With busy work schedules and less cash in the pocket these days, taking that summer vacation, or even a quick weekend getaway isn’t really in the cards. After months of saving extra money to take that special vacation, you arrive at a place that was entirely misrepresented on that pretty little brochure you received in your mailbox.  Tourist traps are the worst, with expensive junk and large crowds; they hardly make for the type of getaway that seems inherent in the term, vacation. People have a tendency to seek other destinations for relaxation without considering the destination that they have at their disposal every day of the year.  Their home! Why look for a nicer place to vacation when you have a nice home all year round? When you live in a nice place, it’s easy to take it for granted and forget to explore the surrounding neighborhoods and sites from time to time.  What can be passed over as old news and ordinary, with a different outlook, can reveal a whole new side to your town that you may have otherwise missed. Sometimes it’s good to getaway from it all especially if you live in a crowded city, or near in-laws. ...

In the 90’s, CFL bulbs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) cost around $20.  Today you can get them for a couple of dollars.  CFL bulbs are available in various wattage, shapes and sizes to accommodate the wide variety of standard light fittings.  Coupled with the dramatically lower cost, CFL bulbs are preferable to incandescent bulbs because they consume much less energy. CFL bulbs have a 2-5 year lifespan. The question is, what do you do with them when they die?  Don’t throw CFL’s in the bin.  It is a waste of materials, and it’s important to recognize that compact fluorescent lamps contain 3-5 milligrams of mercury.  This amount is relative to the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen, and much less than what you would find in a watch battery.  However, with the popularity of these bulbs, the potential for build up of this small amount of mercury once the CFL’s are disposed of does become a significant issue. Fortunately, an even smaller amount of the mercury remaining in the CFL bulb is in its most toxic form.  However, the bulbs are fragile and therefore caution should be exercised that mercury should not find itself in the landfill. Mercury is a dangerous ...

A great debate raging is the topic of diapers.  Is it more environmentally friendly to use disposable diapers or reusable cloths? An advisory board to the United Kingdom Environmental Agency came to the conclusion that cloth diapers had equal the impact of disposable diapers, which is contradictory to common opinion. Reusable cloths would seem to be more environmentally sound. Both types of diapers were studied carefully and each aspect of the products lifespan was looked at, including the materials used to produce the product, the chemicals and energy that are consumed during the production of the product, and finally the usage and disposal of the product. Climate change, human toxicity and ozone depletion were some of the categories that the environmental impact of the diapers were assessed against. Findings revealed, in the two and a half years that a child would wear diapers, the impact on global warming and non-renewable resource depletion would equate to driving a car 2200 miles. Disposable diapers are manufactured from petroleum byproducts and tree products, while cloth diapers are composed of cotton - a pesticide, herbicide, synthetic fertilizer and water intensive crop. At a first glimpse, the study doesn’t find much to write home about in regards to differences ...

It is cool to be green. Green at home, at work, on vacation, with the car you drive, in the food you eat, and in the clothes you wear. The combination of trendiness and environment is known as eco chic.  It’s a trend that isn’t just about the environmental impact of what you have and what you wear, but more so about what you have and wear, how it was made, and how green the company who produces it is.  A social conscience is the latest essential fashion accessory, and thus, eco chic is just as much about social status as it is about the being concerned for the environment. Going beyond clothing and other material items, the eco chic extends to all aspects of life. Owning a green, brand name pair of shoes from a cool, environmentally conscious retailer and manufacturer is of the utmost importance.  Carrying a shopping bag made from recycled or earth-friendly materials at your local Trader Joes or Whole Foods Market tells the world that your are environmentally hip. Hemp tote bags with an eco chic company name or a clever saying on it stating that the owner is environmentally savvy can be costly compared to ...

It used to be that when your filters got dirty, you went to the hardware store and bought new ones, and you threw the old ones out. Obviously, this isn't the most eco friendly approach, and thus washable furnace filters were introduced. Washable furnace filters are produced with reusable technology that nears perfection when it comes down to effectiveness on foreign air particles that reside in the home and other indoor places. These filters are utilized just the same as their disposable counterparts, but instead of throwing them away when they become too dirty to use any longer, the washable furnace filters are simply washed to remove all of the dust that has accumulated over time. Not only are these filters big money savers, but they are also incredibly durable. Disposable standard filters typically need to be replaced every 2-3 months, which means every 2-3 months countless filters are being dumped in the trash and contributing to excess waste in the landfills. While washable filters need to be replaced just as often, the process of cleaning them and putting them back to use cuts back tremendously on waste and the materials and energy used to produce more filters. Washable furnace filters possess three ...