Author: The Planning Lady
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Solar Power Myths Dispelled
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to tour a large scale solar power array on the western edge of Lincoln, Nebraska. I have read about projects like this and have heard just about every negative misconception, but never have stood in front of one to see for myself. It turned out to be…
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Utility Scale Solar: A Nebraska First
Located north of Interstate 80 just west of Lincoln on a dirt road is Nebraska’s first utility scale solar system. To be classified as utility scale a system has to produce at least 2 megawatts of power which is roughly enough to power between 300 and 420 homes. The system was the first of its…
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Composting Toilets
One of my toilets is inconsistent in its ability to function as such despite repeated attempts to fix it. When I told my husband, in a mostly joking manner, that we should get a composting toilet to replace it, I’m sure he envisioned something old fashioned like a bucket with sawdust that was carried out…
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Celebrate Earth Day: 5 Simple Ways to Go Green
Today marks the 51st Earth Day which began April 22, 1970 as a way to bring environmental awareness to the masses. The idea started with Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who was concerned about the deteriorating environment. He came up with the idea to hold a teach-in on college campuses and enlisted Pete McCloskey, a…
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Three Sisters Gardening
At some point this winter I came across the idea of three sisters gardening and made a note in my planner to do some more research before spring. Well spring is here and I’m hopefully just a few weeks away from planting so I dove into some research on the topic hoping it would make…
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9 Ways to Reuse Wood From an Old Deck
Two weekends ago my husband and I decided to tear out the massive deck on the side of our new home. What appeared to be a nice outdoor space when we purchased the home was revealed to be in rough shape as the snow melted away. The previous owners attempted to patch it up and…
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Compost Bin 2.0
A little over a year ago I built my first compost bin and while it worked okay and was cheap to construct, it had several disadvantages. I diverted 16 months worth of food scraps and several trash cans of leaves from the landfill. The biggest problem with the bin was the fact that it did…
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Navigating Sustainable Choices in Modern Life
Every so often someone challenges me on why I care so much about being sustainable. If I don’t have or plan on having children why do I try to hard to reduce waste, conserve energy, and overall create a smaller impact on the environment? What does it matter to me that the next generation has…
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Sustainable Living: 2021 Green Resolutions
It has been a year since I started down a path to creating a more sustainable household. Some choices have been easy and others more difficult. It has not been perfect and I am nowhere near a zero waste household, but I do feel I have eliminated a lot of extra waste just by spending…
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Sustainable Holiday Decorations
Every year since I was born I received two Christmas ornaments, one from my mom and the other from my grandmother. Over time the ornaments began reflecting my personality, with a series of Taz ornaments (my nickname earned from overacting to bad shots on the golf course) showing up in my preteen years. As a…
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The Planning Lady 