Mountain Climbers Should Know Better

Ken Noguchi is a mountaineer who is slowly cleaning up Mount Everest. [Way To Go, Ken!] During his five trips up the mountain, he has recovered an estimated 9,000 pounds (4100 kg) of rubbish. He recently completed another trip, where he brought a further 500 pounds (227 kg) down. Some estimates place the amount of rubbish on Everest at 50 tonnes.
At this rate, it will take a while.

You'd think that mountain climbers, nature folk by definition, would have better sense than to leave all that trash in their wake.
What happened to ... Take only pictures, Leave only tracks ??

source: The Guardian

Let the sunshine in

Solatube Daylighting System

Natural light lifts spirits, makes spaces appear larger, and reveals our world in its true color. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, it also reduces eyestrain, increases our productivity, and lessens electrical demand. Unfortunately, today's buildings rarely have enough natural light.

Now it's possible to change that with a highly advanced, yet affordable Solatube Daylighting System. The Solatube Daylighting System utilizes revolutionary breakthrough technology to redirect light down a highly reflective shaft and diffuse it throughout your interior space. Whether you need to light a small bathroom or a warehouse, the Solatube Daylighting System has the right light for any residential or commercial need.

Living off the Grid

When Betsy Cashen and Chris Stearne decided to build their dream house on land they owned in Claverack, they had a problem: Their five-acre property lacked access to power lines. By freak coincidence, it was situated in the gap between the terminuses of the lines owned by two power companies, Niagara Mohawk and New York Electric and Gas. Getting hooked up to either company's lines, each located about a quarter of a mile away, would cost approximately $20,000, so the couple chose a radical alternative—designing and building a solar house that produces its own electric power.

The site, a gently sloping field oriented to the south and backed by protective woods on the north and west, was ideal. The property is also situated amid some of the prettiest countryside in Columbia County. It's part of the 200-acre farm where Cashen grew up and which is permanently protected by a conservation easement (Cashen's brother owns an organic farm nearby).

Stearne had become smitten with the round kit houses produced by Deltec Homes and had even visited its factory on trips to Asheville, North Carolina. Although Deltec's homes are not designed to be passive solar, Stearne embarked on his own set of calculations, spending long hours on the Internet searching for everything from weather data from Albany to the R-values of different types of insulation. The former Navy pilot—he currently is the baker at Hawthorne Valley Farms, in Harlemville—then applied the data to the dimensions of a building consisting of 17 eight-foot-long sides.

Construction started in July 2003. The kit arrived on two huge tractor trailers and the crew erected the shell in a record-breaking four and a half days. In March 2004 the couple moved into the house with their daughter, Abigail, now five.

The attractive cedar-sided round structure has a curving expanse of windows and a peaked roof. A small square addition houses the foyer and a spacious bedroom wing. The only clue to the house's isolation from the grid is the huge flat screen of 12 solar panels perched off to one side, which swivels at the rate of one degree every two minutes. Inside, the house has the open, warm feel of a converted barn. It has a spacious layout, crowned by a gorgeous, pickled-pine circular ceiling that measures 40 feet at its apex; multiple levels—you walk from the foyer up a step into the main living area and then up another step into the bedroom wing; and faceted walls, which create a dynamic play of space, suggesting the dramatic, pared-down geometric spaces of the International Style. Salvaged items, such as oak pocket doors, lights from a former factory, and antique windows, which are inserted into the interior walls, add a whimsical charm. Even the floor of concrete—a material that efficiently absorbs and retains the heat of the sun—is appealing, with its earth-red hue and textured pattern, an effect created by spraying the concrete with a diluted solution of hydrochloric acid and iron for color.

The solar panels provide two kilowatts of electricity, which is conveyed through an underground cable to the charge controller and the two 24-volt battery banks in the small basement under the foyer. Black boxes above the battery banks house the inverters, which convert the batteries' DC power to AC.The house is airtight: Polyurethane insulation sprayed under the shingle roof acts as its own vapor barrier, so no venting was required in the soffits or roof. The foundation is also insulated: Recycled, cement-faced, two-inch polyurethane foam was used both on the exterior of the frost wall (foam board was used on the interior of the wall) and to cover the house's slab foundation.

read more

The Round House of Millerton

In a tiny neighborhood, in a small village, in the northeastern tip of the county there's a little surprise awaiting those who like to go drive around and view houses all in the tidy circular package of Yosh Schulman's and Nili Simhai's abode.
The couple, in fact, are becoming known in the village as the pair with the round house. That round house is more than a mere design statement it also happens to be the first, and thus far only, Energy Star-rated home in Millerton.
"If you're going to put a new home into the world, do it the right way," Simhai said, adding that the pair originally wanted to buy an existing home to "recycle." Once it became obvious that purchasing a home might not be so simple the computer consultant (Schulman) and his wife, who teaches at the Teva Learning Center based out of New York City and Falls Village, Conn., set to learn about building an earth-friendly home.
"We set out to show people could make their home energy efficient," Simhai said. Those behind New York Energy Star Homes gave the pair high approval, for the building's environmentally friendly construction and energy efficiency. "To know with your home you're able to make the least toxic impact in the world [is rewarding]."
The whole point of getting the Energy Star rating, according to Senior Account Executive Gayle Dougherty, is to increase energy efficiency and cut down on household pollution during the life-span of the home. "New York Energy Star labeled homes use approximately 30 percent less energy compared to conventionally built homes," Dougherty explained. That usually means improved and increased insulation, high-performance windows and doors, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems and energy-saving appliances and lighting. To qualify theirs as a rated home Schulman and Simhai's house had to pass a stringent evaluation which included a computer-based energy analysis, inspection and certification testing.
Schulman said their house, because of its round floor plan, was a help in cutting down inefficient energy usage.
"Part of the round design is that it has a smaller footprint. The volume of a circle versus that of a square [is smaller]," he said. "You end up using less perimeter materials."
Yet the unusual home fits right in with its neighbors; the round habitat has 1,800 square feet of living space, on top of another 1,600 square feet of basement space. Vaulted ceilings and well-planned interior shapes add to the home's appeal, and its usage.

Some of the House's points:

100% PVC free 100% compact fluorescent lighting fixtures Round Design Roof structure pitch to allow insulation to extend over exterior wall joint Southern Exposure used for Passive Solar Heating Solar Panel Array to generate 100%+ electricity needs

Source: The Round House of Millerton

Suggestions for a Green Home

What is a “green home or an eco home?”

"Green building" is the industry buzz word for eco friendly, responsible or sustainable home construction. Eco homes are springing up all over the country and it looks like this type of eco friendly home construction is here to stay.

It is possible to produce high quality, high performance green homes without sacrificing our desire to be good stewards of the earth and our natural resources. Utilizing many eco-friendly home building practices, Green Homes allow homeowners to not only feel a kinship with the earth, but to tread lightly upon it as well. This philosophy pervades from the types of materials throughout the entire manufacturing process.

Suggestions for designing a Green Home:

• Design for standard unit size to reduce off-cuts and minimize cost
  If standard sizes of wallboards and timber are considered during the design phase, waste of expensive materials can be minimised. Many suppliers can also pre-cut to the desired length. Using advanced production techniques, a builder efficiently uses materials during the manufacturing process. This philosophy drastically reduces the amount of waste that goes into our landfills commonly associated with homebuilding.
  

• Builders should also recycle much of the scrap that is produced.
  Other usable remnants of the manufacturing process could be donated to support various home relief programs in different parts of the world.
  

• Minimize the amount of materials needed through careful design
  Detailed design can often reduce the amount of materials used (such as the number of wall studs), reducing material costs. Design for durability and flexibility. Choosing durable materials help prevent the need for costly renovations later. Also considering possible future needs (such as a home office) in the design can help avoid the need for expensive alterations at a later date. This can also add to the resale value of your property.
  

• Consider: A circular home has a smaller footprint to enclose the same amount of space as compared to rectangular or square home designs. That means a smaller foundation, less excavation and site disturbance and fewer trees cut. A circular home design is inherently more energy efficient than a square or rectangular design. Starting your green house project with a circular home design will put you way ahead of the curve. With a few on-site touches you can create a “super-energy efficient” house.
  

• Consider: A panelized building system allows homeowners to place their new green home in close proximity to existing trees without a lot of clearing. Many new green homes look as if they have been there for years because of the vast amount of trees and foliage left undisturbed by the construction process.
  

• Low emission plywood, when available, can used for the roof and floor sheathing. Pressure treated wood should only be used where building codes demand it. There are "green” substitute for pressure treated wood.
  

• Eco-friendly Sansin stains and paints for sidings and decking.
  Sansin is the industry leader for producing the safest and environmentally friendly products of their kind.
  

• Install water saving devices
  Install 3/6 Litre dual flush toilets. Install low flow shower heads and aerated / low flow taps. Buy water devices and appliances with the highest water efficiency rating you can afford. Do not install in-sink waste disposal units! Compost instead (this helps our wastewater system too!)
  

• Reuse water
  Install a rain water tank to supply your toilet, laundry and water your garden, or a rain barrel to supply your garden. Install a 'grey water' system to recycle the water from your laundry to water your garden with. Check with your local Council first!
  

• Design your house for maximum solar access and heat storage
  Install large windows on the northern side of the house. Use heat sinks, such as brick or concrete to store warmth. Consider access to the sun for passive solar water heating. Increase the level of ceiling, wall and underfloor insulation. Install double-glaze windows, especially in colder areas.
  
  
• Create water saving gardens
  Use native plants, which grow naturally in your local area (eco-sourced plants). Create mini eco-systems in your back yard or even on your balcony to help preserve bio-diversity and provide a link in the ecological corridor for native birds and insects to travel along. Select native plants that grow naturally in your area to avoid non-local native plants dominating and changing your local landscape. Use native plants to shade waterways and stream edges (riparian margins) – there will be wildlife, including fish living in there!

NASA: Climatic Danger Point is Closer than we thought.

Even "moderate additional" greenhouse emissions are likely to push Earth past "critical tipping points" with "dangerous consequences for the planet," according to research conducted by NASA and the Columbia University Earth Institute.

With just 10 more years of "business as usual" emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas, says the NASA/Columbia paper, "it becomes impractical" to avoid "disastrous effects."

The study appears in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Its lead author is James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

The forecast effects include "increasingly rapid sea-level rise, increased frequency of droughts and floods, and increased stress on wildlife and plants due to rapidly shifting climate zones," according to the NASA announcement.

Recent Climate Reports Underestimated How Soon

By heralding the new research paper, NASA is endorsing science that places considerably more urgency on the need to reduce emissions to avoid "disastrous effects" of global warming than was evident in the recent reports from the world's scientists coordinated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The new NASA release emphasizes the danger of "strong amplifying feedbacks" pushing Earth past "dangerous tipping points."

Scientists have been warning for several years that such tipping points are the greatest threat from manmade global warming  and what makes it potentially catastrophic for civilization.

'Potentially Uncontrollable' Feedback Loops

As the tipping points pass, "there is an acceleration, potentially uncontrollable, of emissions of vast natural stores of greenhouse gas," according to Hansen, who reviewed the study for ABC News today.

Hansen explains that dangerous feedback loops are being tracked in various regions of the planet.

Many studies have reported feedback loops already observed in thawing tundra, seabeds and drying forests.

Hansen also points out that dark  and therefore heat-absorbing  forests are now expanding toward the Arctic, replacing lighter-colored areas such as tundra and snow cover.

The NASA research also reasserts the importance of the disappearing Arctic sea ice and snow, whose reflectivity has helped cool the planet by bouncing warm sunlight straight back into space.

The disappearance of that bright sea ice and snow is uncovering more and more dark water and bare ground  creating another dangerous feedback loop.

These feedbacks all produce more heat, thus all reinforcing each other, leading to evermore thawing  and thus releases of natural greenhouse gases (including CO2 and methane) in a viciously accelerating circle.

450 Parts Per Million

The recent IPCC summaries entertained "scenarios" of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere ranging from 450 parts per million (ppm) up through 550 ppm and 650 ppm.

This new research says "C02 exceeding 450 ppm is almost surely dangerous."

Hansen told ABC News today he believes the upper limit for avoiding dangerous climate change "could well be much lower" than 450 ppm.

In the NASA announcement, Hansen said, "'business as usual' emissions would be a guarantee of global and regional disaster."

Earth's CO2 concentration is currently 383 ppm, up from 280 ppm at the start of the industrial age.

Studies released earlier this month report human-made emissions now spiraling upward at an accelerating rate much faster than scientists expected only a few years ago.

The NASA release points out that a 1992 treaty was "signed (and ratified) & by the United States and almost all nations of the world," which "has the goal to stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gases 'at a level that prevents dangerous human-made interference with the climate system.' "

NASA says this new study thus helps "define practical implications" of that 1992 treaty  the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The study says that "only moderate additional climate forcing (which would mean only moderate additional warming from such emissions) is likely to set in motion the disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet"  dubbed WAIS by polar scientists.

Many scientists say a disintegration of WAIS would mean catastrophically rapid sea-level rise.

The NASA/Columbia study is co-written by 48 scientists in the United States and France.

source: ABC News

The Largest Solor Roof in Europe: 3 Megawatts

PGIGrup, a company in Spain, is building the largest European photovoltaic system for a commercial building, the Telefonica Business Park Complex in Madrid. The park will have over 16,600 photovoltaic solar panels that will run the length of the entire office complex on the building rooftops.

At over a kilometer in length, the rooftop will have an area of over 57,000 square meters, of which 21,000 will be occupied by solar panels. The power installed will be of approximately 3 MW peak, which will generate over 3.6 GWh per year.

It is predicted that this design will enable it to save 15% on climate conditioning in winter, and 34% in summer, as well as saving on lighting. The facade of the office blocks is a double skin, where the external glass is hung out from staggered glass fins.

The project involves an investment of 21.8 million euros.

Source: Technology For Life

Broad Alliance Backs Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)

A wide-ranging coalition of more than 180 organizations, including wind companies (the obvious usual suspects) but also powerhouse corporations (Google and GE), labor (United Steelworkers), environmental groups (Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, U.S. PIRG, Sierra Club), faith groups (Union for Reform Judaism, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA), farm groups (Rocky Mountain Farmers Union) and more, lined up last week in support of a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) (also sometimes referred to as Renewable Electricity Standard, or RES). The groups sent a joint letter to U.S. Senate leaders urging adoption of strong RPS legislation as part of an energy bill that will soon come up for debate on the Senate floor.

You can express your support for the RPS through a new action Web site that includes a link to the full text of the letter and its signers.

Oppose the Anti-Wind Energy Section of H.R. 2337

Urge your Representative to oppose the Anti-Wind Energy Section of H.R. 2337
This Anti-Wind Bill Would Strangle Clean Wind Energy Jobs and Rural Development.

Take Action!

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) has just introduced a bill (H.R. 2337) that would place enormous, wrong-headed restrictions on America’s growing wind energy efforts. If enacted, the bill would severely hurt farmers, ranchers and other landowners who have – or want to have – clean, income-producing, wind energy turbines on their property. Anti-Wind Energy Section of H.R. 2337, establishes onerous standards for siting, construction, monitoring, and adaptive management that must be satisfied by all wind projects to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts on migratory birds and bats despite the fact that wind turbines cause less than 0.003% of human-cause bird mortality.

The bill would impose:

• Imprisonment and a $50,000 fine for placing a wind turbine on private property without first gaining approval from bureaucrats including the head of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

• Impose a heavy-handed “solution” where there is no significant problem:
- The bill claims to protect birds by placing onerous new regulations on wind turbines.
- Meanwhile, vastly more birds – on a scale of 10,000 to less than one – are killed by house cats and plate glass windows than by a single wind turbine.
- The bill completely ignores the most serious effects of continued reliance on traditional fossil fuels, human-induced global warming, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has associated with mass extinctions of species.

Please email or call your Representative to request that he or she oppose the Subtitle D Anti-Wind Energy Section of H.R. 2337.

Take Action!

Build your own wind turbine

This factsheet was prepared by Hugh Piggott who has written a book on this, available from the Centre for Alternative Technology - in the Wind Energy Books section.

Wind energy is both green and fun, so the idea of building one's own wind turbine is a good one. The following will give you an idea of what is involved and point you toward sources of information on the subject.

A free lunch?

Wind energy on a large scale is now competitive with other sources of electricity on the national grid. However, small domestic-sized wind turbines have not yet reached this point. The wind is free, but small wind turbines are expensive in relation to what they produce, and cannot realistically compete with mains electricity. Building your own machine saves some of the cost, but please do not underestimate the difficulty of the task. If it were easy to save money by using small wind turbines, then they would be a major feature of the landscape by now.

Is my site windy enough?

Most people think they live in a windy place, but in fact most residential locations are not suitable for windpower. Trees and buildings break the force of the wind, and create turbulent gusts which can be very destructive. Open hilltop sites or coastal situations with unobstructed views may be suitable for siting a wind turbine. A very tall tower is helpful, but these are frowned on in the UK. Do not forget the effect your wind turbine may have on neighbours, who may not share your enthusiasm!

read on: here

21 ways to help the environment

source: The Practical Environmentalist

Concerned about the environment but feeling overwhelmed by all the issues out there? Feeling discouraged about how you as an individual can really make a difference? Not to worry. Here, we’ve compiled a short list of easy and practical ways that you can help the environment.

The great thing about these tips is that in most cases you really won’t have to change your lifestyle radically to have an impact on the environment. One thing we do encourage is more reliance on human power in your daily life. We hope that some of these tips will help us move one person at a time towards a society that is more responsible and less reliant on convenience.

For example, things like walking to the grocery store and using a reel mower will reduce air pollution and energy use, while also reducing the time you spend at the gym! Additionally, if you get your kids to follow your example by using human power more, you can do your part to help reduce child obesity and diabetes!

Please note that this is by no means a comprehensive list. In fact, we’re looking for help in expanding these tips with things that have worked for you that don’t appear on the list!

Have you made a simple change in your life that you feel has helped the environment? Do you know of other ways that an average person can move towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle? Have you used cool, eco-friendly products you’d like to recommend? Let us know! See the bottom of the page for the comment option. No spammy links please, they will be removed!

In this list are things you can implement both indoors and outdoors to help save the environment. And don’t forget, you can add to the list! Just submit a comment at the end of this page! It’s that easy to share your environmental tips with the rest of the world. Try it out!

1. Prevent energy leaks at home.

Check this out: Did you know that heating and cooling can make up to 50 percent of your energy bill each month? If you heat and cool your home more efficiently by fixing leaks, you’ll save money and reduce your impact on the environment.

Plugging up those energy leaks is simple. Insulating your home will keep your house warmer in the winter and help to cool things off in the summer. Sealing all your ducts can help as well. This Energy Star website will help with simple techniques for sealing your ducts.

Weatherizing your home is also critical. Want to learn how to weatherize to prevent energy leaks? Read more at this U.S. Department of Energy website!

2. Lower your home thermostats!

That’s right, thermostats, plural! Most people have their heater, hot water heater, and refrigerator thermostats set at unnecessary temperatures.

Try this out for a few months: Set your heater at 68 degrees F or lower in the winter and 78 degrees F or higher in the summer. Programmable home thermostats are an even better way to heat and cool your home responsibly.

Next, adjust the temperature on your hot water heater to 140-degrees F or lower if possible. Most people keep the temperature on the hot water heater much higher than they really need. Try it out!

And finally, make sure to use the energy-saving settings on your refrigerator. Better yet, try switching to a more modern, energy saving frig. Look for new refrigerators with the Energy Star label.

What’s with all this Energy Star Business? Check out the U.S. government’s Energy Star program homepage to find out more about how you could be saving money on energy costs and help the environment at the same time. It’s win-win, baby!

3. Switch as many bulbs as possible in your home to compact fluorescent bulbs.

Good news! Compact fluorescent bulbs are really going mainstream nowadays, which means they’re cheaper and easier to find than ever. That’s great, because the California Energy Commission reports that lighting can make up to 25 percent of the average home’s electricity consumption. When you switch your incandescent light bulbs to ultra efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, you’ll be making a big difference in your energy use.

A while ago, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration stated that when the average cost of a fluorescent bulb was around $11.00, your energy savings would be around $20.00 for each bulb over a three year period. Now that Walmart and other stores are selling these bulbs at about 2 bucks each, think of the savings you’ll have from switching! Additionally, compact fluorescent bulbs generally last up to seven years each.

4. Use a low-flow shower head.

You may associate a low-flow showerhead with one that reduces your shower to a frustrating trickle. Thankfully, technologies have improved so that you can enjoy a high pressure shower while saving water at the same time!

Another benefit is that with a low-flow showerhead, you will not only save water, you’ll also save energy! Why? The California Efficiency Partnership says that about 73 percent of the water you use in your shower is hot water, and you use a lot of energy to heat that water for you shower. They go on to say that the use of low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your water heating costs by around to 50 percent! Lars, a writer for this blog, manages this website, which has great information about low-flow showerheads and other ways to save water in the bathroom.

5. Compost!

Return your organic waste where it belongs: the soil! Rather than sending banana peels, grass clipping, etc. to the municipal dump, start a compost pile instead. The Environmental Defense Fund says that around 18 percent of the waste an average family in the U.S. produces comes from the yard and garden. If you recycle your yard and garden waste, you’ll reduce the amount of energy used to send this waste to the dump. Add your organic kitchen scraps to your yard waste and you’re significantly decreasing your waste.

Compost also makes your plants stronger and healthier, reducing the need for fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Don’t forget that many cities have municipal composting programs for your yard waste. Need more info about the benefits of compost, how to compost, and what to compost? Check out our guide to garden compost for lots of tips.

6. Use drip irrigation systems in your garden.

Drip irrigation systems, also known as micro-irrigation systems, are designed to deliver water directly to your plants, with minimal waste. According to Colorado State University, drip irrigation systems are around 90 percent efficient, whereas traditional sprinkle systems are only around 50-70 percent efficient. The Colorado State University Extension Service has a great website on the benefits of setting up a drip irrigation system in your garden.

7. Plant trees in your yard and community.

Everyone knows that planting trees can help the environment. Trees sequester (trap) CO2 emissions, minimizing the effects of global warming. They also have many other beneficial effects. Trees cool your home, reducing the energy used for cooling. Trees improve mental health. Trees increase property values. Trees reduce urban runoff and capture dust particles from the air. Trees reduce noise pollution. The list goes on and on!

Need more reasons to plant trees? The U.S. Forest Service has a great page about the benefits of trees. The trees to plant are those native to your area. Why plant native trees? Because native trees use less water, support native wildlife, and are better adapted to your area. You can plant native trees in your yard or if you don’t have a yard, contribute to community tree planting efforts. The Arbor Day Foundation has some great community tree planting programs you can check out.

8. Go “mostly organic” in your lawn and garden.

Using organic gardening products and techniques is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment. You don’t necessarily have to go 100 percent organic either. Try out a few organic pesticides or fertilizers and see what works for you! By going mostly organic in your garden, you’ll help to stimulate beneficial soil organisms, reduce harmful wastewater runoff, and create a healthier place for your pets and children to play.

We have written a website called Mostly Organic Gardening where you can find lots of organic gardening tips.

9. Use a reel or electric lawn mower.

If you have a small yard, consider using a manual push reel mower. Why? Here’s a testimonial from Lars Hundley, one of the writers for this blog:

“People who use gas mowers put up with ear-splitting noise, headache- and nausea-inducing fumes and mechanical problems,” says Mr. Hundley, Chief Gardening Evangelist at Clean Air Gardening. He prefers the serenity and simplicity of old-fashioned reel mowers. “There is a real element of pleasure to using a manual mower,” he says.

Today’s reel mowers are a far cry from the one your grandfather used. “Reel mowers are light, quiet, and virtually maintenance-free,” notes Hundley. The mowers are environmentally friendly, and also better for your grass. “Rotary mowers tear the grass — reel mowers cut grass like scissors, leaving a fine spray of clippings as mulch for your yard,” he explains. They do take some effort, but they aren’t any harder to push than an 80-pound gas mower that isn’t self-propelled.

Reel mowers aren’t necessarily practical for really big lawns, so think about switching that gas mower to a clean, non-polluting electric mower.

Want more information about reel mowers? Here’s is a fun article by the Christian Science Monitor all about the benefits of reel mowers.

10. Replace your single-paned windows with double-pane windows.

This can be an expensive home renovation, but it will make all the difference in the world in terms of saving you energy during the cold winter months. The American Council for Energy Efficiency has a website on selecting the best energy efficient windows for your home. In addition to double panes, energy efficient features to look for on windows include tinted glass coatings, low-emissivity (low-e) coatings, and multiple layers of glazing.

11. Turn off lights and electronic devices when you’re not using them.

We all know it’s important to turn off the lights when you leave a room to save energy. How about turning off your T.V., radio, computer, etc.? We’re not talking about simply turning the off switch. Many electrical appliances continue to use a small amount of energy when turned “off.” This energy will add up over time.

So, we recommend connecting several appliances to one of those surge suppressing power outlet strips that has an on/off switch. When you leave for work in the morning, flip the switch and your devices will be completely turned off. Try that for a few months and see how much energy you save!

12. Fix water leaks in the bathroom, kitchen, landscaping, etc.

You know those tiny leaks you’ve been meaning to fix inside your house and in your landscaping? Guess what? That water loss adds up over time and can cost you big money. Not to mention all that wasted water! Protect our freshwater resources and save money by fixing those leaks!

13. Consider switching to a low-flow toilet.

According to the U.S. Government’s Environmental Protection Agency, about 41% of our indoor water use in the home goes toward flushing the toilet and 33% goes to bathing! Modern low-flush toilets are designed to use water efficiently. Here’s a website that has lots of information on reducing water use with a low-flush toilet and other simples changes in the home.

Want to get extra fancy? Well, the EPA has a new WaterSense label for toilets that use even less water than a standard low-flow toilet. These models are based on extensive studies of fluid dynamics over the last several years, so they work, and they work well.

If you don’t switch to a low-flush toilet, you can also use low-tech methods like putting a brick or a small milk jug in the tank to reduce water use. You can also take this sage advice, “If you pee, leave it be, if you strain, pull the chain!”

14. Use ceiling fans to cool off in the summer.

If you use ceiling fans during hot summer days, you can create a cooling effect similar to “wind child.” A few ceiling or regular fans strategically placed in your home can reduce the amount of time you spend with the air conditioning on. There are even Energy Star certified ceiling fans out there that use even less energy than typical ceiling fans!

15. Use solar energy to dry your clothes!

Here’s something you can do that is easy, practical, and won’t cost a penny to implement. In fact, it will save you money! No matter where you live, the sun has to come out eventually. When it does, hang your clothes out to dry. If you live where I do, in the Desert Southwest, the sun is almost always shinning. Except at night. Haha….

So, take advantage of this natural energy to dry your clothes! It may take you 10 extra minutes out of your day to hang up your clothes, but that’s a small price to pay in the long run.

Of course, there are days where drying outdoors on the line is not practical. That’s fine. Use your drier! Don’t feel guilty! However, you should read some of the suggestions on the Energy Star website about washing and drying clothes to make more efficient use out of your drier.

16. Invest in solar energy.

There are many ways to invest in solar energy. Unfortunately, some solar energy products for the home can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and have a payback period of a decade or longer.

However, there are lots of inexpensive solar gadgets out there you can try out. For example, solar-powered landscaping lights can help you reduce how much energy you get from the “grid.” How about solar cell phone chargers?

If you can afford it and you’re going to be living in the same spot for many years to get the payback, outfit your home with a few solar panels. Additionally, there are many forms of passive solar energy out there as well that can help you take advantage of the sun. See this U.S. Department of Energy website for more information about solar energy.

17. Rethink transportation.

This tip encompasses several different ideas. It involves a lot of thinking, some basic planning, and finally putting your plans into action. Yes, hybrids are great. Yes, biofuels are cool. Yes, using public transportation is important. Yes, you should get out and walk and use your bicycle more often.

However, don’t feel bad that you don’t make enough money to buy a fancy hybrid. Don’t feel bad that public transportation sucks in your city (as it does it mine!). Don’t feel bad that you had to take a job with an hour commute to make ends meet!

Just sit and think about a few practical and environmentally friendly ways you can get from one place to another. Can you car pool to work? Can you take a bus when you go to the movie theater? Can you walk or bike to the corner store? Brainstorm and put at least a few of these ideas into action. Even if you don’t buy a hybrid car, walking instead of driving to the grocery store is a great way to help the environment!

18. Use small, efficient devices to cook food.

You love to cook and you’ve got a big fat oven that you use to cook everything. Cool. But consider that toaster ovens, pressure cookers, crock pots, microwaves, and electric grills are efficient and won’t heat up your kitchen in the summer. Less heat, less energy to cool your home. On that note, bake lots of cookies and casseroles in your big fat oven in the winter! See this interesting website from the City of College Station about food cooking costs to help you decide what devices are best for you.

19. Use some Xeriscaping principles in the garden.

You may have heard about Xeriscaping from your friends who live in arid regions of the U.S. However, Xeriscaping is not just for those who live among cactus and sage brush. Xeriscaping simply means that you use water wisely in your garden and landscaping. Some concepts of Xeriscaping are: using efficient irrigation systems, using low-water use plants, reducing turfgrass, and creating thoughtful water-wise garden designs. Texas A&M has a great site about basic Xeriscaping principles.

20. Use some native plants in the garden.

Why grow native plants in your garden and landscaping? First off, native plants are better adapted to your area. This means that they require less maintenance and less water. They are also more resistant to pests and diseases. That translates to water savings and reduced use of pesticides and fertilizers. Additionally, native plants attract native wildlife and native beneficial insects. You don’t have to plant 100 percent natives to make a difference, consider just planting a few.

When you grow native plants, you help blend your landscaping with the native landscapes you find outside of your town or city.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has an excellent program that encourages the use of native plants for home landscaping called Greenacres.

Ecobackyard is a blog about making urban landscapes look more like natural landscapes using native plants and other techniques. Kent Swanson who writes for the Practical Environmentalist also writes for Ecobackyard.com.

21. Get involved locally!

Sometimes just turn off the T.V. and try and look towards what’s happening in the community.

So, there’s your list of easy and practical ways that you can help the environment.

Off the Grid: Modern Homes + Alternative Energy

Off the Grid: Modern Homes + Alternative Energy

by Lori Ryker

ISBN: 1-58685-516-6, 8.5 x 11 inches, 160 pages

Availability: Available 10/1/05

Off the Grid confronts the ecological and cultural problems associated with the way we get and use energy, and explains how it is possible to live in a beautifully designed home using much less--no matter where your home is located. Our homes are connected by a nearly invisible grid of infrastructure that binds us together. It is a system of electrical poles, wire, substations, hydroelectric dams, telecommunication towers, and water extraction and sewage systems. From within this system we work, play, and raise families. We have also created one of the greatest environmental challenges known to modern civilization. The signs of our impact upon the world can be recognized in the reports of environmental changes occurring across the earth, and they can also be seen in the growing failures of the energy grids across the world as the current system is stressed beyond its capacity. Technologies that can be used to live off the grid (geothermal energy use, wind turbines, photovoltaic arrays, micro hydropower, rainwater collection and reclamation, and more) are explained as author Lori Ryker shows how to choose and incorporate these sources according to geography and climate. Off the Grid beautifully illustrates that this is not just a concept for rural living; examples of homes that are "off the grid" to varying degrees are found in New York City; Ontario, Canada; Stuttgart, Germany; Belmont, California; Pipe Creek, Texas; Clyde Park, Montana; Twin Lakes, Minnesota; Laytonville, California; Venice, California; and New South Wales, Australia. Off the Grid shows how we can take responsibility for our future choices and conveniences now, and proves that off-the-grid living is a concept that can be easily understood and adopted by everyone, regardless of where you live or how much money you make. More Info