Using a tea kettle decreases energy by about 1/3.

Summary: Use an electric tea kettle to boil water for coffee, tea or cooking instead of a stove-top kettle or pan.


Leftover mint from the store or garden can be preserved for later use. To freeze your mint, place two washed mint leaves in each basin of an ice cube tray. Fill each with water. Freeze them until you’re ready to use the mint.  Once the mint cubes have frozen, remove them from the tray and place them in a plastic bag in the freezer. (Now you have your ice cube tray back!) When it’s time to use your mint, pull the ice cubes out of the freezer (as many as you need for how much mint you require) and place them in a bowl to thaw. When the ice has thawed, drain the water and pat the mint dry. Dried mint can be used to make teas, and can even be put into the reusable cups for single-serve coffee machines. Take the fresh sprigs of mint and loosely bundle a couple together with elastic bands. Hang them upside down somewhere warm and dry until the leaves are dry and brittle.  Mint contains more moisture than some other herbs, which means it can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks to dry, depending on the climate. The warmer and dryer the room you use for drying, the less time the process will take.  When the leaves are dry, place them in a bag or between sheets of wax paper and break them up. Store in a spice jar.

Summary: Freeze your mint leaves in an ice cube tray. Dry your mint.


To continue working the moss stitch, keep repeating the sequence for row 2. You can continue to work the moss stitch for as many rows as you want or need to for your project. When you are happy with the length of your project and finish the last stitch in your last row, simply chain 1 and tie off the final stitch. To do this pull, out the loop so that it is several inches wide. Then, cut it in the center. Tie the end of the yarn through the last stitch you made and cut the excess. If desired, you can also weave the tail into the edge of your work using a yarn needle. Thread the tail through the eye of the yarn needle and then weave the yarn in and out of the edge of your project. Tie the end of the tail through one of the stitches and cut the excess when the yarn gets too short to weave it through any more.

Summary: Repeat row 2 until your project is the desired length. Tie off the final stitch when you are done. Weave in the tail.


For this battery, you will need one unopened can of soda (any type will do), one plastic cup (6 to 8 ounces), and one 3/4-inch-wide strip of copper that's slightly longer than the height of the cup. In addition, you'll need a pair of scissors, a voltage meter, and two electrical lead wires with alligator clips at both ends.  If you don't already have these materials around your house, you can purchase them at a hardware store. You can substitute the copper strip with several pieces of copper wire stuck together or bent in a zig-zag fashion to reach the desired width. Note that the cup doesn't absolutely have to be plastic. It just has to be non-metallic. Styrofoam and paper cups will also work. Discard (or drink) any soda that remains in the can. Turn it upside down in the sink and give it a few extra shakes to make sure that all the soda is out. Cut a 3/4-inch-wide strip from the side of the soda can. Ensure that's it's slightly longer than the plastic cup's height; if this isn't possible, don't worry — you can just bend the top of the strip and let it hang over the edge of the cup and into the fluid.  Instead of cutting the can, you may purchase aluminum strips from a hardware store. Aluminum foil is not an effective replacement for an aluminum strip; don't use it! You can skip this step if you bought the aluminum from a hardware store. If you cut the strip from a soda can, you'll need to sand off the coatings (i.e. paint, plastic) on both sides of the strip. Ensure that the strips do not touch each other. Place them across from each other — not side by side or overlapping — in the cup.  Ideally you've cut the strips long enough that their tops sit above the soda, extending slightly past the rim of the cup. If the strips do not extend past the cup's rim, you can bend each strip lightly so that it hangs off the edge of the cup. Attach one lead wire to one metal strip by opening the alligator clip and closing it on the strip. Then, attach a different lead wire to the other metal strip, again using the alligator clip.  Be careful not to let the alligator clips touch the soda. It doesn't matter which color of wire attaches to which strip. Following the instructions that come with your voltage meter, connect a lead wire from each metal strip to the voltage meter. The meter should read your battery's voltage at roughly 3/4 of a volt.
Summary: Gather your materials. Fill the plastic cup roughly 3/4 full with soda. Make sure the soda can is completely empty. Cut a strip of aluminum from the soda can. Sand the aluminum strip (optional). Place the strips into the solution. Attach lead wires to metal strips. Test the battery.