Our good friend, Sam Whitmore of the Sam Whitmore Media Survey, just sent out an SWMS alert on web sites that comprise of independent experts, such as Seeking Alpha and the latest, Green Options. Sigh, wouldn’t it be nice if Robert Scoble, Michael Arrington, the Valleywag contingent, Om Malik, Gabe Rivera (ok, I’m running out of breath here), put all their blogs together–making a one-stop shop for those of us seeking the latest in tech news/gossip? I know, bad idea since they’d be cat fighting over the advertising dollars, but it would save me so much time… Anyway, I digress.

There are 21 bloggers on this site who report on socially responsible investing, sustainable education, eco-fashion, green celebrities (hello Leo!), and so on… However, I think my favorite part is the weekly green DIY section. There are so many green sites out there, but I have yet come across one that offers DIY green tips like this. Think of MAKE meets Inhabitat.

The featured DIY project this week was posted by Philip Proefrock, on how to build a solar hot water system–much less expensive than a solar photovoltaic system– and to my delight, ideal for an outdoor shower! The DIY post lays out a simple method for building an outdoor shower, and the materials and labor don’t seem too complicated.

I am in love with outdoor showers, they remind me of sandy summers at the beach, they don’t steam up the mirrors, and you can listen to the birds chirp while waiting for your conditioner (biodegradable of course) to set in. Furthermore, I find the prospect of an outdoor shower particularly appealing since I live in burning-hot San Jose and it looks like we’re going to have a scorching summer.

I am going to enlist the help of Jeb, my boyfriend who has 12 years of carpentry experience, to help me build this. Now, though we do have a big enough backyard for this project, I’ll have to secure my landlord’s permission. Hmmm… I’ll keep you posted.

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