Archive for the ‘Sustainable Living’ Category
The Politics of food, Being an AG-Tivist
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON - Why HB574 is Important: When it comes to fresh milk and dairy products, I want to be able to support the farmer(s) of my choice and procure the foods that I believe to be healthful for... more
DIY Underbed Dresser and Storage
By LISA HENSLEY - We've run out of space for dressers in my boys' room, so I repurposed the drawers from an old, ugly dresser and a nightstand into two underbed storage sets!... more
4 Tips For Getting a Job With A Missoula Non-Profit Agency
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - Finding the right job in the non-profit sector, is fine, but what about those who want to serve their community? Here are some tips for those of you seeking work at a non-profit:... more
Homemade Household Cleaners
By ERIN TURNER -In preparation for spring cleaning, I've come up with three different recipes for a natural and inexpensive glass and household cleaner. It's Green Cleaning at its best!... more
Preserving Your Greens
By ERIN TURNER - Do you hate when lettuce goes bad? Here's a tip on avoiding a bag full of stinky, blackish-green slime, and preserving lettuce using a food sealer and mason jars. ... more
Volunteering and Hands On learning Opportunities Abound in Missoula
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - Are you looking for ways to break into your dream career? Perhaps you should consider volunteering. Missoula offers a wide variety of hands on learning opportunities.... more
Homemade Nutella
By ERIN TURNER - Nutella, a yummy chocolate spread, is sweeping the nation. Here's my yummy recipe for Nutella--without the sugar and "iffy" artificial flavors--and at a fraction of the cost of store-bought Nut... more
Spare Change for Milk Money
By ERIN TURNER - Milk money. Remember it? Usually taped inside your lunchbox or tucked carefully into your backpack so you could buy one of those little cardboard cartons of white or chocolate milk in the ca... more
5 tips For Finding Meaning and Happiness at Work
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - While employment doesn’t necessarily mean fulfillment every minute, here are 5 tips that might help you find joy and happiness in your job. ... more
A Successful 2013 Pantry Challenge
By ERIN TURNER - How much did we spend this month during our Annual Pantry Challenge? Drum roll please!....our family of five spent at total of $94.43 this month on grocery and drug store items! ... more
Thrifty Recycled Gift Holder
By ERIN TURNER - Our family is into our 3rd week of our Pantry Challenge and next week’s blog post will recap the entire month and I’ll reveal our savings! But this week I’m sharing a super cute and thri... more
Thinking Outside the Food Box for the Pantry Challenge
By ERIN TURNER - A month-long Pantry Challenge really forces a person to be creative. It's pushed me to think outside of the box and break food habits I'd fallen into. ... more
Electric Versus Compressed Air Vehicles
By PAUL WHEATON - Electric Versus Compressed Air Vehicles...that is the question. Some pros and cons to both plus some cool video!... more
How to Quit your Job Gracefully
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - When you quit your job gracefully you'll have better chances of good references and finding a new job. Here are some tips for doing it right.... more
Tips For NOT Eating Out
By ERIN TURNER - Eating out is expensive! Here are some tips for how to avoid the "eating out trap" and why a little planning can pay big dividends with your household budget.... more
Are You Up for the Annual Pantry Challenge?
By ERIN TURNER - On February 1, we'll start a month of trying to use what we have on hand and not buy groceries. It's called the Pantry Challenge. Are you up for it?... more
How to Use Coupons to Create a Wad of Pseudo-Cash
By ERIN TURNER - Once the clerk rang in all the coupons and Extra Bucks, I heard the words that make any couponer jump for joy…”Oh, maam your total is negative 14 cents, so you need to buy something else.... more
Heirloom Market Celebrates Official Grand Opening January 26th
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON - On January 26th, the Heirloom Market is holding its official Grand Opening at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. Come celebrate with us!... more
Get Tips to Snag a Job from the Missoula Job Service
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - The Missoula Job Service is offering a free seminar about tips to snag a job on Wednesday, January 23, from 2-4 p.m.... more
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
By ERIN TURNER - Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup...it's not only food for the soul, it's cheap and it's a whole lot healthier for you and your family.... more
Tips for Using LinkedIn to Find a Job
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - Professionals are now using social media like LinkedIn to search for jobs. Here are some ideas to help you find a job via LinkedIn.... more
Shorten a Floor Lamp
By LISA HENSLEY - I have a preference for the kind of light that comes from torchiere lamps—you know, those floor lamps that point upward and throw the light so well? But I have limited floor space.... more
A New Year, a Fresh, Frugal Start
By ERIN TURNER - 2013 is here, the resolutions have been written, and it's time put those resolutions into action! Here’s my plan to accomplish my frugal yearly goals.... more
Is Black Locust the Ultimate Permaculture Tree?
By PAUL WHEATON - You can spot where the old homesteads are in Montana by the stands of black locust trees. They're famous in permaculture circles as nitrogen fixers.... more
Last-Minute Christmas Gift: Homemade Coffee Creamer
By ERIN TURNER - Need a last-minute Christmas gift idea? I have the perfect thing: Homemade coffee creamer! It's an easy, inexpensive gift for your favorite gourmand.... more
The Frugal Cure-All: Homemade Chicken Broth
By ERIN TURNER - Grandma was right to chase away colds with chicken soup! Here's my recipe for homemade chicken bone broth, Nature’s All-Purpose Medicine.... more
Thank Your Friendly Local Santa Claus
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - This season, remember to thank the bakers, Santas, and other dedicated workers of Missoula for contributing to the holiday spirit!... more
Hand Washing Dishes Versus Dishwasher: Which Saves More Water?
By PAUL WHEATON - The misconception that washing dishes with a dishwasher saves water is an great example of how people succomb to greenwashing myths.... more
Discovering Thred Up–A New Online Thrift Store
By ERIN TURNER - If your kids have gone through a growth spurt and need new digs or you are cleaning out their closets in preparation for new clothing at Christmas, check out Thred UP--an online consignment sto... more
Horticulture of the United States of Pocahontas
By PAUL WHEATON - The foundations of sustainable horticulture seem to include permaculture, bio-dynamism, respectful harvest, and a symbiotic relationship with nature.... more
Post-Interview Thank-You Note Do’s and Don’ts
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - A simple thank-you can mean the difference between getting a job and losing out to someone else. Here are some guidelines to help.... more
Fantastically Festive Pinterest Christmas Projects
By ERIN TURNER - It’s Christmas season and Pinterest is alive with an endless world of ideas, inspirations, recipes, and whatever else you can imagine for the holidays. ... more
Humanure and Composting Toilets
By PAUL WHEATON - Recently, I visited Missoula’s wastewater treatment plant to learn about the reuse of treated wastewater as a source of irrigation and fertilization.... more
Tips for Smart, Thrifty Holiday Shopping
By ERIN TURNER - Just because Black Friday's over doesn’t mean you missed all the deals! They may not be as obvious, but if you do your homework you'll find them.... more
Compost-Based Bio-Energy Systems
By PAUL WHEATON - When done properly, composting creates a great deal of heat – heat that can be harnessed to heat water and create usable energy.... more
Eleven Tricks to Keep Holiday Guests Happy
By ERIN TURNER - This week marks the beginning of holiday guest season. Here are a few of my favorite tips to make guests happy and keep your stress to a minimum.... more
How to Keep Deer from Eating Your Stuff
By PAUL WHEATON - The creative ways people attempt to control deer seem endless, but they aren’t generally effective. There is ONE thing that really gets it done.... more
Curriculum Vitae Tips from the Missoula Job Service
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - The CV serves the same purpose as a résumé. It's a marketing document that gives employers info about your skills, education, and experience.... more
Save Money with Seven Savvy Shopping Strategies
By ERIN TURNER - If you don’t adopt new attitudes towards shopping, you’ll never see any couponing success. Here are my Seven Savvy Shopping Strategies to save money.... more
Homemade Hot Sauce
By ERIN TURNER - Some like it hot and our family is no exception. When it comes to hot sauce we love it hot and use it on everything! Here's a homemade recipe for hot sauce. ... more
City of Missoula Begins Leaf Collection on Nov. 6th
F.Y.I. - The City of Missoula will begin fall leaf pickup on Tuesday, Nov. 6, starting in the downtown Special District #1.... more
This Winter, Save Energy with Just a Tiny Bit of Knowledge
By PAUL WHEATON - The real solution to energy sustainability is to get information passed as far as possible. This, friends, is saving the world with a bit of knowledge.... more
Solar Food Dehydrators for the Fall Harvest
By PAUL WHEATON - The fall harvest is upon us. Apples, plums, kale, and tomatoes abound. In the quest for sustainability, solar-powered food dehydrators are on the rise.... more
You’re Young and Unemployed: Some Tips for Finding a Good Job
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - With the number of older employed people rising, young people are having a hard time finding jobs. Here are a few tips that might help.... more
Replacing Irrigation with Permaculture
By PAUL WHEATON - There are scads of ideas of what permaculture and irrigation are. For me, I see a good permaculture system as one that has eliminated irrigation.... more
Save Money by Reducing Wasted Food
By ERIN TURNER - Since October is National Unprocessed Food month, it may be helpful for you to explore how to save money by reducing the food waste in your house.... more
The Many Benefits of the Amazing Sunchoke
By PAUL WHEATON - Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) are one of the best homesteader crops, especially for those wishing to be self-sustaining.... more
You’re Young and Unemployed. How Do You Get a Job and Keep It?
By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - The job market is bleak for people who've graduated from college in the last decade. What can you do to get a job and stay employed?... more
Take the No-Processed-Foods Challenge
By ERIN TURNER - October is national “Unprocessed Food” month. Take the Challenge: consume less processed/packaged food and more whole/real food. ... more
Missoulians Gather in a Spiritual Plea for Snow!
By MARK VOSBURGH - The fine folks at the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation are throwing an epic Pray for Snow Party at Caras Park on Friday, Oct. 5.... more