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Green Gifts that Don’t Create Waste
It’s not easy to be an anti-consumer during the holidays. The deluge of catalogs flooding your mailbox, TV shows bullet-holed with commercials, and your children and grandchildren drawing back in horror [more…]
Reducing Holiday Waste by Using Less Wrapping Paper
You can be creative with your gift-wrapping without using new paper and ribbons. Decorating different containers and repurposing them to contain gifts is good for the environment and also makes the gifts [more…]
Using Eco-Friendly Candles during the Holidays
Whether you’re observing Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa, part of your celebration probably includes candles. But while candles warm the heart, they also may damage your lungs, indoor air [more…]
Green Living Tip: Avoid Drinking Straws
If you're interested in green living, try to remember to stop drinking out of a straw. Drinking straws are bad for the environment — first because the plastic straw, itself, doesn't biodegrade; and, second [more…]
Being Green while Dining Out
When you eat at a restaurant, think about sustainability and reducing waste. Many people who are environmentally conscious at home leave their green living habits behind when they go out to eat — when [more…]
The Make-Your-Own-Cleanser Guide to Help Maintain Your Home
One of the more basic forms of home maintenance is also simple: cleaning. Nobody loves to clean, but the following homemade formulas make cleaning a breeze. Plus, you always know what’s in the cleansers [more…]
How to Build a Solar-Powered Water Purifier
Using the sun to purify drinking water is a great solar project for the do-it-yourselfer. A solar-powered purification system the size of a microwave oven can yield up to 3 gallons of purified drinking [more…]
How to Use a Portable Solar Shower
You can use a portable shower that uses solar energy to heat the water. Solar showers are convenient for camping and backpacking. You can hang one out by your swimming pool for a quick, simple rinse. To [more…]
Installing a Solar-Powered Attic Vent Fan
An attic vent fan powered by solar energy can help cool your home. During the summer, attic temperatures can reach over 160°F. All that heat stays up there at night, and it sinks into your house through [more…]
Solar Power Your Home For Dummies Cheat Sheet
The words “solar power” often bring to mind solar panels and photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, but you can harness the sun’s energy in a number of smaller ways. The practical and affordable solar projects [more…]
Hobby Farming: Know Your Growing Seasons
Deciding which crops to plant depends on how well things will grow on your farm. The length of the growing season is vital because you want your plants to produce fruit before the first frost. Determine [more…]
Plant Rotation Suggestions for Hobby Farming
Rotating the plants (crops) on your farm enhances plant health and soil quality. To rotate your plantings, divide your garden into several sections and plant each section with a different family of plant [more…]
Hobby Farming: Basics of Farm Animal Care
What's a farm without animals? A hobby farmer who wants to raise animals must understand that he or she is responsible for their care. Animals need food, water, exercise and clean shelter everyday. Good [more…]
Hobby Farming: Warning Signs of Illness in Farm Animals
A hobby farmer, like a commercial farmer, must keep an eye on the health of the farm animals by checking them routinely. Daily observation tells you the animals' habits, and will help you determine if [more…]
Deciding on Farming as a Hobby
If you decide to leave the hubbub of the city for farming, remember that farming involves tasks that aren't part of the responsibilities of city jobs. Here are some ways to lessen the learning curve if [more…]
Hobby Farming For Dummies Cheat Sheet
If you’re thinking about taking up farming as a hobby, educate yourself about the responsibilities. Research hobby farming by using local resources (like the library and neighbors), using the Internet, [more…]
How to Remove Stubborn Stains
There’s a good chance that you’ll be able to remove all traces of a stain if you react with the right cleaning materials in time. Whether it’s red wine, coffee, ink [more…]
Staying Safe when Installing a Photovoltaic System
Installing a photovoltaic (PV) system often means you're working on a roof or other high place and definitely means electricity is involved. PV systems convert solar energy into electricity —and electricity [more…]
Major Components in a Photovoltaic System Design
New to photovoltaic (PV) systems (solar panels)? Haven't a clue what their major components are? Here's your chance to discover what goes into both grid-direct and battery-based PV system designs. [more…]
Designing Photovoltaic Systems: Site-Survey Tips
The best way to prepare to design a photovoltaic (PV) system is to conduct a site survey. This survey helps you get familiar with the client's property so you can better evaluate which location is best [more…]
Photovoltaic Design & Installation For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Sunlight allows photovoltaic (PV) modules (also called solar panels) to produce electricity and perform useful work, such as running electrical loads or putting energy back into the utility grid. To get [more…]
Reduce Food Packaging for a Greener Lifestyle
The general guideline for minimizing your trash for a more eco-friendly trash heap is to buy products with the least possible packaging or with recyclable packaging. Shopping at grocery stores that sell [more…]
Tie Your Garden into the Local Ecosystem with Native Plants
The ideal environmentally sound garden has native plants and shrubs that thrive in your local climate. Native plants make the most of the local environment and bolster the local ecosystem. They don't need [more…]
Eight Easy Green Remodeling Projects
Green living starts at home, and in the home. Decreasing your home's carbon footprint doesn't require hiring professionals. If you’re an eco-friendly do-it-yourselfer, projects to improve your home’s carbon [more…]
Choosing Urban Living for its Green-ness
The most sustainable housing locations are those close to the amenities that enable you to live a green lifestyle. For that reason, living in the city is usually your most eco-friendly choice. Being within [more…]
