Archive for the ‘Green Living’ Category
A Missoula Fundraiser for a New Orleans School
By CLAY SPRINGMEYER - On Dec. 10, there will be a benefit event at Free Cycles Missoula to help send a group of UM students to Our School at Blair Grocery in New Orleans.... more
How to Make Tin Can Lanterns
By LISA HENSLEY - I was having some friends over for a housewarming party last week, and wanted decorate with luminaries. I almost rushed out to buy luminary bags before I remembered that I could make tin can l... more
Introducing the Heirloom Winter Market
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON - On Saturday, I launched the Heirloom Winter Market, a sort of extension of the local farmers' markets which had their last day of the season the week prior.... more
A Salute to Missoula’s Bike-Friendly Events of 2011
By BEN WEISS - There is no doubt that Missoulians like riding bikes. In fact, we consistently rate among the top 10 cities in the country for percentage of people using bicycles for transportation.... more
Mountain Line Plans for the Future of Missoula’s Bus System
The Missoula Urban Transportation District, operators of the popular Mountain Line bus system, want the community’s input on both short and long term improvements needed for its public transportation system.... more
Fundraiser for Friends of 2 Rivers
By JEN SLAYDEN. Please join Friends of 2 Rivers at Flathead Lake Brewing Company on Wednesday, September 21st from 5pm-11pm, to enjoy trivia, friendship, and cold, tasty beer!... more
Missoula is Like . . . Relaxed Fit Jeans?
By JEN SLAYDEN. Jeans come in such different shapes and styles, each feeling a bit different to wear. Kind of like the styles of each of the town you travel going east and back again through the great state of... more
Green Your Kitchen with a Cast Iron Skillet
By PAUL WHEATON. Learn about the benefits of Cast Iron cookware and watch an egg fry and not stick!... more
Earth, Wind, and Fire – Bonner Fire
By JEN SLAYDEN. If it takes an act of God to fill up the usually vacant church parking lots on my side of the mountain, I think he has spoken. For in a brief period of twelve hours we felt an earthquake and our... more
Killing Me Softly: The Art of Deconstruction
By LISA HENSLEY. I’m somewhat addicted to HGTV, especially the “Crashers” shows (Yard Crashers, House Crashers, etc.). It could be because I’m secretly wishing someone would offer to come to my house an... more
Mullein Heals the Earth
By PAUL WHEATON. Mullein is a biennial plant with fuzzy leaves. Often called "cowboy toilet paper," mullein will grow in the worst soils on earth -- improving the earth as it grows. More about this amazing pla... more
Repurpose Grass Clippings as Mulch
By LISA HENSLEY. By this time of year, if you bag your grass cuttings, you’re probably starting to think fondly of those winter months when there’s no mowing to do. (Actually, you’re probably thinking tha... more
Repurposed Lighting
RE-USE IT. By LISA HENSLEY. I was working my first volunteer event for Home ReSource a couple of years ago when I stumbled across this fantastic light fixture. It’s really heavy, old glass, and by the time we... more
The Tiny House Movement
By PAUL WHEATON. People are saving money by downsizing their house. How far can you take it? Take a look at these Tiny house. One was built for $15!... more
The EdgeMaster: How to Sharpen a Serrated Knife Blade
By PAUL WHEATON. Watch the EdgeMaster sharpen a serrated knife blade in record time!... more
From Baby Blanket to Big Boy Pillow
RE-USE IT. By LISA HENSLEY. My mom makes these great blankies for kids: knit on one side, flannel on the other. They just get softer and snugglier the more you wash them. They don’t, however, last forever—e... more
How to REALLY Save on Your Summer Utility Bills
By PAUL WHEATON. Learn more than 20 great tips to save energy and save on summer utility bills too. Cooking, cooling, lighting tips and more -- all for REAL utility bill savings.... more
20+ Things to Do for Kids Visiting Missoula
By PAUL WHEATON. Paul has family coming to visit. He could go on and on about how great Missoula is, and this post lists some of his top attractions!... more
Building an Urbanite Retaining Wall or Path
By LISA HENSLEY. As anyone who has had to buy retaining wall stones can tell you, the cost of those projects adds up very quickly. But there’s one way to get low walls, paths and patios for nothing but sweat ... more
Reuse It . . . Vinegar and Other Household Products
By LISA HENSLEY. Although “reuse” for most people means turning something old into something new, or just using it more than once, I like to think it also applies to using things for purposes other than th... more
Mount Sentinel: the Lushest Farmland in All of Montana
By PAUL WHEATON. Could we convert Mt. Sentinel into a lush hillside? Paul has a plan.... more
Reuse It . . . Custom Wrapping Paper
By LISA HENSLEY. While I am all for keeping selected samples of my son's artistic development, there’s only so much we can store. I feel bad though, just throwing these masterpieces away. My solution: turn ... more
Growing Good Eats in the Garden City
By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON. After a long winter the farmers’ market season is finally here. I love all things about local food–the flavor of the strawberries, the long wait in winter for spring’s first radis... more
Reuse It . . . Composting 101
By LISA HENSLEY. While it feels like Spring will never show her face around these parts, it is still a great time to get going on one of the greatest re-use projects ever: compost. Why should you compost?... more
Clean, Sustainable Wood Burning
By PAUL WHEATON. The Missoula Urban Demonstration Project celebrated earth day last Sunday. I got together with the Missoula Free Cycles folks and we found a way to do a bit more than most folks for earth day.... more
The Every Day-ness of Earth Day
By RYAN NEWHOUSE. April 22 is nationally recognized as Earth Day, that one day of the year where kind-minded folks and hip organizations bring out their recycling, plant gardens and clean up parks, beaches and ... more
Creating Crafty Crayons
By LISA HENSLEY. You’ve probably accumulated assorted crayons that still have some life left, but aren’t necessarily in their prime. Why throw them away? You can repurpose them into new crayons that frankl... more
#1 Gyro is My Favorite!
By PAUL WHEATON. #1 Gyro is my new favorite! Their gyros and greek fries are excellent! And they easily have the best spanakopita. This post features a review of Missoula's #1 Gyro.... more
Sepp Holzer is Coming to Missoula!
By PAUL WHEATON. Sepp Holzer has done so many huge things, that his property is crawling with dozens of doctoral students doing their thesis work based on Sepp's work. And he's coming to Missoula!... more
Heirloom Seeds
By LISA HENSLEY. Living in the Garden City has inspired many people to try their hand at growing stuff. If you want to try growing some of your own food: Try Heirloom Seeds.... more
Crafty Desk
By LISA HENSLEY. When I was in the Marketing world, my mentor and I had a favorite phrase: "R & D, baby" short for "Ripoff and Duplicate!" We found something we liked and used it as a starting point for what... more
Putting Down Roots
Recently, some have suggested that home ownership is detrimental to families because it makes homeowners less mobile and hinders their ability to move for a new job. Not true.... more
Bear Wrestling and Farm Work
By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. As I sit typing this, according to my fancy computer thermometer, it is 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I'm quite positive this measurement isn't accounting the windchill factor from the hur... more
Can You Feel the Buzz?
Perhaps it is the chill in the air, the sunshine, or the wrap up of holiday’s spent with families and loved ones, but members of the Missoula community are experiencing an unmistakable buzz in the air.... more
The Year in the Rear-View Mirror
By RYAN NEWHOUSE. From new trails and an additional roundabout to the launch of a new streets festival and record ridership, Missoula saw lots of bikes, lots of bus riders and lots of footpaths in 2010. Here’... more
Missoula Needs Snow Angels
By RYAN NEWHOUSE. As snow has finally blanketed the streets, trails and sidewalks of Missoula, the City and the Bicycle-Pedestrian Program Manager are asking everyone to do their part to keep the sidewalks in ... more
The Need for Tweed
11/09 Blog by Ryan Newhouse. Last Sunday, about 50+ riders donned their dandiest tweed-inspired garb and rode their bikes through the gray, wet streets of Missoula for the first annual Missoula Tweed Ride. The ... more
Zoo Town Night Life
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A UM STUDENT. Blog by Clay Springmeyer. Goodbye Day Light Savings! Don't you love getting to sleep in an extra hour? Well, readers, so much has happened in the last week that I don't eve... more
A Day in the Life…
A DAY IN THE LIFE A UM STUDENT. Blog by Clay Springmeyer. I play Dungeons and Dragons in a basement on Sundays. On Sunday nights I'm Terran Crane Fist, a half-orc monk that kills zombies and skeletons with my h... more
Ten Spoon Winery
Blog by Andy Sponseller and Connie Poten. Soon after we planted our first grape vines, launching the dream of a green vineyard and winery in Montana’s Rockies, excellent friend and author Deirdre McNamer g... more
Montana Natural History Center
The Montana Natural History Center helps cultivate the understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of nature through education. With a variety of programs for all ages, the Center helps both children a... more
Living with Wildlife
Residing in Western Montana means learning to live with wildlife. In Missoula, that often includes sharing your yard with birds, raccoons, skunks, deer, black bears, and even mountain lions. The Montana Depa... more
Cycling City
If you spend any time in Missoula, you'll notice lots of bikes on road. Cycling is a way of life for many residents of the city. Missoula’s biking heritage can be traced back to 1976 when a group of 4 Ohio... more
Missoula in Motion
Missoulians embrace green living and you'll find sustainable transportation options readily available in the city. Missoula in Motion aims to promote the city’s popular sustainable transportation system and i... more