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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 Home Book of the Week: Off the Grid

November 12, 2008 in Books by Jennifer | 4 comments

A couple of weeks ago I posted a review of Off the Grid Homes. I recently received a copy of another book by Lori Ryker, Off The Grid Modern Homes + Alternative Energy, and it’s just as good, but in a different way.

Off the Grid Homes was like delicious but useful eye candy for green home lovers. This second book, Off the Grid offers a more in-depth look at home case studies. Don’t think you won’t see yummy homes in this one though; there are plenty of beautiful images to delight your eyes.

Pros:

  1. The thing I liked best about Off the Grid was the surprising variety of projects Ryker looks at, such as a  bungalow remodel, rural house on a pond, a lovely grassland homestead, and more. 10 projects in all, and each stunningly unique with the off grid component in place. No matter what your idea of off grid living is, this book will allow you to consider different possibilities.
  2. There’s a great projects at a glance section at the end of the book. Something I think too many green home books lack. Lately, I’ve been seeing this trait enacted more and more (thankfully) because when you do have an idea in your head, such as I’d like to see how a home that uses solar, wind, and gray water might work out, you can find it quickly with a project glance page.
  3. Each off grid project chapter also has a quick guide at the start. For example, home size, energy use, and materials, among other things is covered.
  4. The images – beautiful! There’s a nice combo of photography and diagrams. While I’m a sucker for house images; diagrams serve a way useful position, in that they allow you a look at the inner workings of say, a home ventilation system or how a geothermal cooling and heating system works.

Cons:

As with Off the Grid Homes, I honestly could not find any cons. If you’re interested in off grid living, green homes, or simply beautiful architecture, both books belong in your collection. Check Off the Grid out at your library first if you like, but I’m betting that you’ll want to own this one.

Unplugging Your Home & Other Ways To Save Energy

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

save energy

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.

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?