Improve Your Home and Garden
From the category archives:
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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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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Hidden deep in southeast Portland in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood along Johnson Creek, Leach Botanical garden is a wonderland of the exotic and the native, blended in a style all its own. It’s been called “Portland’s best kept secret” and no wonder. “The garden was the outgrowth of John and Lilla Leach’s fascination with plants,” [...]
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Okay, you want flooring for your home that is long-lasting, looks great, fits your budget, and agrees with your earth friendly principles. You’re in luck. There are now many flooring options that are attractive, durable, affordable, and kind to our environment. So how do you find the right flooring products for your home? David Dixon [...]
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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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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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This article is about the need for energy effiency testing
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Your car and your heating and air conditioning unit have more in common than you might think. Both are major purchases from which you demand comfort, performance and energy efficiency. Following are a few things to consider when choosing an HVAC system for your home–and how to keep it running like a smooth highway drive. Select [...]
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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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In these times of layoffs and downsizing, many people are considering changing careers. the American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) in Portland, OR, gave us insight into the myriad of choices available to people interested in careers in these expanding fields. What Types of Alternative Health Careers Are Available? The number of choices is pretty [...]
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The daily news helps reinforce the idea that we all must curtail our petroleum consumption. Many people are taking a first step by choosing to drive hybrid cars. Clubs like the Portland Area HSD Meetup Group in Portland, OR, make it easy to find like-minded conservationists. Bill Merchan, who runs the group, says HSD is made up of people [...]
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Some of the most beautiful creatures in the world are exotic cats, animals like cougars, bobcats, servals and lynx. These creatures are strong, graceful and majestic and their kittens are absolutely adorable. Because of their beauty, there are many people who believe a wildcat would make a unique pet. It would be like owning a [...]
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Heat, light, food, and good health-amenities that none of us can do without. Unfortunately, the meteoric rise in cost for all four over the last 10 years shows no sign of slowing anytime soon. But you can fight back. As a homeowner, you can reduce your expenditures on all four by retrofitting your home with [...]
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Are you tired of high energy bills? Have you had it with drafty old windows that let all your heat escape outdoors? Does your air conditioner run constantly to keep your home cool during the summer? Sounds like it’s time to replace those windows with new, energy efficient ones. Replacing the windows in your home is a [...]
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We all know a home must be well insulated to keep it warm and cozy in the winter and cool in the summer. The better insulated your home, the less you pay to heat and air condition it and the more energy you save. That means insulation is a green building product…but is it really green [...]
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A severely sloping yard and poor drainage made one Pacific Northwest family’s yard the last place it wanted to spend time. The children couldn’t use it for play and there was no place for the adults to entertain. Enter ProGrass Landscape Care & Design of Wilsonville, OR. This full-service landscape firm offers not only design [...]
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Ask Phil Thornburg, founder of custom landscape firm Winterbloom near Portland, OR, about his biggest complaint about his industry and he’ll tell you it’s other landscapers trying to buck the system “for a buck.” He takes issue particularly with firms that cut corners or pay workers under the table to keep costs low. Inexperienced homeowners are often [...]
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What does it take to get the average American driver to seriously consider an electric vehicle? Paying $3 per gallon and above for gas is a good start. Increasing the availability of affordable electric vehicles could do it, too. Maybe it would also help to wean us gently away from gasoline by flooding the market [...]
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I’m old enough to remember seeing (and being fascinated by) old wind mills here and there on farms in the Midwest where I grew up. In earlier years, before electricity reached parts of the rural Midwest, it was not uncommon to see these home wind turbines whirling away, generating electricity for rural families that otherwise [...]
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