Naturally Earth Friendly

Boulder, Colorado - A place for the inhabitants love their environment. Biking and hiking trails, parks and open spaces, it’s a beautiful place. Soon 50,000 homes in Boulder will be -decked out- with all the latest in environmentally-friendly, energy-saving technology. Solar panels, electric cars and some with specialized monitoring systems will help turn Boulder into America’s first Smart Grid City.

Xcel, along with several green high-tech companies, has invested $100 million to transform Boulder into a living laboratory.

To read the complete article, highly recommended, please visit Boulder, Colorado: America’s First ‘Smart Grid City’.

Solar panels. Wind power. Geothermal energy. These are some of the great options for Earth friendly electricity, but they leave little to be desired for your wallet in these economic hard times. So what are we to do? Many of us want to do our part in going green at home, but when we can’t afford the solar panels, the wind turbines, or other ways of retrieving environmentally friendly electricity we need to purchase it from green power programs.

The easiest way to start is call up your local electricity provider and ask them if they offer any green options. You might be required to pay a premium over and above your current rate. It might be as high as 20 cents so you’ll probably want to shop around. With the eco-friendly trend gathering more popularity, prices are starting to drop.

The most Earth friendly sources don’t require the burning of any fuel to create the steam most turbines require. This will prevent more greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. You’ll want to choose wind, solar, wave, tidal and geothermal to be the most environmentally friendly.

Something to watch for is that some governments require so much of electricity be from renewable sources already. If this is the case you’ll be paying more for something you’re already getting to an extent.

Here are websites that let you know who provides green electricity in your area:
United States (USA)
Canada
United Kingdom (UK)
Australia

If you drove past this house, you probably wouldn’t think it was “green” and on a budget. Would you?

That’s exactly what it is. Dan Heinfeld, of LPA Architects in Irvine, wanted to build his family house on a budget. Of course “green,” eco-friendly, and Earth friendly were all achieved because that’s what LPA Architects is all about. Now it’s certainly not in my budget, and probably not for most Americans. But this luxury home, or better known as the Chestnut House, was built with the intentions to prove that “green” doesn’t cost more. So if you are looking to build your next home, don’t think that you’ll have to spend the “green” to go green (pun intended). And please check out the full article written about this beautiful home at Inhabitat.com.

I just finished watching Wall-E with my husband so pardon my little ranting before I explain about the new Automower™ Solar Hybrid Robots by Husqvarna. How much are we going to rely on machines? After that cute movie about a robot falling in love, it makes you think about how lazy we can be if someone, or something, does our job for us. Here in the states we love our green lawns. It’s almost a status symbol, it doesn’t matter whether we’re in a drought or not (Southern California) - we want a green lawn. I wonder if it makes us see “nature” in our suburban homes. If you live in the city or suburbs, it can be difficult to get back to nature. Believe me the parks around here feature ducks and pigeons - I was amazed at all the squirrels I saw in Sacramento. I know, it’s sad.

The future of gardening is here; a new lawn mower is in town.

Now that I got my ranting and raving out about humans being lazy and wanting a robot to do our dirty work - the Automower™ Solar Hybrid is a neat little gadget combining solar power and electricity. So if you want a nicely trim lawn and you want a lawn mower, this could be the lawnmower of your dreams. In addition to the human-powered lawnmowers, the biodiesel lawnmowers, and the electric lawnmowers - a robot sounds like the easy road to be more Earth friendly. It’s solar-powered, 90% recyclable and automatic - it knows when to recharge itself!

Made by Husqvarna, a company based in Sweden and the world’s largest manufacturer of chainsaws, lawn and garden equipment. You’ve probably seen their items under the Craftsman brand name at your local Sears. This little solar-powered robot to cut 3/4 acre of grass all by itself. Equipped with collision sensors it knows when it comes across furniture, pets, and trees. But does it really need an anti-theft protection built in? Probably - it is something all the guys in the neighborhood will want. All you need to do is stick a little wire into the ground around the perimeter and it’ll take care of the rest. I think some of the neighborhood kids will be out of a Summer job.

Sources:
Husqvarna.com
CleanTechnica.com

December 21, 2008. With the first day of winter on the horizon, we’re all going to be spending more time indoors and that means rising energy bills to keep warm. Here’s a few simple tips you can start to save a few extra bucks while reducing your carbon footprint at the same time.

1. Natural light. Open your curtains and take advantage of the sunshine during the day and you won’t have the need for many lamps to be on. Just don’t forget to shut them up at night to keep your home insulated.

2. Close your gaps. Drafty windows usually mean there is a gap around the window sill and this will allow air to leak in and out. Weather stripping is inexpensive and easy to add to your windows and doors. You should be able to cover the costs in a month or two of energy savings.

3. Switch your current showerhead to a low-flow model. By adding air into the water stream you’ll be using less water and your water heater won’t have to work so hard.

Well, an anonymous reader found an even better deal: A low-flow showerhead by Real Goods that has a flow rate of 1.2 gallon/minute and a “pause” button that allows you to stop the water while soaping up or applying shampoo (and the price is $12!). - Treehugger.com

4. Replace your existing thermostat with a programmable thermostat. This is easy to install and should cost less than $50.

5. Wrap your water heater in a blanket. Insulating your water heater is fast and efficient. The energy savings will pay for it in no time.

6. Check your water heater’s temperature. If you’re water heater is heating water to anything above 120 degrees Farenheit you’re just wasting energy. Turn the setting down and it’s a quick and simple way to save money on your heating bills this winter.

With the rising costs of energy bills, it’s never too early to start looking for ways to be more Earth friendly. Hopefully these tips will keep you warm and toasty this winter and keep that extra cash in your wallet. If you have any additional tips, please feel free to share them.

Appropriately entitled Blossom, Michelle Brand created this elegant and fresh eco-friendly ambient lighting out of plastic bottles and LEDs.

When you think of LEED Platinum, do you think of ultra modern home designs? I used to before I saw the newest LEED Platinum certified home, the first for the Sacramento area - it’s a Craftsman Bungalow! I’m very excited about this, not just because of the Platinum rating or the 80% savings in energy costs, but it’s a beautiful Craftsman Bungalow. Growing up here in Orange County, CA I’ve frequently visited the historical district at the Orange Circle and these are my favorite designs of all times. I always thought I’d end up buying one of those turn of the century homes, but now I have another option. 

At just under 2000 square feet, technology and materials are now available to anyone looking to create the home of their dreams - with an eco-friendly attitude. This specific home uses a solar energy system by BP Solar Integra, a solar PV system, and a Xantrex XW 6048 inverter. The lucky homeowners will be saving 84% on monthly electrical and gas bills.

For more information on this great project, head over to JetsonGreen.com.

Climate Change. We hear about it everywhere these days, usually in a picture like the one above. Most people tend to think of it as Global Warming and don’t realize it also has to do with Global Cooling. Our Ocean currents have a lot to do with the temperature of this planet. The Ocean is also one of the largest CO2 collectors to help balance our atmosphere. So when we, as humans, keep adding to the CO2 emissions we’re creating more than the Earth can successfully soak up - an extra 4% will make a difference.

There are many diverse scientific opinions in what could possibly happen if the Earth was to raise - say 5 degrees - in temperature; maybe we’ll see flooding, maybe we’ll see food famines, maybe we’ll see climate changes. The one commonality is that a new Ice Age is not in any recent projections for our future. So let’s work together, as a whole planet, and try to cut down on our carbon footprint before it’s too late. An easy way to do this is to simply pick up your phone and call your local energy company. Find out if they offer a green option, and if they don’t ask them to offer one. Big companies like Kohl’s and FedEx Kinko’s are starting to buy more green energy. It’s important to us - their consumers - so just ask your favorite places of business. If we work together, we can make a difference.

For more information regarding Climate Change and to find out what “climate porn” is exactly, check out this great article by Sara Dryden at NewConsumer.com, Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change.