Compost toilets: a practical DIY guide
Compost toilets reduce water usage, prevent pollution and produce fertiliser from a waste product. Built properly they can be attractive, family friendly and low maintenance. The Compost Toilets Guide will help you build and maintain your compost toilet.
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Wind & solar electricity: a practical, DIY guide. 3rd edition
The author has been generating his own electricity from wind and sun for several decades. In editions one and two he shared his knowledge and experiences so that readers could do the same.
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Make your own essential oils & skin-care products
There are many books available on using essential oils – now there is one on how to make your own. Making your own essential oils can be a fascinating hobby, or for the professional aromatherapist, a way of ensuring that your products are fresh, unadulterated and organic.
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Gasification: succeeding with small-scale systems
A small-scale gasifier can provide electricity and motive power on demand using garden prunings and wood scraps. The technology, based on the principles of charcoal production, flourished 100 years ago until oil became cheap.
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Food smoking: a practical guide
Back in our cave-dwelling days, food smoking was used to preserve food and then our ancestors discovered just how great it makes food taste. Turan T. Turan has been a passionate smoker of food for many years, teaches courses all around UK and now crystallises his knowledge in Food Smoking: a Practical Guide.
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Timber for building: turning trees into houses
From growing trees, through felling them, to selecting the right wood for the tasks you have in mind, Andy Reynolds brings a lifetime of experience in forestry, carpentry and innovative thinking to timber for building.
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Make your own natural soaps
The author, Maxine Clarke grew up in Jamaica and as a child was taught to make soaps by her grandmother. ‘Make Your Own Natural Soaps’ is intended for beginners, includes both hot and cold process soap making, with careful step-by-step instructions.
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Heating with wood (second edition)
This book covers everything you need to know about wood heating, from planning a system, choosing, sizing, installing & making a stove, obtaining & storing firewood, and cooking with wood, to heating your water with a back boiler.
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How to spin (just about anything)
‘A veritable encyclopedia of spinning know-how, this book has the beginner in mind, but experienced spinners will find plenty of helpful new tips. Janet is an experienced teacher – her comprehensive instructions allow new spinners to get started with the minimum of equipment and give those who have a wheel already a full understanding of its operation.
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Herbal remedies: how to make, use & grow them (2nd ed.)
This book teaches you to identify, grow and harvest medicinal plants. It shows you how to make a range of simple medicines including ointments, salves, syrups, oils, compresses, infusions and decoctions.
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Solar hot water
Particularly applicable to domestic dwellings in the UK, although the principles described are widely adopted throughout the developed world. Lee has over 10 years of experience in consulting, training and installation work, field trials, technical research and developmental thinking in the solar thermal industry.
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How to build a wind pump
Good for developed or developing countries, the wind pump described in this book can pump rainwater, greywater, river, pond or well water for irrigation, aerate a fish pond, run a water feature or even be a bird scarer.
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Knit 1 Bike 1: a knitting & cycling tour of Scotland
Knit 1 Bike 1 is the light-hearted story of a woolly cycle journey around Scotland. Textile artist Janet Renouf-Miller cycled over 800 miles on her Brompton folding bicycle, connecting with people, telling their stories and giving workshops all over Scotland.
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The Loveliest Loo
The loveliest Loo tells of a girl’s unexpected discovery of a different kind of toilet, a compost toilet… and one with a surprise! The Loveliest Loo will make you laugh as you ponder the most basic elements of life and how we regard them. A charming story about a beautifully simple way to conserve our natural resources.