Green Living

Organic Pesticides That You Can Make At Home

Why spend a lot of money on commercial organic pesticides when you can easily and cheaply make your own at home?  You will be surprised to know how many items that you have around the house can be used for organic pest control in your own garden.  Here are just a few ideas. Garlic Garlic is technically not a pesticide because it does not usually kill but it repels many pests.  They just don't like the taste or the smell.  You can use garlic for pest control in two ways. First, planting garlic around other plants will keep many pests off.  Garlic planted around tomatoes can prevent red spider mite.  (Salt water spray is also good against spider mite.) Around fruit trees, garlic plants can repel borer beetles whose larvae would bore into your tree trunk, damaging or even killing the tree. Second, you can make an organic pest control spray from garlic blended with water or oil.  Use the water mixture directly on growing vegetables or flowers to prevent rabbits and other invaders from snacking on your plants.  Use the oil mixture to spray onto ponds.  It will form a film on the surface of the pond that can kill mosquitoes. Boric acid (known ...

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Eco-Friendly Tags and Electricity

Since green electricity sources like wind, solar and biofuels have yet to become the main grid, innovations have been introduced to counteract the harmful effects of fossil fuel-generated power.  One of the more notable, not to mention more popular and more affordable, alternatives are green tags. Green Tags Defined More formally called as Renewable Energy Certificates/Credits and Tradable Renewable Certificates, green tags are the marketable and tradable environmental commodities sold by renewable energy systems to consumers hooked up to the main electricity grid.  Put simply, you purchase green tags from producers of renewable energy to lessen dependence on non-renewable energy sources.  It’s a very eco-friendly approach to power your homes! Green tags come in two market types.  First, compliance markets are mandated by federal government policy that promotes the use of renewable energy.  At present, there are 25 states in the United States implementing the so-called Renewable Portfolio Standard, which mandates the increased production of energy from renewable sources in relation to traditional sources by a fixed percentage by a certain date. Second, voluntary markets involve electric consumers who willingly and voluntarily purchase green tags even without their state being part of the Renewable Portfolio Standard.  Mainly it’s the desire to be eco-friendly that ...

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Double Glazing: Why It’s Economical and Great For Your Home

Ideally, our houses should be able to keep us warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather without the high heating and cooling financial costs associated with said comforts.  The reality, however, is far from ideal since approximately 60 percent of heat loss, hence, money loss, comes from inadequate insulation especially from the walls and windows.  Fortunately, double glazing comes to the rescue of both pockets and environment. What Is Double Glazing? But first, relevant information on double glazing is necessary.  As you might have surmised, double glazing involves the use of two panes of glass with space in between them and which are then fitted into a frame.  Before sealing the unit, a drying agent is applied to squeeze out excess moisture.  You then have a highly effective insulation material that combines the benefits of physical aesthetics and environmental uses. There are two types of glasses used in double glazing.  First, toughened/tempered glass is recommended for home use since it is designed to shatter into a thousand pieces.  As such, it is safe even when children are around.  Second, float glass is used for smaller double glazed frames suitable for places where there are lesser chances of breakage. What Are the Benefits ...

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Decrease Your Carbon Footprint by Living Simple with a Small House

Today small houses are beginning to get more and more popular.  In fact, there are many companies out there that specifically make and promote small homes.  There is a reason that these houses are beginning to be quite popular.  One reason is that they can help you to decrease the carbon footprint that you have.  With a small house you won't need much energy to build it and you won't need to use a lot of energy in the house either.  It provides a simple way of living that you can enjoy and a variety of excellent benefits. Save Big Money One of the big benefits of going with a small house is the ability to save big money.  When you live in a small house it gives you the ability to save energy, which translates into saving money as well.  Some of these houses that are being made can be 50 square feet to 500 square feet and the price is reasonable.  You'll pay from $15,000 - $40,000 for one of these homes.  Their design is such that every single inch of the house is used in an effective manner.  They are very clean and they are also very energy efficient. Enjoy ...

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Clothes Lines and Line Drying Benefits

If you are concerned about the environment and how you can make a difference, there are many things that you can do today to reduce your carbon footprint and to help save the environment.  One thing that is easy to do is to start using clothes lines to line dry your clothes instead of using a dryer.  This is one thing that many people never even think of these days.  Unfortunately most households in the United States don't line dry clothing for a variety of reasons.  This can include no room for a clothesline, inability to have one because of a neighborhood association, and more.  If you really want to work on saving energy and improving the environment, this is something that you should definitely give a try. The Benefits There are definitely a variety of great benefits that you can enjoy when you decide to use a clothes line to line dry your clothing.  One of the main benefits is that it is cheaper than purchasing a clothes dryer.  Clothes lines are not that expensive to purchase, especially when you consider what you'll pay for a dryer.  Not only will save you on the dryer, but you'll save on energy.  You ...

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