Eco Rubber Mulch

The traditional playgrounds of old were built on grass, blacktop, or wood chips. The newer rubber mulch is made of waste tire buffing or whole tires that are ground up into either nuggets or shavings. Virtually any tires can be used to produce rubber mulch. The process of recycling the tires saves an enormous amount of space in landfills. It has also taken the place of wood chips, dramatically cutting down the amount of forests that are destroyed in order to supply wood chip flooring.

The biggest proof of the benefit rubber mulch has on the environment is the endorsement it has received from the Environmental Protection Agency. In August through October 2008, the EPA conducted a study that sampled the air and surface at four playgrounds that used the derivatives of rubber tires. The conclusion was that the concentration of materials used in rubber mulch was below a level considered harmful, and that it could safely be used in playgrounds or any appropriate area. Other studies by reputable organizations came to the same conclusion: rubber mulch is a safe and eco-friendly flooring alternative.

The naysayers have very little to go with, arguing that the mulch may leach chemicals to plants, and that it is a hazard to playground safety if ignited. However, wood chips are also flammable. As to the reasonable objection that rubber chips are more expensive than other flooring choices, rubber mulch requires virtually no maintenance, and can last for years. It quickly pays for itself.

The benefits of rubber flooring easily outweigh the cons. From a landscaping and gardening viewpoint, rubber mulch insulates soil from heat by two or three degrees more than wood chips. As rubber is not porous, rain water flows more easily to plant roots, as opposed to wood chips, which absorb some of the water along the way. Its high shock absorbance also makes playgrounds safer for children, reducing the amount and severity of injury from falls. In the same vein, rubber mulch is a safer choice for horse arenas, where it is mixed with sand.

The growing use of rubber mulch is helping to reduce the carbon imprint as tires are recycled, rather than thrown into landfills. The options it opens are expansive, as manufacturers race to experiment with more ways in which rubber mulch can be used, thereby opening up a brighter vision for tomorrow’s generation.

Bio: Fay Rose is a go green activist who is interested in anything green and child related. She recommends rubber mulch for personal and commercial playgrounds.

It amazes me how quickly a house with only four people goes through TP. Such quick turnaround means plenty of empty, unloved and seemingly useless cardboard tubes. The entire situation reeks of waste (no pun intended).
Note: This article was submitted courtesy of the fabulous Coupon Sherpa, you can read the original article here;
http://www.couponsherpa.com/ask-coupon-sherpa/20-uses-for-cardboard-tubes-beyond-the-bathroom/

20 Uses for Cardboard Rolls

In response, several manufacturers want to stop using cardboard altogether. In late October of last year, Kimberley-Clark introduced “tubeless” toilet paper rolls under the Scott Naturals brand. Packs are sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club throughout the Northeastern U.S. According to USA Today, the trend could put a serious dent in the 160-million pounds of waste created annually by toilet paper rolls: and that’s just stateside.

Until the day tubes go extinct, we’re left with the conundrum of what to do with empty rolls. As with many household products, creative types know a cardboard tube is more than the sum of it’s parts. Read on to learn 20 uses for cardboard tubes of every kind.

Image by TerryJohnston

1. Glove Dryer

This comes straight from my childhood coat room. Place toilet paper tubes in wet gloves, attach to a hanger with clothespins and drape in the sun to speed up drying. This works miracles for skiers and snowboarders who go riding several days in a row and can’t afford eight pairs of gloves.

2. Cord Protector

Why pay for store-bought cord protectors when they’re typically relegated to life behind furniture? Split long tubes up one side, cut into various lengths, and slip cords inside to keep them neatly organized.

The benefits go beyond aesthetics. This trick protects cords from pets and children with curious mouths, as well as clumsy feet.

3. Kindling

A favorite trick of penny-pinching outdoorsmen; Keep several toilet paper tubes on hand to kick-start a fire. Cardboard isn’t as easy to light as paper but, once it catches, it burns longer.

This is a good solution for backpackers as well and one I use on week-long excursions. Pack tubes with small sticks, lint and newspaper for several night’s worth of homemade fire-starter kits. Wrap them individually in plastic grocery bags to protect from rain.

4. Maracas and Rain Sticks

Maracas and rain sticks are a mainstay of the kindergarten set. Take several tubes of various lengths, fill halfway with beads or dried beans, and duct tape the ends securely. Beige makes an ideal canvas for kids to later decorate with paint, crayons or glitter.

Make a Cardboard Tube Rainstick

Image by hoyasmeg

5. Quick Travel Storage

Use paper-towel rolls to wrangle underwear and toilet-paper tubes to store pantyhose or dress socks. It’s a convenient trick that also saves cash. As an added bonus, you’ll avoid the dreaded “whitey-tighties on the tarmac” scenario.

6. Compost Aeration

Ashes to ashes, cardboard to mulch. Cut tubes into small sections and throw in your compost pile. The cardboard decomposes rather easily while creating pockets for much-needed air. If your compost is starting to stink or attract flies, use this as a quick fix. Small chunks can also be tilled into garden soil.

7. Seedling Starter Pots

Home-growing is a favorite of frugal folk everywhere. Cut cardboard tubes in 2-inch sections, place into rows in a large foam container, fill empty tubes with soil and plant seedlings. This works well for gardeners looking to cut the price of store-bought starters or those who simply like to do it all on their own.

8. Christmas Wreath

There’s no problem decking the halls with recycled cardboard, but try and spruce it up a little beforehand. Bend two wire hangers into a large circle and slide toilet paper rolls along the wires. Glue or tie the tubes securely, close the wire loop, and decorate as you like. Ideas abound on how to create a festive piece. Browse examples from Good Housekeeping for a simple starter.

9. Grocery Bag Holder

A double-dose of reuse. Poke holes in the top of a long tube, lace with string, and hang in your pantry. Stuff with plastic grocery bags for later use.

10. Hamster Toy

Hamsters and gerbils are easily entertained. Drop a long or short tube in their cage as a tunnel. The cardboard can also be torn into bits and used as a cage liner or chew toy. Seriously, it doesn’t take much to make them happy. (We do however recommend using the toilet paper first!)

Toilet Roll Hamster Toy

Image by jpockele

11. Candle Storage

Place tall candles in paper-towel tubes and votive candles in toilet-paper rolls to keep them organized and intact. Empty tubes are the perfect width and height for both. Coincidence? Probably, but no less convenient.

12. Document and Poster Protector

Transport fragile papers without folding, tearing or bending. Roll them gently and place inside a tube cut to the appropriate length. In my college days, this was a staple of the annual moving routine.

13. Clothes Hanger Cover

Dress pants can be obnoxious to store without a mandatory trip to the dry cleaners. Split a paper towel tube length-wise, lay over a wire hanger and tape in place. Drape your pants over the tube to keep relatively crease-free.

14. Knife Sheath

Flatten a tube of the appropriate length and wrap tightly in duct tape, making sure to thickly cover the sheath bottom. I have many frugal (aka broke) camping buddies with a kitchen’s worth of thrift store knives in cardboard sheaths.

15. Craft Organizer / Desk Tidy

Rather than let crayons, pencils and other craft supplies roll around unorganized in plastic boxes, cut cardboard tubes into sections and place them inside with the open ends up. It’s a simple solution when teaching young ones to respect their things and keep your home neat. Alternately you can glue toilet rolls together and stack them to create a cool desk tidy.

Toilet Roll Desk Tidy

Image by Fred McDonald

16. Bird Feeder

Turn your backyard into a topiary with the leftovers from your bathroom. Cover tubes of various sizes in peanut butter, sprinkle with bird seed, and hang from low-lying branches with string or wire.

17. Packing Material for Glassware

Moving mounds of glassware from house to house is nerve-wracking. Line the bottom of a cardboard box with long tubes cut to fit snugly and place drinking glasses in the rows. Separate further with toilet-paper rolls between each glass.

I learned this nifty trick after an old roommate threw away the box I used to transport drinking glasses. Improvisation isn’t just for musicians.

18. Linen Storage

Before relegating fine linen napkins to a musty drawer, wrap around a cardboard tube to keep crease-free until the next time dinner is deemed linen-worthy. It could be years.

19. Christmas Light Storage

Looking for a way to use empty wrapping-paper tubes? Save the cardboard rolls until after the holidays and wrap strings of lights tightly around the outside. You’ll be a happy elf next year when the lights aren’t a tangled mass in a too-tiny box.

20. Boot Tree

Boots and shoes with soft or floppy tops need support when foot-less. Cut a longer tube to the appropriate length and place inside during storage. It holds the shape and prevents permanent creases and cracks.

We hope you enjoyed our 20 ways to reuse cardboard tubes, let us know your ideas by leaving a comment, we’d love to hear from you!

We found some amazing inspiration in an article with a how-to-video over on Design*Sponge.com. Grace from Design*Sponge showed how to build a DIY foam padded upholstered headboard and we learned enough from her video to feel confident that we could do it ourselves.

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/09/diy-video-graces-upholstered-otomi-headboard.html

Another great source of inspiration is one of our favorite blogs, YoungHouseLove.com, they have a great article on how to upholster a headboard for a kids room;

http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/07/how-to-upholster-a-headboard/

You can see our old metal framed bed below, with some closeup shots of the cracked framework. The metal frame was uncomfortable to sit up against and we had tried multiple times to fix the cracked metal with products like JB’s cold weld, but it kept on breaking in the same location.

Our Old Master Bed - In Need of an Update

Our Old Bed Had a Cracked and Chipped Metal Frame

A Closeup of the Cracked Frame

My wife and I set out in separate directions, she went to the fabric store and I went to the home improvement store! I bought a large piece of 1/2 inch thick plywood for about $20, I bought the type which is only finished smooth on one side, this cut the cost down slightly. My wife bought some wonderful fabric, some quilt batting material and two pieces of 2 inch thick upholstery foam;

The Plywood Headboard and Upholstery Foam

As you can see, I spent some time with a jigsaw cutting out the shape of the headboard, I used the excellent template from Design*Sponge and added my own crazy handwriting with the modified dimensions!

The Headboard Measurements With Added Commentary!

As you can see, our king size bed was considerably wider than the template (77 inches wide versus 52 inches wide). We adjusted the dimensions to suit our bed and set to work.

The Plywood Headboard Cut & Ready for Foam

The Headboard With Foam Ready to be Cut

We Used a Bread Knife to Cut the Foam Shape Out

We used Loctite spray adhesive to glue the foam to the plywood headboard.

The Foam and Plywood Ready for the Quilt Batting

Fixing the quilt batting to the foam and plywood headboard was easy, we just stretched the quilt batting over the back of the headboard and stapled it with a staple gun every couple of inches. The quilt batting was easy to stretch and the final product was very smooth;

The Stretched Quilt Batting Applied

We cut the excess batting off with scissors and it was ready for the actual final upholstery fabric to be applied. This final stage was trickier. The fabric we used was fairly heavy weight and it took alot of vigorous stretching and stapling to get it looking smooth over the headboard. We were very pleased with the final product though and couldn’t wait to get the new bed assembled!

The Final Upholstery Fabric Applied

As mentioned previously, the new bed frame was made using reclaimed barn wood which we had stored in the loft above our garage. We cleaned it up with some soap and water, let it dry and then assembled a basic frame.

I used some large 5/16 inch diameter 2 inch length bolts with washers and captive type nuts to secure the new wooden frame to the old metal base. You can see the assembled bed frame below;

We Built a New Bed Frame Using Reclaimed Wood

I used flat head bolts on the foot of the bed for a better visual finish;

A Closer View of the Reclaimed Wood Foot Board

The next step was to start assembling the box springs and mattress;

With The Frame in Place we Added the Box Springs Back

A Quick Test Fit of the New Headboard

After performing a quick test fit of the headboard to make sure the frame and headboard looked correct I moved on to the final positioning of the headboard. I quickly realized that the massive headboard was not going to be easy to hold with one hand and then screw into place with the other!

My solution was to use an artists easel to prop up the headboard, it worked great and the adjustable easel allowed me to position the headboard at the exact desired height;

We Used an Artists Easel to Position the Headboard!

A Front View of the Headboard on the Easel

Once I was happy with the vertical and horizontal positioning of the headboard I fixed it in place with wood screws to the reclaimed wood frame. Finally the bed was starting to pull together!

The Headboard Finally Attached!

The Mattress Back in Place

The Finished Master Bed Makeover!

A Closer View of the New Upholstered Headboard

A Front View of the Finished Bed

Project Summary:

We spent just under $300 on materials, the upholstery fabric and foam were the most expensive coming in at just over $200! The rest of the materials were either very cheap, or completely free (reclaimed wood).

What We Used:

• 1/2 inch thick plywood from Lowes
• A jigsaw for cutting the headboard shape
• 2 inch thick upholstery foam
• Loctite spray adhesive
• Standard quilt batting
• Fabric of your choice (be bold!)
• Bread Knife (for cutting foam)
• Scissors
• Staple Gun (and lots of staples!)
• 8 x 5/16 inch dia, 2 inch length bolts for mounting the wooden frame to the base
• 8 washers and 8 nuts
• Lots of patience!

We hope you enjoyed this green bed makeover and would love to hear from you about your own green home DIY projects, leave us a comment, send us a photo, let’s get interactive!

Many Ways to Reuse Plastic Bags

image by quinn.anya

• Miniature garbage bags. Rather than purchasing another roll of plastic garbage bags for your trash cans at home, why not consider using a plastic bag from the supermarket? You’ll be saving yourself money on trash liners, while finding another use for a bag that will ultimately end up in the landfill.
• Suitcase organizers. Over the course of a week’s worth of vacation time, many traveler’s suitcases begin to look like a tornado hit them! Plastic bags can be a great way to keep dirty clothes cordoned off from your clean garments, and stay organized throughout your trip. Furthermore, plastic bags are a great tool for wrapping wet swimsuits after a long day at the beach.
• Spill-proof liners. Even containers that are supposedly spill-proof will leak from time to time, potentially making a sticky mess you’ll need to clean later. Use a plastic bag wrapped around such containers in lunch boxes, diaper bags, and gym bags to ensure that any leaks will kept away from your other possessions.
• Doggie Duty. Perhaps one of the best known ways to recycle extra grocery bags, many dog owners use these bags to clean up after their puppies. Many communities have ordinances in place, which make cleaning up after your pooch a necessity. Carrying a plastic bag with you will ensure you’re ready to scoop up any mess your dog may leave behind, and will ensure your hands stay clean and free of any contact with your precious pup’s little gifts.
• Protective Shipping Filler. Instead of purchasing expensive filler to protect a fragile package you may be shipping, use extra bags you may have around the house. In addition to being cost-prohibitive, commercial fillers are made with plastics and chemicals that further pollute the environment. Reusing a plastic bag gives new life to a discarded product, and eliminates further waste.
• Reuse your bags for groceries. Though few consumers actually do so, plastic bags can be reused for the very purpose they were created for: carrying groceries! Take several plastic bags to the store with you on your next visit, and request that the sacker use the old bags instead of new ones. You may get a few odd looks, but take comfort in knowing you’re helping out the environment.

Recycling and reusing old bags is just another way to minimize your environmental footprint. In the event that you still have excess bags around the house, consider recycling them at your supermarket. Most stores provide receptacles near the entrance.

Sarah Danielson writes for Trucker to Trucker where you can find information on commercial truck financing and check out the latest deals on trucks across the country.

All those are fun and obviously useful because they develop a great habit of turning useless stuff into something cool (maybe even if that’s pretty much useless in the end). They spur creativity and hopefully get families together (in making something and inspiring each other).

This post is about creating really awesome things out of computer parts and accessories (which get old so quickly and need to be recycled properly). This post is meant to promote sustainable living in all its beauty: you never throw away anything, you turn it for real good:

1. Recycle a CD Case into a Garden Cloche

So simple and smart! It works like a mini greenhouse by offering climate control to help get new seedlings off to a good start (don’t forget to bookmark this idea for when the sunny gardening days are back!)

Source: CD Case into Garden Cloche

2. An Old Keyboard into Seedling Starter

So you have a few old keyboards and you have no idea how to make use of them? Why not try use them to green your interior a bit?

Can we say now we have an eco-friendly keyboard?

Source: Greenery On Keyboard

3. An Old Computer Monitor into the Kitten’s Home

If you ever owned a cat, you know how much those creatures love to have a home. So why not make one using your old computer monitor? When beautified a bit, this can be turned into a really cute home actually:

Source: Recycle a Computer Monitor into a Cute Cat Bed

4. An Old Computer Board into an Aquarium

If you prefer fish, consider creating one of these really awesome-looking Computer aquariums! I am sure this would walk so relaxing and inspiring if you always have it on the table:

5. A Hard Drive into a Fun Clock

This clock is made using circuit boards from the hard drive and other various computer parts.
Clock dial is actual mirror-finished disk platter with gold colored raised numbers.

Yes, it might be hard to create one yourself: use this project to get inspired or if you really want to have one, buy it from Etsy user TecoArt:

6. Apple Keyboard into a Clock

Yet another awesome clock idea: the clock sports its original aqua blue, white and transparent finish and an “apple red” second hand.

Source: Apple iBook Blueberry Clamshell Laptop Keyboard recycled as Clock.

7. Recycled Circuit Boards into a Pencil Box

This funky pencil box could make a great present to your teen kid.

Source: Recycled circuit boards

8. Bird Feeder

What a great Winter present for your garden birds!

9. Old CDs into Fun Coasters

I am sure everyone has tons of old CDs at home. There are many great ideas to reuse them including CD Lamp and CD Photo Frame. And here’s another one: Recycled CD coasters!

Source: Recycled CD coasters

10. Computer Art!

Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood: beautiful picture which can decorate your interior!

Source: Just another phantasie

This is a guest post by Annie who represents Cheap Stingy Bargains, an awesome resource of Dell coupon codes.

While using ecologically-friendly products around the house and eliminating unnecessary waste are often targeted as prime ways to become more green, rarely does the topic of clothing arise. From the ways the fabrics are dyed and treated, to the intensive shipping process most clothing endures to get into your hands, purchasing a new pair of jeans or a great blouse is rarely an environmentally-friendly decision. Unfortunately, though a few alternatives do exist, most of us are required to purchase clothing from mainstream retailers. In order to keep your personal impact at a minimum, it is important to understand the principal of sustainability in relation to the clothing you wear.

As clothes go where you go, wear and tear is a normal occurrence. The longer you’ve had an item in your closet, the more likely it is that the garment has begun to show signs of use. Replacing old clothing is not only expensive, but it’s unlikely that your old garments will be used again, meaning you’ve wasted significant resources.

Sustainable Clothing - How Can You Help?

image by B Rosen

While entirely avoiding the cycle is next to impossible, there are several steps you can take to prolong the use you’ll get from your clothing. Most of the important things to remember relate to the manner in which you take care of your clothes. In other words, if you treat your clothing well, it should last longer.

One of the hardest things you do to your clothes is wash them. While the cleaning process is a necessity, using different chemicals on your clothing and tossing them into dryer only furthers the normal wear and tear those articles experience daily. One great way to extend the life of your clothing is to wash it with cold water. Most clothing can be washed this way without problem, and this is much less damaging to the fabric. Furthermore, you’ll be saving energy.

Wash Clothes with Cold Water

Once your clothes have finished drying, consider air drying them. In the summer, hanging a clothes line across your backyard is an easy way to save energy and treat your clothing better.  Note that it is important to determine the sun’s position, as direct sunlight can fade clothing. You can also dry your clothing inside on a clothing rack. If you simply must have your clothing dried in the dryer, use the lowest setting.

Sustainable Clothing Drying

Image by stacy michelle

Another key to prolonging the life of your clothing is to mend any problems as they arise. Small holes will soon become large holes, and taking care of such issues immediately will prevent further damage from occurring. You may also wish to save extra buttons that come on shirts or that you find, as they’ll allow you to find an appropriate match for a shirt that may lose a button down the road.

While some of these steps take a bit of extra effort, taking care of your clothing is sure to help it stick around for a bit longer. Not only will the environment thank you, but so will your pocketbook! What could be better than that?

Sarah Danielson writes for http://www.tshirtprinting.net where you can design your own custom clothing at affordable prices.

We didn’t have to look for long before we found an awesome restored antique buffet in one store ($795) but it was too expensive and too big for the space available, we then found an amazing kitchen island in the exact style that we like but it was about $8,000!!!

We Like the Styling But Not the Price!

Our first day of searching left us empty handed but we had some good ideas about how we wanted the piece of furniture to look, that night we spent several hours searching for tips on how to create distressed furniture from reclaimed pieces, we found some good hints and tips and watched a couple of videos on YouTube but realized that we would have to just “Give it a Try!”

The next journey out kept us closer to home, there is a fantastic antique mall just down the street from our home and we figured it was a good place to try and find a bargain. With the help of our mom, Sharen, we scoured the aisles of antique, and not so antique, things until we stumbled across this wonderful dry sink;

Our Bargain Reclaimed Dry Sink

We instantly fell in love with the quirky styling, two layers with lots of character! It was looking a little rough around the edges but we felt it was a good foundation for our reclaimed painted furniture project. The sale price was $316 and we snapped it up!

Katie rushed out to the hardware store and bought some interior satin paint in a color that matched our living area color palette along with a selection of foam brushes, a special door and cabinet paint roller and some eco friendly paint trays;

Painting Supplies!

The first stage was to get the dry sink into our garage and do some serious cleaning and prepping.

BEFORE - The Original Piece of Reclaimed Furniture

We cleaned the dry sink thoroughly inside and out with a liquid TSP substitute which is basically a heavy duty cleaner which requires no rinsing prior to painting. As you can see, we removed plenty of dirt from the reclaimed dry sink!

Some Heavy Duty Cleaning to Start Things Off

The dry sink started to look, and smell, a little better after the thorough cleaning and we started to see some potential;

Cleaned and Ready for Paint

For the base coat we used a wonderful high coverage product called Zinsser cover-stain oil-based primer, it is powerful enough to cover over glossy finishes without the need for sanding. We applied one coat of the Zinsser primer and left it to dry for a couple of hours.

A Single Coat of Zinsser Primer

We couldn’t wait to get started on the next phase so once the primer was completely dry we moved the dry sink indoors, the color coat we chose was Olympic zero VOC interior satin so we were confident that with some open windows and a box fan we could keep the area adequately ventilated.

The First Coat of Color Was Completed Quickly

We both worked hard to get the first coat of color applied but then we read the paint instructions which stated to leave 4 hours to dry before the second coat! Well, lets just say that the second coat didn’t happen until about 8PM at night so we left our creation to dry over night…

The Second Coat Was Left to Dry Overnight

The photos we took that night made the color look a little more blue than it actually is, the color is actually more of a turquoise called “Schooner”

My wonderful wife also found some really cool knobs for the drawers and doors at our local World Market, they are about $5 each and totally worth it!

Green Door Knobs from World Market

The final day of work involved adding the door knobs and drawer pulls and then adding a little of that “distressed” look. We used a Norton foam sanding block to sand through the color coat back down to the primer and in some places even back to the bare wood.

The distressing ended up looking really cool and we got more and more confident with it as we worked. The layers of paint, primer and wood added a neat look to the distressing. The guidelines we found in our internet research said to sand down the edges in random spots and places where high wear might occur.

Distressed, But Not Too Distressed!

We were extremely pleased with the final look and can’t wait to start our next reclaimed furniture project!

AFTER - Our Hand Distressed Budget Friendly Buffet

Below is a run down of the basic project costs, it took us roughly two days from buying the dry sink to enjoying it as a finished product in our home;

• Reclaimed, 1920′s – 1930′s Rustic American Dry Sink – $316
• 5 x Green Glass Knobs from World Market – $30
• Olympic Zero VOC Interior Satin Paint, 1 Quart – $11
• Zinsser Cover-Stain Oil-Based Primer, 1 Quart – $8

The Finished Buffet - With Price Tags

If you look a little deeper into the process behind DeAnna Cochran’s jewelry pieces you will uncover a fascinating story including recycled cell phones, recycled computers, Japanese scientists and a zero waste business model!

DeAnna is passionate about running her charity focused “Jewelry for a Cause” business and she tries to keep the business operating with a zero waste policy.

Simply, I love creating and more so I love that what I create holds a higher purpose of giving back and making a difference.

- DeAnna Cochran, Metalsmith and Artist

During my interview with DeAnna I could clearly hear the passion that she has for the “craft” involved in creating her jewelry, the part that fascinated me was that her jewelry is made with a Precious Metal Clay which uses re-claimed metals from scrap electronics! The Precious Metal Clay contains small particles of gold, silver or bronze and when it it freshly out of the packaging it is very soft and workable. DeAnna explained that PMC looks and works very much like a regular clay compound, it uses a water based binder and is completely non-toxic. DeAnna’s wonderful jewelry creations are full of fine details and she said that the PMC allows her to create these fine details with a high level of confidence in the final result.

Once DeAnna has finished her design the PMC can be fired or cured in a kiln. The PMC generally shrinks in size by approximately 10% due to the organic binders being burnt off. What is left behind is a wonderfully pure gold, silver or bronze piece of jewelry! DeAnna explained that she has enjoyed working recently with bronze, it is relatively new to the PMC line of products.

Needless to say, my curiosity was lit and I went off to do some research into Precious Metal Clay. Let’s start with some of the science… Did you know that all cell phones and computers, in fact pretty much anything with a circuit board, contains small amounts of silver, gold and other precious metals?

To quote Richard Alcorn from Finishing.com;

One ton (2000 lbs) of “average” circuit board from modern computers and electronics generally yields (in a very good system) between 8 and 11 troy ounces of 24k gold.

Given that the average desktop computer will generally have just a couple of  pounds of circuit board you would need alot of recycled computers to get even a small amount of gold, check out our visual representation below;

There is a scientific technique for removing these precious metals from discarded electronics and the first reaction that most amateur scientists, or computer boffins, have is to wonder if they too can get some gold or silver from their used electronics such as an old computer. Well the process is NOT easy! The extraction of precious metals from old circuit boards and electronic components involves many dangerous chemicals and should NOT be attempted by any of our readers. The amounts of precious metals in an individual computer or cell phone are also very, very small…

This gold is found in a number of places, including the plated gold wires and leads, on plated pins inside connectors and on the computer circuit boards as well as on and within the IC (integrated circuits) on the boards themselves. In addition, there will generally be around 10 to 20 times this amount in silver from the solder and other components. There are also minute amounts of palladium, platinum and other precious metals.  Interestingly, any of the older electronics and early computer equipment have much higher amounts of precious metals, while the newest (1997 and newer) are lower.

OK, now that the science is behind us, lets move on to the Precious Metal Clay!

In the 1990s scientists in Japan developed a combination of binders and metal particles to create a material with the working properties of modeling clay, known as Precious Metal Clay, or PMC.
An organic binder provides elasticity while holding very tiny grains of the precious metal in suspension. The artist can sculpt the PMC into jewelry and then “fire” the piece with heat. During heating, the binding material burns away, which causes the object to shrink slightly (10 – 20%).
The process is easiest with pure silver and pure gold because these precious metals fuse at relatively low temperatures (400 – 1000F).

Let’s take a quick graphical look at the journey taken by Precious Metal Clay over the last twenty years;

Darnall Burks, an engineer, Ronald Hayes Pearsona, a well-known jeweler and Tim McCreight, another American jeweler and teacher advised Mitsubishi on the viability of PMC in the United States. Together these three men organized a workshop for American artists which took place at the Haystack Mountain School in Deer Isle, Maine in May, 1995.

Since that first workshop the use of PMC in the United States has grown exponentially and artists like DeAnna Cochran have learned the best methods for creating beautiful pieces from this versatile material.

Here is a collection of our favorite DeAnna Cochran jewelry pieces;

DeAnna tries to run a paperless business and clients are often surprised when they meet with DeAnna as the laptop pops open to show them her collection as opposed to printed brochures etc, in fact DeAnna will not send out catalogs and even her business cards are printed on recycled paper. DeAnna also loves to recycle and always re-uses any unused materials for her next creation.

DeAnna Cochran’s use of Precious Metal Clay and the background of reclaimed precious metals has created a green foundation for her business and her target of having zero waste is truly admirable.

In the process of researching these recycled metals I discovered that the Texas Department of Public Safety actually tracks all metals that are officially recycled and we wanted to share some of the amazing figures for the amount of metal that is recycled in Texas alone;

I was amazed to see that in Texas alone we recycled over 121 millions lbs of Aluminum in a year! As for precious metals such as Bronze, the totals are far less but we still recycled over 150 thousand lbs of bronze in one year. It’s reassuring to know that eventually this reclaimed metal could end up in one of DeAnna Cochran’s stunning eco designs such as this one of a kind leaf cuff bracelet made from reclaimed fine silver with garnet and diamond stones;

We love that artists like DeAnna are using eco friendly materials like PMC to make such wonderful jewelry creations whilst maintaining green business practices. We would like to thank DeAnna for taking the time to talk to us about such a fascinating process. If you want to learn more about DeAnna Cochran jewelry please visit her site;

www.DeAnnaCochranJewelry.com

Last year we planted five large Rhododendron bushes and four Hydrangeas. Our wonderful Mom suggested that the soil might not be acidic enough for the Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas. She gave us a large bag of used coffee grounds which were provided by the excellent “Roots Coffee House” in North Richland Hills.

Used Coffee Grounds Can Increase Soil Acidity

The used coffee grounds can increase the acidity of soil and help plants which need higher acidity. I did some research and found that coffee acidity is the bright and dry taste that adds life to a coffee. The acidity of coffee is similar to the dry but bright sensation experienced while drinking a red wine. The brewing of coffee removes alot of the acids but the discarded coffee grounds are perfect for adding some well needed soil acidity for plants like Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas.

Rhododendrons

Most Rhododendrons prefer acid soils with a pH of roughly 4.5-5.5 and the local Texas soils are probably only a pH level of about 6.9. Adding used coffee grounds to the soil brings the pH down from 6.9 to a lower, more acidic value, which is perfect for the Rhododendrons.

Other advice is that Rhododendrons have fibrous roots and prefer well-drained soils high in organic material. Rhododendrons are often grown in raised beds with a liberal addition of composted pine bark. Mulching and careful watering are also important.

Making High Acidity Soil

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas can tolerate a range of pH, soil acidity, conditions however for some varieties the color of their flowers is determined by the relative acidity of the soil. A pH below 6 (acidic) will usually produce flower colors closer to true blue, whereas soil with a pH above 6 (more alkaline) will produce flowers that are more pink. The flowers on all of our Hydrangeas were all very pink in color which was another indicator that the soil was not acidic enough. We’re hoping that if we can increase the soil acidity with the used coffee grounds then we will get more blue Hydrangea flowers.

High Acidity Soil for Hydrangeas

We have already noticed an improvement in the look of our Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas and we will be taking advantage of free used coffee grounds from our local coffee houses to keep them looking healthy for years to come.

Our High Acidity Soil

There are several companies offering this service now but we have found the best, especially if you happen to live in the UK, to be SellMyMobile.com, they offer a great service where you can search for your particular old cell phone and see exactly how much you could get paid for it.

I searched for my LG shine and discovered that several companies would pay me 10 GBP (approx $15) to mail the cell phone to them for recycling! Some companies even offer free shipping;

See How Much Your Old Mobile is Worth!

Once you have searched out the best deal you can follow easy links to the right sites and sell your old mobile for cash to the phone recycling companies, it’s that easy!

I am going to gather up my old cell phones, wipe the memory chips and get them sold / recycled / de-cluttered / out of the house… If I make a couple of dollars then at least I’m helping the environment at the same time as working my way towards that new iPhone.

So what are you waiting for? If you are interested in mobile phone recycling then just visit Sell My Mobile and get started.