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Roommate Living
Thursday, 04 August 2011
Image Whether you live with your family, best friends, acquaintances, or people from the classifieds, roommates can be difficult to get along with from time to time. I've shared tight spaces with a roomie who despised fans and open windows in the heat of summer, another who always left the kitchen compost open and smelling, then another who blasted music...

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Ways to Keep Cool
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Ways to Keep Cool Air conditioners (ACs) are energy suckers. They use 16% of total home energy in the United States. In warm areas, AC units can account for up to 70% of electric bills during the summer months! This summer, challenge yourself to keep cool while minimizing your AC ...

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Barbecuing
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Barbecuing Eating outside over an open flame, together—it is a simple pleasure that humans have shared for millennia. As the evenings grow longer and warmer, many of us will roll out our grills. But before we do, let's consider the environmental impacts of a barbecue. Not all traditional...

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Tire Home
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Tire Home Thinking about building your own “Earthship,” or since the Earthship is a trademarked product, I should say your own passive solar home made out of tires?! What you want is a completely self-sufficient structure, made from recycled and sustainable materials that will allow you to live “off the grid” as much as possible. Well, let’s build...

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Spring Cleaning
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Spring Cleaning The snow is melting, the ground is thawing, and the birds are singing with gusto—Spring is finally here! It is time to get into spring cleaning mode Let’s open up our cluttered closets and ask: Do I really need all this stuff? Then let's look ahead to next year's spring cleaning and make a resolution to always ask: Do I really need that new thing?...

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Homemade Toothpaste
Thursday, 03 March 2011
Homemade Toothpaste Have you ever noticed how many chemicals are in your toothpaste? Before big toothpaste manufacturing existed, people used baking soda and salt to cleanse their teeth or even just pure water. Today there are many chemicals added to enhance taste and to make your mouth feel “fresh” and minty, or to make them whiter (allegedly…)! Fluoride compounds...

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Green Storage
Monday, 21 February 2011
een Storage Are your closets driving you crazy? Staying organized saves time and frustration, but did you think about how it could also help the environment. By knowing what you have and where you have it, you won't buy the same stuff twice, thus conserving natural resources. By getting your belongings off the floor and into storage, you'll save space...

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Natural Deodorants
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Natural Deodorants Have you heard that antiperspirant deodorant is bad for you? This is certainly news to me! The bad components in antiperspirants are the aluminum compounds. There have been links to Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer from these aluminum compounds, which get into your body through the pores in your armpits. So what should we do about it? The best thing...

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Snow Removal
Thursday, 03 February 2011
Snow Removal Winter is the season of sledding, snow angels, snowmen, and little snowflakes that cling to knitted things. Unfortunately, it's also the season of slippery sidewalks, snowed-in vehicles, and icy frustrations. To make matters worse, the conventional tools of snow removal—namely, salt and snowblowers—harm the environment. Fortunately, there are some...

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Natural Cooling
Wednesday, 08 December 2010
Image Did you know that a significant portion of your energy bill is caused by your kitchen refrigerator system? It comes in right after your air conditioner expenses at 13.7%! Moreover, many of the fluorine gases—which account for 17% of the planet’s global warming impact—come from the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in our modern refrigeration...

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Manual Washing Machine
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Manual Washing Machine Washing machines can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year to run depending on your washing machine type, whether or not you use hot, warm, or cold water, your energy company’s prices, water company’s prices, and the number of loads you run per week! Most significantly, roughly ninety percent of the energy used by washing machines...

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Clean or Replace your Air Conditioner Filter
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Clean or Replace your Air Conditioner Filter Air conditioning filters have a dual-purpose. They keep both the air and the unit's component parts clean. If the filter is not cleaned or replaced regularly, the effectiveness of your air conditioner can be significantly reduced. A unit operating at a sub-optimal level requires more energy to perform its function. Additionally, poorly...

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Dry Your Clothes on a Clothesline
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Dry Your Clothes on a Clothesline Living in the age of iPods, hybrid vehicles, and high-speed wireless internet, many people find the idea of hang-drying clothes ludicrous. With all the technology available, including high efficiency dryers, why would one even fancy the idea of using a clothesline? Don't be so quick to dismiss the ancient apparatus. By using a clothesline...

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Install a Motion Sensing Light
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Install a Motion-Sensing Light A motion-sensing light is one that is activated by a motion sensor rather than by a conventional light switch. A motion-sensor can either replace conventional light switches or be placed onto an existing lighting fixture. While motion-sensing lights are normally associated with outdoor lighting applications, they are becoming increasingly...

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Reuse Your Grey Water
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Reuse Your Grey Water Why bother reusing water when it is so abundant? Despite the fact that the earth consists of 70% water, only 2.5% of it is freshwater and only 0.3% of that freshwater is readily available to us. According to UNESCO, by 2050 it is probable that 1 in 4 people will live in a country that experiences freshwater shortages. In the U.S. alone...

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Solar Powered Fan
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Solar Powered Fan Making a solar powered fan is one of the easiest and simplest solar projects out there. Solar powered fans are also very portable and useful items, especially during the summer. Here’s your guide to building your own solar powered fan! A solar powered fan is a great way to keep you cool wherever there’s a lot of light. Air conditioning can consume...

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Toilet Plumbing
Monday, 14 December 2009
Toilet Plumbing Did you know that on average, 20% of toilets leak? Even if you don't hear a leak, that doesn't mean your toilet isn't leaking. Silent toilet leaks can waste up to 500 gallons a day. Why not check out your toilet to make sure that it's working properly? It's good for the environment, your wallet, and your sanity...

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Winter Homes
Friday, 23 October 2009
Winter Homes As the days become shorter and the nights become colder, we know that winter is near. Depending on what part of the country you live, the winter months may also be the most expensive time of year. Heating and cooling systems account for almost half of the total annual cost of home utility bills, and during the colder months, a large...

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Furniture Guide to Making Yours Eco Friendly
Tuesday, 08 September 2009
Furniture: Guide to Making Yours Eco-Friendly In order to make most furniture, companies need to use a great deal of energy and extract a lot of natural resources. The high carbon cost of transporting heavy, bulky items contributes directly to global warming, while the deforestation means a decrease in both carbon sinks and biodiversity. Eco-furniture minimizes the materials and...

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Monitoring Your Water Heater Settings
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Monitoring Your Water Heater Settings In general, water heating accounts for 13% of your home utility bill. Most homes maintain their hot water heaters at a pre-set temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much higher than needed. By lowering your water heater to around 120°F, you can cut down the cost of your utility bill and enjoy some other unexpected benefits...

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Laundry Make it Eco Friendly
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Laundry: Make it Eco-Friendly! To ensure that you are getting the most out of each wash, start by only doing laundry when you have enough clothes to make a full load. Put very simply, if each time you did laundry you only did half loads, you would essentially be using double the amount of energy and water. That means that you and the environment will always be paying...

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Build Your Own Air Conditioner
Sunday, 02 August 2009
Build Your Own Air Conditioner Yes, you can build your own air conditioner that is eco-friendly and wallet-friendly! I would like to thank my good friend Black Khachatoorian, who is the sole genius behind this creation. He allowed me access to 100% of his design, techniques, and list of materials, so that I could share his handiwork in an effort to decrease national energy...

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Chairs Guide to Making Them From Plastic Barrels
Monday, 13 July 2009
Chairs: Guide to Making Them From Plastic Barrels If life gives you a large plastic barrel, why not make a chair? A chair made out of a plastic bucket may not sound that appealing, but if you have the right equipment to shape and mold the bucket in a certain way, it can look great and feel nice. It has arm rests, back support, and the capacity to hold a lot of weight. Plus, you'll...

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Programmable Thermostats
Monday, 15 June 2009
Programmable Thermostats If you've got a manual thermostat, it's the time to switch to a programmable thermostat. This simple technology can make a huge impact in your life. Once you install it, you won't know how you lived without it. They're great for the environment, save you time and effort, and can lower your electricity bill...

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Insulate Your Home
Monday, 15 June 2009
Insulate Your Home! Whether it's winter or summer, you want your home to retain as much heat or cool air, respectively, as possible, so you can comfortably stay at a nice temperature without having to blast your heater or air conditioner. When you insulate your home, you can do just that...

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Water Heater Guide to Going Tankless
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Water Heater: Guide to Going Tankless! You may not have heard of them before, but tankless water heaters are the most common type of water heater in Europe and Asia. By contrast, in the US, the most common type of water heater is the storage tank water heater. Although they are still quite rare, tankless water heaters are slowly gaining popularity in the US. Why? It's because...

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How to Conserve Water in Your Kitchen
Friday, 31 October 2008
How to Conserve Water in Your Kitchen In 2003 the United Nations reported that over half of the global population would live without enough water, and five years later in 2008 some of this prediction proved to be true. Indian farmers were lacking ample groundwater to grow their crops and East Africa experienced battles due to insufficient water supplies. Whether you are a...

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How to Build a Solar Oven
Friday, 31 October 2008
How to Build a Solar Oven If you like the idea of a cob oven, but aren't willing to make such a large commitment to natural cooking, solar ovens are the way to go! Building a solar oven is a simple and cheap way to help save the environment. While many people like to use solar cookers on the road when they don't have access to electricity, you can actually use the...

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CFLs vs LEDs
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
CFLs vs LEDs While a lot of people have heard about the benefits of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs), not as many have heard about or are as familiar with many have heard about Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). If you are not as familiar with CFLs, or you would just like a quick brush-up, you can read the GreeniacsGuide on CFLs...

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Fix Your Leaky Faucet
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Fix Your Leaky Faucet! Freshwater ecosystems are the most diverse ecosystems (around 12% of all animal species live in fresh water), yet they are also the most threatened. On top of that, with dwindling water supplies, imagine how many other animals in nature will have to compete with humans for access to freshwater! As water supplies continue to dwindle...

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How to Build a Cob Oven
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
How to Build a Cob Oven Imagine moving your baking projects outdoors. Imagine constructing your own oven out of natural materials in the same way people have for centuries. Imagine increasing your level of self-sufficiency by decreasing your use of fossil fuels in baking. Best of all, imagine a project that your whole family, group of friends, or neighborhood can...

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Use Eco Friendly Paints
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Use Eco-Friendly Paints It may be a surprise that a widely used substance such as paint, whether it be for interior or exterior use, can pose a threat to human health and the environment. The culprit: conventional paints containing high levels of volatile organic compounds. VOCs are carbon-based organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under...

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Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb A compact fluorescent light bulb is an energy efficient alternative for your conventional incandescent bulb. If every American changed just one light bulb in their home to an Energy Star certified compact fluorescent bulb, we would save enough energy to light three million homes for a year. This same action would also eliminate greenhouse...

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Set Up a Home Recycling Station
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Set Up a Home Recycling Station A home recycling station is a sorting system for recyclables. Even though recycling is one of the easiest things to do, at times we neglect to do it simply out of sheer laziness. When it's convenient we have little trouble putting recyclables in the designated container. By setting up your own recycling station, you will make it more...

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Replace Your Heating Filter
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Replace Your Heating Filter Heating filters function to keep both the air emitted and your heater's components clean. If the filter is dirty, the effectiveness of your heater can be significantly reduced. Doing just a little maintenance every month or two can go a long way both environmentally and economically...

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Make Your Own Rugs
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Make Your Own Rugs Why make rugs when you can buy them? Because it's easy and fun! Making "Rag Rugs" became particularly popular from 1890 to 1910 especially among women in the country or frontier. Instructions are often passed orally through family generations. Rugs are a great decoration that add color to boring rooms, and warm up the floor during cold winter...

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Make Your Own Eco Friendly Household Cleaners
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Household Cleaners Chemically infused cleaning products have an undeserved reputation of immaculate cleanliness. The truth is these products that are intended to rid our homes of germs, may be perpetuating the very thing we are trying to avoid - illness. The chemicals found in conventional cleaners contribute to indoor air pollution, which can have detrimental...

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Green Facts

  • American workers spend an average of 47 hours per year commuting through rush hour traffic. This adds up to 23 billion gallons of gas wasted in traffic each year.

  • Shaving 10 miles off of your weekly driving pattern can eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

  • You’ll save two pounds of carbon for every 20 glass bottles that you recycle.

  • It takes 6,000,000 trees to make 1 year's worth of tissues for the world.

  • Recycling 100 million cell phones can save enough energy to power 18,500 homes in the U.S. for a year.

  • Current sea ice levels are at least 47% lower than they were in 1979.

  • Bamboo absorbs 35% more carbon dioxide than equivalent stands of trees.

  • Recycling 1 million laptop computers can save the amount of energy used by 3,657 homes in the U.S. over the course of a year.

  • Washing your clothes in cold or warm instead of hot water saves 500 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, and drying your clothes on a clothesline six months out of the year would save another 700 pounds.

  • Nudge your thermostat up two degrees in the summer and down two degrees in the winter to prevent 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

  • In California homes, about 10% of energy usage is related to TVs, DVRs, cable and satellite boxes, and DVD players.

  • Recycling for one year at Stanford University saved the equivalent of 33,913 trees and the need for 636 tons of iron ore, coal, and limestone.

  • 82 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. come from burning fossil fuels.

  • Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth can save as much as 10 gallons a day per person.

  • For every 38,000 bills consumers pay online instead of by mail, 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases are avoided and two tons of trees are preserved.

  • Americans use 100 million tin and steel cans every day.

  • Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year.

  • An aluminum can that is thrown away instead of recycled will still be a can 500 years from now!

  • Glass can be recycled over and over again without ever wearing down.

  • States with bottle deposit laws have 35-40% less litter by volume.

  • Rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres per minute.

  • You will save 100 pounds of carbon for each incandescent bulb that you replace with a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), over the life of the bulb.

  • Every week about 20 species of plants and animals become extinct.

  • Americans throw away more than 120 million cell phones each year, which contribute 60,000 tons of waste to landfills annually.

  • In the United States, automobiles produce over 20 percent of total carbon emissions. Walk or bike and you'll save one pound of carbon for every mile you travel.

  • Refrigerators built in 1975 used 4 times more energy than current models.

  • You will save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide for every 10,000 miles you drive if you always keep your car’s tires fully inflated.

  • Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every 3 months

  • Due to tiger poaching, habitat destruction, and other human-tiger conflicts, tigers now number around 3,200—a decrease in population by about 70% from 100 years ago.

  • The World Health Organization estimates that 2 million people die prematurely worldwide every year due to air pollution.

  • Less than 1% of electricity in the United States is generated from solar power.

  • If every U.S. household turned the thermostat down by 10 degrees for seven hours each night during the cold months, and seven hours each weekday, it would prevent nearly gas emissions.

  • A single quart of motor oil, if disposed of improperly, can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water.

  • A steel mill using recycled scrap reduces related water pollution, air pollution, and mining wastes by about 70%.

  • 77% of people who commute to work by car drive alone.

  • A laptop consumes five times less electricity than a desktop computer.

  • Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy used to make the material from scratch.

  • One recycled aluminum can will save enough energy to run a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours.

  • A tree that provides a home with shade from the sun can reduce the energy required to run the air conditioner and save an additional 200 to 2,000 pounds of carbon over its lifetime.