c/climate-action

TIL a farmer told me to stop tilling my garden soil and it changed everything

Last spring, an older guy at the local feed store in Lancaster County told me to quit turning over my soil every year. He said tilling destroys the fungal networks underground that help plants grab nutrients and water. I tried no-till on half my vegetable patch and the difference was night and day by July with way less weeds and bigger tomatoes. Has anyone else made the switch to no-till gardening and seen their soil health bounce back?

2 comments

kaigibson•2d ago

I finally had a week where my solar panels made more power than I used

Last July, my town of Bend, Oregon hit a record 8 straight days of sunshine, and my system pulled in 340 kWh while I only used 220. It felt great watching the meter spin backward, but then a cloudy stretch in September wiped out all my gains. Do you think it's better to aim for net-zero over a year or try to store every extra watt you can?

2 comments

emeryj66•2d ago

Serious question, solar farms vs rooftop panels - which is better for the average town?

I drove through the Central Valley last week and saw huge solar farms taking over farmland. Makes me wonder if spreading panels across every roof in town would be smarter. Anyone else wrestle with this?

2 comments

allen.iris•6d ago

That week in July when my city hit 108 and the AC died

I live in Phoenix and last July we had a brutal stretch where it hit 108 for like 5 days straight. My AC unit gave out on day 2 and I had to wait 3 days for a repair guy to even show up. I tried those DIY tricks like blocking windows with blankets and running fans but my apartment still felt like an oven at 85 degrees inside at night. The repair guy finally came and said the capacitor blew and charged me $380 to fix it. I ended up buying a window unit from Home Depot for $200 just to survive the rest of the summer. It made me realize how bad it's gonna get for people who can't afford repairs or upgrades as temps keep climbing. Has anyone else had a heatwave moment that made climate change feel way too real?

2 comments

ward.kim•9d ago

Bought a $60 'compostable' bin liner pack and they fell apart in 3 days

I really wanted to cut down on plastic waste in my kitchen, so I grabbed a box of those compostable bin liners from my local grocery store in Portland. Paid around $60 for a pack of 50, which felt like a lot but I figured it was for a good cause. By day three, the bottom of the bag just ripped open when I tossed in some coffee grounds, and I had to clean up a mess of wet scraps off my floor. I tried using them for lighter stuff like dry paper, but even then they'd get holes by the time I took the bin out. Honestly, I think I wasted the whole $60 because they don't hold up like regular plastic bags do. Has anyone else had this problem with compostable liners, or did I just buy a bad brand?

2 comments

grant478•10d ago

Bought a cheap compost thermometer on Amazon for $12 and it fixed my pile within a week.

I kept turning my compost and it stayed cold and slimy for months, then I tested the temp and realized it was stuck at 80 degrees because I was adding too much wet stuff, so I balanced it with dry leaves and it shot up to 130 in three days - anyone else have a pile that just won't heat up?

c/climate-action

TIL a farmer told me to stop tilling my garden soil and it changed everything

I finally had a week where my solar panels made more power than I used

Serious question, solar farms vs rooftop panels - which is better for the average town?

That week in July when my city hit 108 and the AC died

Bought a $60 'compostable' bin liner pack and they fell apart in 3 days

Bought a cheap compost thermometer on Amazon for $12 and it fixed my pile within a week.

Neighbor saw my rain barrels and gave me a lecture

Talked my neighbor out of a heat pump install

My neighbor swore his rain barrel would cut my water bill in half, 8 months later I'm not convinced

Switched to a rain barrel 8 months ago and my garden bill is way down

Spent $600 on a heat pump water heater a year ago my electric bill dropped like a rock

Picked a used Prius over a lifted truck back in 2018 and honestly it still feels like the right call every time I fill up

Dropped $200 on a smart thermostat that promised to cut my energy bill by 30%, and after six months it saved me maybe $12 total

Took me 4 weekends to get my neighbor to switch from gas leaf blower to electric

Flew to Iceland and saw tourists acting like the glaciers are a theme park attraction

My uncle the farmer changed my mind about solar panels

Tried electric mower for a month vs my old gas one on residential jobs

Overheard my neighbor complain about his $400 electric bill last month

Had to choose between a heat pump and a new gas furnace for my old house

Shoutout to finally getting my compost bin to not smell

Tried putting solar panels on my shed after years of doubt...

Carbon offsets were my big climate solution until I did the math

Neighbor told me my compost pile was too wet and I finally fixed it

Found a free way to cut my home energy bill by $40 a month just by changing when I do laundry

That week in August after the heatwave buckled my sidewalk changed my whole view on climate action