Energy 101
October 4, 2008
Part 1: Lighting and small appliances
Every day we see new energy and cost-saving products and ideas. But a smart approach to saving energy is to start with some basic efficiency improvements that can be done inexpensively. We’ll introduce these ideas as a series that gives an overview - a 101 level course, if you will - on low-cost and no-cost conservation or efficiency measures. We will identify several items throughout the series that can be purchased at your local hardware store for around - you guessed it - $101.
Upcoming articles in the series will cover heating and air conditioning, water heating, and home envelope issues. But in this, our first issue, we’ll cover the basics of efficient lighting and small appliances.
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Frances Sets Out to Make a Grocery Bag
May 27, 2008
What do you say to the question, “paper or plastic?” The right answer is “none of the above, I brought my own.” Once when I hesitated at the counter, the cashier quipped, “kill a fish , kill a tree”, which snidely sums up the predicament of that choice. Some parts of the country are already banning plastic bags because of the litter they cause and the potential damage to sea life. And while paper bags may be made from recycled paper, they’re much heavier and bulkier so there’s an implication on the transport. Fewer of them in a truck means that each bag carries a greater carbon footprint.
Shawn sets out to make his own rain barrels
April 30, 2008
One of the hottest items this year in the Triangle is – you guessed it – rain barrels. Not long ago, very few people knew what one looked like or cared. I’ve wanted one for quite a while now, but being a “Green it yourselfer” I had to make my own. If you chose to buy rather than build you’ll find all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors out there - even collapsible containers that allow for easy portability
The design I chose is based on trash cans, so I bought two 32-gallon cans because they were the cheapest and the most attractive I could find. In hindsight I should have bought the larger 54-gallon ones - not as nice looking, but I’d rather have more water.
Once I had all my parts purchased (see the list), I laid everything out and in the garage. First I drilled the holes in both barrels for the spouts. These need to be located an inch or so from the bottom depending on your barrel type. Then I screwed each spout into the hole, used the plastic cap on the inside to secure it and a good bead of aquarium sealant around the spout on both sides.
