Container resort home, anyone?

Could you guess just by looking at this photo that this home is made up of six shipping containers?

It is located at Berjaya Hill, Bukit Tinggi in Pahang and took 4 months to complete.  Don't believe me?  Then watch how it is done by Anand Bungalows Sdn Bhd.



Like that?  Here are 15 more container home ideas to drool over.

You are famous, Aunty Nancy!

"You are famous, Aunty Nancy!"

So, what have I done to make a child said that?

I have been doing my ThRRRees (3Rs), that is, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and writing about these activities in this blog. The editor of a local newspaper, The Star, has noticed my efforts and in conjunction with World Environment Day on 5 June 2008, decided to write an article about me.

World Environment Day? How does one celebrate it?

This year, the event is hosted by New Zealand and the theme is "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy". Activities based on its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality has been going on in its capital, Wellington, since the 28th of May and this will go on till the 13th of June. If you are there, you maybe lucky enough to receive some of the eco-friendly handouts being given out, such as, light-bulbs and shopping bags.

Need help celebrating it in Malaysia? Then check out "Green Everyday" highlighted by The Star. And if you are in on this celebration, you can register your green activities with United Nation Environment Programme.

This is how I would like to celebrate it. I am sharing my 10 incentives for going green.

| View | Upload your own

Add your own. You may stand a chance to be in the news too.

Used cooking oil? You bet! Am saving!

Now that we are aware of the value of used cooking oil, let's look into ways to save it from our food.

If you are into boiling soup with meat, you will notice that the fat from the meat will rise above the surface of the soup. Since it is not healthy to take too much oily stuff, you can skim it off the soup with a fine mesh scoop.

Should you have any leftover soup in your pot, pour it into a bowl and wait till it is cold before storing it in the fridge. If you check it the next day, you will notice a film of opaque fat that you can easily remove with a spoon. If you do not want it to turn rancid, scoop that into a glass bottle and keep it frozen in the fridge.

The top layer that you see in this photo is actually chicken fat from a leftover dish I made for dinner yesterday.



My daughter helped me to scoop the fat out...



and put it into a cooking pot.



This is actually still good for cooking another dish with.

Don't believe me? Check out how my fried rice cooked with this fat and leftover rice turned out.



To add more flavour to it, I added eggs with salt, leftover meat, soya sauce and some garlic oil. If you have enough fat from the chicken, your fried rice will taste a little like chicken rice.

I used to buy only lean meat and request my chicken supplier to skin and remove fat from the white meat. If you are a regular customer, I am sure that your supplier will not mind giving you extra portions of fat that his customers had requested him to remove from the meat.

Here are other ways you can extract oil from your red or white meat.

Method 1
1) Remove fat and skin from your red or white meat.
2) Dice the fat and skin.
3) Heat up a pan and add a little water to it before you place your fat and skin into the pan.
4) Keep heating this till you see oil melting into the water.
5) You can keep adding a little water if it dries up. This way, your fat will not burn black.
6) It is done once you noticed that the fat and skin don't shrink any further.

Don't worry if you have added too much water into the pan. Just cool the liquid down before pouring it into a bowl. Put it into the fridge and skim the fat off the next day.

Method 2
Follow steps 1 to 4 but this time do not keep adding water to the pan. The idea is to fry it till the fat and skin is crispy brown. Strain the oil to store and use the crispy fat to add flavour to your fried noodle or rice.

If you think that is not healthy for you, than mix it into your pet food. Your pets will love it.

Remember to make use of the sauce that is still on the pan before you wash your pan. Less oil on your pan means less detergent = less water used.

Another golden rule is not to wash your plastic wares with oily pans or you will have to wash your wares many times over to get rid of the fat.

If you think you are able to collect enough used cooking oil to start your recovered cooking oil business, check out these links:

Set up a business? You need calculators.

Setting up business in Malaysia

Ministries in Malaysia handling grants, licences and permits? Found at one spot.

Need other sources of green funds? Look for "birds of a feather" and possibly a chance to win a green award along the way.

This is it for the moment till I get my hands on more useful links to start this business.

MyKad Recycle Rewards Community Programme

I have been given a task by the community in the neighbourhood I am part of. I am looking for someone to collect the organic waste we have collected after cleaning up the park.

I know for a fact that some recyclers use organic waste to run their paper mills and may be willing to pay for them. It's great if I can locate one near Bandar Sungai Long. The fee we can collect from recycling can be used to organise activities we have in mind.

My search for "organic waste for fuel malaysia" brought me to Eco Web. From there, I search for companies in Malaysia and discovered that Brunswick Industries Sdn Bhd is running a "MyKad Recycle Rewards Community Programme" as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

This means that as long as you are a Malaysian with MyKad, you will be rewarded with "nRinggit" for turning in your recyclables. You can use your "nRinggit" to redeem shopping vouchers, electronic or electrical product and even cash.

So, where can you send your recyclables to? They have a niffy box on the left hand side of their website for you to enter your postal code to locate the recyclers nearest you. Sadly, the participation level of recyclers towards this programme is low and I discovered that only 3 companies in Perak are participating.

Not one to give up, I browsed Kementerian Perumahan Dan Kerajaan Tempatan website, which is one of the links posted there. I made a few calls and discovered that you can get a free copy of "Kitar Semula Directory" that lists recyclers at the following address:

Ministry Of Housing & Local Authority
Pusat Bandar Damansara
50782 Kuala Lumpur
Cik Tahlia: Tel No: 03-2099 2370

So, what are you waiting for? Spread the news about "MyKad Recycle Rewards Community Programme". Look through the directory and inform the recyclers in your locality about your interest to participate and get them involved.

You can participate through any of these programmes:

1) As an Organisation Member by involving your company.
2) Encourage your family, friends and neighbours to join you as Individual Member.
3) If you have the venue and human resources to collect and sort recyclables find out if you can join as an Operator.

Planting trees? Get 10 free!

Thinking of planting trees but you have no idea how to go about it? If you are living in America, you are in luck because all you have to do is be a member of The Arbor Day Foundation and they will send you 10 free trees, guaranteed to grow in your area or they will replaced them free.



On top of that, you will also receive:

1) A Free Copy of The Tree Book, your expert guide to tree care and conservation.


2) Arbor Day Foundation's bimonthly publication.
3) Member Savings of 33% - 56% on the purchase of trees, plants and bulbs.

The annual subscription fee is USD10 but if you are a member of Woodmen of the World, you need only pay USD7.50.

If you are living in Malaysia and thinking of planting timber trees commercially, you can look into getting an 80% or 90% loan for your venture from "The Forest Plantation Loan", offered by the federal government. This is a 15-year programme to ensure that there will be enough raw material supply for the plywood, veneer and furniture making factories in the years ahead.

The loan is not open to applicants who intend to grow oil palm trees and species of high commercial value you can consider planting are:

Kelempayan
Bantai Binuang
Rubberwood
Khaya
Acacia mangium

If you opt to plant rubber trees, you will have to be able to fund 10% of the investment in your plantation. Eligible participants will receive RM5,400 per hectare. Applicants for other kind of timber trees must be able to fund 20% of the investment and if eligible, will receive RM3,200 per hectare. You will start repaying the loan once your trees are mature enough to be harvested. The payback rate of 3.5% is not compounded.

Need more information about trees before you take the plunge commercially or for a greener environment?


Maybe The Tree Guide posted by Arbor Day and the tree database from World Agro Forestry Centre will help you some.

No recycling bins? Stop complaining.

Are you complaining that there are no recycling bins in your neighbourhood? Do you know that you can do something about it? If you are able to find a suitable venue in your neighbourhood, then this is what you have to do if you live in Malaysia.

If you are living in America, you are in luck. The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program is on to promote and support community recycling in the U.S for the collection of beverage container recyclables. Just send in your on-line submission by Friday, October 26, 2007 and if you are selected you will get:

1) Recycle bins of your choice
2) Expertise on how to set up recycling programs from the National Recycling Coalition

Where can you install the recycling bins? Just think

1) Sporting events
2) Music venues
3) Schools
4) Commercial locations
5) Non profit organizations
6) Government buildings

Love reading information like this? There is more posted at

Need green fund? Look for "birds of a feather"

Holes in clothes? Good for framing.

Way before my marriage, I used to crochet baby clothings for my friends, nieces and nephews. Sadly, when I have my own kids, I never got around to creating for them. However, two of the pieces that I have handmade were returned to me so that my children could appreciate them too.

Now that they have outgrown them, I wonder what I should do with them. Unraveling them to create something new would be such a waste as they were created for my first born nephew and niece who are now in their twenties.




I recall one of my former teachers kept a "My Baby's First Year" book where she kept records of her only daughter. She has even kept her baby hair and a tooth. She brought it to school as she would like one of my classmates to calligraph the notes she has written in pencil on it. She would like to present it as a 21st birthday present to her daughter. Isn't that a grand thought? I think I should keep these pieces and maybe frame them up as keepsake.

And talking about calligraphy and framing; I read in the newspaper recently that Calligraphy art teacher, Husain Omar, framed his work with songket fabric. So, incorporating this idea, a little write up about the keepsake can be useful if there is a stain or hole on the material that you intend to keep. If Calligraphy is not your forte, print out a photo of the child wearing that piece and place it over the unsightly spot. If I can find my mom's old clothings, maybe I can use the fabric as bases for family photos and have them framed. Imagine what an ice breaker it will be for visitors if I can find a photo of her wearing the base... oops, I mean the clothes.

I noticed that most of my Malay friends who have children tend to enjoy sewing for them. So, if this idea of framing keepsakes with some notes appeals to them, they will be pleased to know that this Calligraphy art teacher plans to conduct free Calligraphy classes in Jawi. Husain Omar can be reached at 012-344-0066 for details. Check with him to see if it is an offense to use Jawi this way!

Want this project handmade all the way? Following are some free tutorials I have discovered:

"How To Make Picture Frames" from FrameCo provides pictures of tools you need and ways to save on the material you will be using.

How to Picture Frame, A Nine Step Tutorial from Framing4Yourself.

Empty barrels? Needed for Green Buildings.

The cost of utilities can be reduced if we can find ways to eliminate wasting energy and natural resources. Our government is looking into that direction and has started "Green Building Mission", a campaign to build environmentally friendly green buildings to work or live in.

Let us start with what we have wasted all year round; the sun and rain.



I have covered on the solar energy, so let us look into how we can save the rain water.

For that all you need are empty plastic barrels, that have been used to contain food or soap type products, and some kits and Dan Chapotelle's pictorial instruction on "How to Make Rainbarrels".

Why save rain water for buildings only? It would be nice if residents in my neighbourhood catch on this idea and look into installing them at the park. Other than collecting the rain water for watering the plants in the park, it can also be handy for washing foot wear of owners who have been busy admiring blooms and missed... or should it be... did not miss the dog poo.

Staying focus, as I may have got some of you interested in "Green Building Mission", here are the scopes our Prime Ministry, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, would like Malaysians to work on:

1) Sustainable site planning
2) Safeguarding water and water efficiency
3) Energy efficiency and renewable engergy
4) Conservation of materials and resources
5) Indoor environmental quality
6) Innovation in design

Look into ways to incorporate solar panels, windmills, low impact hydroelectricity, bio-mass and bio-gas into our life. Reduce use of fuel. Plan and develop routes and public transport that will bring the public to their destinations of work, entertainment or home, especially, public institution or facilities, such as, schools, hospitals or libraries.

Yes, I can see these in my future:

1) Solar panels installed in all buildings to generate energy.
2) Rainwater collected into a beautiful man made lake for washing cars, watering the gardens of surrounding homes or cooling roof tops.
3) Shoes and bicycles that will generate battery packed energy.
4) Motion sensitive devices installed along frequently used walkways to help generate energy.
5) Green waste collected from homes and parks to be used as fuel or to create fertiliser.
6) Solar panel street lights.
7) Windmills in parks and highland to generate energy to replace solar powered energy during less sunny days.
8) Car pooling is a way of life.

Seashells? Grow plants with them.

Many people think that plants from cold countries will not grow well in our sunny climate. That is why one of my neighbours had been planting his daffodils from Netherlands in the shade. To encourage the plant to bloom, he fertilized it so much that there are baby bulbs growing all around the giant main bulb right in the centre of the pot. He gave up growing them when they failed to flower and I became the lucky new owner.

I did a search on daffodils and discovered that if the main bulb keeps developing new bulbs they will not have as much energy to develop leaves and flowers, so, over fertilizing the plant will not help the blooming process. Also the plant only blooms in its home country only in Spring. So, I separated the smaller bulbs from the main one and placed the plant where it will get the sun and not too long after that, my daffodils started blooming.

In Netherlands, Jaap Leenen grows his daffodils not in soil but in 2m square trays of 5cm thick layer of seashells that have been thoroughly washed. Why use seashells? Unlike soil, they are bacteria, worms and fungi free thus enabling his company to harvest the cleaner bulbs for pharmaceutical use. And the daffodils grown this way also produce longer lasting blooms. The bulbs are sold to companies who used them to prepare galantamine that can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease.

So, take time to talk to the older folks in the family to see if they have any hand me down herbal remedies that use bulbs from plants. Then pop by Wayne Schmidt's Flowering Bulbs web page to learn how to grow them properly.

Once you are able to grow them in large quantity using seashells, of course, then head down to Kedah BioResources Corporation Sdn Bhd to see if they can help you commercialise your herbal formula.

Climate Change? Create awareness.

I attended a talk, "Linking Climate Change to Engergy Use and Transport", by Anthony Tan of CETDEM when it was conducted at Bandar Sungai Long Buddhist Society.

The awareness he instilled in me makes me more conscious about not leaving electrical equipment on "ready" mode. I also look at lightings and energy consuming items in my house differently. While working on the "Energy Audit Form" provided by Anthony, I was very drawn to websites highlighting energy and cost saving consumption ideas. Following are some useful websites that I have discovered:

Saving Electricity by Michael Bluejay

Lighting and Daylighting by EERE (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, USA)

If you find the information from these US websites interesting, then join Anthony for his Malaysian views in his next talk:

“CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY CONSUMPTION & TRANSPORT: The Linkages.”

Date: Sunday, 9th September 2007
Time: 1:00-2:30pm

Venue:
Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia Kajang,
4 Jalan Reko, 43000 Kajang

ADMISSION IS FREE AND ALL ARE WELCOME.

Does it matter whether you support and participate in such events? Severn Cullis-Suzuki has the answer for you 15 years ago, when she was speaking for E.C.O., The Environmental Children's organisation.

Garbage? Stolen from bins.

This is happening in Malaysia! People are stealing rubbish from garbage bins.

Thieves used to go for anything metallic when the price of steel shoot up. When manhole covers, fences, electrical installations, water meters, pumping or electrical or telephone cables installed by public utilities started disappearing, the relevant statutory boards have to collaborate to create "I-Watch" awareness. In the campaign of "I Watch, I Report, I Prevent" they seek the public's co-operation to call "999" if they come across any suspicious activities around cables and utilities to prevent further thefts.

Rightly, we should, as it will also prevent mishaps from happening. Imagine a train running over railway lines with tracks missing or driving or walking into a manhole as its cover has been stolen.

The stolen rubbish saga came about when our Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, try to stop indiscriminate dumping by mooting the "Cash for Trash" year-long programme in Meru, Klang. Residents of residential housing in that area will be paid 10 sen per kg if they send their garbage to the collection centre. This is a very cost effective idea as its success means that local council do not have to hire as many private contractors to collect rubbish.

The programme pulled off because villages in Meru are cleaner while fellow residents have been complaining that their neighbours are stealing their household garbage. Hopefully the ministry will extend this programme to other areas as well as that means that other than eying recyclables and what they should not, like our street signs and beautifully decorated grille edges gates, scavengers can now go for rubbish.

Missed buying "I'm Not A Plastic Bag"?

Are you depressed because you failed to get hold of Anya Hindmarch’s "I’m Not A Plastic Bag" creation at just RM55? Here is a doctor's prescription. Take 2 actions today and get yourself out of depression:

1) Create your very own bag.
2) Spread this message around.

For action 1), I have Puteri to inspire you with her creations. Look around her blog and you will find lots of pictures and links to free tutorials on hobbies she enjoys working on. And that is how I discovered that Crafter has issued a "Reusable Shopping Bag Challenge". The idea is to create a reusable grocery bag and stencil it with an eco-friendly statement or decorate it some how with an environmentally-friendly theme.

I love it that Crafter has provided some links to free tutorials on how to create bags:

Morsbags gives step by step instructions.

You will be spoiled for choice checking out the list provided by jMi, the handbags moderator for Crafter.

Need a template to work with? Let queenofdiy, who is a Friend of Craftster, show you how with your plastic bag.

Post pictures of your creation by Aug 1 to Aug 5 2007 and you will have a chance to win "Simply Spray" aerosol cans of paint (only if you live in USA) and have your work featured on Crafter's blog.

If you are not into sewing, you are allowed to decorate ready made bags with environmentally-friendly theme. So, there, you do not have to worry about running out of time to sew.

Crafter heard about this project called Morsbags where people get together and make cloth reusable shopping bags for themselves and to hand out to others. The objective is to tally up the number of bags made by Crafter's members and add it to Morsbag's tally, which has a calculation telling you how many disposable plastic bags your cloth bag will have displaced and in which part of the region.

So, just do it for a greener environment if not to get yourself out of depression. What depression? Remember Anya Hindmarch’s "I’m Not A Plastic Bag" at just RM55 you missed buying? Hmmm, this could be a start of a healing therapy cum bag business. Take action 2) and it may help you find a business partner.

Something meaningful? Recycle these.

The next time you think about throwing away your old or out of fashion cutleries or cooking utensils, think about "Food Not Bombs Kuala Lumpur". This movement is made up of a group of volunteers who collect unwanted foodstuff and vegetables from the market to cook vegetarian meals for the destitute.

Other than foodstuff, they are also looking for:

1) pots
2) pans
3) trays
4) platters
5) plastic plates
6) any utensils for cooking or serving food

Go to their website and click on "Activities" and it will lead you to the time and locations where food will be served. If you are interested to be part of this group, sign up or call Kimy at 012-2438406 or Nunu at 012-3488260 for details of their next monthly meeting at S & M Food Court, Kota Raya.

Not creative. Now what?

Some less artistically inclined people wonder what they can do to help keep the environment green. If creating art out of abandoned material is just not your forte too, try this out.

Find a place and find someone who can talk about keeping the environment green. Set the date and inform your friends about it so that you can learn with them some tips about saving energy = saving money = creating awareness about global warming.

"Linking Climate Change to Engergy Use and Transport", is the interesting topic, Anthony Tan, the Exe Director of Centre for Environment Technology and Development Malaysia (CETDEM) will be talking about at:

Sungai Long Buddhist Society
Date: 9th July 2007
At 8.30pm.

Need map to location?

Do your part for the environment and help spread such information around.

A GreenBeing Mention

The Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative, SOS, is a project of the Zero Waste Alliance. I am proud to highlight that my "GreenBeings Invasion" website has received their attention. Read their "Eco-Friendly Fund Raising" article and see if they deserve to win the National Recycling Coalition's Annual Awards and make your nominations.

http://www.zerowaste.org/schools/documents/Eco-Friendly_Fundraising.pdf

For details of what this award is about:

Recognizing the Best in Recycling: NRC's Annual Awards

Each year, the NRC presents awards to outstanding organizations and individuals in a number of categories. Winners are selected by a committee of NRC members and the awards are presented during the NRC's Annual Congress & Exposition.

We are now accepting nominations for eleven awards, which will be presented at the 26th Annual Congress & Expo in Denver this September.

This year, we are looking for stand-out candidates for these awards:

* Outstanding Recycling Organization (for NRC-affiliated ROs)
* Recycler of the Year - Lifetime Achievement
* Best Local Elected Recycling Leader
* Outstanding Corporate Leadership (The Schmitt Award)
* Outstanding Environmental & Community Leadership (The McClure Award)
* Outstanding Public Education (The Boettner Award)
* Outstanding Community or Government Program
* Outstanding College or University Program
* Outstanding K-12 School Program
* Outstanding Recycling Innovation - Product or Process
* Outstanding Market Development

All nominations must be made by an NRC member, and NRC members may nominate themselves. However, nominees are not required to be NRC members. Winners are selected by a committee of NRC members led by Committee Chair Lisa Skumatz.

Nominations are due at 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 28, 2007. For more information, download the:

Award Instructions
http://www.americarecyclesday.org/mobius/award_instructions07.pdf

and the Nomination Outline (a Word document):
http://www.americarecyclesday.org/mobius/nomination_outline07.doc

Green knowledge? Fertilize it!

I have a very interesting conversation with other "greenies" invited for the event, "Recycling: A Business Opportunity for Women", at Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM) on 13 June. Lying on bed and recalling them with what I already know, it was just like creating a hybrid, while I should be sleeping. I have decided to fertilise this hybrid in my imagination towards creating something fruitful.

A problem in Malaysia:
In Malaysia, there are low cost flats. These buildings are usually not well taken care off and litters are often indiscriminately thrown by the residents. There is also space constraints and some family members have to sleep on the floor of their sitting rooms.

What I like about living in Singapore:
Housing Development Board (HDB) flats are government subsidised flats in Singapore. In every unit, under the wash basin in the kitchen, they are chutes installed for owners to discard their rubbish.





The rubbish drops down this chute and lands in a huge bin placed on the ground floor. Every morning, the municipal workers pull this bin out of its enclosure to remove the trash collected.

The ground floors of most HDB flats are big open space with concrete tables and chairs installed for recreational purposes. With the approval of the municipal, functions can be held in this area. There is a water pipe installed at one section to facilitate cooking for the event.

What I heard about the Swedes:
They have different days for recycling different waste. For example, if they are allowed to discard paper only in their dustbin on a particular day, the garbage collector will not pick up any other stuff in the dustbin except for the recyclable designated for pick up.

Societies have successfully raised fund for needy with recyclables:
All residents in a flat should consider forming a multi racial cooperative and consider making money from recycling collectively. They can do what the Swedes do and designate days for each type of recyclable. Relevant recyclers must send in their tenders to enable them to be chosen by the cooperative as the main recycler and only for the waste type they are dealing in.

Collection of green or organic waste from the kitchen:
The rubbish chute should only be used to discard green or organic waste from the kitchen. Used oil should be collected separately so that it can be used as a catalyst for making compost or for making soap. Compost can be used to fertilise the fruit trees grown around the flat.

A Cooperative stall for economies of scale:
All income derived from these activities go towards buying food stuff and things that are required by the residents of the flat on a wholesale basis so that they can enjoy economies of scale. The cooperative can open a stall on the ground floor so that they can make money out of the goods on hand by selling them to outsiders. With the stall on the ground floor, residents save on fuel as they do not have to drive out to buy what they need.

Storage space reduction:
A Cooperative stall on the ground floor means that residents do not have to buy things ahead and store them at home nor do they need a bigger refrigerator since all perishable can be purchased as and when needed. This will eliminate problems with space constraint and open up more space for other activities.

Incentive to residents from the government:
Residents will be encouraged to use the lifts at designated peak period to save on electricity if the government provide points towards rewarding this effort. These points can be used in exchange of product sold by the cooperative.

Teaching and selling handcrafted work out of abandoned material:
Stay at home mothers should be encouraged to network with one another. The best way is to learn a craft together in the community hall beside the cooperative stall. Handmade creation can be sold at the cooperative. Women who are good at cooking can prepare food for sales at the cafe cum library beside the community hall. This way, mothers do not have to worry about their children while they learn a new trade. Make it a meaningful project.

The Cooperative as a training ground for trading:
The Cooperative can be manned by paid residents on rotation. In the process, they will learn how to manage a store and earn an income in the process.

A paper recycler said he needs green waste as fuel:
Other than collecting green waste for making compost, these can be collected and sold to recyclers for fuel in their recycling processes.

Prevent global warming with car pool:
For children going to the same school and residents working in the same area.

Conserving natural resources and creating green energy:
1) Solar panel should be installed to generate energy for the flat.
2) Rainwater should be collected into a man made pond for washing cars and watering the orchard.
3) Shoes and bicycles for children should be invented to enable them to generate energy from utilizing them in their daily activities.
4) Devices should be installed along frequently used walkways to help generate energy.

A figment in my imagination but a possibility of the future because I have written about it. Share your green dreams.

Not good at selling? Try teaching.

Teaching what you are good at crafting is a good way to show off your talents. Some creations look very simple to the eyes but once you try to recreate the design, you may find that it is not as easy as it looks. So, when you start teaching, you may come across students who prefer to buy your creations, over making their own, even when they already know the basics.

So, where can you start your class? If you have an odd student now and then, consider teaching from your home. If you need a classroom to teach a group of students, look around your neighbourhood to see if there are societies or associations that have vacant halls available for rent. Some of these establishments subsidise part of the fees for members to encourage higher participation in activities they organise. So, that could mean more students for you.

If you live near my neighbourhood of Kajang or Cheras, check out the facility of Bandar Sungai Long Buddhist Society, as they do rent out their halls on adhoc basis. If you time your lessons to start when their library is opened, you can leave your elder children to enjoy the books there while you teach.

Recently, I attended a cooking class organised by a company selling cookware. They held it at a shop selling wares and ingredients for baking. So, if you are a good cook, you may want to ask shops you regularly buy your ingredients from to see if there is such an option for you.

Do you know anyone in the civil service? Some government agencies organise pre-retirement training programme for their staff. There are some that organise training for the underprivileged or single parents. Following are some I know of:

INTAN Bukit Kiara
Jalan Bukit Kiara,
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel : 603 – 2084 7777
Fax : 603 – 2093 9490
E-mail : maklumbalas@intanbk.intan.my

Kemas
Community Development Division (KEMAS)
Ministry of Rural Development,
Tingkat 5, Blok E,
Komplek Pejabat Kerajaan Bukit Perdana,
Jalan Dato' Onn,
50606 Kuala Lumpur
60-3-2066744
60-3-2069308

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia
Wisma Putra
No 1, Jalan Wisma Putra
Precint 2
62602 Putrajaya
Tel: 603-8887 4000
Tel: 603-8887 4570 (after working hours)
Fax: 603-8889 1717 / 603-8889 2816

Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWK)
Aras 1-6, Blok E,
Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan Bukit Perdana,
Jalan Dato' Onn
50515 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.
Tel: 03-2693 0095
Faks: 03-2693 4982
E-mail: info@kpwkm.gov.my

If you are good at sewing and living in Kuantan, write to Hamimah of Women's Institute of Pahang (WIP) Needlework Centre
Lot 14, Taman Mahkota Putra,
Bandar Indera Mahkota,
Kuantan, Pahang
Tel: 09-573 3241

Think you are the brave type to try this out? Federal prison inmates need vocational trainers.

If you see potential in teaching at these government agencies, you may have to register your company to be eligible to apply. myGovernment Portal is the best site to visit for information about setting up your company.

What? You think it is better to sell over teaching after all? No worry, I have covered that in my earlier posting.

The free tutorials here. Do they work?

My write up about Cindy and her crochet cassette tape bags has inspired one of my neighbours, Mrs Chin, to create her own. As she does not know how to read the instruction on Cindy's website, I have offered to help her out.

I took out my "Crochet & Needle Work - 880 Patterns" book that I have with me since 1976 and asked her to select a design she likes. While working with the cassette tapes, she realised that it is not easy to manipulate them over the size 4 hook as she was crocheting two pieces of tapes together. So, I passed her some of my left over wool to work into the design so that she does not have to use as much of the tape.

I helped her with the finishing and this is the result of our efforts.



I have taken up a stall at Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, on 22 May and Mrs Chin has decided to sell her creation there. This is the bracelet I have created with the rest of the wool to go with the bag.



Attached it to this bag when you wear it and you will not have to worry about being snatched.



If you like what you see, pop by to catch us in the act. The event to launch a book related to home-based business starts at 9.30am.

My Codd Bottle. The only one in Malaysia?

I have received the Codd's bottle that I won from in a competition at Karl's blog. It came with a message from Karl to keep up my good work with the blog. Thank you, Karl.

Here is a picture, taken by my little boy, of me holding on to my "collector's item" bottle and the "very smile inducing" message.



Looking at the strange bottle meant for "The Dee Mineral Water Co Ltd", it makes me wonder if I am the only one in Malaysia owning one. The glass is very thick and the bottle shape, about 1/3 down its opening, is pinched towards the centre at both sides. There is a glass ball sitting on the slit of its upper half and a rubber spacer at its bottom. Here is a clearer picture of it.



You want to know how I won it? Read about it at this link:

I won! I won! Talking about nature.

Fashion show, a way to save the environment?

What has fashion show got to do with the environment? Ever since I started this blog about recycling for a living, I have attracted many like minded people.

I received this picture of a mini skirt and top knitted from colored and black previously-used shopping bags.



I was so impressed by it that I did a search on the sender and this is the secret that I have discovered. There is such a following as the Haute Trash and Shaun Muscolo is one of the designers who produce fashion wear out of trash. Before you pinch your nose and say "Yeeak!", take a look at photos by Mr. Tommy Gleason to see what they are wearing at their fashion runway shows. Another photographer of such events I have discovered is Chris Coffin.

If you have been inspired to try your hands at this, there is an opportunity for you to showcase your creations. Just fill in this Fashion and Environment Exhibition from. Yes, I have signed in for this too.

Need more suggestions to start?

How about creating t-shirt with natural dye? I have some examples of such dye on my blog for painting eggs.

And if you live by a river, you may want to put the mud you have been complaining about to good use. Let Kimberly Michelle Jones, an Africana Graduate Student tells you how. You may not have all the ingredient or time needed but if you play around with what you have in your environment, you maybe able to create your very own mud dye recipe from each states in Malaysia. Example, for the solution of tea that comes from the Bogalon tree, try the Chinese tea that produces the darkest solution. When I used a henna hair dye recipe, lemon was added so that the natural colour stays. Maybe that can be added. You may also want to check out your competition first at African and Silk Fabrics.

You can also create clothes, bags and accessories using leftover fabric. What do you mean that's too tacky? Look at what shop owner, Rina Matsui, has created at Flowerdrum in Malaysia.

You can also read how similar minded beings from Earth are doing it at Treehugger.