Carnival of the Green # 164!

Welcome!!  This week Treehugger’s Carnival of the Green stops at GetWithGreen.com, and we are excited to host it!  No the carnival is not stopping for tips on green remodeling (while there are a few :-)), but rather to provide a stage for all eco-friendly bloggers to get their messages out in hopes of making our lives more sustainable.  Enjoy the wonderful insight, personal experiences, and passion for a better planet Earth at the links below!!

Have an announcement that’s appropriate for the Carnival of the Green? Post it on Treehugger.

View the last Carnival of the Green post: January 19th - SustainaBee
Next week’s Carnival of the Green will be: February 2nd - Inspired Protagonist

And now, GetWithGreen presents this week’s submissions:

Mr. Joe would like everyone to check out A photo-essay showing how to make you some homemade paper.
Not too hard to do.

Tiffany presents How To Choose Non-Toxic Paint and Wallpaper posted at Eco Child’s Play.

SimplyForties presents Commercial Beekeeping vs. Commercial Agriculture posted at SimplyForties.

John presents Smart Strip - Consume Less Energy with a Smart Power Strip posted at Smart Strip - Consume Less Energy with a Smart Power Strip.

Deanna Dahlsad presents A Healthier, Greener New Year With Collecting | Collectors’ Quest posted at Collectors? Quest.

Woman Tribune presents Get Your Kids Interested in the Environment posted at Woman Tribune.

Obadiah Shoher presents Hot, global fraud posted at Samson BLinded.

VegBox Recipes presents Obama, Vegetables and Global Hunger ? posted at VegBox Recipes Blog.

Beth wants you to learn about Bisphenol-A (aka BPA): What is it? Where is it? Why do we care? Most of us are aware of the problem of BPA in water and baby bottles. But do you know what other products contain BPA and how to avoid it? You’ll also find information about more surprising sources of BPA in kids’ products. Visit: fakeplasticfish.com

Heather Levin presents Want A FREE Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaning Bag? posted at The Greenest Dollar.

Want to buy a more fuel-efficient, low-emissions car? But can’t afford a brand new one? Read this account of how Sally searched for and bought a used green car. This post on Veggie Revolution includes a dozen links to useful websites she used, to help find, evaluate, and price a used but eco-friendly car.

Kevin presents 10 Best Recycling Websites for Kids posted at Parenting at More4kids.

For a laugh, here are some outrageous ways to save from The Digerati Life. A lot of the tips here are environmentally friendly!

Missy Diaz presents 8 Fun Facts About Squash posted at Groovy Vegetarian.

Clara wrote in to tell us how Green roofing options are plentiful, but to make sure you do the required
research.

According to Jacques Sprenger, Living cheaply can translate to living green, as we cut down on the things we consume. Family Budget For Frugal Living: Living Cheap Can Be Fun, Too!

Bobbie Whitehead presents Big Mama Tree posted at The Backyard Grower.

And finally, Laurel presents Green Around the Web posted at Green Thinking Blog.

Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoyed this week’s Carnival of the Green and be sure to subscribe at the top of the page to GetWithGreen to get your updates on eco-friendly home improvement and remodeling tips.

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GetWithGreen’s Green Building Book List

My husband’s brother and sister-in-law know I am into green building, so a thoughtful gift came my way last Christmas: Building Green by Clarke Snell & Tim Callahan.  I engulfed the 600+ page resource within a couple of weeks.  It was a wonderful read, focusing on step-by-step examples of earth plaster, straw bale, cordwood, cob, and living roofs.

Here are a few other great green building picks:

Green Building Products by Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn - resource for green building materials in your home.  It has an index of products and suppliers that will help you achieve a healthier home, inside and out.

Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time by David R. Johnston and Kim Master - a comprehensive guide that will help you make simple green remodeling changes in your home.  Authors are a top remodeler and a green remodeling consultant.

Natural House Book by David Pearson - a recommendation of my favorite green architects: AMD Architecture.  It provides homeowners with a practical guide to saving money and energy with some of the latest green homebuilding practices.  Included is an updated list of resources for your green building needs.

Green By Design by Angela Dean - invites you to make healthy choices in your home building/remodeling, such as straw bale construction and natural flooring.  A reference for green materials as well as a guide to avoiding Read more

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Lead law will take effect in 2010, likely to impact your remodel!

Beginning in April 2010, federal law will require that contractors be trained to protect children and pregnant women from dangerous levels of lead. Signed in March of this 2008, the EPA’s “Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program” is the most important new effort to combat childhood lead poisoning in the last decade says the EPA.

The law will require contractors and maintenance professionals to be certified, and their employees trained. In addition, they must follow protective lead-safe work practice standards when renovation, repair or painting activities will disturb more than six square feet of lead-based paint in a room or when 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior.

Contractors will be required to post warning signs, restrict occupants from work areas, prevent dust and debris from spreading, conduct a thorough cleanup and verify that the cleanup was effective.
Two-thirds of homes and half of the schools and day care centers built before 1960 have some lead-based paint. These new requirements focus on those built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned, where children under the age of six are present or where an expectant mother resides.

Exposure to lead-contaminated dust is the most common way children get lead poisoning, which can cause serious behavior and learning problems in children and health problems in adults says the EPA.
By requiring certification, we will be able to identify those contractors who are trained in lead-safe work practices.  It is likely all of this will add cost to our remodels as well.

For educational materials and brochures, please visit www.epa.gov/lead, or call the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD (5323).

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Lilipad Studio: Eco-Friendly furniture for your remodel