April 2009

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FREE Green Home Guides!

April 30, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 2 comments

If you’re looking to green your home, it’s not hard to find valuable information that can help you do so, for free. I recently came across some good green home guides that will cost you nothing while offering some great tips.


The Green Living Guide to Home Water Conservation – this guide is offered courtesy of Kohler’s Save Water America Campaign and is published through Green Living Ideas. The free book offers simple (yes, easy) ideas on how home owners can save water and money. Get your free PDF copy of this book.

The REGREEN guide is very cool and includes 10 case studies covering different green project types. It highlights what makes each project successful and is a great way to see green design in practice.

Green Building Design 101: A Basic Guide to Building and Remodeling Sustainably – I haven’t seen this book yet, developed by Tree Hugger Consulting but it sounds awesome. Basic green guides are always nice when you’re first going green.

Right Angle Gas and Boiler Works, in Chilliwack, British Columbia has a page of free and cool eco-booklets regarding energy conservation in the home, selecting a heating system, and more.

NOTE: IF you choose a free book from a company website, vs. say the EPA you’ll probably see some product news as well as tips. This isn’t always a bad deal, but just be aware that not all products are the same. While the tips offered at a company may kick a**, you might be able to find a better product for your home elsewhere.

Also find out where to get Free Green Home Plans!

Green homes of the future

April 28, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

The Wall Street Journal is currently running a super fun piece – The Green House of the Future- and while it’s not entirely realistic (for now) it’s still a cool read.

Wall Street staff asked architects to draw up plans for the most energy-efficient houses they could imagine and it got a little wacky (and a lot green) from there. For example, architect William McDonough of the Charlottesville, Va. dreamed up a leaf-like exterior design that absorbs sun, much like solar panels, but embedded in the actual exterior.

Another firm, Cook + Fox created a home with a “biomorphic” skin that reacts to the weather. Like a solar chameleon, this home turns dark in in the sun to insulate the house from heat and when the weather is cloudy or stormy the home turns clear to absorb the maximum amount of energy. Plus this home features a facade that captures rain and condensation (enough to meet the home’s water needs).

And that’s not all either. If you’re interested in some dreamy (perhaps soon to be possible) green home designs, including images, check out the full piece – The Green House of the Future.

For some more realistic green home tips you can try right now, read: Green homes save long term money.

And the greenest filter award goes to… Brita

April 28, 2009 in Water by Jennifer | 2 comments

I’m of the notion that you should drink tap water first (whenever possible) and use delivery water second because these options have the lowest eco-impact. However, plenty of people want filters, which I’ve never liked because there haven’t been any decent recycling programs in place. That is, until recently. With the pressure on filter companies last year to create a recycling process for filters, one company seems to have listened – Brita.

Your next best choice, in my opinion was an under-the-sink filter, but now I’m rethinking that. If you have to buy one of the major filter brands, Brita is a clear winner. Early this year they teamed up with Preserve to create a recycling program for their filters. I’m already a huge Preserve fan, in fact, we’ve seen their 100% recycled products here before, so them teaming up with Brita rocks.

How this works:

You dry the filter by shaking off excess water and setting it in a dry place for at least three days. Then Brita asks you to wrap the filter in a plastic grocery bag (BAD). I don’t even own any plastic grocery bags, because I only use cloth bags, BUT I suppose you could find one from a friend and recycle it for this. Anyhow, you wrap it in a bag, and then either drop it off at a Preserve Gimme 5 destination or mail filters via ground shipping to: Preserve Gimme 5, 823 NYS Rte 13, Cortland, NY 13045.

Now, this is not a be-all-end-all solution. If you’re buying filters, you’re still dealing with manufacturing energy and resources being used, shipping energy, and packaging. However, if you’re currently trying to choose a filter, Brita is a better mainstream choice, then say, PUR who has no recycling program in place currently. At least, PUR has none that I personally can find – and I looked.

What do you think? Does the fact that Brita introduced this recycling program make them a more attractive company to you? Brita is part of the Clorox family (and I’m not a Clorox fan – I don’t love wanna-be green companies who still produce toxic chemicals). Still, I’m happy that Brita started this, and would likely buy this filter over another. Plus they’re trying; they also recently introduced the Filter for Good program/website.

In even better news, when one company jumps on the bandwagon, more tend to follow suit. I’m betting we see more greener filters and filter recycling programs soon.

Eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts for the home

April 27, 2009 in Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide by Jennifer | 2 comments

When it comes to Mother’s Day, some eco-bling is always appreciated, but so are cool home items. Especially if the mama you’re shopping for is trying to create a green and healthy home atmosphere. That said, you should never go too boring with Mother’s Day gifts (NOTE: mamas don’t want an energy efficient blender). Something fun, beautiful, or unique is called for here.

How about…

Shoji Lantern – SO beautiful and made with pressed leaves from the Hong Kong orchid tree, along with handcrafted mulberry paper stretched on frames of recycled pine wood and sustainable acacia wood. These are lovely and glowing, and can be used on a table or as wall sconces.
Read the rest of this entry »

Fun Green Home Office Supplies

April 27, 2009 in Home Office by Jennifer | No comments

Sometimes office supplies can get a little ho hum. Especially if your goal is green office supplies. You see a lot of neutral colors and basic designs. However, if your home office could use a little green pick-me-up, check out See Jane Work for an array of colorful and fun eco-office supplies. Such as…

Colorful recycled pencil cups. In many shades and bold designs. I like the orange best though. Read the rest of this entry »

Natural Household Deodorizers

April 25, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

You can purchase some natural and semi-household deodorizers or you could go green and inexpensive by making some of your own. These ideas below are natural, easy, and don’t cost a bundle…

Gross disposal: Run hot water, a smidgen of baking soda, and some citrus peels down your disposal. Any citrus peels work.

Icky car fumes and smells: If you happen to burn Soy Wax Melts in your home, place on in your car – under the seat or in a cup holder. It’ll release nice scents instead of typical built up car scents. Just don’t do this in the dead of summer or melted wax might be an issue. If you don’t burn soy wax melts, grab a small cloth bag and fill it with a handful of dried lavender buds, a dash of nutmeg, and a sprinkling of essential oil (orange or lemon is good). Place the bag somewhere in your car that’s exposed to heat – like near the heat vents on the floor.

Your ice smells: Ice and food in freezers can pick up the scents of what’s in your freezer. First of all, keep your fridge clean (no brainer). Secondly, if all else fails, wipe down the inside of the freezer with pure vanilla extract or white vinegar. Then pop a box of baking soda inside.

Musty clothing, blankets, and other textiles: The best cure is prevention. When you first tuck your fabrics away, seal them up in an old plastic bag (recycled of course) then place them in a container, toss in a cedar block and cover with a tight lid. IF it’s too late for prevention try spraying your clothing lghtly with vodka (straight). If I were you, I’d spray the interior of the fabric in case of stains. Hang to dry. Another cure for must is crumpled newspaper. If you place this with clothing, the paper, not the fabrics will absorb any icky musty scents.

To learn more about keeping a naturally scented home read:

Do you have any natural scents tips or tricks? Share in the comments…

Happy Arbor Day!

April 24, 2009 in Holiday by Jennifer | No comments

I know Earth Day just happened and you may be tired of everyone saying – get out there and plant a tree, but I’m going to say it again because today is Arbor Day. Arbor Day has been around quite a bit longer than Earth Day, having started in 1872, but it doesn’t seem to get as much attention as Earth day, which is sad in my opinion, because it’s always nice to celebrate trees.

The last Friday in April is the U.S. official Arbor Day, but many states hold their own celebration dates and international mixes it up too. Really though, any day is a good day to celebrate Arbor Day, because as we all know, trees rock. Any of the activities below can be done at any old time you choose.

You can plant a tree – always fun and beneficial for the planet and human health too. Or you can try something else.

The Arbor Day Foundation has many great ideas including activities like…

  • Hold an Arbor Day concert.
  • Take a hike in a forest; take a long a good guide book and try to name some trees.
  • Dedicate a forest.
  • Hold a block party where everyone celebrates and plants neighborhood trees.
  • Teach a little one about the benefits of trees.
  • Gather up some great books about trees.
  • Volunteer with a local tree-planting organization.

If you’ve got kids, try an Arbor Day minded craft!

What are you doing for Arbor Day? Have you planted or celebrated any trees lately?

New Kelly-Moore zero-VOC paints to choose from

April 22, 2009 in Decor, Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

Low and no-VOC paints are rising in popularity. With consumers asking for more, additional paint companies are debuting new lines of eco-friendly paints. One such company is Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc. Kelly-Moore not only has two new lines of Zero-VOC paints available but they’re the first to offer a recycled paint choice.

About the paints:

Enviro Coat and Green Coat: Both of these lines are zero-VOC. Enviro Coat is a premium quality, low-odor, 100 percent acrylic interior paint so good for residential use. It can be tinted to a variety of custom colors and cleans up easy with good old water. It’s USDA-acceptable and contains an anti-microbial agent to control odors.

Green Coat is a professional quality paint. It provides a durable finish, is available in a wide range of custom-mixed colors, and is free of air-polluting solvents. Green Coat will be available in six stock colors starting soon (May 1).

eCoat: This is Kelly-Moore’s recycled paint choice. I’m not as familiar with recycled paint so this was interesting to read about. “ECoat is made with a minimum of 50 percent post-consumer waste paint. Easy to clean with water, eCoat comes in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss enamel and is ideal for residential and commercial use.” I really like the eCoat colors too – very earthy. See below…

According to Steve DeVoe, president of Kelly-Moore Paints. “The quality of our paints reduces the need for frequent repainting, which lowers the overall cost-per-foot-per-year for the consumer. This also helps the environment, as less paint waste is disposed of in landfills.” That’s actually a good point. The less product you actually need, the better for the planet.

Lastly, Kelly-Moore’s ‘green’ paints are made in one of the most environmentally friendly paint manufacturing facilities in the country – which is pretty cool.

Visit Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc to learn more.

Happy Earth Day – Set Your Green Home Goals

April 22, 2009 in Green Building, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

My general take on Earth Day never changes. It’s a nice holiday, it’s nice to celebrate the planet, but overall, I think it’s too little. To really celebrate Earth Day you need to commit to whole lifestyle, whole year changes. When it comes to your green home, there are plenty of ways you can make some green goodness happen. Following are some great ideas we’ve covered this year – ways you can commit to creating a greener and healthier home.

EASY GREEN HOME GOALS:

Save on all the resources you can. This means you should consider which resources are non-renewable first (oil for example) and then move on to endangered resources (like water). Turn off the lights, unplug your electronics, and use less water. Anyone can make these small changes – they’ll save you money and help the planet.

Totally easy green home ideas may include:

Read a green home book. Reading is fun and easy. You’ll learn something green and new and get to drool over beautiful eco-home images.

Green your coffee! This is such a tiny green step but one that packs a huge punch. If you’re overwhelmed by remodeling your kitchen green or building a sustainable home from scratch, then this goal is the perfect jumping off point.

Quit using bleach! Bleach is terrible for the planet and totally unnecessary for your home. If you’re feeling even more green goal oriented try tossing out all the icky toxic cleaners in your home and commit to green cleaning.

MID-LEVEL GREEN HOME GOALS: Read the rest of this entry »

Make Going Green at Home Easier

April 21, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

A lot of research points out that more people would go green if it was simpler to do so. Not that going green is so hard once you get started, but in many cases I think green can easily overwhelm folks. If you want your home to stay green try making it a snap for people to live with green goals.

For example…

Shoes in the home are an eco-baddie. To make the transition to a shoeless home easier, make sure you place a show tree, or small basket near doors. Have a supply of house shoes and slippers available. Also, tell your pals before they come over about the shoeless rule – some folks like to wear better (i.e. non-hole-laden) socks if they know a shoeless visit is coming.

Install automatic light sensors that turn off lights when folks leave a room.

Set up a recycling center in an obvious place and make sure bins are correctly labeled. Remember, if you’ve got little ones who don’t read yet, make it easy for them by placing pictures of what goes where on each bin.

Make small changes in your diet at first. Switching to organic coffee is one easy switch that makes a large difference. Trying two vegetarian meals a week is less likely to freak a meat-eating family out than switching to an all veggie diet overnight. Gradual is best with green or organic diet changes.

Make changes where you spend the most time first. For example, people spend a lot of time in bed, so making sure your bedding is eco-friendly is a smarter move health-wise than wasting time greening your porch furniture. Not that you shouldn’t make green changes all over, but adjust the important places of your home first.

Focus on the young folks first. Adults can go green for sure, but kids drink green up like it’s going out of style. Kids are far more likely to catch on to green living skills, and do so faster than adults, so focus a major amount of attention on educating the kids in your home. Keep in mind that kids raised green will have an easier time being green as adults than most adults in the current generation.

Are people in your home overwhelmed by green living issues or no?

Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency Improvements

April 21, 2009 in Green Building, Green Your Home, Save Money by Jennifer | 2 comments

If you made eco-changes to your home in 2008, then you were entitled to some tax credits, but not many. 2008 energy efficient credits included:

  • geothermal heat pumps (30%, up to $2,000)
  • solar water heaters (30%, up to $2,000)
  • solar panels (30%, up to $2,000)
  • small wind energy systems (30%, up to $4,000)
  • fuel cells (30%, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity)

THE BETTER NEWS:

Now is an excellent time to plan for eco-home changes. Energy efficiency improvements that are eligible for a tax credit IF you make the changes January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010 include: Read the rest of this entry »

Can You Green Your Move?

April 16, 2009 in Community, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

Greening a move to a new home is a tough one. Hands down, one of the greenest moves you can make is not to move at all. Find a location you like (a green community preferably) and stay put.

Moving creates waste, uses oodles of energy (depending on where you move to), and creates a need for disposables. For example, it’s common to see a family eat a ton of take-out, or use paper plates during a move.

That said, we don’t always have a choice. Sometimes a move to a new home is unavoidable. In that case, the second best thing you can do is to try and green your move.

GENERAL GREEN MOVING TIPS:

GREEN BOX TIPS:

Use recycled boxes. You can get freebies at grocery stores, warehouse stores, or my favorite – liquor stores. Liquor boxes rock because many have compartments (good for glasses and vases) and are super strong. If the great box hunt is not for you contact a recycled box retailer or exchange site like:

You can also check with local moving companies, many carry recycled boxes now. By the way, just for fun, after you move, save your boxes and build a killer desk.

GREEN PACKING TIPS:

Don’t use polystyrene packing peanuts – these are a huge eco-baddie because they’re made from non-renewable resources. You should use biodegradable packing peanuts – they dissolve in water and can even be composted. Get some at U-Haul.

Save all sorts of recycled stuff for packing – old bubble wrap, which is not eco-friendly, at least can be used again and again to pack breakables. Newspaper and tissue paper are good to save as well for packing.

Padding Paper is great for breakables. It’s 100% recyclable and has a, “Honeycomb-embossed corrugated texture that gives it impact-absorbing qualities when wrapped or folded around delicate items.”

ABOUT THE MOVING TRUCK:

This is one of those areas where almost nothing will help you stay green. No matter if you move by car or truck, you’re gonna use gas. If you’re moving cross country, you’re going to use tons of it. That said, following are some ideas and tips.

In Move Across the Country the Eco-Friendly Way, Planet Green suggests moving by train, or shipping items by train, rather than by truck because trains are more efficient.

See if any local moving truck companies near you are using eco-friendly trucks. Some are, but it can take some searching and luck to find a company near you. You’ll have more luck if you live in a larger area – like L.A.

Do you have any green moving tips to share?

Living large – and not in a good way

April 15, 2009 in Green Building, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

If you’re living in too large a house, you are contributing to a negative eco-impact. Most large homes create a larger footprint, use far more energy that they should, and waste resources. Not to mention, in my opinion, they create this whole more, more, more agenda. I.e. more furniture to buy, more decor, more junk. It’s a problem.

One major step in green living is to live within your needs, not live above them. Own as much house as you need, not more home then you need. That said, how can you tell if your home is too big?

You can use logic first of all. If you’ve got a family of four and a seven bed, four bath house, that’s living too large. If you’ve got a triple garage for those three cars, and you’re just two people, that’s living too large. If the only reason you have such a big space is to store your gear, your collections, your stuff, that’s living too large.

Take a quiz to find out if you’re living too large.

If you want to reduce your footprint and support a healthy environment, you need to learn to live smaller.

More tips:

BISSELL’s Little Green Vacuum

April 15, 2009 in Green Cleaning by Jennifer | No comments

If you’re looking for a greener vacuum, Bissell’s Little Green should make you pretty happy.

Green perks of this vacuum include…

  • PVC free tanks and hose.
  • Carton contains a minimum of 75% recycled materials. They also have plans to eliminate Styrofoam from all cartons by the end of this next year.
  • Formulas for use in the Bissell Green contain biodegradable detergents and have no phosphates, dyes, optical brighteners or heavy metals and carry the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) certification, which is recognized for safer chemistry.
  • Bissell is currently making green changes at the corporate level too – such as battery recycling, paper recycling, zero waste home computer recycling, Styrofoam recycling and more.

Cleaning perks:

  • Strong spray and suction clean and start the drying process in one step.
  • Long power cord and compact design for cleaning everywhere easily – your home, car, RV, and so on.
  • Safe for all fabrics and carpets (minus some wools – which is noted in the FAQ at Bissell).
  • Virtually maintenance-free. Basically you’re rinsing out the water tank.
  • Great for pet stains and odors when used with the Pet Stain & Odor Formula.

It’s hard to make a super green vacuum but the Bissell Little Green is better than many. Check it out at Bissell.

Green and natural pest control options

April 13, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

With summer coming I thought it’d be nice to do a pest control series here. So far we’ve looked at Green Pest Prevention and safer pest control ideas. Today I’ve got some greener pest control ideas - options that are natural and safe. Why bother with natural pest control? Because you don’t want a home full of toxic pest control poisons.

GREEN AND NATURAL PEST CONTROL:

Keep it clean – see Green Pest Prevention for tips on prevention before the cure is needed.

Ants: Ants hate red chili powder, dry peppermint, and borax. You can crush and sprinkle peppermint near ant entryways, or sprinkle the chili or borax. Ants won’t cross over this stuff. Full strength mint tea can be used as a spot treatment; spray near ant entries.

Cockroaches: Bay leaves can be crushed and sprinkled wherever you see roaches. Garlic will also repel roaches (and other pests). You can grow a pot or two of it near your doorways or blend some cloves in the blender (mixed with water and liquid soap) and spray it near infested areas.

Flies: Use screens on your windows. Place bowls of crushed citrus skins in your rooms – flies don’t love citrus. If you’ve got fruit fly issues try this killer invention: Fill an empty liter soda bottle with water. Leave about five inches of free space at the top. Squeeze an entire banana peel (not the banana, just the peel) into the bottle. Set the bottle where the fruit flies are. This is the ugliest bug catcher you’ll ever see, but I swear it will catch all the fruit flies in your house. Fruit flies are too dumb to understand how to get out of a soda bottle once they dive in after the banana peel (something to do with the curve of the bottle). Once they go in they can’t get out and eventually drown. Can you tell that I really HATE fruit flies?

Fleas: You can find totally organic and natural flea repellents, such as flea free products. Also see these tips for naturally keeping your pets flea free.

Moths: Before packing up clothing, blankets, etc, wash them. Washing kills moth eggs. After washing pack items up tightly in a tightly sealed, moth-proof box. To repel moths in other areas (like closets), place cedar wood shavings, blocks, or cedar stuffed cloth bags in the area.

Spiders: RAID! Sorry – I am deathly terrified of spiders. This is the one and only reason I use toxic pest control EVER. IF you’re not so lame as me, you can one, allow the spiders to live with you (they’ll control the other bugs) or pick them up and set them outside. That idea gives me the heebie jeebies, but honestly it’s the most eco-friendly choice.

Safe Pest Control Ideas

April 13, 2009 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

In the previous post we looked at how to prevent pests from invading your home, and thus avoiding having to use toxic pest control products. However, no matter how diligent the home dwellers, sometimes a home will get pests anyway, and when this happens, you’ll need a way to get rid of them.

IF you go the conventional pest control route, you can lessen the impact of chemical dangers on your home by doing the following.

Try bates first. For mice and other rodents, plus some bugs, bates can often be used before sprays. Bate traps are better than sprays because while many bates still use toxic poisons, the poisons are in a controlled area vs. spreading out like a spray or powder. Also, bates can usually be hidden under cupboards where pets and kids can’t get to them.

Contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture to locate your local extension service office. What the extension office can do for you is offer other low-pesticide pest control ideas before you need to move on to poisons.

If you hire someone to eliminate pests make sure they or you locate the source of infestation before treatment. If you have a pool of water in your basement, and don’t fix it, the bugs will just come back.

IF You move on to highly chemical and toxic pest control…

  • Use as little as possible and only where needed.
  • Keep kids and pets out of the area.
  • Read the directions on the pest control item, and never make up new ways to use the product.
  • Only use fogging treatments when absolutely everything else has been tried. These fogging pest control products get everywhere in your home and linger, which means you’ve now sufficiently poisoned your entire living space. Egad.

Coming up; the last piece of our green pest control series – natural pest control options.

Green Pest Prevention

April 12, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

No one wants icky pests (think bugs, mice, and so fourth) in their home, but do we really want toxic chemical pest control in our house either? Nope, I thought not. Following are some pest prevention tips.

PREVENT PESTS FIRST:

Prevention should be your first line of defense at all times. Bugs and other pests may come into your house on a whim, or show up because the neighbors are icky, but overall, pests come because you’ve got something they want. Prevent pests by…

  • Storing food in sealed containers.
  • Use a garbage can with a tight-fitting lid and frequently remove the garbage from your home. Make sure you toss what you can in the disposal or compost it, rather than tossing it in the trash.
  • Keep up with home maintenance. Leaky plumbing or water pools (under plants, under the fridge, in the basement, etc) can inspire pests to visit. You should also make sure to fix holes. Caulk cracks in baseboards and walls. Use wire mesh to block holes near pipes.
  • Feed your pets then pick up the bowls. The EPA advises not even leaving water out for pets overnight, but I’m not sure about that one – it may control pests, but in the hot summer you may end up with a cranky pet on your hands.
  • Be tidy. Some pests like tidy better than messy (roaches for example) but plenty of pests (like mice) love to hide in clutter. By clutter I mean stacks of papers, messy kitchen cupboards, overstocked bathroom areas, and more. Be generally tidy everywhere to evade pests.

Sneaky ways to prevent pests: Read the rest of this entry »

Should You Get A Solar Water Heater?

April 8, 2009 in Green Building, Water by Jennifer | 2 comments

WHAT IS A SOLAR WATER HEATER?

A solar water heating system uses the sun’s energy to heat water for basic daily use or for space heating. There are solar collectors that gather sunlight (which is how the heater works). These collectors are mounted in a sunny space like on your roof or in your yard. There are pipes which connect to a storage tank and a pump circulates water through the collectors when the sun shines. Then a heat exchanger preheats the water and it’s stored in the tank for use. Of course this is just a simple run through and there is more than one type of solar water heater. To see a full on description of how this works read the in-depth solar water heater piece at the Department of Energy (DOE).

ARE SOLAR WATER HEATERS COST-EFFECTIVE?

Yes. Start up will cost you; typically $4,000+ for a smaller system all the way up to $20,000+ for larger systems. That said, solar water heaters are one of the most cost-effective investments a home owner can make because solar, after initial costs, is free energy. When you figure that the typical household uses 20%+ of it’s energy just for water, you can see how the savings will add up over time.

According to the DOE, a typical existing home will see water heating bills drop 50%–80% if a solar water heater is installed. Also, because the sun remains free, you won’t be subjected to later energy cost hikes. If you build a new home, you’ll save more than if you install one in an existing home. According to the DOE…

“Including the price of a solar water heater in a new 30-year mortgage usually amounts to between $13 and $20 per month. The federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest attributable to the solar system reduces that by about $3–$5 per month. So if your fuel savings are more than $15 per month, the solar investment is profitable immediately. On a monthly basis, you’re saving more than you’re paying.”

PLUS don’t forget, many states offer tax incentives and rebates for making an eco-home change like this, so you’ll save money this way too.

CAN ANYONE GET A SOLAR WATER HEATER?

Yes and no. Start up costs are large, so you’ve gotta have the budget. Secondly the type of system you’ll need can be dependent on various factors so you may not get the exact kind you thought you might. Where you live is the biggest issue. Obviously your solar ability is very different if you live in an area that’s warmer and sunnier year round vs. an area that has cooler, cloudy seasons. Also, if you live in a cooler area, your heater will need more upkeep. You have to drain your system in cold month or use a special antifreeze mix.

To learn more look at these links…

Beyond Basic Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

April 8, 2009 in Save Energy, Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

We’re always hearing about compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) – and for good reason. CFLs are more earth friendly and last longer than typical bulbs. CFLs are an inexpensive way that any household can incorporate greener standards. BUT, what other greener lighting options are there? CFLs are not the only lighting choice if your goal is a green home. Following are two more green lighting options.

LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES (LEDS): Led lighting is actually more efficient (about three times more so) than CFLs and ten times more efficient than typical incandescent bulbs. They don’t give off much heat and last far longer than CFLs or standard bulbs. For example, the typical lifespan of a CFL is at most 10,000 hours while a LED can last up to 50,000 hours.

A downside of LED bulbs is that they’re more expensive to get started with. They do pay off in energy savings and lifespan in the long run, but in the short run you’ll need a larger budget to start using them. Also, LEDs are and are not handy depending on your needs. They make sense for smaller spaces where direct light is needed, but won’t work as well to light up large areas. See more tips on where LED lighting works best.

COLD CATHODE BULBS: These are actually a type of CFL but they run at room temperature, unlike average CFLs that work (in simple terms) by heating up. These can also be used for dimmers and any other light situation where flashing lights are needed. and last longer than other CFLs. You won’t have to fork over much extra cash for cold bulbs either, they’re not too much more than other CFLs and save you a little more over time due to their long life span. Cold cathode bulbs used to be used more like LEDs – i.e. in smaller, direct light situations, but currently you can find all sorts of bulbs for all kinds of applications.

Where to find these bulbs:

How to clean properly with cloth vs. paper towels

April 7, 2009 in Green Cleaning by Jennifer | 2 comments

I talk a lot about green, healthy, and non-toxic cleaning here. Why – because green cleaning has to be one of the easiest green changes any household can make. It takes almost no start-up money, no advanced skills are needed (like when building a solar house), it’s an extra healthy change to make, and it’s cost efficient.

One of the major green cleaning tips I go over again and again is to ditch the paper towels and use cloth. You can save so much money and so many trees with this one tiny step that it seems lame not to try. However, sometimes friends I have say, “BUT paper towels are way more hygienic than cloth for cleaning.” Is that true?

Fact: It is true in a general sense. Paper towels, while bad for the environment, do have one thing going for them – they’re cleaner. One paper towel per mess. No spreading of germs.With a cloth or sponge you do spread around germs to a point IF you don’t clean correctly.

However, you can clean well with cloth. In fact, you can make cloth cleaning towels work just as well as paper towels only without the cost and paper use.

HOW TO CLEAN PROPERLY WITH CLOTH:

For general cleaning like wiping down a counter or for things like apple juice spills (no major lingering bacteria in apple juice) or other non-bacteria spills you can use a cloth to death for the mess. Wipe up the juice, wring out the towel, get it wet, and wipe again. It’s all good.

For spills like blood from meat, raw eggs, cake batter, and other items that may carry bacteria or to wipe down cutting boards you need to take a different approach, but that doesn’t necessarily mean reaching for the paper towels.

  1. Use one cloth to wipe up the liquid part of the spill.
  2. Use a second cloth drenched in hot soapy water to wipe down the area.
  3. Use a third cloth to dry the area.
  4. Toss all the cloths into the laundry.

It seems like a lot of cloths, and another argument is cloth takes water resources to wash, but it takes quite a few cloths to make a full load. At my house we bought a bunch of packs of generic washcloths and some smaller fiber dishcloths (all in small sizes) and use those exclusively for cleaning. We only end up washing about one or two loads of cleaning cloths a week. It’s not a big deal.

If you clean smart you can still ditch the paper towels, cut costs, and over time, save some trees.

Minimize food waste

April 6, 2009 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink by Jennifer | No comments

Minimizing food waste is important if you want to live a greener lifestyle. Why?

  • It creates a general awareness surrounding waste. People waste a lot of items in life and often that means more junk to toss and more resources used when you don’t need to. Minimizing food waste is an easy change to make.
  • It means money saved which means you can afford the organics you should be buying.
  • Minimizing food waste means less packaging bought – a good thing since so much of the current food packaging you see is layered and excessive. Even if you can recycle, it’s still kind of over the top.

HOW TO MINIMIZE YOUR FOOD & FOOD PACKAGING WASTE:

Use it up: for example, most leftovers can be used to make homemade ice pops (use sustainable reusable molds), used in soups, used in baked goods, and more. Think up new ways to use all your food up before it goes bad.

Only buy recyclables: if you can’t recycle the package, just say no. Buy in bulk using reusable bags and containers to minimize your waste further.

Share it or freeze it: if you get a great deal, but the amount of the deal is large, split it with another family or freeze the excess. Don’t forget to use sustainable food storage.

Compost it: you can make food that’s old do double duty with composting. Turn your old food into healthy soil.

Quit cooking for a crowd: if you know that your family (or just you) has a bad habit of cooking too much and then forgetting the leftovers, stop. Cook what you need, not more.

Give it away: if you cook for an event or a large family dinner, and can’t eat it all, donate it to an elderly neighbor, a shelter, or another organization.

Grow some food: growing your own is a great way to cut down on food waste because one, fresh grown food taste way better, thus enticing you to munch them down. Two, you’ve stopped the packaging and transport issues cold when you grow your own. Organic gardens are highly sustainable.

What other tips do you have for cutting down on food waste?

40 Green Home Changes for Earth Day

April 2, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

When it comes to your house, there’s plenty you can do to green it up. Some choices are large and some are small and while it may seem like the big changes (i.e. placing solar panels on the roof) count for a lot, all those tiny green changes you make add up quickly to create an overall more green lifestyle.

Following is a collection of 40 DIY, not too expensive, easy green home ideas – all of these are perfect small goals for Earth Day and beyond.

10 Healthy Green Home Goals:

  1. Chill out and live simple – good for your mind and rolls over into your lifestyle and home.
  2. Choose only the best natural and organic body care products for your bath and kitchen.
  3. Clean green.
  4. Choose soy candles over wax – they emit somewhat less soot.
  5. When you are sick, use only recycled tissues.
  6. Loose the shoes.
  7. Take a crash course on healthy organics for the home.
  8. Sleep healthy.
  9. Plan some fun in your life with an eco-friendly barbecue.
  10. Grow some fresh air!

10 Green Kitchen Changes To Make: Read the rest of this entry »

Get the Electronics Recycling Superguide!

April 2, 2009 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

Typical homes across the country have one major thing in common – a pile of electronics. Americans love their toys and beyond that we’ve got larger homes (which tend to mean more electronics per area), plus more people then ever are working at home and require printers, fax machines, and multiple computers.

End result – tons o’ electronics. While we should all try to cut our consumption and make smart green buying choices, most of us still end up with some electronics and the question of what to do with them at the end of their life-cycle becomes highly relevant.

What to do?

There’s a new great superguide out from PCMag that covers how to recycle all those electronics you’ve got around the house.

The Electronics Recycling Superguide is really neat and comprehensive. According to PCMag, electronics, “Make up almost 2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream” so we all need a guide like this around.

What’s covered in this FREE guide:

  • How to green audit your existing electronics – i.e what to keep vs. what’s not necessary.
  • Ideas for how to donate your old electronics before moving on to recycling.
  • How to extend the life of your electronics – long life is a major keystone of green products.
  • Manufacture trade in programs.
  • An A-Z guide to electronic manufacturers and their recycling or trade in programs. This part even covers which geographical areas are served.
  • Cash back sites for recycled goods.
  • And more.

This is a very well-thought out guide and is a must read if you own any electronics. You can get it free here.

Green your walls with American Clay wall plaster

April 1, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Sustainable Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

I’ve been meaning to post on this for a while – better late than never eh? I recently got a heads up about American Clay eco-friendly wall plaster. Not only is this solution green but it’s a beautiful home application choice as well. Look at this example below…

How to use:

American Clay interior wall plaster is an award winning product that can be used for walls of all sorts of structures, from contemporary homes to historical restorations. American Clay Earth Plasters create soothing textures and provide rich color for your walls; think of it as an alternative to – traditional paint, stucco, or other finishes.

Benefits of American Clay wall plaster…

  • Earth Plasters are non-dusting, mold and fade resistant, repairable and moisture controlling.
  • No off-gassing or inherent waste on-site.
  • Non-flammable.
  • Absorbs sound.
  • Helps counter the positive ions coming at you through electronics.
  • Huge array of colors and textures available – which all use natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and vibrant natural pigments. Three color finish lines are available – LOMA, PORCELINA, and MARITTIMO.
  • Easy to use – can be a DIY project. At the main web page you can watch a video about how the plaster works or take a workshop about application, and American Clay even offers a “Try It” kit for $35 to see if you like it, with all three different formulations!

Good stuff. I love the colors available – see a larger photo gallery.

Visit the main site to learn more and to find out where to purchase American Clay products.