September 2008

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Sign Up for Blog Action Day 2008

September 30, 2008 in Blogs & Blogging by Jennifer | No comments

Last year tons of bloggers participated in Blog Action Day 2007. 2007 was the kick off year for this fun event – the idea; to have bloggers all over the world come together to blog about one important issue on the same day. Last year’s topic was the environment, and I participated with many of my blogs. This blog wasn’t around last year, but it’s signed on for 2008.

This year, as you can see from the logo above, the topic is poverty, and I’m not quite sure what I’ll be posting about here, but poverty does affect housing and green living, so I’m sure I’ll pull something good together.

Are you signed up this year? Anyone with a blog, podcast, or so fourth can sign on to participate. All you have to do is register at Blog Action Day 2008, and then commit to blogging about poverty on October 15th.

Last year Blog Action Day was loads of fun. Tons of cool eco blogs (and neat non-green blogs) participated and it was great to see how everyone covered green issues from their blog’s unique perspective. An added perk is the extra traffic your blog will get (most of mine pulled in some extra readers). Hopefully this year you’ll join in and commit to Blog Action Day. Let me know if you’re participating so I can come visit your post.

Re-purpose the Furniture You Own

September 30, 2008 in Decor, Furniture & Appliances by Jennifer | No comments

Today we’re talking about sustainable furniture. One great way to own sustainable decor, with very little cost, is to re-purpose the furniture you already own. A close second choice is to remake furniture you find at a thrift store, garage sale, or antique store.

Some ideas for the furniture you already have:

1. Add new hardware: A new shelf knob or handle can remake an entire piece. Try something natural, like the Viola Knob from the Carol Beach Pressed Flower Knobs Collection or the recycled glass Drawer Pulls from the Aurora Accents Drawer Pulls Collection (available in six colors; Amethyst, Apricot, AquaBlue, ClassicClear, Cobalt, and Emerald). Both are available at Nature’s Hardware.

2. Refinish with healthy paints and non-toxic varnish: Don’t forget to sand your piece down first.

3. Use stencils: You can go one step beyond painting and stencil cool designs on a shelf or wall mirror. In fact, if you’re really creative, I’d go freehand.

4. Use covers: You can re-top a table with recycled glass tiles or cover that old couch with some new organic fabric.

To learn more read Reasonable Redecorating: Reuse, Refinish, and Repurpose.

Still to come: Places you can score sustainable furniture.

Sustainable Furniture Guidelines

September 30, 2008 in Decor, Furniture & Appliances by Jennifer | 2 comments

Incorporating green options into your home includes many aspects – building, energy systems, landscaping, interior decor, and even furniture. If you’re going to build or remodel green, why fill your home with toxic furniture?

Home decor is just as important as what’s on the outside of your house. Following are some tips that can make choosing sustainable furniture a little easier:

Look for the right wood: Make sure to buy furniture made from fast growing woods like bamboo or mango, or look for wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC is a worldwide healthy wood standard.

Re-make what you already have: Maybe you don’t need new furniture. You could refinish your current furniture and make it bright and new. Fresh non-toxic finish or paint, plus some cool new hardware (like shelf knobs made from natural items) can cast a new light on old pieces.

Recycled and reclaimed pieces: Another option is to choose thrift store, antique shop, or garage sale furniture. You can re-purpose a piece, although sometimes it’s perfect as is. You can also look for shops that specialize in reclaimed and recycled woods or full pieces.

Go organic: When it comes to recovering an old couch, or even buying new chairs, look for fabrics that are organic or even vintage (re-used).

Look for healthy finishes: You can have healthy, sustainable wood furniture, but if it’s slathered in toxic sealing chemicals, it sort of cancels out the good. Make sure your furniture is finished in eco-friendly paints and varnishes.

Forget leather: The upside of leather is that it lasts and lasts. Long lasting is a smart eco-trait. However, the downside of leather is of course you have to skin an animal to get it. Also, leather production is costly and an energy drain – you have to have pastures for cows, factories for production, and forests are cleared for grazing. Leather is not a good eco choice.

Buy local when possible: It’s not always easy to buy everything local, but if you can, it’s better for the earth. Shipping is a large energy drain and doesn’t foster community.

Later we’ll look at some sustainable furniture options – and some ideas for re-purposing what you already own.

[Reclaimed Wood Table with Stainless Channel Tray shown above available at Acacia]

Questions for A Green Home Remodel

September 29, 2008 in Sustainable Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

If you’re thinking of a green remodel for your house, there are some basic questions to consider.

General home questions:

What don’t you like about your current home?

What do you adore about your current home?

Do you have enough space? Too much space?

How efficient is your current insulation solution – is your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer without having to use huge energy drains?

Is there mold in your home? Other problems? Before a remodel, you do need to plan for the costs of taking care of current problematic issues.

What sort of alternative energy options appeal to you – how much work are you willing to put into alternative energy upkeep?

Window questions:

How much natural light does each room receive?

Is energy efficient glass used for all your windows?

Is it even feasible to change window placement if you choose – can skylights or solar lighting be implemented?

Are windows properly placed with roof overhang, or other sun blockers?

Outdoor living:

How can you bring more of the outside environment indoors?

Can you green renovate your landscaping during your remodel?

Money issues:

How much can you afford to spend on green renovations?

How are you spending now on utilities?

Will green renovations cost as much to build a new green home or relocate to a green home? If so, which choice is best for you?

How much money will green renovations save you in the long run – and how long until you recoup your costs.

What eco-benefits will a green remodel have and does that increase the worth of the remodel to you?

This is just a start. These questions will get you thinking, but the best thing to do if you’re considering a remodel is to speak with a green remodeling professional or a builder who has green know-how.

Quick Green Home Tip: Turn Down the Thermostat

September 28, 2008 in Green Your Home, Save Energy, Seasonal Tips by Jennifer | No comments

It’s getting cold, and you’ll probably be reaching for the thermostat. However, before you crank that sucker up, try the following…

More clothing – a sweater inside is ok.
Extra blankets at night.
Exercising indoors – although I’d draw the line at jump rope and jumping jacks if you live above someone.
Open the window shades during the day to let some sunshine in.
Co-sleep with another family member.

Once you do decide that it’s cold enough for your heater to be on, try setting it 3-5 degrees lower than you think it should be set at. For example, if you always blindly turn your thermostat to 68, see if you can set it at 64 and still stay warm enough. Experiment with how low is just fine vs. too low.

This tip can save you money as you save resources. The Department of Energy notes that you can save $40+ a year just by turning your thermostat down by 1 degree. Wow – you do the math.

Green Action for Autumn – Sealing Your Home for Winter

September 27, 2008 in Green Your Home, Save Energy, Seasonal Tips by Jennifer | 1 comment

Once the weather starts to cool down, it’s time to take some green actions at home to make sure your house can handle the upcoming chilly weather without a huge drain on resources or your wallet.

One action step you can take is to make sure your home is properly sealed up. If you built an energy efficient home to start with (or moved into one), then sealing is a chore you can probably avoid. Newer, and well-built energy efficient homes already take heating and cooling needs into account. However, if you live in an older home, apartment, or other dwelling that has yet to be properly remodeled for efficiency, then sealing is a must.

Sealing can save you hundreds of dollars a year on your energy bill, and sealing helps to reduce the amount of CO2 that emits into our environment each year as well.

Sealing basics:

Sealing is cool, because it’s fast and easy for most people – even if you’re non-handy. Basically you’ll be checking the spaces around windows, doors, crawl spaces, the attic, basement, and even lighting fixtures for incoming air or cracks. Sealing is also a super inexpensive fix. Every general hardware store carries materials like caulk, weather stripping, window plastic, and more for a song. Sealing will pay for itself very quickly, and your family will be more comfortable in your home.

If you need a quick primer about sealing your home for winter, take a look at Weekend Project: Air seal your home from the ever helpful Lifehacker. Another good guide is Getting Energy Ready for Winter from the California Energy Commission.

Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

September 27, 2008 in Green Audit by Jennifer | No comments

An important step in achieving green living at home (and even out and about) is to know where you stand right now. What level of green are you lingering at? Could you be greener, or are you already an eco-friendly super-star?

One of the best ways to learn where you stand is to calculate your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is simply a personal score you get that explains where you stand on issues like how you live, work, and play. Although carbon footprint tests vary, depending on where you take yours, they all take basic lifestyle choices into account, such as:

Your energy use
Commute times
Where you live and work
If you recycle
How often you fly on an airplane
Your general energy bill costs
Where you live
And more

Taking a carbon footprint test is free and only takes about 3-5 minutes. Once you have your carbon footprint score, you’ll know if you’re doing well or if you need to buckle down and work harder at green living – most sites offer tips for how to be more green after the test.

To calculate your own carbon footprint visit one of the following websites:

Using Environmental Landscaping at Your House

September 24, 2008 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 1 comment

Environmental landscaping is a simple concept. Eco landscaping simply means that your goal when planning home landscaping should be to make it work for your home – i.e by enhancing your home’s design, energy savings, and comfort. Another ideal would be to plan for landscaping that’s suitable to your climate and area, so you don’t use more energy and water than necessary just for landscaping.

Some basic tips for earth-friendly landscaping:

Use tree placement wisely: Trees planted in the correct spot can act as wind blockers, and or can keep out the scorching sunlight of summer.You can even plant trees to create a funnel effect which can direct cooling winds to your home in the summer.

Vine usage: You can plant climbing vines on arbors on or right near the most sun exposed side of your house which can lower cooling costs in the summer.

Less grass: The less grass you have the less watering you’ll do. If you can, plan for extra patio space or flower beds vs. grass.

Go native: It’s good eco planning to plant native to your area plants. These plants are already well-adapted to your environment, and will require less care and resources than plants from other regions.

Plant shade; Even if you don’t use trees as energy saving applications for your home, they can be used to conserve yard-care resources. Trees and shrubs create shade, which in turn helps to maintain a cooler environment and saves water (less water is evaporated from say, flowers under a tree than flowers out in the open.)

Mulch: Mulching saves water, reduces the need for chemical soil amendments, and makes weeds pull out much easier.

For more organic eco-landscaping tips read:

Scaling Down Your House and Life

September 22, 2008 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

Scaling down is a huge concept in green living. It’s hard to be earth-friendly when your home is overstuffed to the max with extra goods that consume time, energy, and other resources. Plus the more stuff you have, the more space you need, and a smaller living space, with a smaller footprint is always greener than a large home built just to hold stuff.

All that said, this week, one of the topics we’ll be looking at is scaling down.

The first step in scaling down is to recognize the items you actually use and need in your home, the items that hold real sentimental value, and the items in your home by default (i.e. the stuff you don’t need). Stuff you don’t need in your home may include…

Broken equipment or equipment you’ve replaced. For example, you buy a new DVD player, but keep the old one around anyhow, even though you don’t use it.

Duplicate items or items that do something that another item can do just as well. Examples of this might include the eight soup pans you have (are you ever going to use eight pots at once?) or having a blender, food processor, and a food grinder when in reality one machine will work for most tasks.

Collections of stuff. It’s not bad to collect something. Even two or three collections aren’t going to weight your home down too much, but no one needs to collect ten plus different ceramic animals.

Clothes that no longer fit, and that you know never will (think jeans you had as a teen). Ripped and stained clothing that cannot be fixed is also an issue.

Piles and piles of magazines, newspapers, or books that you’ll never get around to reading – or that you’ve already read and won’t read again.

Items you never ever use – ski equipment, that sewing machine, oddball craft materials, and bizarre kitchen appliances all create unnecessary clutter.

Items you got for free so you’re compelled to keep them.

What to do:

Start slow. Begin going through one room of your house each week. Fill a box or two with items that are simply cluttering up your space. Once you make it through your entire house, go through again with a new empty box to fill – trust me, you miss stuff the first go around.

The second part of your plan should be to NOT bring new junk into your house. If you’re consistently scaling down, it doesn’t make much sense to bring new junk in.

The end result will be a less cluttered house, extra space, and the possibility of a downsize. It’s a very green choice to downsize to a smaller living space, but you’ll never be able to do this if too much stuff is in your way.

Coming up: more downsizing issues (among other things).

Book Review: The Carbon Free Home

September 22, 2008 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

At another blog of mine, Offbeat Homes, I recently reviewed a new green home book; Book Review: The Carbon-Free Home: 36 Remodeling Projects to Help Kick the Fossil -Fuel Habit.

This is an excellent book, one that readers here will enjoy, so I thought I’d mention it. It’s completely green home focused and very user friendly. Read the review.

Tips for Greening Your Home Computer Use

September 17, 2008 in Home Office by Jennifer | 1 comment

Green computing at home is a smart move. Not only can computers drain tons of energy, but their parts, and all the fancy gear that comes with them are not always earth-friendly.

Use these tips to keep your home computer use green:

Use a laptop because it drains less energy than a desktop. You can also make sure to buy one of the newer Energy Star computers.

Unplug when you leave the room – or at the very least turn your computer off. If you suck at remembering to turn your computer off pre-set your computer to turn off or sleep automatically after a set amount of time with no use.

Use an energy strip.

Buy only recycled and reused extra computer gear and equipment. Recycled computer paper, reused-refilled ink cartridges, and refurbished computer desks are all good ways to save resources.

Make sure to recycle your computer when it’s good and done. If there’s still life in the old computer then consider donating to an organization that could use one.

Also recycle other computer items like computer disks.

Green Benefits of Garbage Disposals

September 17, 2008 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

If you don’t have a garbage disposal at your house, you should. There are plenty of green benefits to installing and running a garbage disposal.

Garbage disposals keep trash out of landfills. You may think, well, it’s just old food, but stuck at the bottom of a landfill, old food can still take a while to decompose and it also is one of the major factors contributing to the smell at the dump.

Garbage disposals are fast, meaning people are more likely to use them, which in turns means less trash tossed.

Garbage disposals help you to recycle. If you toss cardboard or an old can in the trash, then later realize this, are you more likely to dig it out if the trash isn’t full of icky wet tossed food? Yeah, you are.

A side benefit of the garbage disposal is that it makes your whole kitchen smell better – no gross old food rotting away in the can.

Your other option when it comes to food scraps is a compost pile outside, or a kitchen compost bin inside. Both are great options, especially if you’re an avid gardener, but overall, for non-gardening folks, a garbage disposal is a great green tool. Make sure your next kitchen comes equipped with one, or if your current kitchen is missing one consider installing a new disposal.

Buying Green Power

September 13, 2008 in Alternative Energy by Jennifer | No comments

Did you know that you can actually purchase green power? Many states offer an option to buy renewable energy (in various forms) from your local power company. This service can cost a few dollars more a month, but in the long run, you’ll be saving resources and doing something great for the planet.

To find out if you can buy renewable power visit the “Can I Buy Green Power in My State? map” at the U.S. Department of Energy.

After clicking on a state, let’s use Oregon as an example, you’ll be shown all the areas that offer renewable power, and can learn more about each option. For example, after clicking on Oregon, you’ll see that wind power and biomass power is offered in many areas, and prices are listed as well.

This is one simple way to go a little greener, without having to complete remolding tasks at your home, because the green power is offered through local energy companies. To learn more take a look at the Overview of Green Power Markets. This link explains all the basics and benefits of this green power purchasing program.

At Home Recycling – What You Can’t Recycle

September 13, 2008 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

When recycling at home, it’s smart to know what is recyclable, but just as important to know is what’s not. Sometimes placing non-recyclables in a bin can get a whole bundle of actual recycling goods tossed, because not all facilities have the time or inclination to sort.

Sorting recyclables is something you need to do at home, before your recycling bins are picked up and emptied. Following are some items you don’t want to toss in your recycling bins…

Wet cardboard can jam recycling sorting machines at recycling facilities and may mess up an entire load of recyclables. It’s better to allow wet cardboard to dry before placing it in your bin. Also, covered recycling containers or bins with slotted covers can protect your cardboard from getting wet curbside.

Plastic lids on juice containers, jelly jars, soda, and more cannot be recycled. These lids are made of a different sort of plastic than the bottle itself. Remove all lids so that your bottles don’t end up being trashed by the recycling facility.

Special items like batteries, old car parts, computers and more can’t usually just be stuck in a recycling bin and carted off. These items need to be specially handled. Most of the time facilities are available that can recycle special items, but you’ll need to look for a specific local recycling center.

Stuff you think you can’t recycle – but can: Recycled items don’t have to be soapy clean. Rinsing your jars, cans, and bottles in water is good enough. If you say add a lemon to a bottle of tea or beer, and you can’t get it out, it’s still ok to recycle. You don’t need to crush cans (as people did in the past) and you also can leave labels on.

To learn more about recycling at home read; What Can & Can’t be Recycled

Quick Home Mold & Mildew Spray

September 10, 2008 in Green Cleaning by Jennifer | No comments

To stay natural while fighting mold turn to good old tea tree oil. Fill a small reusable spray bottle with two cups of water and three drops of pure tea tree essential oil. Every once in a while spray down your walls with this solution and wipe dry. This mixture fights stains, but better yet the natural antispetic qualities of tea tree oil fight mold and mildew.

To learn more about all natural and green cleaners for your home read:

Build a rain barrel for your home

September 10, 2008 in Water by Jennifer | 4 comments

Rain barrels are very cool green home accessories. One simple rain barrel can save around 1,300 gallons of water in the summer months – so once you consider the year round savings, it’s pretty outstanding.

Other reasons to use a rain barrel?

Reduced water pollution because a rain barrel reduces stormwater runoff.
The water saved in a rain barrel can be used for a multitude of tasks.
Rain barrels are low cost to build and use.
Rainwater used for lawn and garden help to replenish groundwater – but naturally.

Once you build your rain barrel you can paint and decorate it anyway you choose, and children can be taught how to gather water for the garden from a rain barrel (a good lesson in early water conservation).

To see a video and a link to written instructions about how to make your own rain barrel read: Building & Installing a Rain Barrel.

[image and more information available from Pathway to Water Quality]

Get Great Green Deals for the Home

September 9, 2008 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

If you’re in a shopping sort of mood and need some goods for the home, be sure to check out ShopGreen at PriceGrabber.com. You can find all sorts of goodies at PriceGrabber, but it’s very cool that they now have a green section. There’s a devoted area just for home goods such as Eco-Friendly Flooring, Energy Star Cordless Phones, and more.

It’s silly to pay more then you have to, and you don’t have to if you use PriceGrabber. To insure you’re getting real green goods; products that are low-impact and environmentally-friendly, items featured must fall into one of the following categories…

“Energy Star-compliant products
Products made from organic or recycled materials
Products made from environmentally-friendly materials including hemp, bamboo, soy, and seagrass
Biodegradable products and compost bins
Products with low usage of natural resources including LED light bulbs, low flow showerheads/toilets, solar power, and cloth diapers
Products made by noted environmentally-conscious companies like Patagonia”

So when shopping, visit ShopGreen at PriceGrabber.com, and see what sorts of green deals you can pick up on the cheap.

Stop Air Pollution in Your Home

September 8, 2008 in Air Quality, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 3 comments

There are plenty of things that can contribute to air pollution in your home. Your goal should be to have pure, clean air inside your home, both for the sake of planet health and the health of your family. Allergies, asthma, and even cold-like illnesses can all be affected by the quality of air inside your home.

Following are some ways to make sure your home air quality stays clean and healthy:

No smoking allowed: If you smoke, go outside, away from other people. Smoking in your home, especially if you have kids is dangerous for both health and fire safety reasons. In fact some studies show that banning indoor smoking is the number one best way to improve your home’s air quality.

Use your fireplace or wood stove smartly: Wood fires can release tiny particles and smoke that invades the air and your lungs. If you don’t have to use a wood burning fireplace, it’s better not to. If wood heat is your only source of heat; yes for some people it still is – in Humboldt we had only wood heat so we’d open windows and burn cleaner wood. To learn more read the EPA guide Wood Burning Efficiency and Safety.

Open the windows: Fresh incoming air is a great way to push out old stale air, and any icky household fumes.

Buy some naturally air cleaning houseplants.

Quit stirring up the dust: Use a damp rag to dust, not a feather duster or dry cloth. You may be tempted to buy those static cloths for dusting, and they do work, but they’re not long-lasting. You’ll end up tossing them. A wet cloth works just the same.

Clean regularly: Keeping a clean house is one good way to keep your air clean. This means making sure that items like appliances and humidifiers are cleaned as well.

Don’t EVER use toxic cleaners: Chemical, toxic, yucky home cleaners contribute to much of the indoor air pollution you encounter – and worse, none of these cleaners are necessary for a clean home. Choose green homemade cleaners instead. To learn more read the following:

Cut out pre-packaged food items

September 7, 2008 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

Pre-packaged foods create so much extra waste that it’s overwhelming. One of the best ways to green your kitchen is to start concentrating on packaging.

Sure you can recycle many parts, often even all of the packaging that packaged foods come in, but consider that it also takes energy to produce this packaging, and also consider that studies show, that not everyone recycles all the time. It’s best to avoid overly pre-packaged goods when you can.

For example:

Instead of juice boxes – use a cup. If you’re on the go, use a refillable, reusable container.

Instead of buying bottled water – use tap water or install a water filter.

Instead of individual tiny boxes of cereal – buy bulk, or the biggest box of cereal available.

Instead of sliced cheese in individual wrappers – choose block cheese and slice it yourself, or have the cheese counter folks do it for you.

I bet you can think of plenty of items you buy that come in too much wrapping. Start small. Next time you’re at the store, take the time to compare. Do you need rice that comes in a box, or can you buy bulk? Do you need raisins in tiny boxes and plastic, or will bulk do here as well? If bulk food choices aren’t available in the food item of choice, choose the least packaged item first.

Read Green Audit Your Pantry to learn more.

Unplugging Your Home & Other Ways To Save Energy

September 7, 2008 in Save Energy by Jennifer | 1 comment

save energy

The Environmental Defense Organization notes that Americans waste in excess of $1 billion a year due to power waste. It’s not only our wallets that suffer either. Every time we use more energy than needed in our homes, we waste resources and contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Luckily you can take some simple energy saving steps that can both save you money and help protect the earth:

Unplug your house: There’s no reason to leave items plugged in when they’re not in use. Lamps, chargers, the toaster, blender, TV and more all continue to drain energy while plugged in. Unplug when you’re done, to save resources.

Use the right bulb: Energy saving light bulbs can save untold of amounts of energy over time.

Choose the right home appliances: Choose Energy Star products for money and planet saving benefits.

Live small: Live in a home that meets (not overly exceeds) your space requirements. The smaller your home, the less energy it takes to run the house.

Go alternative: Using alternative means of energy, like solar power, can ease the amount of footprint your home personally makes on the earth.

Weatherize: Don’t forget to weatherize properly for summer as well, not just the cold months.

Late night sweeps: Do a late night sweep each evening before bed. Walk through your home, turn off extra lights, and unplug items. Make sure nothing is left on overnight.

Happy Labor Day!

September 1, 2008 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

Hopefully, you’re not reading this blog – don’t you know it’s a good day to get outside and relax! I’m taking the day off too. Well, actually I’m moving, so my day won’t be all that relaxing, but still I’m not working.

No matter what you’re up too, have a safe and happy Labor Day.