What We Can Do At Home

Water

1. Observe where water flows in your yard during rainy periods, identify moist and dry areas, and potential areas to capture water, including roofs, curbs, dry creeks, etc.

2. Construct cisterns or tanks, earn how to operating allowing the first rains to flush debris from roof.

3. Learn how to use less water inside and outside, become water conscious, think about how long you need to run a faucet when washing dishes, water plants, etc.

4. Install water saving devises, including shut off nozzles, low flush toilets, drip lines.

5. Remove lawns and replace with edible or drought tolerant plants.

6. Store water for emergency electricity and water disruptions, get a bucket, and think about where you will get water if there is no water in the taps.

7. Work with us in helping to change grey water regulations so that we can install systems to reuse grey water in and outside of our homes.

Crops

1. Buy heritage seeds and store in freezer.

2. Collect food scraps and start a compost bin.

3. Start a worm bin, share worms with friends.

4. Observe the sun patterns in your yard, identify a sunny garden spot, prepare site, construct boxes, add wire to keep out moles and gophers, and add composted organic matter to improve soil.

5. Buy plants and seeds, plant and observe their growth cycle, making notes for next year.

6. Propagate your own seeds.

7. Plant fruit bearing trees. If you live in a warmer area and have a sunny spot, try growing nuts and warmer temperature requiring trees (e.g. apricots, peaches, walnuts, almonds) in addition to apples and pears.

8. Meet with other gardeners, share what you know, build reference material on what can be grown in each area of the city, try new plants, increase the diversity of things that you can grow and encourage others to add things to their gardens that may work better in another area of the city.

9. Learn to store food, dry and canned, get fruit jars and canning supplies.

10. Have a seed exchange, share seeds and cuttings

11. Store food supplies for emergencies.

Poultry and Fish

1. Write a letter to the City asking for permission to raise chickens, build chicken coops, obtain chickens, share eggs with others.

2. Get a fishing pole and tackle, learn how to fish.

Energy

1. Learn how to conserve energy in your home, try a day without an energy use, identify what you can change in your home, determine what you could do without, and what you would do during a long energy disruption, think about how you would keep warm, eat, read, or do other activities.

2. Do an energy audit, make suggested changes, including insulating your home, changing light bulbs, converting to dual pane windows, adding curtains.

3. Contact a solar expert and determine whether solar would be right for your home

4. Install a clothesline.

5. Get a barbeque or camping stove and build an outside oven.

6. Install a clean burning stove.

Transportation

1. Learn about to rely less on your car. Try not using your car for a day, week, or month.

2. Carpool, combine trips

3. Use a bike, get a basket or cart so you can carry groceries.

4. Get in shape, ride your bike whenever possible to get around town.

5. Take the bus for longer trips, learn how you could connect to trains.

Shopping

1. Shop locally.

2. If you need to travel out of town to obtain an item, go to a local store and tell the store owner what you need for them to carry.

3. Before buying new items, look for used, hold exchanges; give unwanted items to second hand shops.

4. Learn how to fix things, share your knowledge, keep materials for the future, before discarding review whether it is possible to keep screws, bolts, etc.

5. Learn carpentry and metal working so you can make things yourself

Entertainment

1. Learn to play an instrument, play with others.

2. Learn to act, join a theater group.

3. Learn how to paint, draw, carpentry, ceramics, sewing, needlepoint, knitting.