I’m so excited about my new backyard! My husband Rob and I embarked on our eco backyard makeover last year and had to stop in November due to the holiday rush here at Greenfeet. Well, the sun is shining and we’re back at it and to make it complete, we need your help.

After 8 years of staring at an empty, dirt filled space we are ready to enjoy our backyard. And, since HGTV has yet to respond to our emails for a free backyard makeover, we figured we better do it ourselves. Our goal is to create a functional space where we can entertain, relax and work. We are creating a space that’s eco friendly, family friendly and suitable for our two rambunctious labradors to frolick and wrestle. We also want to invite wildlife such as birds and bees into our backyard.

So far, we’ve built a deck made with Trex decking (made from recycled plastic),sustainable wood and VOC free stain, we’ve almost finished a modest outdoor kitchen and water-saving outdoor shower, and we’ve planted flowerbeds with perennials and native plants (irrigated via drip system). We even nestled in a simple, yet elegant fountain for a water source (birds, bees and squirrels love it) and lovely ambiance. To keep our power bills down, we connected it to a switch that can be turned on and off from the deck for ease of use.  LED lights flow throughout the yard creating a wonderful glow and they take only pennies to operate.

Instead of water-intensive grass, we opted for a  low maintenance, beautiful off white/yellow agate pea gravel , and placed a fire pit in the center. Yep, no grass. We have a huge ash tree in our yard and grass just doesn’t seem to grow under it’s canopy. So, rather than fight it, we decided to opt for a more dog-friendly and earth-friendly option. You know what? I don’t miss the grass at all.

All we’re missing is the fun stuff – tables, chairs and our long awaited kegerator.

Yes, I’ve never been shy about my love of micro-brews. Fortunately, my husband shares my love of good beer. With that in mind, we’ve decided to add an extra bit of personality to our yard and pay homage to our love of brew with a handmade bottle cap table. Not only do we love beer, but we love to recycle and reuse whenever possible. This is where you come in.

I’m using an old, beat up table we’ve had for years. Rather than toss, we decided to re-make it into a conversation piece. To create this table top, I need a crap load of bottle caps. Now, I’m all about the DIY part, except I’ll have to check myself into rehab if I drink this much beer to complete the project by the middle of May.

So, I am making this offer to you: send me 25 beer bottle caps from your favorite micro-breweries and I’ll send you a recycled bike chain bottle opener as your reward for helping a girl out. You can check it out here.  Now, I do have a few restrictions. (I know, I know)

First, no cheerleader beer, PA-LEEZ. This includes Bud, Coors, Miller, Corona, etc. Sorry. While I have no problem with any of these ‘beers’, I have my standards and my reputation to uphold.

Second, please no caps from Sierra Nevada. Here in Chico, CA  Sierra Nevada is known as Chico tap water, and it runs freely through my veins and out my kitchen sink. In other words, I have more than enough.

Third, why are you still reading? Go get started. I must complete this project by Mid-May so start drinking!!!! I’d love a note accompanying your collection telling me which are your faves and why. I’d also love to know of any fun stories about your experiences collecting them. It just adds to the ‘coolness’ of the project.

Now, don’t fret about me having too many bottle caps. I have a decent size backyard and lots of projects in mind. I also have a beer-loving co-host (yep, that would be Dori) of our eco-funny podcast More Hip Than Hippie that would love a beer table too. So, send ‘em on in!

Here’s the address:

Greenfeet.com

Attn: Bottle Cap Val

275 Fairchild Avenue

Unit 107

Chico, CA 95973

And while you’re enjoying your favorite brews, comment here to let me know how you celebrated Earth Day and any tips you have for creating a sustainable, eco-friendly backyard space. This is a work in progress, so any and all tips or advice are welcome!

Thanks for your support!

Tags: beer, eco friendly backyard, green, green project, micro-brew, recycle and reuse

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 2:25 pm and is filed under Green Living, Pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.