EcoVillageGreen

Put Paper In Your Garden Composter For Carbon-Rich Goodness

Joe Barrios — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:57:08 +0000

One of the questions that came up in my household as we set up our new Pyramid garden composter was whether paper could be composted. In particular, we wondered about paper towels and napkins and whether these added any value.

They sure do add value and can be composted. Same for any kind of paper like newspapers, newsprint advertisements, printer paper, shredded paper from your office, paper cone filters, tea bags, and so on. (Personally I avoid glossy paper because I feel that it lengthens the composting process, but opinions vary.)

The reason paper is valuable for your garden composter is because of carbon. The ideal compost has a mixture of nitrogen and carbon. Nitrogen comes from so-called “green” matter like your kitchen leftovers, grass clippings and other soft green leafy things. Carbon comes from “brown” matter, which can be but isn’t always literally brown; it includes paper, dead leaves, branches, cardboard, and other tougher “woody” things.

The ideal mix is about a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio–but if you’re like me you may find it difficult to meet that ratio unless you have a lot of autumn leaves, simply because of the large amount of kitchen waste available by comparison. If you put too much of this in the bin by itself it gets smelly and doesn’t have the right balance of nutrients.

Paper is a great way to increase your composter’s carbon content. It’s also readily available around the house, giving you a steady supply that helps you keep a good ratio in the bin.

Some people have concerns about chemicals and inks on paper getting in the composter, but in my opinion they are unfounded. Newspaper inks stopped using heavy metals and lead a long time ago, so nothing in the ink should be harmful in your garden. Certainly any paper you used for cleaning and which may have residual chemicals should not be composted, but that’s about it.

What about composting versus recycling used paper? Both are good and each serve their purpose. Recycling paper helps spare the forests, while composting it returns it to nature in a place that needs it (my yard.) I just do some of both.

You can shred the paper before putting it in the bin to get quicker results–or just stick it in there as-is and let Mother Nature take its course. It’s all good.

The garden composter we use is so large and composts so quickly that it never seems to fill up, so we need a constant supply of brown matter to supplement the green all year round. Paper fits the bill perfectly!

Green Cradle To Cradle Certification — For Styrofoam Insulation?

Joe Barrios — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:17:44 +0000

An interesting article in Environmental Building News caught my eye by saying that Dow Chemical’s Styrofoam branded extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation was awarded Cradle to Cradle Silver certification by its sponsor company MBDC. XPS contains the brominated flame retardant HBCD, which persists in the environment and is not green at all.

What’s going on here? People looking for green building materials tend to think of Cradle to Cradle as one of the gold standards of third-party green certification, so the development is disturbing.

MBDC explains in the EBN article that while these chemicals in XPS “are definitely a concern,” they are permitted at the lower certification levels of Basic and Silver, so long as the manufacturer has plans to improve on the use of those chemicals over time.

It’s all well and good that Dow commits to “improve” the product later. But as EBN points out in an editorial, the problem here is one of PERCEPTION. The perception is that Cradle to Cradle is a valuable green certification, something builders and consumers can look for when seeking green building materials. Few designers and individuals have likely read the fine print that says that only Crade to Cradle Gold and Platinum are the “truly” green certifications, while the lower certifications denote merely a commitment to improve.

MBDC has responded by saying,

“We have been asked by concerned people about our position regarding flame retardants. MBDC sees HBCD as one the most problematic substances in the chemical industry. HBCD tends to be highly persistent and bioaccumulative and should be removed from the market as soon as possible. With MBDC’s Cradle to Cradle® Certification we honor Dow’s commitment to replace HBCD and their action plan to do so. In the event Dow would not follow through with their plan at the one-year review, certification would be withdrawn.”

It’s great for any company to make that kind of commitment and great for MBDC to strongly encourage such commitments, but in my opinion it’s not appropriate to extend an eco friendly aura to a product until it actually improves. Call it something else — Cradle to Cradle “Reviewed” or “Aspirant” or “Committed” or whatever, but not “certified.”

Meanwhile, I’ll only focus on Cradle to Cradle Gold or Platinum when looking for truly green building materials!

Green Expo Comes To Arlington, Virginia

Joe Barrios — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:03:29 +0000

I’m very excited to announce that Arlington, Virginia is hosting a Green Expo on March 20, 2010.

First, the formal announcement:

Energy conservation, eco-friendly commuting, healthy homes, and sustainable living will be just some of the items on the menu when the Green Living Expo lands in Ballston on March 20th. The Expo will feature a wide variety of planet friendly services and products and is free to the public.

The Green Living Expo will be held Saturday, March 20, from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM at NRECA located at 4301 Wilson Blvd, Arlington. The Expo is near the Ballston Metro and local bus routes.

Whether you are a homeowner, condo owner, or an apartment renter there will be invaluable information on living green in Arlington. There will be seminars, green exhibiters, giveaways for renters, a raffle, and plenty of activities for kids. The Expo is being sponsored by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE) and for more information you can visit their website at www.arlingtonenvironment.org or call 703-228-6427.

ACE is a great community-based organization in Arlington. I had the privilege of serving on their Board for a year and a half while I lived in Arlington and before I moved to downtown Washington. They work tirelessly to inform the public about the importance of having a more eco friendly home and adopting a greener lifestyle.

The idea for the Expo came about after I saw an article online about a similar event held in Maine. Since then, other events have taken place throughout the country, making it a growing movement. The Board and volunteers of ACE have undoubtedly put a huge amount of work into ensuring this Expo is a success.

Please drop by if you live anywhere in the Washington DC area and have any interest whatsoever in having a more eco friendly home, condo or apartment. I promise you’re learn something new.

I’ll be attending the Green Expo, of course, and I hope to post some pics!

Get Cozy (and Eco Friendly) with Organic Cotton Towels

Joe Barrios — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:59:47 +0000

There are few moments I look forward to as much as the end of a busy day, right before bed, when I take a hot shower and dry off in a warm fluffy towel. That is why I’ve always personally sought the softest, fullest ones I can find–and recently I’ve been looking for some good organic cotton towels.

Why organic cotton? The problem with most towels out there (and a lot of clothing too) is that they are made with ordinary cotton, the cultivation of which takes a huge toll on the environment.

According to the Organic Trade Association, cotton is the world’s “dirtiest” crop because of its heavy use of highly poisonous insecticides and pesticides that have been ranked by the World Health Organization as among the most dangerous for human health. Additionally, cotton crops use huge amounts of synthetic chemical fertilizers that run off and leach into our waterways; it takes almost a 1/3 pound of this fertilizer to grow a pound of raw cotton, which can be turned into about one t-shirt.

This all doesn’t even account for the processing of raw cotton, which injects additional hazardous materials, waxes, heavy metals, flame retardants, formaldehyde, and other toxic sludge into the mix. The result is something that is disastrously poisonous for the environment.

Organic cotton relieves many of the problems I just mentioned because it is farmed using natural fertilizer made of things like compost and manure. Poisonous pesticides and insecticides are never used, translating to a healthier environment.

Hence my quest for perfect organic cotton towels. One brand I keep coming across is Gaiam’s “Thick & Thirsty” 100% organic cotton towels, which seem totally luxurious in the pictures and description. By switching to towels like these I stop bringing textiles made with toxic substances into my home, and hopefully encourage more manufacturers to make the switch to organic cotton as well.

I’ll be ordering some of these soon, as I re-do my bathroom’s look. I’ll post a review when I do.

How about you–do you have any favorite organic cotton towels you like? If so, post them here.

Bloom Box Revealed As Revolutionary Energy Efficient Home Technology

Joe Barrios — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:34:28 +0000

Bloom Energy just revealed its Bloom Box, a game-changing, energy efficient home fuel cell technology that could see its way into the eco friendly home within the next five or ten years. The information was released to much fanfare in California, with luminaries like Colin Powell and Arnold Schwarzenegger in attendance. It has also been recently featured on “60 Minutes.”

The heart of the Bloom Box is a fuel cell made from sand and treated with other substances. When fuel and air run over the fuel cell, the result is electricity.

What’s so special about that? Primarily, it’s the fact that the fuel cell is fuel-”agnostic.” That is, any kind of fuel could be used to power the cell, from natural gas to biogas. A stack of these fuel cells together can power an entire house, and a bigger stack can power a neighborhood. The electricity is generated right where it’s needed without having to be transported from far away.

Think of how power gets to your house today. We have an extensive, inefficient network of wires that goes from power plants burning dirty fossil fuels to your house. So you’re locked into the dirty fuel, usually coal. You are entirely reliant on it and have no way of producing your own electricity.

With a fuel cell like the Bloom box, you can choose the kind of fuel, usually a more eco friendly type. It could be biogas, biofuel, natural gas, or perhaps eventually hydrogen. If you use natural gas, turning it into electricity on site is twice as efficient as creating the electricity elsewhere and transporting it. You could also potentially generate more electricity than you need and sell it back to the grid.

While this all sounds too good to be true, it is not “vaporware.” Major companies like eBay and Google are already using these boxes to power their data centers. The boxes are expensive, but Bloom Energy hopes to get the price of a box that can power a home down to about $3000 or less in five to ten years.

I would love to get one of these small energy efficient home fuel cell boxes in my quest for the most eco friendly home possible–if they become available at a reasonable price. How about you…do you think the expense would be worth it?

Martha Stewart Introduces Line Of Green Cleaning Products

Joe Barrios — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:07:58 +0000

Martha Stewart fans out there might be glad to know that she has introduced a new line of green cleaning products for your eco friendly home: Martha Stewart Clean.

She offers a variety of products for the home including all purpose cleaner, dishwashing detergent, glass and mirror cleaner, carpet cleaner, and more. These products are made from 99%+ plant- and mineral-based formulas, with a minimum of artificial colors or harsh synthetic chemicals. The containers themselves are also recyclable.

Always on the lookout for independent opinions about how eco friendly a product really is, I learned that these cleaning products actually do carry the US Environmental Protection Agency’s “Design for the Environment” certification. A DfE award means that a scientific review team has examined the product for substances that are potentially harmful to the environment or human health and has concluded that the product contains only those ingredients that are considered to be of least concern among chemicals in their own class. The intent is to guarantee that a product uses the least harmful chemicals possible.

The “Design for the Environment” eco-label is great news for anyone wary of greenwashing, a valid concern at a time where many things are “spun” as eco friendly home products. Third party certification using scientific data is a great way to figure out what green cleaning products really are what they say they are.

Anyone have experience with Martha Stewart Clean? Post your thoughts below.

Six Ways To Save Energy Costing $50 Or Less

Joe Barrios — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:57:26 +0000

When thinking about ways to save energy at home, it’s a mistake to believe that the only way to do that is by paying for expensive renovations or appliances. The truth is that there are ways of having an eco friendly home and saving a large amount of energy that cost very little or even nothing. Here are six ways you can save energy for less than $50.

1) Energy saving light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) are an increasingly popular lighting option for people looking to save a lot of energy. Each bulb can save you up to 70% of the energy used by a regular incandescent light bulb. That adds up fast over time, especially if magnified by having multiple CFL’s anywhere in your house that needs a good amount of light. Prices on these bulbs have also gone down drastically, making them an even better value for your dollar–especially because they last many times longer. In future years you can expect to see other technologies hit the market, like LED light bulbs, but it will probably be a while before they get cheap enough to make them worthwhile. For now, CFL’s are definitely the way to go. Cost: can be found for $1.50 or less per bulb.

2) Weatherstripping. While upgrading an old boiler or air conditioning unit will certainly save you a lot of energy, don’t even bother doing that until you think about weatherstripping first. If you don’t plug up every hole in the house through which heat or cooled air is escaping then you are simply throwing money down the drain. Before planning for that appliance upgrade, grab some weatherstripping materials at your hardware store and stuff them into every crack that’s causing your interior home air to escape. Cost: less than $50 for just about any piece of weatherstripping material you would need.

3) Raise and lower your home’s temperature. Did you know you could save up to 20% on your heating and cooling bill by raising and lowering the temperature (in summer and winter respectively) by ten degrees during “non peak” hours? There is no need to keep the engines running at full blast while you’re sleeping or are busy at work. Why not give them a rest and save energy while you’re at it? You’ll suffer a minimum of discomfort, and need only to remember to re-set the thermostat on your way to work or bed (unless you have a programmable thermostat, which helps a lot.) Cost: $0.

4) Reduce hot water usage. Your hot water heater uses a good deal of energy, depending on its setting. Turning down the setting to about 110 degrees helps a good deal. So does being mindful about how you use hot water, especially while showering and while washing clothes. When doing laundry, it’s easy to use a washing cycle that uses entirely cold water, and there are special detergents available that are specifically for washing in cold water. The less hot water you use, the more you save–while the savings can’t be quantified, bear in mind that large amounts of water are heated and used during these activities. Cost: $0.

5) Turn off the computer. A typical computer power supply uses about 300 watts of energy, or the equivalent of five 60-watt bulbs. Many people let their computers run day and night. What for? Turn off the computer and save energy instead. If you don’t want to power it down completely, then set it to “sleep” mode–which turns off the computer except for a tiny bit of power to the computer’s memory to keep track of where you were when you return. In Windows you can set set sleep mode manually or set it up to happen automatically after a certain number of minutes of inactivity. Cost: $0.

6) Try a programmable timer switch. A programmable timer switch (like the previously discussed Leviton 6124h Decora) takes the place of an ordinary light switch, but allows you to digitally program the times you want that light or associated appliance to turn on and off. You no longer have to worry about forgetting to leave the lights on at night, simply let the programmed switch do it for you. Keeping the lights turned off when you don’t need them saves you a good deal of money. Cost: $49 for the Leviton 6124h, which lets you program “on” and “off” settings in thirty-minute increments.

The bottom line is that you do not need to install fancy upgrades to get a big bang for your buck or have an environmentally friendly home. These small upgrades add up quickly to save you a good deal of money without costing a lot to put in place.

What Are Safe Plastic Numbers To Use?

Joe Barrios — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:39:27 +0000

After writing about what the plastic recycling numbers listed on the bottom of plastic containers mean, I have been swamped with questions about which ones are considered safe plastic numbers and which ones are not, especially in the area of food and drink.

Please bear in mind that a lot of research is still ongoing, and new information is coming to light all the time. One example is BPA (Bisphenol A), where a barrage of recent studies have shown the harmful effects of that plastic on the endocrine, neurological, and sexual reproductive systems, as well as on fetal and infant brain development and behavior. It’s therefore impossible to say with absolute certainty whether any particular industrial material, including plastic, is absolutely safe under all circumstances.

Here’s what we do know: some plastics are definitely dangerous or risky, sometimes when heated and sometimes when used under any circumstances. Others are safe if used properly, based on current knowledge and research (or at least based on what I know.)

Here are a few questions I’ve gotten recently, with some answers that hopefully help to demystify the issue of safe plastic numbers:

1) What are considered to be safe plastic recycling numbers?

The absolute safest plastic numbers, especially for storing food, are:

#2, HDPE, a usually opaque plastic used for milk jugs, detergent bottles, juice bottles, toiletries and the like.
#4, LDPE, used for things like plastic bags, food storage, bread bags, some food wraps, squeezable bottles.
#5, polypropylene, used for a wide variety of applications such as yogurt cups, medicine bottles, ketchup and syrup bottles, and straws.

2) What about #1 (PET) plastic?

Current knowledge is that this plastic is generally safe, and is used for things like plastic water bottles. However, in another example of how research is still emerging, an article published in the November 2009 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives provided evidence that PET #1 plastic may leach endocrine disruptors, depending on how it’s used and at what temperature. More research is definitely needed here!

The other concern about #1 plastic is that things like water bottles are intended for one-time use, whereas many people refill them and use them continuously. That increases the chance of the plastic harboring bacteria you might ingest, since it’s difficult to wash and doesn’t resist high temperatures.

3) What plastic numbers contain BPA?

The primary culprit for BPA is plastic recycling number 7. BUT NOT ALL PLASTIC #7 IS BPA! Plastic #7 is a “catch all” category that includes many kinds of plastic that don’t fit the classifications of the other numbers. For example, bioplastics made from sugarcane and corn also carry #7, and these are kinds of plastics we definitely want to encourage people to use.

So the key here is to do your research, and not panic if you see #7 plastic. Many manufacturers of items like athletic water bottles that were previously making them out of BPA are quickly transitioning to other materials in light of the emerging evidence of health concerns.

4) Is it safe to heat up foods touching plastic in the microwave oven?

Personally, I would never do this for ANY plastic, no matter what the number and no matter what the manufacturer says about safety. One problem here is plastic #3, or PVC, which is used in some plastic cling wrapping for food. There are phthalates in PVC, material-softening chemicals that leach from PVC and could interfere with the endocrine system. So I would minimize touching food with this kind of plastic, and definitely not microwave food with it.

As for the other plastics, the risk is yours to take. For my part, I only use glassware or non-plastic plates for heating food, with a paper towel or wax paper to cover it.

5) Is it safe for kids to chew on straws and sippy cups made out of #5 plastic?

I listed #5 as one of the safe plastic numbers, but when it comes to kids do you really want to chance it? The bottom line is that we BELIEVE this plastic is totally safe and therefore theoretically should be OK to chew on. But new information is always coming to light about plastics, and it’s impossible to know with absolute certainty. If it were my children, I would discourage them from chewing on these objects by removing them as soon as the kids are done using them, as well as frequently replace them.

6) Are styrofoam cups safe?

Styrofoam or polystyrene is plastic #6. The general consensus of the medical literature appears to support the view that this type of plastic is safe. There are some nagging concerns, however, such as the Japanese study by Sakamoto Hiromi, about whether and how much polystyrene can leach into food and hot drinks. Given the doubts, my personal view is not to use it for things like hot coffee, using safer mugs instead.

7) Should I use a food container/sippy cup/whatever that doesn’t have a plastic recycling number on it?

I don’t know why some plastics don’t come with a recycling number. In one case I was able to find it by looking it up online, but in other cases I’ve been out of luck. If you don’t know what kind of plastic it is, you can’t know whether it could potentially be harmful or not. To be on the safe side, I would stop using anything without a plastic number on it in favor of an equivalent product that does.

If you have additional questions about safe plastic numbers and unsafe ones, add them to the comments below and I will try to address them there or in a future blog post!

Leviton 6124h Decora Programmable Timer Switch Saves Energy By Conveniently Managing Your Lights

Joe Barrios — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:51:14 +0000

Tired of the nightly ritual of turning on certain lights or appliances and later turning them off? How about forgetting to turn them off altogether? It can all be a big waste of time and money, especially if you live in a larger home. Wouldn’t it be great if you could program the pesky light switches to automatically go on and off by themselves? The Leviton 6124h programmable timer switch does exactly that, relieving you of the hassle and allowing you to efficiently fine tune exactly when your home’s lights get switched on and off.

The Leviton 6124h is part of the Leviton Decora family of switches, an award-winning line of devices designed to enhance any interior, from the contemporary to the traditional. The switch is available in white, almond and ivory.

The switch is 24-hour LCD programmable, and allows you to program your lights on or off down to thirty-minute intervals. That level of flexibility makes it ideal for a wide variety of applications: general lighting, bathroom heat lamps, hot tubs and spas, motors, pools, attic fans, exhaust fans, home office lights, closets, landscape and security lighting, and more.

The Leviton 6124h has a single large button and three smaller ones below it. The large button lets you turn the light on and off manually, overriding the timer. The smaller buttons are for setting up your programmed times: the left one advances the electronic cursor at 30 minute intervals, the center one toggles the on/off command, the right one sets the actual time. A red LED light informs you when the switch is set to “on.” The switch also has a memory so that you do not have to re-program the switch if the power goes off.

The switch is single-pole, has a load rating of 1200W, and is intended for 120 volt AC. It is three-wire, and a neutral is required. It is compatible with electronic ballasts such as those found on fluorescent lights.

I can think of a lot of handy places where I’ll love having the Leviton 6124h when I get to doing the electrical work in my new home: my front door light, my back door light, my front foyer, my basement lights, and more. I’m tired of forgetting to turn them off and feeling guilty about wasting energy. With this stylish Decora programmable timer switch, it won’t matter!

SUMMARY:

Pro’s: Allows you to turn on lights and appliances only when you need them, and not worry about remembering to turn them off.

Con’s: somewhat more expensive than regular switches or other programmable switches with less flexible features.

Why it’s green: you can save a lot of energy, fossil fuel-based electricity, and money by having lights and appliances turned off automatically when you know you won’t need them.

Green certifications: none that I’m aware of.

Buy:

Leviton 6124h White

Leviton 6124h Almond

Leviton 6124h Ivory

Buy New Energy Star Appliances With Help From Obama’s “Cash For Clunkers” Appliance Rebate Program

Joe Barrios — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:12:52 +0000

On the list of many things I have to do to go green in my new home is to upgrade to Energy Star appliances as soon as I can. Of particular concern are my Maytag washer and dryer that look like they’ve been around since before I was born. Energy efficiency and water saving wasn’t considered to be quite as important back then and these two appliances seem to consume a lot of both.

I did some research and found that the Obama Administration is preparing a “cash for clunkers” program for old machines, to encourage people to replace them with more efficient Energy Star appliances (and thereby help the economy improve). It is a rebate program to reimburse you when you purchase an eligible energy efficient appliance.

Here’s how it works, based on the Energystar.gov website. The Department of Energy has approved rebate money to be allocated to the states and the District of Columbia. The latter will establish their own guidelines for implementing the rebates, including amounts to disburse per purchase. The money available varies by state and is limited–here in my home town of Washington DC a total of $568,000 is available.

Check this website to see when the Energy Star rebate program begins in your state (some states have already begun their programs.) Also on this page is a list of each state’s rebate website and the phone hotline you can call for more information. Follow your state’s instructions carefully! One state I checked had a requirement of purchasing your Energy Star appliance in the state itself instead of online.

It’s important to act fast–once the money allocated for your state is gone, it’s gone. For my part, I’ll have to wait until April 2010 before the money arrives in DC. You can bet I’ll be lining up to buy my Energy Star appliances and replace my old clunkers. Can’t beat going green with energy efficient appliances and helping the economy while you’re at it!