Improve Your Home and Garden
Imagine for a moment that it’s 10 years from now and you saved almost $25,000 in home energy costs. That’s an extra $2,500 per year that you were able to put toward other home improvement and home decorating investments, and it’s only one of the many benefits of switching from a traditional heating and cooling [...]
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Inspired by the rising popularity of locally grown food plus a desire to be thrifty during these iffy economic times, many homeowners have begun growing their own fruits and vegetables. Come harvest time, however, even a modestly sized garden can produce a bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and radishes that one family [...]
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Do you want your household to produce less garbage? Would you like to help preserve limited landfill space? Or maybe you would just like to make fewer trips to the curb when you’re setting out your trash for pick up. Whatever your goals, you’ll probably see very quickly why the Reduce Smash Can Trash Compacter [...]
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The BP oil spill travesty has jolted a lot of homeowners into exploring alternative forms of energy that were once deemed cost prohibitive. “Our industry is expanding dramatically because the price of residential solar panels has dropped,” says Susan Brown of the Kansas- and Missouri-based Energy Savings Store. But before plunging into this rapidly growing technology, here are [...]
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Have you ever dreamed of building your own wood-burning oven? Or how about constructing an earthen floor? No? Perhaps it’s because you never knew these educational opportunities existed in the 21st century. But some forward-thinking inviduals are offering courses in sustainable living that go far beyond tossing glass bottles into a recycling bin. The rural, [...]
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What do you see when you picture a “green” home? Perhaps you imagine a house with solar panels and a wind turbine, or a simple home that conserves resources and has energy efficient appliances. If you ask Alan Gillespie, founder of Heartland Homes, he will tell you that energy efficiency is only one piece of [...]
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Termites like wood. They don’t care if the wood is old growth, new growth, responsibly harvested or clear-cut; they just want to eat it. Wouldn’t it be grand if you could just explain to the bugs that you are trying to be green and therefore don’t want to use pesticides in your home? You could [...]
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I truly believe that too many children are growing up without realizing the importance of all we receive from Mother Nature. If you are concerned that your children spend too much time playing video games, watching TV or stuck in front of a computer and not enough time connecting with the natural roots of our [...]
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Since the beginning of the green movement, there has been a rise in the number of organizations and businesses that are doing their part in the promotion of sustainability through conservation. As human beings, we’re told to reduce our carbon footprint, consume less unhealthy foods, and spend less time in the shower! But let’s take [...]
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A small greenhouse sounds appealing to many homeowners, especially as the price of fresh produce continues to rise. Yet to some homeowners it also sounds … complicated. A new method of growing doesn’t have to be difficult, though. Larry Strobel of Simply Solar Greenhouses in Bell City, MO, shared tips and information on getting started [...]
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When you hear the term “green cleaning,” you probably don’t think about your vacuum cleaner. By now we’re all aware of the dangers of toxins in cleaning products and how they affect our family through direct contact or by breathing their fumes. But you probably don’t give much thought to how vacuuming your home affects [...]
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I never realized how passionate I am about funky socks until they inadvertently became a popular subject in a photographic experiment of mine. The object was to take a self-portrait every day for one year. Several times I heard friends describe it as a self-centered venture, but for me it was a project of self-discovery. [...]
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Are you constantly fumbling around under your sink looking for some miracle solution to unclog your hair-filled drain? If you are, then look no further. Everclear Drain is a greener solution to unclog those pesky drains. Forget about dangerous liquid and powder drain cleaners. Not only do these cleaners cost upwards of $20 per bottle, they introduce [...]
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There are countless articles on blogs and in magazines ranting about organic fertilizers or “the next big thing” in sustainable agriculture. But what is sustainable agriculture all about? Pardon the pun, but I feel it means a return to our roots. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mycorrhizae (pronounced my-core-rye-zuh), a little fungus that could [...]
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Dear Flora, Last spring I bought several pots of tuberous begonias and transplanted them into a window box on the east side of my house. They produced some blooms but were not as vigorous or abundant as I had expected. Do you have any suggestions for my plants this spring? National Garden Club’s “Ask Flora” [...]
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This article is about the need for energy effiency testing
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The haunting image of an oil plume slowly spreading into the Gulf of Mexico may motivate you to go off the grid entirely. But, like many others, you might have questions before signing up for a green electricity plan from your local utility company. What will it cost? How will it get to my house? How [...]
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