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Watersense: Fix a Leak Week (March 16-20)

February 9, 2009

Drip…drip…drip…drip…How long have you been ignoring that pitter patter coming from the shower? How about the leaky spigot on the side of the house, or that running toilet? You might as well be pouring money down the drain! Fixing easily corrected household water leaks like these can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills—and a precious natural resource.

March 16 to 20, 2009, marks the WaterSense program’s first “Fix a Leak Week,” a time to remind all of us homeowners to attack leaks in our household fixtures and irrigation systems. While leaks might sometimes seem like small problems, over time they waste Read more

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Carnival of the Green # 164!

January 25, 2009

Carnival of the Green
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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Lilipad Studio: Eco-Friendly furniture for your remodel

January 19, 2009

Our kiddos are growing and when it is time to buy new furniture, of course I want to make eco-friendly choices.  While searching, I came across some of the most charming pieces I’ve seen (green or not), by Lilipad Studio.

An interior design consultant and mother, Laura Higdon, combines hand-crafted, hand-painted, and artistry to create this exquisite line of children’s furniture.  Each piece is a lovely combination of vibrant color, culture, and patterns.  Stamps are lightly applied to the furniture.  Then, the stamped paint is hand-painted over, ensuring the continuity, quality, and hand-painted uniqueness of each piece.   An heirloom for generations to come.

Now, Laura has a business partner, Ben Sinnamon, and a team of artisans to help her Idaho business furnish delighted families, shipping across Read more

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McCain / Palin or Obama / Biden, what happens to the environment?

September 8, 2008

So you’ve probably seen the video where Palin is asking her church congregation to pray for the oil pipeline in Alaska, but what’s the full story? How have the candidates voted in congress? What have they said publicly related to their positions on environmental issues? Here are some things to consider (if you haven’t already made up your choice) before you head to the polls.

McCain / Palin

John McCain
- Build 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030. (Jun 2008)
- Realistic climate plan that clashes with GOP. (Jun 2008)
- End moratorium on offshore oil drilling. (Jun 2008)
- Favors wind & solar in ad; favors nuclear in bills. (Jun 2008)
- Support much tougher regulations on emission requirements. (Jan 2008)

Sarah Palin
- Global warming affects Alaska, but is not man-made. (Aug 2008)
- Energy relief plan: $100 per person monthly, for oil & gas. (May 2008)
- Opposed protections for salmon from mining contamination. (Aug 2008)
- Sue US government to stop listing polar bear as endangered. (Aug 2008)
- We must encourage timber, mining, drilling, & fishing. (Jan 2008)
- Cut funding for alternative energy research (May 2008)

Obama / Biden

Barack Obama
- GovWatch: $150B for electric car batteries & new technology. (Jun 2008)
- GovWatch: Supports nuclear power if it’s clean & safe. (Jun 2008)
- $150B investment over 10 years to reduce oil usage by 35%. (May 2008)
- Figure out how to sequester carbon and burn clean coal. (May 2008)
- Raise fuel efficiency standards to reduce long-term demand. (Apr 2008)
- Reduce the consumption of energy and be more efficient. (Jan 2008)
- Aggressively address accelerating climate change. (Dec 2007)
- Passed tax credit for installing E85 ethanol at gas stations. (Feb 2008)
- Sponsored legislations that improve energy efficiency. (Sep 2004)
- Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
- Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)
- Willing to suspend ethanol subsidy to keep food prices down. (May 2008)
- Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future. (Apr 2008) 
- Promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards. (Dec 2007)

Joe Biden
- Supports cap-and-trade for greenhouse gases. (Nov 2007)
- Make every automobile sold be a flex-fuel automobile. (Apr 2007)
- Voted YES on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (Jun 2008)
- Voted YES on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China. (May 2008)
- Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
- Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)

For complete details, visit: http://www.ontheissues.org/ where you can also get details on the candidates’ views on abortion, family, the economy and national budget, civil rights, crime and much more.

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News: Congress investigates green home loans

June 13, 2008

This week U.S Rep Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), presented Bill HR 6078: G.R.E.E.N Act 2008 (Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods) to the House Financal Services Committee - of which he is a member.   He also is chair of the bipartisan Financial Services Energy Efficiency Task Force whose goal is to determine ways to improve energy efficiency within the financial services industry and housing sector while creating healthier communities.

HR 6078 was submitted on May 15th.  Among many other things, the GREEN ACT 2008 provides incentives to lenders and financial institutions to provide lower interest loans and other benefits to consumers, who build, buy or remodel their homes and businesses to improve their energy efficiency.  For consumer this includes Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) products.

If you want to watch Perlmutter in action around the G.R.E.E.N Act watch this video from late April 2008. Stay tuned to GetWithGreen.com, and we will keep you posted as this story unfolds. 

 

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SAVING WATER: What does the WaterSense label mean to your remodel?

June 6, 2008

watersense label logoUsing water-efficient products we can save both our environment and money.  WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is making it easy for all of us homeowners to find and select water-efficient products.

On average, WaterSense labeled product use 20% more efficient than similar products that are not.  To achieve a WaterSense label, a manufacturer must get their product certified against a specification from WaterSense.

WaterSense Labeled Home Products

price pfister ashfieldBathroom Sink Faucets -If every household installed a WaterSense labeled faucet or aerator we could save more than 60 billion gallons of water annually.  By installing a WaterSense labeled faucet an average home will save 500 gallons each year - and this reduced demand of water requires less heating, which saves even more energy and money!

Here are the bathroom faucets and aerators you can find with WaterSense Labels:

  • Delta (Lahara model)
  • Moen (Banbury, Caldwell, FINA, Lindley, Muirfield, Rothbury models and more)
  • Price Pfister (Ashfield, Falsetto, Hanover, Langston, SKYE, Vega, Virtue models)
  • NEOPERL Aerators

Toilets -Inefficient toilets are responsible for much of the water wasted in American homes today.  Replacing these toilets could save nearly 2 billion gallons annually.  GetWithGreen.com covered the best of the best WaterSense toilets late last year.  The ones we provided pricing for were high-efficiency toilets (HETs).  Here is the WaterSense list: