It seems I've been remiss about posting here. I suppose like a lot of people life gets in the way of things sometimes. I haven't been doing much of late except dreaming of being more green. I often wonder if I'm not destined to be like a majority of people in my experience who give it a good try but mostly seem to fall short of being as green as possible in our lives. It's hard breaking habits and making different choices. After all, being green is a choice even in this day and age when it's popular to "be green". In practice however a lot of it is just talk. Sure there are companies that have produced lines of products with the "green" label. There are also some great products that have come out of the environmentally friendly push of late. It's so hard though to distinguish the impostors whose basic goal in saying they are green is to make more money from people who are sincerely trying to help the environment from those companies doing it because it's the right thing to do. In the long run it's about educating oneself about what is and isn't good for the environment. I sure wish I had been taught about this when I was going to school way back when. I know we took biology classes but that was the extent of environmental "education". As I don't have kids I can't say what is being taught now but I can only hope it is a darn sight better than what I was taught.

Getting ready for fall

It is August and my thoughts turn to the upcoming fall season. Seems like we just started summer and already fall is in the air. With fall comes some great opportunities to be more green.
Cooler fall evenings can provide a good energy saving opportunity. Simply open the windows instead of keeping that air conditioner running all night. In addition to energy savings, opening windows can provide fresh air

This is a great time to have your heating unit (furnace, boiler, heat pump, wood or pellet stove) checked. Schedule a service visit while the heating contractors are not busy and you could save some money and get ahead of the rush when cold weather starts. You can also change your filters allowing your system to run more efficiently. There are even filters made of recycled materials as well as some that can be washed and reused.

Another good thing to check is your hot water heater. Make sure it is working correctly. I for one don’t want to have to wake up to a cold shower on a cold winter day. If it isn’t insulated it isn’t hard to purchase insulation for water heaters at the local hardware store, wrap the water heater yourself, and save money in the bargain. Be careful not to block air into gas fired water heaters, and never wrap them with combustible materials like old blankets or quilts that could catch fire. If you aren’t sure of what you are doing ask at the hardware store or call a professional. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

You can also perform a do it yourself home energy audit. There are instructions here:
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11170

All of these steps can prepare you for colder weather as well as save you money while greening your life. It’s a win win in my book.
Just think if you do all the prep work now you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy all those great veggies you are harvesting or buying at the store from local farmers and can relax knowing you are ready for whatever fall brings.