on June 29, 2016 Respond Permalink

A Selection of DIY Projects From Dan “The Glassman” Garduno

Editor’s Note: Here you will find a series of Dan the Glassman Garduno‘s “Do It Yourself” projects.

1. Chicken Wire Compost

The simplest way to compost!

2. 55 Gallon Drum Upcycled into an easy DIY Compost tTumbler

Construct this for under $100! Save $100’s

3. Gatorade Bottle Upcycled Into Self-Watering Container

Simple DIY wicking system!

4. “TheGlassman’s” Aquarioponic System

Convert any aquarium into an aquaponic grow system.

Editor’s Note: We have greatly enjoyed publishing Dan’s work on Sustainability! To find out more about Dan and the step by steps instructions, please visit his website.

Filed under: Sustainability and Tagged: DiY, Do It Yourself, Ecological Sustainability, Ecology, sustainability

Back to Nature: Teenage Bigfoot

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on May 3, 2016 Respond Permalink

Teenage Bigfoot by Dan the Glassman Garduno

4 years ago I honestly think we came across a teenage Bigfoot! This video discusses and describes the night we went out and found a den and scat and hair samples.
As we left we came across another, walking towards the woods as we were leaving. We were all in gear and with headlamps on and winter gear to stay warm. I realized my boots weren’t good enough for that type of cold extreme while being out for a few hours that night. It was freezing!

The other who was walking towards us on the river bed did not respond as we yelled hello or tried to get the person’s attention. this figure just walked right passed us, followed the river bed that went around a bend, instead of cutting across naturally as we were doing. The figure was in all black and looked like it was wearing a hoodie, black gloves and boots and as it walked passed us and the bend it finally looked over towards us and our headlamps revealed it’s face. Either this person loves extreme freezing temperatures and didn’t need more than a hoodie and gloves on, and has no issue with walking out alone into the woods at midnight in the middle of Dec, without any camping gear.

The next day, we posted up that we came across someone out there who didnt’ respond to us for some reason. We got a reply from someone who said he was deaf and was just out strolling around in the middle of the woods in the middle of Dec and in the middle of a known bigfoot activity area, and he says he just ignored us. I say bullx#*t!

Everyone else I was with simply believed this explanation.
No way! To be continued…..

Filed under: Survival, Sustainability and Tagged: Abominable Snowman, Big Foot, Bigfoot, Native American, New Mexico, Sasquatch, Yedi

Back to Nature: Eat Organic Produce For Free

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on April 19, 2016 Respond Permalink

Eat Organic Produce for Free by Dan “the Glassman” Garduno

I hear a lot of people say it’s too expensive to eat organic foods these days. So they end up eating swag foods instead and just settle for what’s on sale at the store most of the time. Bargain shoppers who aren’t eating as best as they could and don’t understand that everyone can eat most organic produce for free or even make a profit off of it.

As a person involved in the movement for non GMOs and an advocate for teaching everyone how to grow personal gardens to help become more self sustainable, I’ve also learned a few tips and tricks along the way. One trick I’ve discovered is that most organic produce contain seeds. These are seeds that can be grown, unlike the GMO produce seeds which were manufactured to not grow seeds that can reproduce naturally and sometimes produce no seeds at all.

Organic produce will reproduce dozens, if not hundreds of seeds naturally. In a natural cycle, seeds would drop to the earth when the fruit ripens enough to fall off on it’s own allowing for new plants and new fruits with more seeds to grow season after season. This is the natural way. This is getting back to nature!

But in modern times, we’ve cleared the food bearing plants and growth to allow for more construction of buildings and homes. Forcing us to rely on our foods to be shipped in from all over the world instead of relying on the natural ecosystem of the surrounding region we all live in. And even with all this construction all around, not much of it is being turned into greenhouses or modern vertical grow operations to replenish what used to grow here naturally. And building rooftops can easily be utilized to grow gardens on top of, which not only generates an abundance of food, but will also help keep concrete jungles much cooler and lowers co2 emissions.

So I’ve discovered a solution while experimenting with composting. Early on I realized that seeds from food scraps would end up growing naturally in the compost pile and I would end up saving many of them by re-potting them or planting them right away, instead of turning them back into the compost pile which would kill them. It dawned on me that I could remove the seeds from the produce after preparing a meal, and set them aside to grow them more managed instead of just throwing them into the compost pile and having to save them in the end anyways.

When I started hearing people say it’s too expensive to eat organically, I had to stop and think of all the seeds I’ve saved by saving them from my compost. And in turn all the money I have also saved by not having to buy seeds for my own garden. So i started thinking about a bell pepper and using it as an example. Most organic bell peppers cost around .88 cents to about $2 each. For 1 bell pepper, that could become quite pricey and would discourage some consumers from purchasing it. But when you start to equate the value of the seeds into the price of the entire bell pepper and if you understand that organic seeds cost an average of $2-$5 per package, then you can realize by saving the seeds and selling them to a grower who needs them, or growing them yourself, the bell pepper essentially pays for itself.

A package of seeds usually cost around $2 for a couple dozen and $5 for 100 or so. Each bell pepper contains 300 or more seeds worth $10-$20, so you can then realize you will actually stand to make a profit by collecting and selling organic seeds! It’s really easy to start saving organic seeds, start saving money, and start saving our ecosystem all at the same time by eating organic today!

Together, we can all make a difference and teach each other better ways!
Find more of my Back to Nature articles here.

Community Publishing: From the Community For the Community

Filed under: Sustainability

Back to Nature: Rocket Stoves & Mass Heaters

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on March 22, 2016 Respond Permalink

Rocket Stoves & Mass Heaters by Dan the Glassman Garduno

Originally published here

A rocket stove is basically an L shaped fire place or chamber that utilizes smaller sticks or kindling instead of large logs of wood.. The design of the L shaped chamber allows the fire to be contained between the intake chamber and the outlet chamber which creates a vacuum of air through the rocket stove forcing the fire to become oxygenated and hotter. Heat naturally rises, so the heated air above the fire is forced up and out the outlet chamber which naturally forces air to come in through the intake chamber which forces the fire to become hotter. There is no need to use larger logs to create a bigger fire for more heat.

A mass heater is simply a constructed box that is heated up by having heat forced through it. They can be used to create radiant heating to naturally heat homes, patios, green houses, chicken coops, barns, workshops, garages, or anywhere you need to have heated.

You can combine a rocket stove with a mass heater to efficiently burn smaller sticks and kindling and then harness the heat to warm your home by sending it through an expanded outlet tube, inside a mass heater box or chamber, which then expands out of the home similar to a smokestack or chimney. A combustion chamber is place precisely over the rocket stove which becomes so hot it burns all the soot and smoke allowing for clean exhaust. Not only are they heat efficient and fuel efficient, but they are also environmentally friendly and release little to no emissions.Read more Back to Nature articles here.
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Dan Garduno

Community Publishing: From the Community For the Community

Filed under: Sustainability and Tagged: Earth, Earth Stove, Nature, Preservation, Rocket, Rocket Stove, sustainability

Back to Nature: What is Composting and Why is it so Important

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on January 21, 2016 Respond Permalink

What is Composting and Why is it so Important to Us by Dan Garduno

Part 1 of a 2 part series

In this day and age so many of us have become programmed into staying focused on our mundane daily routines of waking up early in a hurry to rush off to a 9-5 job to help pay for the homes we inhabit for only a portion of the day, then rush back home to hurry ourselves into bed so we can rest up for this daily cycle over and over again.

We have become accustomed to having no time for anything else really. And this hustle and bustle way of life has programmed us to become unconscious throughout our daily activities as we rush to get ready by grabbing a quick prepacked bite to eat, or only having time for a single serve cup of coffee as we accumulate tons of cute little plastic cups into our landfills. We have trapped ourselves into not allowing ourselves the time or opportunities to stop and smell the flowers, and especially not have time to stop and tend to the flowers.

Learning how to take the time to create compost consciously is so simple and easy to do, and extremely beneficial for our ourselves and our souls to take the time away from such a mundane and restricted way of life. Slowing ourselves down enough to be able to stop and think about how we are living and how we have become so unconscious and wasteful and uncaring for our planet and it’s natural resources can give us a whole new perspective and better way of life.

So what is compost?

Almost everything on this planet breaks down eventually and decomposes back into the Earth, back to it’s origins of dirt. Trees do this naturally by dropping it’s fruit and leaves to the Earth below. If no one were to rake up those leaves and fruit, they would eventually break down and decompose back to the earth and become dirt once again. This is a natural cycle and therefor, theoretically, should be just as simple for anyone to do as it was so simple for the tree.

Many gardeners and farmers consciously grow their own foods so they know specifically where their food comes from, what is in it, and how it was grown. Part of that is also knowing where their soil comes from and what is in their compost before adding it to their growing soil.

Some will focus on making sure what they put in their compost piles is 100% organic foods and materials. In turn, their compost will become 100% organic! Some do not eat 100% organic foods, so they use foods with pesticides and herbicides, and other non organic materials such as printed paper and cardboard. And then some like to add animal waste and feces into their compost to boost the nutrients in their finished compost or soil. So it’s extremely important to know what those animals are eating and where their food comes from as well. And then others will add just about anything to their compost, such as meat or dairy products which have a harder time of breaking down and a longer process in making compost for soil.

So it’s extremely important to understand the different ways of composting and the variety of ingredients one may use in their compost piles. 100% organic compost is best! Utilizing foods and other materials that don’t contain pesticides, herbicides, or other harmful chemicals will help you to create the best soil for your plants. I personally don’t eat 100% organically yet, so I tend to use other food sources and materials that aren’t 100% organic. But I do my best to make sure I’m not bombarding my entire compost pile with non organic materials or foods. A strive to add more organic materials into my compost than non organic materials.

Some will add almost anything into their composts including foods that take a very long time to break down such as meats and cheese. They may also use paper materials that contain a high content of dangerous chemicals, preservatives, and ink.

And then there are some that will add animal waste or feces, also known as manure, into their compost to add higher nutrient content to their compost. It’s extremely important to know what those animals eat and where their food sources come from. Bat guano, cow and horse manure, bird droppings, and even fish emulsion are some of the main choices for manure added to our compost and soil. Even human feces can be broken down into compost but takes several years and proper management. And the human diet is extremely important if choosing this option. Everything eventually will decompose!

It’s important to know and understand that foods and other materials decompose at different rates of time. For instance, a tomato will breakdown and turn into compost a lot faster than a pineapple would. Cardboard takes longer than paper. Twigs and branches take longer than leaves or grass clippings. It’s almost common sense but does take some knowledge and basic information. Join me next week where I will discuss the various compost methods and techniques!

**Dan Garduno will be giving a live demo/workshop at Tammy’s Edge, find the invite here.

Read more Back to Nature articles here.
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Dan Garduno

Community Publishing: From the Community For the Community

Filed under: Sustainability and Tagged: Compost, Gardener, Gardening, Recycling, sustainability, Sustainable Living, Upcycling

Back to Nature: Dutch Buckets for Rosemary

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on November 5, 2015 Respond Permalink

Dutch Buckets for Rosemary by Dan Garduno

Another Dutch Bucket made for our Rosemary! Dutch Buckets are simple self watering containers that use a wicking system on the bottom to pull water up into the soil efficiently utilizing the water from the water reservoir.

One bucket inside another creates a 4″ area on the bottom to hold water.All you need is a cup with slits down the side packed with soil for the wick. Some holes in the inside bucket for the cup and some drain holes and a hole for the watering tube. This tube was made out of 3 water bottles stacked into one another out of convenience since I did not have a PVC pipe available.

Insert fill tube and drill one hole on the outside of the outer bucket for an over fill drain.
Add soil loosely into inner bucket over the wick cup and holes and add plant. It’s that easy!
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Dan Garduno

Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as multimedia books while promoting literacy in our communities.

We are proud to be a community partner and digital marketer at the Rail Yards Market.
#JoinOurCommunity at http://communitypublishing.org“

Filed under: Sustainability and Tagged: Dutch, Dutch Bucket, Green, Green Thumb, Plants, Rosemary, Self-Watering

Back to Nature: 7 Easy Steps to a Self-Watering Garden

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on September 15, 2015 Respond Permalink

Create a Self-Watering Garden in 7 Easy Steps by the Gassman Dan Garduno

Here’s a simple self watering system for your individual garden plants while helping the environment and lessen the burden on our overcrowded landfills. Here’s how:

Upcycle a used water bottle.
Cut the bottom off.
Puncture a small hole into the bottle cap.
Dig a hole next to your plant and near the roots.
Submerge bottle into hole with cap side down.
Fill dirt back around outside perimeter of bottle.
Fill bottle with water and let it drip into the soil and roots!

1. Up-cycle a used water bottle.
2. Cut the bottom off.
3. Puncture a small hole into the bottle cap.
4. Dig a hole next to your plant and near the roots.
5. Submerge bottle into hole with cap side down.
6. Fill dirt back around outside perimeter of bottle.
7. Fill bottle with water and let it drip into the soil and roots!

Its just that simple! Subscribe today to Community Publishing and get my articles in your email inbox at no cost to you. Thanks from the Glassman!
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Dan Garduno

Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as multimedia books while promoting literacy in our communities.

We are proud to be a community partner and digital marketer at the Rail Yards Market.
#JoinOurCommunity at http://communitypublishing.org“

Filed under: Sustainability and Tagged: Agriculture, Ecological Sustainability, Ecology, environment, Garden, Landfill, Plants, Pollution, Recycle, Self-Watering, sustainability, UpCycle, Urban Gardening

Sustainable Living for a Healthy You

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on August 1, 2015 Respond Permalink

Sustainable Living for a Healthy You by Alex Paramo

Sustainability

In Environmental Science Sustainability is defined as the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supportinglong-term ecological balance. It is a common term in today’s lexicon and in reaches from the Universal to the Interpersonal. Our lifestyles can be termed as sustainable or unsustainable. What is the key to sustainability? Balance in every aspect of our life.

At the Rail Yards Market their mission calls for a focus on creating a sustainable local economy but that is only one component. Weekly at the RYM, educators, vendors, entertainers and volunteers create an environment that is fueled by a passion for the local environment. This Sunday they have many opportunities for you to learn about how to participate in the creation of a sustainable world.

Sustainability in the STEAM Zones

The fine folks at Sanctuary at ABQ have a myriad of activities planned including:

Bird House Project:

2 bird houses
Can of Enviro-coating

The Children’s zone will have Kids Project:

Mini paper Cups
Organic Soil
Mint or sunflower seeds

There will also be various displays including an Aquaponics display and Solar Panel Display. A Solar City and Corn Hole Game for Raffle. Additionally they will have lots of reading materials covering:

Sustainable Farming
Aquaponics
Enviro-coating

Joining Sanctuary at ABQ is April Parrish. April Parrish is a local Artist who lives in the East Mountains of Albuquerque and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. Her passion is founded in continuously learning, expressing and celebrating the Creative Principles at work in All Peoples and All Life while seeking the common threads of Sustainability and Beauty in a gentle ‘footprint’ on the Natural environment we all share on Our Earth. More information about April and her organization can be found here.

April is bringing an open canvas to RYM Sustainability Day’s STEAM Zone to share in a Live Community Earth Paint creation. The public will be painting, learning and playing creatively together!

Music and Yoga for a Sustainable Life

On our Main, among others, the folks from Mi Vida Yoga will be on hand to help you get into the proper balanced zone physically, mentally and spiritually!

Their program begins at 10 am so do not miss it! We also have various local musicians including RYM favorites, La Rondalla de Albuquerque. Find the complete schedule by checking on our calendar here.

Remember the words of the late Historian Howard Zinn, “You don’t have to engage in grand heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions (billions) of people can transform the world.” This Sunday, August 2nd from 10-2pm, the Rail Yards Market offers the opportunity for you to learn how you can do your small part.

See You Sunday!

Alex Paramo is an Author and Co-Founder of Community Publishing. Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as Multimedia Books while promoting literacy in our communities.

Filed under: News & Info, Rail Yards Market, Sustainability and Tagged: Climate Change, Climate Science, Earth Science, Ecological Sustainability, Ecology, environment, Nature, Preservation, Rail Yards Market, Recycling, Survival, sustainability, Upcycling, Yoga

Back to Nature: Explorers at Explora

Published by communitypublishingabq@gmail.com on May 5, 2015 Respond Permalink

By Dan Garduno

Explorers at Explora Did you know you can find “The Glassman’s” self watering containers on display at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico?

They have been on display since Sept 2014. On a trip to Explora my daughter one day, I found himself inside the Arts and Crafts rooms and found all the items needed to make some wicking containers.

All you do is add soil and seeds to so they can be self watered. After creating them I asked the crew there if they had some soil and seeds (which they did) and water was added to the lower part of the bottle. Seeds were actually sown right there in Explora by the Glassman! Go check it out, 2 of the 3 original bottles remain. We are planning a day when “The Glassman” will host a workshop there for kids and their families!

Funding for our Earth

At this time I am currently working on acquiring some land in the South valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico to start growing on and doing more larger scale experimental garden methods as you see in Back To Nature on Community Publishing. Please help us grow Luna Star Farm by sharing our GoFundMe campaign page and contributing as much or as little as you can! Even $1 helps! WWW.GoFundMe.com/LunaStarFarm. Check out the latest episode of the Community Spotlight Vlog (Video Blog) below featuring yours truly!

Click link for the Back to Nature articles (archive).
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Dan Garduno

Community Publishing brings local artists of all mediums together in creative collaborations for distribution as multimedia eBooks while promoting literacy in our communities.

We are proud to be a community partner and digital marketer at the Rail Yards Market.
#JoinOurCommunity at http://communitypublishing.org“

Filed under: Community Spotlight, Sustainability and Tagged: Albuquerque, Children's Museum, Explora, Museum, Nature, New Mexico, Recycle, Science, Self-Watering, sustainability, UpCycle

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Sustainability

Back to Nature: Planting Tomato Slices

Planting Tomato Slices by Dan Garduno

Back to Nature: 4 DIY Projects You Can Start Today