If you're looking for ways to save money, or working on shrinking your environmental footprint, air-drying your washing is a great place to start. Dryers, while they are handy, use a ton of energy to operate. Plus, you might own delicate clothes that aren't suited for aggressive machine drying. A clothes drying rack is a must-have asset for your laundry room - and bonus, you can make your own.
Green Daily provides a bit of a wake-up call with their 6 Signs of a Green Hypocrite. You may be one too if....
You recycle regularly but use a lot of disposables.
Photo Image: T.O.M.T.
Can you guess what ordinary household item this Noguchi-inspired hanging light is made from? I came across this photo over on Dudecraft and just had to see more. You've got to see these way-out, clever conversions designed and implemented by artist, Rodney Allen Trice.
Admittedly, we were raised on commercials for toxic drain cleaners. Every household had the under-the-sink skull and crossbones drain and toilet bowl cleaners containing lye and acid. You were thought wimpy if you didn't pour Roto-Rooter down the drain.
We find high glossed coffee tables made out of tree slices to be organic, modern and very appealing. DIY-ing a coffee table would be a hefty task. However, slicing up a tree limb,
Tree houses aren't just for kids, they are serious business. Whether constructed for fun or necessity, take a look at 25 amazing tree houses compiled by Web Urbanist that run the gamut of style, design and function. Built in trees, with trees, hanging from trees or around trees, architects and builders have expanded the tree dwelling Swiss Family Robinson prototype to encompass every style imaginable. See more amazing tree houses
This is truly the first 100 % biodegradable, guiltless, enviro-BFF piece of furniture I've ever seen. Designed by shinwei rhoda yen, the table is made with natural wood embedded with mushrooms which spawn after being exposed to the weather. The wood
So we all know that plastic water bottles are bad for the environment, and that’s enough to eschew their usage. However, if you ever needed more specificity to punt the plastic, Green Upgrader has ‘em.
Did you know......
....that plastic bottles take 700 years to even begin composting?
Or that 90% of the cost of the bottle water is due to the bottle itself??
Or that 80% of all plastic bottles used aren’t recycled?
Or that 38 million...
The epitome of DIY-ing in this economy is being played out in the growing (sorry) number of dutiful stewards planting a victory garden. This week the L.A. Times shined the light on this trend and environmentally responsible activity of good old-fashioned garden tending.
This article claims to offer a bunch of environmentally-sound methods of de-icing sidewalks. However, most of their tips are directed more at removing ice from your window (though they are good tips for doing so).
Luckily, the folks in the comments section offer great green ideas that seem much more fun than shoveling at six a.m.
A programmable thermostat cost only $40, and they’re terribly convenient. It’ll ease your lifestyle and your ecological footprint. Your home can be nice and toasty when you wake up, but cooler when your snuggly beneath the covers. Recently, I was asked to help install a programmable thermostat in a neighbor’s home, so here’s some photos and a brief how-to.
Need some motivation? Click here for ten great reasons to install a programmable model.
Ingre...
Seriously, folks, you've gotten get one of these...even if you rent, it's an easy project that you can switch out when you leave, and take it with you. Save money and the environment with this easy DIY project.
2. Most thermostats contain two programs: one each for the weekdays and week days. Many contain three programs (for weekdays, Saturday, and Sunday) and some even...
The plywood "tree," which really consists of four identical CNC-routed planes that fold together when not in use (and for ultra-efficient shipping), may not be quite as festive (and green, in color at least) as a more traditional tree...
"Drains are hidden heroes in your home. If you’re lucky, you can go for years without thinking about them, but when dirty sink water suddenly won’t go away or a toilet won’t flush, they can be a major frustration. A plugged drain certainly demands attention, but fixing it is probably something you can do yourself. You’ll get faster results than calling a pro, and you’ll save money, too."
Unclog sinks, tubs, toiilets and more with these tips from...
Even if you've already made the move to reusable bags when grocery shopping, you still seem to gather a collection from short trips to the pharmacy, hardware store, etc.
Here's ninetine other options to put them to good reuse.
You've been meaning to gather enough re-usable grocery sacks to do away with plastic bags all together, but you just can't find the time to sew them all, and can't bring yourself to pay $8-9 for commercial products.
A better answer: purchase some cheap tote bags from the craft store. Those living in the Midwest, Southeast, Oklahoma, and Texas should note that Garden Ridge sells large tote bags in, like, 15 different colors for only $1. These beat...
Of course, some of these are obvious, but it's important to note exactly what's safe and useful to throw in your compost bin or pile. If you haven't started, now its the perfect time, as the falling leaves and dying summer plants (tomato vines, corn stalks, etc) are the perfect compost fodder.
Compiled by Marion Owen, from HGTV.com
· paper napkins
· freezer-burned...
"Ok sure, we can all recycle newspapers, magazines, our Coke cans, and our cereal boxes. Well, is that really it? Is that all you do to recycle? Take a look at my list below. If you are only recycling the obvious items you are not even chipping the surface. In fact, [this post] will not only tell you what to recycle, [it] will try to tell you how and where to do it."
Read the whole article here.
* Auto
o Car Batteries.
o...
"When it comes to how-to advice on cleaning vinyl siding, I'm amazed at how often the word "bleach" comes up... But think about it -- is bleach really necessary? After all, it's harmful to the environment, including your very own local waterways, flora and fauna. And not just wild fauna -- I met someone whose little dachshund was killed when a careless neighbor accidentally sprayed the pup with a bleach solution while cleaning his siding.
Here are...
My whole family hates that I refuse to buy thematic, seasonally-appropriate wrapping paper, with matching ribbons etc. I never quite got the decorum of gift giving (like why buy a gift, then spend an extra ten dollars to wrap it and put a card on top, when I could have just got you a $10 better gift?!?!), but now, we can cite the unncessary waste of disposable gift wrap. DIYLife suggest five environmentally friendly alternatives.
1). Re-purposed...