What Can You Do Right Now?

Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.

 

Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)

 

Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)

 

Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.

 

Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.

 

Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.

 

More Tips »

 

Tips at Home

07/22/2008

Technology makes green innovations in the home
A decade of quantum technological leaps mean today's designers have in their hands a virtually bottomless toy box of new materials and methods. Now advances are not just industrial — they're green. Eco-friendly paints and adhesives, water-driven machinery, precision lasers, even organic powder coatings for steel are all relatively new technologies borne of the industry's desire to balance style and stewardship.

07/21/2008

8 ways to green your garage
Look up the word “garage” in the dictionary, and you’ll see some variation of the definition “an indoor area for parking/storing motor vehicles.” If only life were that simple. Chances are your garage contains much more than cars. Today’s garage is used for storage, housing noisy appliances (washer/dryer) and maybe even shelter for surprise visitors. So while you’re cleaning the garage this summer, consider greening it as well.

* 07/15/2008

Fluorescent bulbs create a mercury health risk in your light socket
Locked inside the base of every fluorescent bulb is a tiny amount of mercury. There is even a warning not to toss them into the trash.

* 07/14/2008

8 ways to green your kitchen
So all those gourmet cooking shows have inspired you to spend more time in the kitchen. But between energy use, water use and food/packaging disposal, there’s lots of opportunity to help or hurt the environment in the process.

07/08/2008

Beyond homes, entire neighborhoods going green
At a time when the housing market remains in a slump, consumer demand is growing for energy efficient homes that are kinder to the environment. And it's not just individual homes that are going green. Increasingly, it's entire neighborhoods.

07/04/2008

Sea lovers say coral is too precious to wear
Sea coral is blessed with wonderful colors, an intricate design and memories of the lapping ocean. It's no wonder that the worlds of fashion and home decor are in the midst of a love affair with it. Some argue, though, that coral is too precious to wear. "We want to discourage consumers from purchasing coral," says scientist Andrew Baker. "It's like ivory. It's a product of a living animal and the harvest of this item is unsustainable."

07/02/2008

Quick guide to composting
Turning your organic waste into useful mulch is more of possibility then you may think. This quick start guide will have you up and composting before you know it. What to compost: fruit and vegetable scrapes, egg shells, lawn clippings, shredded paper or newspaper, straw or hay, tea leaves and coffee grounds. What not to compost: meat scraps, fatty trash, vegetable or other cooking oils, sawdust or large amounts of wood ashes.

* 06/30/2008

New breed of CFLs focus on bulbs' aesthetics
Switching to efficient bulbs saves energy, but it also can create a design challenge. Swirly compact fluorescents stick out visually, don't work with traditional clip-on shades and can cast different colors of light than their incandescent counterparts.

* 06/23/2008

High gasoline prices changing lawn-mowing habits
Sales of manual — or push reel — mowers with the cartwheeling blades are on the rise this year.

* 06/19/2008

New lighting tech beats fluorescents, maker says
Organic light-emitting diodes, a technology that is being hailed as the future of home lighting, have surpassed fluorescent lights in energy efficiency, according a New Jersey company.

06/18/2008

Making a kite from an old plastic bag
Have more plastic shopping bags than you could ever reuse to line your household trash cans? With just a few other supplies, you can turn a spare bag into a kite.

* 06/17/2008

Want a lower electric bill? Start shopping
Plenty of residents complain they are seeing triple digits on their thermometers and electric bills. The surging heat and the price surge on the bills that come with the summer are hitting some residents particularly hard.

* 06/16/2008

Organic alcohol sparks new cocktail trend
Call it hedonistic environmentalism. Or maybe just eco-conscious imbibing. Either way, those who want their dirty martini to be a little cleaner are increasingly pouring organic spirits into their glass.

* 06/10/2008

Green gossip: The reusable bag
Green Gossip is an exclusive Earth 911 series that lets our writers talk about their experiences with everyday green issues. In this episode, Brandi Powell discusses her battle with the reusable bag.

* 05/19/2008

Recycling options lag the compact fluorescent push
It's a message being drummed into the heads of homeowners everywhere: Swap out those incandescent lights with longer-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs and cut your electric use.

* 05/16/2008

The perfect lawn, but at what price?
Last year, as a nation, we spent $35 billion in products to help us reach that goal. But did you know that you can have one of the greenest lawns around with no weeding, no watering, and no maintenance at all?

05/13/2008

Make your backyard grilling greener
As you get ready for spring, it's time to give your grilling tools a tune-up. Check out the latest gear, plus tips for environmentally conscious outdoor cooking.

Santa Fe Passive House featured in Greenbuilt tour
Contractor Klaus Meyer's 2,500-foot house is about 70 percent more efficient than the average home. But it could have been even more efficient had he discovered a green building method called the Passive House before pouring the home's foundation.

* 05/06/2008

How to keep cool without going broke
You don't have to pay through the nose to keep cool this summer. Here are some steps you can take to lower your bill, improve comfort and help save the planet.

* 04/29/2008

Earth-friendly options available for rebuilding
Several manufacturers have realized the market potential of changing their practices to make products that look no different from their old materials. And while no company is perfect, at least the options exist.

04/23/2008

'Green' pest control on the rise
Detergent water, vacuum cleaners, door sweeps. These simple household products are on the front lines of "green" pest control. Amid a new wave of environmentalism, eco-savvy consumers are realizing they no longer need to rely on traditional pesticides — which may pose health risks — to combat rodents and insects.

* 04/21/2008

Eco-books share tips on living 'green'
With Earth Day fast approaching, books on "living green" are covering bookstore shelves like kudzu – everything from the encyclopedic Green Living for Dummies to tips on doing the right environmental thing from actor Ed Begley Jr.

* 04/18/2008

How it works: Earth-friendly paint labeling
As manufacturers are required by the government to cut down on additional solvents by either reformulating or discontinuing their paint, more low- and no-VOC paint is popping up on hardware store shelves, putting it on the average consumer's radar. Here's how to find the right paint for your home.

* 04/16/2008

Organic gardening starts with seeds
There are the differences visible only to the practiced eye between conventional seeds and their organic equivalents. The variations can make all the difference in your garden.

04/14/2008

Try spring cleaning the eco-friendly way
If the idea of environmentally harmful cleaners and toxic fumes doesn't quite inspire a Mr. Clean attitude, perhaps green cleaning alternatives will

04/11/2008

When it comes to eco-friendly furnishings, green is more than a color
Trevor Webb found something worth admiring at the furniture show here: nail holes, scuffs and dents. "It's pretty cool, isn't it?" asked Webb, admiring a massive wood table made by his Van Nuys, Calif.-based furniture company Urban Woods LLC. "You wouldn't know this is reclaimed wood from soundstages and old buildings in California unless you look closely."

04/09/2008

Eco-friendly products are going mainstream
Attention, tree huggers: Your values aren't so exclusive anymore. Earth Day 2008, on April 22, marks a paradigm shift in the social consciousness of America as mainstream retail makes it easier for consumers to live a greener lifestyle. Merchandise that appeals to the environmentally conscious no longer requires a trip to a specialty store but is as close as the neighborhood shopping center.

* 04/08/2008

Preservation group: Before you tear down and rebuild, consider the environmental costs
Americans love tearing down buildings. We rip our homes up to the studs, scrape them down to their foundations, and are riveted by the ultimate demolitions: imploding skyscrapers.

Post office offering postage-free recycling program for old electronics
People who want to recycle small electronics can do so free under a test program at about 1,500 post offices.

04/03/2008

Old wood gets new life in these contemporary furnishings
Some aficionados chuckle at the notion of calling recycled wood an emerging trend. After all, it's been around since the first time someone picked up a fallen branch and made something out of it. But reusing old wood in new ways — whether fashioning railroad ties into flooring or old pickle barrels into a bed — is enjoying a renewed vogue among homeowners weary of generic looks and worried about the environment.

* 04/02/2008

Kids can turn trash to treasure with Earth Day crafts
To honor Earth Day in kids' crafting, one really needs to think trash. That is, "What can I rescue from the garbage bin and reuse?"

* 04/01/2008

Eco-friendly gardening is easy with a few simple steps
For the most part, creating an eco-friendly garden involves returning to the Earth as much as or more than what you've been taking out of it. And it can be done on the cheap.

03/26/2008

Fashion Tips for Earth Hour
As Earth Hour approaches on March 29 at 8:00 p.m., many people are turning off their lights at home and making plans to go out. Depending on your city’s participation, it is important to dress appropriately for your safety with the potential lack of visibility.

13 Common Myths of Composting
Myth #1: Start a compost pile to manage grass clippings Why not try mulching before composting? Making piles of organic materials is more work than letting them lie. Instead of bagging, why not try “Grasscycling” or the “Don’t Bag It” system of using mulching mowers instead? There is no reason to bag grass if you cut it more often, use less fertilizer and leave the grass higher. Composting (making piles) is a last resort, and should be practiced only when mulching is not practical, unless you want to make compost.

A little creativity brings new life to old things
Springtime is here again, and with it the annual tradition of cleaning house. But that doesn't have to mean bag after bag of garbage. Given fears of a recession and worries about overflowing landfills, there's new incentive to find second lives for many household items.

Mercury-Containing Light Bulb (Lamp) Recycling
Read all about recycling mercury-containing light bulbs (CFLs) on the EPA Web site. The information is intended to increase awareness, provide resource tools, information to users, and to encourage the recycling of all mercury-containing light bulbs.

8 Ways to Green Your Recycling

Ideally, the act of recycling would be enough for you to rest easy. But here are eight ways to make your recycling efforts as eco-friendly as possible.

Selecting energy-wise water heaters
When we asked our 22-year-old nephew Chris about living conditions in Chile, he complained about the shower. The daily ceremony in the house where he's staying involves lighting the pilot on the water heater, waiting for the tank contents to heat up and then completing a shower quickly enough so as not to be drenched with ice cold water from the tiny tank. It might be uncomfortable, but Chris is getting an education in conservation.

* Even your dog is getting green
Fueled by increasing popularity of environmentally friendly products of all kinds, the sustainable pet product industry is expected to grow to nearly $1 billion in sales by 2009.

5 simple ways to save energy at home
It's easier than you think to paint your house "green." Simple changes can save resources and energy — and perhaps slow global warming. A growing demand for energy efficiency topped findings from the American Institute of Architects' home-design trend survey for the second quarter of 2007.

Save thousands of dollars with these shopping tips
A family of four can save thousands of dollars a year simply by buying products in the largest size they can use and by buying long lasting reusable items. Think about the effect of your purchases on the environment when you shop. Items with excess packaging and products that need to be discarded after only a few uses cost more money, use up valuable resources and create more waste.

How to Properly Dispose of Hazardous Products
First and foremost, you should try to reduce the amount of household hazardous waste you use. Ask yourself if it is really necessary to buy that fancy schmancy cleaner, or if it’s probably just an impulse buy brought on by the promise of mountain-fresh smelling furniture.

Windows and energy: No panes, no gains
As the weather gets colder, it's time to think clearly about windows. Windows waste plenty of energy - and money. Experts say as much as 25% of your home's heat can escape through leaky windows. Here are simple things you can do to make your existing windows save energy and keep your home a little cozier:

* USPS approves reusable envelope line
Tired of all the paper associated with credit card bills and your electricity statement? You may soon have one less piece to worry about.

Report: Low-Energy Bulbs Harmful to Some
UPI reports British research has shown that compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), while more energy-efficient than incandescents, may cause skin cancer and migraines.

* Easier options for cutting down on junk mail
There's nothing like a flood of holiday catalogs — followed by an even bigger flood of post-holiday sales catalogs — to make families think about trying to get their names off mailing lists.

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