Boise Sustainable Living Community

Greetings BSLC Members!

It's been long time since there has been any activity on this website, though we still have the occasional new member sign up.  

I'd like to extend an invitation to each of you to become an Author for BSLC Online.  If you have the time to write some articles about living sustainably or just occasionally have some links or other information about sustainable living in the Treasure Valley, just send me an email through the "Contact Us" page and I can upgrade your account to "Author", allowing you to submit articles for publishing on this website.

I just posted a couple of forum threads with these videos, but Ann thought it was such a good resource it should be on the front page. So here it is.

The videos in the forum and below come from a website called Permies. It looks like they have a lot of great, interesting information on a wide range of topics.

A place to talk about permaculture, eco building, organic practices, woodland care, homesteading .... the permies.com site is just one big gob of permaculture forums

[From Permies: goofballs that are nuts about permaculture]

And here are the videos again:

Hi All!

Ann ran across this interesting website that is connecting people who have gardening space to people who want to garden, but don't have any space. It looks like there are a few in the Boise area with some space, so if you or someone you know is interested, check it out.

One of the biggest barriers to growing food in the city is access to land - despite the fact that many yards, lawns, and backyards have plenty of room to spare. Sharing Backyards links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food.

[From Why Sharing Backyards? | Sharing Backyards]

In other news, it looks like we may be trading a work party this month (oh, I know you're disappointed!) with a caravan out to Fruitland Nursery for fruit and nut trees, or whatever other trees or shrubs you may need. Trailers will be available for hauling trees back and we can coordinate carpools for people wanting to go along. We'll post more information as the plans are solidified, but set aside the 20th and a possible date. If you want to go and need a ride, post a thread in the Local Events section of the BSLC Forums and we'll work something out.

And finally, a big Thank You goes out to Casey O'Leary and those of you who attended the last meeting. It was great to get together again and Casey had some great advice to share...not to mention her calendars are awesome!

My partner ran across this article today and thought our members might appreciate it. I love the author's vision and look forward to a day when we can make it a reality. Enjoy the short article and take some time to check out the rest of the website -- it has a lot of interesting stuff.

An open challenge to rethink suburbia put forth by Dwell and inhabitat.com a few months ago got me thinking about the possibilities of suburban farming. Urban farming helped renew the inner city. Suburban farming can revise sprawl.

[From Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Inventing the Suburban Farm]

Woohoo! Strawbale construction has finally come to Boise! How exciting is this?

On a small lot tucked between conventional homes on Boise Avenue, Mark Lung is hard at work stacking bales of straw and mixing mud. He is building a new home using local, recycled agricultural waste to form and insulate exterior walls. Plaster made from clay, sand, lime, straw and water will be used on both the interior and exterior instead of drywall, siding and paint. Similar in appearance to Southwestern adobes, straw bale structures are earth-friendly and energy-efficient, Lung said.

[From A house made of straw and mud in Boise | Eyepiece | Idaho Statesman]