Not ready for hybrid or electric? Basic maintenance can help cut emissions
September 1st, 2010

Maintaining your vehicle’s fuel system can improve performance, lower emissions and save you money.
Not everyone can afford to pay the freight for one of those new electric cars hitting the market this year. Others may be leery of the long-term viability of hybrids. What to do if you’re driving a conventional gasoline-powered car and still want to help the environment? Maintaining your vehicle’s fuel system can improve performance, lower emissions and save you money, too.
Related Topics: · Car Care Council, Electric Cars, Emissions, fuel filter, fuel system, Hybrids
Pet blue over back-to-school? A guide to natural stain and odor removers
August 31st, 2010

Back-to-school may mean an empty house and a sad, stressed pet who will exact revenge on your carpet. Image: Arman Zhenikeyev / Dreamstime
Getting back to the back-to-school routine may be a pain for parents and students, but the family members most upset with the change may be the dog and cat.
All that attention and time and playing and going outside whenever he or she liked is yanked away and your pet may be very lonely and stressed by the change.
Their solution? Pee on the carpet or poop on the fancy rug. The unspoken message: That’ll show you not to leave me alone.
Now you’re searching for a stain- and odor-removing cleaner with safe, natural ingredients that pose no chemical threat to pets or people. Whether in the store or online, you’ll find many cleaners labeled “natural” or “eco-friendly” or “green,” but don’t always believe what you read.
Related Topics: · Biokleen, cat stains, dog stains, eco-friendly pet products, Flying Basset, green pet products, Halo, natural cleaners, natural stain remover, organic stain remover, pet products, pet stain remover, Pure Ayre
What happens when CFLs leave you in the dark?
August 26th, 2010
OK, so you’ve done the environmentally correct thing and replaced most of your incandescent bulbs with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs).
CFLs use less electricity and as a result, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In an average home, lighting accounts for about a fifth of the electric bill. Because CFLs use about 75 percent less electricity than incandescent light bulbs — and last about 10 times longer, it just makes sense to switch.
Related Topics: · CFLs, compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficiency, General Electric, Home Depot, Home Energy, Ikea, LEDs, Lighting, Philips, recycling CFLs
Don’t care to recycle? You may end up paying more for trash
August 25th, 2010
If you are dutifully recycling as much as possible, and your neighbor isn’t, you obviously aren’t getting the same share of trash collection bang for your tax buck. That inequity – not to mention overflowing landfills – is causing some communities to give their not-so-green members a not-so-gentle nudge in the right direction. The solution is “trash metering,” requiring residents to pay by the bag for curbside collection.
Related Topics: · Pay As You Throw, Recycle & Reuse, Sanford Maine, trash metering, WasteZero
12 portable water filters/pitchers that can purify your tap water
August 23rd, 2010
Ready to banish the plastic water bottle? You can choose to drink water straight from the tap, which the federal government says is largely safe, or you can filter that tap water for contaminants and chemicals, and to freshen the taste.
If you choose to filter you be joining an apparent migration away from disposable bottled water to more efficient home filtering. The estimated revenue for the water-filter pitcher/carafe market last year was $183 million (excluding Walmart), a 24 percent growth rate since 2005, according to one research group.
There are at least a dozen systems to choose from, starting with market-leader Brita (owned by Clorox), which has dominated the water-filter pitcher market in the U.S. for years, and including number two seller, PUR, and an array of other big and boutique brands. All offer a variety of styles, safeguards, bells and whistles.
Here are the highlights of 12 brands on the market:
Related Topics: · Aqua Blue Barrier, Bottled Water, bottled water controversy, Brita, Clear2O, countertop water filters, Crystal Quest, Cuisinart CleanWater, Culligan, DuPont, MAVEA, Ovopur, PUR, Tap Water, Tersano, water filter systems, water filters, water pitchers, water-filtering pitchers, Zero Water
Green your laundry routine: Hang it out
August 18th, 2010
Line drying the clothes. How did this become such a radical idea? Just 50 years ago, it was the norm.
Then everyone got electric dryers, and we burned more coal to run them. But now that we’re enlightened about that, we’re heading to the backyard, the basement or the patio with a basket of wet clothes.
Re-adopting the ways of past generations is energy efficient — and it’s easy to get the hang of.
Related Topics: · drying clothes outside, hanging out the laundry, laundry challenge, laundry project, line drying clothes, right to dry, Seventh Generation
Americans go for greener windows
August 11th, 2010
According to a recent survey, 59 percent of Americans considered green alternatives for their home improvement projects in the last quarter, with window energy efficiency a runaway leader when it came to the final decision. ServiceMagic’s Q2 Home Remodeling and Repair Index reported an 81 percent increase in window upgrades from the same quarter in 2009.
The survey compiled data from 1.6 million service requests received through ServiceMagic’s online marketplace from May to July of this year, as well as results from a survey of over 1,200 homeowners and 500 service professionals conducted in July 2010.
Related Topics: · energy efficient windows, federal tax credits, green home improvements, ServiceMagic
Cultivate a ‘Responsible Bathroom’ courtesy of American Standard
August 10th, 2010
We tell our children to turn off the tap while they’re brushing their teeth. Which is a good idea. It saves a little water and gets them thinking about natural resources.
But then we grown-ups clomp across the room and use three gallons of clean potable water to flush the toilet. And we do this repeatedly, throughout the day.
Related Topics:
Cornell professors offer advice for helping trees survive heat
August 9th, 2010
This year is well on its way to becoming the hottest year the world has seen since scientists began record-keeping in 1880. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the rising worldwide temperatures are responsible for erratic weather – including severe droughts and heat waves.
What does this mean for your lawn and trees? Two experts from Cornell University have some advice that may surprise you.
Related Topics: · Cornell horticulture, Cornell University, Drought, lawn, Trees, water trees in summer heat, watering
Study shows consumers’ growing concerns about packaged beverages
August 9th, 2010

Consumers cited recycling as the most important environmental concern for packaged beverages.
A new beverage industry study found that 94 percent of Americans are concerned about the long-term effects that their packaged beverage purchases and consumption have on the environment. The study also shows that environmental concerns are driving down the consumption of bottled water.
Related Topics: · BeveragePulse.com, Bottled Water, Concept Catalysts, environmental concern for packaged beverages, environmental concerns are driving down the consumption of bottled water, iModerate Research Technologies, new beverage industry study
Nationwide push underway to recycle batteries
August 2nd, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Everything from cell phones to digital music players rely on batteries these days and what consumers do with those batteries when they are no good anymore, can make a big difference. San Francisco is considered a leader when it comes to recycling just about anything. Now a nationwide push is underway to get the rest of the country to catch up:
Related Topics: · Call 2 Recycle program is challenging Americans to drop off one million pounds of rechargeable batteries before Oct. 1, Lowe's, RadioShack, Recology, San Francisco wants to send absolutely nothing to the landfill, Staples and RadioShack nationwide are joining forces to recycle rechargeable batteries
San Antonio readies for major storm water conference
July 27th, 2010
The world’s foremost experts on storm and surface-water quality will convene in San Antonio Aug. 2–5 to explore the newest water pollution prevention and mitigation technologies, share experiences and discuss which strategies are most effective in minimizing surface water pollution.
Related Topics: · San Antonio, South Texas Environmental Institute, StormCon



