Tuesday, July 22, 2008

last updated: July 04, 2008 11:32:30 PM

Roll out the barrels

This is sustainable gardening with class.

TerraCycle Inc. is recycling Kendall-Jackson wine barrels into composters and rain barrels. The oak barrels are clean and safe for outdoor household use, the winemaker says.

The rotary composter holds grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste while they decompose into nutrient-rich compost. A roller system makes it easy to load and rotate the barrel, speeding up the composting process.

The TerraCycle rain barrel captures roof runoff from a downspout for use in the garden.

Each product has a suggested retail price of $99. They're sold at some garden centers and at www.terracycle.net.

Green building

Eco-friendly housing used to be thought of as expensive, ugly or just plain weird. Now it's becoming common.

David Johnston and Scott Gibson offer guidance on environmentally sensitive home building in "Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction." The book helps builders and homeowners create houses that conserve natural resources and are energy-efficient and healthful. It's packed with information, tips, illustrations and case studies that offer wisdom earned from experience.

"Green from the Ground Up" is published by the Taunton Press and sells for $24.95 in paperback.

A better mousetrap

Plastic water bottles can get a second use as humane mousetraps with a device called Catch A Mouse.

Catch A Mouse is essentially a cheese-shaped portal that screws onto an empty water bottle. A mouse enters through a trap door in search of bait you've placed in the bottle, and it can't get back out. The bottle holds the live mouse until you release it.

The device can be ordered for $6.99 plus shipping at www.greenbottleusa.com.

Dispose of batteries

Rechargeable batteries for tools are a great asset to do-it-yourselfers, eliminating electrical cords and shock hazards, but they pose a disposal problem when they wear out. Rechargeable batteries should not be placed in trash because they contain heavy metals that can contaminate soil. Some tool retailers, such as Home Depot, have special drop-off containers for rechargeable batteries, which are collected and recycled. Radio Shack is another retailer that will generally accept the batteries. If you don't know about a recycling place in your area, visit www.call2recycle.org.

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