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Disposing of CFLs

Using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are a smart way to do something wonderful for the planet. CFLs use 75 percent less energy than do traditional incandescent bulbs. You should definitely replace any high use light bulbs with CFLs, such as porch or driveway lights, kitchen or living room lights, etc. The cost of CFLs has gone down quite a bit, making them comparable to the incandescent. That means you won’t first have to invest a lot of money to save on your energy costs. The downside to CFLs is that they contain trace amounts of mercury. This mercury can … Continue reading →

What is a Home Geothermal System?

Install a home geothermal system, and you may never need oil or gas to heat or cool your home again. The system, while ingenious goes back may centuries. Many cultures around the world and through time have uses the Earth’s nature temperatures for keeping warm or cool and for heating water. For the home, a geothermal pump system is put into place. Rather than generating heat by buring fuel, as does a traditional home furnace, a home geothermal systems collects the earth’s natural heat and brings it up from below to your home heating your home and even providing hot … Continue reading →

How to Clean Green

Having a clean home doesn’t mean that you have to expose yourself and your family to tons of chemicals that can linger in your home and may negatively impact both your health and the environment. The old days of strong chemical cleaners that eradicate everything in their paths is gone. Welcome in a new era of cleaning, one that will leave your home clean and smelling wonderfully without causing harm. First, let’s talk a little bit about the traditional cleaning solutions that are on the market. Most of them are petroleum based, which we know is not a renewable resource. … Continue reading →

Six Ways to Have a Greener Home

The little things that you do around your home can make a big impact in how much energy you can save. if you want a greener home, concentrate on the following six areas. 1. Conserve hot water. You can conserve hot water by taking shorter showers, washing your laundry in cold water and lowering the thermostat on your furnace or water heater. 2. Replace your blinds. If you have traditional metal blinds on your windows, you’ll save money when you replace them with wood or fabric. This is because blinds will suck up the heat and the cold from outside … Continue reading →

RecycleBank: Getting Paid to Recycle

Yesterday morning, there was great anticipation in our household while we expected a large arrival. I had just signed up for our local RecycleBank (http://www.recyclebank.com) program, and we were awaiting our new large recycling container, complete with RDIF chip. Through the RecycleBank program, our household will be rewarded for recycling. The amount of recycling that we do is directly related to the number of rewards. The literature that I received said that good recyclers could earn hundreds of dollars worth of rewards in a year. The RecycleBank website and the literature about the program doesn’t go into great detail about … Continue reading →

Green Home Tips

Did you know that a plastic shower curtain can be dangerous to your health? It can release dangerous levels of volatile organic compounds. If you want to protect your health and your environment, you’ll want to read the following green home tips. First, let me offer a reading recommendation for anyone who is interested in being more aware of healthy products. There is a magazine called Body & Soul that offers a lot of great information on this subject. Many of the tips I have for you today were inspired by some recent issues. Now let’s get back to that … Continue reading →

How to Recycle Crayons

Did you know that when crayons are tossed out in the garbage, they can spend almost an eternity in a landfill? Who knew that such a little think could contribute to the trash on our planet? As a household with three young children, crayons are everywhere. There are the broken ones, the ones that are of unpopular colors and the ones that get replaced when a gift of a new box of well-dressed crayons appears. Ah, it is that new crayon smell that no one can resist. There are several ways that you can recycle crayons and keep them out … Continue reading →

Easy Household Ways to Go Green

While new windows and electric cars are great ways to go green and take care of the environment, there are also a number of smaller but equally effective steps that you can take in your home to cut down on your impact to the environment. Eliminate the paperwork Paying your bills online and asking for electronic delivery of your bills and statements can reduce not only the paper itself, but the fuel consumption to deliver all of those bills, statements and checks. Eliminate the vampire electronics Many electronics consume power even when they are turned off or not being actively … Continue reading →

Guide to Recycling Electronics 3

In our household there are so many electronic devices that we rely on using to get through the day. But technology is always growing and changing, leaving many of our devices obsolete and in need of being upgraded or replaced. It is important to practice responsible recycling of electronics, for the health of our planet and even the health of ourselves. Let’s keep dangerous chemicals out of the mix with this guide to recycling electronics. Today, let’s talk about recycling cell phones and small electronic devices, such as MP3 players. Cell phones and small devices are some of the most … Continue reading →

Guide to Recycling Electronics 2

Does your household contribute to the vast amount of e-waste (electronic waste) that has become a big issue for our environment? All of those cool devices and wonders of technology today will probably wind up in a landfill tomorrow, leaching out toxic chemicals such as arsenic and lead. One way to help the world is to recycle our home electronics in a responsible way. Today let’s talk about televisions. Most households have more than one television. And now that high definition televisions (HDTV) are available, families are eager to upgrade. At the same time, those new HDTVs will one day … Continue reading →