DIY Eco Guy

I set up a DIY “laundry to landscape” grey water system in the desert of Tucson, AZ where there are excellent classes and city rebates for these projects. Our clothes washer’s water now goes into a rainwater basin in our backyard and helps fruit trees and native grasses thrive. It took some elbow grease, but getting a proper education before embarking on this DIY project really helped. Learn more...

It was fun to duct tape together four 20" filters into a box shape, slap a box fan on the top, and start filtering my indoor air! It is relatively inexpensive, doesn't use much electricity, and does a pretty good job. This type of system has been coined a "Corsi-Rosenthal" box more recently, but has been around for some time. In this episode I dive into: • The history of these types of air filters...

The used EV tax credit, available only if you purchase from a dealer, should help more people enter the world of electric cars. Or if you purchase directly from a private party you can also expect to get a good deal and probably some great insider info on the car and how to keep it happy. Learn from my experience of finding my 2015 Nissan Leaf EV, making sure the battery was up to snuff and it had...

Keeping your exterior walls cooler during hot weather can really help decrease the amount of energy your air conditioner consumes and decrease the amount of very hot air your AC’s condenser expels outdoors (a major "urban heat island effect" contributor). Since many regions are warming up and heat waves are more common, I felt moved to explore this topic a bit and share some of what I’ve learned f...

In Tucson, AZ ByFusion ( https://www.byfusion.com/ ) can take discarded food packaging, plastic grocery bags and bubble wrap, etc, that recycling plants often can’t process and turn it into ByBlocks, 22-pound construction blocks. The ByBlock creation process just uses steam and compression. I discuss the plastics problem in general, the program here in Tucson, and other things you can do. Learn mo...

Want to cook with precise temperature control and zero harmful gasses? And have a cooler kitchen? Some hardcore cooks may still think natural gas is better, but things on the electric side have improved rapidly… I discuss how induction cooktops work, their pros and cons, and my experience using one over the last few months. Learn more by reading my Portable Electric Induction Cooktop — Natural Gas...

Rainwater harvesting is the use of rain for things like watering plants and trees in your yard (in “ rain gardens “), instead of letting it run off. Sometimes the best things in life are free. This is an ancient, inexpensive, and effective sustainability practice that is used around the world. It’s brilliance is in its simplicity. Nature and gravity do all the work. Rainwater harvesting is well kn...

Welcome to the DIY Eco Guy podcast. I discuss why this podcast was created and what topics I'll delve into. More info at diyecoguy.com . I'm passionate about nature and climate change and want to help others implement projects at home and in their communities. Taking action helps alleviate anxiety and creates forward momentum, one family at a time, one home at a time. Feel free to reach out at chr...