With Thanksgiving preparation, and whirlwind of cooking plans underway, you may be wondering how to reduce energy use in the kitchen.  Here are a few green living tips for saving energy while preparing your Thanksgiving dinner….or any dinner!

Scrub, Baby Scrub: A blackened cooktop on your kitchen stove absorbs heat, and causes you to consume more energy, but a shiny stove top efficiently reflects energy into the cooking pan.  Now’s the time to clean your cooktop, and get ready for the Holidays.

Join the Hoods: Range hoods can help you quickly whisk away the extra heat in your kitchen, before you’re prompted to turn on the air conditioner!

Ugh…Clean the Oven: The last thing you wanted to hear, right?  Just like a dirty stove top, a grimy oven steals energy, and can cause foods to cook unevenly.  Ahem…just do it.  [Read more →]

Energy-efficient washing machines are a good investment to conserve power and save water.  However, the products you put into your washing machine can have just as big of impact on the environment.  Most run of the mill laundry soaps contain surfactants and chemicals, many of which are derived from petroleum.  Here are a few green living tips for cleaning up your act in the laundry room.

When You Need Bleach: Let’s face it, green laundry isn’t worth it if your clothes don’t come out clean. Sometimes you need some serious cleaning to get out grass stains or foods like tomato sauce.  Ever had a kid in soccer?  Here’s the tip:  avoid chlorine bleach.  There are many bleach alternatives available like oxygen boosting products.  Here’s  a large selection of “oxy” cleaners.  I use one scoop of an oxy booster with almost every load of laundry.  The trick is to put the oxy powder in the washing machine first, let the water fill, and then add clothes.

Fabric Softener Alternative: A scoop (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of baking soda added to the rinse cycle is a natural way to soften clothes.  Here’s another chemical free fabric softener.

Stubborn Stains: Soak resistant stains overnight in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.  (8 parts cold water, 1 part peroxide)

The front loading washing machine above is an LG Energy Star washer, and it is available at HomeClick.

As Blu-ray, and digital downloads replace the video tapes of yesteryear, you’re probably wondering what to do with all that old media bulging out of your home entertainment center, or media cabinet.  Before you give up and toss it all in the trash, read below for some recycling tips for old electronics, cassette tapes, CDs, and video tapes.  Isn’t it time to give up those old “Mork & Mindy” Betamax tapes anyway?

GreenDisk:  For $6.95, this electronics recycling center will take up to 20 pounds of electronics or related media.  If you have more than 20 lbs, its 30 cents extra per pound.  Pack everything up in a box, estimate the weight, and visit the site to purchase a mailing label.

ACT:  Alternative Community training is a non-profit agency that provides jobs for people with disabilities.  They’ll erase your old tapes and repackage them to be used again.

Craigslist:  You know someone wants your stuff, but you just have to find them.  Post for free on Craigslist and watch your stuff disappear.

Our Earth: This site offers a nationwide search directory for recycling programs.

In my last post about Halloween pumpkins, I forgot to offer some tips on how to light them.  If you want to steer clear of paraffin-based waxes that emit toxins into the air, here are some green living tips for you.

Candles:   Soy and beeswax candles are both environmentally-friendly options for lighting your jack-o-lanterns.  They both burn cleaner, and are made from sustainable, resources.

LED Lights:  If you don’t want to use candles for safety reasons, you might want to check into some battery-powered LED pumpkin lights.  They’re designed to last for thousands of hours, so you could reuse them year after year.  Some even flash and turn colors for extra special effects.

Dont Forget!:  Use up as many parts of your pumpkins as possible to prevent landfill waste.  Make pumpkin cookies, or a pie with with any leftovers, and roast the seeds for a nutritious snack high in omega-3 fatty acids.

The beeswax votive candles shown above are homemade from 100% natural beeswax by Hive Harvest.

A study mentioned on the U.K.’s Money News website this week provides evidence that some folks are turning to green living measures purely for financial reasons.  According to the British study by Norwich and Peterborough, 69% of people are more likely to install energy-efficient devices such as kitchen appliances and turn to alternative energy sources than they were one year ago.

What about you?  Are the constant pressures of high gas prices, and soaring energy bills causing you to adopt greener habits and look for energy-saving home products? Whether it’s for economic reasons or otherwise, going green is always a good idea.

Here are a few quick energy saving tips for saving money and living green:

• Set your washing machine to cold water wash.
• Buy an insulated blanket for your water heater.
• Avoid running your dishwasher until it’s full.
• Change your furnace filter monthly.
• Buy a reduced-flow shower head.
• Shut the water off when you brush your teeth.
• Stick to weekly or bi-weekly shopping trips to avoid wasting fuel on multiple trips to the store.

Did you know that 80-90% of the energy used to do laundry is for heating the water? It’s true- switching your washing machine to cold can save you some cash, and reduce your impact on the environment. Here are a few of the advantages of setting your washer to cold water wash.

• Environmental Benefits: According to Ideal Bite, switching to cold water wash means you’ll keep more than 1,200 pounds of CO2 out of the air.
• Save Clothes: Clothes washed in cold water fade less, and last longer than clothes that aren’t. Extending the life of your clothing means you’ll buy less, save money, and reduce landfill waste.
• Save Energy: Save around $60 a year in energy costs by switching to cold water wash.

Don’t you find it amazing that some of the most signifficant changes we can make towards a greener lifestyle are also the simplest? Here’s a long list of simple green living tips.

Soy candles are an excellent idea for green Halloween decorations, because soy wax burns much cleaner than the paraffin wax used in traditional candles. This Halloween pumpkin candle, from Beyond Making Scents, is made from 100% soy wax, and has a lead-free wick. It is available in many scents, including candy corn and pumpkin pie, to really spice up your Halloween party.

Here are a few green living tips on burning candles:

Soy Wax vs. Paraffin Wax: Did you know that paraffin is actually a fossil fuel by-product and it releases chemicals when it burns? According to GreenSpace Candles, paraffin wax releases petrol-carbon soot, which introduces toxins to your home. Soy wax is a natural product, and burns cooler and cleaner than paraffin.

Soy Wax is Renewable: Soy wax is a produced from soybeans, which are a renewable resource.

Soy Wax is Water Soluble: If you end up with a spill of soy wax on a coffee table or countertop, it will clean up easily with just warm water.

Here are some green living tips for ridding your home of the toxins that can contribute to poor indoor air quality.

Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is often found in the finishing products used on wood furniture, particle board furniture, and cabinetry. When purchasing kitchen cabinets, wood paneling, or other similar items, be sure to inquire about the formaldehyde content. Read more about the dangers of formaldehyde.

Mold & Mildew: Poor air quality caused by mold and mildew can cause serious respiratory problems for some people. If you want to reduce the risk of mold in your home, make sure you properly maintain the filters in all of your household appliances, including humidifiers, air conditioners, and air purifiers. In addition, shower curtains can sometimes be a source of mold and mildew. Read more about the dangers of mold in your home.

Dust: Too much dust can reduce the air quality in your home. If you want to reduce dust, consider replacing your drapes and curtains with window blinds, and replacing your carpet with hardwood flooring. Learn more about reducing dust in your home.

Visit the EPA for more about improving indoor air quality.

An article about reusable shopping bags in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal brought to light some important points.  Turns out some of them might not be as green as you think. Here are some green living tips to consider when it comes to choosing reusable shopping bags:

Where are they made? Many supposedly green shopping bags are manufactured in China or other foreign countries.  That means that it takes a lot of fossil fuel and carbon emissions to get them you.  If you’re going to use reusable shopping bags, try to find ones that are manufactured close to home.

What are they made of?  A lot of the free shopping bags that so many retailers are promoting as green products are made of plastic, which is often criticized containing VOCs, and doesn’t biodegrade well. Reusable shopping bags made of hemp and bamboo are greener options. I love the designs on these reusable shopping bags at ReusableBags.Com.  They’re made of cotton and manufactured in the USA.

Before you whisk away your autumn leaves with a garden rake or leaf blower, consider these green living tips for using them around your yard.

Mulch- Leaves make a great environmentally-friendly mulch for nourishing flower beds and even the lawn.  Although you shouldn’t leave them whole, simply running over your leaves with a lawn mower will chop them up enough to create a leaf mulch for spreading around plants and dispersing around the yard. It’s important to chop the leaves to provide for air circulation when placed around your plants.

Compost- Autumn leaves make an excellent addition to your compost bin.  Toss them in with grass clippings and they’ll break down into a nutritious mix for your garden soil.

Important Note about Leaf Burning: Although it once was a common practice across the US, burning leaves is now considered a health hazard due to the toxins  (including carbon monoxide and formaldehyde) released. Read more about the dangers of burning leaves from the Environmental Protection Agency.