Our April issue is making its way to mailboxes and newsstands near you, and you know we had to do something big in there for Earth Day. This year, Mindy Pennybacker gives step-by-step instruction for all those green projects you've been meaning to get around to tackling--including collecting and using rain water and composting your food scraps. Below, some of our favorite products for both.
And what's your Earth Day resolution? Share it here, and you could win the great T-shirt from the story shown above!
RAIN BARRELS
Putting one of these guys under your gutter downspout can save an average of 1,300 gallons in the summer alone!
1 This recycled White Oak whiskey barrel is outfitted with a spout and overflow pipe.
2 If collecting 65 gallons of rain isn’t impressive enough, this barrel also has a planter on top and a garden hose hook-up on the bottom. (This shot is from the story!)
3 Made of FSC-certified Canadian Spruce, this beaut holds about 67 gallons and has a solid brass tap.
4 Durable Polyethylene molded into an octagon shape, these stackable barrels come with screens on top to keep out mosquitoes.
5 This Red Pine and Maple container is guaranteed not to warp or rot for 15 to 25 years.
Buying Info
1. Kentucky Bourbon Rain Barrel, $190; Kentucky Barrels
2. Casata 65-Gallon Rain Barrel, $199; Home Depot
3. Eco Rain Barrel, $210; My Green Mind
4. Octagon 54-Gallon Rain Barrel, $140 each; Clean Air Gardening
5. 70 Gallon Wooden Rain Barrel by Exaco Trading Company, $254; Home Depot
COMPOSTERS
Produce peels and scraps, clean egg shells, bread, pasta, cooked rice, coffee grounds, tea leaves—all of these can turn into good, rich compost easier and quicker than you might think with these ingenious indoor and outdoor options.
1 This cedar composter locks odors inside and is beautiful enough to double as a side table.
2 Small openings in the drum allow aeration but keep the contents from spilling out as you roll it to mix the contents.
3 The stackable trays have mesh bottoms, which allow the worms to eat their way up and the fresh vermicompost to filter down.
4 Small enough to fit in a kitchen cabinet, this machine has a motorized mixing chamber (powered by a foot pedal) that can make fresh compost out of your food scraps every two weeks.
5 The sturdy galvanized steel frame makes it easy to turn this composter daily to break down the contents.
Buying Info
1. Valentina (shown painted), $300; Priscilla Woolworth
2. Black Composter by Envirocycle, $170; Amazon.com
3. 3-Tray Worm Factory by Cascade, $90; Green Depot
4. PRO XE Compost Bin, $399; Nature Mill
5. Tumbling Composter by Suncast Corporation, $98; Home Depot
From: composters | 3/11/11 at 10:25 am
what a very nice composters and rain barrels!Thanks for posting!
From: Behind the Scenes on Whole Living’s Earth Day Shoot - Whole Living Daily : Whole Living | 3/23/11 at 4:01 pm
[...] What's your Earth Day pledge? Tell us, and you could win a free "This is the Year I'll..." T-shirt! (And if "collecting rain water" or "composting" is your answer, check out these great tools.) [...]
From: Julie Wood | 11/9/12 at 8:38 am
Last year your magazine ran a feature on indoor composting units. I believe it was around holiday time last year. I can't find the info on the units you recommended, can you repost? Didn't get my indoor composter last year so I am going to ask for it again
!