Eco Green Tips

photo credit: Daquella manera

Fall is in a full swing and for many of us it means lots of fallen leaves in our yards. In my opinion, they really aren’t that unsightly (especially when they introduce many fall colors) but some people find them more of a nuisance than anything else. Besides, when it rains a lot, they may start rotting (turn them into the natural fertilizer) and that may not be too pretty.

So what do you do to get rid of those fallen leaves? Well, most people seem to turn to electric or gas leaf blowers because they take care of the problem in the fastest manner with the least effort on your part. However, apart form the obvious—noise and pollution, there are many side effects to using leaf blowers.

Here is a list of a few reasons to skip them altogether:

• Pollution—blowers release sulfur dioxide and other smog-causing elements form the exhaust; they also stir up dust containing allergens, pesticides and heavy metals, which can cause serious respiratory and heart problems if inhaled.
• Hearing loss—prolonged exposure to 85 or more decibels can cause hearing loss and the gas-powered leaf blowers generate a noise level of 105 decibels!
• Cost—leaf blowers tend to be quite expensive. On average, they cost about $650 for a blower powerful enough to handle a good-size lawn and lots of leaves. And that doe not include the price of gas that you will constantly have to purchase for your blower.
• Little fact—a gas leaf blower will produce 11 times the amount of particulate matter as a car over the same period of time!

So what can you do instead? Well, good old-fashioned raking will do the trick. Not only does raking remove leaves in a more precise fashion, it also provides a fair amount of physical activity. Moreover, rakes are a lot less expensive; they cost anywhere from $7 to $20.

Here are a few tips for save and painless raking:

• Purchase a rake that is right for your height so not to bend while using it.
• Perform a few warm-up exercises.
• If you have to bend while raking, do so by bending at your knees instead of your waist; it will help you avoid bending and twisting your back, which may result in a back injury.
• Skip bagging leaves; instead rake them into a corner of your lawn and use them for compost.

And last one note: enjoy the crisp fall air while you out there raking your lawn.

Most of any household’s energy costs go to heating water, especially since the water heaters constantly heat water whether it is used or not. However, a substantial amount of is wasted when the heat is lost to the surrounding air, an occurrence known as standby heat loss. Therefore, keeping this from happening should be on your to-do list.

Insulating your water heater and reachable water pipes will not only reduce standby energy losses by 25% to 45% (4-9% in heating cost) but also keep 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in the course of a year. And it could not be easier. Most hardware stores sell water heater insulating kits you can purchase for $10-20, which will repay for itself in a matter of few months. You should look for one with an insulating value of at least 8.

Before you go searching for an insulation kit, you should probable check what your water heater tank’s R-value is since anything around R-24 does not need any insulation. You can check your tank’s R-value by simply touching it. If it feels warm to the touch, then it needs additional insulation.

And lastly, make sure you get the proper insulation kit for your water heater tank depending whether it is electric or gas. If you decide to install it yourself, make sure you follow instruction very carefully, especially with the gas heaters. And if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you may want to consider hiring a professional.

Trying to make eco-friendly changes can seem daunting at times but usually it comes down to implementing a few easy steps in your daily routines that not only will help the Earth breath a little easier but keep you and your family healthier as well. And a crucial step is always educating yourself first.

Therefore, here are a few little known facts about our carbon footprint and how we can reduce it as well as strengthen your heart, melt away fat and improve your overall health while making the world just a bit greener:

• 15% of all trips in the US are less than a mile long and unfortunately, most of them are made by car. Driving 10 fewer miles a week will reduce pollution by more than 500 pounds a year. A walking a mile a day (e.g. to your local store) will help you loose weight and keep you strong and healthy.
• Walking just 30 minutes a day instead of driving will save about 8.4 billion gallons of petrol a year as well as reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 82 million tons!
• 10,000 people walking five miles a week instead of driving for a year will eliminate the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by 219 cars.

If you’re still not quite sure whether you can implement these small changes, here are a couple of tips for walking more and driving less:

• Think about the most commonly visited places in your weekly routines (e.g. ATM, post office, convenience stores, friend’s house etc) and find out how far exactly they are located from your home (use internet like google or yahoo maps). If they are under a mile, walk.
• If you live in the country or suburbs, link a few errands together. Then drive to a downtown area, park your car in a central location and walk to do your errands, e.g. go to a bank, hardware store or a shoe store… 

And now you know…

photo credit: {dpade1337}

We all seem to have miles of cords in our houses and most of us consider them an unsightly sight. However, they also pose a serious health risk since nearly all of them are wrapped in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is a type of plastic that not only damages the environment but also contains brain-damaging lead and hormone disrupting phthalates.

Some organizations, such as Greenpeace and Center for Environmental Health have found that common headphone cords contained high levels of phthalates. Fortunately, most manufacturers are looking into changing their production processes and eliminating the harming chemicals form the electronic devices and chords that accompany them. Some companies, such as Sony Ericsson and Nokia have been banning lead, PVC and phthalates from their cell phones and other devices, which awarded them top ratings from the latest Greener Electronic Guide by Greenpeace.

But f purchasing new cell phone or headphones is not quite an option, here are a few things you can do to limit your exposure to the harmful substances:

• Do not put cords or earphones in your mouth, especially when it comes to children.
• Wash your hands after handling cords, particularly before eating.
• Wrap your earphone cords with a cotton ribbon or something fun, as long as it is made from natural fabrics. Do not use electrical tape since it also contains PVC.
• Test your electronics and cords with a Lead Check swap.
• Consider replacing the cords you use most with lead-free ones.

photo credit: markhillary

Most American (and some European) houses have wall-to-wall carpets, which are comfortable for your feet but may cause many health problems, e.g. asthma, dizziness, respiratory problems, sore throat and even fainting spells. The reason for it is that years’ worth of dirt, soot, pet dander, flea eggs, dust mites, fungi as well as fumes evaporating form paints, finishes, glues, pesticides and cleaning products are caught in carpets.

Therefore, buying a good vacuum cleaner seems to be vitally important. However, what should you look for if you want a vacuum that is both efficient and easy on the environment?

• First of all, if you’re satisfied with the one you currently own, keep it as along as it has HEPA filters. If it breaks, have it fixed rather than purchasing a new one. Many perfectly fixable vacuum cleaners end up in landfills because people prefer to replace them with a newer model.
• Make sure you purchase the right vacuum for your needs. Upright vacuums are better for deep cleaning of  large medium- to deep carpeted areas while canister work well with carpets, hard floors, upholstery and stairs and are easier to navigate in hard to reach places.
• Look for HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air), which reduce the amount of allergens getting back out into the air. They trap 99.97% of particles, including hormone-disrupting phthalates, brain-damaging flame retardants and toxic pesticides that attach to dust.
• Try to purchase bagless vacuum cleaner since they reduce the amount of paper bags in landfills. However, if you or any of your family members are highly allergic or suffer from asthma, you may want to stick with the bag vacuums.

In addition to getting an efficient vacuum cleaner, there are a few things you can do to maintain your home’s indoor air free of allergens:

• Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth regularly.
• Use a dehumidifier if your have mold or damp air is a problem.
• Wash your bedding, curtains and draperies in hot water to get rid of dust mites.
• Check the air filter of your AC unit every four week and clean or replace it if necessary.
• If you or you family members suffer from serious asthma or allergies consider replacing wall-to-wall carpeting with hard floors and decorating them with washable area rugs.