This past weekend, I installed a new dimmer switch in our Master Bathroom that will now allow me to not blind myself at 6am in the morning when getting ready for work. It also saves me energy with us having 10 bulbs of light in there.
I also installed a chlorine filter for our Master Bathroom shower. It definitely makes a difference in how I feel when taking a shower. I think that we're going to take it one step further though and add a water softener to house water system. Home Depot sells a GE one for about $550 plus installation.
And finally I installed a water saving showerhead in our guest bathroom. Made by Kohler our water consumption in the shower without comprimising the pressure. Can't wait to see what my folks think in two weeks when they're here for the 4th.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
State of our House
First the bad news... Our house is a single family home sitting on about 1/3 of an acre. We have neighbors on both sides. When my wife and I initially purchased our home, we cared about the environment but not enough to prevent us from making some unfriendly environmental purchases. Our biggest mistake, was the purchasing of our Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring for our foyer, dining room, and kitchen. Going forward, if we decide to make a new purchase on hardwood flooring it will be a sustainable wood like bamboo, eucalyptus, or even cork.
Along with that environmental mistake, much of our lighting is still provided by conventional bulbs. I guessestimate about 30 bulbs. But as they burn out, they are replaced by compact fluorescent. Right now, the CFs are in one kitchen light and the front hallway light. We did, however, replace two regular switches in the dining room and family room with dimmer switches. I have since bought another one to install in our Master Bathroom.
Now for the good news... Our appliances are all energy star with our washer and dryer being front loaders. That means that they use less water to clean our clothing. The washer, in fact, uses only 10 gallons per load compared to 45 gallons per load for a top loader. Both our washer and dryer are from LG.
Our house also came with low flow toilets. Although they don't save as much water as a dual flush, they are still better than older toilets that we grew up with.
And thirdly, we recycle everything we can. When we go out to eat at Sonic, we recycle their cups that the soda or juice come in. We recycle magazines, pizza boxes, envelopes, soda bottles and cans, etc. In the course of a week, we recycle more than we throw away.
Finally the future news... There are many projects and upgrades that we are planning to install in and around the house. First and foremost, I have recently purchased a composter from NatureMill (www.naturemill.com). They offer three kinds of composter with us buying the Pro Edition. I almost bought the Pet Waste one, bought the warranty on the Pro is three years compared to one year for the Pet Waste. In my future posts, I will provide a review of the product.
I have also recently bought a new razor from www.theartofshaving.com called a safety razor. This razor is meant to eliminate the need for disposables since according to National Geographic, we as Americans, dispose almost two billion a year. I will also provide a review of this product.
*************************************************************************************
In my next post, I will describe my Master Plan for our house. I will discuss our desire for a tankless hot water heater, solar panels, a water collection system, and much more. I also hope to provide pictures soon with my wife's help.
Along with that environmental mistake, much of our lighting is still provided by conventional bulbs. I guessestimate about 30 bulbs. But as they burn out, they are replaced by compact fluorescent. Right now, the CFs are in one kitchen light and the front hallway light. We did, however, replace two regular switches in the dining room and family room with dimmer switches. I have since bought another one to install in our Master Bathroom.
Now for the good news... Our appliances are all energy star with our washer and dryer being front loaders. That means that they use less water to clean our clothing. The washer, in fact, uses only 10 gallons per load compared to 45 gallons per load for a top loader. Both our washer and dryer are from LG.
Our house also came with low flow toilets. Although they don't save as much water as a dual flush, they are still better than older toilets that we grew up with.
And thirdly, we recycle everything we can. When we go out to eat at Sonic, we recycle their cups that the soda or juice come in. We recycle magazines, pizza boxes, envelopes, soda bottles and cans, etc. In the course of a week, we recycle more than we throw away.
Finally the future news... There are many projects and upgrades that we are planning to install in and around the house. First and foremost, I have recently purchased a composter from NatureMill (www.naturemill.com). They offer three kinds of composter with us buying the Pro Edition. I almost bought the Pet Waste one, bought the warranty on the Pro is three years compared to one year for the Pet Waste. In my future posts, I will provide a review of the product.
I have also recently bought a new razor from www.theartofshaving.com called a safety razor. This razor is meant to eliminate the need for disposables since according to National Geographic, we as Americans, dispose almost two billion a year. I will also provide a review of this product.
*************************************************************************************
In my next post, I will describe my Master Plan for our house. I will discuss our desire for a tankless hot water heater, solar panels, a water collection system, and much more. I also hope to provide pictures soon with my wife's help.
Monday, June 16, 2008
A little bit about myself....
My name is Andrew and I am 30 living in Ohio with my wife, dog Raven, and four cats. Both my wife and I are very passionate about the plight of our environment and we try very hard to lessen our own impact on it each day. This blog will be all about our endeavors as we transform our home into eco-friendly. I will provide pictures of our efforts as well as provide sources for others to use to find out about Going Green.
If you have any questions about what I post or talk about, feel free to ask me questions. I will do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction.
I am not an engineer nor a scientist, just a regular Joe trying to make a difference in this world.
If you have any questions about what I post or talk about, feel free to ask me questions. I will do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction.
I am not an engineer nor a scientist, just a regular Joe trying to make a difference in this world.
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