Save Money and Environment: Rent A Green Box

Written by Cathy on February 24, 2010 – 7:46 pm -

Welcome back!

Submitted by guest blogger Nicole

Moving can waste a lot of resources: money, time, and boxes. Over 20% of the American population moves each year. That’s a lot of boxes being jam-packed into landfills.

Avoid the boxes and the haste of finding them by renting containers from rentagreenbox.com. Yes, I said rent. Spencer Brown, the owner and creator, came up with this great idea: the Recopack. Customer’s can rent plastic containers made from recycled trash found at landfills. Make a call, and Rent A Green Box will drop off your Recopacks and then pick them up 2 weeks later. With these zero-waste plastic containers, they have better durability then cardboard. No more having to deal with crushed boxes. This company has thought of it all; even the trucks used for deliveries is fueled from wasted vegetable oil. As of now, they service Orange County, Los Angeles County, and selected areas of San Diego County.

So skip the hustle of trying to find cardboard boxes, save the landfills from being filled up with wasted material, and Rent A Green Box.


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Green and Save- Line Dry Your Clothes

Written by Cathy on July 27, 2009 – 10:37 am -

Since I am an avid line-dryer- when this new portable and space saving  line drying device came to my attention just had to let everyone know! They say you can dry up to 21 garments in 1 yard of space.

Tibbeline- you get 2 lines for $14.95, great for travel, camping and your own home!


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Recycled Toilet Paper and Other T-issues

Written by Cathy on July 23, 2009 – 11:11 am -

I was asked to do a post on Toilet Paper- and wow- I will never buy any other paper products unless they use recycled paper again!

Read the following from National Resource Defense Council

I Just Gotta Tell Ya

  • The pulp from one eucalytputs tree, produces as many as 1,000 rolls of toilet tissue.
  • Americans use an average of 23.6 rolls of Toilet Paper per year per person

How To Save More Trees:

1.) Eliminate Paper Towels completely- I haven’t used paper towels in over 10 years and don’t miss them a bit.

2.) Stop using paper napkins and if you do- buy recycled paper napkins.

3.) Use less Toilet paper- you don’t need a full roll to wipe oneself.

4.) Stop using Kleenex- You don’t need it- unless you have a really bad cold. Use Handkerchiefs instead .

5.) If you Have to use any of the above products- buy recycled and support companies that support the environment.


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Eco Shopping with Green Coupons and Bargains

Written by Cathy on July 11, 2009 – 6:45 am -

No matter if you reusing and repurposing many of your things, you still have to purchase some stuff. Greening your purchases does not have to be expensive- check out these great Eco -Friendly coupon and bargain sites- that can help you green your life affordably!

Eco Friendly Coupon Shopping

  • Ecobunga - Comprehensive lists of contests, giveaways, coupons and rebates
  • Green Baby Bargains- Great bargains for kids, chemical free, eco friendly packaging, minimal environmental impact and eco friendly packaging.
  • Green Shopaholic-group of shoppers whose mission is to help people go green.

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Energy Saving Calculator-Money Super Market

Written by Cathy on July 10, 2009 – 6:28 am -

Lately I have been getting inquiries from the UK- and since I haven’t been there for years-and know how expensive it can be- I thought I would do a post on Energy Savings in the UK.

Found this site MoneySupermarket.com, in which you can compare and save money with thousands of products. Of course, the product-services which interests me the most is Gas and Electricity- because if you save money here, you can also save the environment and help reduce the UK dependence on oil.

Money Super Market is very easy to use- plug in your postcode to begin and your comparisons will come up.

I also like the discussion forums and article library- Can save you time (and money) with a one-stop click!

The Shopping category is great too for travelers. I wish I had known about this site, as a good friend of mine (a Brit) just came back from the UK.

My recommendation- check it out and save!


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ReUsing- Free Stuff

Written by Cathy on July 8, 2009 – 6:17 pm -

We all like Free Stuff, and now there is another site called Take Me Im Free. (www.takemeimfree.com) You have to sign up and then you can browse through all the items. It looks like it’s a fairly new site- so I would keep checking in to see what’s up!


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Green and Save-Energy Detective

Written by Cathy on February 9, 2009 – 8:44 am -

 

 
  With all the unemployment, it can become increasingly more important to save on household expenses. 

Using a Energy Detector could likely save you up to 20% on your energy bills! 

This Home Energy readers will tell you how much energy you are using! 
TED The Energy Detective Electricity Monitor TED1001 with Footprints Software


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Green and Save- Laundry

Written by Cathy on February 9, 2009 – 8:16 am -

 

Energy Efficient Washer Dryer Combo Picture

Eco Star Washer Dryer Systems

 

True confessions- I haven’t washed my clothes in hot water for years. In fact I can’t even remember the last time I used a dryer! At the time I stopped using hot water, didn’t even know anything about the carbon impact, I did it because I was cheap! 

I Just Gotta Tell Ya 

  • About 80-90% of energy used by a washer goes into heating the water 
  • Average household saving= $61 per year
  • If each household used on cold water would keep 1281 pounds of CO2 from entering the air.
  • Cold water keeps your clothes looking newer and longer than hot water
  • The typical American household does nearly 400 loads of laundry per year, using about 40 gallons of water per full load with a conventional washer.

Helpful Hints

  • Fill it up: Clothes washers use relatively the same amount of energy regardless of the size of the laundry load, run full loads whenever possible.
  • Avoid the sanitary cycle: This super hot cycle, available on some models, increases energy use significantly, so only use it when absolutely necessary.
  • Activate the high spin speed option: If your clothes washer has spin options, choose a high spin speed or the extended spin option to reduce the amount of remaining moisture in your clothes after washing. This decreases the amount of time it takes to dry your clothes.
  • Leave the door open after use: Front-loading washers use airtight seals to make sure no moisture leaks while the machine is in use. However, when the machine is not in use, this seal can trap moisture in the machine. Be sure to leave the door ajar for an hour or two after use to allow any of the remaining moisture inside the machine to evaporate. Make sure children do not climb into the machine while the door is open.

If you are looking for a new washer dryer consider the Eco Star combination Washer Dryer 

EcoStar lineup of washer/dryer combos to fit anyones needs and the big convenience of a all in one washer dryer is true cut above the rest!  The washer/dryer combos have been used for years in the UK. Better washing performance than a top loader.  You can set-back your wash to start up to 6 hours, so it can be finishing the drying cycle when you get home from work with no wrinkles!  Great performance and great price!  Solar system friendly!

Resources

Consumer Energy Center  Great information on saving money and what type of machines to buy.


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Green Basics to Save You Money and the Environment

Written by Cathy on July 15, 2008 – 8:16 pm -

The Best part of going green is you can save money! It is very easy to do, just start with a few basics and watch your checking account grow! 

Energy: 

  • Households with only Energy star appliances can save up to 39% per year.  
  1. Call your local utility company for an energy audit. 
  2. Unplugging appliances and electronics that glow can save you up to $200 per year. 
  3. Use power strips instead of wall sockets 
  4. Use Compact Fluorescent bulb (CFL) =Saving per year per light = $35.00. Choose only products that are EnergyStar Labels

Dryer: 

  • If Americans cleaned the lint screen, we would save about 350 millions of gallons per year. 
  1. Clean the Lint Screen after every load: Savings about 5% 
  2. Don’t overload the dryer 
  3. Use a Clothes Line 

Water 

Washer:

  • Average American Family does 540 loads of laundry per year. = 21,000 gallons of water 
  • If Every American switched from Hot- Hot to Warm Cold cycles= Savings 100,000 barrels of oils per day. 
  1. Wash 2 fewer loads per week 
  2. Wash only full loads 
  3. Hang dry clothes 
  4. Use cold water 
  5. Use Warm and Cold water only. 

Fix Drips: 

  • More than 36 states are expected to face water shortages in the next 5 years. 
  • Leaking Faucets can waste up to 75 gallons per day
  • Leaking toilets can waste up to 200 gallons per day. 

Shower: 

  1. Take a 3 minute shower 
  2. Install Shower aerators or low flow Showerheads. 
  3. If it takes too long to get hot water, put a bucket under shower  or install point of use Tankless Water Heater 

Water Heater

  • Payback: Instant Hot water Heater: $450.00 added cost, 3 year payback- $120.00 annual savings. 
  • By doing the below you would save up to 25% of your home energy costs 
  1. Wrap in insulating blanket to store heat.
  2. Set Thermostat to no higher than 120 degrees.

Refrigerator: 

  • Payback if buy EnergyStar: about $30 added cost- 
  1. Clean the back coils 
  2. Fill up with ice or paper- a full refrigerator uses less energy. 
  3. If refrigerator is old, consider replacing with EnergyStar appliances  

Heating and cooling

  • If 1 in 10 household used programmable thermostats it would eliminate 17 billion pounds of greenhouse gases/
  • Payback: $115 added cost, 2 year payback, annual savings= $180 
  1. Replace filters
  2. Seal the windows 
  3. Adjusting your thermostat by 2 degrees in the winter and summer can save 2,00 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. 
  4. Install Programmable Thermostat: Savings $100 per year. 

Dishwasher - 

  • 140 loads of dishes= 1500 gallons of Water saved per year 
  • Purchase and EnergyStar- $13.00 annual savings 
  1. Wash 2 few loads per week 
  2. Use less dishes. 

Toilet: 

  • Dual Flush Toilet: Added Cost, $150.00, 6 year payback, $23.00 annual Savings 
  1. Use a low flush toilet or dual flush
  2. Try to flush one less time per day. (4.5 gallons) 

Electronics: 

  • 5.5 billion pounds of electronics are thrown out each year 
  • The average American has 3 cell phones stashed in a drawer. 
  • If 1 Million people recycled on e cathode ray tube TV this year= 4 Million pounds of lead out of the ground .
  • Millions of pounds of chemicals and metal ended up in the ground and groundwater 

1. Turn off your Computer when not in use 

  • My Green Electronics.org: will help you find a recycling center near you 
  •  Greenphone.com 

2.) Buy only Rechargeable Batteries 

  • 4 rechargeable AA alkaline batteries can reduce the need to buy/dispose of 100 conventional batteries: 
  • Savings: $40.00 
  • Hazardous Waste= 8 pounds 

3.) Unplug any appliances that you don’t use

4.) Only charge when you need to charge 

5.) Use a Smart Power Strip 

Outside: 

  • Americans disposed more than 12 Million tons of Yard Waste 
  • 30-40% of the water is evaporated during the day

1.) Solicit Birds and other good creatures 

2.) Let the grass grow and leave the clippings on the lawn. (adds nitrogen to the solid, discourages weeds, less fertilizer needs. 

3.) Water before 6 and after 6 pm. 

4.) Buy Native and drought tolerant plants 

Buy Locally: 

  •  The average grocery store food travels 1500 miles till it get to the stores 

1.) Support Your local farmers; Less energy in travel 

  • Local Harvest.org
  • sustainable.org
  • Farmers Markets. com 

Home Goods: 

1.) Use Non Toxic Cleaners:

  • Hot Sauce (Cleans copper) 
  • White Wine
  • Baking Soda (Cleans anything) 
  • Vinegar 
  • Lemon Juice 
  • Borax 
  • Seventh Generation: Complete Line of environmentally sage non=toxic household products 

Go Paperless: 

1. Stop Junk Mail 

  • 1 Million Trees are used each year to produce Junk Mail 

2. Pay your bills on line 

  • 1 Billion Tons of Paper would be saved annually if every US Home switched to online bill paying (16.5 Million Trees) 

3. Eliminate Paper Products such as, Napkins, Paper Plates, Paper Towels

  • Americans go through 1 Million Tons of Paper Towels per year. 

Eliminate Plastic 

  1. Take Your own grocery bags 
  2. Store food in plastic reusable containers: 
  3. If you do use plastic bags wash and reuse
  4. Stop buying bottled water 

Reusable Bags 

  • It takes 4x more energy to manufacture paper bags than plastic. Result more air and water pollution. 
  • 1 Trillion plastic bags are produced every year, the majority ending up in landfills and the ocean 

Eliminate Waste 

  1. Buy less, recycle more, reuse as much as possible 

Compost

  • If Americans composted their kitchen scarps, organic waste from landfills could make a 3 ft. high compost pile to cover San Francisco  

Buy Less Stuff: 

  1. The less you buy, the more you save
  2. The less you buy, the less the waste 
  3. The less you buy, less goes into landfills 
  4. The less you buy, saves more energy 

Recycle 

  • Recycling 1/2 of your homes waste will save 2400 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly 

Drive Less 

  1. Map your route
  2. Take public transportation
  3. Telecommute 
  4. Car pool 
  5. Walk 
  6. Ride your bike 

Reuse or Repurpose instead of throwing away 

  1. Give Away
  2. Swap
  3. Sell 
  4. Donate 
  5. Barter 
  6. Remake 

Think Durability and Sustainability 

  1. Buy products that last. The longer you have them the better 

Plant a Tree 

  • Trees, $1,200 added cost, four years payback, $300 annual savings

Car Wash

  • Taking the car to the car wash is better for the environment. If every American went to a car wash 1x instead of washing their car at home – 8/7 billions of gallons of water could be saved. 

1.) If you do wash your car at home, wash it on the lawn. Over 12 billion gallons of soapy polluted water from home car washes goes into the storm drains.

2.) Use biodegradable car wash soap 

3.) Use old rags, newspaper instead of sponges and paper towels 

 

Resources: 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Greener Choices:

Green and Save: 

These Come From Trees 

Guide to Responsible Consumption

The Green Guide


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The Saga of EnergyStar Ceiling Fans

Written by Cathy on June 26, 2008 – 10:45 pm -

I went to Home Depot to purchase Energy Star Ceiling Fans. They don’t have much of any Ceiling Fans! Not only that- the person who was helping me, was ignorant about fans in general. After spending at least 3 hours on the Internet investigating what to look for in Fans, the man had the nerve to tell me there was no difference. 

Then I went to Black Whale Lighting: They said I was the only one who asked about EnergyStar. Went to Another lighting place, nothing in stock. but at least they were nice and looked up availability for me. 

Going through the catalogues, they all look pretty boring. 

Moral of the story, to save time and money (gas) go online first and decide what you want. You can order over the phone for pickup .

For More information go to EnergyStar: Ceiling Fans to at least find the manufacturer. 

Oh in following the directives of recommended blade size, it is very difficult. Every decent fan seems to come in 52+ inches. 

Below is listed the savings you can get from ceiling fans. (100 Fans.) 

Summary of Benefits for 100 Ceiling Fan(s) with Lighting

 

  • Initial cost difference  $8,600
  • Life cycle savings $19,442
  • Net life cycle savings (life cycle savings – additional cost) 
  • Simple payback of additional cost (years) 3.6 years 
  • Life cycle energy saved (kWh) 151,252
  • Life cycle air pollution reduction (lbs of CO2) 232,172
  • Air pollution reduction equivalence (number of cars removed from the road for a year 20.2
  • Air pollution reduction equivalence (acres of forest) 28.8
  • Savings as a percent of retail prices- 39% 

 



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