Green Living | Green living tips and advice

The Expert answers:

Use organic/natrual fibers for sheets (bamboo, organic cotton), use reclaimed lumber or untreated wood for your bedframe and then stain with plant-based sealer. Choose low-VOC paints for your walls. If you use energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, use a lampshade made of oilcloth or parchment. For windows: use curtains or roman shades made from hemp, silk, or organic cotton, blinds made from untreated natural products such as bamboo, sustainably harvested wood, or natural grasses. You can mount a branch (twigs included!) or a bamboo pole over the window and hang tab-top curtains or a swag of raw silk over it.

The Expert answers:

Increase your insulation by adding the eco-friendly insulation which I think is made of sheep wool. Also a water but would be a good buy if you don’t already have one. Well done for trying to improve the environment.

The Expert answers:

Engineering is the art to do the most for the least. So, engineers are always trying to do something that will use the least amount of material, fuel, energy, you name it; balanced with other considerations (security, longevity, ect.)
So, the energy efficiency bit IS part of the equation. But the customer say he does not want to pay 10% more for a better insulation, and claims he does not mind to pay more each year for lost energy, we engineers are stuck.

The Expert answers:

Aveda defiantely. Company has 100% wind power manufacturing. All hair products are plant and flower!

The Expert answers:

Def. Im a vegan teen and would love it If i could finda vegan lip balm for $1.5-$2.00. All the ones at wholefoods and central markets start at $3.50.
Teens are into anything “cool” or whatever the latest fad seems to be.
Just the concept is cool, eco friendly vegan beauty line.

The Expert answers:

Search Khadi Bazaar. They sell all hand spun, hand woven and dyed with natural organic colour clothing. It can be quite colourful and exciting.

The Expert answers:

Walmart clothings. (:

The Expert answers:

Use shout…

The Expert answers:

I’ve recently done a bunch of looking into natural/homemade products for various household things. The newest thing I’m planning on trying is soap nuts. They’re all natural and have nothing done to them. Supposedly they help your clothes last longer and remove the grime build up that conventional laundry detergents leave behind. Plus, you’re not supposed to have to use any fabric softener either (another bad thing for you and your clothes). Here’s one of the websites that has information on them. They’re also the cheapest I could find and say they hand sort them instead of just selling them in the bags they come in.

Http://www.naturoli.com/soapnuts/

The Expert answers:

Sounds like you’ve done about all you can to be ecologically minimal impact. Now the funner part, changing the world. So start a game with some of your friends to see what you can do collectively, or work with your favorite store owner to see what changes can be done at the store to minimize eco-impact. You know what to do, now be our teacher/local guide!

The Expert answers:

Http://www.greennetlinks.co.uk/

The Expert answers:

If it’s a reputable company then yes. For example, (and i just saw a commercial for this today) Sun Chips is going to create the first biodegradable chip bag. Here’s a paragraph from their website:

“In 2010, we plan to introduce the first fully compostable chip bag of its kind. These innovative bags are designed to fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile.”

Details about it are here:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/sun-chips-compostable-bags.php

Oh, and here’s the commercial from Sun Chips that i saw on the Olympics tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOraijjCHLA

…But that’s taking your question literally. We know that not every product we make can decompose. However, companies like Apple will advertise themselves as being “environmentally friendly” which means they are simply using less harmful materials in their products and using less packaging material to ship their products. Less packaging material means less trash, therefore being environmentally friendly.

Here’s Apple’s thing on being environmentally friendly:
http://www.apple.com/macbook/environment.html

Hope all this answers your question!

The Expert answers:

There are a HUGE sources on line
Go to the following linke to select your favorite

http://www.google.co.il/#hl=en&q=environmental+products+stores&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=114809bd17222809

If you look for Franchise,, check the following link:
http://www.franchiseopportunities.com/industries/41/Environmental.htm

The Expert answers:

I found this place by googling “eco-friendly promotional products.” I went through their listings and they did have mugs and coasters available from recycled materials. They actually have a whole bunch of other stuff too, but it looks like their specialty is eco-friendly products.

The Expert answers:

Good for you!!! It sounds like you are on the right track! What are reusable diapers? When my kids were babies I used cloth diapers and hung them outside on the line to dry – and bleach. Are they now called reusable? I still hang my clothes on the clothesline to dry. I seldom use my dryer and the clothes smell fresh and the sun brightens the whites without having to use much bleach. One more idea that I’ve just started doing.. I turn my computer off after using, but I also remember to turn off my monitor.

Congratulations to you and your eco-friendly family!

The Expert answers:

Lol! I would spend it on doing the things we already have under way in our home. We are removing the old carpets and replacing with Marmoleum, an eco-friendly, entirely recycled flooring material. We are adding two layers of insulation to the home to reduce heating and cooling requirements. We are adding a solar PV system to the home that will allow us to generate enough electricity to power our home AND return a surplus to the grid and thereby reduce not only our own carbon footprint, but help shrink that of the local utility company. Replacing all appliances with the most energy efficient ones available. So, we’re already doing it . . . Please send me the check!!!!

The Expert answers:

These products are safe/ not harmful to us/ animals, nature/ environment…. (good for the environment/ love for nature). It reduces /lessen the effect of global warming/ pollution,.. They are also recyclable/ reusable materials…..non- toxic,..
….we can also be a environmental friendly by our activities such as by using non-toxic products, purchasing reusable bags at stores, recycling those materials, composting, gardening, segregating, conserving energy, minimizing used of pesticides, and etc… 🙂

The Expert answers:

Paper bags,recycled paper,eco furniture,eco wheels,
refer:http://www.ecoindia.com/products/

The Expert answers:

1) solar energy
2) recycled paper
3) recycled glass
4) recycled tin
5) rain water which is stored and purified
6) recycled plastic
7) biofertilizers
8) wind energy
9) geothermal energy
10) recycled steel
11) biodesel
12) biogas
13) water heated by using solar water heater
14) emergency light which runs on solar energy
15) recycled mobile
16) biogas plant
17) gasohol
18) natural gas
19) equipments consuming less energy
20) biomass
21) engiens emmiting less amount of gas

The Expert answers:

I’m not going to list them here, but I’ll give you a couple of links to check out that should get you started.

You didn’t specify what types of Eco friendly products you are looking for. That would make compiling a list much easier.

Eco Friendly Cleaning Products in General: http://www.greenhomehints.com/cleaning-household-household-cleaning-products-household-cleaning-supply/

Eco Friendly Products in General: http://www.greenhomehints.com/2010/12/14/neerg-com-eco-friendly-products-online-straight-to-your-door/

Homemade Eco friendly Cleaning Recipes: http://www.greenhomehints.com/topics/green-cleaning/

The Expert answers:

Sorry, but most “eco-friendly” products are scams.

Get yourself some “Tide”.

The Expert answers:

1)If you were to stop buying new clothes you could afford to heat your house.

2)Paperless by far

3)depends on how long you are waiting. For safety reasons it is unwise to turn the car off at lights. Furthermore it is hard on the engine and will cause failures sooner than if you used it as intended which cause parts to be produced………..

4) A solar thermal system that replaces a average homes electric hot water or gas fired is equivalent to taking an SUV off the road for 40,000 miles each year. With a life span of 20 to 30 years its positive impact far outweighs the footprint to produce. Most water heaters last only 10 years

5) IDK

6) Train drive fly in that order

7) you have the order correct

8) local band but I would prefer to see U2 than Johnny and the Scrubs

9) school play but the circus is much funner

10) see # 4 and it is not even close a solar thermal system is one of the best available technology for renewable energy

11) If you use it to offset your heating your house yes. If not no.

Note electric heat is 100 percent efficient. It is not environmentally or economically efficient compared to other options in many cases but not all

The Expert answers:

Not very useful. And yes, you can wash your clothes with plain water, but you’ll soon find they’re getting dirtier and the clothes will start to smell bad because there is no surfactant working on the soiling.

The Expert answers:

You could call it Fresh! It has a ring to it, it’s simple and clean.. I think it would be a cool name for a clothing label.

If I think of anything else I will edit. 🙂

The Expert answers:

I would love to be interviewed!

The Expert answers:

I’m finding more items at my local grocery stores. I know target and many other chains carry both Method and Seventh Generation which are eco friendly lines. I use the website www.biggreenpurse.com to find links to many online retailers. Office Max also carries a variety of recycled or biodegradable office supplies. I’ve found several books that have helped me make better decisions, my favorite it The Green Book, also found online at www.readthegreenbook.com, Easy Green Living and Green up Your Clean up. I’ve found vinegar and baking soda with a natural castile soap is about all I need to clean most surfaces in my house. Burt’s bees is a great product that can be found in many stores. To find more natural cleaners and beauty products you can usually go to Whole foods or any natural food store. I’ve found the employees very helpful.

There is a lot of confusion as to what a green product is, I believe there is a green, greener, greenest choice for many products. When I’m deciding which products to buy I consider many things, what chemicals will I be exposing myself to, what chemicals were used in it’s production, is it made from a sustainable resource, how far did it travel, is it biodegradable, does it contain items responsible for rainforest destruction, how is it packaged, what are the labor practices and how much more does it cost than conventional.

I’ve made many changes and I often have to choose which elements are more important to me. My family and health are my primary concern, so detoxing food and beauty products has a greater priority than some other elements.

The Expert answers:

You mean, you cannot find one eco friendly company in America to promote domestic jobs and prosperity? Contact an American paper company that develops post-consumer paper products, like the napkins used at Starbucks. Submit a proposal that would benefit both parties and not kill any new trees.

The Expert answers:

So only 19.5% of the people select their brand and they obviously want more people to buy their product with the advertising and labeling that the company invested on. A good rule to follow is to first state the alternative hypothesis and then do the opposite of that and add the equal sign to determine the null.

The alternative hypothesis which is what they want to find is that they sell to more than just 19.5% of the people. That would be Ha: u>19.5
The null is the opposite with the equal to sign added to it:
Ho:u ≤ 19.5

Type 1 error is rejecting the the null hypothesis(Ho) when it is true. So that in this problem a Type 1 error would occur when thinking that more than 19.5% people are buying the product when in fact 19.5% or less are actually buying the product. So in other words they would be celebrating when in fact the company is not selling more products at all. This would hurt the company because they would continue their marketing campaign thinking it was working when it was actually failing so they would just be wasting money.

A type 2 error would be accepting the null hypothesis when it is actually false. So this would be the opposite. It would mean that they would be thinking that their marketing campaign was not working and that 19.5% or less of the people were buying their products when in fact more than 19.5% of the people were buying their products and the marketing campaign was a success. They would be thinking they needed to change their marketing campaign when in fact they should be celebrating.

The Expert answers:

Amazon has a category dedicated to just green products.

Http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_2_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=amazon+green&sprefix=Amazon+g

The Expert answers:

1)paper
2) recycled paper
3) recycled glass
4) recycled tin
5) rain water which is stored and purified
6) recycled plastic
7) biofertilizers
8) wind energy
9) geothermal energy
10) recycled steel
11) biodesel
12) biogas
13) water heated by using solar water heater
14) emergency light which runs on solar energy
15) recycled mobile
16) biogas plant
17) gasohol
18) natural gas
19) equipments consuming less energy
20) biomass
21) engiens emmiting less amount of gas
22)solar energy

The Expert answers:

Here is a list with something for everybody
Everybody is different with different lives here are a 101 Ways To Live More Ecologically,may be you find something that applies to you

1. Avoid disposable in favor of reusable
items.
2. Avoid drying rags in a clothes dryer.
3. Avoid power appliances when handpower works.
4. Avoid highly processed foods.
5. Avoid using styrofoam—it can’t be recycled.
6. Avoid watering driveways and sidewalks.
7. Be responsible and creative with leftover foods.
8. Buy in bulk goods to reduce wasted packaging.
9. Buy energy efficient electric appliances.
10. Buy foods without additives.
11. Buy foods without preservatives.
12. Buy food and goods from sources you trust
13. Buy large quantities to reduce shopping trips.
14. Buy living Christmas trees.
15. Buy locally grown food and produce.
16. Buy organic, pesticide-free foods.
17. Compost your food scraps.
18. Discover and protect watersheds in your area,
19. Don’t burn trash or other smoky materials.
20. Drain cooking grease onto paper bags, not paper towels.
21. Drive a fuel-efficient car.
22. Drive less: walk, bicycle, carpooland use public transportation.

23. Eat foods low on the food chain; avoid meat.
24. Eat more natural, nutritious foods.
25. Educate elected representatives on ecology.
26. Exercise regularly.
27. Explore and learn about your bioregion.
28. Grow your own food, even a small amount.
29. Hang dry some or all of your clothes.
30. Heat your home less and wear warmer clothes.
31. Heat your home more with renewable energies.
32. Hold a potluck dinner to discuss local ecology.
33. If you use a dishwasher, turn off the drying cycle.
34. Install a water-conserving device in your toilets.
35. Install a water-conserving showerhead.
36. Insulate your home to maximum efficiency.
37. Invest for social responsibility as well as profit.
38. Invest in solar power, where practical.
39. Invest in well-made, long-lived clothing.
40. Keep hazardous chemicals in safe containers.
41. Keep appliance motors well adjusted for efficiency.
42. Mend and repair rather than discard and replace.
43. Oppose meddling in ecological balance.
44. Oppose private development of special areas.
45. Oppose roadside use of defoliants.
46. Organize or join a neighborhood toy exchange.

47. Pick up litter along streets and highways.
48. Plant native trees and shrubs around your home.
49. Plant trees throughout your community.
50. Plant your living Christmas tree.
51. Practice preventive health care.
52. Practice responsible family planning.
53. Prepare only as much food as will be eaten.
54. Protect your favorite distinctive natural areas.
55. Purchase goods in reusable/recyclable containers.
56. Put a catalytic converter on your wood stove.
57. Put toxic substances out of reach of children.
58. Recycle aluminum.
59. Recycle glass.
60. Recycle newspaper.
61. Recycle old clothes.
62. Recycle plastic.
63. Recycle used motor oil.
64. Recycle your unneeded items.
65. Re-use paper bags.
66. Re-use plastic bags for storage and waste.
67. Save up for full loads in clothes washers.
68. Save up for full loads in dishwasher.
69. Shop by phone, then go pick up your purchases.
70. Speak out about your values in community groups.
71. Support efficient energy sources in your bioregion.
72. Support elected representatives on ecological issues.
73. Support energy conservation in your bioregion.

74. Support global ecological improvement efforts.
75. Support local credit unions.
76. Support local merchants before large chains.
77. Support neighborhood food cooperatives.
78. Support proper waste water and sewage treatment.
79. Support the cultural diversity in your bioregion.
80. Support the plants and animals in your community.
81. Take shorter showers.
82. Teach your children ecological wisdom.
83. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater.
84. Turn off the lights when not needed.
85. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
86. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents.
87. Use cloth diapers.
88. Use cloth table napkins.
89. Use less tapwater whenever possible.
90. Use non-toxic pest control.
91. Use only medications you trust/understand.
92. Use rags or towels instead of paper.
93. Use rechargeable batteries.
94. Use the second side of paper for scratch paper.
95. Use water from cooking vegetables to make soup.
96. Volunteer for work in a community garden.
97. Volunteer to maintain local parks and wilderness.
98. Wash clothes in cold water.
99. Wash dishes in still, not running water.
100. Weather-seal your home.
101. Work to unlearn poor ecological habits.

Http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1996/ip960321…

The Expert answers:

As in most other cities, a few business will be open on January 1st, but most will not.

The Expert answers:

No

The Expert answers:

A CFL requires 50 times the polution to “make” the bulb as opposed to traditional bulbs and every CFL is full of mercury and lead that is not present in a traditional bulb. Half of the polution savings of the energy saved is produced in making the CFL bulb so its not the bed of roses that the tree huggers hoped it is. Instead of reducing polution by 70%, considering the embedded polution at manufacturing time, it only ends up cutting pollution by 35%. (you can pay to have the mercury recycled, but it is not cheap and not anything a homeowner will want to do).

Same happens with the electric car. Except when the car is idling at a stop light, the electric car makes AS MUCH polution in motion as a gas car, only its poluted in advance at the power plant and stored in batteries for later use. Granted the powerplant has more efficient and greater air scrubbers then the gas engine and economies of scale means a unit of energy can be made cheaper at the powerplant as opposed to gas in your car, the greenhouse gas emissions of a electric car is only marginally lower then a gas car in long run.

I liked the “first” President Bush’s idea, where he went out and planted 2 billion trees along US Federal highways as a way to reduce greenhouse gasses. You know when a tree grows, 95% of the weight of wood is carbon removed from the atmosphere. A tree can remove a profound amount of CO2 from the air, a 2000 sq ft plot of grass can provide all the oxygen needs of 8 people, a single oak tree can provide the oxygen needs of 20 people. It was estimated that the 2 billion trees original Bush planted offset the oil burning of the area of the USA west of the Mississippee River and most of those trees are still there and still cleaning the air. Florida’s toll roads are cluttered with trees from Bush’s initiative and his example is carried on by Florida DOT which continues to plant forests fulls of trees along Florida toll roads.

The Expert answers:

Add some sound, cool pictures, and make the backgruond really pop! Thats what I do ^^

The Expert answers:

Do non-believers believe it ISN’T?

D1

The Expert answers:

Eventualluy, but it will come kicking and screaming

The Expert answers:

Natural gas in the u.s.a is a homegrown energy that will help us immensely in the near and far future, corporate types would be against it if their investments are else where (tea party), it also provides solid employment at very good wages for those in the industry.

The Expert answers:

Cap and trade is a boondoggle.  It’s a full-employment program for lawyers, accountants and lobbyists to get permits for free while others have to pay, and put the other guy’s stuff under a cap while keeping your own out.  What we need is a general tax on carbon (global) and another tax on oil (domestic).

There really are two camps here, isolated by the information sources they trust.  The “there is no AGW” camp is getting its news from the same outlets which don’t want to admit there are any other reasons to get off of oil (and coal), so they say “there’s plenty”.  Meanwhile, people in the actual oil industry are warning that the lack of investment caused by the credit crunch is going to cause serious supply problems, because the natural decline rate of mature oil fields is about 10% per year and you need continuous work to offset that.

The stuff about ANWR, the Bakken shale and such are similarly silly.  The USA is still importing over 12 million barrels/day of oil.  The USGS says that there may be – MAY be – a 5% chance that ANWR could produce 1.6 million bbl/day, but its peak production is more likely around 900,000 bbl/day.  The estimated 10 billion barrels of reserves mean it could only produce that much for about 27 years; it’s a long way from a full or permanent solution to anything.

Who are you going to believe:  people in the oil industry and the United States Geological Survey, or ideologues on talk radio?

BTW, the USA consumes 10 billion barrels of oil in a bit over 500 days.  That’s less than 18 months.  The USA also has about 3% of world oil reserves, which is not surprising as it was the first territory to be intensively explored and produced; of course we ran out first!

The 2003 Iraq war was fought over oil, specifically to get the oil fields of Iraq under control of US companies.  It didn’t work.  Trying again HARDER will just fail HARDER.

Even if AGW isn’t true, there will still be wars if we don’t stop burning oil and coal.  The acidification of the oceans from CO2 is already eating into food chains.  As people’s livelihoods die off, they will either try to migrate (a la Zimbabweans) or steal (a la Somalis) to make a living.

We need to stop using oil, period.  I would suggest starting with a graduated annual tax on gas-guzzlers and an escalating tax on fuel.  When people crush their Hummers because they aren’t worth the taxes, all the parking meters have power cords and every road has bike lanes, we’ll be there.

The Expert answers:

She doesn’t wear underwear which lends her instant credibility.

We just need to work on that Article Two in the Constitution, and the whole Age 35 business…

The Expert answers:

What about the earth encircled by tees or such? Or tees growing out of a pot like a tree? Google eco-friendly and green under google images and you’ll get lots of ideas.

The Expert answers:

Try to find a store that sells it marshalls does i know that for a fact

The Expert answers:

Oh my god! There’s so much you can do! =3

You can make a compost pile (gather your organic trash such as the tips of vegetables and keep them in a pile where they can decay overtime). Compost is used as fertlizer for trees and plants. You can either donate it to a nearby facility that collects compost, or you can use it on your local trees yourself. But remember not to let it touch the roots or base of the tree because it will cause it to rot. You only want to put it on a circle around the tree on the soil so that the tree can gain nutrients.

Also related to trees, water the tree and if the soil is hard rake it to soften the soil. Hard soil suffocates the tree.

Another thing is you can use public transport more often than a car because the buses and trains run whether people get on or not, but a car is optional and pollutes the air more than necessary.

Use a regular old fan as opposed to an AC in hot weather because an AC is a far bigger energy waster.

Get a green roof! It’s a roof in which plants are planted at the top. You can use a green roof to harness solar power for the household, freshen the air with oxygen, and attract wildlife.

Create a trench in the edge of your sidewalk as far down as you can go and funnel your rainwater into a container for use. Why have all that good water going down the sewers when you can put it to use?

Whenever you get a haircut, donate your hair to organizations that use it to clean oil spills. Oil sticks to hair, so you can help clean the environment and protect marine life by donating your hair.

Oh, also, recycle your paper and reuse your own paper! Put your paper into a blender with water. Yup, the one for food. Blend and chop. And then (i’m not sure where you could buy one, my friend’s dad made hers though) build a wooden frame with a metal grate in it (very much like a net). Get a basin of water with the blended paper in it and then put the grate into it. All the way to the bottom. Then take it out and you should see that the paper pulp sticks to the grate (btw, the grate should be in the shape and size of paper). Then take some felt and stick it onto the wet paper pulp on the grate. Press it on evenly. And then hold the grate upside down on a table and bang it lightly, so that the felt will come off, with the paper sticking to it. Then just let it dry, and you’ve got your own recycled paper, perfect and usable.

And keep the heat in your house as low as possible in the winter. Wearing warm clothes is better than turning the heat up.

The Expert answers:

They sell some of the stuff from this company at Whole Foods Market(s), but there’s a whole catalog on-line – it’s http://www.underthecanopy.com/108ecte.html

The Expert answers:

I like 7th Generation. It gets my clothes really clean.

Kim at: http://www.peaceful-organic-planet.com

The Expert answers:

Besides the cloth ones, and the seventh-generation organic cotton ones, there’s also the cups. They’re a little awkward to use at first but generally very effective. O.b. Is a good option also as they have the least amount of excess product waste (applications, wrappers, etc.). Check the link for the article I found that discussed all the options.

The Expert answers:

The only thing that im really worried about was plastic bags for dog poop.I watched something awhile back talking about what plastic dog waste bags are doin to the landfills…billions of bags of dog poop just sitting.

So i made the eco-friendly decision to use Bio degradable doggie waste bags.In 45 to 60days the bags completely decompose.I ordered in bulk..600 bags for 63 dollars.Its better to buy in bulk or you could pay close to a dollar a bag.Im not really concerned with anything else eco-friendly as far as pet products go.But this is a small thing I can do as a pet owner i think is great.I think we all should try to do at least one thing.

Http://www.poopbags.com/index.html

The Expert answers:

I realize this is kinda missing the point, but I gotta throw this out there. Non-consumerism is the best way to be eco friendly.

The Expert answers:

Frogs, i believe.

The Expert answers:

I interviewed an entrepreneur who has produced the same thing you are thinking. Her name is Amilya Antonetti and she has started Soapworks (http://www.soapworks.com) manufacturing hypoallergenic cleaning products. She has now grown her business into a $10 million business in three years that it has been in business. Amilya’s company now offers a line of cleaning products: Laundry Powder or Liquid Laundry, Automatic Dishwashing Powder, All-Purpose Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, and Spot Cleaner. I think her products are now distributed in Traders Joe and other establishments.

Amilya Antonetti: How a Family Need Spurred a Profitable Business

But it was not easy. And very expensive. This is not a business you can start on a shoestring budget. To make it work, and to be able to compete with established brands in the market requires high capitalization. Unless you have the funds or investors are willing to back you up, think carefully before you start this business.