Inside the Envelope, page 1

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Dear EarthEasy,
I have just discovered your website and wanted to say Thank you, I absolutely love it. I had a few suggestions for you may wish to share. My fiancé and I recently purchased a home in Connecticut and like most of rural CT have a well for water supply. In order to conserve water I installed two rain barrels that capture the run off from our gutter system. I use this water for the lawn, my gardens and things like washing the cars, so far it works great while conserving the well water. By not using the well water it also reduces the electricity that would be normally caused by activating the pump.

As for pest control, I read in my herbal books about using mint to deter mice. We recently had a mouse in the house, and I sprinkled dried peppermint leaf under the stove and refrigerator, locations the cat would sit and stare at constantly. So far I believe it is working, the cat hasn't sat for hours in front of either appliance for a while. I also read that placing elder berry and branches in mole tunnels will rid of moles. I haven't tried it yet but plan on it come spring. Some other articles I read suggested the following for moles: castor bean plants, castor oil, neem oil and juicy fruit gum (no kidding), if I find one that works I'll let you know.

I have begun my 2005 efforts to help the environment by switching the bulbs to CFL instead of incandescent (I tried the LED but they don't give off enough light) and also purchased reusable string bags, wine bag and woven vegetable bags to use for shopping. My goal is to carry the bags with me at all time and avoid plastic and paper shopping bags. I was surprised to learn how much this simple effort can save the environment, the following site has some surprising numbers: http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php.
MaryAnn

water for fly control:
Thank you for your wonderful site! I found it very informative. I wanted to let you know about a fly repellent that is is very effective. A plastic bag filled with water and hung will repel flies from the area. I learned this trick while living in the Ozark mountains where the fly problem was horrible. I saw these bags over every front door and on every patio. Supposedly the fly can see his reflection in the bag and does not like it. I am not sure how true that part of it is, but for whatever reason, the bags really work. Thanks again,
Michelle

garlic for flea control:
My mother was always having problems with fleas in the house. We had two small poodles that seemed to bring in thousands each time they came back inside. I don't remember why but one summer we started putting garlic salt on our popcorn instead of regular salt. The dogs loved the flavor of that and ate quite a bit. We noticed the more garlic popcorn the dogs ate the less fleas we had. It's been 10 years and I have grown up and moved away but she still hasn't had any flea problems as long as everyone has some garlic.
Thank you,
Susan

boric acid for flea control:
Here's mine for fleas:
Boric Acid - in Boraxo (that powdered soap that's CHEAP and is found in some schools and used by some mechanics, you can usually find it at the grocery store.)
Apparently boric acid is the main ingredient in a lot of flea powders, but this is cheaper and doesn't smell so chemically. The reason I was told this works is because the boric acid dries out the fleas until they die. I don't know the environmental or human impact of this.

Directions:
Sprinkle over carpeted areas, sweep into carpet (just sweep the carpet!), leave for 3 days and vacuum up. That's it! (Just don't shampoo the carpet anytime soon.)

I did this in an apartment that was teeming with fleas, and it killed them all!
Kim

catnip for cockroach control:
Hi! Thanks for your advice. The catnip spray works! And my kitties don't seem to even care that I spray it everywhere. I haven't seen a cockroach since (hopefully, it will stay this way)!

Ants started to appear as well, so I went back to your web site and saw that I could use mint to deter them. I use fresh mint, as it's all I have. It works! So do coffee grinds. Strange to see coffee grinds and mint on the floor, but it's much better than those nasty chemical sprays.

Thanks again for your advice! Carly

catnip for cockroach control:
Thank you so much for your bug repellant info. I'm afraid of the pesticides
for home use, (or any use), but my husband, out of desperation, started
spraying for roaches, and my three-year old started throwing up.

The catnip worked soooo well. Debbie

another thought about mosquito repellent:
We live in Ashcroft BC and are not usually bothered by mosquitoes except in the late spring. I have found that squeezing a piece of lemon or orange peel and rubbing it on my skin works when nothing else is handy. Randy

garlic as mosquito repellent:
If your stomach can stand it , swallow garlic cloves (split in two with a glass of water) in the morning. This really works I tried it in Mali a few years ago, the locals were swearing about mosi. bites and I (with my very thin white skin) didn't get bitten once; The only side effect is the "early morning toilet" trip. but even that's better than multiple bites or spraying some unknown chemical on your skin. P. Dempsey

some thoughts on rodent control:
Noticed on a PBS program on Peppers/chili and jalapenos...Reporter noted that capsecuim is so irritating to mammals that rats in the warehouses vacate by the third day after the crop is harvested.

My dehydrator, coffeemill and plastic bottle with a cone shaped tip for application was all I needed to change the paths at my house.

The secondary application for me was to discourage our dog from digging. She is a smart girl with a good memory. One whiff and she avoids the new flower bed, the gap at the bottom of the fence.

Added to a solution with a little baby shampoo and water, and the chili pepper spray keeps the oppossums and the deer off my veggies.

I cleam my coffee mill with a quick grind on 1T of dry chite rice. The rice powder absorbs all the oil and then I'm back to coffee after a wipe with a damp cloth.

I'm in Austin Texas which is subtropical in climate. What I need is a more aggressive attack on silverfish. Anyone with any herbal suggestions? Joy

dustmites in stuffed animal toys:

Putting a stuffed animal in a baggy - keeping head outside bag, put in freezer at least overnight - will take care of dustmites.

Hi,
I would like to share something with you. I sat outside tonight, where I usually get bitten by countless mosquitoes, but because I woke up with a sore throat, I immediately applied oil of oregano. and guess what. I sat outside tonight and not one mosquito came near me.

I feel this essential oil may be a powerful deterrent for all kinds of insects. meanwhile I am sweating my cold out, thanks to this oil.

I think it could be a life saver for all kinds of pests. the mosquitos obviously hated it.. they flew near me, but nary a bite.

Thanks for your wonderful informative site. I am looking for a chrysthamum spray that deters insects of all sorts. Any ideas? Julia

ant and flea control
Hello Eartheasy,
I live in the sand hills of North Carolina and had learned to live with flea infestations during the summer. I had finally decided not to have any more pets. I knew that ants dined on fleas but they had managed to co exist here.

But this year we expanded the koi pond and the ants were really bad. I was afraid to use poisons around the pond for obvious reasons. So I took a chance with homemade traps of sugar and boric acid . In the meantime I thought I'd try a little wettable sulfur. I just sprinkled the patio surface once a day for there days. Within two days the ants population was down. The ants seemed to have it in for me. They had never been this bad. The ants are under control and so are the fleas.

I have a great rid a flea program for cats. I shampoo them with a mild shampoo then conditioned them with a blend of tansy, catnip and olive oil. I leave this mixture on. They are not so pretty for about a day. But they really are beautiful by the second day. They are not allowed out of the garage for that time but they love it there. The olive oil is a great conditioner for their coats.

I mixed a garlic remedy for a cut that got infected and would not heal on one of the cats. I had about given up and was ready to take her to the doctor when I noticed the cut was now only a scratch. In less than a week it was and the re was no evidence of a cut that she had for a long time.
Mary Sinclair

Hello
I would like to contribute a couple of suggestions for fly control in the kitchen. I'm not too sure if these will work in a cool environment, but they were effective in a Caribbean setting, Jamaica. My mother and I read about them in a local newspaper and decided to give them a shot.
The first one is the use of yellow in the kitchen. I know that sounds a little too simple to be true, but the amount of flies in the kitchen was cut down visibly. All we did to try it out was put up yellow curtains and the results were amazing.
The second suggestion from the paper we tried was a Lignum Vitae plant in the kitchen. Lignum Vitae is the national flower of Jamaica, which is actually a small sturdy tree with
small purple flowers. Those two suggestions worked wonders for us.
As for the content of your website, it is really wonderful. I have a Hindu boyfriend who is also an organic agriculturalist, and he uses neem to care for his plants. I also pinched a piece of his lemon-grass (which is popular in my home island to use as tea) to combat the mosquitos that are all-present in the Caribbean. Also, I am studying architecture, and the use of passive cooling and design options to combat the heat interests me a lot.
Thank you. Meisha Paul

Hello,
If one is single and living alone, simplifying your life, uncluttering your space, and freeing yourself of debt, possessions, etc. is possible provided you have the sincere desire and commitment.
However, if one is married or lives with other people, the challenge is first and foremost to share a common vision or goal. If, as in my case, a sustainable/simple life is not desired/understood/appreciated by your mate, the challenge become this: simplifying your life through small steps that will demonstrate to others the viability of this lifestyle.

I have done the following:

I've cleaned out every closet, drawer, box in the attic and shelf of 95% of my clothing! Prior to this I kept a journal of what I wore for 30 days in the summer and again in the winter. It really was the same things all the time.

I only buy clothing, books, utensils, linens, etc. at resale shops, yard sales or barter for them. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge and excitement of finding things for a fraction of their original cost - and then having someone compliment me on my good taste, etc!! And the poor "consumers" think I'm paying retail!!!

I've been restoring our terraced back yard and will plant a garden - the first either of these have been done on this property in 20 years.

I'm gradually changing my diet. This does involve cooking "traditional" meals for my husband and then vegetables, grains, etc. for myself.

I go out of my way NOT to go shopping. Whenever I'm out of something I'll improvise, improvise, improvise!

I've started a compost pile and recyclables bin. I dilute all detergents, shampoos, etc. I use only vinegar, lemons, or pine tar soap to clean.

In short, where there is a will there is a way, but it takes strategy and a willingness to go it alone. Not as easy, but worthwhile. Thanks,
Suzann S, MI

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Hello there,
One important thing about sustainable living that I don't see here is population control, but I don't know what you could say.
Like it or not the world is getting a bit crowded and in the western world we are following the trend set by most of the great civilisations of the past in which the following equation came to be. The trend is of increased taxes and declining services, less cops, less doctors, less teachers, less soldiers everything except bureaucrats and people wanting a free slice of
the ever declining cake. Declining services and quality of life, food, and our environment as more and more people place greater and greater demand on the social infrastructure.
Still, the ideas here in your site are good ones. It gets us thinking and that's the start we need. Tex R., WA

Hi - I am looking at reducing the resource consumption of my house to a minimum. I have paid off my house, and I have eliminated credit card debt. I have a modest Toyota that is energy efficient. I have just finished replacing all the incandescents with warm colored fluorescents.

I am also looking at my house in a totality. Should I plant a tree to shade the house during hot summer afternoons? I mention it, to show my integrated approach to the house. I don't water my lawn, but use ground covers that work with it. I am thinking of a cistern to collect runoff to run the houses toilets. The interior walls of my restored house are light colored.

There is not only an ecological motivation, but an economic motivation. The less resources I use the more I am insulated from the rising costs of these resources. I am 52 years old, and with LEDs I purchase today, I will have nearly no-cost electrical lighting for the rest of my life
into retirement. Texas has deregulated electricity, which is scary.
Ed S., TX

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. . .Thanks to the writers for these thoughts, and for giving permission to print their letters.