LIVE GREEN

This is the time of year we really can’t hang our clothes out on the laundry line to dry anymore. You don’t have to let the heat from your clothes dryer go to waste, though. I just bought a deflector and hooked  it up to my clothes dryer. Now all that nice, warm humid air from my dryer helps to heat my home.

The dryer heat deflectors are available at home centers and hardware stores. I bought mine online for $11. Installation was relatively easy. You’ll probably have to go and get some more lengths of dryer venting material (looks like a large Slinky covered in tin foil) because what you have to do is hook up a length of vent coming out of the dryer and into the bottom of the deflector. Then, you’ll have to attach another piece of vent coming out of the top of the deflector and attach it to the area where the dryer originally vented to. After you install it, just flip the switch on the deflector and turn your dryer on. Now you’re ready to enjoy the nice warm humid air and have it help to heat your home. Remember to clean the lint screen both on your dryer AND the deflector after each use.

Here’s a picture of my installation. I mounted the deflector on the wall between the washer and dryer. I have to re-mount it so it’s straight. I just wanted to get it operational first, and worry about looks later.

One thing you might consider is to buy unscented fabric softener sheets or your house may end up smelling like a laundromat.

Like many folks, I made the switch to the Compact Fluorescent lighbulbs and I have grown increasingly upset with their performance and lifespan. They just don’t last that long unless you leave them running for long periods of time. Forget using them in bathrooms where you’re in and out of there quickly, as they seem to burn out fast under those types of conditions.
Plus, I’ve heard of them exploding and I can’t afford to hire a mercury cleanup crew if and when this happens.
I’m going back to standard bulbs and stocking up on them since CFL’s will be the only bulb type available by 2014. Unlike CFL’s, standard bulbs can be stored forever.

If you haven’t already, replace all the bulbs in your house with compact fluorescent ones. Not only do they save energy, they don’t burn as hot as traditional lightbulbs. This will help keep your home cooling costs down.

Baking or laundry should be done after the hottest part of the day.

Wrap your water heater up in an insulating blanket.

Make use of those exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. They can vent the moisture and heat up out of the house.

Install an attic fan, if you haven’t already done so. You can save a lot on those cooling bills by keeping the attic cooler, and getting all that super-hot air out.

Buy energy-efficient appliances. They conserve energy and release less unwanted heat.

Remember to turn your ceiling fans clockwise for winter and counter-clockwise direction for summer.

You can help save the environment by backing up your files online. That way you won’t have another piece of equipment taking up space at your workstation and you’ll help the environment by lessening the need for production of new equipment, because we all know what polluters those manufacturing plants can be! The easy and secure solution is an Online Backup of your files. This will come in handy in case of flood, fire or some other natural disaster. Store up to 2 gigabytes for free, or for just $5 per month you can store an unlimited amount. Rest assured the items are encrypted and secure. Pay a visit to i-drive’s website and check it out.

We all know that these compact flourescent lightbulbs are great for saving energy. The drawback is that they contain mercury and need to be disposed of properly. No big deal, just make sure they don’t get (gulp!) thrown in with your regular household trash.

Check out the Live Earth Concerts and help spread the word so that we can make the world aware and act now to stop the spread of dangerous environmental changes that affect the health of our home, planet Earth.

If you sign up at Green Dimes, you’ll help save the environment and help find missing kids too!. Actor Matt Damon was so impressed with the operation that he requested a seat on the Board, and now he’s on board.

Cut junk mail

Plant Trees

join Green Dimes.com 

This house in Maine rocks! Completely solar powered and they even sell electricity back to the power company. Check it out now at http://solarhouse.com/

When you have pieces of soap that are too small to use while bathing or showering, don’t throw them out. You can collect them all into a container and once you have a good amount, put them in your blender with some water and blend it down to a liquid consistency, then you can use it as a body wash.

You can also slice a sponge with a knife and insert the small pieces of soap into the opening in the sponge.

Personally, I think EVERY DAY should be Earth Day. Let’s rename the yearly event Earth Awareness Day or something. Nonetheless, please check out the Earthday Network page to find local events, learn how you can help and see what others have done/are doing to help protect our precious environment. There’s even a Pledge where you can let the Network know that you’ll be switching out your old, inefficient lightbulbs for the earth-friendly compact fluorescent kind. I have recently completed this task at my house and I look forward to my lower energy bills.