Everyday Green in 4 Simple Steps

Here an interesting article by Terra Wellington about being eco friendly:

Many super-busy parents cringe in fear when they see the words "go green," thinking they don't have the time or the money to do it, especially in this economy. But the reality is, there are simple ways for families to begin to ease into green living. It is possible to find a way to make healthy choices and protect the planet within the resources we have at our disposal.

So, what are the next steps? There are many things that most of us already do each day that can be slightly altered to inspire you to create eco-habits, instead of eco-obligations. Here are some ideas:

Veg Out 
Try eating less meat -- especially red meat. Cows require a lot of feed or grass to survive, they pollute water with their waste, and produce a large amount of greenhouse gases. For you and your family, eating a lot of meat can be strenuous on your digestive system and disagreeable for your overall health. Since you have to shop for food and make meals anyway, why not change it up and eat vegetarian a few times a week. Again, it's about habits.

Simply Recycle 
Each piece of your trash has a final destination. You have landfill trash, recyclables, compostables, green waste, and donations. Create an easy way for everyone at home to sort their trash into one of these five areas – all on the fly. Make the process painless by having a simple system in place: regular trash bins, recycling receptacles, a bowl for compost items next to the kitchen sink, the green waste bin outside, and a box for donations in the garage.

Slow the Flow 
While it's great to encourage family members not to waste water, a nearly effortless way to improve on those results and also help your bottom line is to install low-flow fixtures and low-flow toilets. You can easily exchange your showerhead for a water-saving variety that saves a gallon of water a minute. A faucet aerator for the kitchen or bathroom is a cheap replacement and can immediately cut water consumption in half.

Those Shoes are Made for Walking
Are you used to jumping in the car just to pick up milk from the corner store? Before you grab the keys, consider walking instead – to run errands, to get exercise, to go to the park for recreation. Have your children go with you. And as your children get older, they can take on these errands themselves. Walking is free, saves energy, produces no emissions (unless you count the production of the clothes and shoes you wear), and keeps you healthy. Viva la green!

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Eco Dance Club in UK

Came across an article today on how a dance club in the UK uses it's dance floor to generate tho clubs electricity! So people would pay to go dancing and they end up being the producers of the clubs electricity. This is truly an amazing technology!

Imagine if we were able to put those type of floors in our homes. we could generate our own house electricity just by walking around in it.

Click here see the article.

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Eco Reminders; Wall Stickers with a Poetic Message Help You Get Rid of Bad Habits

Here's in interesting eco article:

Stickers can be fun, but how eco-friendly is this new craze for decorating walls? We have found two brands that claim their vinyls to be eco-chic, and some even come with decorative eco-reminders; very clever! Hu2 in the UK has just launched the first Flat Sharing Rules wall stickers that don't just help keeping everybody sane, but also saving energy and water.

A shower sand timer let's everybody in a flatshare know the appropriate time to shower (4 min), in order not to block the bathroom for too long, and, to save water and hence reduce the bill. All of Hu2's stickers are made from a PVC-Free self-adhesive which is a bio material, completely free of chlorine and plasticizers. The British company started off on Brick Lane in London, but has since expanded to Soho in New York. All their story-telling wall stickers are however still made in the UK.

 

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Go Green! 50 Actions You Can Take Today

Here's a good article on how to be green.

 

What can you and your family do to be kind to the environment TODAY? Here are 50 simple, earth-friendly actions.

 

1. Buy eco! Super cool and environmentally friendly shoes, purses, skateboard earrings, platters, picture frames, batteries, cars, and more are readily available these days
2. Recycle electronics, including computers, printers, cd players, and toys
3. Build a garden using native plants
4. Incorporate Integrated Pest Management practices into your garden
5. Buy groceries in bulk
6. Take a reusable bag to the grocery store
7. Ride a bicycle to work or to take care of errands around town
8. Watch environmentally themed movies such as Sacred Planet
9. Carry a reusable mug, everywhere
10. Use recycled-content copy paper
11. Purchase remanufactured toner cartridges
12. Research ways you can help the environment
13. Practice Environmentality with your family
14. Buy recycled office products
15. Unplug electronics when they are not in use

 

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Shut the Refrigerator Door, Save 7%

Don't keep the refrigerator door open any longer than you need to and avoid the cold air from flowing out the door.

The next time you find yourself craving a mid-afternoon snack, make some time to think about what your stomach is asking for before you open the fridge door and stare mindlessly at its contents. The food inside isn't going anywhere and I doubt that anything new will appear in the time it takes you to mentally fix a snack. However, every time you open the refrigerator door, the cold air that keeps your food fresh is running out the door and the warm air from the room is taking its place. This is a problem because now your refrigerator's compressor is going to work hard to drive all that warm air out and bring the temperature back to normal, elevating not only your monthly energy bills, but also your environmental footprint.

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Disco pub gets electricity produced by people dancing at specially modified dance floor

All the flashing strobes and pounding speakers at the dance club are massive consumers of electrical power. So Bar Surya, in London, re-outfitted its floor with springs that, when compressed by dancers, could produce electrical current that would be stored in batteries and used to offset some of the club's electrical burden. The club's owner, Andrew Charalambous, said the dance floor can now power 60 percent of the club's energy needs

 

Click here to read more.

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The Land of Giants Wins Award, But No Build Date

Here’s a great solution to the NIMBYism that building new transmission dredges up, commissioned by Landsnet, a public company that owns and runs the electrical transmission system in Iceland.

Elegant transmission pylons that look like Art.

“Like the statues of Easter Island, it is envisioned that these one hundred and fifty foot tall, modern caryatids will take on a quiet authority, belonging to their landscape yet serving the people, silently transporting electricity across all terrain, day and night, sunshine or snow.”

The competition required that entries give specific consideration to the visual impact of the pylons,  especially near urban areas and also in the wilderness.

The pylons had to be able to use identical construction technologies, enabling mass production using a library of pre-assembled parts.

These would be as mass-produceable as any pylons now made. Yet small variations among these tall imposing and iconic figures will give them uniquely human attributes. Some would seem to be glancing at each other as they pass. Ones near cities will bow down considerately, (while still being within the specs for safe pylons, of course.) 

The honorable mention entry, halfway between Art and Science, Land of Giants, designed by Choi+Shine Architects, is typical of the future oriented, optimistic style of the firm.

 

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Green Remodeling with Eco Friendly Paint

Here's a great tip for remodeling your home and staying green at the same time:

 

Looking for a way to make your house beautiful?  There are many ways to update an old home, but whether you’re tearing down walls or just adding a little color, one thing you’ll definitely need is paint. 

Virtually hundreds of paint choices fill the shelves of your local hardware store, so selecting a healthy, dependable, and eco friendly paint can take a bit of time, unless . . . you are equipped with the knowledge of a few key qualities that set eco paints apart from the rest.  Before we dip our brushes into that bucket, let’s look at some reasons why run-of-the-mill paint can be hazardous to our health and to the environment.

Potential Hazards of Paint

According to the EPA, the concentration of pollutants inside your home is several times higher than what you’ll find outside, due to the lack of ventilation in rooms compared to the open spaciousness of the great outdoors.  Without proper ventilation, airborne chemicals collect indoors and eventually cause damage to our bodies.  Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, asthma, cancer, and heart disease are all potential side effects of indoor air pollution.  Although the contamination cannot be attributed to any single source, paint and paint-related chemicals play a significant role inside a typical home. 

 

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