For car ownership to be as sustainable as possible, it’s important to own a car that has a cult following. You want to be able to easily find support and resources for your car. You can’t do that if you’re the only person you know of who’s trying to change a window motor on their Volkswagen Phaeton themselves (if you’ve even ever heard of the Phaeton). You have to get a car that lots of people have, lots of people enjoy, and lots of people work on themselves.

Good cars for this are cars that are specifically designed to be modified.

Ford, for example, knows that people like to modify their Mustangs and F150s, so Ford makes it easy for aftermarket parts to “bolt on”, so to speak. This means that most of the car is going to be easier to take apart than a car like a Chrysler 200 convertible because Chrysler doesn’t expect you to modify the 200. Other good examples are cars that are frequently used for racing. Cars like Mazdas 3s or Miatas, Nissan Zs, or Honda Civics. While my BMW 3 series wasn’t designed to be easily modified, lots of people race BMW 3 series and modify them. As a result, there are lots of people who know how to work on BMW 3 series and there are a number of forums, blogs, websites, and aftermarket companies devoted to modifying and maintaining BMW 3 series.

Cult cars also tend to be cars that a large group of people consider to be special.

This means that they will maintain them better and keep them longer. When I bought my 1976 BMW 2002, I had actually wanted a 1972 Mercedes S class, but the BMW had more of a cult following. With roughly 400,000 2002s produced between 1968 and 1976, it was the car that put BMW on the map and proved that a sports car didn’t need a massive V8 to fast and fun. I happen to be from Tulsa and I  have probably met 75% of the people in Tulsa who own 2002s. Accordingly, I have a long list of people who I can call on when something goes wrong on my 2002 and they’ve all had or heard of whatever the issue may be. Owning a cult car gives you access to a great community and sense of camaraderie that you can’t get with an average car.

Cult cars also lend themselves to having easy to find parts.

Parts for my 3 series and my 2002 are all over eBay and other websites, and a slew of companies offer high quality aftermarket parts built specifically for my cars. This wide availability of parts and access to knowledge mean that when something goes wrong on your car, you can easily fix or replace it and usually for a lower cost than if you had a car people were less enthusiastic about. The result is that cult cars can give you a great experience well into high mileage. My 3 series, for example, has over 220,000 miles and while I occasionally have issues with some of the amenities of the car, I’ve maintained and overhauled most of the suspension and drivetrain so it still runs and handles like it’s only a couple of years old.

Photo: Miranda Metheny

This week’s ideas come from Finland!

We know them for reindeer and heavy metal, good education, cell phones and Angry Birds. If that’s not enough reasons why Finland is awesome, check out what I’ve found on my trips to the land of a million lakes and the midnight sun.

IDEA #1 — Party Tricks

If you want to host a simple party, with some nice cold drinks and salty chips, you’re going to need some ice cube trays and chip bowls, right? Wrong. Both of these one-step recycling ideas are so simple, I couldn’t believe I’d never seen them in action back home.

Photo: Liisa Lundell

Party Trick Number One: Recycle the plastic packaging from chocolate truffles to make cute and convenient ice cubes!

Photo: Liisa Lundell

Party Trick Number Two: Forget the bowl; just cut a hole in the top of the chip bag and you’re ready to serve!

IDEA #2 — Amazing Insulation

This is a great example of how to solve two problems at once. Finland is cold all winter and bright all summer (even at night), so good insulation and dark blinds are a must in any Finnish home. Lots of heat escapes through windows, so a double-framed construction will keep a room a lot cozier. That much is common sense.

Photo: Liisa Lundell

But tucking the blinds in between the panes? That’s genius! No more trapped dust, tangled cords, toddler strangulation risk or bent blades. The blinds can be raised, opened and closed with a wand on your side of the glass, and worked smoothly and efficiently every time I tried them out… which I may or may not have done repeatedly, just for the novelty of it all.

IDEA #3 — Magic Drying Cabinets!

Washing dishes is one of the most tedious of daily tasks. We stack a pile of dirty dishes, wash them, stack them in another pile to dry, and finally stack them all back in the cupboards. The worst part of this process is dealing with the cups and glasses – they get that funky smell if you leave them upside down, and collect dust and spiders if you leave them right-side up. Leave it to the Finns to solve all our problems…

Photo: Liisa Lundell

Look, and look again. The cabinets have become drainboards, and the drainboards have become cabinets. Just close the doors, and your kitchen will look as elegant as any other – and all the while allowing air to circulate and the odd drop of water to drip into the sink below. Sheer sadism is the only logical explanation for why these aren’t standard issue around the globe.

Please invite your friends to these events, and while you’re there, thank a volunteer!

The Sustain Mizzou executive board started Mizzou Sustainability Week last year. It featured events such as an E-Waste Drive, Fresh Beets Benefit Concert, picnic on Lowry Mall, transportation fair, and keynote about dumpster diving.

this weekend i hosted a baby shower for a sweet, natural mama & dear friend.

natalie’s all-natural laundry detergent

Who funds the green roof?

The Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee (SFCIC) awards a maximum of $275,000 annually for equipment or renovations that benefit future MU students. Ben is president of Environmental Science Club and an active member of Sustain Mizzou. He presented this plan to the SFCIC, which graciously approved $27,000.

Additionally, Mizzou Advantage supplied $1,100 for an engineer to determine the roof holding capacity of Rollins Dining Hall in April 2012. Campus Facilities contracted Bob D. Campbell Structural Engineers from Kansas City, MO to conduct a review of the building’s structural integrity.

According to Ben’s documents, the Sustainability Office is also willing to contribute up to $3,000 toward the green roof irrigation system. Campus Dining and Campus Facilities have not made such financial commitments at this time.

Rollins residence and dining hall is the area slated for the green roof. It already features many sustainability components, including high-capacity bike racks, a rain garden, white roofs and porous pavement.

Where does the money go?

What’s next?

• Establish a final meeting with the stakeholders and confirm project approval
• Determine an installation date and purchase the materials
• Get the media involved and create awareness

The SFCIC grant will fund the construction of a green roof on Sector 1. The entire roof will be complete if additional funding can be found.

This is on top of a year’s worth of work, in which Ben worked with Sustain Mizzou and the Environmental Science club to:

• Find a sponsoring student organization
• Find a University employee that knows the approval process
• Research and networking
• Meet with Campus Dining (who owns the building)
• Meet with Campus Facilities (who deals with structural maintenance)
• Apply for the first round of grants
• Conduct a structural study by contracting an engineer (determine maximum pounds per square foot)
• Explore outside funding sources
• Find professors who can confirm a need for a green roof system
• Apply for the second round of grants
• Receive grant funding and communicate the message to all stakeholders
• Complete a permission request form (PRF) with Campus Facilities

If you have more questions for Ben, contact him at bgkxw7[at]mail.missouri.edu.

Paige had a novel idea: cut out old romance novel pages to send risque messages to friends.

‘Twas the night before Valentine’s Day (or Christmas, or any other card-worthy day) and oh no, a gaggle of friends are on their way into town! Don’t run out to buy them Valentines. Just make your own with things from home. Hand-made cards show people you really love them. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Homemade paper, shiny paper, brown paper. Don’t discriminate!

DIY card materials you probably have on hand:

• pages from old romance novels
• shiny candy wrappers
• brown paper bags
• bits of ribbon or string
• old magazines or books
• old cards you’ve kept from past holidays
• old pictures
• markers, pens, pencils
• adhesives: glue, tape, mod podge, sticky tack!

This bird of paradise is sporting a very fine moustache and some poppin’ glitter!

Craft supply investments:

• rubber stamps and at least three good colors of ink pads
• glitter and glitter glue
• punch-out shapes
• confetti to pop out of the envelope when your recipient opens it
• stickers and googly eyes

A heart-warming and locally relevant card: the MSA cabinet, with special new leader, Gandalf! Can’t make more than one? Photocopy it and send it to friends!

You could hand this Valentine to pretty much any patron of Uprise, and they would be quite happy.

Creatures and glitter and definitions galore!

Uh-oh! Looks like the Nixon family has a visitor! Photobomb to your heart’s content.

It’s the creature from the draft lagoon!

It’s a cruel fact of nature that cold temperatures mean high heating bills. But how can you weatherize your home when you don’t own it? If you’re renting a house or apartment, big insulation and replacement projects are out of your grasp. Fortunately, temporary products exist. One is removable sealant. It’s not as effective as some caulking methods, but you can peel it right off once open-window weather returns.

What should you caulk?

If you can put your hand near your windows and feel cold air physically rushing in to terrorize your comfort, then you should caulk that window. If for some reason your skin doesn’t work, then there’s this trick with moving a lit candle or incense stick in front of the window to see exactly where the draft is coming in. See the video below.

Things you need:

• A caulk gun, $3-10.
• Canisters of caulk, $6-8.
• Some muscle, free with a gym membership.

What brand and how much?

Keep pressure on the caulk as you work your way down the line; this prevents gaps.

The Gun: Mother Earth News says: “Ratchet guns (about $3) have a notched piston, which pushes the caulk out. To stop the flow of caulk, you have to twist the piston with your free hand to disengage the ratchet. Smooth-rod guns ($5 to $10) are easier to use. To release piston pressure and stop the flow of caulk, you simply press the quick-release plate above the handle with your thumb.”

The Caulk: DAP Seal N’ Peel gets good reviews (4/5 stars). Red Devil Zip-A-Way (1/5 stars) is said to be a pain to remove, especially if the sealant gets exposed to sunlight. Funny enough, this is the brand we used, so check back in a few months for a review!

Amount: Determine how much you need with this handy “Caulkulator.”

How do you caulk something?

If you don’t know how to load a caulk gun, you can just ask a hardware store employee to show you. Or YouTube it, if you don’t like talking to people. Actually, you could stop reading here. This lady knows what she’s talking about.

Flattening the bead with your fingernail or other tool will help fill in the corner and make the caulk look slightly more attractive.

Trim the tip of your caulk at a 45° angle for better results, but you’re not frosting a cake so don’t get too worried about it. Then pull the trigger! This pushes the caulk out of the tube and also helps you flex your big, strong, weatherizing muscles. Makers of the Zip-A-Way warn that the product may shrink over time. Make sure the bead fits well over the space you’re caulking.

Work the caulk into the corners with your fingernail (or if touching silicone freaks you out, get a tool) as you go or after you lay down the bead. Our caulk came out so slowly that our only entertainment was tooling the product as we went. But maybe your house is warmer than a refrigerator.

Yep, that’s it. Shouldn’t take long. Get off the internet and do it. Unsealed gaps in a house equal leaving a whole window open, and about 2% of your heat escapes through tricky places like your power outlets. Go!

Clothes hang from an accordion style drying rack from Target. These racks fold into a compact size, but their plastic rods may not be easily replaced if broken. This is also only good for a small load of laundry.

Fresh data from the Global Carbon Project tells us CO2 emissions increased by 3% in 2011 and predicts by the end of 2012, CO2 emissions will have increased by 2.6%. The projection may be a slightly smaller increase than the year previous, but that is building on top of the highest CO2 emissions in human history. While there is nothing we can do for carbon that is compounding upon itself in the atmosphere, there are changes that could be made to lessen what is added to it.

You may already ride your bike for transportation when able, wash your own dishes, or maybe even “let it mellow if it’s yellow” to lessen your impact on fossil fuel and resource consumption. Another option: dry your own clothes! A drying machine consumes electricity not just to run but also to heat your clothes. Some machines use natural gas to heat up. Air-drying clothes not only uses less of these finite resources, but also saves you money on utilities. Project Laundry List, estimates if all Americans that do not line-dry were to at least ten months out of the year, we could save 12 million metric tons of carbon entering the atmosphere, annually. The non-profit organization committed to promoting air-drying and cold-water washing hosts a swath of information to assist the switch to air-dry on their website.

Greg Baka’s “Best Drying Rack” is collapsible and made without plastic.

Clotheslines can be simple to set up with some twine, scissors, and strategically placed hooks (from the house to the garage or a nearby tree). A drying rack is an option that does not have to take up space, because they are usually collapsible, and they do not attract neighbors’ attention. There is no need to test your amateur carpentry skills; Greg Baka makes a version, which he claims to be the best, right here in Columbia for $40.

Other line drying options:

• Wall-mounted retractable drying lines, starting at $25
• Folding, accordion-style racks starting at $25
• Ceiling-mounted airers, starting at $190
• Pulley clotheslines kits and start at $60

DIY presents are all the rage nowadays, and for good reason. I think if you spend time making something for someone, instead of just going to the store and buying something, a person can really know that you care about them!

There are all different kinds of presents you can make. Here is one I am fond of: using a recycled wine bottle to make a decorative light. It’s a useful and pretty gift that can be personalized to anyone you are making it for. Example: my brother loves Mizzou stuff, and when my family did Secret Santa, I made him one of these painted black and gold with an MU on the front.

This project should cost less than 15 dollars.

You will need:

• Wine bottle ($3-$6)
• String of Christmas lights: I prefer white, but colored could be fun. I use a 20-light string. ($3)
• Paint ($2)
• Paint brush ($2)
• Glaze spray (optional) ($5)

Notes:

• All of this is available at Michael’s or any other craft store.
• If you can’t go buy a bottle of wine, or maybe you don’t want a bottle with a label, try an antique or thrift store, or see if a local restaurant will give you some; also try Top Ten Wines! They will give you some bottles for free.
• Or- maybe your gift-getter likes whiskey, or vodka or something else. You could make one of these out of their favorite drink.
• There are two different kinds of paint you can use. Acrylics and glass paint. You can buy a little glass paint kit at Michael’s for about $5. Acrylic paint will be solid and opaque, with a slightly chalky look. Glass paint will be translucent and look more like a stained glass window.
• If you paint with acrylics, you will want to buy some kind of finishing spray so that the paint won’t scratch off.
• Glaze spray will make the glass look frosted. Depending on what kind of look you want, this looks very pretty!

Step 1.

Buy a bottle of wine. Don’t bust your pocketbook—this bottle cost me $6.

Step 2.  

Drink wine (this is the most fun part).

I picked this for the color.

Step 3.

Take your paint and go to town. You can paint patterns, like I did here, or whatever you want.  Let dry.

Acrylic paint may take more than one layer.

You can do real painting or just do decorative designs, like so.

Step 4 (optional)

Make sure the kitty approves of your work. Kitty approval= it’s a good present.

Sage the kitty is pretty sure this is cool.

Step 5

Stuff the lights into the bottle and let the part of the string with no lights and the plug hang out. I prefer the strings of light that have white cords instead of green. But, you do what you can.

Step 6 

Plug in and check out your handiwork! Make sure the lights look good. Sometimes when I stuff them in the bottle, all the lights gets clumped up together and I use a stick to spread it out.

Not too shabby!

Step 7 & 8 (no photo)

I was going for a “beachy” unkempt look.

Spray on your glaze or finishing spray and let dry. This may take a few reapplications too.

Final optional step:

Get creative! If you want more, try adding ribbons or bedazzling or putting rocks or sand in the bottle. The options are limitless here.

Have fun!

A mother SCOBY sits at the bottom of the jug, awaiting a new batch of tea to brew kombucha.

She is born from a floating white film, this mother of fermented tea. The film thickens, and grows to look like a slimy pancake. Lying atop green or black tea, she is a SCOBY, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, two organisms that usually do not grow together. A new, baby SCOBY pancake will form on top of the original after several weeks, hence her motherly nickname. This cycle is an organic reproduction of the life force behind kombucha, a fizzy drink hailed by the ancient Chinese to be an immortal health elixir.

Kombucha is alive, containing living bacteria and yeast, which help maintain a healthy digestive system. Sugar and caffeine from tea react with the mother during fermentation, resulting in the drink’s low pH and its’ slight vinegary taste. Among the many types of acids found within kombucha, Glucaric acid is shown to be a cancer-fighting agent and assist detoxification in the liver. Plus, kombucha contains many varieties of energizing B-Vitamins. To date, no clinical trials have tested the properties of kombucha on humans, so it is up to the drinker to determine whether kombucha lives to its legend.

These benefits give kombucha an advantage over a carbonated counterpart, soda. Kombucha carbonates naturally with a mature mother, and after bottling in airtight containers. Do not be wary of encountering the slimy pancake if you have never tried kombucha. The bottled kombucha sold commercially is strained. GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha is sold widely throughout Columbia. Find it combined with a variety of fruit juices and other natural restoratives like chia seeds at Main Squeeze, Root Cellar or Clovers.

Pieces of chopped ginger root release their flavor at the bottom of a bottle of kombucha.

Ginger root has never failed me as a revitalizing flavoring to kombucha when I bottle my home-brew. For a little over a year, I have cultivated a kombucha mother and experienced some of her benefits claimed by kombucha lovers. Not to mention the enjoyment derived from cultivation!

Last summer, I discovered a local SCOBY saver at the Really, Really Free Market in the courtyard of the Boone County Courthouse. Already a kombucha drinker, I took a baby culture home, excited to begin a new DIY project. A growing organism in my kitchen will create fermented tea! I watched the baby grow from a small disc to encompass a gallon glass jar and become a mother herself. Within a few months, my roommate acquired a huge 10-gallon glass jug to hold our budding mother, looking more like a mushroom than a pancake.

Unfortunately, mold contaminated it last spring. Mold contamination of the culture is a concern that is common with unsanitary handling or conditions surrounding a kombucha fermentation. One must always wash their hands before handling the culture and keep the jar in a cool, dark place high off the ground.

Thankfully, the old adage, what goes around, comes around, does hold true. Home-fermenting kombucha tends to spread through a community, due to its mothering nature. My new mother is no baby though, and has mushroomed into a healthy culture, so happy that she even has a bit of effervescence before bottling!

This batch I have bottled with chopped ginger root and freshly squeezed limes. I try to wait several days for the flavors to mingle and let the bottled kombucha carbonate, but that is hard to resist the kombucha love. If left alone in the refrigerator for about five days the kombucha satisfies even more with a stronger notes of ginger and higher carbonation. Thankfully, a few more bottles are still waiting.

My next batch I am hoping to use rosemary, my favorite herb, and lavender.  I would use a lavender essential oil, but bacteria in essential oils will contaminate the culture. The mothers tend to be a bit finicky, so dried lavender flowers it shall be, like the ones in Sparky’s Lavender Honey ice cream.