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Your Green Home Theater

By Guest Author on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 | No Comments

Not everyone has an entire room devoted to their fondness for cinema, but even for those of us who simply boast a large flat-screen in the living room, there are ways to go green while you enjoy the movies you love.  If you do have the money to create a dedicated home theater, you should certainly consider building your room with the planet in mind, since it is our beautiful terrain that provides the backdrop for the exotic locales in your favorite films.  Here are a few helpful hints to start you on the road to furbishing your green home theater.

  1. Flooring.  Starting from the ground up is always best, so instead of that plush multicolored synthetic carpet (which is non-recyclable), consider an eco-friendly tread like wool carpet or bamboo or cork flooring (made from natural, renewable, biodegradable materials).  Or you can go with a recyclable synthetic like Evolution nylon for easier maintenance.
  2. Seating.  Of course you want authentic theater seats, but you don’t have to get them custom made.  It doesn’t get any more authentic than reclaiming seats from an actual theater, so think about adding a retro vibe with some old-school chairs.  You’d be surprised what you can find on eBay and Craig’s List if you take a little time to look.  If you just can’t stand the idea of finding ages-old gum from some bygone era stuck to the bottom of your seat, there are several furniture manufacturers who offer lines of home-theater seating that are either made from eco-friendly products or are entirely recyclable.
  3. Storage.  You’ll need some place to keep your DVDs, video cassettes, laser discs, and reel-to-reels, and you’re sure to want something that is attractive.  You can purchase bamboo cabinets if you require custom-made (it is a highly renewable wood) or find a merchant who specializes in reclaimed cabinetry to get the hardwood you want without denuding another forest.
  4. Curtains.  No theater is complete with a curtain to pull back to announce that the movie is about to begin.  And you can make this standard feature green as well by seeking out sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, or even peace silk.  These fabrics are all made without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers and contain low impact dyes, so you can add a little style and sophistication to your room without damaging the planet.
  5. Projector.  It wouldn’t really be a theater without a projector, and incredibly, even those have gone green.  Sanyo now offers electronics (including projectors) with the environment in mind.  They have two models that come with an eco stand-by mode that uses about 80% less energy than other projectors (and their packaging is recyclable).  If your space is too small for a projector, then consider an LED flat-screen (as opposed to LCD or plasma), which uses 40% less power than a traditional LCD.

You may not think that “home theater” and “eco-friendly” are two phrases that go together, but in today’s world, everyone is starting to think about ways to be kind to the planet, even while experiencing the heights of luxury.  So if a home theater is on your agenda, consider some of the many ways in which you can have your movie and watch it too; by protecting the beautiful vistas that made riding off into the sunset possible.

Leah Marin is a communications coordinator for Projection Screens.

Seeing Green with Eco-Friendly Lighting

By Guest Author on Friday, June 18th, 2010 | No Comments

In today’s uncertain world, with the economy in crisis and global warming threatening our future survival, it’s no surprise that people are turning to eco-friendly alternatives, and trying to save money at the same time.  And with more and more people demanding green options (especially for the home) companies have sprung into action to fill the supply chain with newer, better, and cheaper products and services.  And while there are many inexpensive ways to reduce your carbon footprint, perhaps one of the easiest is by experimenting with eco-friendly lighting options.

The best place to start is by devising ways to incorporate more natural lighting into your home.  It is certainly cheap (you can’t beat 100% free), but finding ways to bring it indoors can get pricey, especially if the amount of light you enjoy in a given day fluctuates with changing seasons, if you suffer from limited or poor window placement, or if your house wasn’t built with natural lighting in mind (in other words, you don’t have an open floor plan).  If your climate is a cold one, you are just going to have to deal with a decided lack of sunlight during the winter months.  However, if you are facing one of the latter two difficulties, consider strategically installing a number of mirrors, large and small, throughout your house to bounce around the light that does come in.  Of if you can afford it, install more window (including skylights), or go to town and knock down some interior (non-load-bearing) walls and open up your space.  You can even invest in the latest option for bringing outdoor light in with sunlight-transport-devices that collect sunlight and transport it through fiber-optic cables to lighting fixtures in your home.  And let’s not forget solar lights.  You may think these are only for outdoor use, but there are portable options that you can leave in the sun to charge and light up later on indoors in lieu of lamps.

You can also fall back on the old-school by simply turning back the sheets when darkness falls (although this could seriously cramp your style), or by lighting a few candles.  However, open flames are, let’s face it, a fire hazard, so you might want to go for something a little more modern.  Luckily, installing energy-efficient lights doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go for all new fixtures.  Most compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), or energy-star light bulbs, will fit into your current fixtures.  They cost a little more than incandescent bulbs, but they last ten times as long and use 75% less electricity, so over the life of a single bulb, you should get your money back and then some.  You can also consider light emitting diodes (LEDs) which, until recently, were only found in items like alarms clocks, DVD players, and traffic lights.  They use up to 90% less electricity than incandescent lights and are said to last up to 60 times as long (they are also recyclable).  And if you’re really into going green (and you can afford the initial cost), another options to consider is installing solar panels to power your house with the only source of green energy that boasts absolutely no emissions.

So from cheap to expensive, there are many ways to illuminate your house and your life.  The great thing about going green with your lighting is that a little effort on your part can go a long way towards reducing waste, cutting electricity use, and keeping our planet healthy for future generations.  Although saving money feels good, saving the planet feels even better.

Kyle Mentz is a communications coordinator for Alluminare where you can find a large assortment of home lighting options.

Why Go Green to Remodel?

By Alison Wood on Sunday, June 13th, 2010 | No Comments

If you’re looking to remodel part, or all, of your home, consider working some green ideas into your budget.  If money is not an issue, you can certainly go all out, but with eco-friendly products flooding the market due to an increase in demand over the last several years, you can often find green options that are similar in price or can even cost you less for comparable products.  And with government incentives and continued energy savings, some of these products can be the gift that keeps on giving.  Here are just a few of the many options available if you’re looking to keep the planet healthy while you beautify your home.

  1. Start on the bottom.  Green flooring doesn’t have to be concrete or laminate.  There are a wide variety of materials to choose from that are sustainable, renewable, and energy saving.  You can go with recycled materials like glass tiles or reclaimed hardwoods and stone, or you can opt for something modern like bamboo (which renews in three years, unlike hardwoods, which can take up to thirty).  Many green flooring is also engineered to provide increased insulation to cut down on heat or cooling loss.
  2. Re-use and re-use again.  If you’re looking to upgrade shabby cabinets, consider donating them to a local center that will restore and sell them.  You can also consider purchasing your new cabinets at such a store.  You’re sure to find something nicer than your current cabinets, but at a much more reasonable price than retail stores.  You trade in your car, why not your cabinets?  Plus, that’s two sets of cabinets you’re keeping out of the landfill.
  3. Go low-flow.  Installing low-flow or dual flush toilets can have many surprising benefits.  For one, you probably won’t even notice the decreased water level half the time.  And while you stand to save quite a bit on your water bill, you can also get a mail-in rebate from your water company (most will send you up to half back on your toilet purchase if you mail them a copy of your receipt).  Also, consider a tankless water heater to replace that ancient behemoth in your basement.  It takes up a lot less space and it only heats the water you use rather than wasting energy on warming water that sits all day.
  4. Get energy efficient.  Energy-star appliances will not only cut your electric bill (even light bulbs claim to save you up to $30 over the life of the product), you can also benefit from government incentives.  The federal tax credit will allow a return of up to $1,500 on qualifying items (and installation), so check to see if you can take advantage of these additional savings.
  5. Install solar panels.  These are the greenest of the green when it comes to energy.  They produce absolutely zero pollution.  They do come with a eye-popping price tag, but keep in mind that you can work the system to get some of that money back through government programs (do some research to see what your state or county offers).  And if you do it right, you will not only save the money you would have spent on electricity, you can also sell any extra energy to the power company for use in other homes, cutting down on pollution from other sources.  That’s a pretty sweet deal!

Jennifer Kardish is a communications coordinator at Kitchen Cabinet Mart. You can check out their free design tips for your kitchen and home.

Organic Pesticides That You Can Make At Home

By Alison Wood on Friday, June 11th, 2010 | 2 Comments

Why spend a lot of money on commercial organic pesticides when you can easily and cheaply make your own at home? You will be surprised to know how many items that you have around the house can be used for organic pest control in your own garden. Here are just a few ideas.

Garlic

Garlic is technically not a pesticide because it does not usually kill but it repels many pests. They just don’t like the taste or the smell. You can use garlic for pest control in two ways.

First, planting garlic around other plants will keep many pests off. Garlic planted around tomatoes can prevent red spider mite. (Salt water spray is also good against spider mite.) Around fruit trees, garlic plants can repel borer beetles whose larvae would bore into your tree trunk, damaging or even killing the tree.

Second, you can make an organic pest control spray from garlic blended with water or oil. Use the water mixture directly on growing vegetables or flowers to prevent rabbits and other invaders from snacking on your plants. Use the oil mixture to spray onto ponds. It will form a film on the surface of the pond that can kill mosquitoes.

Boric acid (known in other forms as boracic acid, borates or borax)

This was a common product found in most households until recent years and you can still buy it in drugstores or online. It is often used as an ingredient in industrial pesticides, but it is a natural product mined in the Mojave desert.

Boric acid has anti fungal properties so it can be used to get rid of mildew and other molds and fungi. In powdered form it can be very effective against ants, termites, ticks, fleas, bedbugs, slugs, earwigs, beetles, roaches and even scorpions. It will also kill crickets and grasshoppers.

Boric acid is mildly toxic to humans or pets, although not much more dangerous than table salt. A pet would have to eat a lot to suffer symptoms, and humans even more. However, do not take internally and do not use in large quantities on plants that pets will lick or eat.

Soap

Liquid detergent and other soaps can be effective sprayed onto roses and other plants that suffer from aphids or other small fly infestations. It can also work well against slugs. For extra punch, add equal quantities of hot chili peppers, horseradish (roots and leaves), spearmint and green onion tops to your soapy water.

Many home made organic pest control products do not kill the insects and other pests, but simply prevent them from coming near your plants. This will be important to you if you prefer not to kill any living beings for religious or ethical reasons – or just for good karma. However, other products such as boric acid are true pesticides. You can also find many commercial organic pesticides for sale either online o