For about $5 you can install some basic faucet aerators. The step seems small but one nice little aerator can save an average household around 6,000 gallons of water per year. A faucet aerator is simply a low-flow device that anyone can install to a water faucet. It reduces the flow and saves water. Your local Home Depot or other hardware store can help you find one.

Consider a composting toilet. Composting toilets aren’t considered so kooky anymore and can save you loads of H2O. In fact a composting toilet can cut your water use by 50% (more than a low-flow toilet) and cuts actual water storage up to 60%. Most are very nice too, these aren’t outhouse style toilets. People are misguided about them but they’re a great way to save.

If you can’t make the leap to composting, try ultra low-flush toilets. Federal law already requires that all currently manufactured residential toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush BUT if you live in an older home that hasn’t been recently updated you may have an old toilet. If you have a toilet designed before 1994 it may not meet new water saving standards. And you could be losing a lot of water – the older styles waste four to six gallons more water than newer ultra low flush toilets.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Three easy ways to save water

Parker and Stone recently built an environmentally friendly mansion in western Colorado (Steamboat Springs). The $5 million home has eco-friendly features such as ceilings made of Douglas fir timbers salvaged from a rail trestle that once spanned Great Salt Lake, recycled carpet, in-floor radiant heating, and of course nature.

This pricey vacation getaway is going to be featured in an upcoming edition of Architectural Digest. The only issue I have is that a home valued at $5 million has to be bigger than the average home, which by the way is not eco-friendly, BUT, if you’re going to go bling, at least it’s nice when you do use reclaimed supplies and energy efficient features like the South Park fellas.

Image via: Jennifer Chait – picture drawn by her eight-year-old son Cedar during his “I’m obsessed with South Park stage” (AND before you all slam me, no I don’t let him watch the very inappropriate episodes; thanks.)

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South Park Tree Huggers – Who Knew!?

Why you should get involved:

• 33 years ago Congress passed that nation’s chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TCSA). To date the Environmental Protection Agency has tested just 200 of the more than 80,000 chemical compounds developed for products used in the home.
• Right now, EPA does not even have the authority to gather (or demand) the information it needs to evaluate a chemical’s risk.
• No-one; not product manufacturers nor the EPA are required by law to prove a chemical’s safety as a condition of use.
• 1.25 million kids younger than six years of age are unintentionally poisoned in the home each year by things like cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers and cough and cold medicines (American Association of Poison Control Centers) that contain harmful chemicals.
• Studies by the Environmental Working Group show that nearly 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants have been found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns.
• Your friends and family don’t know how dangerous chemicals are. Recent studies show that most people think toxic cleaners are pretty darn safe.
• Why should your kids be exposed to dangerous chemicals in basic household items?

How you can help…

• Visit Million Baby Crawl and create a crawler that represents why you want chemical reform. The Million Baby Crawl will help to present the Kids Safe Chemical Act to Washington by collecting signatures from Americans who support toxic chemical reform.
• Post about the Million Baby Crawl at your own blog.
• Follow the Million Baby Crawl discussion on Twitter #mbcrawl.

Hopefully the end result of your support will be the Kids Safe Chemical Act, which will require chemical manufacturers to conduct safety testing before a chemical is used in products.

Post from: Blisstree

The Million Baby Crawl

Now, why would you have these in your home; around clothes and other textiles you use? Good question? To avoid musty clothes and pests is what most people would say, however there are other options.

• Lavender sachets and sprigs of lavender will keep clothes fresh but won’t get rid of all buggies. Also, cedar wood blocks or shavings will help keep clothes fresh and help scare off pests but without the toxins. However, cedar alone also won’t scare off all pests, although, if you have a super tight seal on a cedar chest that will keep pests away. If you use cedar or lavender to freshen your closets or drawers, also make the sachet below.
• Make a homemade sachet of dried rosemary, dried lavender, dried mint, dried thyme, whole cloves, and dried ginseng. Place your mixture into a small reusable cotton baggie or wrap in a cheesecloth. Place the bags in places you want to keep fresh and pest free.
• Place clean clothing into an airtight bin which will get rid of all bug issues.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Alternatives to Toxic Mothball

BASICS:

Seventh Generation is arguably one of the most well-known green companies around. They were one of the first self-declared “socially responsible” companies and have been around for 20 years. The company makes a slew of products, some that are very green and some that could be greener, but all in all, they offer some great product choices for green households in various categories…

• Laundry Products
• Dishwashing Products
• Household Cleaners
• Household Paper & Supplies
• Products for Baby
• Feminine Care

ECO-PERKS OF SEVENTH GENERATION:

• Seventh Generation notes that they’re committed to helping consumers make informed choices and I’d say that they’re doing a good job in this area. They fully disclose all ingredients at their website and on their packaging plus offer MSDS sheets. If you want to know what’s in your Seventh Generation cleaner, they make it ultra easy to find out, unlike some eco-companies.
• Some of their packaging is made with recycled content (2 bottles (18%) are 75% PCR; remainder are 25% PCR; 1/3 of our boxes are 100% PCR; remainder are 30–40% PCR). Almost all their packaging is easily recycled and they disclose when it’s not.
• They donate 10% of profits to non-profit community, environmental, health, and responsible business organizations working for positive change.
• They recently eliminated synthetics in all fragrances.
• They make non-toxic products with zero chlorine bleach, phosphates, dyes, NTA or EDTA.
• Because the company makes recycled paper  products and less toxic goods, the company helps to save scads of trees, water, petroleum, and energy yearly.
• No animal testing.
• They have green corporate office policies in place – for example using recycle paper and recycling.
• Also, this is an eco-company that works. For example, while there are plenty of eco-companies around, but they’re only as good as their outreach to consumers. You can easily find Seventh Generation products at just about any store and in online shops. They promote their products and have actually built up a brand, which is something I wish more green companies would work on, because if consumers can’t locate products, if they can’t learn more about a company then they won’t buy those products, they’ll maybe buy other more toxic products. They’re also affordable and offer coupons often.

COMPANY NEGATIVES:

• They make disposable diapers that do not biodegrade. They also make diapers with SAP which is a questionable green debate right now – i.e. it could be ok, but maybe not. Their baby wipes also do not biodegrade.
• There’s non-biodegradable synthetic polymer in their auto dish powder and gel.
• Their new labels on cleaners rock – info wise. However, all of them peel off right away and then leave a lame sticky area on the back of the bottle. Annoying.
• While their cleaners are less toxic than many conventional cleaners out there, you’ve still got that new bottle to recycle. It’s still more eco-friendly to make your own cleaners, although, of course some people will always want to simply purchase cleaning supplies.
• They use plastic backing on their feminine care products; which yes, is made out of oil.
• Some cleaning products could be improved – for example, I’ve tried a few green dishwasher detergents that clean better than Seventh Generation’s brand.

OVERALL:

It’s hard to give a company a full on green rating, because I’m just one green girl with one opinion, but overall, I’d give them a…

3.5 out of 5 little trees. They’re a fairly good green company with many products that work well, a few that don’t and they could make some eco-improvements. However, I do love their disclosures and the fact that they’re continually setting and meeting new eco-goals. Stick around for some product specific reviews coming up.

MORE LINKS:

• Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter.
• Join them on Facebook.
• Read their blog.
• Read their latest corporate responsibility report online (flash). You can also read this report in pdf.

Post from: Blisstree

Green Company Review: Seventh Generation

In many more words, here’s the scoop – Lead can be deadly at super high levels, usually in children, pregnant women, or already sick or nutritionally compromised adults. However, you or your kids are much more likely to experience low or medium level lead exposure vs. high exposure. Not that low level exposure is so great.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), lead poisoning in children can result in IQ deficits, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, stunted or slowed growth, and impaired hearing. Once more lead gets into a child’s system, a child may suffer kidney damage, become mentally retarded, fall into a coma, and at those super high levels, yes even die from lead poisoning. Also, research shows that lead poisoning has been associated with a significantly increased high-school dropout rate, as well as increases in juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior.

Wow! How much fun is lead?! Not so much right. The biggest source of lead may be your home. Lead-based paints were banned in 1978, but the NSC notes that there are still about 38 million homes that contain some lead paint. That’s about 40% of all US housing.

Other sources of lead in or near your home include:

• Old lead pipes that still serve as water service lines in older US cities may be continuing to leach lead into drinking water.
• Lead dishes – lead in dishes is technically supposed to be regulated by the FDA (but, by the way, they can’t possibly catch everything). Tons of dishes are still in the U.S. that are chock full full of lead. In part because you can’t destroy all old dishes very efficiently, so places like thrift stores and garage sales can pass lead containing dishes along, and also imported dishes are not under lead regulation.
• In soil around your home. Soil can pick up lead from exterior paint or may have some from the past use of leaded gas in cars. If you or your kids ingest or inhale dust from this soil, you’re also getting lead in your system.
• Old painted toys and furniture may still contain lead if they were made before regulations appeared. New toys made by shady folks can also contain lead.
• Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain will leach lead directly into liquid which you then drink.
• Hobbies such as pottery, stained glass, or refinishing furniture can all result in lead exposure.

To protect your family:

The EPA offers a full guide about how to check your home for lead, and get the lead out. Also you should learn more about how to purchase eco-friendly dishes that are lead free. Lastly take special care to make sure your baby is not exposed to lead.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Is the lead in your home really deadly?

The show looks at, “Looks at how modern homes are being designed and built to meet the needs of rapidly changing contemporary lifestyles.”

You can watch videos at the site about….

Lighthouse, the first net zero carbon house in the UK.

The amazing Emilio Ambasz designed CASA de RETIRO ESPIRITUAL

And more…

Many homes to see – all are beautiful and unique. Check out Ultimate House.

[images via Ultimate House]

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Building the Ultimate House Videos

This lovely prefab is simple, small, and focused on outdoor-indoor living. It adds a smaller footprint than many homes, and can be totally customized and in most cases up and running in about 12 weeks. Not bad.

You know, about 3 years ago, I was not the biggest prefab fan; not even close. Now though, I’m sort of digging them. There are so many gorgeous styles out there now, and most with eco-friendly qualities too. I would even consider owning one I do believe. How’s that for progress? Maybe I’ll have to do a beautiful prefab line up post soon.

See interior shots of the iT House above.

Learn how to get your own iT House.

[images via Taalman Koch Architecture]

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Off-Grid iT House

The Tree House Clapham is covered in the book Diary of an Ecobuilder, and is really special. A huge tree occupied the lot of the Clapham house, making home building a bit of work. However, instead of taking the tree out the home was built around the tree in a way. It’s easier if you see.

There are plenty of tree features going on in this eco-home. Like the great staircase:

Other eco features of this home include reduced energy demands, reclaimed and recycled material use, rainwater capturing, and more. This is a great home site to browse if you’re looking for green home inspiration. You can see a huge photo gallery or read the partial building journal at the main Tree House website. You can also purchase a book about the house; the afore mentioned, Diary of an Ecobuilder.

[images via Tree House Clapham]

Post from: Blisstree

A Different Sort of Treehouse

The Remainder House – green and lovely.

Jonesing for San Francisco – because who knew you could build the city out of Jello? plus, LOCUS Architecture is pretty fly too.

The World’s Best Offbeat Gingerbread Homes – not appropriate for Halloween month, but I did it anyhow, and all that gingerbread was so darn cute.

Offbeat Home for Sale: Want Wood Paneling? This house still makes me laugh out loud. It’s not very cool, but it is fun.

October was a busy Offbeat month actually, we had blog action day, tons o’ spooky stuff, and pumpkin homes galore. I think it was one of my favorite Offbeat months overall. Choosing just the four above was hard.

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The Best of Offbeat Homes: October 2007