Home heating for cheapskates

Want to save money and not freeze this winter?  Here's how...
http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2014/11/28/the-cheapskates-guide-to-home-heating

Light bulbs to bring home

Looking for CFLs or LED bulbs that will cast the most aesthetically pleasing light?  Here are two recommended by professional lighting designers:

Philips EnergySaver Twister Warm White 13W
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/eco-friendly-products/light-bulb-reviews/philips-energysaver-13w-t2-twister-soft-white-light-bulb-59

Philips AmbientLED 25W A19
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Ambient-5-watt-Light-Bulb/dp/B005POXQSO

Remember that although LED bulbs are more expensive, they also last significantly longer; therefore they are more economical over the long run.

Lifehacker article roundup

More random and interesting stuff from the folks at Lifehacker...

Can you freeze avocado?  wine?  cake?  and what the heck is mirepoix?  Find the answers here:
http://lifehacker.com/5929588/can-i-freeze-it-how-to-extend-the-life-of-fruits-vegetables-and-other-perishables 

Build a bookcase-in-the-round with a repurposed cable spool:
http://lifehacker.com/5929946/repurpose-a-cable-spool-into-a-bookcase

And for those of us who love mason jars, here's how to turn one into a soap dispenser.
http://lifehacker.com/5929906/diy-mason-jar-soap-dispenser

Baby it's cold outside!

This Lifehacker article has winter preparation tips on everything from insulating windows, repurposing old sweaters as mittens, and fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Enjoy!
http://lifehacker.com/5864667/prepare-yourself-for-the-winter-cold-this-weekend

Great green gifts

Gearing up for Christmas shopping? Here's a collection of green gift ideas for everybody on your list...

(image: recycled circuit board ornaments from GeekSugar.com)

Visit sites like Ecoist, FairTradeSports, OrganicBabyGiftsBoutique, OliveGreenDog, and WearYourMusic to find unique gifts that are organic, recycled, fair trade, charitable, or all of the above. Follow this link to the Consumer Reports Greener Choices page for these sites and a few more.

Don't forget the rechargeable batteries to power your gadgets. View CR recommendations for long-lasting, greener batteries.

http://www.wired.com/ Their holiday buying guide has some groovy gifts like the MudWatt electrochemistry kit and a sculptural CFL bulb called the Plumen 001.

http://www.uncommongoods.com/ - Unique gifts and creative design found here, many handmade and/or recycled, with items like record bookends, tree ring coasters, and bamboo dry erase boards.

http://www.resourcerevival.com/ - Green gifts, awards, and promotional items made from recycled bicycle parts.

http://www.signals.com/ Gifts that inform, enlighten & entertain, including recycled wine bottle drinking glasses, bamboo keyboard and mouse, and newspaper bead bracelets. Building buffs will enjoy the origami architecture book and Frank Lloyd Wright Lego sets, while electrician types will get a charge out of the "Resistance is not futile…" T-shirt.

http://www.etsy.com/ The worldwide online marketplace for handmade gifts.

http://blog.makezine.com/ Or bypass the shopping altogether and make your own stuff, like DIY iPhone gloves.

Happy holidays!

P.S. Today's Grist newsletter had a good article about eschewing "stuff" - complete with links to Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff and George Carlin's NSFW rant about it.  Food for thought...

The true cost of commuting

Here's an interesting article from Lifehacker.com about how you could save money by shortening your commute.


http://lifehacker.com/5855550/the-true-cost-of-commuting-save-hundreds-every-year-for-each-mile-you-move-closer-to-work

The Halloween neighborhood livability test

Is your neighborhood walkable?  Safe?  Healthy? 
http://www.grist.org/living/2011-10-28-trick-or-treat-why-you-should-love-the-little-monsters-at-the-do

Shedding light on the subject of bulbs

What's the latest in light bulb news?  Are CFLs safe?  Do LEDs live up to the hype?  Read the 2011 Consumer Reports guide to light bulbs and find out...

Here's a brief summary:

CFLs use about 75% less energy and last seven to ten times longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Consumer Reports tested 60-watt CFLs and LEDs for this report.


CFLs save money faster (one year) than LEDs (four to ten years). They also contain less mercury (<1mg), although CR notes that they should be recycled at stores like Home Depot, Ikea, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, or other participating programs... but you were already recycling your light bulbs, right?

LEDs meet most of their claims (brightness, low energy use, no mercury, dimming capability, long lifespan) but can be suboptimal in light distribution, not all are as bright as promised, and they are still more expensive than CFLs.



What you should look for when shopping for light bulbs:

Lumens measure brightness better than wattage does. This article suggests a lumens equivalent for several common bulb types.

Brightness and color are not created equal.

Read the Lighting Facts label to check brightness, energy use, estimated energy cost, expected lifespan.

Check for rebates and coupons at www.dsireusa.org/incentives or http://www.energystar.gov/  or your local utility company.


Want more?

Read the full article and check bulb ratings here:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/resources/streaming/PDFs/Consumer+Reports+Lightbulb+Review+Facebook.pdf


Visit the Consumer Reports page on Facebook to get access to free reports like this without becoming a subscriber.  
CR Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ConsumerReports
CR main website:  http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm

Sites for reuse, trade in, or donation

Tis the season for yard sales!  But if you haven't the time or inclination, here are some sites where you can trade in or donate your stuff to a good cause.

Gazelle.com for gadget recycling
Sell your old but working electronic gadgets!  Enter the brand, model, and condition and the site makes you an offer (usually around $100 per trade-in).  If you accept, Gazelle mails you a box to send it in and a free shipping label.  Once the site confirms the gadget works, you can accept the money via check, gift card, or PayPal, or donate it to one of about 50 charities.  Don't worry:  Before the item is resold, Gazelle wipes out your personal information.

Thredup.com for kid stuff
Swap clothes or toys your child has outgrown.  Browse through listings of thousands of boxes containing an average of 15 items - brief descriptions include size (for clothes) and color.  Once you've picked a box, describe the items you'll be trading, and for $5 plus shipping, you'll receive your chosen box and an empty one to send in your items.  The site relies on user ratings to monitor the quality of goods, and 98% of the boxes are rated 3 or 4 stars.


New local thrift store for all you fashionistas out there:  www.uptowncheapskate.com  in Timonium.
But don't forget old favorites like http://www.voguerevisited.com/ on Roland Ave near Hampden,
and http://www.platosclosetbaltimore.com/ on Taylor Ave near Loch Raven.


Where to donate clothes and household items (schedule free pickup online if you live in a neighborhood along one of their routes, like Rodgers Forge...)
PurpleHeartPickup.org  for Purple Heart Veterans
ClothingDonations.org  for Vietnam Veterans

Also don't forget the Baltimore County recycling site, with its links to electronics recycling and local reuse organizations.  Did you know that you can take electronics and building materials to one of the three county landfills for recycling or donation?

And when all else fails, there's always Craigslist.

P.S. Click the Recycling tag in the sidebar to see my other posts on this topic!  I'm always discovering new sites and shops to RRR.

Lost cats, livable streets, and community

http://www.grist.org/urbanism/2011-06-23-great-places-how-livable-streets-make-us-happier-humans

This Grist article about livable streets and sustainable communities reminds me of the time I lost my cat.  After pounding the pavement for a day or two, I sent a distressed email to a handful of my closest neighbors.  One replied immediately, and it turns out my cat had gotten locked in her garage.  Phew!

A friend from a different neighborhood was amazed that I not only knew my neighbors, but had their email addresses too.  Apparently Rodgers Forge is the exception rather than the rule in Baltimore neighborhoods:  families living in close proximity have more chances to chat over the front porch or backyard fence, help unload groceries, pet-sit, play with each others' kids, and generally be more involved in each others' lives.

For all that I complain about people rushing between house and car with scarcely a moment to greet neighbors or walk around the block, I think my neighborhood is better than many in this regard.  In this day and age where we're more virtually-connected than ever, there's still something to be said for being able to walk out the door and talk to another human being face to face.

Another rain barrel & compost bin sale

Lots of local organizations are offering discounts on rain barrels and compost bins this season!

This week's Towson Times paper included a flyer for a sale Saturday May 14th from 8am to 2pm at the Towson United Methodist Church, which is located right off the beltway at the Dulaney Valley Road exit (501 Hampton Lane, Towson).

Systern Rain barrels for $59.99 and Earth Machine composters for $49.99

Other groups hosting sales you may want to check out...
Blue Water Baltimore native plant sales on May 21, June 5 & 11 http://bluewaterbaltimore.org/
Oregon Ridge Nature Center:  native plant sale this Saturday http://www.oregonridge.org/

Paint it black, no, green!

In a bout of spring cleaning this year, I decided it was time to paint a few more rooms in my house.  Did you know that Sherwin Williams has two lines of Environmentally-Preferred low-VOC paint?  They come in just about any color you could want, and I can attest that they stink much less than regular paints.

Read about these paints (Duration and Harmony) here:
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/green/paint/

If you hire a painting contractor, tell him/her to look for Pro Green low-VOC interior latex paint.
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pro/products/progreen_200_low_voc_interior_latex/

And if you're going for LEED credit, here are the standards you'll want to look for in paint, adhesives, and sealants under the Indoor Environmental Quality credit area:
Green Seal Standards 3, 11, 36
SCAQMD #1113, 1168


Here's a post I wrote last year about another low-VOC paint from Home Depot...
http://almgreen.blogspot.com/2010/12/eco-home-improvement-low-voc-paint.html

Pi Day 3.14

Ah, Pi day.  Back in high school we celebrated by hitting teachers in the face with cream pies when they couldn't answer our math questions (and ok, we may have been in cahoots with the local college math professor to get some Really Hard math questions to stack the deck)...

Here's how you can have your pie and be energy efficient too, with a PSA from the Johns Hopkins Sustainability office:

Happy Pi Day! And to celebrate, we’ve got you covered with tips to use less energy when you’re baking that pie of yours.


o Ceramic and glass dishes let you turn down the oven by 25 degrees without extended cooking times because they conduct and hold heat better than metal.

o To keep a dish warm before serving time: put it in the microwave and close the door. The insulation will keep the food warm (but make sure the dish isn’t metal!).

o If you have a convection feature on your oven, take the time to learn how to use it. You can save one-third of the cooking energy.

o If you have an oven light and a clean oven glass door, turn the light on quickly to check your pie’s status instead of opening the door and wasting energy.


Photo credit (and a really yummy-looking Grasshopper Pie recipe):
http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2011/02/grasshopper-pie-chocolate-mint-pie-day.html

Flies in my ointment

My house has been plagued with fruit flies ever since summertime, and since I work from home, they drive me nuts!  Found this simple fruit fly trap recipe on ApartmentTherapy.com by way of Lifehacker.com (both fantastic websites, btw) and started testing it today.  Thanks to my friends Megan and Sandy for the pretty jars and death art...

Help plan a Baltimore cohousing community

Sharing the following announcement on behalf of a friend... you can contact her via the links below.

What is Cohousing? A residential community owned, managed, and planned by people who seek a balance between private life and community life.


Who are we? A group of Baltimore area people seeking to form a cohousing community that is:
• Ecologically sensitive and sustainable
• Intergenerational
• Embracing of diversity

Where is it?  Only in our dreams, so far!  Please join us to explore cohousing and the process of planning a new community.

Saturday, January 29, 2011 - Baltimore Cohousing Organizing Meeting - 3:30 to 5 pm - Baltimore, MD


Please join us at the Ruscombe Mansion, 4801/4803 Yellowwood Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209.
Directions: www.ruscombe.org/directionstoruscombe.html.
For more information on cohousing, see http://www.cohousing.org/  and http://www.cohousingcollaborative.com/ .
To RSVP to the meeting, email rebeccalachen@gmail.com

New year, new font

In case you didn't hear about this in 2010, switching your font to Century Gothic can save you big bucks on printer ink.  If, that is, you're still old school enough to be printing at all.  Read about this in a GreenBiz article that features the fax machine beatdown from a film classic.

 

And don't forget the Dutch Ecofont...

http://almgreen.blogspot.com/2009/01/holey-ecofont.html

 

Happy New Year!

Eco-home improvement: Low-VOC paint

When I repainted my basement recently, I wanted to use one of these new low-VOC paints I'd been hearing about.  Found a good one at Home Depot that was labeled as an eco-option:  this labeling system can also help you find energy- and water-efficient products throughout the store and website.

Here's the paint I chose:

The FreshAire Choice™
The FreshAire Choice is a revolution in paint, inspired by the need to improve air quality. It’s the first-ever and only tinted paint to contain no VOCs, harsh chemicals that make paint smell like paint and contribute to poor indoor air quality. FreshAire environmentally friendly paint offers premium colors in four inspiring collections that enthuse the beauty and serenity of nature in your home.

* Premium performance paint without the harsh paint odor
* Awarded the Greenguard's Certification For Children and Schools
* Contains zero VOCs in paint or colorant
* Four different collections - 65 color choices
* Lifetime warranty

And here's some more information about low-VOC paint...

Green Paint Standards Protect IAQ and Occupants

GreenerChoices.org Green product watch: best low-VOC paints and stains 9/10

Swap your stuff online

Today's news from Debt Proof Living (see below) reminded me of a swap event I heard about in Philly:  http://sorrphilly.wordpress.com/

Swap till you drop!  Enjoy the article...


http://www.debtproofliving.com/DPLResources/EverydayCheapskate/VisitorEverydayCheapskate/tabid/275/smid/663/ArticleID/533301/reftab/38/t/Default.aspx

You can shop online without spending a dime. No, I’m not talking about some kind of devious Internet rip-off scam. A quasi-cashless society has grown up on the Internet over the past couple of years where you can swap for all kinds of great goods. If you're willing to pay for shipping, you can find almost anything, all brand new or gently used, and all completely free. Talk about recycling!


http://www.swapadvd.com/ is a reliable website where you can swap the DVDs you no longer want for ones you do. Register for a free account on this site and decide which of your DVDs you want to swap. You must have the original cases; simply list your DVDs by UPC Code. Full descriptions and cover art are supplied by the SwapaDVD database so you don’t have to upload or scan anything.

When someone wants one of your DVDs, you mail it out (postage averages about $2 per package via first class mail; SwapaDVD members can print postage and a combo mailing label and wrapper for sending movies). When the other person indicates receipt of your DVD, you get one credit per disc deposited into your account. List 10 DVDs that you're willing to send out, and you can immediately request a complimentary DVD. With a library of nearly 200,000 DVDs currently available to be sent to your mailbox, think of the possibilities: Cancel your cable TV service, cancel your NetFlix account.

http://www.swap.com/ lets members trade books, movies, music, and video games for free. With about 3.5 million items up for swapping, this site offers “shopping” opportunities galore! Unlike other sites, where you have to earn points in order to start trading, at Swap.com you make one-for-one trades or three-way trades, and can start as soon as you sign up. When you join, you list "Items I Have" and "Items I Want." Then the site does its matchmaking to find you a trading partner, saving you hours of potential Web-surfing time.

http://www.swapbabygoods.com/ is a swapping site in its infancy, with currently about 1,000 listings from brand-new items to gently used. SwapBabyGoods.com is set up for one-to-one swaps (you find someone who has something you want and who wants something you have). Then, you can regularly swap clothing for coupons and other things as your collective kids outgrow.

http://www.zwaggle.com/ is a virtual mall jam-packed with stuff for kids, like Game Boy cartridges, Old Navy clothes, Stride Rite shoes and more. Here is how it works: You use "zoints" as your currency. You get 25 zoints for joining the site, and more as you send off your unwanted gear. The site includes an integrated FedEx and U.S. Postal Service shipping tool that lets you print out a prepaid and preaddressed shipping label, and schedule a pickup. That makes it so much easier than schlepping to the post office.

TV news: watch your energy

FTC Will Require EnergyGuide Labels for Televisions


Televisions manufactured after May 10, 2011 must display EnergyGuide labels, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on October 27. A recent amendment to the FTC's Appliance Labeling Rule will require the familiar yellow-and-black labels on new TVs. The removable labels, which have long been used on home appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators, are designed to provide energy cost information.

In March 2009, the FTC sought comments on whether EnergyGuide labels should be required on a range of consumer electronics, including televisions. Based on the response, in March 2010, the agency proposed requiring the labels on televisions sold in the United States. The FTC is requiring a label with two main disclosures on new TVs: the television set's estimated annual energy cost and a comparison with the annual energy cost of other televisions with similar screen sizes. The new rule requires that the new labels be visible from the front of the televisions. Beginning in July 11, 2011, the amended rule will require Web sites that sell televisions to display an image of the full EnergyGuide label. See the FTC press release, the Federal Register Final Rule notice, and examples of the FTC labels.

Also, the FTC is proposing revisions to the guidance it gives marketers to help them avoid misleading environmental claims about their products. The agency announced on October 6 that it is seeking public comments about changes to the Green Guides on such topics as renewable energy and carbon offset claims. The FTC, in its proposed revisions, notes that general "eco-friendly" claims are difficult, if not impossible, to substantiate. The agency will accept public input until December 10, 2010, after which it will decide what final changes it will make to the guidelines. See the FTC press release, which includes an electronic link for comment submissions, the summary of proposed Green Guides changes, and the full list of proposed changes.

More info at http://www.ftc.gov/energy/

Weatherize now!

Tis the season to weatherize your home for winter!

Here's a link to a comparison-shopping guide for weatherstripping on the DOE website:
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11280

Also, now is the best time to get your furnace serviced, chimney swept, and all that jazz before heating season is upon us.