GardenersCardiff answers:

Their beans are 100% Arabica Beans grown in South America. A nice thing is that McDonalds use Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee. Next time you are in a grocery store look to see if they carry Yuban or Farmers Brothers. They are both 100% arabica (but check the label), and they both have products that have the Rainforest Alliance Certification. I doubt you can taste the difference but it’s nice to do something nice for the environment. A free trade certification is also nice to get.

If you don’t own a coffee maker, then just get a Melitta coffee filter holder which can make up to 16oz of coffee at a time. And it’s pretty fool proof. Just boil the water in a microwave.

I’m not sure if ALL Rainforest Alliance Coffee is organic, but it might say on the label. Another nice thing to look for is bird friendly and Shade Grown. Shade Grown coffee has a different taste – i think its better (but thats subjective). Shade Grown coffee is the best for the environment. It will also be more expensive than Yuban.

But anyway, McD’s beans are nothing special – just 100% Arabica, which most coffee is. Brewing a good cup is just a little bit tricky – but crucial. (filtered water might help, too). The biggest advantage of McD is because of their volume their coffee is always fresh (in the am). But that’s not even an issue at home.

Oh, and a cup of coffee at home will cost between 20 and 30 cents depending on the cost of the beans. Or about 50 cents if you use K-cups. So if you want to get an expensive coffee maker – its ok- it will still pay for itself. Not counting the coffee maker (and filters), and say you’re saving $1.50 a day…. You’ll save about $500 a year.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Seems to me that the greatest part of coffee-growing areas are in second and third-world countries which are, following production, forced to attempt to sell their goods to a market which is on a much better level than their own. This makes it easy for stronger markets (such as the U.S., even if it may be declining) to take advantage of these producers. This is where fair trade comes in. The big push now is (in addition to organic coffees) fair trade coffees which are also shade-grown (think less harm to the environment due to the aviodance of clearcutting for crop production; hence the term ‘shade-grown’). Coffees with these qualifications offer better qualities of life to those producers living in second and third world countries. Therefore, do you think that the American public, and that of other first world countries, have a responsibility to be more conscious of the products (coffees) they choose to purchase? If they were more aware, they would most likely consciously choose to better the lives of people in less fortunate countries . . . I’m sure you can take it from there ;). Good luck!

GardenersCardiff answers:

You can make coffee from dandelion roots,I think you just clean them and dry them,use the leaves and flower in salads.

GardenersCardiff answers:

To make soil from compost: put all your organic waste in a bucket with coffee grounds (or tea grounds), a scoop of your lawn dirt and mix daily to keep air flow. Cover with an old t-shirt to make sure no bad bugs get in, but it still has access to air. This can decompose down to soil, but you really don’t need soil.

From this, you can make compost tea! Just fill up the bucket with water once it’s mostly decomposed and leave it overnight. That water is then so full of nutrients that it’s great to just pour over the potatoes.

Also, potatoes are very easy to grow anywhere (live swiss chard) but do good in warm soil (sunny spot). Just buy potatoes from the store, let them sprout then cut them into chunks, put them in the ground with the sprout facing up, cover with dirt and add compost tea.

GardenersCardiff answers:

(-: My problem when I see all these “Slash Your Bills in Half” sorts of articles is that I’m already doing a lot of these things; there’s not a lot left to slash (that they mention, anyway).

I don’t drink expensive coffees. I buy bottled tea about once every three months, then haul water in those bottles (disinfected with bleach weekly) to work. I do a lot of my own cooking, and my family gardens and preserves. We eat processed foods, but only when the convenience is high and the price is low. There is no public transportation where I live — the nearest bus stop is 7 km away.

To help the economy, we need to spend our money on valuable, long-lasting things. We need to retrofit our houses with solar, so we can spur that industry and also to help with some of our electric needs. We need to put in insulation. We need to look into passive solar alternatives. We need to learn to grow our own foods — not all, but some. This will help us appreciate just what we are getting in the grocery store!

We need to put the money into education, and into research. Not into Happy Meals. Not into stupid and violent entertainment.

I think those are some things that might help. We do need to keep spending — but we need to realize that every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of civilization we want. Vote wisely . . . .

GardenersCardiff answers:

Over a year and a half ago my doctor advised me to take Vitamin E for my badly picked and bitten nails. I was ready to try anything, believe me! This worked beyond my wildest dreams! My nails are strong and healthy and ugly deformed bumps on my thumb nails disappeared. Now they grow and grow fast! I use a rectangular nail block to keep them a good length (no talons for me!) and I pamper them with good hand lotion and cuticle cream. I use Develop 10, from Amazon, which is a great strengthener as well as being a shiny clear polish that can be reapplied every few days. One trick that I found on my own is a real winner – I clasp my hands together while watching TV, sometimes massaging in hand cream at the same time. I also have worry stones (from eBay), inexpensive but beautiful smooth stones to rub when stressed) all over the place – in my purse or pocket, on the nightstand, near my couch, and a bowl of them as decor on the coffee table! I check for rough spots or snags on my nails regularly and go after them with the nail block so that no breakage will occur. I even use the nail block for dry, hard places on the skin around my nails, leaving nothing to bite or pick. I am very satisfied to have, finally, a routine that works!