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Keep Your Garden Green March 2010 As many now are paging through the seed catalogs getting ready for putting in their gardens, we thought we would say a few words about keeping your garden green and were not talking just plants but gardening methods. Have your soil tested so you know the correct amount of fertilizers you need because the first step in being green is not wasting resources. Choose the types of plants that will grow well you your soil type and climate zone. Here is a link on the plant zones in Wisconsin: http://www.wisconline.com/almanac/gardening/hardiness.html Also make your own fertilizers by composting your yard and food waste products from your home. Here is website with information on how to do home composting. Your garden area should be constructed so that when it rains the water does not run off into the storm sewers, which leads to the lakes as this runoff water will have nutrients which can help the lake algae grow. For watering for those times between rains thinks of setting up a rain barrel to collect rain from your roof as this is soft water and it is better for your plants than the water out of your tap. A local source for rain barrels is at the Sustain Dane website. Pest control can be done in a green way depending on the amount and type of pest you can pick them off your plants and put them in a container which is filled with water and common dish washing soap. Here are couple of websites with some green ways to do pest control: organic garden pests and earth easy. If you have some room in your garden put in some plants that are useful to endangered butterflies and that will provide food for song birds as the move through your neighborhood on their migrations. Here are some websites with more information: Lastly, a good resource for gardening is the UW Extension.
Being a Green Remodel is not Just for the Jolly Green Giant Anymore February 2010 As this is time of year that many start planning about doing some sprucing up around the house from just a new coat of paint all the way to a complete remodeling we are offering a few ideas on how you can add a touch of green to your work. Of course the first place to stop for your remodeling needs is the Habitat Restore as we recycle building materials which still have great years of use. Also when you update instead of throwing out your old building materials into the landfill call us or check our website to see if it is a product that we can use. And when you are done and have those left over materials you did not use and know if you put them in the garage they will never see the light of day again save yourself the storage space and bring the leftovers to the Restore but be sure to call first as some items we are unable to take in. The Habitat Restore website is at www.restoredane.org If you plans make it able for you to add to your insulation make sure you insulate too the recommended levels and your do the job properly as a poor insulation job can cause you problems in the future and the correct insulation will keep you warmer and save you money. At the MG&E website you can find the recommended ways to insulate your home. For many the only remodeling that is needed is a new coat of paint, the thing to look for in your paint, beside the color, is one that has a low level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) these are the compounds that can contribute to pollution, both inside and outside your home, many paint companies now make low VOC paints. Find out more on these paints. If part of your remodeling plans call for new appliance make sure they have the Energy Star label as this means they have meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and US Department of Energy. Visit the Energy Star site. Lastly think through your plans before you start because changes almost always cause to spend more money and use up more resources and energy both physical and mental.
New Years’ Resolutions with a Twist of Green
Now that you have made resolutions to better yourself in the coming year it is time to make a few to better the planet. So respectfully submitted for your perusal is few resolutions for you to try on in this New Year and feel free to bug, I mean share them, with your friends. Drive less, plan more than one errand for each car trip, take the bus, if it is close by walk or ride a bike, instead of going for a drive go for a walk. Shovel the snow instead of using the snow blower for those small amounts of snow. Eat less meat, as it cost more energy to produce meat, make the meals on one day a week all vegetarian, once upon a time there use to be something called “meatless Tuesday”. Eat more veggies (see above) and make your Mother happy. Better yet grow your own. Use only cold water for washing the clothes and dry them by hanging the up on a clothes line or a drying rack, make the Sun your friend and save money. Turn down your heat and turn up your air conditioner and change the filter on a regular basis and turn down the temperature on your water heater. Mow your lawn with a push mower and get a free workout as a bonus, compost your grass clippings and leaves. Best of all do not use any power tools on your lawn or garden and get a rain barrel for watering your garden. Make a rain garden. Don’t be a annoying “greener preacher” or is that “greenie preacher” but teach by example. Below are a few websites with other “green resolution ideas”
Give the Green Without Going in the Red
Now that the holidays are upon us and many are rushing around to get just the right gift for those important people in their lives, let’s take a time out to think of some gifts that you can give that are green or greenish and will not cost the other green stuff. A great gift is time, give those you care about a time card that says you will help them with any chore that they want help with or time to be with them when they want. Or if you want to narrow down the activities they might want you to do put down the chore itself whether it is shoveling snow, washing the dishes, walking the dog or any other item of needed work, you know what they need the most. Go through all of those closest, dresser draws, basement and attic corners and get out all of those items you no longer need and will never use, we all have those hidden treasurers in our houses whether it be clothes we no longer wear to knick knacks we never put out, dig them all out and donate them to any one of the many charity stores in town and give a card, it is even better if it is a handmade card, to that someone special person or persons in your life saying you made a donation in their name. In the same vein as the donations above get your friends and family together to do volunteer work at place that needs your help. If you want to be a freelancer pick up any trash next time you are going out for a walk. Make a meal together and make it a regular event. Create homemade decorations with your children and decorate the house together. Make popcorn and string it together and put it on the trees outside for the birds and squirrels this is a great gift for those who like to watch the wildlife outside their windows. Use the newspaper as wrapping paper for your presents and chose the section of the paper that matches the person personality or interest, such as the sports or comic sections. The above are ideas to prime the pump of your own ideas for your Green gifts and below are a couple of websites with other ideas and remember kids have as much, if not more fun, with box as with the toy that came in it. http://www.eartheasy.com/give_sustainchristmas.htm http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-have-a-green-christmas
Green Air for Your Home
Now that you have to keep your house closed up for the winter months ahead we thought we would talk of ways to keep you house aromatic the green way this winter but before we go into that just a few reminders on winterizing your home.
Now that we have the house all airtight for the winter sometimes air can go stale and here are a few greens to keep the air in your house fresh. Sprinkle baking soda on your carpets, baking soda absorbs odors, leave it there for a little while and then vacuum it up, you can also leave a open box of baking soda in your refrigerator to absorbs the food odors and to keep it smelling fresh. Burning a few drops of essential oils such as lavender, lemon and verbena in a diffuser with hot water will do wonders for ‘cleansing the air’ and imparting a wonderfully natural fragrance. Add a few plants as plant can take volatile organic compounds (smells) out of the air as they do their own respiration. Here are a few websites with some more information and ideas for fresh indoor air:
Al Gore Will GET YOU if You Don’t Watch Out
As Halloween is on the way; lets do it in a “spooky green” way. For starters you can make costumes out of your old clothes or go to your local resale store to find fun clothes for a costume or use your imagination on using other items in your household to make fun costumes. Dress yourself up as a recycled or recyclable item like a newspaper, plastic bottle or cardboard box or as a green item such as a solar panel or windmill. Do not forget the treats you give out can be “spooky green” too. Give out organic food items to your little monster visitors such as raisins or fruits and out there somewhere there is green candy although most dentist may disagree. Instead of giving out edible items you could give out little trinkets that the children can play with over and over again and not just eat up one time. As for your pumpkin get one that is grown organic and when you carve it save the seeds and roast them in your oven as they make a good green snack. If you want to be “super spooky green” instead of carving your pumpkin paint a face on it and after Halloween is over cook it up to make pumpkin pie or squash. Below are a few websites that have many ideas for having a green Halloween: Booooooo!
How to Handle a Oil Strike at Your House
As we will soon be putting away our lawn equipment and summer toys, e.g. motorcycles, boats etc., it is a good time to discuss the proper way to dispose of the fluids that you drain from them. Because any fluids that get on the ground, your driveway, sidewalk or street will ultimately end up in yours lakes and drinking water. Of course the most common one is oil the city of Madison has a number of collection sites where citizens can dispose of oil and the oil filters. The important thing is to take the used oil to the disposal sites as soon as you remove it because if you do not you may soon have your own Exxon Valdes incident at your home, that is a oil spill and they are not easy to clean up. It is best to have the absorbent material, such as cat litter, on hand just in case you have a spill so you can contain it and clean it up quickly. The Madison oil collection sites are:
Madison website for oil recycling
Going Green to School
Now that it is time to get the kids ready to go back to school let’s take some time and think about making it a green experience. Many of the basic, such as pencils, paper, notebooks, etc are items that one does not normally think about in a green way but there are ways to be green even with these. For example buy paper that is made with a high content of recycled paper, look for pencils made from recycled material. For that matter use pencils not pens in school are pencils are made of wood, which is renewable and replantable and not plastic like pens are made from non-renewable petroleum products. For that matter, look into all your school supplies for recycle content or if they are made out of renewable items. Lunch boxes if your child takes their lunch to school and you need to get one buy one made from metal not plastic as ones are made from petroleum or you can go to your local resale store and recycle one yourself. Also have a natural lunch, lots of fruits and vegetables and not prepackaged highly processed food products. Clothes, the kids get taller every year and new clothes always seem a must so when you go out looking for clothes look for ones made from natural materials, cotton, wool, etc and not from petroleum products such as nylon, polyester, etc. Again you can go to the local resale store and start the recycle process. Backpacks, the same rules apply to backpack as to clothes buys those made from natural products and not synthetic ones. Of course the “green” apple on the teachers’ desk should be red. Below are a few websites that have more information on green school items and ideas:
Summer Fun The Green Way For Your Children
Summer is here and the kids are out of school the question now is how to keep them out of the house. A good way is to take them and yourself for a nature friendly walk in our many parks or along our water ways. Aside from showing them the many different types of plants and animals everyone will get some exercise and fresh air. Walks work best if you can make them an ongoing activity as you and your children will be able to see how nature changes over the seasons, so pick a route you can do all year round. Pack a picnic lunch and if you like living on the edge have your children pack the lunch or at least help and set off on a local adventure by going to the zoo, one of our many museums or have a day at the beach. If you have a clothes line and some blankets make your own tent in the backyard and have a camping trip without leaving your home. If you do not have clothes line use lawn chairs and such like for the support poles for your blanket tent. Put up a bird feeder and bird bath, plant some butterfly friendly plants and have the entertainment come to your house. Have the children keep count over the summer of all the different types of bugs they see and for bonus points have them find out some facts about those bugs. For those birthday parties, get together or pot lucks you will have over the summer time make them green by using plates and cups that you can wash and reuse and not just throw away. Encourage people to carpool or bike or walk over to the party. Wrap presents in newspaper or recycled paper bags or old clothes you are not going to wear again. Go to the library and find some fun summer reading, also a good activity for those rainy days. Below are some websites with other green summer fun ideas:
Keeping Your Cool
Now that summer is upon us it is time to think of keeping cool and not just being Cool. To that end here are some ways to keep cool and be green at the same time and maybe even save alittle money. First if you have an air conditioner it is time to have it ask your local maintenance contractor to give your air conditioner a check-up by making sure you have clean the coils, have enough refrigerant, and generally see to it that the system works as well as possible. You should also replace or clean the unit's filters as often as required and if you have central air make sure the ducking in your house is air tight because if it is leaking it will be losing the cool air. Use a programmable thermostat so your air conditioner runs only at the times you are home and not when you are away. Also if your air conditioning unit is old you should look into getting a new Energy Star rated unit as the newer units are much energy efficient than older units. Of course you can do as I do and just put a fan in the window as for most of the summer you do not need to use air conditioning, especially at night. Lastly check the temperature outside as many times because people keep the air conditioner running even though the outside temps are cool. For your windows that face the sun be sure to close the shades or blinds during the day to keep the heat of the sun out. Insulate the attic door to keep the heat from leaking down into your home and as when you insulate to keep the heat in during the winter you also want to make sure your house is well insulated to keep the cool air in. Remember that the warm temperatures that you are complaining about now are the ones that you will miss next January.
Living Green: Laying Down the Lawn
Now that the mowing season is here we thought now is the time to have a word on how to do green lawn care. For most if not all of us we do not need to put on fertilizer as your lawn will grow fine without it also you will not need to mow as often. Speaking of mowing, the green way to mow is to use a push mower as power mowers produce proportionally much more pollution than your car and it also gives you a free workout. But no matter how you mow you should have your mower sharpen at least twice a season so you do not tear the grass which can damage the grass and do not bag your grass clippings but let them stay on the grass and they will help to replenish the nutrients in the soil. To help your lawn stay green and healthy even in times of little rainfall you should not cut your grass shorter than two inches because the longer your grass the deeper it roots and taller grass retards the growth of weeds. If you have bare spots in your lawn make sure to use the grass seeds that are good for our part of the country and for that area of your lawn e.g. a sunny or shady spot. Your lawn will only need around an inch of water a week and it is best to put it on all at the same time. The best time to water is before 8am as that will reduce evaporation and make sure the sprinkler is only watering your lawn and not the sidewalk or driveway because no matter how much you water them they will not sprout grass. The best water for your lawn is rain water so use a rain barrel to collect rain from your roof and use that for your lawn. If you your yard needs fertilizer now is not the time to put it on, the best time is in the fall as putting fertilizer on in the spring can harm the lawn by promoting greater growth of the leaves of grass at the expense of shallow root growth and shallow roots cannot sustain your lawn through droughts or a harsh winter. Lastly if you use my method of lawn care you will not need to fertilize to keep your lawn green, that method is to let clover, creeping charlie, dandelions and other short non-grass grow in your lawn and it will stay green even in times of droughts. Here are a few web sites to check out on lawn care:
Living Green: Managing Your Rain Runoff
As we all know that April showers bring May flowers we thought this would be a good time to talk about how you can manage the rain that falls on your home and by doing so can help with preserving yours and yours neighbors ground water and help keep pollutants out of the lakes too. For you gardeners the best water for your garden is from the sky that is rain water and the way to have rain water on call all the time is to have a rain barrel because water that runs off your roofs, house, garage and even the dog house, can be collected and put to use in the garden. Rain water is "soft," without groundwater minerals or chlorine, so it's more plant-friendly. Once again Sustain Dane will be on hand to promote water conservation at the Habitat ReStore Earth Day Celebration on April 18 from noon to 4 p.m. They’ll have information available about water conservation, and a variety of products available for sale that will help you conserve water indoors and out. Highlights will include:
Reduce water consumption, save on your water bill, and support a great community organization at the same time. You can purchase on-site or pre-order at www.RainForDane.org or call 316-6844. Another way to help preserve water is to put in a rain garden. Rain gardens are a great way to help more rain water soak into the ground and replenish our ground water. As more development happens in Dane county, i.e. more houses, buildings and roads, which cover land areas that would normally soak up rain water, this water now ends up in the storm sewers and into the lakes. To slow this loss of water replenishment for our ground water we need to channel the water that would normally go down the storm drains and into the lakes back into the soil and the best way for the average home owner is to have a rain garden in which you are able to channel some if not all of the rain that comes off your roofs into the rain garden instead of having it run off your lot onto the street and down your local storm drain. Also it is a great place for the extra rain that cannot fit into your rain barrel. The City of Madison has a pamphlet (PDF) on how to create your own rain garden. P.S. Do not forget to get those May baskets out to your friends on May first.
Living Green: Dining Green
The best way to dine green is to start a garden. As spring is just around the corner it is time to start thinking about your garden and if you do not have a garden why not think about starting one. There is no better way to have vegetables and fruit than to grow your own and you only have to grow the ones that you like to eat and nothing taste better than fresh pick food, especially the non-wrap in cellophane kind. Having a garden will not only allow know what you are eating, as you will know what has put on and into your garden, i.e. no hidden chemicals from pesticides or fertilizers, you will also get some exercise and the best kind the kind that gives you good things to eat when you are done. Aside from the goodies you will get out of your garden you can recycle food waste back into your garden through the use of composting. This not only helps your garden grow but it keeps organic material out the landfill. Here is the website from the City of Madison on how to compost: http://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/composting.cfm For those of you who do not have gardens now is the time to start planning where you want to put your garden and what you want to grow. As a little forethought can get you off to a strong start with your gardening. Here is the website from the University of Wisconsin-Extension on gardening: http://wihort.uwex.edu/ For those of you who are not able to have a garden but still want to dine green here is a link to 50 ways to eat green from bon appétit magazine. Lastly, as St. Patrick’s Day is in March there is no better time to start getting the green into you and your life.
Living Green: Water
As we are in the season of sweethearts we thought having a green valentine would be the way to go. Now there are many ways you and your sweetie could be green this Valentines’ Day together, you could cook up a romantic organic meal and if you want have some organic wine with the meal, give each other organic flowers, go for a walk or sledging depending on the weather, instead of driving off somewhere. Let your imagination be your guide on spending green time with your sweetheart. Give your own coupon which, your sweetheart can redeem from you use at the ReStore, Goodwill, St. Vince de Paul stores or other stores that recycle items. Or you could give a coupon for use at a garage sale. Better yet go to the ReStore, or other similar stores, to make a gift out of the many items there and/or if you have a bit of the artist in you, you could make a gift out of the items at the store; such as a mosaic art out of the many types of tile at the ReStore. Of course you could give them the door to your heart and we have many doors to choose from. For the children in your life a great way to get them into the recycle mood and have fun at the same time is to have them make Valentine cards by using some construction paper and cutouts form old magazine or newspapers. For more ideas like this go to the following website: http://foldingtrees.com/category/recycling/
Living Green: Water
The idea was passed on that we should list some of the local area websites where you can get rid items that you have that are still in good shape and have some life left in them or if you are looking for a items and want to recycle one instead of buying a new one.
Living Green: Water
Now that we have turned our clocks back and daylight is a rare commodity it is time to talk about lighting around the house. The average incandescent bulb (the “regular” bulb) we use is only 10% efficient the other 90% of the energy used to light the bulbs is wasted as heat (which means for every dollar you pay to light your house ninety cents of that dollar is wasted, unless you like hot light bulbs) and the basic light bulb is the same as it was a hundred years ago when Edison had one pop up above his head when he thought of how to light the night.
Living Green: Water
Now that it is the time of year that taking a loooong hot shower is a joy I thought today we would talk of water conservation. Starting with that shower check to see if it has a low flow showerhead, a low flow shower head restricts the amount of water that is allowed to flow through it but keeps the pressure of the water coming out the same as if it had a standard opening. The way to check your showerhead is to remove it from the pipe and see if it has a restricted flow, which means that the opening to the main part of the showerhead is not the size of the pipe but the only part of the pipe that is open is a small area in the middle of the pipe. If not you can either put a new showerhead on or put a rubber washer inside the neck of the showerhead and that will reduce the water flow. Your toilet is also another big user of water all new toilets use reduced amounts of water compared to older toilets and a quick way to reduce the water used by your older toilet is to put a brick in the tank and thru the magic of physics you will the reduce the amount of water your toilet uses but keep the flush at the same pressure. Another way your toilet uses a lot of water is if it does not seal properly and it leaks water from the tank to the bowl, kinda of like a dripping faucet. This is hard to notice but if you hear you toilet fill up every now and then when no one is using it you most likely have a leak or your house is haunted. To check this put some food coloring in the tank and you will be able to see the colored water leaking into the bowl. If it is leaking this way the first fix is to put a new flapper on, as over time the rubber on the flapper can degrade, the flapper is the part in the tank that cover the drain hole to the bowl. Leaks in your faucets can, over time, cause of a lot of water wastage and if you have a leaking faucet replace the washer as even a small leak, one drop a second can lose you 3000 gallons of water a year. Most washers can be replaced with a few tools and basic know how. So fix those leaks and besides saving water your will also save money. You can check out more information on water savings at the City of Madison Water Utility website at the following address: http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/environmentalHome.cfm
Living Green: Winterize Your Home
Greetings; as heating season will soon be upon us it is time for us all to make sure that our abodes our ready for another wonderful Wisconsin winter. Being green this way will save on greenhouse gases and the green in your wallet by using less energy to heat your home.
These are some basic items to check for more information check out the following web site. http://www.focusonenergy.org/Information-Center/Residential/Fact-Sheets/Insulating-Your-Home.aspx https://www.mge.com/home/saving/homeowners/index.htm
Living Green: Metal Roofing
Other benefits of metal roofs include:
Drawbacks to consider:
Metal shingles are manufactured to resemble wood shakes, Spanish and mission tile, slate, and Victorian metal tiles. Most are made from painted or coated steel or aluminum that has been pressed or formed into realistic shapes.
A Green Siding Option: Fiber Cement August 2008, by Krissy Fiber cement siding is an increasingly popular option for homeowners who are interested in using environmentally friendly building materials. Fiber cement siding is made from cement, sand, clay, and wood fiber and resembles wood siding. It is energy efficient because it provides insulation. It is also considered environmentally friendly because of its durability. It won’t need to be replaced as often as other types of siding, so it results in less building waste in landfills. Homeowners like the option of fiber cement because it requires almost no maintenance. This reduces long term costs of upkeep and replacement materials. Fiber cement is termite resistant, fire proof, and warranted to last 50 years. Color can be applied to the factory, in which case paint warranties of 25 years can be available. If color isn’t applied at the factory, siding may need to be painted every 4-5 years. Manufacturers of fiber cement siding include Certain Teed, James Hardie, and Maxitile. Retailers include Timber Roots (223-9432), Milwaukee Insulation (223-0081), Menards locations, and Weekes Forest Products ((414) 778-1333).
Living Green: Blue Jean Insulation July 2008, by Krissy UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber insulation is the successful combination of 25 years of insulation experience and a revolutionary patented manufacturing process that has created a superior and safe product.
Health
Environment
Helpful Hint: Did you know that a continuous poly-vapor retarder is a more effective vapor retarder than individual kraft faced batt's? It also requires less labor! Walls Is UltraTouch made from recycled blue jeans? Do I need protective clothing to install UltraTouch? Is UltraTouch Fire Resistant? Can UltraTouch be installed in contact with recessed lighting? What happens when UltraTouch gets wet? Will mold and pests affect UltraTouch?
Green Jeans Insulation
Living Green: Turning Trash into Treasure (or at least something practical) June 2008, by Krissy We know all the benefits of reusing things… and shopping at the Habitat ReStore is a perfect place to start. What are some other practical ways to integrate reusing into everyday life? The following are some fun and creative ways to use everyday items in brand new ways!
Living Green: Eating Local! May 2008, by Krissy There has been a lot of buzz recently about eating local. There are a lot of health, environmental, and economic benefits to eating local. Eating locally involves purchasing food, including not only vegetables, but also meat, dairy and grains, from sources in your own state or region. But in your day to day life, what does it mean? The following explains some benefits of eating local, some recipes for Spring veggies, and some additional resources. Health Benefits:
Environmental Benefits:
Economic Benefits:
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January 2010
December 2009
Metal roofs are an increasingly popular option for homeowners lately. Part of the reason for this is that metal roofs are considered to be a “green” option. While there are a few drawbacks to metal roofs that are discussed below, there are also many advantages. 
UltraTouch is made from high quality natural fibers. These fibers contain inherent qualities that provide for extremely effective sound absorption and maximum thermal performance. UltraTouch DOES NOT ITCH and is very easy to handle and work with. 