The holiday season is approaching again. While we all love holidays, it is also a time with huge waste of energy and materials.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, one million extra tons of garbage is generated each week in the U.S.

However, with a little green thinking and effort, we might be able to reduce that figure significantly.

1. Christmas tree

Plant a small potted tree and use it for Christmas each year.

Although artificial trees cost un-renewable energy to produce, if you can use it year after year, it shouldn’t be too bad.

If you must have a real cut tree, most cities have a program to recycle it into mulch and compost.

2. Lights

Switch to LED Christmas lights. They are 90% more efficient than traditional ones. They also last longer and emit little heat.

3. Gift wrap

Save wrap from previous years and reuse it.

Use newspaper, old calendars, posters, magzines, or catalogues as gift wrap (better yet, skip the wrapping).

Recycle any wrap that is no longer useful.

4. Other

Recycle greeting cards, gift tags, and especially cardboard or use them for crafts.  Avoid using disposable tableware. Save and reuse holiday decorations.

Hope we all have a greener holiday this year. For more green holiday ideas, click here.

Not all air cleaners make the air better in your house. Some are ineffective and some are even harmful.

Ionizing air cleaners, or ionizers, produce ozone, a byproduct of the process of electrically charging and trapping air particles.

Ozone is a supercharged form of oxygen. High level of ozone has been linked to increases in premature deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular causes.

Consumer Report and Consumers Union have been testing indoor air cleaners for close to 20 years.

They recommended Consumer Product Safety Commission set indoor ozone limits for air cleaners and suggested the Federal Trade Commission keep an eye on air cleaner ads to prevent deceptive claims.

Consumer Reports have issued full reports on ionizing air cleaner models. To check out which are the safer products, go to Consumer Reports website.

If you are a backyard gardener, fall is the best time to prepare your garden for the next spring.

First, harvest veggies and preserve any extra by canning, freezing, drying or storing in a celler according to the variety to provide you with home grown veggies even in the coldest winter.

Then pull all annual crops and flowers when they are done, as well as any weeds, and put them in your compost bin to make organic compost.

Third, work 1-2 inches of organic compost and/or grass clippings into your garden beds to amend the soil. Then put a layer of mulch, such as fallen leaves, to cover the beds, which will prevent weeds from growing in the spring.

Next spring you will have garden beds with rich soil ready for planting.

If you are building a home, or it’s time to replace the old siding on your house, consider using fiber-cement siding.

Fiber-cement siding has been around for a while, although their benefits just started drawing attention from builders and homeowners.

Fiber-cement siding is composed of cement, sand and wood fiber (often from recycled wood fiber). It comes in a wide range of colors, finish and styles that resemble conventional siding products.

Fiber-cement siding is a great green building material not only because of its  composition, but also its durability and longevity. It often outlasts conventional materials for decades.

Fiber-cement siding resists many common hazards, including fire, wind, rain and insects. It won’t rot in humid areas. No termites can undermine it.  And it is virtually fire-proof. Fiber-cement won’t release toxic chemicals like other materials do.

In addition to its durability, fiber-cement holds paint much better than other materials. It doesn’t need to be re-painted for about 25 years! All these contribute to its low-maintenance and low cost in the long run. 

Because fiber-cement is made of inert materials, even if it eventually ends up in a landfill, it does not endanger the environment.

To learn more, click here.

Chemicals emitted from household and building materials cause indoor air pollution.

The toxic effects of paints are due to their VOCs (volatile organic compounds). They releases toxic fumes right after application and at lower levels for years.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Eco-paint makes painting greener than ever.

1. Low-VOC paints. They contain less than 250 grams of VOCs per liter.

2. No-VOC paints. They contain less than 5 grams of VOCs per liter. Notice that darker VOCs will have more VOCs than lighter color.

3. Natural paints. They are made based on plant resins, minerals, clay, milk casein and natural pigments instead of petroleum and chemicals, which has a lower environmental impact.

4. Recycled latex paint. Although it is still harmful to indoor air quality, it is a way to reduce the amount of paint going to landfill.

Read more about painting tips and greener paints, visit here.

Homemade household cleaners using basic ingredients are safer and cheaper compared to commercial cleaners that may contain harmful chemicals. They do just as good a job as the commercial ones.

Below are some basic ingredients. You can either use them alone or combine them to do just about any household cleaning job.

Baking soda. It absorbs odors and can be used to clean refrigerators and baking pans. It also acts as a stain remover.

Borax. It is a powder or crystalline salt. Used as a water softener, disinfectant and deodorizer.

Castile soap. It is made from olive oil and other veggie oil. Used for general-purpose cleaning.

Cream of tartar. It is mildly acidic and can be used as a sink and bathtub stain remover.

Hydrogen peroxide. It is a mild alternative to chlorine bleach. Used to remove stain and sterilize.

Lemon juice. It is also acidic. Used to remove stain, cut grease and polish brass, copper, bronze and aluminum (not silver).

Washing soda. Stronger alternative to baking soda. Also can be used to clean oil and grease.

White vinegar. Good for many cleaning tasks: kill germs, deodorize, remove stain, clean cookware and countertops. It can even clear minor drain clogs due to its acidity.

Source: www.MotherEarthNews.com

Energy-Recovery Ventilator (ERV) can keep your indoor air healthy and at the meantime, save energy. There are a few ways to assess if you need to install one.

1. Blower door test. It can be performed as part of an energy audit. If the air exchanges per hour is 0.5 or less, an ERV is probably a good idea.

2. Assess how long odor lingers. The longer an odor persists in your home, the tighter the home is. ERV is essential for a more air-tight home

3. If you do not have appropriate venting for your heating or cooking equipment, such as a hood, it is recommended to have an ERV installed.

4. If you have an attached garage with no proper ventilation, it is a good idea to install an ERV to get rid of the car exhaust fumes entering the home.

5. If you store toxic chemicals and paints indoors, or formaldehyde level is high in your home, ERV will certainly help.

6. If radon levels are high, installing an ERV is a good idea, although it is not sufficient enough if radon levels are too high (above 15pCi/L)

To learn more about ERV, click here.

A conventional tank water heater always loses heat through the wall of the tank while hot water sits unused (standby loss). It can waste up to 20% of the energy if the water heater is a less efficient model.

On the contrary, a tankless water heater does not suffer standby loss because it does not store hot water. It generates hot water when there is a demand. It heats up water rapidly. In a matter of seconds the temperature goes from 50 to 120 degrees.

It is estimated that compared to a storage water heater, a tankless water heater can save up to 35% on the cost of heating water. Also using natural gas instead of electricity saves more.

If the water heater is installed close to a major point of use, it reduces heat loss from hot water sitting in the pipes when the faucets are turned off due to shorter pipe run. This could save a significant amount of energy as well.

Tankless water heater also lasts twice as long compared to conventional one.

Tankless water heater is small, easy to repair, long-lasting and durable. It reduces your family’s impact on the environment by reducing your energy demand.

To learn more, go here.

If you have a bicycle and you live close to grocery stores or other facilities, you will be able to do your grocery shopping as well as running other errands by bicycle. It is a great way to save energy, protect the environment and exercise your body.

One or two bicycle baskets will make it easier to carry things around. But sometimes, bicycle baskets can be either expensive to buy, or not working too well.

Cindy Stavenhagen in Salem, Oregon had a great idea of making cheap, practical bicycle baskets from small (16-quart), rectangular plastic wastebaskets.

She drilled holes under the rim along one side and a few in the bottom for drainage. Then she mounted the baskets to the rear rack of the bicycle with nylon rope. The baskets work great and are easy to tilt up to be emptied.

Adapted from MotherEarthNews.com

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