GREENCulture blog We put the “green” in greenyness!

For at least the past 3500 years,  mankind has known how to build a sundial, which is a device that uses shadows cast by the sun to keep time.  Sundials are incredibly easy to make, require no power or maintenance, and can add an interesting, artistic feel to any outdoor environment.  I will go through the simple steps that it takes to make your very own sundial for your outdoor area.

Note: The type of sundial I am explaining how to make is called a Horizontal Sundial.

Materials needed:

• A flat, circular piece of wood or stone.
• A protractor
• A calculator
• A square piece of wood and a saw
• A map, atlas, or Google maps (to determine your latitude)

1. First, get a flat, circular piece of wood.  Mark the very center of the circle with an “x”.  The very center of the circle represents you, and the circle itself roughly represents the path the sun takes around you during every 24 hour period.
2. Divide this circle in half by marking a straight line going from one end of the circle, through the middle, to the other end.  This mark represents noon, or mid-day on one side of the “x” at the end of the circle, and midnight on the other side of the x at the other end of the circle.
3. Lay your circle flat on the ground.  Now get a compass.  If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, your mid-day line should be pointing due North and your midnight line should be pointing due South.  In the Southern Hemisphere, these directions are reversed.
4. Use a map or atlas to look up your latitude.  I will use my current latitude, which is 33 degrees, as an example.  The next step is the hard part, and it is only hard because it requires a little bit of math.  Don’t worry though, if you have a calculator I can explain to you exactly how to do it.  You could even use Google as a calculator if you want.
5. Now, we already know where 12:00 pm is, because it is the mid-day line.  We are now going to use math to figure out where the line for 1:00 pm and 11:00 are supposed to go.  It will be easy, I promise!The formula for finding out where the other hour marks are supposed to go is tan(A) = sin(latitude) * tan(hour angle), where A is the number of degrees from the mid-day line where you draw the next line.  I will explain this so it is clear as glass even to someone who doesn’t know any math at all.  Keep reading and I will tell you exactly how to enter this equation into Google calculator and all you have to do is plug in the right numbers. No math at all!  I promise!Now, what does “hour angle” mean?  Hour angle refers to the number of degrees the sun passes every hour.  Since there are 360 degrees in a circle and 24 hours in a day, there are approximately 15 degrees in every hour.  To get the hour angle, you just take the time that you want to draw the line for and see how many hours away from noon that time is, and multiply that number by 15.  For example, the hour angle for 1:00 pm is 15 degrees, because there is one hour between noon and 1:00 pm and the sun travels 15 degrees in the circle in one hour.  The hour angle for 3:00 pm is 45 degrees because there are three hours between 12 and 3 and, and 3*15=45.  The hour angle for 8:00 am is 60 degrees by the same logic.

   Ok, so let’s figure out where the line for 1:00 pm is supposed to go.  Just copy and paste (ctrl+c & ctrl+v) this expression into Google:

   180*tanh(sin(pi* 33 /180)*tan(pi* 15 /180))/pi

   Where you would replace 33 degrees with your latitude and 15 with the hour angle of the time you wanted to calculate.  I got 8.30263592, or approximately 8.3 degrees between the mid-day line and the line for 1:00 pm.  Take your protractor, measure out 8.3 degrees (or whatever your number is) from the noon line, and draw a line coming out of the center at that angle.  Do that again on the other side of the noon line also for 11:00 am.

   I will give one more example of this for clarity.  Say I wanted to do 4:00 pm.

   180*tanh(sin(pi* 33 /180)*tan(pi* 60 /180))/pi = 42.21 degrees.

   Therefore, 4:00 pm is 42.2 degrees from the noon line.  This would also be the same value for 8:00 am.

6. Repeat for your desired hours.  The angles should get bigger and bigger as you get farther away from noon.  The number of degrees given by the above equation always represent the number of degrees from the noon line.
7. Now that you have the base of your sundial done, you need to make the part that actually casts a shadow on it.  This part of the sundial is called the “gnomon.”  The gnomon is shaped like a triangle most of the time.  You will cut a corner end off of your square piece of wood to make the triangle.  Take that square piece of wood and your saw.  Now take your latitude. Mine is 33 degrees, so I will use that.  Notice how the corner of the square piece of wood forms a 90 degree angle; that is one corner of your triangle.  Create a triangle by drawing a line at 33 degrees from the base of the triangle and cut it out along the line.
8. Now you have to glue, nail, or fasten the gnomon on top of the sundial.  Position the triangle so that the 90 degree angle is up in the air, the 33 degree angle is in the center of the table where you drew the x in the first step, and the 66 degree should be closest to the mid-day point on the sundial.  You are now done!  Position your sundial so it is facing due north and enjoy!

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EcoTumbler - 71 gallon

Going green is the buzzword everybody seems to be obsessed with, across the globe. If you’re an environment friendly person, or are wondering how to start being one what’s a better way than using the Eco Tumbler- a trendy, aesthetically designed composter, made of recycled material.

The EcoTumbler can accommodate a good 71 gallons of compost, which includes kitchen waste and garden waste, and of course other related organic waste (like yard waste). Based on sound knowledge and a good deal of time spent making composters, the company has come out with this efficient design, using induction tubes and other scientific methods to churn out the best compost for you in a matter of 4-6 days. This compost can be in turn used to enrich the soil and give your garden the much needed nutritional boost.

Besides the eco-friendly nature of this tumbler being a huge factor, the design further adds to its appeal. The globular shape is aesthetically very pleasing, the rich green colour is given to fit well into your garden environment, the stand makes sure the tumbler is stable and in place. All these factors make for a fun experience wherein you can personally handle all processes and don’t have to depend on a professional to do them. The easily accessible open top provides for easy handling.

The tumbler comes in dark forest green color and it carries a year’s warranty against any defects on the manufacturer’s side. The base comes included in the package and does not have to be bought separately. The design is sturdy and firm but also very easy to use. The design has been patented. Including installation, all operation of the eco tumbler can be handled with ease, only with the help of a few household tools.

Browse our Composters.com site for a wide selection of composting and gardening equipment and supplies including compost bins, compost tumblers, rain barrels and more.

Here’s something to file under sustainably cool — the Solar Radio. Made with new solar cell technology to power the handheld flat-screen device, which features NXT SurfaceSound speaker and Force Sensitive Resistors for its solar cell powered touch sensitive input, this eco-friendly device is the perfect little radio for a Sunday afternoon picnic.

Ever wanted to have your very own Hobbit home? Sure you have. We all have at some point (especially after watching Lord of the Rings). A family man in Wales wanted just that and built his own low impact, environmentally-friendly Hobbit-style home with the help of some family and friends. A couple thousand man hours and approximately £3000 later, the on-going family home project is coming to fruition. Built with nothing more than spare wood, lime plaster, straw bales, solar panels, and a few eco-friendly necessities and utilities, living a sustainable lifestyle can actually be quite affordable. Of course, the matter of having access to land for a project like this is a difficult proposition. The point of it, however, like all worthwhile endeavors is the possibility of achieving a sustainable way of living in some fashion.

According to a recent survey, going green may prove to be more difficult for the average consumer as the expense of convenience and comfort is far too great. A third of Americans in the new study shows that they would give up their iPods if they knew it harmed the environment. Although the poll showed 60%  of Americans are looking for greener products, if modern conveniences were no longer convenient or comfortable, roughly 30% of people would not go out of their way for the greener alternative. “Conveniences have become necessities,” says Suzanne Shelton, whose firm conducted the survey. It’s awfully common sense to attribute comfort and convenience as barriers to any alternative lifestyle. It requires a kind of passion to undertake and change the way we live our lives, which is not a simple and easy endeavor. If the average consumer can find green products as easily as they do any other product, whether in a store or online, then perhaps we can bridge the gap and see the trend to go green widen.