Who Killed the Non-Electric Toaster?

...r broken toaster. It made me remember designer Thomas Thwaites’ attempt to build a toaster from scratch and how well that project showed the complex, interconnecting supply chain involved in manufacturing even the simplest electronic device. The failure of our toaster was caused by a break in the heating wire. Following these instructions, I attempted to mend the break, but it was in an awkward location and, like most objects these days, the toast...

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The Arroyo Co-op in Pasadena

...) and, as a co-op, we can be responsive to member requests. In addition to building a neighborhood market with a conscience, Arroyo Food Co-op is building a community around it. We bring people from all walks of life together at the co-op, for educational and social gatherings that share the theme and values we pursue in our product line. In an effort to foster connections and growth, we host a weekend meeting called “Food for Thought”, where we i...

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Getting started with worms

...bins (like Rubbermaid bins) and a drill. Here are two resources for how-to build a plastic bin. One is at vermicomposting.net. Another is in pdf form, available through this link to Oregon State Extension Services. Our favorite resources: It would take pages and pages for us to tell you how to make and maintain a worm bin, or explain the general amazingness of worms, and this information is already freely available on the Internet. So for further...

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Matching Your Waste Stream to Your Composting Method

...ompost pile There’s also stuff that can’t go in the worm bin. And once you build a big pile it’s best not to keep adding to it. For this reason we have a kind of “disposal” pile. It’s a compost bin that gets the materials that can’t go into the other two. Advantages: reduces the biomass of all the stuff that can’t go either in the worm bin or the big compost pile. Disadvantages: produces a low quality compost. Alternatives The labor involved in bu...

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Joshua Tree Earthen Oven Class With Kurt Gardella

...that you may already have in your yard. The class is suitable for bakers, building professionals and do-it-your-selfers, and is a great introduction to adobe construction and earthen plasters covered in more depth in adobeisnotsoftware’s other classes. Topics Include: Local considerations and the siting your earthen oven Soil and material selection, sourcing and testing Foundations and oven base design and materials Sizing Sand Form and Oven Dome...

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