Green at Home

Take Care Of That Water Leak

Did you know how much water you're losing from a leaky faucet?  A slow leak - about one drop every two seconds - wastes three gallons a day.  That's the equivalent of taking an extra twenty-seven baths every year.  Worse - a leaky toilet can lose about twenty two gallons a day!  It's the little stuff that counts when it comes to reducing waste.  However, it's also hard to convince ourselves to deal with this kind of little stuff.   It's time to start looking into the places where our homes create waste and deal with it.  You'll save money and have a much lower environmental impact. Start by fixing those leaks, and then take a look at other options, too.  If you have air leaks in your home (around windows and doors, in the attic, or in other areas), you're losing heat in the winter and gaining it in the summer.  That causes your energy bills to rise and more fuel to be used, no matter how you heat and cool your home.  Take a look at your options for sealing those windows, doors, and other leaks.  You'll ...

• Bookmark :
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Stumbleupon
• Redit it

Have a Greener House Move

Moving is always a messy process.  You discover things you had forgotten about and it is always likely that you will uncover a load of junk that you no longer want or need.  In addition, there are all the moving materials that you will use during the move and then be ready to throw away when you are done.  Moving can produce an amazing amount of trash.  So, how do you make your move a little greener?  There are many things you can do to have a greener house move.  You just have to get organized, focused and be willing to take a little time to keep things green. Disposing of the Junk The first step in moving is packing.  This means dragging everything out of closets and storage spaces.  Instead of simply packing it all away or just tossing it, take time to go through it.  See what items you want and what you can get rid of. Instead of throwing things away think about whether they are still useful.  They may not be useful to you, but someone could use them.  Go donate ...

• Bookmark :
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Stumbleupon
• Redit it

Recycle your Old Socks

Nowadays, you can get a six pack of socks for about 7.00 in your local discount store. Gone are the days when you needed to darn your socks and hang on to them for years. They are so cheap these days, that you can buy them when you need them. One thing about the new sock material is that it isn't made from environmentally friendly materials, generally a mixture of polyester and cotton. If you knew what polyester is made from - crude oil and cotton that needs large amounts of water and pesticides - you'd see why cheaper isn't necessarily better. Polyester is also one of those inventions that has a half life in the years, and will probably still be hanging around when you cease to be. Estimating that the average person goes through about six to seven pairs of socks per year and multiply that by the number of years you will live, on average, well - that's a lot of socks! Pile up all of that polyester, and you've got quite a mess. So, instead of adding to the environmental mess, why don't you try to recycle your ...

• Bookmark :
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Stumbleupon
• Redit it

Old Fashioned Fun Ways to Keep Cool

As summer approaches and promises to be a scorcher, we all need to think about the energy consumption. There are numerous ways to keep cool without the use of the air conditioning systems we have in own homes. Whether you have an old home or planning to build a new home there are architectural ways to take advantage of natural cooling. There are also ways that we can adapt our older homes to be more energy conservative while staying cool. If you are building a new home talk to the contractor about using the natural resources of how the sun rises and sets and wind direction. When building the roof make it reflective and insulate with earth friends cellulose fiber to help keep the entire house cool while the sun beats down on the roof. The major room where the family gathers during the day should be facing either north or south instead of east and west, windows and doors should be opposite of each other for crosswinds. Keep those doors and windows open during the day to keep air moving through the house, and all the other windows closed and ...

• Bookmark :
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Stumbleupon
• Redit it

9 Quick Tips on Going Green

Going green is something that is flying around the world like wild fire. More and more people are seeing the problems with global warming and the hole in the ozone layer as a big threat. Actions are finally being taken to make our world greener, making the ones who have been green all along sit back and relax as the new trend takes way. There are many things you can do, to make this world a little greener; all easy to follow and will make you feel great! 1. Get some exercise and walk or ride your bike to school or work, anywhere you can. This will reduce green house gas emissions and you can build some muscles at the same time which is always nice. If walking is not an option, take a public bus or train. Less cars on the road means less of that gas in the air. 2. Leave your car at home! There is no need to have to drive every day of the week. If you can car pool at least twice a week, green house gas emissions will reduce 1,590 pounds per year on ...

• Bookmark :
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Stumbleupon
• Redit it