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Archive for the ‘Home Improvement’ Category
January 2nd, 2012 | 
Author: Many don’t think twice of using high quality non-recycled paper, or tossing ink cartridges and old electronics in the garbage. Leaving a computer on overnight seems innocent enough until you multiply that energy use by millions of households.
The three main home office offenders are energy waste, paper consumption and hazardous waste. Here are some tips to make your home office a little more eco-friendly.
Put your electronics to bed at night. Connect your computer, speakers, fax, printer, etc. to a power bar and turn them all off with the flick of a switch at the end of the day. It’s a common misconception that you should leave a computer on all night. There is a peak in the power when you turn it on, but nothing compared to what it uses over a 24 hour period.
Opt for a laptop. Not only do these have the benefit of being portable, laptops consume one-eighth the power of a desktop computer. Imagine if everyone in a household all had their own computers, they still wouldn’t use the energy of one bulky desktop.
Go for the flat screen. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or flat screen monitor uses less than half the energy of the traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors. Not to mention that they are easier to read, lighter and cause less eye strain.
Reuse & recycle. I had a friend who used to save any of her junk mail that was still in good condition and when doing simple printing jobs, she would use the blank side of those pages. It was such a simple concept that made so much sense, and worked great for those quick map or recipe print outs.
Save and reuse paper clips, elastics and push pins, and use rechargeable batteries and refillable toner cartridges.
For your garbage paper, keep a recycling bin next to your desk for handy use. Keep another bin nearby for expired rechargeable batteries, old inkjet and toner cartridges, or electronics. Once you have a collection built up, take them back to any Staples Business Depot for recycling.
Dead batteries should be saved and dropped off at your local waste depot for safe disposal. That corrosive acid they contain will seep out into the environment if left in a landfill site.
When buying paper, read the labels. What most people don’t realize is that much of the paper we use every day comes from old-growth forests. When you read the labels on the packages, look for: 100% recycled ( your 1st choice); or minimum FFC certification, which means the paper was made from trees grown in a sustainably managed forest.
Switch to fluorescent bulbs. A fluorescent bulb uses 2/3 less energy than a common incandescent bulb. When you add up all the bulbs in the house, that energy savings translates into saved dollars!
By: Matt Barker
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Bamboo is one eco friendly option. Bamboo is a fast growing grass that can be selectively harvested annually. It is extremely durable and harder than red oak and maple, has 50% less contraction and expansion than wood and is a renewable resource.
However, Asian sources require significant embodied energy for transport so that is something to consider. You should also take care to look for bamboo products that have no formaldehyde added. But bamboo is still a great choice over hardwood flooring and can be stained in darker colors than just the blonde color that comes to mind for more traditional looks.
Cork is another eco friendly renewable resource material made out of the bark of the cork oak tree. Only the bark is used so the tree does not have to be cut down. What’s great about cork is that it often contains recycled content, is easy to clean if properly sealed and gives great foot support.
Just look for products that have no formaldehyde added and avoid cork-vinyl composites. Also consider its origin and remember that transportation requires embodied energy for transport so try to find products sourced as locally as possible.
Rubber is another new flooring material available these days. Virgin rubber is derived from rubber trees, a renewable resource; recycled rubber reduces the environmental burden of discarded tires.
The down side is that almost all rubber, except virgin rubber, has a significant odor from continual off-gassing and has indoor air quality impact so if you use the recycled rubber instead of the virgin rubber it needs to be used in well ventilated areas.
But its benefits are that it uses recycled material, helps reduce landfill, is easy to clean, offers good foot support, is very durable and can be installed without adhesives.
Linoleum uses the same ingredients today as when it was invented in 1863 — linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, tree resins, ground limestone and pigments, all pressed onto a jute backing. The ingredients are renewable items and often are recycled content, which is good for the planet.
Linoleum is durable, easy to clean and offers good foot support, however, it is most often made in Europe, resulting in significant embodied energy for transport. Make sure to look for “natural linoleum.” Vinyl flooring is sometimes generically called “linoleum” but is not the same thing.
Stone is another option to consider for your flooring. It is a natural resource and a very durable material. Stone, however, is a finite resource, can result in using significant embodied energy if the stone is mined or fabricated overseas and, if the stone requires sealing, the sealers can produce potentially harmful VOC emissions.
Look for locally mined and fabricated stone or even reclaimed stone and look for stone that does not have to be sealed. I’ve seen some really amazingly beautiful things done with reclaimed stone so don’t be afraid to explore this option.
Tile is another eco friendly durable material if you use tiles that contain recycled content. Tiles are durable, easy to clean and can use recycled materials like broken window panes and recycled granite dust. They do use though a significant amount of energy to fire and transport so try to make sure to look for local sources and make sure they use recycled content.
This is obviously not an exhaustive list of flooring options but definitively some of the most popular eco friendly options you can consider using in your home.
By: Rebecca Noel
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