Short Summary
Bonnie is a landscape designer, Master Gardener and passionate about sustainability, gardening and food. Her least favorite task is weeding - it is never "done" and always takes more time and effort than it should. For gardeners around the world, the temptation to reach for the Roundup as a quick "fix" is lurking constantly even though the ecological damage that results is well known.
I decided to invent an organic herbicide sprayer that is simple to use, effective and easy on the Earth. I call it the Garden HotShot.The HotShot sprays a needle thin jet of 200F water mixed with citric acid. The hot water bursts the cellular structure of the plant and the acid dessicates the plant as it trys to regenerate. The small amount of acid remaining in the soil is quickly washed away by rain or a light watering. There is no danger of overspray, drift, accidedntal fires (as with garden "flamers"), and your yard is safe for plants, pets and children.
Use of the HotShot will give gardeners a healthy, safe alternative to use of Roundup in the outdoor environment resulting in healthier gardens, people, pets and food. Your contribution will make this possible. Currently the HotShot exists as a prototype as you can see in the video, it is built from espresso machine parts (laugh if you wish but it works!).
What We Need & What You Get
The funding we're asking for will be used to engineer ($15,000) and build 2 manufacturing prototypes ($5000) that will be used for demonstrations and to determine final manufacturing costs.
The Impact
Roundup use in yards and lawns is a major contributor to pollution. As weeds develop resistance to Roundup, more is needed to achieve the same effect which leads to greater pollution do downstream life in creeks and rivers.
The HotShot will diminish the need (and desire) to reach for the quick fix. With the HotShot you can easily kill 200 to 300 weeds/hour without bending, crawling, or stooping - just point and shoot.
With your help, gardeners will have an alternative and our environment will be safer and still weed free!
Other Ways You Can Help
Please help spread the word! Talk to your gardening friends, people you meet at the nursery, co-workers and please post to any gardening blogs you follow. The more eyes we get, the closer we get to keeping Roundup out of our gardens and homes.
Thanks from Michael and Bonnie!
