Author: Emily Hutchison

A good rotating food storage system is one of the best ways to save time, money, and possibly help you in an emergency situation. Think about how much waste happens when your storage room is disorganized. Food gets pushed to the back of shelving, sometimes expiring before you get to it again. You don’t know what food you have or where you put it.  There are so many benefits to having your food storage organized. Even better, building a system is not difficult at all.

Save Money
Did you know that according to the Food and Agricultural Organization,  Americans waste $160 billion in waste every year?(1)  Most of that waste is perishable food, but expired canned food plays into that staggering number. If you have a good storage system, you know exactly what food you have and how much of it you have.  Because food doesn’t expire before you get to it, you save money by rotating your food and using it regularly.

Convenience
Having an organized pantry and storage room means you know exactly what you have on hand and what you need to replenish. You’ll never run out of your kitchen staples if you know what you have.  You can use your system as rotating food storage, using your food daily and replenishing when you need it.

Stay Prepared
You have your food storage because you want to be prepared, right? But how prepared are you if you don’t know what food you’ve stored? An efficient storage system helps you be prepared for you emergencies because you know exactly what resources you have.

Even a small storage room can benefit from a good storage system. While there are many options,  sloped shelves are an excellent way to store canned goods to ensure they are rotated properly. Sloped shelves let gravity do the work.  If you’re tight on space, slope just a few shelves and leave the rest flat for other food or water storage. The shelves can be as large or as small as your space allows. Remember not all cans are created equal so make sure to measure the size of cans you want to store and build your sloped shelves accordingly.

DIY Rolling Can Shelves 

Materials 

•  2x4s
• Plywood (2′ wide)
• 8′ corner bead strips
• Deck screws
• Stud finder
• Stapler
• Level

Steps 

1. Build the outer frame and make sure it is square.
2. Place the rails on the frame at a slope. It should be sloped at about 6 inches from the top of the rail to the bottom. This will help the cans rolls smoothly.
3. Measure the cans and space the rails accordingly.
4. Place the frame on the wall.
5. Trace the rails.
6. Use the stud finder to find the wall studs.
7. Screw the second set of rails into the studs. This will form the back wall of the shelving unit.
8. Measure the height of the cans. Place the corner bead strips along the plywood with enough space for the cans to roll smoothly. You can use CD cases as spacers.
9. Staple the corner bead strips to the plywood. The cans will roll between the corner bead down the length of the shelf.
10. Lay the shelves in the frame starting from the bottom and screw them in place.
11. Screw a piece of wood to the end of each shelve. This will prevent the cans from rolling onto the floor.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141013-food-waste-national-security-environment-science-ngfood/

Rainwater harvesting has been used since Ancient Rome. Water one of the most valuable resources we have. It is estimated that the average person wastes about 30 gallons of water each day. A rainwater collection system could reduce your household water use by a third simply by collecting rain from the roof. A rain collection system could supply your home with an extra 4500 gallons of water in the Utah Desert, and even more in wetter climates.

Collecting rainwater is good for the environment as well. Storm rains pick up trash, nutrients, and other pollutants. The rain moves through drains and into local bodies of water such as rivers and lakes impairing water quality. Rainwater collection will lessen the initial flush of stormwater runoff and reduce the amount of pollution that reaches local watersheds. Rain barrels can reduce stormwater runoff by 12 percent. Harvesting rainwater will reduce water withdrawal from lakes and rivers. It will provide water for gardens and landscaping. It will allow you to conserve water and save money.

DIY Rainwater Collection System 

Materials 

• 55-gallon drum with lid
• Paint Strainer
• 5-gallon bucket
• Gutter strainer
• Downspout fittings
• Cinder blocks
• 3/4″ spigot with turn ball valve
•  Permanent marker
• Drill with 7/8″ spade bit
• Jigsaw
• Half-round file
• Utility knife
• 1 1/4″ galvanized wood screws

Steps 

1. Drill a starter hole into the side of the 5-gallon bucket.
2. Use the jigsaw to cut the top off of the 5-gallon bucket.
3. Trace the outline of the 5-gallon bucket the 55-gallon drum lid.
4. Drill a starter hole in the drum lid.
5. Cut out the outline using the jigsaw. The top of the 5-gallon bucket should fit tight.
6. Drill a hole at the bottom of the 55-gallon drum. Use the file to slowly widen the hole until the spigot fits snugly.
7. Place the 55-gallon drum on top of the 3 cinder blocks.
8. Attach the downspout fitting to your existing rain gutter. The new downspout should run directly into the top of the 5-gallon bucket.
9. Make sure the new downspout is secure. Use brackets to attach it to the house if necessary.
10. Cut a hole in the lid of the of the 5-gallon bucket to allow the end of the downspout through.
11. Attach a paint strainer to the 5-gallon bucket. This will prevent large objects and bugs from getting into the water supply.  Make sure the paint strainer doesn’t hang too far into the rain barrel.
12. Place a gutter strainer in the open gutter on the roof. This will stop large items from falling into the rain gutter and clogging it.
13. Attach a hose to the spigot to water the garden easily.
14. Link several rain barrels together with PVC pipes to collect even more water.

Be sure to follow local regulations for rainwater harvesting. 

Photo Credit: http://struckcorp.com/diy-rainwater-harvesting-systems/

Source: https://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/files-ou/Publications/Rainwater-Harvesting-in-Utah.pdf

According to a 2012 poll of US adults, 53 percent do not have a minimum 3 day supply of non-perishable food or water. That is a scary number of unprepared families. Survival during a crisis will be very difficult without food and more importantly water. After about 3 days without water, your brain will begin to shrink and organs will start to shut down.

Cape Town, South Africa has been hit by a massive drought recently. There is a very real threat of running out of clean drinking water completely. A 2014 survey found that 1 in 4 of the world’s 500 largest cities face growing stress on their water supply. It is estimated that by 2030 the global demand for fresh water will outpace supply by 40 percent.

Storing water will ensure your family has access to clean drinking water during an emergency. Water doesn’t have a real expiration date, however, if stored incorrectly it can become toxic. Water should be stored in a cool, dry place such as a basement or windowless pantry. Sunlight and heat create the ideal conditions for bacteria and algae to grow.  Heating plastic containers will leach chemicals into the water faster.

DO

• Only store water in food grade containers.
• Plastic for water storage should be BPA free. BPA will leach into the water supply over time.
• Glass containers can be used to store water, only if they haven’t previously stored something else.
• Stainless steel containers won’t leach any chemicals into the water. Do not put tap water treated with chlorine in a stainless steel container.  The chlorine will erode the metal over time.
• Water blatters allow you to quickly line a bathtub and fill it during an emergency. Bathtubs aren’t sterile and they are open to contamination. A water blatter keeps the water sealed and clean. They can’t store up to 100 gallons.

DO NOT 

• Do not store water in anything other than food grade containers.
• Do not store water in a container that has previously housed oils or chemicals.
• Avoid washed out milk jug and juice or soda bottles for long terms water storage.
• Don’t store water in cardboard containers. Boxed water won’t last long.
• Do not store water in metal containers (except stainless steel). The container will break down and rust over time.
• Do not store water in containers that can’t be sealed. Open water is easy to contaminate.
• Avoid sunlight and direct heat when storing water.
• Avoid any containers that may have been contaminated.

Store water in a variety of containers sizes. This will make carrying water during an evacuation easier. Water should be rotated once a year even if stored in the best conditions.

Source: http://www.skilledsurvival.com/water-storage/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-42982959