GreenDream - The Art of Green Living » Green Living Columns

Water-Saving Stealth Provides a Royal Flush

Steve — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:58:52 +0000

In days of old, even kings and queens did not have the luxury of hot and cold running water and flush toilets had not even been imagined. Modern technology has come a long way since the outhouse moved in-house, but there is always room for improvement.

Toilet technology is no exception. I like to find new ways to do things more efficiently and decided to do some research. I also had an ulterior ...(more)

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Putting the Brakes on Junk Mail

Steve — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:01:35 +0000

There are many aspects of our culture that actually do more damage than they are worth. I can think of no better example than the ubiquitous practice of direct mail marketing, more commonly referred to as junk mail. More than 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered in the United States each year, which comes out to 848 pieces per household.

This practice ensures that every dwelling in America receives a steady stream ...(more)

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Charging Ahead: Using Your Home to Fuel Your Car

Steve — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:01:31 +0000

It feels like I’ve reached a milestone in my life. I’ve long been concerned about environmental issues and years ago I realized that change starts with each of us; in other words it was up to me to embrace it. The process, shared with my wife and best friend Marsala, has involved a many-layered strategy of simple living, debt reduction, self-education and goal setting. It has taken some patience too.

We planned ...(more)

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The Next Big Thing: Energy Efficiency Remodels

Steve — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:05:42 +0000

Want to know what the “Next Big Thing” in home ownership will be? No one can predict the future with absolute certainty, but there are no safer predictions than these: non-renewable energy sources will become increasingly scarce; energy costs will rise over time; and people will continue to desire comfortable homes that are affordable to maintain. Wrap it all up in a solution that makes sense for the vast majority of existing homes and ...(more)

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The Super Bowl of Solar

Steve — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:08:40 +0000

An early model of UNLV's design for the Solar Decathlon. Image courtesy of Eric Weber, School of Architecture, UNLV

Competition. It’s as old as life itself. For many, the word brings to mind mega-events like the recent Super Bowl. As big as that mega-event is, there are other kinds of competition that carry much more weight in the big scheme of things. One such competition is the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. It’s ...(more)

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Consider the Lowly Carpet

Steve — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:34:12 +0000

My previous Green Living column focused on the benefits of recycling and the transition to an enhanced single-stream system that dramatically increases participation and reduces waste. Perhaps this is a good time to look closer at what that really means.

When we recycle we save energy, improve air and water quality and reduce our need for raw materials. We could rebuild our entire commercial air fleet with just three months’ worth of the aluminum ...(more)

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