www.greenandpretty.net

Water Usage in Your Home

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve done your part. You donate to local energy co-ops and you went to www.energysavings.com to see how green your energy provider is but what about water? Wasting water is a sin even the most energy-conscious people don’t realizehere are a few thoughts for saving more water at your house:
In the Bathroom: The bathroom is where we waste most of our water, believe it or not. Of course do the obvious like taking short showers and cutting off the sink while you brush but also know that baths use the most water of anything in the bathroom!
In the Kitchen: Cut your dishwasher usage in half by soaking rather than rinsing. Also, turn your icemaker off in the winter as you don’t need it to make as much – use trays instead.
In the Yard: Buy a rainwater collector to use for watering the yard to save on your water costs as well as recycle. Plant a garden and some spread trees – they’ll shar e the water they use with the other plants in your yard. Way to be green!

Post-Consumer Waste Remodeling And Building Materials

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Today there are a wide range of recycled building materials available. These materials reduce landfills, are affordable, can be found locally, and will spark artistic creativity in building projects.

Items as simple as empty glass bottles, metal cans, wooden pallets, cardboard, and dirt filled tires have been used to create livable buildings. Reclaimed hardwood can be turned into tabletops, desks, or headboards. A simple outdoor deck can be built from reused wooden pallets and plywood. Old license plates can serve as roofing material. A supple floor can be assembled with wine corks. Abandoned blue jeans and denim can be treated with fire retardant and installed as effective insulation. Items as strange and unique as silos, ships, airplanes, train cars, and shipping containers have been repurposed as dwellings.

Some businesses take old building materials and reconstruct them into “new” materials. Recycled content carpet, recycled wood/plastic composite lumber, recycled concrete, recycled paint, and recycled plastics are all examples of post-consumer waste building materials.

Recycled building materials can be found at reclamation centers, non-profit re-sellers, for free or cheap in online or print classified ads, thrift stores, garage sales, and even lining the street on trash pick-up days. Keep your eyes and ears open for recycled building materials around your town.

Understanding “R” Factor Ratings In Attic Insulation

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Attics contain cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer. Insulation in the attic is what keeps the hot or cold air contained. Insulation is rated by its R-value or thermal resistance. The thickness of the insulation does not affect its R-value. The value is determined on how well it contains thermal air. Proper R-value insulation will prevent hot air from entering the home in the summer and escaping in the winter. Thermal resistant insulation is rated by numbers. A higher number means a better insulating quality.

Heat will transfer by convection which is hot air rising. Conduction heat is a source such as the sun heating the roofing material and conducting it into the attic. Then there is radiant heat that is the transfer of heat from one place to another. Proper insulation in the attic will prevent these types of heat transfers.

Reflective radiant heat barriers can be used in the attic along with thermal resistant insulation. The reflective barriers come in thin sheets that can be stapled to the roofing trusses. The barrier will reflect back out of the attic the radiant heat. Homes in the wintertime of course run their heat. The hot air in the home will rise and if there is no thermal resistance the heat will be lost. Good attic insulation will prevent the heat from escaping in the winter. The insulation in the summer blocks radiant heat from entering the house.The hits keep comin’: Definition: Insulation

Installing A Whole House Water Restrictor

admin — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Water has been in the news a lot lately, and not always in a good way. Water restrictions are common and drought in Texas has led to disastrous wildfires. On top of that, sometimes municipal water systems have extremely high or uneven pressure. This can result in unpleasant noises in your pipes and even damage your plumbing.

The solution is a whole house water restrictor that controls the flow of water. Although these restrictors can lower water pressure, they will make sure any whole house water filter you are using works correctly and also prevent large amounts of water waste.Never heard of this before? Get up to speed here.

The most common form of water restrictor is a pressure-reducing valve that is installed where the water enters the home. Many localities now require that these be fixed to all new homes. Installing one yourself is possible. Turn off the water and then remove a section of pipe from the main water line. Clean the ends of the cut pipe and make sure they are dry, then attach an extension piece, soldering it into place. The pressure reducing valve can then be screwed into the extension piece. Three 90-degree elbows and a coupling will complete the installation. However, as this requires a lot of soldering and heating, you may want to hire a plumber to do it.

The end result will be lower and more even pressure to your pipes and fixtures. You may even be able to remove your shower head and toilet water restrictors, confident that you are still saving energy and water.

Establishing A Community Based Recycling Program

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Dramatic improvements in recycling technology and collection systems over the years have made recycling easier than ever, and community-based recycling programs are sprouting up everywhere. Establishing one near you can be a fun, rewarding process.

First, check the availability of recycling services in your area. Cities with populations greater than 20,000 usually either have their own recycling centers or share such resources with nearby towns, meaning a processing center should never be too far. Pickup services vary from city to city, but most are free of charge and happen at regularly scheduled intervals, usually once a week. Pickups have gotten even more convenient in many places with the advent of single-stream recycling, which allows folks to skip the tedious sorting process and toss all of their recyclable paper, plastic, glass and metal products into a single curbside bin.

Learning about local recycling options is often the easy part. Not everyone is convinced that recycling works, and persuading the neighbors can take work. If so inclined, publish some simple leaflets touting the advantages of recycling for distribution around the neighborhood and talk face-to-face with anyone who will listen. It might take time, but the planet will be better off for it.