Eco friendly solutions in St Maarten / Sint Martin
After a quiet July, August was a busy month for the Green SXM Pilot Compost Project. The first batch of compost has been almost entirely used up, and chamber 1 of the composter is now full with batch 2. Once again, the compost is hot (above 140 degrees Fahrenheit) , and aerated using forced air from a blower, reducing the frequency of turning the pile.
Continue reading “Batch 2 is Cooking – Green SXM Pilot Compost Project: Month 3”
The dump is on fire and there is a haze in the air. What can you do about it? Air Purifiers, Plants, and Masks – Do They Help? Continue reading “Air Purifiers, Plants, and Masks – Do They Help?”
When starting out with small compost piles, you can follow ‘rule of thumb’ measurements rather than calculating the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Simply add one part green to two parts brown, and your compost should be roughly balanced.
Continue reading “Calculating Carbon to Nitrogen Ratios”
Meet Wynd – a small consumer air purifier and PM2.5 sensor.
We’ve been testing it out with the Sahara dust over the last few months and it has been reasonably accurate – following the trends in the particulate count predicted on the Windy app and those reported by the Met offices in Martinique, Guadeloup, and Puerto Rico.
For most of the past few months, we have had many days where Wynd has measured moderate to unhealthy levels of PM2.5 due to the increased dust. Â Sahara dust can be an irritant to sensitive individuals or those with Asthma and other lung issues.
St maarten has a poorly managed garbage dump in the great salt pond, bordering it’s capital, Philipsburg. On the 7th of August 2018 the St Maarten garbage dump erupted into flames once again.  What made this fire unique was low winds, low levels of Sahara dust, and dry clear weather – all good circumstances for comparing the PM2.5 levels in various areas.
Screenshots from the Wynd app:
Continue reading “Wynd Air Purifier”
St Maarten, like many other small islands, relies on desalinated water. This is not only expensive, but requires extensive use of energy (and fossil fuels) to produce. We should reuse as much water as possible, and DIY gray water irrigation is a fantastic and easy way to establish new fruit trees. Continue reading “Easy DIY Gray Water Irrigation”
