Everything about making your home eco-friendly!
LED’s are a great way to light up any part of the house or to use as LED landscape lighting. These lights are energy efficient and produce a lot of light for the amount of energy which they use. They also have a long lifespan, much longer than the life of conventional bulbs such as halogen lights. One new type of bulb which is now being sold is the GU10 and there is a lot of talk about how it compares to its competition. Basic Overview of the GU10 Bulb GU10 bulbs use LED technology for their lighting. This technology is efficient and lasts many times longer than a standard halogen light which makes them a much more eco friendly decision for lighting. Most specifically, GU10 is a type of connection to the LED’s power source. This specific connection type is made up of two cylindrical connections and is not [...]
Categories: Conserving Electricity LightingDimmable CFL bulbs are a specially designed type of compact florescent light which is made to work specifically on a dimming circuit. These bulbs work by allowing you to reduce the amount of energy which is used and dim the lighting in a room for both practical purposes and to save energy. A practical advantage of a dimmable compact florescent is that you can save money on electricity because they use less power which means that they produce less heat and light. Reducing power to a Compact Fluorescent bulb which it not designed to work specifically on a dimming circuit can make it burn out by not allowing enough heat to get to the filament. CFL’s use ballasts to power the bulb. When CFL’s were first invented and sold the ballast which was used for them was not as efficient as today’s electronic types, which made them impossible to actually [...]
Categories: Conserving Electricity LightingToday many people are looking for alternatives to conventional energy due to the high costs, the effects on the environment and many other factors. Some of these reasons could be to save money on electricity or to be more self sustainable. Here we have listed our top 8 advantages of solar power: Low Maintenance Solar panels require little to no maintenance. When you are living off grid the biggest maintenance is batteries. Batteries are only usually used on off grid systems, if your solar panel is on grid than there is little overall maintenance to the entire solar power experience. Solar cells themselves last a lifetime because there are no moving parts within them. Lifetime The lifetime of solar panels are quite impressive. When the first solar systems came onto the market they were estimated to only last for about 20 years, this was in the 60s. Many if not [...]
Categories: Solar PanelsA compost maker is simply a container which is used to make compost out of organic material. Compost makers keep rats, mice and other annoying pests and insects out of your compost and also eliminate any odors which are usually produced from compost piles. Compost makers make composting easy by allowing you to easily turn your compost pile, giving the compost the proper mixture of air, water, nitrogen and carbon which are essential ingredients for organic matter to decay during the composting process. Compost makers can come in many different shapes and sizes and there are many suited to different types of people. Some composters are large while others can be used on your deck or near the home such as a back porch compost tumbler. Each of these types of composting devices are efficient in their own ways. Some people compost because they are environmentally conscious of how much [...]
Categories: CompostingMushroom compost is usually made by mushroom growers and is usually a combination of many different materials including hay, corn cobs, manures and straw. These composts are usually made from cheap materials which are available in bulk. This compost is created in bulk and once the material has fully decayed it is usually placed in a cool dark building where spores of mushrooms are cultivated. If this process is properly done all of the weed seeds in the compost (including the seeds from the hay) will have been destroyed from the heat and harmful plant pathogens will have also been killed. What is left after this ordeal is a large pile of organic matter. Research has shown that this material can be used as a substitute for peat moss. Otherwise it has very low nutrient levels. If used, mushroom compost should be a supplemental to a mixture of other soils [...]
Categories: CompostingLike just about any other topic on the internet there are a lot of discussions about which composter is the “best”. When it comes to composters there are many different kinds which are beneficial for many different situations and all types of people. Some types of composters are beneficial for people with a lot of time on their hands and who don’t mind extra labor. Back porch composters are not one of these labor intensive methods. So what about a back porch compost tumbler? This is just one type of spinning composter which people use and many argue that it is the best of the bunch. So what makes it different and why is it better than the other types of spinning composters? Size is an important issue to many people when it comes to a good quality composting bin. Many bins are large and an outdoor compost pile can [...]
Categories: CompostingA spinning composter works by efficiently mixing air, water, carbon and nitrogen. These composters allow you to add a mix of your green waste (kitchen scraps, grass clippings, etc.) with your browns (dried leaves, branches, etc.) to make a nutrient rich compost for your garden. Spinning composters work by allowing you to add all of your compostable material to a bin which is able to be completely turned around, completely mixing your material. The reason that this is so effective is that this mixing method allows air to penetrate your compost pile and ensures that water is also evenly distributed throughout it. To fully understand why a spinning composter works so well you need to understand the basics of how organic material fully breaks down into compost. Composting works by controlling certain factors which affect the speed in which organic material decays. These factors are oxygen, water, temperature and organic [...]
Categories: CompostingGreen interior design is a branch of interior design which is becoming the newest trend and very important. Unlike contemporary interior design, using green designing techniques goes above and beyond the standard stylish and contemporary tends used in homes. As a business, green interior design is about making the customer happy and figuring out the customers ideas of what is stylish and beautiful with keeping in mind what is good for the earth. A leading authority on green design is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, set up by the US Green Building Council. This program attempts to address five key issues: reduction of CO2 emissions, conserving water, improving indoor air quality, saving energy and keeping the earths natural resources in mind. Green interior design also is about saving money while protecting the environment and peoples health. These three things are not always compatible but green interior design tries [...]
Categories: Interior DesignA compost bucket can be used to collect your food scraps and other organic waste which is then usually added to a compost pile or other composting component such as a spinning composter. Another type of compost bucket, and what we will talk about here, is essentially an inside composting machine which can be used in a variety of ways to compost your food scraps. The following are some key points on what not only a composing bucket does but also on how to use one. Convenience A compost bucket is a convenient way to compost your organic waste. Using this form of composting can be done be anyone at any location. Why use a composting bucket? A composting bucket allows anyone at virtually any location compost their waste on a small scale. It allows us to recycle our kitchen scraps in a environmentally friendly way and can also provide [...]
Categories: CompostingAs the price of energy continues to increase we are faced with the challenge of cutting back on our own energy usage. There are many simple and effective ways in which we can save energy in our own homes and by being aware and conscious of our energy use we can dramatically decrease our electricity bills. Appliances. Many appliances can be replaced with Energy Star appliances. Some of these which use huge amounts of energy in our households are ovens, washing machines, dryers and refrigerators. When you are looking for a new energy saving appliance make sure look for the Energy Star symbol and to take a look at the actual energy rating. If you see an Energy Star symbol that means that the appliance uses 20-30% less energy than federal regulations call for. Lights. Lights play a huge role in our electric costs. The most obvious way to save [...]
Categories: Conserving Electricity