#the sauces are an investment but they get reused multiple times

[amethystsoda]

Depression meal/low energy food hack!

-tai pei chicken fried rice (is microwaved frozen for only 4 minutes—has vegetables and protein)

-When done, add the Panda Express Sweet and Tangy Beijing sauce and Bachans original Japanese bbq sauce

Literally, it takes mid fried rice to something mildly spicy and super tasty and saves you spoons when you need it 💕

[acti-veg]

15 Vegan Budgeting Tips

1) Buy in bulk. Items with a long shelf-life can often be bought at a significant discount in bulk. This means having to pull together more money for the initial purchase, but in the long-term it works out far cheaper. Some of the most notable items are rice, pasta, noodles, seeds, grains and nut butters. Buying small packets of these products are cheap, but buying large volumes of them will end up costing significantly less. Never buy small packs of microwavable rice or anything else - as the mark ups on these are often huge.

2) Buy frozen/canned goods. Frozen and canned items usually have a much longer shelf life at a mere fraction of the price of fresh. They’re just as nutritious (sometimes moreso as it locks in nutritients shortly after picking) and are very quick to prepare if you’re short on time.

3) Buy irregular items. Many supermarkets will sell irregular produce, these are usually purely cosmetic imperfections and won’t have any impact on taste or nutrition. Things like bruised fruit can be purchased and used for desserts or cooked, and damaged vegetables aren’t even noticeable once they’ve been properly prepared. Keep an eye on sell by dates though.

4) Buy seasonally. Fresh vegetables are not always expensive. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are usually cheap in most supermarkets; you just have to be a little more adaptable in terms of what you are using to prepare your food. Some items like apples, bananas, carrots, turnips, onions, cabbage and cauliflower are fairly inexpensive all year round.

5) Prepare simple meals. Relying on simple meals can get you into the habit of living and eating plant-based on a budget. A meal like beans/chickpeas/lentils and rice/noodles/pasta with some frozen veg and spices is thrown in is incredibly cheap, very easy to prepare, filling and healthy. If you can throw together quick sauces you can make a huge variety of dishes with just simple ingredients like these, with minimal time or cooking ability required. I have a list of 25 cheap vegan staples here.

6) Prepare in batches. Instead of cooking enough for just one meal, try to cook enough for multiple servings. If you invest in some reusable containers and ziplock freezer bags, you can freeze or refrigerate these meals for later. This usually works out cheaper too, since it cuts down on waste and will let you reuse leftovers, which is great for reducing food waste. It is also likely to make you less tempted to spend money on takeaway, expensive ready meals or fast food when you don’t have the time or the energy to prepare a meal for yourself.

7) Invest in spices. Setting up a decent spice rack isn’t just for foodies, it can make your cooking much more interesting, and crucially, much less expensive. Buying pre-made sauces when you can prepare your own very simply with cheap spices is a waste, and you can make simple meals much more appealing with some flavouring. Don’t worry too much if you don’t know which spice goes with which ingredients - just experiment and you’ll pick it up in no time.

8) Bring your own.  When you’re going out for the day, pack yourself the things you know you'll end up buying. This might mean a lunch, water, a flask of tea/coffee, some nuts or a cereal/protein bar. This will make it less likely you'll find yourself stuck with nothing to eat or drink, and you won't be so tempted to fork out for an expensive store bought item.

9) Make your own. If you have the time, making your own version of pre-made products is usually far cheaper. This is especially true of things like hummus, salads, sandwiches, oat milk, seitan, falafal and cakes.

10) Grow your own. Even if you’re just keeping a couple of herb plants by your window, or growing salad leaves in a pot outside or on your balcony, they’re really easy to maintain and will save you some money. If you can then extend that to simple vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes and spinach, which can also be grown in pots outside or on your balcony, and you’ll be able to reduce the amount of produce you have to buy. Some vegetables, like zucchini and other squashes, are notorious for producing more than you could reasonably eat!

11) Buy used. Whether you're looking at kitchenware or clothing, check out your local second hand stores before you jump to a new purchase. Apps like vinted or eBay are great for second hand items, and much of what ends up there is fast fashion, which isn't usually made of premium fabrics like wool, silk or leather.

12) Try discount stores. Have a look in your local discount store; it's easy to assume you need to go to health stores for vegan items, but you can often find everything from spices to cheap toiletries and cleaning supplies.. Many of the items on the lower end of the price spectrum are vegan, you just need to run a quick search for the product and brand online to make sure.

13) Think long-term. Sometimes you just don't have the funds to opt for anything other than the cheapest item to replace something broken, but if you can afford to go without for a while and save up, going for a quality option will save you money in the long run, especially when it comes to shoes, coats, bags and bags.

14) Don't rush to replace. When you first go vegan it can be tempting to rush to replace all your non-vegan items, but you shouldn't do this. It's no big deal to use those leather boots or that belt until they're run down. The harm has already been done, and buying a new item is always less sustainable than keeping an old one.

15) Go easy on yourself. The cost of living is high right now, and vegan options may not be accessible to you at times. If you find a pair of sturdy leather boots or a wool coat that you need and can't afford anything else, don't beat yourself up about it. Opt for vegan items whenever possible, but no good vegan will judge you for doing what you have to do to make ends meet during difficult times.

[immedtech]

This in-home water recycler is meant to help the planet, and your wallet

With concerns over water scarcity on the rise, companies are increasingly looking to give people ways to reduce their water consumption. For Hydraloop founder and CEO Arthur Valkieser, the answer was clear: Build a device that gives homeowners and building developers a way to sterilize and reuse their water.

Hydraloop's namesake product is about the size of a refrigerator (except much flatter) and hooks into your home's existing water system. Once installed, it'll take in outgoing waste water and process it in multiple ways: Think sedimentation, flotation, dissolved air flotation and foam fractionation. That treated water is then processed by an aerobic bioreactor, and finally disinfected with UV light. That... is admittedly a lot to take in, but these sort of treatments are regularly used in combination and large-scale water treatment facilities. And after the treatments are complete, the resulting clean water springs forth from the Hydraloop to be reused in toilets, washing machines, pools and even in the garden.

This multi-step process is Hydraloop's secret sauce, and, it's a far more nuanced solution than just filtering solid waste out of water, or using chemicals to sterilize it. Both of those methods require more regular maintenance than your average homeowner may want to invest. Not so much with the Hydraloop: You can optimize certain settings and get a sense of what how much water you're saving in a companion mobile app, but otherwise, direct maintenance is pretty minimal. As Ron Popeil might put it, you're really supposed to set it and forget it.

But what do you actually stand to save? A bit of Valkieser's math suggests that a four-person household taking daily showers, using the toilet regularly and using a standard washing machine for clothes could save up to 20,000 gallons of water per year. That's not just good for the environment -- it's good for your wallet, too.

Valkieser says around 100 of these units are currently being used throughout Europe and Asia, and it plans to start bringing them to the US this year. (In fact, that's why they're at CES -- they're hunting for new or better distribution deals.) At $4,000 per unit, Hydraloops aren't exactly cheap, but those recurring monthly water savings should help recoup that initial investment over time. And honestly, with the earth in the condition it's in today, $4,000 might be a small price to pay to know you're doing your part.

- Repost from: engadget Post

[itslikethatfrenchthing]

HOW TO EASILY REPURPOSE VIDEO CONTENT ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS

  Is video content a part of your marketing plan?

Want some tools to help you get more fuel out of each video you create?

In this post, you’ll discover how to repurpose one video into content that can be distributed on your blog, podcast and many social channels.

P.S. Want to create EPIC blog posts in way less time? Grab your free cheat sheet of the 30 best blogging tools below!

THE SECRET SAUCE: REPURPOSING HELPS YOU DELIVER HIGH QUALITY CONTENT CONSISTENTLY

Have you heard the concept of “content shock”? This asserts that the amount of content being produced at any given time far exceeds the audience’s ability to consume it.

It’s SO important to produce high-quality content. But the reality is that 95% of your content won’t be consumed by a wide audience, no matter how hard you’ve worked on it.

I bet you’re familiar with the Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule). It applies perfectly here. 

80% of your results will come from just 20% of your content. So 80% of your blog visitors will come from 20% of your blog posts, and so on.

So given this data, there’s a question lingering in our minds. How do you approach creating content that’s:

Valuable to your audience

Positions you as an expert in your field

And lets you reap the benefits of content and social media marketing?

The answer is content repurposing.

By reusing quality content you’ve created, you can populate several channels at the same time. All without spending time creating new content from scratch.

Before we get into the tips, let’s briefly go over the video content definition:

Video content marketing means creating and distributing valuable & consistent video content to your target audience. It has the aim of attracting, engaging, and converting qualified leads.

Video content marketing is a strategic marketing approach that puts the wants and needs of buyers first. We ultimately want to drive more profitable customer action.

As a video content creator, you have to consider how video can be integrated into every stage and channel of your marketing strategy. Including putting it alongside other forms of content like blog posts and podcasts. Your focus is creating video content that is:

Useful

Entertaining

Interesting

This will encourage them to engage with you further.

Let’s move onto how you can start repurposing your video content for multiple platforms.

#1 | Start With A Video

Video content creation is the most complex form of content to produce. But it’s also the type that can have the biggest impact on your business. It helps you create rapport with your audience and generate a solid reputation (provided the content is valuable to viewers).

The importance of video in marketing is tenfold. People engage with video more than any other form of content (written, audio, images, etc.). In fact, YouTube has an average session duration of 9 minutes and 28 seconds. That’s more than many other social networks.

Plus, video is easy to repurpose into content for your other channels. For instance, video content can work well for both YouTube and Facebook advertising. So you might reuse your organic videos and turn them into valuable Facebooks ads later on.

The best part is that you don’t have to be a professional filmmaker to create a video marketing strategy. All you need to get started is a smartphone. 

If you’re camera-shy, don’t worry. You can share your screen and create videos around a specific topic with slides and other forms of media. It doesn’t matter what type of videos you create, as long as you’re creating them.

Here’s the bottom line. Video content and production work can help you:

Get more sales

Position your brand as an authority 

Give value to your target audience

You’ve got a solid video in hand. Now here’s how to repurpose pieces of it to create written and audio content for your other platforms.

#2 | Use Rev To Transcribe Your Video

Rev is a service that will transcribe the audio in your video. The fee is $1 per minute to make a transcription. The turnaround time is 24 hours or less for videos that are 30 minutes and shorter.

To get started, sign up for a Rev account and then click the Services tab. From there, either upload your video files or enter the URL where you’ve posted or scheduled it.

Then you’ll see checkboxes for two additional services you can add to your order:

Timestamping will synch the audio with timestamps in the transcription.

Verbatim will include filler words (like um or uh) and nonverbal communication in your transcript.

After your make your selections, place your order.

#3 | Use Audacity To Rip Audio From Your Video

The next step is to rip audio from your video content.

To do this, download Audacity, which is free open-source software that’s simple to use. It’s available for both Mac and Windows.

To get started, you need your video file. If your video is already on YouTube, you can download it as an MP4. In YouTube Studio, navigate down to your video in Video Manager, click the Edit button and select “Download MP4”.

Once you have the video file, the next step is to extract the audio from it.

After you install Audacity, you also need to install the optional LAME MP3 encoder and FFmpeg library. To do this, navigate to Preferences, select Libraries on the left, and click the Download buttons next to both LAME MP3 Library and FFmpeg Library. Then follow the prompts to instal both libraries.

Once the libraries are installed, you need to import your video into Audacity. Choose File > Open and navigate to your video file.

Then choose File > Export > Export as MP3 to download the audio file to your computer.

Want to create EPIC blog posts in way less time? Grab your free cheat sheet of the 30 best blogging tools below!

#4 | Populate Your Social Channels With Content Repurposed From Your Video

You have all the elements that make up your pillar content (video, audio, and written content). Now you can use it to populate your blog and other networks. This is the foundation of your video content marketing strategy.

Your YouTube Channel

Upload your video to YouTube and use the transcription as the captions for the video.

In Creator Studio, navigate to your video and choose Subtitles/CC from the Edit drop-down menu.

Next, click the Add New Subtitles or CC button on the right and select your language (if necessary). Then click Transcribe and Auto-Sync, as shown below.

Now paste your transcript into the Video Transcript box. YouTube will replace the automatically generated subtitles with your transcript. This also impacts your YouTube rankings.

Your Blog

You can also use video content marketing and turn the transcript of a video into a fully-fledged blog post. Populating your post with the video content you’ve already created will also give you SEO benefits. Use internal linking within your posts for additional impact.

As an alternative, you can embed the video on your website to get some SEO value from having rich media embedded in your blog post, as shown in my example below. Summarise the main points of the video and paste the transcript below the embedded video.

Your Podcast Show

To repurpose the video’s audio, upload your MP3 files to a platform like Libsyn or Soundcloud to be used as a podcast.

Just upload the audio file, add a title, description and either publish it or schedule it ready to go.

Your Facebook page or Group

Upload your videos natively to your Facebook page and include the summary as part of the post. 

Instagram

Take still shots from your videos and turn them into posts for Instagram. Use the summary in your captions to get more reach and send people back to your video.

Twitter

Tweet your still shots, video and blog post, so you can populate your Twitter timeline with the same content. Twitter will also embed your video and audio platform posts in the tweets.

SlideShare

Turn your video content transcript into a PDF and upload it to SlideShare. This means you can get backlinks to your YouTube video and blog post.

Creating video content is an easy and highly effective way to start repurposing your content. It will allow you to walk away with lots of solid video content ideas and developed social media channels. It also doesn’t require any huge investments and can be managed in-house.

What do you think of this video marketing guide? Will you use some of these tactics to repurpose your video content? What tips can you offer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Want to create EPIC blog posts in way less time? Grab your free cheat sheet of the 30 best blogging tools below!

  from Blog https://ift.tt/2NUBPVZ via IFTTT

[everythingbychoice]

You may be familiar with the motto from the environmental movement, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." These three actions are focused on reducing waste, whether through the conservation of raw materials and energy, or the reuse and recycling of products. You can do your part in reducing waste by watching what you buy, by supplying your own packaging, and carefully considering what you do with each item you purchase once it is no longer useful to you. There are also simple habits you can develop that will allow you to consume less water and electricity and being green isn't time-consuming. It saves you money and you derive a sense of satisfaction from making environmentally friendly choices

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Reduce Your Use of Materials and Energy

Buy products with less packaging. Avoid single-serve or individually wrapped items.[1] Shop at stores that have bulk dispensers for grains, nuts, dried fruits, and snacks. Bring your own plastic bag or container to put the bulk food in. And try to buy bulk sizes of food or sanitary products, which saves on packaging.[2]

When buying produce at the grocery store, avoid packing the product in an extra plastic bag if it isn’t necessary. Vegetables such as potatoes, onions, peppers, tomatoes, beets; and fruits such as bananas, apples, plums, and melons shouldn’t require an extra bag.

Instead of buying canned soup or pasta sauce, read up in a cookbook how prepare these at home.

Practice “precycling” by only buying products whose materials can be recycled.[3]

Take a reusable bag with you shopping. Take durable canvas or synthetic-fiber bags, a backpack, or a basket with you to the store, enough to hold whatever you plan on buying.[4] These can usually be bought at the stores themselves. A heavy-duty plastic bag that you use multiple times can serve the purpose almost as well.

Do without disposables. Disposables contribute large amounts of waste to our environment. They include things like plastic forks, knives, plates, and cups. They also include things like diapers and razor blades. Instead of buying items that you'll throw away after using them, buy items that you can use again and again. For example:[5]

Instead of using disposable diapers, try cloth diapers or nappies. You will have to clean them more often, but you'll reduce waste.

Get a razor with replaceable blades rather than a disposable razor. You'll still have to throw the old blades away, but you'll save the plastic handle.

For picnics, serve with re-usable plastic or wooden plates, cups, and utensils instead of disposable paper or plastic ones.[6]

Cut down on electricity use. Turn off or unplug any electrical appliances that aren't being used, such as the TV, radio, stereo, computer, lights, or chargers for cellphones or mp3 players. Try to wash clothes by hand, and dry them outside as much as possible. And if you purchase appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers, choose ones that are rated with the Energy Star classification.[7]

Replace all incandescent lightbulbs with Energy-Star-rated compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), which can save you $6 in energy costs per year.[8]

Try towel drying your hair instead of blow-drying it.

If it is cold inside your residence, just put on a jacket or sweater instead of turning up the heat.

Use less water. Try to reduce your shower time to between 5 and 10 minutes. Turn off the water when shampooing or scrubbing. Take fewer baths as well, since they can consume more water than a short shower.

When you brush your teeth, turn off the faucet between soaking and rinsing the brush.

Stop junk mail and paper billing. If you’re receiving junk mail, call the sending company’s 800 number, usually found on the offer or order page, and ask to be removed from their mailing list.[9]

Request electronic bill instead of paper ones for all your utilities, member dues, and other periodical payments. You can choose this when signing up for an account.

If you are already receiving paper bills, it is not too late to change. Access your account online or by phone, and see if you can switch to electronic bills instead.

Consider alternative transportation. Try to walk, bike, or take public transit to school or work. If possible, invest in an electric or hybrid vehicle--these options are more fuel-efficient and emit less carbon into the atmosphere.

Organize carpools with your neighbors or co-workers to reduce fossil fuel use.

Choosing a residence as close as possible to your place of work will reduce both your commute time and energy consumption.[10]

Take the stairs. Escalators and elevators are convenient, but sometimes they are not necessary, especially if you only have to travel 1 or 2 floors. Not only will taking the stairs save electricity, but you'll also get some exercise in. You also won't have to wait in line.

Escalators and elevators cost money to run. By taking the stairs, you may see lower prices (if you’re at a shopping center) or a higher salary (if you’re at an office building).

There are instances where taking escalators or elevators may be necessary, such as if you have an injury, a bad knee, or need to get to the 24th floor.

[Edit]Reuse a Variety of Goods

Save packing materials. Hang on to any boxes, envelopes, and other packing materials from products you buy or receive in the mail. You can repurpose these when you need a container to put gifts in before wrapping them, when mailing envelopes or boxes, and when you need packing materials, such as styrofoam peanuts, for a shipment.[11]

Boxes can take up a lot of space. Save 1 box to store all of your packaging materials in, but fold the other boxes up so that they take up less space.

Buy and donate used clothing. Shopping at thrift or consignment stores is an excellent way to pass up energy- and materials-wasting new products. To support these stores’ operations, get in the habit of regularly clearing out your closet, garage, and basement to find items you’re willing to donate.[12]

You can also hand clothing down to your siblings. If you and your wears wear a similar size, consider trading outfits with them.

When donating clothes, make sure that everything is in good condition. Don't donate old, worn, dirty, or torn clothing.

Purchase reusable products. Favor food products packaged in reusable jars, bottles, and recyclable plastic bins. These can be useful for storing leftovers.[13] And by using nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries, you’ll avoid contributing to the toxic waste source of disposable batteries.[14]

Instead of buying bottled water, fill up a reusable plastic bottle or glass jar from the faucet. If you buy bottled water for health reasons, get the largest size available to cut down on packaging waste.

Use washable fabric handkerchiefs and dinner napkins instead of disposable tissues.

Opt for a used car. It takes a considerable amount of energy and raw materials to manufacture a new car. Buying a compact, fuel-efficient used car keeps you from contributing to this waste and the pollution it produces. These vehicles also will consume less fuel, while taking up less space on the roads and in parking lots.

Look for cars from the 1990s or early 2000s that typically get 30-40 miles per gallon, such as the Geo Metro, Ford Festiva or Aspire, Honda CRX HF, Toyota Tercel or Corolla, Mazda Protege, or Dodge Colt.[15]

Buying used motorbikes and bicycles can also save resources.

Save plastic and paper bags. You can reuse them to carry your groceries or even as trash bags. They’re also good for storing partially-used produce in the refrigerator, protecting fragile or potentially leaky items in a suitcase, and for general carrying around.

Use a plastic shopping bag for small trashcans, instead of buying small garbage bags.

Some stores sell nice reusable bags. Consider getting a few of these and keeping them in your car so that you can use them when shopping.

Turn old materials into art. Fabrics, papers, cardboards, metals, and plastics can all be easily used for arts and crafts. Some items can be purely decorative, such as collages, while other items can be more useful, such as coin purses. For example:

Transform old magazine photos into a collage.

Turn plastic bottles into coin purses.

Make a scarecrow for your garden out of old clothes and packing materials.

Turn mason jars or metal cans into planters for your herbs.

[Edit]Getting Into the Recycling Habit

Shop for recycled products. Check the labels of paper, plastic, and metal products to see if they were made from recycled materials. Look for a phrase near the barcode that says something like, “This product was made from 50% post-consumer recycled material.”[16]

Some items are made from biodegradable materials. For example, some plastic and straws are made from biodegradable corn.

Sort your recyclables. Near your kitchen garbage can, arrange a separate waste bin or bag to hold glass, plastic, and metal recyclable materials. Place another container nearby to hold newspapers and cardboard, if your city requires these to be disposed of separately.

Not all cities require you to sort recyclables. Check with your city's recycling rules regarding sorting, pick-up times, etc.

Not all plastics are the same. Some of them can be recycled while others can't. Check the numbers on the bottom of your plastic item, then refer to your city's recycling rules.

Take advantage of your local recycling center. If curbside pickup up of recyclables is not available in your area, locate the recycling facility nearest to your residence. Be sure to note the hours of operation, since some centers have limited access times.

For example, do an internet search for “[the name of your city or county] municipal recycling facility.”

Some recycling centers pay you to bring recyclables in.

Check local restrictions. Take a look at the FAQ webpage for your city or county’s recycling facility, which should list which materials that are and are not accepted for recycling. Materials such as styrofoam and some plastics are commonly turned away by recycling centers.

On the bottom of plastic containers, look for a number surrounded by three arrows--the universal recycling symbol. The number is an SPI Resin Identification Code, which indicates the type of plastic.[17] The lower the number, the more likely it will be accepted.[18]

Recycle old electronics. Computers, cell phones, tablets, stereo equipment, microwaves, and similar devices contain toxic metals and other chemicals. It’s best to have these recycled to reduce their environmental impact. Check with your local recycling center about drop-off times for electronic devices. Or donate your equipment to a local non-profit, such as a community center or veterans’ association.[19]

Some computer companies, such as Dell, offer to pick up your unwanted computer free of charge for recycling.[20] Hewlett-Packard recycles ink cartridges, laptop batteries, and cell phones, among others.[21] Apple offers a gift card in exchange for your old computer.[22]

Compost your food and yard waste. Instead of throwing away what you don’t eat, and tossing your landscaping trimmings, why not put them towards a compost heap for your garden? This way you’ll save on fertilizer, and spare your city some change in reduced waste pickup. You can buy a plastic compost bin at most garden centers.

Commonly composted materials include vegetable and fruit scraps, egg shells, straw, hair and fur, coffee grounds, tea bags, horse manure, grass and plant cuttings, and leaves.

Avoid composting dairy products, meat and fish, cooked foods, weeds, tissues, treated or colored paper, and coal ash.[23]

[Edit]Tips

To have a more significant impact, encourage your friends and family to reduce, reuse, and recycle as well.

For a new and cool way to put your hair up, use some chopsticks in your bun instead of buying a new plastic clip.

[Edit]Related wikiHows

Recycle

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

↑ http://www.wwf.org.au/get_involved/change_the_way_you_live/recycle_reuse_reduce/

↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics

↑ http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/reduce/reduce-waste/index.htm

↑ http://www.wwf.org.au/get_involved/change_the_way_you_live/recycle_reuse_reduce/

↑ http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/G314.pdf

↑ http://www.recycleforwales.org.uk/re-use/reuse-more/beginners-guide-reuse

↑ https://www.energystar.gov/

↑ http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/G314.pdf

↑ http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/reduce/reduce-waste/index.htm

↑ http://ehs.columbia.edu/ReduceReuseRecycle.html

↑ http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/G314.pdf

↑ http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_g/G314.pdf

↑ http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/reduce.html

↑ http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/disposable-vs-rechargeable-batteries.html

↑ https://www.wired.com/2008/05/the-ultimate-pr/

↑ http://www.wwf.org.au/get_involved/change_the_way_you_live/recycle_reuse_reduce/

↑ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/how-do-i-recycle-common-recyclables

↑ http://www.wwf.org.au/get_involved/change_the_way_you_live/recycle_reuse_reduce/

↑ http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/materials/computers.html

↑ http://www.dell.com/learn/uk/en/ukcorp1/corp-comm/globalrecycling?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=corp&redirect=1

↑ http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/environment/product-recycling.html

↑ http://www.apple.com/shop/help/recycle

↑ http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/materials/composting.html

[compunetss]

How to put an end to Wi-Fi frustrations As more and more devices shift from wired to wireless networks, poor Wi-Fi is becoming the number one cause of frustration in homes and offices. Here's how to fix your Wi-Fi woes.

As more and more devices shift from wired to wireless networks, poor Wi-Fi is becoming the number one cause of frustration in homes and offices. Here's how to fix your Wi-Fi issues for good.

Must read: Top tech fitness gadgets to help you get fit and healthy

Being wire-free is awesome, but nothing seems to push people to the point of hating life more than not being able to connect to the internet or other devices on the network.

In my experience, Wi-Fi problems tend to fall into one of two broad categories:

Poor quality Wi-Fi routers: the truth is that a lot of domestic (and for that matter, commercial) Wi-Fi routers are not really very good

Poor signal: problems include interference, overlapping Wi-Fi channels, and signal being blocked by walls/ceilings

You can also end up with a combination of the two problems.

The most common answer that people have to poor Wi-Fi is to throw routers and access points into the mix. This is something that I've done myself (after all, it feels like recycling to reuse old kit). Problem is that this not only makes the network a lot more complicated and kludgy, but you can also make the problem worse by causing more interference.

So, what's the answer?

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Well, as the old adage goes, you can feel the pain of paying for a good tool once, or feel the pain every time you use a cheap tool. With that in mind, my advice to anyone suffering from poor Wi-Fi is to put in new pro-grade gear, and lately I've been having great success using Ubiquiti Networks hardware. I like their kit, and have been using it a lot lately and am very impressed by what it has to offer.

Sauce Labs: Comprehensive and Continuous Mobile App Testing

Tired of powering down to run tests on your mobile apps? With Sauce Labs, you can power through instead! We offer comprehensive mobile testing that lets you get on with your work without constantly stopping and running tests.

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I'm particularly impressed by Ubiquiti Networks' access points. The coverage offered by a single Unifi AP AC Pro access point far outstrips even commercial grade routers. What's more, these access points can be wall or ceiling mounted, powered over the Ethernet cable using a Power over Ethernet (PoE) adapter or switch, which means that no additional power sources needed.

Not only do these access points have the power to punch the signal through walls and ceilings, but they're also intelligent enough to be able to use the best Wi-Fi channels to reduce on interference and network congestion.

Additionally, the configuration and monitoring software allows you to configure channels, signal strength, and packets sent and received from each access point. You can also keep an eye on the clients attached to the network.

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Also, if you invest in the separate Unifi Security Gateway

Router you can access on pro metrics such as network latency and throughput, as well as activate features such as Deep Packet Inspection (DPI).

All this sounds expensive, but it's not as pricey as you might think. A single Unifi AP AC Pro access point is under $150 (I've seen them for about $125 on Amazon), and that's all you'd need to satisfy an apartment or even a small house. For those with more modest Wi-Fi requirements, the Unifi AP AC Lite is only $89.

If you want to geek out and get even more control over your network, the Unifi Security Gateway costs $120, with the pro version retailing for $299. Not cheap, but when you consider that a high-end consumer Wi-Fi router can cost around $300, with a whole-home Wi-Fi mesh system around $500, the enterprise gear starts to look cheap.

The bottom line is that by tearing out my mish-mash of consumer and semi-pro Wi-Fi gear (my network was a fabri-cobble of multiple devices from multiple vendors), and replacing all my access points with a Unifi AP AC Pro access point and a cloud key and security gateway, I've not only eliminated my Wi-Fi (and for that matter, network) frustrations, but I've also gotten to grips with the countless devices and users on my network, and put in place better controls on usage.

So not only am I happy, but so are all the other users on the network.

[acti-veg]

Going Vegan on a Budget

There are some real barriers for many people going vegan, from the heavy subsidies governments place on animal products but not on produce, to food deserts and lack of availability of plant based options in certain areas. It is a common misconception however, that veganism is inherently more expensive than a diet which includes animal products, and this is often an assumption based on seeing people eat specialty vegan ready meals and faux products. These products are popular and can be really helpful for a transitioning away from animal products, but they aren’t necessary for a vegan diet at all. 

Vegan staples include things like pastas, noodles, rice, breads, grains, legumes, nuts and nut butters, lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, soy, oats, cereals, and frozen, canned or fresh fruits and vegetables. These items represent some of the cheapest and most nutritious food sources in any supermarket and they are widely available. This makes perfect sense economically because the lower on the food chain you eat, the less work has gone into the final product and thus the cheaper it is. This is why most of the world’s poorest people subsist on primarily a vegetarian diet. 

While plant based eating is very accessible for most people, there are a few things you can do to make it even cheaper. 

1) Buy in bulk. Items with a long shelf-life can often be bought at a significant discount in bulk. This means having to pull together a little more money for the initial purchase, but in the long-term it works out far cheaper. Some of the most notable items are rice, pasta and noodles. Buying small packets of these products are cheap, but buying large sacks of them usually ends up costing as little as a quarter of the original price for the same amount.

2) Buy frozen/canned goods. Frozen and canned items usually have a significantly longer shelf life at a mere fraction of the price of fresh. The good news with frozen produce in particular is that you really don’t lose much of the nutritional value, if any, and they’re very quick to prepare if you’re short on time. You should also get into the habit of freezing items you usually might not, like bread, which will extend it’s shelf life significantly rather than wasting it. 

3) Buy “irregular.” Many supermarkets will sell irregular produce, these are usually purely cosmetic issues and won’t have any impact on taste or nutrition. Things like bruised fruit can be purchased and used for desserts or cooked, and damaged vegetables aren’t even noticeable once they’ve been properly prepared. Keep an eye on sell by dates though; many out of date items are perfectly edible but it will depend on the specific food, so you may want to do further research before purchasing those.

4) Buy seasonally.  Fresh vegetables are not always expensive. Seasonal vegetables are usually cheap in most supermarkets; you just have to be a little adaptable in terms of the ingredients you are using to prepare your food. Some vegetables like carrots, turnips, onions, cabbage and cauliflower are inexpensive all year round. Similarly, bananas and citrus fruits are available in most places fairly cheaply throughout the year. 

5) Buy from farmer’s markets. This will depends a lot on where you live, but farmer’s markets can be a very good source of cheap, fresh produce. Buying directly cuts the transportation costs and the supermarket premium, meaning that it is often much cheaper to buy fruits and vegetables directly from farmers. They can be a little hit and miss, but a few good finds at a farmer’s market can set you up with weeks worth of ingredients. 

6) Prepare simple meals. Relying on simple meals can get you into the habit of living and eating plant based on a budget. A meal like beans/chickpeas/lentils and rice/noodles/pasta is incredibly cheap, very easy to prepare, filling and usually pretty healthy too. If you can throw together quick sauces you can make a huge variety of dishes like curries and soups with just simple ingredients like these, with minimal prep time or cooking ability required.

7) Prepare in batches. Instead of cooking enough for just one meal, try to use all of your ingredients and cook enough for multiple servings. If you invest in some airtight containers or some reusable freezer bags you can freeze or refrigerate these meals for later. This usually works out cheaper too, since it cuts down on waste and will let you reuse leftovers. It is also likely to make you less tempted to spend money on takeaway, expensive ready meals or fast food when you don’t have the time or the energy to prepare a full meal.

8) Invest in spices. Setting up a decent spice rack isn’t just for foodies, it can make your cooking much more interesting, and crucially, much less expensive. Buying pre-made sauces when you can prepare your own very simply with cheap spices is a waste, and you can make the simple meals much more appealing with some flavouring. Don’t worry too much if you don’t know which spice goes with which ingredients, just experiment and you’ll pick it up in time.

9) Grow your own. This can sound like a lot of effort, but it doesn’t have to be. Even if you’re just keeping a couple of herb plants like mint or sage by your window, or growing salad leaves in a pot, they’re really easy to maintain and will save you some money in the long run. If you can then extend that to simple vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes and potatoes, which can also be grown in pots, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of produce you have to buy. It’ll take some time to get started, but it could be worth your while.

10) Use what you have. Some of the world’s best food comes from the most impoverished regions, because having limited resources forces you to be a little more creative. If you have leftovers then try combining them to make something new to you rather than buying more, and there are plenty of websites which allow you to search by which ingredients you have rather than what you want to make.  Getting used to this will also mean you can buy the ingredients which are cheap rather than just the ones you know what do do with. 

When it comes to other aspects of veganism like clothing, the good news is that veganism doesn’t limit your options a great deal in this respect. Synthetic or plant fibres are usually either similarly priced or cheaper than their animal based counterparts, and materials like faux leather are hard wearing and cosmetically very similar to the real thing. They are even cheaper when bought second-hand from thrift stores or online.

 For household products and cosmetics, you may be surprised to find out how many brands are not animal tested and don’t contain animal ingredients. They aren’t usually any more expensive than animal tested products are, either. Many budget drug stores offer “accidentally” vegan items, and many makeup brands offer a wide range of good vegan options. You’re looking for the leaping bunny symbol on labels, as well as checking the ingredients to make sure that animal products are not used. 

If you don’t feel like you are in a place where you can go 100% vegan at this stage in your life then don’t worry, veganism is about avoiding animal exploitation as far as is practicable. So long as you’re doing your absolute best to be as vegan as you can be, then that is really all anyone can expect. Veganism isn’t about purity, it’s about doing your best to reduce the harm you cause as much as you’re able to, given your own health and circumstances.

If you’re interested in trying to go vegan while on a limited budget, then you may also find the following resources helpful:

A guide to going vegan

Cheap vegan recipes

Cheap vegan essentials

Plant based on a budget

Vegan on a budget

Vegan-under-poverty

Vegan spoons and pennies

Vegan on $5 a day

$25 a week food plan

Vegan on food stamp budget

Low cost vegan meal plans

Vegan Society meal plan

Veganuary meal plans

Vegan health meal plans

30 day vegan program

Cheap vegan meal ideas

Cheap vegan college meals

Easy to grow vegetables

Cruelty free cosmetics

Vegan household products

(More resources available at Acti-veg.com)