Alternative Energy

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Easy ways to use solar energy at home

March 22, 2009 in Alternative Energy by Jennifer | No comments

Some people freak at the thought of solar, thinking, “Uh oh… complicated!” In reality, there are some super easy ways to incorporate solar energy use into any home plan.

Go outside: Solar Illuminations offers a huge selection of outdoor ready solar lighting choices. From Solar ‘Teardrop’ Lantern Lights that look great as a welcome light or even in a garden to solar powered house numbers and letters, this place has everything you need to solar up your outdoor living spaces.

Tunnel style: I’ve written about tunnel-minded solar lights before, but seriously I LOVE them. Solar sun tunnel lights work well in all sorts of spaces and for as small as these tunnels are, they provide huge amounts of light – especially to a smaller space like a bathroom or closet. Plus, these tunnels can be installed quickly.

Get wet: Solar powered pool products are great to consider now that summer is on the way. Think about getting a solar swimming pool cover that heats your pool sans non-renewable resources or get a solar powered pool heater.

BONUS: Learn about solar powered attic fans – super easy to install and cost efficient.

Good Energy – Solar Power at Home

October 18, 2008 in Alternative Energy, Green Building, Video by Jennifer | No comments

I posted this at RiverWired a long while back, but figured readers here deserve to see it. It’s a cool video. It does starts and end a little odd with a cow, but the middle is the part that counts. Watch how one family goes solar…

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.

Buy A Greener Broom

August 17, 2008 in Alternative Energy, Green Cleaning by Jennifer | 1 comment

The O-Cedar broom it greener than some of the conventional brooms you’ll find out there. If you need a new broom consider the benefits of the O-Cedar broom, such as bristles made from recycled plastic bottles, and a long, long warranty, which tells me these brooms are built to last. Built to last is always more green than built to toss.

Visit the O-Cedar website to learn more.

Past Green Building Resources & Green Living Tips

August 15, 2008 in Alternative Energy, Green Building, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

In the post, Green Building Resources & Green Living Tips I noted that Best Green Home Tips used to be located in a different spot, at the RiverWired network. Over there, we looked at many a green building and remodeling tip. I thought that if you missed these posts, it would be cool to catch you up to speed. We looked at about half of these posts in the first recap, and here’s the rest…

green building

Green building:

Green home interiors:

Save energy & resources:

Fun:

10 Tips for Greening Your Living Room

August 5, 2008 in Alternative Energy, Furniture & Appliances, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

green living roomThis week I thought it might be cool to go room by room and offer some tips that are both easy and will make your rooms greener and healthier.

Let’s kick it off with a high traffic area – the living room:

  1. If you have a fireplace or woodstove, make sure that you close the damper when you don’t have a fire going. You can save a lot on your energy use and electric bill by containing the air or heat you keep inside your house.
  2. Buy furniture made from sustainable woods or recycled materials.
  3. Try to buy soft furniture and fixtures, like sofas, carpet, chairs, and blankets in organics or natural, renewable fabrics and materials.
  4. You can also go for alternative non-carpet flooring choices.
  5. Turn off the television at least two nights a week (more if you can). It’s summer so you can head out for an evening game of Frisbee with the family, or simply have a family game or quiet-time night.
  6. Unplug equipment when not in use. Your stereo does not need to be plugged in 24/7 and it drains electricity.
  7. Choose the best air conditioner for your space.
  8. Buy plants that actually help to improve air quality – your whole family will feel better.
  9. Use LED lighting to light small reading areas, and use long lasting eco-friendly light bulbs in other lighting accessories. Once in a while try lighting organic soy candles instead of turning on the lights.
  10. Clean and dust your living room without the use of toxic chemicals.

Green Building Resources & Green Living Tips

July 29, 2008 in Alternative Energy, Decor, Save Energy, Sustainable Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Best Green Home Tips used to be located in a different spot, at the RiverWired network. Over there, we looked at many a green building and remodeling tip. I thought that if you missed these posts, it would be cool to catch you up to speed.

green living

Following are some of the best posts that you may have missed the first time around…

Green building:

Green home interior:

Alternative energy & energy saving:

This catches you up on about half of the green building blog. Later this week, I’ll post a second batch of great links that can help you to build and live green.