greenHo.ws

This week we talked about several project ideas, from world wide to right at home.  On Green Products News we talked about what to use and on greenHo.ws we gave suggestions on how. 

Here are some projects we said talked about last week:

• there is a new and environmentally friendly idea in housing - low cost, pre-built, and simple to assemble Abod homes; intended for overseas markets, they are a good option for church or relief organizations to be good stewards of the environment;
• installing a water heater is a big project and not inexpensive; be educated before deciding how to go green with a solar water heaters;
• if you spend time working in your yard, you understand the importance of fertilizing; try composting with the Tumbleweed compost maker and reuse your yard waste; it takes a while, but the results are worth it;
• ceiling fans are a good investment and help to reduce home heating and cooling costs; take a look at greenman says about the benefits of installing energystar fans from Hunter;
• finally, everyone has a few home electronics; what you may not realize is that many constantly suck power; it’s a quick and easy project to reduce their impact with a few switches.

We covered more than just projects with a few posts with tips, a little education, and more:

• try these quick and easy energy saving tips;
• impress your friends with knowledge of these green terms;
• I was surprised at an un-green action by a “green” website;
• Ecomom is interested in the environment and her family and joined us this week to write about it;
• the demand for green is definitely up!

 Based on a recent survey released by the American Institute of Architects “green” cost effective homes and upgrades are getting more popular and high end items are less popular.

They surveyed over 500 architectural firms about consumer demand for kitchen and bath features. The results showed that there was less interest in luxury items (like upper-end kitchen appliances). Demand for high-end appliances fell over 25% from 2006 to 2007, according to the survey.

As high end features demand drops, the interest in green features is on the way up. Consumers are looking for eco-friendly and energy-efficient products. Key among these are products like low-VOC paints and flooring materials, floors and countertops made out of recycled and/or natural products (stone and concrete), and renewable flooring materials like cork and bamboo. The demand for renewable kitchen flooring materials increased by over 15% from 2006 to 2007 along with an increase in the interest in water-saving fixtures.

It looks like one of the unintended benefits of the slowing of the economy may be a focus on more energy-efficient and cost effective products which will benefit everyone.

To see info on a number of these type products check out GreenProductsNews.

There has been buzz over the last few months as news hit about how much power is used by new technology TVs.  Specifically, plasma and LCD TVs constantly use power and significantly more power than traditional tube TVs when turned off.

There have been lots of tips out there on how to handle this, like unplugging the equipment or using a power strip.  But there are some factors to keep in mind when taking these actions.  Here’s a short guide on how to green your electronics and entertainment center power consumption.

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Not only is greenHo.ws is a great place to find tips, projects, and general green info, but it’s also closely related to GreenProductsNews. Greenman has been pulling double duty and writing on GreenProductsNews about products that improve the greenliness of your house.

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