National Geographic (along with Shell) are issuing an Energy Challenge. On National Geographic’s website you can take their challenge and participate in their Energy Diet.
To do the 360 degree Diet, you need to create an account first and then you can answer questions about your energy consumption. Here’s the link to finding out if you are energy-wise or an energy waster. Even if you don’t take on the energy diet challenge they have suggestions for each month on things you can do to reduce your energy consumption. For May it says to hang your clothes to dry instead of using the dryer. You can also use a high-spin option during the wash and the moisture sensor on your dryer.
I think there will be a new global 360 degree diet beginning in a few weeks. I’m going to utilize some of their suggestions for lowering our energy consumption. I answered the questions to determine my personal energy meter and I scored pretty well. I seem to be 86% lower than the national average. There’s always room for improvement though.
What do you do to save energy? Any fun plans for Earth Day?
Do you ever stop and think about all the mail-order catalogs that arrive at your home? Then you think about all those catalogs going to all your neighbors and friends and family and it seems overwhelming. Many companies try and use recycled paper, or paper from managed sources. However, there are still plenty of companies buying paper made from the trees of endangered forests in Canada, the US, etc. Peek here to read about a group called Forest Ethics and how they are trying to protect the endangered forests.
Besides recycling those catalogs, you can very easily stop them from coming to your home in the first place. In the past, if you wanted to stop the catalogs, you had to call each company, navigate through their phone system and convince the person on the phone to take you off their list. Not anymore! Catalog Choice has arrived to do all the work for you. For free I might add.
Just click http://www.catalogchoice.org/ to go to their website. You set up an account (they don’t sell your name to others, because that’s exactly what they are trying to help you with). Then you find companies in their database who are sending you unwanted mail. You just opt-out of receiving mail from them and Catalog Choice does the work contacting them.
Sometimes companies print up to 6 catalogs at a time, so it might take a few weeks/months before you stop receiving them. Just be patient and know that you are making a big difference. They even show you how many trees, pounds of greenhouse gas, pounds of solid waste and gallons of water you have saved by opting out of your particular catalogs. I’m a total sucker for those stats!
Happy Holidays! Please share your ideas for gifts for the planet.
The other day I asked Lindsay if she wanted to help me dry our clothes the old fashioned way – meaning outside. She looked at me like I was nuts, because I almost always hang our clothes out to dry. For her that was the normal, contemporary way of doing it. Yea!
In the aftermath of the BP Oil Leak (can you say aftermath when it’s still going on??) I think it’s important to think about ways we can save energy. Drying your clothes outside is a very nice and simple way of saving some energy. Plus, you do get that amazing outdoor smell that no amount of dryer sheets can compare to. I happen to have a particularly crappy dryer, which takes about 1 1/2 hours to dry a fairly small sized load. So hanging my clothes out doesn’t take any longer, and in many instances, is much quicker. Plus with the temperature here in the 90s for what seems like freaking forever, it’s nice not to heat up the house with the dryer running.
But don’t take my word on it, lots of people are singing the praises of line drying. Lyandra has a post here and my sister Lisa has a post here. One word of caution, if you have chickens, don’t wait until too late in the day to bring your clothes in…eeuw…dirty chicken claws.
Richard Moyle from Horizon Window Treatments has written a guest blog about Green Window Treatments.
There are a number of options available for those who want to be as eco-friendly as they can when choosing their window treatments. Most major window treatment product manufacturers offer at least one product that is green in some way. But what makes a window treatment green? Understanding what characteristics to look for can help you make a better informed decision when you select how you want to cover your windows.
Energy Efficiency ñ This is probably the most common quality in a window treatment product that is advertised as being green. The majority of heat that you lose or gain in your home happens through your windows. All window coverings provide at least a small amount of insulation, but there are some products that were made specifically to increase energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and gain. Cellular (or honeycomb) shades are the most effective as they can reduce heat loss by as much as 50%. If installed correctly, they create a sealed air space that makes it very difficult for heat to escape through the window.
Natural/Renewable Materials ñ Window treatments that are made from natural materials like cotton, silk, linen or wool are green because they can be recycled or re-used. Try to avoid curtains made from petroleum based synthetics such as nylon, rayon and polyester. Also, try to stay away from curtains that have been treated to resist stains or be fire retardant as the chemicals used for these treatments are toxic. Wool is naturally flame retardant, so there is no reason to use curtains that have been treated with chemicals.
Impact on Air Quality ñ How a window treatment affects air quality is another big factor in how green it is. If you follow the previous guidelines about selecting window treatments made from natural fabrics, you shouldnít have a problem with this. Stay away from plastic and faux wood blinds as they usually contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This chemical releases carcinogenic dioxin into the air during manufacturing and contains plasticizer called phthalates that can trigger respiratory problems and interfere with the bodyís hormonal systems.
There are a number of options available for those who want to be as eco-friendly as they can when choosing their window treatments. Most major window treatment product manufacturers offer at least one product that is green in some way. But what makes a window treatment green? Understanding what characteristics to look for can help you make a better informed decision when you select how you want to cover your windows.
Energy Efficiency ñ This is probably the most common quality in a window treatment product that is advertised as being green. The majority of heat that you lose or gain in your home happens through your windows. All window coverings provide at least a small amount of insulation, but there are some products that were made specifically to increase energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and gain. Cellular (or honeycomb) shades are the most effective as they can reduce heat loss by as much as 50%. If installed correctly, they create a sealed air space that makes it very difficult for heat to escape through the window.
Natural/Renewable Materials ñ Window treatments that are made from natural materials like cotton, silk, linen or wool are green because they can be recycled or re-used. Try to avoid curtains made from petroleum based synthetics such as nylon, rayon and polyester. Also, try to stay away from curtains that have been treated to resist stains or be fire retardant as the chemicals used for these treatments are toxic. Wool is naturally flame retardant, so there is no reason to use curtains that have been treated with chemicals.
Impact on Air Quality ñ How a window treatment affects air quality is another big factor in how green it is. If you follow the previous guidelines about selecting window treatments made from natural fabrics, you shouldnít have a problem with this. Stay away from plastic and faux wood blinds as they usually contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This chemical releases carcinogenic dioxin into the air during manufacturing and contains plasticizer called phthalates that can trigger respiratory problems and interfere with the bodyís hormonal systems.
GM has announced that they will stop production of the gas guzzling Hummer. The bad news is that about 3,000 jobs may be lost. The good news is that maybe people in the US (and China, since they backed out of a deal to buy Hummer) are realizing that we are experiencing an environmental crisis and want to do something to change it.
Hopefully GM will work harder to make fuel-efficient cars for us now. My fingers are crossed.
A few weeks ago we went to Ikea and bought down comforters. We pay for our heat, which is somewhat unusual here in New York City. We like to keep our house cool, especially at night when we can hunker down under the covers. Our down comforter finally exploded a year ago, so we’ve been on the look out for an inexpensive replacement. At Ikea they rate their comforters on a scale of 6, with 6 being the warmest. Without hesitating, we grabbed a 6 for us and for Lindsay. At $49.99 the price was unbeatable.
I usually go to bed in the winter with ice blocks for feet and warm them up on my poor husband, who we refer to as the polar bear. After the first night of the #6 comforter I was insanely hot and so were Neil and Lindsay. We turned the heat OFF the next night. We were still hot (Lindsay had just gotten nice warm pjs for the holidays) so we went to bed in t-shirts and undies. It made trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night interesting in our no-heat house! I was still too hot. I was downright sweltering if Neil came anywhere near me. For the sake of marital harmony, we decided to get a #4 comforter and try to sell our #6s to friends with cabins or who wanted to hike the Andes. A queen size was $39.99, which was amazing! So far so good. We turn off our heat and we can still snuggle without overheating.
I was thinking about how much this little addition to our family has helped us save energy. I mean, who actually turns their heat off when it’s 20 degrees outside?
Looking around the internet I found some interesting facts that might help encourage you to turn down the heat. A warm comforter is a good first step!!
Things you can do
Let me know your ideas for keeping the heat down.
Today’s tip is about saving some energy and energy dollars by hanging your clothes up to dry. Clothes dryers are one of the biggest energy suckers in the home. A typical dryer can use somewhere between 1800-5000 watts, which is about 2-3 times more than a dishwasher, or vacuum cleaner. You can figure out how much energy your home appliances are using here.
Laundry that has dried outside has a wonderful fresh smell you never get with the dryer. But it isn’t always practical or possible to hang your clothes outside. I have a very short clothes line outside, so I choose the heaviest items to hang out there. You know the towels or the mattress pads that tumble endlessly in the dryer? They dry in almost the same time outside and save a bundle of energy that way. Sometimes the towels can dry a little stiff, but you can toss them in the dryer for a couple of minutes to soften them up.
If you don’t have outdoor space, you can get a bit creative in where to hang your laundry. Before buying a house, my sister used to have a line outside her apartment window. I often hang jeans up on our baby gates. In our laundry room (which used to be our darkroom when I first moved into this apartment) I hang a lot of shirts and other items up to dry. The fabric lasts a whole lot longer than if it was run through the hot dryer and it dries overnight without a care or practically a wrinkle. Some people hang lingerie to dry on their shower curtain rod.
Get creative! The less clothing that goes in the dryer, the less energy you will be using. Your clothes will last longer, so it’s a win-win situation.
Check out my sister’s insanely pretty clotheslines!
Take a look at this 20 minute video about the downside of our production and consumption patterns. Annie Leonard narrates the video and discusses the social and environmental problems with the current system of consumption. It’s animated and friendly, so you aren’t left completely depressed. There is also a section on the website called Another Way. It shows 10 little and big things you can do to promote sustainability. Take a peek.
Vincent Callebaut Architectures have designed what they call a metabolic farm for urban agriculture to be built on Roosevelt Island in New York City. It is called Dragonfly because it’s form is based on the wing of a dragonfly.
The building would offer housing, offices, laboratories in ecological engineering, vertical farming spaces that can be cultivated by its inhabitants.
In their own words:
Floor by floor, the tower superposes not only stock farming ensuring the production of meat, milk, poultry and eggs but also farming grounds, true biological reactors continuously regenerated with organic humus. It diversifies the cultivated varieties to avoid the washing of stratums of soft substratum. Thus, the cultures succeed one another vertically according to their agronomical ability to provide some elements of the ground between the essences that are sowed and harvested. The tower, true living organism, becomes thus metabolic and self-sufficient in water, energy, and bio-fertilizing. Nothing is lost; everything is recyclable to a continuous auto-feeding!
And it looks so freakin’ cool!
