Green Your Home

You are currently browsing articles tagged Green Your Home.

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 »

Green Your Home – Sierra Club Green Home

March 31, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, News by Jennifer | No comments

There’s a new website in town for home dwellers looking to go green (or go more green). The newly launched Sierra Club Green Home was created, as you may have guessed by Sierra Club and covers a wide range of green home topics.

I went to check it out, and here’s the lowdown…

Pros:

First of all, this is a great looking website. Very nicely done, easy to navigate, and there are plenty of clear headings so you can find what you need fast.

They created centers related to various topics like the “CO2 Center” and “Solar Center” where you’ll find tips about carbon offsets, how to lower your energy bills, all sorts of solar heating options, energy calculators, and much more.

There’s a home health area that’s pretty cool. Plenty of healthy home tips including how to eat healthy and tips for raising healthy and green kids.

I really like their green video section. I was pretty impressed – they have videos ranging from fashion to food to composting.

There’s a forum too, but it’s not too busy yet. Not a huge surprise since the site is newer though, but it’s a nice feature.

Few ads!!!! Yay.

Cons:

I didn’t like that you had to register for some features. For example, they have a healthy home quiz I wanted to take, but they want you to register for that quiz. On the plus side, it looks like you only have to register once and the registration is a basic fill in your email type form. Still, come on; I can find other calculators online that won’t make me stop and register. When you spend a lot of time online, it’s a pain.

Overall:

I’d give this site an A. I was familiar with much of the info, but of course green is what I do. I do however, think that if you’re newer to green or want an easy to read green home guide, this is a pretty nice site and super easy to manage.

Visit Sierra Club Green Home.

Green Apartment Life – Easy Ways To Get Sustainable

March 16, 2009 in Green Audit, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

This week we’ve been looking at green apartment living. So far we’ve discussed:

Now we’ll look at some green tips that apply to anyone, even folks in an apartment, and later we’ll check out some sustainable decor and furnishings for apartment life before wrapping up this series.

When you live in an apartment, some green rules won’t apply. Unless you live in a very flexible apartment complex, you may not be able to do things like install a low-flow toilet, change your heating and cooling source, or build a rain barrel. But there are still plenty of ways to go green when living in an apartment. Such as…

Insulate your apartment. Caulking is iffy in an apartment but weather stripping and door draft stoppers are usually ok.

Ditch your landline phone.

Turn Down the Thermostat. You may be better off than a home dweller in this case, especially if you live on a first or second floor with an apartment above you. The extra layer of housing can help to seal in heat in the winter and keep it cooler in summer.

Live simply for a better, greener life.

Use eco-smart lighting like compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and LED lighting.

Conserve water!

You can solve indoor air pollution even in an apartment. The same tips that work for a house work for an apartment.

Rethink your disposables. Using items like cloth napkins and cleaning cloths over paper towels is not only eco-friendly, but handy in an apartment. Apartments tend to be short on space and it takes more space to store huge packs of paper towels.

Hold a green audit! Not all green home audit questions will apply to an apartment dweller. However, there’s still a lot you can audit and possibly change to stay green. Check out the following home audits and simply cut out questions that don’t apply – such as roofing or landscaping issues.

Do you live in an apartment? How are you keeping it green?

Green Apartment Life – Tools for Living Green While Renting

March 14, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

This week we’re diving into green apartment life – a big deal since the 2008 Current Population Survey notes that about 32% of U.S. residents rent instead of own their home. That’s a lot of households to green up.

Even if you can’t find a totally green apartment community, there are some tools that can help apartment dwellers live green…

An urban compost bin: Anyone, even apartment dwellers can compost. There are plenty of smaller compost bins available. You can set on on your deck or even on your kitchen counter. Once you’ve got some nutrient-rich soil, you can do the following with it:

  • Grow a killer container garden on the patio.
  • Give it to a pal who owns a house and has a garden.
  • Donate it to a local community garden or school.

Rent and borrow: If you need tools for a project, a bike for a specific marathon (i.e. you’re not a regular rider), or a special crock pot, see if you can rent or borrow the item before purchasing one. Why this is green:

  • With less stuff you can live smaller and reduce your overall footprint. Storage space need for items you rarely use is lame and not very green.
  • Buying stuff you only use once is a waste of resources and supplies.
  • Saves you cash that you could use for higher ticket sustainable items. Would you rather own all your own tools that you only use twice a year, or a killer organic mattress?

Be a green human: Technically actions make a far bigger difference than where you live. I.e Portland, Oregon is known as a green hub but just living there does not make you green. You need to practice green living skills like eco-cleaning, saving water, recycling and so on. You could live in an eco-nightmare of a city, but with proper green living skills, your own little home base can still be eco-friendly.

Recycle: Creating a dedicated home recycling area is possible even in an apartment. There are loads of smaller recycling bins available that can make recycling in an apartment easier.

What green living tools are you using in your rental?

How To Green Your Apartment – Find A Green Apartment Complex

March 14, 2009 in Green Building, Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

Sorry to be MIA folks – I caught a bad cold, which actually I think may be allergies, so I was out of commission. However, I grabbed some meds, and it’s all good now. Well, better anyhow. In any case, the other day we started looking at How To Green Your Apartment.

Today we’ll look at the basics about how to actually find a greener apartment to rent.

There aren’t too many actual green certified, LEED, or sustainable (etc) apartment complexes around. However, some are popping up. The downside is that you’ll likely pay more rent for a “green building” and most of the ones that have been built are in major cities or places that are known as green hubs. If you don’t live urban you’re almost out of luck. That said, it doesn’t hurt to do a search. Your local chamber or commerce, real estate agent, or apartment finder company may be able to help you find a greener building.

Tips for any apartment building: Read the rest of this entry »

Green Apartment Living – How To Green Your Apartment

March 11, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Often folks discuss changes you can make to your dwelling that are pretty specific to a home you buy which can leave apartment dwellers feeling left out in the cold.

However, green living is not just for folks with a mortgage. Anyone can live green; no matter if you live in a house, a duplex, an apartment, or RV. Ok, an RV is pushing it because of gas issues, but you get my drift.

This week I think we should look at some green living concerns that affect apartment dwellers. To get started, here are some posts from the past that can apply to anyone, in any sort of home setting.

This week we’ll also look at how to green audit an apartment vs. a house, green changes you can make that won’t flip out the landlord, see if we can find some green apartment choices, and more…

If there’s something specific you’d like to learn more about that relates to green apartment living let me know in the comments.

Best Green Flooring Options

December 13, 2008 in Green Building, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

[reclaimed flooring from Pioneer Millworks]

You’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to sustainable flooring options; some better than others.

Problems with old-school flooring:

Conventional and traditional synthetic carpets are often manufactured with petroleum derived materials, which not only pollutes your home, but is a pollution issue both during the making of said flooring product and when disposing of it. Other flooring options that are less than green include new wooden floors, floor backings made with toxic affixing products, and the toxic to produce vinyl tiles or floor covers.

Better green flooring options:
Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Get Your Kids Involved With Greening the House

August 11, 2008 in Children & Babies, Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 1 comment

tree hugger

Kids can be a valuable asset when it comes to going green. Where your home is concerned, kids can be really helpful because teaching them green steps early on means they’ll be more vigilant than you even.

My son always reminds me to turn off lights, and asks about recycling, so I know first hand that teaching your kids to be eco-friendly at home works.

Here are some easy green steps your kids can take at home:

Gardening: There’s no better way to learn about conserving than actually working with resources related to gardening. Your kids can learn about growth, organics, solar topics, seed saving (instead of buying new), composting, water use and conservation, and more. If you don’t have the yard space for a garden plot, these topics can easily be taught with a container garden.

Bathroom use: Lots of green opportunities occur in the bathroom. Even little kids can learn about turning the water off while brushing their teeth, not flushing everything yellow, and reusing a towel before washing.

Recycling: Get the kids involved in your home recycling. Kids can tell the difference between the recycling bins and the garbage can. Allow them to sort recycling and if they’re confused about bins, try this trick.

Clutter: Clutter and cleaning up said clutter is actually a cool way to teach eco-friendly objectives at home. Kids can learn that broken toys can be fixed, used toys and clothing can be given away vs. tossed, and more. As you clean the house make a point of talking to kids about these landfill reducing topics.

How do you get your kids involved with greening the house?