Cash for Clunkers was a huge big deal this last year. So much in fact that the government has decided that appliances shouldn’t get the short end of the stick – hence, Cash for Appliances.

The basics:
The federal government has set aside $300 million for the cash for appliance program as part of the economic stimulus plan. BUT each state is setting up their own little versions of the program, so you’ll want to keep up with local news to learn more. The program is going to allow consumers to upgrade old, less energy efficient appliances to new much more energy …read more

With all the talk about Energy Star this, and Energy Star that, you may be ready to trade in all your appliances and get brand new ones that might save you more cash on energy bills in the long run. However, you don’t ALWAYS need to trade up. We’ll eventually look at all appliances here, I’m sure, but for today, let’s focus on a major kitchen appliance – the fridge.

If it’s older than old: Old refrigerators can eat up as much as double the energy when compared to a new energy efficient fridge. If your fridge is older than 12 …read more

The New York Times has the scoop on the soon to be coming new TV eco-label.

TVs are already labeled (or not) as Energy Star but this new label, which is maybe going to be called Epeat for TV, will go a step further. According to the Times, the label will be modeled after the already established Epeat (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) standard for computers. Epeat standards right now, deal with how eco-friendly computers are as a whole based on 51 pieces of  earth-friendly criteria.
I think that extra labeling can’t hurt, especially since there’s more to a product than it’s …read more

Frida Kahlo filled hers with cultural identity. In the movies it’s been used as a backdrop for everything from horror flicks to love stories. Your grandmother probably had one and your mom might have used hers to draw attention to domestic violence. It’s the clothesline and it’s getting a fresh look as a very green home accessory.
Like many simple but good ideas the clothesline was replaced with energy eating creatures of convenience. At some point fresh, sun-tinged sheets dried on the clothesline lost their appeal and were traded for fast fluffs. The clothesline, quiet environmental champion, became an outdated, oft-banned …read more