12.01.08
Posted in energy, home & garden, health at 3:01 pm by greengirl
In honor of the first significant snowfall up here in da’ nort, I thought it fitting to blog about snowblowers. Surprisingly, there have been hybrid snowblowers available since 2001 - who knew? From the picture, Honda has built a bigger snowblower than most private individuals would ever need. But, if you want to finish your driveway in three passes, the hybrid is for you. Sadly, I could find almost nothing else on energy efficient snowblowers. I suppose that those folks concerned with the gas consumption or electricity consumption of a snowblower will just buy a snow shovel. Shoveling is good exercise too, burning an average of 400 calories per hour (depending on your weight, age, etc.) . In other words, shoveling for two hours will work off the calorie equivalent of a McDonald’s Big Mac.
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11.29.08
Posted in energy, home & garden at 2:54 pm by greengirl
For those of us that rent, saving money on heating bills is often a small proposition - putting plastic over windows or weather-stripping around doors. But, for those that own homes, much larger steps can be taken to save money on heating bills. MSN.com is currently running an article on the benefits of insulation.
The US Dept of Energy has a list of weatherization program contacts by state. Most weatherization programs are free or low-cost, so they’re certainly worth it. They will tell you where your energy efficiency budget monies will do the most good, since there’s no point in putting in new windows if your attic ventilation is responsible for all the problems.
And now is the time to do it, since Prez. Bush recently signed a tax bill bringing back some of the tax credits for making your home energy efficient. So, while it may take a few years to recoup the cost of adding insulation to your home, it may be worth it in the long-run. And who can say no to a $500 tax credit? And with the continued interest in environmental awareness, it’ll help with the resale value of your home. That really will matter someday…
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11.28.08
Posted in home & garden, recycling at 12:58 pm by greengirl
I stumbled across a great design site for apartments, showcasing modern design for cramped spaces. And they have a section devoted entirely to green design. Some of the items featured on the Re-Nest section depart from the cramped apartment design and head into home design, but they’re still really fantastic. The article I’m reading now is 10 uses for used spaghetti sauce jars. I think I’m seeing some foodie gifts in my friends’ futures…
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08.04.08
Posted in ecotravel at 4:56 pm by greengirl
A good friend of mine will soon be guest-blogging here as the automotive correspondent. So, give a green welcome to Jason Gullickson…
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07.29.08
Posted in education, organic, weddings, fair trade at 8:08 am by greengirl
While I was doing research for the Flowers chapter of the book I’m writing on eco-weddings, I stumbled across a really cool project. It ran from September of 2007 until year’s end, so I’ve missed it. But, I thought it was cool enough to mention again. For the 100th anniversary of the New York City metered taxi, schoolchildren painted 750,000 square feet of adhesive panels as part of the Garden in Transit project. These flower panels were then affixed to New York City yellow cabs as a moving art exhibit.
The environmental angle came on November 1, when VeriFlora, a certification organization for organically grown flowers, gave 80,000 environmentally and socially responsible flowers to taxicab drivers. They handed these flowers out to passengers and pedestrians with a message attached to ‘move this flower along!’ New York as a walking garden. Too cool.
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06.11.08
Posted in home & garden, recycling, habitat at 1:50 pm by greengirl
I was just floating around Gmail and came across this awesome tile site via their weblinks.  They’ve got eco-friendly tile, including cork, pebble mosaics and recycled glass. The cork is recycled from the stopper industry’s byproduct (think: the end of wine corks). Modwalls.com also supports some great causes.
Cork is a particularly good substance to use in construction. According to the Rainforest Alliance, “cork oak forests are one of the most sustainable natural systems, and supports one of the highest levels of biodiversity among European forests.” Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. It’s harvested every 10 years or so, and harvesting it doesn’t hurt the tree.
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06.07.08
Posted in ecotravel, weekend census at 7:43 am by greengirl
For the few of you that can afford traveling with gas prices being what they are, a series of links on green hotels:
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06.05.08
Posted in energy, global warming at 10:10 am by greengirl
You’ve probably seen those vaguely unsettling commercials with Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich or Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson sitting on a couch in some outdoor setting. Weird as those may be (and they sure work to get my attention), they represent a cool organization. The We Campaign is part of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit started by Al Gore.  They’re trying to raise awareness about global warming and climate change, convincing people one at a time of the scientific truth of this issue. They’ve got some great tips about what you can do to minimize your personal impact.
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06.03.08
Posted in recycling at 7:28 am by greengirl
As I was just about to throw my empty prescription bottle in the recycling bin, and being very grateful that my city takes no. 5 plastics, I wondered what options there are for cities that don’t accept anything but a no. 1 or 2 plastic. I did some checking, and there aren’t tons of options, but there are a few. Apparently, many pharmacies won’t take them because after too many reuses, the child-proof ability of the caps begins to break down. (Don’t they know that kids are the only ones who can get those things open?)
Some veterinary clinics and animal shelters reuse the bottles for giving out doses of medication to furry patients, so check with your local vet clinics. Or, you could send them to Jacob Willard in West Virginia for his 4H project. If you have a plastic lumber manufacturer near you, they’ll take most types of plastics. Everyone has thought of using them to keep screws, craft supplies, etc (after thoroughly washing, of course), but one of the coolest reuse ideas I found is to keep plants watered by punching a hole in the bottom, burying it in the dirt and watering.
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06.01.08
Posted in organic, pollution, weekend census, shopping at 11:03 am by greengirl
In honor of spring cleaning, websites that sell green alternatives to common household cleaners:
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