Green Daily

Rainwater harvesting has kind slipped off my radar for the last few months, probably because Austin has been bone-dry for perhaps the entire summer . Then I came across Rainwater's modular storage system, and something clicked -- I mean, it's got to rain again someday? Right? If you live in an area that tends to go through these extreme dry spells, it's always prudent to take care of your own water resources -- especially if you do any gardening.

Rainwater's H2OG system turns rainwater collection -- often a major undertaking -- into a user-friendly, plug-and-play type of process. These "discreet" 47 gallon plastic tanks are designed to use alone, or they can be easily connected for more storage capacity. One of the coolest aspects of the Rainwater HOG is that it has been designed to fit in tight spaces like in between the joists under your patio deck. Rainwater even makes a structurally reinforced model for underground storage called the GroundHOG.

The one drawback is that, since the containers are made of plastic, the FDA recommends that you do not use this system for drinking water. Check out the HOG's LEED scorecards.

[via Inhabitat]

Seventh Generation has launched a mobile application that allows people to look up definitions of common household cleaning chemicals as they shop. The application is available for Web-enabled cell phones at Showwhatsinside.com. The advertising effort, which also includes print ads, is aimed at young moms, according to Brandweek.

Sounds like a great idea in theory, although I am not sure about the Web application for mobile devices. Many moms are not going to be able to whip out their mobile devices in the store and start analyzing ingredients. But then again, who am I to say this, as I don't even have a Web-enabled cell phone.

If you want to do this type of research at home, you can enter the ingredient here on Seventh Generation's site and get a safety definition back. Pretty cool and easy to use.

When you first enter Showwhatsinside.com, you can grow your own tree, by entering quality traits that describe you. Not quite sure I get that, but it's sort of cute.

I haven't had a garbage disposal in my sink for two homes now, and I still miss it. There's nothing easier than being able to wash your dishes and not worry about all the gunk and chunks that are sticking to the plates going down the drain.

Slate tackles the garbage disposal wars that have been silently going on now for years. Who knew? Many cities and towns have banned them altogether, arguing the added food waste would overtax the water-treatment systems. This is especially true for septic systems, where both the added food waste and water stress your system.

Dumping any extra waste into the water has a cost, as the water is pumped back into local water streams and can affect aquatic life, sometimes resulting in algae booms. Garbage disposals also use more water. However, sending all of that food waste to the landfill has its own problems, as the breakdown releases methane quickly and it costs energy to transport food waste to the landfill via truck.

The answer, according to Slate's Jacob Leivenluft: Compost whenever you can. Otherwise go ahead and use your garbage disposal (if you have one) as long as your community isn't running low on water. Don't put greasy or fatty foods down the disposal though.

Do you have a garbage disposal in your sink? Do you love it?

Across the nation looters have been stealing copper from abandoned homes and businesses, shuttered after the economic downturn. While their work is illegal and often leads to hazardous conditions, in terms of the environment, those robbers may have the right idea.

In Cleveland a researcher is working to recycle homes that are set to be demolished. Demolishing a building is how we Americans deal with most structures deemed beyond repair or outdated. Most of that material finds its way to the dump. It's estimated that well over half of the material in landfills are construction materials. One hundred and sixty million tons of construction and demolition waste are created by Americans every year. Sixty-percent of that goes to the dump.

But if instead of bulldozing homes and trucking what was a home off to the landfill builders re-used the materials from a structure, acres of hardwoods and centuries of stone could be re-used.

The process of deconstruction is pain-staking and expensive, but Brad Guy of Building Materials Reuse Association says it's worth it for communal, historical and environmental reasons. He's featured in a New York Times Magazine article about deconstruction. It's a slowly growing trend that may have an opportunity to grow as more homes across the nation are shuttered and later gutted.

[via NYT]

If you have a bath towel that is not longer worthy of hanging on the towel rod, head over to the New York Etsy Street Team blog for a great tutorial on turning it into a bath mat.

I am really into ideas like this lately. I like crafts in general but it is particularly fun for me to take something that would otherwise be thrown away, turned into rags, or donated to a thrift shop and make it into something useful. A few weeks ago I took some curtains I had made in high school for my bedroom at my parents house, dyed them a new color, sewed new hems to fit new windows and hung them up in my guest room. I spent about $3.69 for "new" curtains.

That is the kind of recycling we need to be doing instead of always going out and buying new things, or even buying sustainable products. So, check out the bath mat tutorial where an old towel and some fabric turn into a new bathroom accessory. And let you imagination go wild. What about a Spiderman sheet that is worn in the center or torn? You could make a bath mat, a edging for a shower curtain and a stripe on a towel to start.

And the more you think about things in this way, the more ideas you will come up with in the future when you need something "new" or something you have becomes unusable in its present form.

I'm pretty sure my cohorts and I can call the Neighborhood Garden Project a success. Especially considering we're three novices in our first season. Here's what I think we did right:

• Watering worked: We set up a good watering system with soaker hoses that allowed us to water deeply and effectively without wasting the precious resource. We were also lucky to have plentiful rain in our region for most of the season.
• Marigolds were magic: We planted marigolds along the path throughout the whole garden. We never did anything else for pest control other than harvest before anything had a chance to chomp and we never had a pest problem.

I have a serious collection of lip balms, lip glosses, and other waxy products to protect my kisser. Why? I seem to get chapped lips easily and it's something I don't enjoy.

All those little tubes add up though so I was excited when I found a nice, simple recipe for making my own lip balm at home. The perfect way to reuse some of the many lip balm containers I already have.

You need beeswax, jojoba oil and some peppermint or other essential oils. Grab three empty containers and you're all set.

If you have like minded friends who don't mind a little recycling, why not cover the old tube with some pretty paper or a bit of magazine page? You could customize the tubes for your friends and give a nice little gift. Or, simply peel off the already existing sticker and leave the tube plain.

[Via TipNut]

Thinking about climate change and global warming is can be so overwhelming. Sometimes I feel paralyzed, and just want to hide. Then I get reminded of the simple things people are already doing and I'm reinvigorated.

Today, my encouragement came from the EPA, who are recognizing the almost two million people so far who pledged to switch a lightbulb on "Change a Light Day."

In the eight years since starting the "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, we've saved $220 million in utilities bills, and prevented 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gases. Just by changing a single old fashioned light bulb to one of those funny looking CFL lightbulbs! That so easy, right?

Building on the success of the light changing program, the EPA has a bigger -- but still totally easy -- challenge for us. Today they're kicking off a new campaign, "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR."

The individual actions you can pledge to do in this campaign are as simple as changing a lightbulb, and you're probably already doing them at home and at work.

Like what? Well, like checking to ensure all of the ducts in your home are sealed, or confirming that any new electronics, like a computer or fax machine, are ENERGY STAR rated. Even if you don't take the pledge with the intent of reducing greenhouse gases, let's get real: being energy efficient saves money, which we can all use now.

If every household in America takes this pledge, even just to change a lightbulb, then we can collectively save more than 110 billion kilowatts hours of electricity, more than $18 billion in energy costs, and prevent the equivalent of 18 million cars worth of greenhouse gases!

Ready to learn more and take the new, expanded pledge? Celebrate "Change a Light Day" by visiting the ENERGY STAR pledge site.

Use this remote control to kill phantom loads in your home once and for all!

Lots of people are buying reusable shopping bags these days. Whether the bags are hip and trendy or just the 99 cent version from the local grocery store, reusable bags are everywhere.

If I open a new checking account at a local bank, I get a reusable bag. If I spend over a certain amount of money at my local quilt store, I get a reusable bag. One summer after reading a certain number of books at the library I got a reusable bag.

Here's the thing though. It costs more in energy and resources to produce those reusable bags. And the majority of them break down at a much slower rate if thrown away. So you have to actually use them to make a difference.

Find out the details after the jump.

Anyone who has worked on or even driven by a farm knows the magical power of cow manure. The odoriferous substance is applied as fertilizer to the fields in order to boost the soil and the crops. So why not harness the power of human waste to do the same for the earth rather than flush it down to a municipal source? Clivus Multrum has created such a toilet and it has been in use for years.

The Clivus Multrum Foam Flush Toilet uses only three ounces of water per flush. The water and a little bit of bio-compatible soap follows the waste down to the composting unit. There is also a waterless unit that must sit directly over the composter and requires no flushing. Once in the composter, waste is turned into fertilizer and moved to a storage tank for use.

Clivus Multrum has not only addressed the issue of water waste in the loo but has also reduced the amount of nitrates entering our streams, lakes and oceans. Nitrates are highly concentrated in urine and can cause algea growth which robs oxygen from marine life.

These systems are already in place in homes, golf courses, commercial buildings and rest areas. Clivus Multrum promises to work with you every step of the way during installation.

[via: Care2]

As the weather cools off you can stay cozy in your home without turning up the heat under this faux fur throw. Loyale's Pomeroy throw looks like a furry wrap but in reality it is 100% organic cotton made to look and feel like the real deal. Vegans will appreciate its lack of animal products and anyone will undoubtedly stay warm and cozy under its cover. It is equally prepared to be spread of the floor and act as a comfy, eco-blanket for your little ones to play on too. ($196)

[via Inhabitat]

Worried you'll need to rely on freighted vegetables from Arizona, Argentina and Australia this winter? Cold frame gardening could be help you avoid the airfare while still giving you plenty of greens.

While Winnipeg, Canada; Caribou, Maine and International Falls, Minn. may not be the best locations for this sort of gardening, if temperatures in your region stay around 35F - 40F degrees, you can grow beets, Swiss chard, broccoli and other hardy vegetables and plants.

A cold frame is a box with a typically pitched glass cover. The glass lets in light, provides cover from wind and helps heat the vegetables. Usually the boxes create an environment seven to ten degrees warmer than the outside air. Building the box into the ground can also offer insulation, and some gardeners use heated water to further insulate their vegetables.

The trick is to know your hardiness zone, watch temperatures and vent carefully. Southern sun is usually the best for this type of planting, and gardeners implore you to plant before fall sets in too deeply. One gardener suggests that if the temperature is 35F to 40F and sunny the frame can be partially pitched, higher temperatures require more venting so the soil doesn't overheat.

Ok, so these solar powered lights are not exactly cheap but, it could be fun project and neat little upcycling thing to have out on the deck.

Popular Science gives instructions on how to turn a beer bottle - or any glass container for that matter - in to a solar powered LED light. Wine bottle lights, mason jar lights, pickle jar lights, whatever clear glass you have around would work for this.

The project does take a considerable amount of small electrical parts, which drives the cost up. The example, using one beer bottle, cost $23.17. A cheaper alternative would be preferable of course, but you have to admit, its a pretty cool concept.

It gives a whole new meaning to the name light beer.