208 replies to this topic

[conor]

Welcome: Do you like any from them.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

conor, on 28 February 2014 - 06:29 AM, said:

Welcome: Do you like any from them.

Yes, but already incorporate all of them. I've been "greenish" for a long time.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Green tips links-
http://www.elocal.co...nfographic-3879

http://www.ecoevalua...-buy-green.html

[eds]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 12 April 2014 - 05:19 AM, said:

Green tips links-http://www.elocal.co...nfographic-3879

That was one of the better infographics showing why we should all go Green.
. . . I had to show a copy of it, on the blog!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

eds, on 12 April 2014 - 06:03 AM, said:

That was one of the better infographics showing why we should all go Green.
. . . I had to show a copy of it, on the blog!

Thanks Ed.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Most of us know these tips, so just consider this a reminder video.

And for those that don't know; this is an excellent way to save $$ and coal emissions.
Via Inhabitat.
http://inhabitat.com...ur-energy-bill/

[Shortpoet-GTD]

For many of us, replacing windows to higher efficient ones can be too expensive to consider (or at least
all at once)-so I wanted to share this idea via Sustainablog via Treehugger;
tinted window inserts.
Article

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 02 May 2014 - 04:00 AM, said:

For many of us, replacing windows to higher efficient ones can be too expensive to consider (or at least
all at once)-so I wanted to share this idea via Sustainablog via Treehugger;
tinted window inserts.
Article

I read an article, pre-internet days, about a very cheap way of effectively getting double glazing.
Stretch cling film* (clear food wrap) across the inside of the frame thus getting that insulating layer of air (which a good thermal insulator) trapped between the panes.  

I've never tried it so can't comment based on first hand experience.

*Saran wrap type of thing.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Besoeker, on 16 May 2014 - 03:09 PM, said:

I read an article, pre-internet days, about a very cheap way of effectively getting double glazing.
Stretch cling film* (clear food wrap) across the inside of the frame thus getting that insulating layer of air (which a good thermal insulator) trapped between the panes.  

I've never tried it so can't comment based on first hand experience.

*Saran wrap type of thing.

I read that too.
I think any double layer will give some protection; that's why people often mention using heavy drapes
during the winter to keep drafts out. There may be some condensation (using the Saran wrap) but for those that can't get new
windows, it will help.
Caulking gaps around windows and pipes coming into the house is a great investment too. Anything
to stop the leaks.

(Every month my electric company says I do better than all of my "energy efficient neighbors" but they
never give me a discount because of it)

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 16 May 2014 - 03:47 PM, said:

I read that too.
I think any double layer will give some protection; that's why people often mention using heavy drapes
during the winter to keep drafts out.

Agreed. Well fitted windows will obviate the draft problem. Good curtains are an additional measure.

Shortpoet-GTD, on 16 May 2014 - 03:47 PM, said:

There may be some condensation (using the Saran wrap) but for those that can't get new windows, it will help.

I wondered about that but installing on a day where the humidity is low would help. And a few silica gel crystals...

Shortpoet-GTD, on 16 May 2014 - 03:47 PM, said:

Caulking gaps around windows and pipes coming into the house is a great investment too. Anything to stop the leaks.

Again, no dispute with that.

Houses here in UK are often a bit different to what you sometimes have in the US. Walls are often two layers with cavity wall insulation between them. Services, water, electricity and waste water, for the most part, come in underground so there are no holes to be caulked for that. And anything built from about 1960 is likely to have double glazing. Our current house does and it's about that vintage.

The relatively cool climate and energy costs have driven that.

Shortpoet-GTD, on 16 May 2014 - 03:47 PM, said:

(Every month my electric company says I do better than all of my "energy efficient neighbors" but they
never give me a discount because of it)

C'mon!!
They want to make money from the energy they provide. You, commendably, use less and pay less.
Not so good for their revenue. And you want even more off your bill??


But there is a slightly serious point here. Existing network capacity has finite limitations. You and neighbours can take only what that capacity can supply. If new customers come on line and the supply capacity can't meet that new demand then new, and costly, infrastructure would have to be provided.

Keeping your use down might go some way to mitigating that potential cost.
So bug them for that discount - you know, and they know, it makes sense!!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Besoeker, on 16 May 2014 - 04:58 PM, said:

Keeping your use down might go some way to mitigating that potential cost.
So bug them for that discount - you know, and they know, it makes sense!!

Oh believe me, I do.
A few times in the last few years they have "guesstimated" my bill; either because of snow storms and once
out out shear laziness- meter not read at all.
They sent me a huge bill; almost triple of what I normally pay.

I read them the riot act and didn't have to pay a bill for two months.
I wonder if that lazy lout lost his/her job? No matter. They have binoculars to read from the alley,
and at that time, I didn't have any outside pets, so no excuse for not reading it accurately.
My bills run around $22-28.00 a month.

[Besoeker]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 17 May 2014 - 01:06 PM, said:

Oh believe me, I do.
A few times in the last few years they have "guesstimated" my bill; either because of snow storms and once
out out shear laziness- meter not read at all.
They sent me a huge bill; almost triple of what I normally pay.

I read them the riot act and didn't have to pay a bill for two months.
I wonder if that lazy lout lost his/her job? No matter. They have binoculars to read from the alley,
and at that time, I didn't have any outside pets, so no excuse for not reading it accurately.
My bills run around $22-28.00 a month.

My energy bills are paid by direct debit.
Gas, as used for cooking and heating, is continuing at about $8 a month.
And I'm in credit.

[Dustoffer]

If they are paid directly by the bank, does that mean they are, in essence, free?  I mean, you never got to know the money anyway.
The misadventures of eco-comedian Kristina Wong will make you LOL

By Amber Cortes Amy Tierney/ Thrive Images
"Comedian Kristina Wong was trying to go green way before it was cool, as documented in her hilarious 2010 special Going Green the Wong Way. The one-woman show, performed on a stage of entirely recycled materials, is a tour-de-force of self-satire that pokes fun at the green movement as well as her own blunders trying to live sustainably in an urban environment."
http://grist.org/peo..._campaign=daily

[Besoeker]

Dustoffer, on 03 June 2014 - 12:28 PM, said:

If they are paid directly by the bank, does that mean they are, in essence, free?  

No, no, no!
They are not paid by the bank. They are paid from my account by the bank!!
Convenient it is. Free it isn't!

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Green apps for your phone and tablets. (Recycling, water conservation, reducing carbon footprint, etc.)
Via the New York Times-

http://www.nytimes.c...tml?ref=science

[MattBnB]

Love this thread. Went through six pages of great ideas

[Dustoffer]

Wouldn't you know it!!!  :(
Styrene Officially Linked to Cancer

Tony Iallonardo, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families | July 29, 2014 3:34 pm | Comments

"Four styrene laden products to ditch
Planning a summer barbecue this weekend or stocking up for Labor Day? Well there’s a new development around the health effects of styrene, that’s been hotly contested for years. Just this week, the National Research Council (NRC) signed off on the National Toxicology Program’s decision to list styrene as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” in its latest report on carcinogens.
The styrene industry has fought the designation as a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen” and good government science for years. As a result styrene and styrofoam products are still quite common in the marketplace; that could change now. Takeout containers made from foam contain styrene. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
What products have styrene?
Styrene is used to make styrofoam and other plastics. Styrene is all over the place. It lines your refrigerator, it’s in building insulation, in your carpet, it’s in latex and rubber and other products. So okay, maybe you can’t afford to ditch the refrigerator and carpet today. What can you do? Start by avoiding:
1. Foam cups for holding coffee and hot tea.
2. Foam plates and bowls that could hold hot foods.
3. Takeout containers made from foam.
4. The number 6 on plastic products. They don’t look like foam but do have styrene."
http://ecowatch.com/...c5f2aa-85901709

[eds]

Dustoffer, on 30 July 2014 - 09:29 AM, said:

Styrene Officially Linked to Cancer . . . is used in building insulation

Are you saying that,
. . . Vinyl siding styrofoam insulation can cause Cancer?

Attached Files

•  VinylSiding.jpg   6.33K   0 downloads

[Dustoffer]

Hi, eds.  I did a study on PVC in 1988.  A credit card, burned in a small bathroom, say in disgust, will kill a 200 pound man in a few minutes.   Well, it calculated to 1/400th pound of PVC at 400*F ignition/vaporization(actually starting at 200*F), will do the job.  A pound can also cause up to a thousand cases of liver(70%), brain(12%), lung(7%) and odd cancers(11%).  At ten billion pounds a year manufactured, about half ends up in landfills(or the oceans) for at least a 50K year breakdown to some ozone layer eating chlorine compounds.  Breakdown is at 3000*F into mustard gas and carbon monoxide.  Nice stuff, eh?
Worse than all the nuclear waste by far, and few think about it.
You want other carcinogenic plastics?  Now that styrene is bad along with so many other foams and plastics, there are few that are really safe.    Organically made plastics from non-petroleum sources, and carbonates.
Besides cancer causing leachates and vaporization, there are others impregnated with hormone disruptors BHA especially, and BHT,
"FOR FRESHNESS"

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Ok, back to green idea's for the home.

Doesn't look the best but I put up two pallets vertically; spaced about 3-4 feet apart.
The back side is my neighbors wooden fence.
I put boards across the top to secure it all together.
I also put rugs across the top boards to keep the rain out for my dog.
Underneath it, there is an Adirondack chair for her to sit on with a chair cushion and blankets.
Not that big a deal to re-purpose pallets, but it was zero cost compared to buying a dog house and using
up more resources.