Sustainable – GreenDesert

Solar shades

Before we built our off-grid shipping container homes, I must admit, my idea of off-grid was not what we have experienced. I expected it to be so hard, to feel like we would have to make a lot of changes and sacrifices to our lifestyle. And I was ready for the journey. But it’s not at all what I expected.

Being off-grid is really like being your own EPA because you have to manage your own resources. Our bread and butter is the sun and the rain; Solar has been running pretty much everything for us, from the refrigerator to the lights. And we don’t have a big power system; you can really call us power poor, so we definitely monitor our power usage. This also means temperature control is a priority. And since we haven’t installed an AC unit yet, we utilize the sun to heat up our container.

One of the things that has made a huge difference is our window coverings. We had temporary paper blinds up for about 2 years, and they were great for privacy but didn’t do enough for controlling the temperature.

We had all sorts of consequences from hot and cold temperatures — motors freezing, leaks, things melting including my favorite candle and the list goes on. So, we replaced our temporary paper blinds with solar-powered, motorized shades from Somfy and Eclipse Luxury Shades and I couldn’t be more grateful because the energy savings and convenience were immediate and gave us so much more control. We measured the temperature change, and the shades made the containers 8 degrees cooler… huuuuuge difference.

So let me share with you some of the reasons we chose these specific shades.

When we first discovered Somfy and Eclipse Luxury Shades, I was immediately impressed with their eco-friendly options. They even had shades made from recycled water bottles, and they were gorgeous. I didn’t think we would really be able to use the motorized option because again, being off-grid, we are counting our energy. But these motorized shades don’t suck up our energy. In fact, we don’t have to think about charging the batteries for at least two years. And even that process is convenient… you just plug them in.

And for the shades that are facing the south, they don’t need charging at all because they are solar-powered, perfect for being off-grid.

So our off-grid home feels like a smart Jetsons home because with a touch of a button, the shades go up at down at our request. And they’re so quiet. We have the shades programmed in sections… so we can press a button to control all of the shades at once or just a few at a time. We wake up in the mornings, press a button and the shades on one side of the container goes up to let the sun in to start heating things up. We press another button, and the shades in the bedroom open up without us having to get out of bed. It’s priceless.

One of the features we haven’t used is with Wi-Fi; you can control the shades from anywhere using their app. You can even talk to the shades through Alexa and Google Assistant.

I could go on and on about this experience, which is why I had to share it.

Experiencing this off-grid lifestyle has been a win-win… we are getting closer to zero waste every day, we are not affected as much by inflation, we are learning so much and having fun doing it and we are building a legacy for generations to come.

So join us on our journey!

View the entire journey in more detail here.

Website: http://GreenDesert.org

Follow us on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenDesert/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheGreenDesert

Twitter: http://Twitter.com/TheGreenDesert

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GreenDesert/

Check out other shade and awning options here:

Somfy Shades & Blinds page

Connect with a Somfy Dealer

https://www.eclipseluxuryshades.com/

Oct6

Garden Health Household Sustainable

Pomegranate

How pomegranates affect your health

Have you ever had the privilege of biting into a cluster of pomegranate seeds? The reward you get from the juice is priceless. Needless to say, I love pomegranate season! The satisfying flavor of the fruit speaks for itself. Along with the juice comes tons of health benefits.

Antioxidants

Pomegranates are full of antioxidants… punicalagins, anthocyanins, and hydrolysable tannins… all antioxidants known to help protect your cells from free radical damage!

Heart

Polyphenolic compounds found in the fruit have been well-known for helping your heart. These compounds in pomegranates may be able to help the inflammation in the arteries and reduce oxidative stress. This can also help lower your blood pressure and help fight plaque build-up in your arteries as well (atherosclerosis).

Tip: Pomegranate juice is an easy way to get the benefits into your system and can also help with chest pain.

Prostate

Studies have shown that drinking pomegranate juice can slow down the rate at which a tumor in your prostate grows. For people who have prostate cancer pomegranates also help promote cells from dying.

Urinary Health

Nobody wants kidney stones and pomegranates can help with that! It can hinder the mechanism that forms kidney stones.

Brain Health

Pomegranates have ellagitannins which are known to reduce inflammation in the body. These compounds can help your brain actually get better! This may be able to help protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by helping brain cells survive and reducing oxidative stress.

Digestive Health

Pomegranates are rich in fiber and can increase good bacteria in your gut. The beneficial gut bacteria, bifidobacterium and lactobacillus, are supposed to have pre-biotic effects helping prevent many digestive health issues.

Endurance

If you love working out or want to start, pomegranates may be able to replace that protein powder because it may improve your endurance for your workout.

It’s newer research but studies show because pomegranates provide potassium, which is an essential electrolyte for exercise. And remember those antioxidants and polyphenols that I mentioned earlier? Those nutrients are helpful for running and performance.

Try it out for yourself and let us know how it makes a difference in your routine!

We have an entire page of natural remedies. If you have natural remedies you choose, please share them — it takes a community!

Oct6

Garden Health Household Sustainable

Pomegranate

How pomegranates affect your health

Have you ever had the privilege of biting into a cluster of pomegranate seeds? The reward you get from the juice is priceless. Needless to say, I love pomegranate season! The satisfying flavor of the fruit speaks for itself. Along with the juice comes tons of health benefits.

Antioxidants

Pomegranates are full of antioxidants… punicalagins, anthocyanins, and hydrolysable tannins… all antioxidants known to help protect your cells from free radical damage!

Heart

Polyphenolic compounds found in the fruit have been well-known for helping your heart. These compounds in pomegranates may be able to help the inflammation in the arteries and reduce oxidative stress. This can also help lower your blood pressure and help fight plaque build-up in your arteries as well (atherosclerosis).

Tip: Pomegranate juice is an easy way to get the benefits into your system and can also help with chest pain.

Prostate

Studies have shown that drinking pomegranate juice can slow down the rate at which a tumor in your prostate grows. For people who have prostate cancer pomegranates also help promote cells from dying.

Urinary Health

Nobody wants kidney stones and pomegranates can help with that! It can hinder the mechanism that forms kidney stones.

Brain Health

Pomegranates have ellagitannins which are known to reduce inflammation in the body. These compounds can help your brain actually get better! This may be able to help protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by helping brain cells survive and reducing oxidative stress.

Digestive Health

Pomegranates are rich in fiber and can increase good bacteria in your gut. The beneficial gut bacteria, bifidobacterium and lactobacillus, are supposed to have pre-biotic effects helping prevent many digestive health issues.

Endurance

If you love working out or want to start, pomegranates may be able to replace that protein powder because it may improve your endurance for your workout.

It’s newer research but studies show because pomegranates provide potassium, which is an essential electrolyte for exercise. And remember those antioxidants and polyphenols that I mentioned earlier? Those nutrients are helpful for running and performance.

Try it out for yourself and let us know how it makes a difference in your routine!

Sep30

Garden Health Household sustainability Sustainable

Avocado

AVOCADOS BENEFITS

It’s no secret how amazing avocados are on almost everything including burritos, toast, salsas and of course guacamole. But the benefits go much further than the flavor; avocados are filled with antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, vitamins C, E, K and B6, among other nutrients.

They’re known for high levels of healthy fat and since they literally have no cholesterol and low sodium (1 avocado has 11mg), I indulge.

Below are some specific benefits that the avocado brings that may cause you to indulge too.

Anti-Inflammatory & Heart Health

Because avocados have a ton of niacin it helps with inflammation. When eating it, it can fight inflammation in the body and help protect your arteries. That in turn helps your heart stay healthy, lowering your cardiovascular inflammation.

In fact, new research from Harvard University shows eating 2 servings of avocados per week may boost your heart health and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Skin Health

The beta carotene protein and other nutrients found in avocado oil are great for your skin.

Rub the oil on your skin for eczema and to help treat psoriasis. It’s great for moisturizing your skin so it’s also beneficial for conditions like dermatitis since it helps with the itchiness associated with these inflammations.

Also try it on sunburns for faster healing!

Try this: Take the inside of an avocado peel and massage it on your face. Leave the oil on your face for about 15 minutes, rinse it off and let me know how great your skin feels.

Healthy Brain Function

Vitamin E is another main nutrient in avocados, and lots of research shows how beneficial vitamin E is for slowing down conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. It’s supposed to keep your brain from declining in thinking and memory skills. In fact, according to the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, when taken with Vitamin C, it’s been shown to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 20%.

Fun Fact: Half of an avocado contains about 2 mg of vitamin E. The recommended daily allowance is 15 mg per day.

Strong Bones

Vitamin K is the essential nutrient in strengthening our bones, which yes, is found in avocados. Vitamin K is also an important nutrient for blood clotting.

Digestion

Because avocados are high in fiber and insoluble fiber it helps move everything out of your body keeping you from getting constipated.

Vision

Eye doctors rave about the nutrients in avocados because they can save your eyes from damage that leads to poor vision. Specifically, the high amounts of lutein found in avocados protects your eyes from cataracts, macular degeneration and other age-related eye issues.

Fun Fact: Avocados have more lutein than your average lutein supplement.

We have an entire page of natural remedies. If you have any avocado recipes or any natural remedies you use, I’d love to try them, so please share — it takes a community!

Sep28

DIY Garden Health Household sustainability Sustainable

Start a garden

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN STARTING AN URBAN GARDEN

It’s planting season in Phoenix! Do you know what to plant? Where to plant? How to plant?

There are so many questions when it comes to starting your urban garden – or as I like to call it – your medicine cabinet and grocery store. And you will read all sorts of articles telling you dozens of things you need to do to be successful. But it really doesn’t have to be that hard or expensive… especially if you know the basics.

So we came up with our top things you need to know when starting your urban garden:

RESEARCH – This includes looking at a planting calendar to know what to plant in your area. And once you figure out what grows when, choose things you really will use. Research images of what the plant will look like in your garden, how much space the plant needs, best temperatures for germination, etc. Seed packets will give you the basics. Don’t limit your research only to online searches. Social media gardening groups are awesome and local nurseries can be extremely helpful.
START SMALL – Doing too much gets discouraging and causes many of us to quit. Gardening doesn’t have to be hard. 4×4 is a perfect starting point for a garden and so easy to build a garden bed yourself. Home improvement stores will cut your wood to your specified size and you can use blocks to simply place the wood slabs inside. It’s a simple process, especially if you want to avoid cutting and drilling, etc.
PREPARE YOUR BED – Grass and weeds can be one of your biggest enemies. We put cardboard at the bottom of our beds to help stop the grass. We also have a lot of gophers in the area so we also put chicken wire at the bottom. Fill your bed with soil… add compost…. Soil and water are the basics that will help your garden thrive or die.
SAVE MONEY ON SEEDS—1^st garden will be most expensive but should be the only time you have to spend money buying all of your seeds because you can save them each season.

There are lots of seed banks at libraries and other local places that may offer free seeds.

All seeds are NOT created equal, so look for GMO Free, heirloom, open-pollinated seeds so that you can continue to save the seeds each season.

GROW WHAT YOU’LL USE – Whether it’s food or medicine, if you’re watering it, you want to use it. If you won’t eat brussel sprouts, don’t plant brussel sprouts. Can’t sleep? Plant chamomile for tea. Got a cut? Plant aloe. You’d be surprised at how many natural remedies you’ll find in your garden (ADD NATURAL REMEDIES LINK)
CREATE MICROCLIMATES AND KEEP IT ORGANIC – Planting all of the same families in the same bed means they’re all competing for the same nutrients and attracting all of the same bugs. So mix things up. That will also create a cooler environment and help keep your garden naturally organic , especially if you consider companion planting.
PUT WATER ON A TIMER—one of biggest things to kill gardens is water so you don’t want to have to constantly think about if you’re over or under watering. Set a timer for your water —- regardless of the type of sprinkling system you choose.

OLLAS are another option for watering… my favorite because it takes guesswork out of watering.

FEED YOUR GARDEN—we fertilize about every 2 weeks with homemade worm tea, compost mix, etc. Again, don’t freak out if you’re not composting, you can buy fertilizers when you’re first starting – ONE THING AT A TIME. Again garden groups are great for where to buy what, where to find sales, tricks of the trade, etc.
BE PATIENT, STAY POSTIVE AND ENJOY THE RIDE—Everything will NOT grow and some things will look great one day and be falling over the next. It’s about trial and error, learning your soil, your garden. Trust me, the rewards make it all worth it. The flavor of the food is richer, you know exactly what you’re getting, you’re saving money, lowering your carbon footprint, growing your own meds… the benefits just keep coming.
TREAT YOUR GARDEN LIKE YOUR FAMILY – If you’re thirsty, you need water. So do your plants.

If you’re cold, you may need a blanket. If you’re hot, you may want shade. Same with your plants. I talk to my plants, sing to them… not sure if that makes them happy. The peace of being in the garden in priceless, so spend time in nature, learn your garden (family) and mother nature will do the rest.

We have all sorts of DIY videos helping you throughout your journey. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions because we are all in this together. It’s a lifestyle that keeps on giving.

Category: Sustainable