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 both valuable water resources and money. On average, a U.S. household wastes more than 11,000 gallons of water per year—enough to fill a backyard swimming pool!

Common types of leaks found in the home are leaking toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves. These types of leaks are easily correctable, in many cases requiring only a few tools and hardware, such as a wrench and drops of food coloring, which will easily pay for themselves in water savings. If you discover a significant leak that merits the replacement of an older toilet or bathroom sink faucet, consider a new WaterSense labeled product that will not only put an end to your leak, but also increase water efficiency. For instance, WaterSense labeled faucets use 30 percent less water without a noticeable difference in flow.

While some leaks are obvious, others are more difficult to detect. To be sure that your household is leak-free, check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak—and an opportunity to save water and some extra cash.

Learn more tips and information about Watersense’s Fix a Leak Week.

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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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I wish I could say that there are many companies like Lilipad Studio: beautiful, thoughtful children’s furniture that is eco-friendly, and one near you.  But at this time, they don’t exist, or are poorly marketed.  So if you do find a noteworthy company, let us at GetWithGreen know so that we can spread the word.  Until then…

Next time you need some furniture for your children or loved ones, look to Lilipad Studio.  You will offer an artful treasure and feel confident in your eco-friendly choice.

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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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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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Using 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

Bathroom 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:

• American Standard (Cadet, FloWise models)
• Caroma (Adelaide, Bondi, Brisbane, Caravelle, Colonial, Royale, Sydney)
• Cascadian (Toscano)
• Crane (Eco Opus III, EcoGalaxy, EcoMiser, Economiser, EcoSaratoga)
• Foremost (AIO, Plaza, Total)
• Gerber (Ultra Flush)
• Glacier Bay – Home Depot brand
• Jacuzzi (Espres)
• Kohler (Barrrington, Cimarron, Escale, Highline Pressure Lite, Kelston, Persuade, Saile, San Raphaeil Power Lite and Pressure Lite, Wellworth Pressure Lite)
• Mansfield (704, Prestigio, EcoQuantum, Quantum, QuantumOne)
• Niagara (1.0 PA, Eco-Logic)
• Pegasus – Home Depot Brand (Cottage)
• ProFLO (HET Dual Flush ADA, EF, and RF, HET Gravity Flush EF and RF)
• Quality Craft (Alexis HET)
• Sterling – a Kohler company (Karsten EB and PB, Rockton EB and PB, Stanton)
• Tangshan Ayers Bath (Dofiny HET)
• TOTO (Aquia I, II, & III, EcoClayton, EcoDartmouth, EcoDrake, EcoNexus, EcoPromenade, EcoSupreme, EcoUltramax, EcoWhitney, Gwyneth)
• Tynan (Casade ADA, EF, and RF, MacLair EF & RF)
• VitrA (Evergreen)
• Vortens (Dali, Delfos, Hurricane, Rhodas DF, Tornado, Tornado)

Weather- or sensor-based sprinkler control technologies – Turning off the sprinklers when they are not needed due to weather changes is something we often forget to do.  WaterSense is presently drafting a specification for manufacturers to recieve labels.  You can bet that products such as the Cyber-Rain XCI system and automatic sprinkler shut-offs will be working for qualification.

Showerheads- Showering represents 17% of indoor water use per household.  Today there are no Showerheads available with WaterSense labels, but the specification is being worked on now.

Finally, many water companies offer REBATES for the purchase of WaterSense labeled products, so make sure you check with your utility!!!

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A low-flush toilet is a must green alternative for your bathroom remodel.  You can get the low-down in our previously published article: High Efficiency Toilets (HETS) that Flush.

Recently the team over at GoodHousekeeping on TV did a two minute video overview on these water saving eco-friendly flushing machines.  Take a look, and please consider incorporate one in your remodel to conserve our most precious resource:

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Next week in Las Vegas, the lighting industry will be gathering in for LIGHTFAIR International.  LIGHTFAIR is one of the top lighting shows for architectural lighting, and this year efficiency, eco-friendly, and green lighting are on the most talked about list.

The announcements are starting to roll out about energy saving bulbs, and LEDs are the ones we are watching at GetWithGreen.com.   Just today Renaissance Lighting announced their commercially available 4-inch solid-state LED downlight (Model: ED04).  This LED recessed product offers more than 16 million color combinations without glare or visible LEDs.
  
As the newest arrival on the general illumination scene, solid-state LED lighting has yet to make a major market impact commensurate with its potential for outperforming and even replacing other types of lighting — until now.  How does solid-state lighting differ from conventional lighting?

Incandescent lamps create light by heating a thin filament to a very high temperature. The reason for their low efficiency is that more than 90 percent of the energy consumed is emitted as invisible infrared light which creates heat.  A fluorescent lamp produces ultraviolet light when electricity is passed through a mercury vapor, causing the phosphor coating inside the fluorescent tube to glow or fluoresce. There are efficiency losses in generating the ultraviolet light and in converting the ultraviolet light into visible light. Incandescent lamps typically have short lifetimes ? about 1,000 hours on average ? due to the high temperatures of the filaments. Fluorescents, including compact fluorescent lights, have lifecycles 10 times greater than incandescents, while LEDs can produce quality light anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 hours.

The ED04 downlight’s compact package greatly expands its potential for use in all kinds of applications, and especially those where ceiling congestion tends to restrict the use of larger fixtures. The ED04 downlight adapts seamlessly to virtually any lighting scenario. Where smaller is better, the ED04 is easier to install from a weight standpoint, too, and it performs extremely well in wet locations or in outdoor under-canopy applications, according to CEO Barry Weinbaum.

“Utilizing green technology to make it environmentally friendly, our new ED04 outperforms the most popular 4-inch 50 par 20 products, yet uses only half the energy. It’s fully dimmable, and like all of our solid state products, is virtually maintenance free over the course of its 50,000-to-70,000-hour life span. Our customers will discover that Renaissance Lighting’s new pricing makes the decision to use our solid-state products an easier one, especially when considering the total cost of ownership,” Weinbaum said.

Renaissance Lighting’s unique downlight design begins with a circular array of LEDs at the perimeter of a patented integrating dome inside each fixture. The company’s unique optic design combines light uniformly before exiting the luminaire in glare-free fashion. The result is consistent color production and concealed sources that create smooth, uniform illumination patterns. 
 

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As homeowners, many of us will use our home remodel as an opportunity to ?upgrade? our existing home audio and visual equipment such as televisions, amplifiers, satellite/cable box, DVD players, whole house audio, video games, etc. 

With these upgrades, you have an opportunity to reduce power consumption in your home ? making your home a greener home.  Further, if your new equipment is an addition to your power consumption, then there are products that are better choices than others relative to energy consumption. 

Today, we want to talk about the whole house audio category, and innovation which is occurring in the whole house audio market.  Whole house audio is sound that is piped to various locations in your home, and you hear it through speakers in your walls or ceiling.  You select a source (DVD, iPod, Pandora, XM Satellite) in the room you are occupying, your amplifier recognizes your selection, and then delivers the sound/music to your location. 

A key component of whole house audio system is a multi-channel amplifier.  Suppliers of multi-zone multi-channel amplifiers are company?s such as Knoll Systems, Russound, Xantech and others.  Most are installed by system integrators, or home theater installers.

Up until now, amplifiers in home audio systems consume significant power in standby mode.  Essentially if you have a computer for internet radio, a DVD player, a receiver for radio, a television, XM satellite, and Sonos connected, your amplifier is supplying power to run those products at all times — 24/7!   Whether they are being used or not, your amplifier is consuming power ? obviously extremely wasteful!  This wasted power is often referred to as ?parasitic power?. 

GetWithGreen.com recently sat down with Richard Hanson, Director of Marketing for Knoll Systems.  Knoll Systems has been supplying audio and amplifier products to the home theater market for over 10 years.  Kevin Knoll started, and has run the business for 24 years.  We wanted to learn more about what Knoll is doing to reduce power consumption, and make whole house audio less of a power pig when you?re not around.

In March Knoll Systems announced a revolutionary new circuit design for several of their multi-channel amplifiers.  Trademarked ?Eco-System circuit?, this new innovative patent-pending technology turns off any channels that not being used by a homeowner.  The Knoll Systems amplifiers are not in standby mode, they are not in mute mode, their amplifiers are completely shut down for channels not being used! 

Hanson tells GetWithGreen, that not only are you going to do better for our environment, but calculations show a savings of $100-150 per year for the typical homeowner in electrical costs.  A typical amplifier without an Eco-System circuit uses 14 times (40 watts) more power than an amplifier equipped with an Eco-System circuit.  A Knoll Systems amplifier equipped with an Eco-System circuit uses less than 4 watts when in idle mode.

The savings in dollars and the environment goes even further, Hanson tells us, because the Eco-System circuit shuts down channels when not in use — it generates far less heat!  Thus reducing electricity (e.g. fans) required for cooling your equipment while you are not around!

The products from Knoll that you want to check out are the GS8 eight Channel Amplifier (List: $1,178), the GS12 twelve Channel Amplifier (List: $1,238), or the GSZ67 seven source six room Controller Amplifier ($2,199).  All three are equipped with Eco-System circuit technology.

Knoll products are not found on the shelves of Best Buy or Circuit City.  You can purchase them from a network of Knoll distributors across the US and around the world.   Similar multi-channel amplifiers for your whole house audio system are available from Russound (Model: CAA66) and from Xantech (Model: MRC88CTL), but neither offer the energy saving technology of the Knoll Systems products from what we could tell.  Knoll Systems is working now to license Eco-System circuit technology to amplifier providers.  Let?s see who adopts them!

Finally, Gordon van Zuiden of CyberManorasked GetWithGreen.com as we were writing this article if the Knoll product had a latency when turning on a source.  Richard tells us that there is zero latency, and they prove it by using the amplifier to run their paging system at Knoll ? which must have zero latency to operate properly. 

So before you go out and purchase that new A/V system, please take some time and look at energy saving alternatives, such as amplifiers that contain Knoll Systems Eco-System circuit technologies.    

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Cabinets torn out, walls ripped down to the studs, all you see is the sub-floor. You are remodeling your kitchen, and there is that oh-so-familiar question each night, “What are we having for dinner?” So, are you cooking via the microwave that sits on a stool in your den? Do you grill outside, again?

Did someone say Take-Out?

GetWithGreen was contacted today by Taco Bell, and they asked if we would share their recent green conservation story. We tried hard to find the connection between your interests in eco-friendly home remodeling, and a “run for the Border.” Well if you are hungry tonight, and your kitchen is ripped apart, it might be that Taco Bell is a consideration for quieting the hungry family. If that’s the case, here is how a crunchy taco and Burrito Supreme might align with your overall greener mission (can’t wait to see your comments on this one ). Enjoy!

Run for the Border?

Taco Bell is rolling out its new Grill-to-Order cooking cooking method by installing water and energy saving electric grills that will conserve 300 million gallons of water per year, the equivalent of filling enough 8oz. cups to stretch across the United States 80 times.

Already operating in more than more than 3,000 restaurants?or about half of all Taco Bell® locations?the company plans to have all its 5,600 restaurants using the Grill-to-Order cooking method by 2010. With Grill-to-Order, customers will enjoy the same great Mexican-style inspired tastes, along with a temperature improvement of products containing grilled tortillas and flatbread. While Taco Bell is taking responsible action in improving its food preparation practices, customers have the added benefit of conserving our most precious natural resources with every order.

Grill-to-Order goes beyond conserving water as roughly 200 million kwH of electricity will also be saved per year ? enough electricity to power the nation?s tallest building, the Sears Tower in Chicago, for roughly 18 months. Additionally, the new equipment will save more than 1.2 million therms of gas each year by not heating water. Grill-to-Order demonstrates Taco Bell?s ongoing work and long term commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Taco Bell partnered with Southern California Edison (SCE) and their Foodservice Technology Center to validate energy savings of the Grill-to-Order dry line. SCE recently lauded the cooking method, calling it an energy management success story.

Water – Use it Wisely

Water ? Use it Wisely, a national campaign aimed at educating individuals on the importance of water conservation, has endorsed Taco Bell as a pioneer that other quick service restaurants should follow.

Companies like Taco Bell have taken a proactive step in cutting back water use and thinking of alternative ways to offer a product that is not only good for their customer but good for the environment, too,? said Park Howell, Founder, Water ? Use it Wisely. ?Every ounce of water saved by using the Grill-to-Order cooking method will benefit the communities Taco Bell serves.?

Taco Bell encourages everyone to think of simple ways to reduce the amount of water they use. For more ways to conserve water and make a difference in preserving this valuable natural resource, please visit Water ? Use it Wisely at www.wateruseitwisely.com.

Fun Facts

Grill-to-Order saves enough water per year to:

• Supply every household in Atlanta with water for the day
• Fill 8 oz. water cups that would stretch across the US 80 times
• Fill 8 oz. water cups that would stretch around the globe more than 10 times
• Fill 8 oz. water cups that would stretch to the moon

Grill-to-Order saves enough electricity per year to:

• Power every household in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC and Dallas for one day
• Provide every human in Paris, London, Sydney, Rome, Mexico City and Los Angeles for one day

Power for a year:

• 11,111,111 Blenders
• 566,893 Refrigerators
• 763,359 Microwaves
• 247,758 Computers
• 2,017,756 Washing Machines
• 59,523,810 Electric Shavers

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