Your Questions About Green Living

The Expert answers:

Over a nuclear reactor

it’s in use so why not save some watts

The Expert answers:

Any razor that uses disposable cartridges. You could use a straight razor, but the learning curve is steep, and the skill level is high.

The Expert answers:

Very thin cloth ( like flour sacking ) with a water proof glue. The cloth can be printed with indelible ink ahead of time before gluing. The glue could be one of those watered based glues that becomes water proof after it dries.
What about using a rubber stamp with permanent ink, right on the bottles?

The Expert answers:

I do this for a job, and here’s the methodology.

First take into account the site. Every site is different, even if they’re the same size and next to each other. Every site will have it’s own strengths and weaknesses based on solar access, wind availability and prevailing direction, soil type, size and shape, views, transport access, surrounding structures and trees, etc.

Then design the home around those strengths and weaknesses. Just as each site is different so will each house. That design is also influenced by passive solar heating and passive airflow cooling principles.

That’s the main core of designing an eco friendly house, and so far there’s NO extra cost over a regular house. If you get these first two steps right, the rest is relatively easy.

Next decide what to build the house out of, and what to use as far as appliances, renewable energy, etc. The budget comes into play here, because the best materials and fittings usually are more expensive. But having said that any extra money spent now will pay for itself many times over during the lifespan of the house. So it’s worth doing as much as you can possibly afford.

Also take into account toxicities of materials. An Eco house should also be a healthy house, and many materials commonly used in building contain cancerigenes such as formaldehyde.

Then think outdoors, and design the landscaping around the house to be as productive and complimentary as possible. One of the best ways to eat is straight from your own garden, and with food miles to be taken into account this is even more so now.

And finally, the last but certainly not least step is to inform the occupiers how to live in the house efficiently. Behaviour can make or break even any environment, and an eco friendly house is no exception.

Hope that one minute nutshell helps, and I have a link to a self-reliant house I’m currently building if you’d like more info. Feel free to take any ideas from it.

The Expert answers:

Reduce
The amount of energy you consume and start using renewable energy sources, such as wind power and solar power. Sign up for Green Energy with your local power provider. If they don’t have it, then tell them to get it.
Reuse
By using products made with recycled materials. Make or buy a compost bin to use your organic waste as fertilizer for your trees, shrubs, and garden.
Recycle
All materials to your best ability in your local area.
There is a green movement in the country, it could be a case of too little too late, but at the least we are moving towards a nation that has a conscious about destroying the environment. The green movement has caught on with many groups and has become fashionable in some industries. The home building or home improvement industry is no exception. Many construction companies, home improvement centers and building products advertise some level of commitment towards “green” or environmentally friendly construction. Are these companies actually fulfilling their promises? That is a discussion for another day What we want to focus on is how a wood kitchen cabinet can help you become environmentally friendly. Everyone should want to reduce their “carbon footprint”. This carbon footprint is roughly defined as the amount of CO2 that you, as a living person, put into the environment each day. It can be everyday activities like driving a car, running an air conditioner, or building a house. Almost everything you do has a connection to the environment, be it direct or incidental. Taking products and using them is basically us being consumers and from this consumption we are taking from nature. This then creates pressure on the environment. So again, if I am building a house or renovating my kitchen, how do wood kitchen cabinets help lower my carbon footprint? The first thing is to define a “wood kitchen cabinet”. Unless you’re living in the nineteenth century, you’re probably not going to see a solid wood cabinet. It is not economical and it just does not make sense in the building industry.

What you are getting in wood kitchen cabinets is one of two things. Solid wood faced cabinets with paneled wood sides (these are the good cabinets) or the lesser quality cabinet that is a wood front and a particle board side (places like Home Depot and Lowe’s sell these inferior cabinets). Now that you have a definition of what really is a wood kitchen cabinet, you can then ask where I find these solid wood cabinets with paneled sides. The very best, easiest, and least expensive method to buying these cabinets is actually online. Yes, the internet cabinet websites easily beat any retail prices. (Mostly because of less over head). Finally, how am I saving the environment, if I am buying wood kitchen cabinets? The trick to saving money and the environment is the RTA kitchen cabinet. It is not a brand name, but rather a style of cabinet. RTA stands for “ready to assemble”. These cabinets are about thirty to forty percent less than an assembled cabinet and they are actually helping to cut down carbon emissions and save lumber. These all wood RTA kitchen cabinets use the entire tree, thus cutting waste. Furthermore, these cabinets save space on shipping. They are unassembled so they take up to fifty percent less space. This “space savings” contributes to less shipping; this produces less carbon dioxide. You may say that does not seem like much, but when you add up the number of shipments, this becomes a huge amount of carbon dioxide that is kept out of the atmosphere. So in the end, every little bit helps. Yes buying wood kitchen cabinets, especially RTA kitchen cabinets will help the environment. Now all we have to do is get everyone to do their own small part.