Sustainable Wood Sourcing and the Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle

All living organisms have in some form carbon in their system so to speak. Every time we respire we are taking in oxygen and transforming it in to Carbon Dioxide. When organisms die this carbon undertakes a chemical reaction which transforms it in into Carbon Dioxide. This carbon dioxide is converted back to oxygen by plants and trees. Another part of the carbon cycle is when organisms die and the carbon is trapped and after millions of years of pressure and heat is transformed into fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are burned by humans which released carbon dioxide into the air which is then transformed to oxygen by trees. The trees and plants convert carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosynthesis. A good example of this is shown below (the image was sourced from the BBC bitesize website):

Sustainable Wood Sourcing

Sustainable wood sourcing can help keep this carbon cycle intact. In the Amazon Rainforest alone an area the size of New Jersey is cut down every single day! This is a perfect example of humans abusing their position in the world and action must be taken now even if it is just in a little small way. One company doing their part is Open Doors Centre Warrington. They are a door company based in Warrington who only supply and fit doors from sustainable wood sources. Now I know you think that this not going to stop the Amazon Rainforest being cut down on its own but let’s imagine every single door company did this? Then a whole industry that was originally buying wood from unethical logging camps will suddenly stop. To retain this industry the logging camps will have to start making their wood sustainable by planting trees or being more responsible. So it is not a case of stopping the use of doors or getting people out of the job, it is more like a strike than a protest, we just want them to be more eco-friendly with the way in which they supply wood for doors so that hopefully in the future we won’t have to worry because there is almost no Amazon Rainforest left.

For more info on sustainable wood sourcing visit WL Piling

Lawnmower Quick Fix

Lots of people have issues with their lawn mowers and it happens to the best of us and even regularly maintenances lawn mowers are not immune to the effects of wear and tear. In light of these facts here are some tips to get your lawn mower working again fast.

Stuck Starter Rope

A pretty common cause for this particular issue the engine flywheel brake is engaged. This is the bar you hold on the handle that stops the engine when released so just make sure you are pulling it down the whole way before attempting to start the mower. Another probable cause is the blade is clogged or is dragging in the grass. To sort this out disengage the spark plug and move the mower to a hard surface so you can clean the blades to try again.

Mower Will Not Start

Lots of people experience this particular issue and the extremely common and most obvious reason is that you have no fuel. As well as making sure its all filled up also remember that old gas can also cause problems so if its been a while since using the mower it may be better to empty then refill the tank. Other possible causes are dirty, broke or disconnected spark plug, dirty fuel filter or fuel isnt reaching the engine.

Losing power while Mowing

There is a few reason this can happen and they are normally pretty easy to fix. Try cleaning or replacing the air filter or raising the cutting height on your lawnmower. You could also try cleaning or replacing the spark plug or clean the underside of the mower.

The Mower is Cutting Unevenly

If you are seeing this happen there is a chance you also feel some motor vibration. This can be caused by build up of debris or clippings and just needs to be cleaned. Otherwise you should try sharpening or replacing the blade.

How to change a shovel handle

A broken handle can make your shovel seem like it needs replacing but instead with these instructions you can opt for a cheaper option and with a little bit of hard work you can keep the expensive shovel head while replacing the much cheaper handle.

Removal

The first step is to remove the broken shovel handle which should be riveted on so you need to remove these rivets. You could drive through them with a punch or get out your grinder and grind off the heads.

New handle

Use the broken stub as a guide to shaping the new handle for the shovel. When you feel like the new handle is close insert it and twist back and forth. doing this will make any areas that need more work show up as scuff marks on the handle. You can use a file then sandpaper for the final fitting to make it fit nice yet still feel firm and tight. After this you simply have to rivet it back into the handle which is fairly easy with a ball peen hammer and some sort of anvil.

Orienting the handle

Make sure the long grain is on the top of the shovel to get the most strength and decrease the chance of it breaking.

Lots of tools can be easily fixed in a similar fashion to this which can save you money and waste. It can also make investing in some more expensive tools extremely worthwhile as you will be able to get substantially more use out of them with methods such as this.

5 Easy To Grow Vegetables

Do you dream of harvesting your own home grown vegetables, but just don’t know where to start? Wondering which vegetables are easy to grow? From pots to plots, there are vegetables to suit gardens of every size. 'Growing your own' isn’t complicated. Read our quick overview of our top 10 easy to grow vegetables, and start sowing today.

1. Salad Leaves

Crunchy fresh leaves with a fantastic range of textures and flavours. Try sowing our easy Salad ‘Speedy Mix’ throughout the summer months, and you’ll be cutting fresh leaves for your sandwiches just 3 weeks later! Better still, they will continue growing so you can harvest them again and again. See our full range of salad leaves here.

2. Spring onions and Radishes

Ok, so we cheated by listing these together but they are both so easy and quick growing that we couldn’t resist! Spice up your salads with spring onions and peppery radish. Spring onions and radishes make easy vegetables to grow in pots, or sow them directly into the ground throughout the summer for a succession of crunchy, colourful crops.

3. Potatoes

A really fun crop to grow! Plant potatoes during late February and March in potato bags that are only part filled with compost. When the green shoots begin to appear above the soil, simply cover them with more compost. Repeat this until the bag is full, and then you only need remember to water them! The fun comes at the end of the season, 10 to 20 weeks later, when the foliage starts to yellow and die back. Tip the bag out and rummage around in the soil to collect up your own home grown potatoes. Potatoes are such easy vegetables to grow at home!

4. Peas

Peas are a trouble free crop that enjoy cooler weather. Sow them directly into the ground from March to June and look forward to the incredible sweet flavour of fresh picked peas from June to August. All they require is support for their stems - simply erect some chicken wire or netting between supports at each end of the row. You’ll be amazed at how good fresh peas taste and the more that you pick them, the more they produce!

5. Mint

Well if you’re growing potatoes and peas then you might as well grow the garnish as well! Mint is so vigorous that it will grow on almost any moist soil so it’s best to keep it in a pot to stop it spreading too far. Use it fresh picked from the plant or you can freeze it in ice cubes to use later on.

Sponsored by Mellowe Landscapes