Archive for the ‘Eco-Friendly Landscaping’ Category
June 15th, 2008
Tips for a Greener and Healthier Summer
Stumble it!
By Katy Farber, courtesy of EcoChildsPlay.com
Today I swam for the first time this summer. Ah, a crisp cool Vermont river swept away the dirt and grime and I finally felt alive again after feeling wilted most of the day. We don’t get heat like this often in good ole’ Vermont, and I’m not used to it.
All that fresh water, the frogs calling and the warm night air got me thinking about how to have a less of an impact on the planet with my family this summer, and how to keep the kids safe and healthy, while enjoying this fleeting and beautiful season.
1. Use chemical free sunscreen for the whole family. There are many toxic chemicals in conventional sunscreens. Look for sunscreens that have Titanium Oxide (which stays on the surface of skin) and not much else. There are some safe brands and more information here.
2. Garden, and compost your food waste. Or, if you don’t have a green thumb or access to garden space, you can support local growers by visiting farm stands, farmer’s markets, or participating in CSAs.
3. Eat simple, local, summer foods. By doing this you will avoid your family’s exposure to many chemicals in processed foods. You can get some great recipes at this localvore site (it is local to Vermont– search for localvores in your area to find recipes and information).
4. When traveling use these tips to increase your fuel efficiency, and pack your own food so you don’t have to eat fast food on the road. You’ll spare the earth the packaging, and your children the unhealthy food and corporate marketing becoming engrained in their little minds. (I’ll never forget when my daughter at 2 yelled out, Mommy! An M! When we drove past a McDonald’s).
5. Unplug. Play outside, visit parks, go swimming. By doing this you will instill a respect and love of all things wild in your children. They will get great exercise and sleep better at night.
6. Grow your child’s natural intelligence. Identify trees, bugs, wildflowers and salamanders together. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Pick up a guidebook or visit a website to learn a few names to teach your child.
7. Live with natural light as much as possible. Who need electric lights most days in the summer? Turn them off and save electricity.
8. Speaking of sunlight, turn off your dryer and let the sun dry your clothes outside.
9. Have a safe, chemical free lawn. Chemicals like those used in Chemlawn and other lawn treatments are toxic to humans and pets. Instead, if you must have greener grass, find an organic safe brand to use.
Enjoy this season of juicy fruit, bare feet, and fireflies.
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June 6th, 2008
Red Hot and Green: Finds at Dwell on Design
I just got back from the Dwell on Design exhibit hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center and I am pumped! (Did I just say that? Wow.) Seriously, I had an outstanding time. It’s official: design and sustainability are all one big delicious stew now, and you can get your own spoon and taste it at the Dwell event. It’s going on all weekend– learn more here.
Here are some of the favorite things I spied with my green eye:
FOODMAP– This great company makes rollable planters for your edible organic gardening needs. They are made of recycled plastic and recycled steel. They have rollers so you can move them inside, outside, and around your garden. They come in adult height and kid height (what better way to get your kids into organic gardening than giving them their own mobile garden!??). I’m so loving these.
LifePort from Envision Solar — These folks are based in San Diego and they are making solar-powered modular structures. They have a product called the LifePort, which is a fully integrated photovoltaic solar carport for residential and light commercial use. They also make modular solar-powered rooms, called LifePods. These would be excellent if you wanted to put an office or a guest room in your backyard and have it off the grid. I can’t do justice to the photos here– go to their site and check them out. Worth your time!
Modwalls– This is a wonderful company that makes amazingly beautiful tiles and other flooring/wall materials. They have cork tiles (yes that’s cork in that photo to the right!), a new bamboo flooring material (it’s really green and rough looking–so cool), and they are coming out with a whole new line of recycled glass tiles. They feel great to the touch and the colors are thrilling. They even told me they are soon releasing tile grout made principally from recycled glass. Even their grout will soon be eco-smart!
Storvino– These are slick, modular wine storage cases made of 100% recycled plastic. You can stack them vertically for a small unit, or you can make them into a whole Wall of Wine. Why buy (or want to buy) those expensive wood wine storage wall units when you can get them out of recycled plastic? They come in various colors, too, if you don’t like this red version.
Go to the show if you can, folks– it’s a treat!
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May 24th, 2008
WaterSense: The New Symbol of Water Conservation
Written by Joel Bittle, courtesy of GreenBuildingElements.com
Get to know this symbol because chances are it’s going to be as ubiquitous as the blue star of EPA’s other conservation program, ENERGY STAR. Launched in 2006 the EPA’s WaterSense program seeks “to enhance the market for water-efficient products and services by building a national brand for water efficiency.” Viewed mainly as a program for water-only products like toilets, faucets, and irrigation systems, WaterSense does not include appliances, like dishwashers or clothes washers, that use both water and energy - those remain under the ENERGY STAR program. In 2007, the EPA released WaterSense specifications for high efficiency toilets and high efficiency bathroom sink faucets. They also offer certification programs for several irrigation professionals, include golf course irrigation auditors. Specifications for showerheads are in the works.
WaterSense is about to become very popular in the green building community. In their proposed changes to the LEED programs, the US Green Building Council removed some specifications for water saving credits, replacing them with, “WaterSense-certified fixtures and fixture fittings should be used where available.” It’s much easier to check for the WaterSense label than it is to gather the specifications for every fixture.
WaterSense labeled bathroom faucets, at a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute, reduce water consumption by at least 30%. WaterSense labeled high efficiency toilets, with a maximum of 1.28 gallons per flush, use at least 20% less water than standard 1.6 gallons per flush toilets. The EPA has claimed that if every home in the US switched to WaterSense labeled fixtures, we would save 60 billion gallons of water a year.
Though some companies were already offering fixtures compliant with the WaterSense standards, they are only recently getting literature out to the public about their WaterSense labeled fixtures. Expect to see it popping up everywhere.
Click here to find water-saving fixtures and technologies for your home.
Popularity: 2% [?]
May 22nd, 2008
Dwell on Design– A Must-Go + IT’S FREE
If you do not already have it marked on your calendar, please plan to attend the 3rd annual Dwell on Design event in LA June 5-8. The event is a multi-faceted gem– it includes a loaded conference, exhibition hall and even home tours. The entire offering focuses on the fusion of good design and a very healthy serving of sustainability.
The Conference is designed and manged by the editors of Dwell, and includes talks by Eric Garcetti (LA City Council President), Andy Lipkis (Tree People founder), Fritz Haeg (Edible Estates and Gardenlab founder). Many of our favorite companies will be exhibiting there– pieceHomes, Kirei, EcoShack– as well as many more we’re eager to check out.
AND, courtesy of our friends at Dwell, YOU can get in for free! When you register here, use the code BDODEC to get free addmission.
We’ll see you there!
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May 12th, 2008
5 Eco-Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Rebate
We know that many of us will need to spend our tax rebate check on critical items like food or rent or paying off debt. But just in case you have some of your tax rebate check left and you’re looking for eco-friendly ways to spend the money, we have some ideas we’d like to share with you.
And we’ve geared these tips to supporting the US economy, so you get to do the right thing for the planet and be an eco-patriot at the same time! In coming up with our list of ideas we decided it would be good to recommend ideas that reduce our negative environmental impacts but also support US manufacturers and service providers. So here are five eco-smart ways to use your rebate to support the Earth, the US economy, and save your household money in the long run.
1. Buy a high-efficiency water heater. A high-efficiency water heater can cut your energy use, water use, carbon footprint and even utility bills (over the long run). For most homes you can get the heater itself for $600 - $1,200, but you’ll probably have to spring for installation as well. Models made in the US include the AO Smith Vertex (a storage model that beats the pants off of tankless HW heaters), electric models made by American Tankless Water Heaters, and natural gas tankless heaters made by Rheem (some made in the US). Click here to learn more about making the tankless decision, and click here to find local installers.
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