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5 Alternatives for Green Lighting
CFLs, (Compact Flourescent Lights) are one of most popular ‘green’ lighting options available. They are easily obtainable, available in almost any store that sells regular incandescent bulbs (incandescent are becoming the hard bulbs to find). Their energy savings is well documented and well advertised. This light is whiter than the light of an incandescent light, which throws a slightly yellowish warm hue.
The Supra Compact Fluorescent lamp lasts ten times longer than incandescent lights so they not only save you money, they save planet resources at the same time. These lights have a warmer tone to the light they throw. Supra Life SFLs throw minimal heat and the light intensity is not glaring like some fluorescent lights.
Halogen Floodlight
This is a 38 watt bulb that uses a rigid quartz capsule, this is more durable and allows precise control of the beam due to solid state design. These lights have the capacity to save up to thirteen percent over regular halogen lights. The lamp is coated with a reflective substance that will pass heat outside the bulb through the back and reflect the light forward. These lights have about a five year life span.
Regular Halogen Light
Similar to the light listed above, but not directable.
Blue Patriotic Light
This light is relatively unknown to the general public, though it is showing up more and more. Retail outlets such as Target are now carrying these lights. The Blue Patriotic Light is a compilation of three LED lights, it consumes very little energy compared to the incandescent alternative. The hour life of this bulb is approximately 100,000 hours. The feature that makes this light a good outdoor landscape alternative is the fact that it is chip and water resistant.
Frugal? Go Green to Save More Money
There are many ways that going green can bring a smile to even the most frugal person’s face. If you enjoy vegetables, the first thing you can do is grow your own. Not only will you pay less for your vegetables, you will also have control over what they are subjected to while still in the ground. Here, you will be able to not only keep unwanted chemicals out of your body, you can also help to keep them out of the Earth.
The next thing you can do is monitor your homes energy consumption programs and manipulate them in such a way as reduce your energy footprint. The easy things are; install a programmable thermostat (if you don’t already have one). Wash only full loads, both dishwasher and clothes washer. Open the windows, let the fresh air come in.
A large portion of your energy consumption can come from lighting. Replace all of your current incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. This will not only be better for the environment, it will also lighten the load on your wallet. If financially feasible, replace your old power hungry appliances with newer ‘energy star’ efficient appliances. One thing many people don’t know is that air conditioning effectiveness can be cut drastically by dirty filters, ducts, etc. Give your air conditioning system a tune up.
Take a clipboard and survey your home. Make notes as to what needs to be addressed immediately and what you can address in the future. You can make your wallet and the earth healthier with every improvement you do.
Get Paid to Make Your Home Eco Friendly
There are many rebate programs available to make your home more ‘green compliant’. There are programs funded by the government; federal, state and local. If you create more power than you use and you are still connected to the grid, your extra power will funnel back to the electric company and they will pay you for it. If you are curious about how much power you use, check out this electricity usage monitor.
There are tax credits available for window and door conversions, to green compliant products and insulation, installation being between January 1, 2009 and Dec. 31. 2010. Homeowners can claim up to thirty percent of the cost of the product (not including installation). Many of the water providers are giving rebates for changing to drought tolerant foliage and décor. The California Energy Commission’s ‘Emerging Renewables Program’ is providing financial incentives for homeowners that install qualifying systems on their property. As an example of qualifying systems, you would be installing wind generators, solar devices or fuel cell systems. The incentive given would depend on the size of the system, the technology involved and the installation method used.
Do a search in your area for all rebates pertaining to the type of power system you would like to install. Search not only local, but all the way up to federal assistance. The more time you put into your research, the more likely you will get maximum benefit from rebate programs and financial assistance.
Why Your Cleaning Products Might Be Making Your Dog Sick
Many people use cleaning products that are made of chemicals that are harmful not only to nature in general (as you either flush it down the toilet or wash it down the sink), it is dangerous to the health of your dog. There are many floor cleaning products that say on their label not to allow animals to walk on the wet floor. This is because what you have mopped onto your floor is toxic to your pets. If it’s toxic to your pets, you can bet it’s also toxic to you, just at a lesser degree.
Many dogs suffer from dry skin and lesions caused by carpet fragrance powder. This powder can cause allergic reactions that will keep your dog scratching until the skin is raw and even bloody. If you MUST put a powder on your carpet, use baking soda. It is a natural deodorant that won’t make your pets miserable. One thing to consider is that any and all types of powder put on carpet is not completely picked up by the vacuum. This leaves the powder present in the carpet fibers and it wears against the fiber much the way sandpaper rubs against wood.
Vinegar is your friend, replace all of those chemical cleaners with vinegar anywhere you can. There are also many green cleaning products right here at TheGetGreenStore.
Olive oil and lemon juice makes a wonderful, natural furniture polish that isn’t toxic for your animals. When you finish with the lemon peel, either put it in the garbage disposal and grind it to freshen the system, or put it in a plant that the animals are attracted to, the attraction will end.
