Here, you recycle this

So you want to recycle, but you have things other than the typical paper and plastic. You have broken toys, an old TV, or a monitor and other computer parts. Where can you take it? Well I don't know, but Earth911 probably does! Earth911 is a relatively untapped resource for me, but one of their very useful functions so far is the Recycling Center search. You simply type in what you want to recycle and the area you live in, they do the rest by pulling up recycling options near you. Give it a try!

CFL and After

One of the methods I am using to be more energy conscious is very judicious use of CFL in my house. Thus far I have replaced several entire rooms, and I intend to continue this until I am completely rid of incandescent.

I originally planned to wait and replace as incandescent bulbs burnt out, but at this point I'm wondering why I shouldn't reap those savings sooner. Especially when companies such as Alliant Energy are providing rebates for purchasing these bulbs.

One thing that has concerned me with CFL though is my perception that people are relatively uninformed about how these bulbs should be disposed. The mercury in the bulbs means that they can no longer simply be tossed in the trash.

I was very encouraged though to see a flier up at my kids' gymnastics class stating the a CFL recycling program had been setup in a nearby town. This prompted me to look for and then find some additional CFL recycling information and information for Iowa specifically.

Luckily for me personally there is a center about 10 minutes away. I do think there is still a need to greatly expand on the number of these centers available, so I hope more people will setup local drop off centers.

4 R's and Electronics

Do you have a lot of electronics in use at your house? Would you like to know how much electricity they are using? Try the MyGreenElectronics Energy Calculator.


The site also has some general advice on making your electonics use more green.

Green Hanging

Last week, my wife & I were shopping at Wal-Mart for a few things to manage our hanging laundry when I happened to run across hangers by Merrick. They're made in the USA, from a corn base. They're recyclable, but based on a few comments on Treehugger, only by municipalities that have the correct capabilities. I was pretty impressed that Wal-Mart of all places would carry something like this. And the pricing wasn't too bad either, at about $3.50 for 5 hangers.

--JOsh

Build Your Home Green

On January 7th my husband and I, along with fellow poster Josh and his wife, attended a local workshop titled "Building a Sustainable Iowa". It was hosted by Center on Sustainable Communities and involved a presentation by Marc Richmond from Practica Consulting followed by the ability to visit with green vendors. The information was aimed at people building new homes or current homeowners wanting to make green choices.

I found the session very informative and presented from a reasonable point of view. Marc briefly covered what he called the "doom and gloom" side of building that we all hear about, but live so far away from. The majority of the time he discussed common misconceptions, pitfalls of making green choices, and tips. Here is a list of some of the items that really stood out for me:

• Every product that you purchase for your home from the building components to the paint and furnishings can contain harmful things like formaldehyde. These will "off-gas" for many years even if you can't smell it. Look for products with low or no VOCs and low or no formaldehyde.
• Don't get caught up in perfecting your projects. There are pros and cons to every choice so you have to do your research and find the products that fit the best with your goals.
  
• There are many green factors, so rank their priority for your purposes to stay focused. Some of the green factors mentioned were energy efficiency, sustainability, and indoor health.
• You may have a very efficient furnace, but if your duct work was done poorly and leaks, heating your home may be up to 30% less efficient than you think. Getting your system tested can point out areas that need to be sealed better.
• Insulation should completely fill the space between the studs. This has been a common problem with builders and is one of the easiest ways to lose money on heating your home. Watch insulation installation carefully if you are building a new home and remedy the problem if you have an existing home.
  
• Another good test for new and existing homes is a home pressure test. This will test for leaks around windows and doors, electrical sockets and other common culprits.
  
• Don't believe that green materials are always too expensive. Most green products are a few dollars more or even less than their counterparts, and if they are that close in price, why wouldn't you pay a few dollars more to make your home last longer and be healthier for your family? Isn't it worth it to raise your children in a safer environment?
  
• Green products have a lower quality than the old stuff, not! Marc pointed out that many green products have been on the shelf for years, but people don't think to look for them. A good example was paint. "Regular" paint hasn't changed for years, but low/no VOC paint has been evolving to keep up with regulations in states such as California. This means that eco-friendly paint is using the latest paint technology while the "good" paint is still using 20 year old technology.
  

The vendors at the show included companies involved with insulation, paint, windows, gas and electricity providers, construction and building materials that can be reused. I look forward to researching and possibly working with some of these companies for our home projects in the future.

CitizenRe Post 1: Rent Solar

This will be the first of a series of posts on CitizenRe.

I mentioned that my husband and I bought our first home last summer. We bought it because we like it, it's in a great neighborhood, it's close to my husband's office and he can drop me at a variety of bus stops on his way to work. We also bought it to grow into because we hate moving and will have kids some day. This last point means that it's bigger than we need right now, but my green side has come to terms with that because it also means that we are making long term decisions on improving it, more than just aesthetic modification.

The first major one is to add solar. For a long time this was a future goal because of the high up-front cost of solar combined with living in a state that doesn't have good solar rebates. This changed the day of the 2007 National Solar Tour. After visiting a local nature preserve that uses solar panels, we went out to lunch and found a flyer for CitizenRe, a company that promotes solar by renting and maintaining the setup through it's REnU program. The deal sounded really great which was the problem. It sounded way too good to be true. So I sat on it, talked it over with a coworker who has some hobby panels, and did some research online. I found that other people were concerned that it was a scam and there were plenty of arguments on both sides. Finally I decided to sign up and find out if it was real or not. I spent time reading through the terms and conditions and nothing looked fishy so I dove in.

I received a call from the sales manager assigned to us, but didn't answer so I only got the welcome message as a voice mail. Then we were sent papers to sign, confirming that we wanted to join the program. I recently received an email confirming that the papers arrived, but still no word about anyone coming to design our solar system. It is important to note that as of this date we have not been asked for social security numbers or any personal information other than our address and names and even the papers that we signed stated that we were not locked into anything until a systems engineer came and designed our solar setup and we approved it. I bring this up because the sites I found had incorrect statements along those lines.

I hope to have more exciting updates about our personal experience with CitizenRe, but for now, here are a few links that help prove that they are real if you believe what you see on TV.

CitizenRe on Living with Ed

Green Air

Computer's certainly aren't the greenest thing in your life, but hopefully things are getting better.

Today Apple released the new MacBook Air. The interesting part is that the computers' green angle was prominently featured in the keynote that introduced the computer to the world. That suggests to me that green is now a selling point of computing hardware.

As a Mac user myself, I've taken notice of efforts by Apple to reduce packaging for their products across the board. The real reason they do this might lie within retail warehousing requirements, but even so, you have to love less waste. I could put half a dozen Mac mini boxes in an old tower computer box.

90 mpg Honda Civic

Someone posted this on another car forum that I'm a member of, and I found it somewhat interesting.
http://forum.ecomodder.com/showthread.php?t=290

It's a a Honda Civic that's been modified for aerodynamics & fuel efficiency. Can't say I can stomach the looks, but at 80-90 MPG, you can't argue with the results.

I wonder what small things we could all do to our vehicles to add a few MPG without making them look quite so outrageous?

--JOsh

Subscribe and Save (Money and Earth)

Put aside the question of whether cloth diapers are greener than disposable diapers. Let's say you are a new parent and have decided disposable diapers are the only option. How can you still be green?

One option is Seventh Generation chlorine-free diapers. Seventh Generation has a whole raft of earth friendlier products. We've found their diapers to be fantastic for our boys. They're the only ones that keep the diaper rash away, they fit great, and they don't leak. I like that they are simple and free of unnecessary dyes and pictures. Our family doctor exclaimed "Those are some good looking diapers!" the first time she saw them.

Seventh Generation tell us...

If every household in the U.S. replaced just one 40-count package of size 3 conventional diapers with our chlorine-free diapers, we could avoid 133,000 pounds of pollution from entering the environment.

The only problem with Seventh Generation diapers is they're more expensive than the rest. That's where the subscribe part comes in. Amazon allows you to save 15% when you subscribe to things like diapers. As an example, you can get 136 size 4 delievered to your door for 35.69. This can be cheaper than Pampers at your local Target, even with a coupon! Since this is a subscription, you don't have to think about it. I love not having to run to the store just for diapers.

Of course there are greener options for diapers, but if you just want to do what you can without too much hassle, I recommend Amazon and Seventh Generation.

True Stories

This past year I have become more vocal and more active in green awareness. I didn't make this a goal at first and really just woke up one day and realized that I was already being proactive, so why not put some thought into it? For me, the best turning point I can think of was when I started to ride the city bus to work. I came to love using the buses where I went to college because they provided a warm, dry, quick way for me to get around campus and they were free for students. In my adult life, a city bus route was a 3 minute walk from my apartment and the downtown station was a closer walk than the free company parking lot. It also became free for me to take the bus a few months after I started riding because my company started providing free bus passes to employees. From this change I started slowly adding other environmentally conscious aspects to my life, but it still took a while before I completely woke up to what I could do.

After purchasing a house I felt more empowered to make important choices and that my decisions really had an effect, plus it was fun for me. I started looking for eco-friendly cleaning products, and I got overwhelmed by this so we still use whatever I have leftover from when I lived in an apartment along with a few eco-friendly samples. We also started painting rooms in our house and just completed the third painting project. This last time we used no VOC paint from Sherwin Williams and I think we finally have an efficient painting process even if we aren't perfect yet. Each time I try something new and am successful, I feel good even if I'm just easing in.

In future posts I plan on sharing more information about current projects my husband and I have planned for our house and other changes we're making in our lives to evolve.

Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry Displays Green

Ian's favorite corner of the web (and coincidentally the midwest), Chicagoist, is reporting that the Museum of Science and Industry is building a fully functional 3 story "green" home that will be available for exhibit beginning May 8, 2008.

If you happen to be in Chicago over the summer, make sure to check it out. It may help you decide on what technology is practical for you. Just make sure to use Chicago's excellent rapid (mass?) transit system while you are there. CTA Trip Planner.

http://chicagoist.com/2008/01/08/museum_unveils.php

Welcome Party

The description for this site should explain our goals clearly. Posts to this blog will be written by and about typical people living in the Midwest and the green things they do or care about. Hopefully, it will also provide information about local green businesses, programs, and products. The larger green blogs do a great job covering these areas globally, but I live in one of the many smaller cities in the middle of the United States and I want to share options available in this area and also learn about new ones. So if you stumble across this site and find the information useful, or have something to share, please let us know and help enrich our greening lives!