Well I see that it has been quite sometime since I was able to get back here. Sorry, I had cool mom things to do like run a elementary school book fair and teacher appreciation events right after. Even if it put me out of contact with anyone over the age of 12 or school personnel it was worth it!
So I went out and got the most of the method line of products and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how well they cleaned. I would not advise the wipes as they are on the dry side so you use more then one per job. Also the window cleaner can be a little streaky if you don't rub it all off. But the smells of the products is nice. The only hand soap I would suggest smelling before buying is the french lavender. It isn't your typical lavender. I love the mop but that could also be because there is no water needed so my 5 year old has nothing to play in if I get called away while mopping. Also the almond smell of the wood products still makes me want to use them daily to keep the smell going, but alas I am not that much of a cleaner.
The only products I haven't tried of theirs yet is the tile cleaner, the free and clear line, and the machine soaps (washing machine, dryer, dish washer). But as I usually buy those products from Bj's there is still plenty left, even with my family size. Also I doubt I will try the clothes products yet as I want to try the washer and dryer balls that I have seen. I'll let you know on that later.
My in-laws also decided to pay a last minute visit during the last two weeks. (last minute as they live in FL and we live in MD) They called Monday morning and came Friday afternoon so along with doing my school duties I also wound up having to set up the guestroom we had been planning to do (you know sometime in the future when we had time or before Christmas and their scheduled visit). Doing that I discovered eco- friendly pillows, I guess now there is not much out there that doesn't help the environment some as long as you look. Though it you may have to look for them as they seem to never be in an easy place either on top or bottom shelves or worse case in their own section away from the "regular" products that do the same jobs. So keep a look out and see what you can replace with something a little nicer for both you and yours and our home the Earth.
May 15, 2007
Apr 27, 2007
The Weight of the Dumpster
Okay, I know this one will not go over to well but we were doing our spring clean up the yard and house thing, when my Mother convinced me to get a dumpster. As we had old furniture that had already been loving "antiques" of others and then repaired and used by us till they couldn't be repaired anymore without some major (by major I mean almost all) new parts and a lot of prayer that they would stay together, that I finally admitted that after being at least the second, third or even fourth family to use them, it was time to let these pieces go. The chairs had to be sat on in just the right way or else, the table and desk couldn't be bumped for fear of the legs re breaking or falling over. Wheels were missing you get the picture. I hate to throw out anything that still can be used but seeing that all this furniture not only needed to be repaired, but some really couldn't (exactly how do you re-weld steel together without special know how to make sure it holds and not burning the house down?). So after much to do I agree but warned that We're keeping the compost pile (she thought I was kidding about having one, must be doing okay there). So she then says, that a friend of hers has started a landscaping company and would be over to help get the garden back under control.
I know you're thinking how hard could the garden be, well we've been working on them since we moved in and only got one section mulched last year, no plants. To understand this you need to know that the first time I saw this house I refused to go inside because you couldn't see the house and the yard made you wonder if it was safe to go into because you might get lost as it was so overgrown. It came to my waist and we had one grapevine that grew the entire perimeter of the backyard and was working on the front from the opposite side. Now since it was .40 acre it was a lot of vine for no grapes. We had over twenty-two full grown trees and no one had thought about where they planted them as one was a holly that wasn't even a foot away from the house but as tall as it in front of the master bedroom windows. So you couldn't open them but carpenter ants loved the help getting inside. The grapevine actually about ten feet in width in the original location. So to put it mildly in the 50 years the couple lived here before us they planted but they did not maintain. I understand wanting to let nature take it's course but we still haven't gotten into the last 30 feet of the yard yet due to overgrowth.
Okay a little over done on the picture but I will let it go by saying that isn't even half of the problems we had up to this point there. I'll tell them later. So my mother sent over her helpers and I now have mulched garden around 80% of the front and side of the house Great! (not really), since I admit this is all something I'm learning as I go along they told me I had to dig out the clay, okay makes sense, but six inches down 2ft width 60 ft in length just for the side, front gardens are 4ft width 25ft each side. Anyone get the picture yet? Yes that was about 11 tons of clay that had to go some where. Only I didn't know how much it weighed till after the dumpster was taken. Did I mention our weight limit was 4 tons and we had to pay by the ton after that? So guess what I got to tell my husband right before he went to work? Honey, I need an extra $400 to pay for listening to the landscapers instead of making those raised gardens I wanted. I know they said this was the right way and that raised gardens would have cost more then the dumpster, but not that much more.
So rule to remember go with plan we feel is right not the experts unless they have so much experience and credentials that we bow in their presence.
I know you're thinking how hard could the garden be, well we've been working on them since we moved in and only got one section mulched last year, no plants. To understand this you need to know that the first time I saw this house I refused to go inside because you couldn't see the house and the yard made you wonder if it was safe to go into because you might get lost as it was so overgrown. It came to my waist and we had one grapevine that grew the entire perimeter of the backyard and was working on the front from the opposite side. Now since it was .40 acre it was a lot of vine for no grapes. We had over twenty-two full grown trees and no one had thought about where they planted them as one was a holly that wasn't even a foot away from the house but as tall as it in front of the master bedroom windows. So you couldn't open them but carpenter ants loved the help getting inside. The grapevine actually about ten feet in width in the original location. So to put it mildly in the 50 years the couple lived here before us they planted but they did not maintain. I understand wanting to let nature take it's course but we still haven't gotten into the last 30 feet of the yard yet due to overgrowth.
Okay a little over done on the picture but I will let it go by saying that isn't even half of the problems we had up to this point there. I'll tell them later. So my mother sent over her helpers and I now have mulched garden around 80% of the front and side of the house Great! (not really), since I admit this is all something I'm learning as I go along they told me I had to dig out the clay, okay makes sense, but six inches down 2ft width 60 ft in length just for the side, front gardens are 4ft width 25ft each side. Anyone get the picture yet? Yes that was about 11 tons of clay that had to go some where. Only I didn't know how much it weighed till after the dumpster was taken. Did I mention our weight limit was 4 tons and we had to pay by the ton after that? So guess what I got to tell my husband right before he went to work? Honey, I need an extra $400 to pay for listening to the landscapers instead of making those raised gardens I wanted. I know they said this was the right way and that raised gardens would have cost more then the dumpster, but not that much more.
So rule to remember go with plan we feel is right not the experts unless they have so much experience and credentials that we bow in their presence.
Apr 19, 2007
Earth Day
I just wanted to post a quick reminder. Sunday April 22, is Earth Day. You still have time to make a difference on Capital Hill. It's a little late to visit the Hill and your representative, unless like me you live close and are luckier then me and know yours personally, hey if you do great. Or how about emailing your message to your Representatives and Senators(for the House click here to find and email yours, for the Senate click here to find and email yours). Maybe if on our own we contact them as well as in groups they will start to realize that it is important to us and not just once a year on Earth Day, or in groups but in individual lives also. We have to live here all the time and have to live with the consequences for the rest of ours and our children's lives. Let's stop making this a special day or week thing and put it right up there with should my child wear a jacket to keep warm today. Or next thing we know it may be should my child wear a mask to school today, along with full sunscreen, and anything else we can think of to make them safe. I know the email may take a while to be read but then they might think about it after the day has past for the year.
For the group part you can still sign Earth Day 2007 climate change petition to remind Congress that The Sky Belongs to All of Us. I know that I usually just focus on what I personally can do to change the way resources are used, reused, discarded, and recycled. But remembering that Earth Day has been around now for 37 years, shows that if we let up pressure, it will be sent to the back of the governments list of things to do once we let up pressure. Changes have been made but if you look to why it was because of it having to be made through pressure of the people or the check book.
I wanted to make sure that I did what I could this year as I always seem to get busy doing my spring cleaning and improving personally that I really never get to the next step of promoting to others, then those close, about it. I maybe almost late this year, but I prefer to think of it as just really early for next year. You never know what you can accomplish in that time so I'm going to see what I can do. I always take the renewal of spring as a time to renew and improve my families and I lives, so this year I'm just going to stretch a little more to include the Earth itself.
For the group part you can still sign Earth Day 2007 climate change petition to remind Congress that The Sky Belongs to All of Us. I know that I usually just focus on what I personally can do to change the way resources are used, reused, discarded, and recycled. But remembering that Earth Day has been around now for 37 years, shows that if we let up pressure, it will be sent to the back of the governments list of things to do once we let up pressure. Changes have been made but if you look to why it was because of it having to be made through pressure of the people or the check book.
I wanted to make sure that I did what I could this year as I always seem to get busy doing my spring cleaning and improving personally that I really never get to the next step of promoting to others, then those close, about it. I maybe almost late this year, but I prefer to think of it as just really early for next year. You never know what you can accomplish in that time so I'm going to see what I can do. I always take the renewal of spring as a time to renew and improve my families and I lives, so this year I'm just going to stretch a little more to include the Earth itself.
Apr 12, 2007
Found New Cleaning Supplies
Was shopping over at Target and found Method cleaning supplies. I was impressed because not only are they environmentally friendly but they don't break the bank either. Most Eco-friendly cleaning supplies I have tried in the past were more expensive (not that they weren't worth it), so when times get tight then I would go back to the old ones if I ran out. These were surprisingly right on par. The grapefruit multi-cleaner spray was only $2.99. I also got the mop, I'll let you know about that later I haven't used it yet. I have used the cleaner on my walls so far and it was even getting off pencil marks. No offensive smells attacked me, my hands didn't feel like Brillo pads, and I wasn't warning the children not to touch before it was wiped down with water and dried. So I'm glad that I found this one and I wanted to tell others about it. I did notice that the price was cheaper at Target then online at their website. So if they sell it near you (you can check on the website www.methodhome.com) I would advise getting it at the store.
This is a short one as I'm still investigating the "Boston Reformed Fuel Car" that I read about in the 1973 Yearbook of Living History of The World. It was a car designed in 1972 to use regular gasoline but cut emissions drastically and improve gas mileage. I can only seem to find articles that allude to it but not information about the actual car. So we'll see.
Go Green!
This is a short one as I'm still investigating the "Boston Reformed Fuel Car" that I read about in the 1973 Yearbook of Living History of The World. It was a car designed in 1972 to use regular gasoline but cut emissions drastically and improve gas mileage. I can only seem to find articles that allude to it but not information about the actual car. So we'll see.
Go Green!
Apr 10, 2007
Great Article at How Stuff Works
The article by Katie Lambert "Ten Things You Can DO to Help Save the Earth" is a quick list of things everyone can do without making big changes. Since everyone (including me and my family) seems to have trouble making the big changes need in one step I think these 10 things are a great way to start. They are actually mostly what I started with when I became concerned about mine and my family consumption of energy and resources. I actually just finished the last one on the list adding an electric programmable thermostat so that when were sleeping I adjust the temperature to use less energy till about 1/2hr before we're due to get up.
I actually got one that has 4 temperature setting for M-F and 4 for the weekend so that it will adjust to our different schedules without me reprogramming or overriding every weekend and weekday change. It was fairly inexpensive I got it for less then $30 at the local big discounter (you the know the one with the smiley). The scariest part was rewiring the thermostat but the directions are easy and the wires color coded and it included labels just in case. So I actually had it awhile before attempting. Now I wish I'd done it sooner. The house is actually more comfortable since it adjusts for us, since I know how we like it during the day. Especially as we had a cold front return. It is good I had it on because with the old one I had to manually turn it on as my littlest liked to turn the heat up when she was cold and since she hates to wear clothes that happens a lot.
I hope that if you haven't read the article you will take the time to see not only what you can change to make a difference, but what you already do. So that you can pat yourself on the back, I think it's important to be proud of the little changes we've made, or even the big. Pride in our choices and in our way of being responsible for our own consumption can hopefully spread to others, kinda like the smile you get when you least expect it. It just makes you want to smile, so maybe if we have pride in what we're doing and why, maybe the good feelings from that can out weigh the negativity we feel and see in others and spread to them.
Good luck and remember that even a drop can over fill the teacup, maybe you'll be that drop.
Article cited is:
Katie Lambert. "Ten Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth". March 27, 2007 http://people.howstuffworks.com/save-earth-top-ten.htm (April 10, 2007)
I actually got one that has 4 temperature setting for M-F and 4 for the weekend so that it will adjust to our different schedules without me reprogramming or overriding every weekend and weekday change. It was fairly inexpensive I got it for less then $30 at the local big discounter (you the know the one with the smiley). The scariest part was rewiring the thermostat but the directions are easy and the wires color coded and it included labels just in case. So I actually had it awhile before attempting. Now I wish I'd done it sooner. The house is actually more comfortable since it adjusts for us, since I know how we like it during the day. Especially as we had a cold front return. It is good I had it on because with the old one I had to manually turn it on as my littlest liked to turn the heat up when she was cold and since she hates to wear clothes that happens a lot.
I hope that if you haven't read the article you will take the time to see not only what you can change to make a difference, but what you already do. So that you can pat yourself on the back, I think it's important to be proud of the little changes we've made, or even the big. Pride in our choices and in our way of being responsible for our own consumption can hopefully spread to others, kinda like the smile you get when you least expect it. It just makes you want to smile, so maybe if we have pride in what we're doing and why, maybe the good feelings from that can out weigh the negativity we feel and see in others and spread to them.
Good luck and remember that even a drop can over fill the teacup, maybe you'll be that drop.
Article cited is:
Katie Lambert. "Ten Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth". March 27, 2007 http://people.howstuffworks.com/save-earth-top-ten.htm (April 10, 2007)
Apr 8, 2007
"Earth 2100"
We watched an interesting program on demand last night. It was called "Earth 2100" by the Discovery Channel. I liked it mostly because it was more about what would happen and less about what's causing it. I think that by now most people know what is causing global warming, it's just hard to take the blame since we seem to be the relief pitchers in the game. I know that we didn't start this or even really know a great way to fix it, but I do know that if we don't figure it out and start doing it, the earth will do it for us. One of the greatest emphasis of the program was that extreme weather is here to stay, and it's only going to get worse. I know that one of the reasons we wanted to move was to try and stay in a weather environment that we are accustomed to. We figured that by moving north we would be better able to handle the increase in heat and less "crazy" weather. We live in Maryland and one thing that has always been said here is that if you don't like the weather wait a minuet (meaning that it changes a lot, you never know what system is going to win since we seem to sit in the middle of quite a few different fronts), but it snowed yesterday and laid a light dusting the day before Easter and that was definitely a surprise. We were wearing shorts at the beginning of the week and I had gotten spring clothes for the children to wear at Easter dinner, now they're wearing jeans and shirts (it has also helped the flu flare back up, since 3 out of 4 only got it mildly, now 3 out of 4 has it. I've taken to looking for alternative cures to help). So even if it's hard to accept that it is everyone's responsibility and I would say right to work on this problem, it truly is something that we need to get our government to work on and not just during election time either! If even half of what the program was talking about happens that means that we lose coastal areas, where about 30 million(or more) live, the rainforest everyone wants to protect will become a dessert because the oceans will be to warm for the rains to make it, they will dump it back in the ocean and the Amazon would dry out and the area would become a dessert. That definitely will not help get the CO2 out of the atmosphere. I'm not sure what is the "right" answer, or if there is one, but I know that my family and I are going to be working on it. The one thing this country has always proven true is that supply and demand works to change the market place so we are changing our demands. Hopefully there are or will be enough people to do this so that the supplies available become better for all of us and the environment.
I don't know about you but I want to be the relief pitcher that wins the game, not let it go, and say it wasn't my fault. Because yes it might not be my fault for how bad it was when I was born or to young to do much, but it is my fault if left to keep going and not try to find an answer or answers to change it. I'm willing to take that responsibility on and teach my children to think of it as natural to do, I hope that you are too.
Have a great holiday if your celebrating and if not have a great day!
I don't know about you but I want to be the relief pitcher that wins the game, not let it go, and say it wasn't my fault. Because yes it might not be my fault for how bad it was when I was born or to young to do much, but it is my fault if left to keep going and not try to find an answer or answers to change it. I'm willing to take that responsibility on and teach my children to think of it as natural to do, I hope that you are too.
Have a great holiday if your celebrating and if not have a great day!
Apr 2, 2007
Going Green as an Exercise Program
I've decided that I should market going green as an exercise program for those looking for a way to keep or get fit. We have been taking out the old gardens that came with our home and taking the clay that was underneath out so that we can plant more "productive" gardens. By that I mean that I either can use them to bring fresh flowers into the house or grow some food. That way not only am I improving the curb appeal but getting "free"(if you don't count the labor and seed cost) food and flowers. Since I love flowers around the house it's also a great way to trim the budget to put towards some of the big improvements we want to tackle. So by summer I should have my usual cooking herbs grown in my kitchen garden, some berries on the side and flowers out front. I figure the berries won't mature until next year, but we can wait. Also we are drawing up plans to make a garden in the back to grow green beans, peas, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, some corn (for the children) and pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving. We grew a pumpkin last year just because one of our pumpkins from the year before had fallen into the garden, the kids loved it though. They were so proud of it the took turns taking it to school to show off what they had done. Right now were waiting on the compost from the local landfill to mix in with the dirt that's left. After we till that in we plan on getting mulch from the landfill to cover to slow the weeds and give the gardens a more finished look. The landfill is great for finding compost and mulch, both are free, you just have to transport it! So not only are we saving money but, we're helping by taking things that would have put into the landfill and never seen from again, that still had great benefits to them. So check your local landfill and see what they offer to local residents. I've heard that some even offer paint primer by mixing old paint together and adding some chemicals, since color is not a problem and the paint would have wound up in the ground I think that's great.
Mar 25, 2007
An Air Tight Envelope is Important(to a house) Too
Not sure that staying put and going green is going to be that easy. Was researching that how air tight your home is, is a major concern because even if you go "green" in heating and cooling that you could still use too much energy, even if it's renewable. So now I have to figure out how air tight my home is, and then what exactly the new windows are galvanized with, and where they are placed to decide what needs to be changed, fixed, filled in, and so on before we even try to change things to a renewable energy source. Whats the use of getting different heating and cooling source if it's just going to seep out our walls. I though that having a brick house would be beneficial, but now I'm finding out it's not that much of an insulator unless I'm in the mid-west or south-west, where temperatures change dramatically from day to night. Here in Maryland it's not much help as the temperature is usually only a few degree different. I was looking into cotton insulation as it has a high R value and low environmental impact both in the home air quality and the manufacturing, but not sure if we are going to change to that yet, as I want to do more research.
Okay, I admit that going green and off-grid sounds great but now that we are trying to plan what needs to be changed first it's a lot more involved then changing our energy source and planting trees and shrubs to help. Not sure how long this is going to take. Our original timetable was a little over two years depending on finances, now I would be happy to finish in under five. Hopefully some of the tax breaks will increase and maybe the cost will go down so I can speed it up and get pros to do more. We'll see what happens. I may be a little discouraged right now, but I refuse to give up!
Okay, I admit that going green and off-grid sounds great but now that we are trying to plan what needs to be changed first it's a lot more involved then changing our energy source and planting trees and shrubs to help. Not sure how long this is going to take. Our original timetable was a little over two years depending on finances, now I would be happy to finish in under five. Hopefully some of the tax breaks will increase and maybe the cost will go down so I can speed it up and get pros to do more. We'll see what happens. I may be a little discouraged right now, but I refuse to give up!
Mar 23, 2007
I'm Confused
Okay why is it President Bush (at off-grid.net)doesn't seem to keen on environmental policy, yet his ranch in Texas is off-grid? Al Gore (at www.wnd.com) is all for environmental policy, yet his home isn't?
I know that I didn't think that "An Inconvenient Truth" was a gospel to be followed by all those who care about the future of the Earth. You would think that someone who does a documentary on the need to be self-sufficient and not to waste energy, wouldn't use 20x the national average. Yet President Bush realized that going off-grid while it may cost more up front, is actually cheaper if you plan to live in the home for a long term ( usually over 10 years).
So I guess the right argument would be that if you go off-grid you will actually be saving money in the long run, and you can claim your doing it for the good of the world. That may work better then "You need to save the planet before it kills you". Not sure which I would personally use but hey it's great to have options! Another one could be if more people do it then it will be cheaper and payback would happen quicker for those of us in the mobile population that anything over 5 years is just to far to plan for.
Of course, I actually believe that no argument will work until a person wants to change or sees the need for it. Since gas prices hitting over $3.00 didn't do it, then not much is as those who can will continue to just grin and bear it until they can't anymore. So until those people feel the pinch either in their wallet or their conscious I won't hold my breath or waste it arguing with what I think they should. I'm going to quietly, at least in my neighborhood, make changes to my home to make me feel better and give my children a better environment, till it's time to not be so quite. This is my outlet for now, maybe one day the neighbors will ask about it but, for now I'm keeping mum.
I know that I didn't think that "An Inconvenient Truth" was a gospel to be followed by all those who care about the future of the Earth. You would think that someone who does a documentary on the need to be self-sufficient and not to waste energy, wouldn't use 20x the national average. Yet President Bush realized that going off-grid while it may cost more up front, is actually cheaper if you plan to live in the home for a long term ( usually over 10 years).
So I guess the right argument would be that if you go off-grid you will actually be saving money in the long run, and you can claim your doing it for the good of the world. That may work better then "You need to save the planet before it kills you". Not sure which I would personally use but hey it's great to have options! Another one could be if more people do it then it will be cheaper and payback would happen quicker for those of us in the mobile population that anything over 5 years is just to far to plan for.
Of course, I actually believe that no argument will work until a person wants to change or sees the need for it. Since gas prices hitting over $3.00 didn't do it, then not much is as those who can will continue to just grin and bear it until they can't anymore. So until those people feel the pinch either in their wallet or their conscious I won't hold my breath or waste it arguing with what I think they should. I'm going to quietly, at least in my neighborhood, make changes to my home to make me feel better and give my children a better environment, till it's time to not be so quite. This is my outlet for now, maybe one day the neighbors will ask about it but, for now I'm keeping mum.
Mar 22, 2007
Found a neat site
I found a neat site deicated to going or living off-grid. Unfortunately it's not aimed at us here in the USA. But it does have articles from some people here and in Canada, so it's not to far off. I put it in the links to the right. Off-Grid.net. I found some interesting things there and it has great links to find even more info. I've been looking though it and can'y wait to check out some more later. But just thought I'd dropped thid in while I was at lunch. Back to work now. I'll let you know if I find anything else while I'm searching. I have to go look for a dumpster and someone to take down the dead 80ft tree in my front yard (oh what fun!), I know I want to go off grid but not because the tree takes all the wires with it! So now that it seems to be warming I am hoping to find a deal. If not then I will just have to do a budget adjustment for what I planned for this summer. Knew I couldn't keep to the pace we planned out but was hoping to at least start a project before snarls happened. Well that's my luck! I'll keep you posted on if and when I can start redoing those gardens, since they need a complete overhaul. I really wanted to pick my own berries this summer though:(
Mar 20, 2007
It's Not Quite What I thought
Well starting to research what entails a green house finds that it can have a very broad meaning at least to me. Seems that any building that uses "alternative" ways to heat, cool, supply energy, heat water, etc. could be considered green depending on who you ask. So now we need to decide how "green" is right for us and what is possible with our limited budget. If we cash out our equity for construction and supplies, we fear that if prices keep going down then we could be stuck with a mortgage that is worth more then our home. That definitely doesn't appeal so we are going to do it slowly and put what sweat equity into it that we can. Not as simple as it may seem as my husband averages about 16-18hr days and I work from home while the children are at school or sleeping. The good news is that our children are getting old enough to actually help with some of the projects. The youngest is now 5 and she can carry and play with the dog. The older girls are 7 and 8 and have an interest in plants so they can work in the gardens, our son is 11 and big enough to help with some labor as long as it's not to dangerous. At least that's the plan right now. I've been looking at greenhouses, boy do I wish my father lived closer! He loves to build and has all those great toys to make it easy, but he's over 3hrs away, so he's only on call for the day projects. Like putting a deck on the back that I hope to turn into a sun room later. One that can be used to heat the house during the winter, plus keep the dwarf trees alive till summer.
But some quick things I've found is a Firebrite reflector that is supposed to increase your heat output from your fireplace up to 80%. Another thing for our fireplace is a cast-iron grate that has a fireback attached so that the warmth will reflect and stay longer. We have a functioning fireplace that we used to have to use with our old furnace but since grate placement was essential for heat and an inch either way could make it to cold or to close for sparks, we stopped using it with the new furnace. So maybe if one of these work, we can enjoy fires on chilly nights instead of upping the thermostat. To bad I found them now and not in the beginning of winter, I didn't even get the chimney swept this year because we hardly used it the last two years, now I'm regretting that with the cold fronts that last a couple days then it's back to 60's and 70's. A fire is one thing I will have next winter. Oh well I will let you know which I try and what I think! Anyone has one or has tried either please let me know!
I'm still on the lookout for little things I can change. I've already changed our light bulbs over, make sure the lights are out when not in use ( with four kids I seem to always be doing that LOL), recycling bottles and paper, started using rechargeable batteries and am trying to check if products are made from recycled materials and if the are environmentally friendly (i.e. breakdown easily, or can be reused, no poison to leach out). Looking into getting a solar charger for the batteries then only the initial cost of the batteries is what I pay no recharging fee to the electric company. Oh, well enough for today. Off to bed to recharge my battery before the sun and children are up for another day of work and research.
But some quick things I've found is a Firebrite reflector that is supposed to increase your heat output from your fireplace up to 80%. Another thing for our fireplace is a cast-iron grate that has a fireback attached so that the warmth will reflect and stay longer. We have a functioning fireplace that we used to have to use with our old furnace but since grate placement was essential for heat and an inch either way could make it to cold or to close for sparks, we stopped using it with the new furnace. So maybe if one of these work, we can enjoy fires on chilly nights instead of upping the thermostat. To bad I found them now and not in the beginning of winter, I didn't even get the chimney swept this year because we hardly used it the last two years, now I'm regretting that with the cold fronts that last a couple days then it's back to 60's and 70's. A fire is one thing I will have next winter. Oh well I will let you know which I try and what I think! Anyone has one or has tried either please let me know!
I'm still on the lookout for little things I can change. I've already changed our light bulbs over, make sure the lights are out when not in use ( with four kids I seem to always be doing that LOL), recycling bottles and paper, started using rechargeable batteries and am trying to check if products are made from recycled materials and if the are environmentally friendly (i.e. breakdown easily, or can be reused, no poison to leach out). Looking into getting a solar charger for the batteries then only the initial cost of the batteries is what I pay no recharging fee to the electric company. Oh, well enough for today. Off to bed to recharge my battery before the sun and children are up for another day of work and research.
Mar 19, 2007
Going Green At Home
Well as much as we wanted to move to go green it seems that the powers that be want us to start at our current home first. If anyone has been watching the real estate market and how mortgage companies seem to be having increasingly difficult times, we decided to take the hint.
We are going to continue adjusting our current home until things don't seem so scary out there. Plus as hubby points out we already started with this one, and we know what's left, no new "oops"! Since we just changed half the windows and upgraded all the appliances to energy star 3 years ago, we can now go from there. Plus the more we were looking for a house that took in account sunlight, slope of the lot, and trees, we realized that our home already did that. We have a 1/3 acre lot less then a mile from the city, so we have enough land to plant a small garden, but still close enough that we can get paid a city rate for our work. Can't build the compost toilet anytime soon, but I think hubby is glad about that as the children range from 5-11, so some fear on if they'll remember to cover it up, when they sometimes forget to flush!
Though now that we have decided to stay I'm sorry to say that I have to change the reason of this blog from finding and making an Eco-friendly home to converting our existing home to an Eco-friendly one.
I'm already making plans about adding a deck, and changing our gardens to become more efficient. I'm going to add some berries to the garden so that we can harvest them, plus we are looking into dwarf trees. I plan on having a cutting garden so that I can supply my flowers without buying them. We plan on clearing the backyard so that we can plan a little garden to help with vegetables. Now I really wished I paid more attention when my Memaw was canning. Oh well I'm sure that can still be learned, even though getting a vacuum sealer and freezing works too!
I'm off to do some more research about my plans. I have great ideas, but we can only do so much at a time, especially since I refuse to pay someone to do it for us (at least at this point). I'm hoping that I can teach my children what I learned helping my grandparents with their garden (keep in mind that it was a 1/2 acre garden and feed them throughout the winter) that food doesn't magically appear in the supermarket and it tastes better when you know exactly where it came from and what went in it.
We are going to continue adjusting our current home until things don't seem so scary out there. Plus as hubby points out we already started with this one, and we know what's left, no new "oops"! Since we just changed half the windows and upgraded all the appliances to energy star 3 years ago, we can now go from there. Plus the more we were looking for a house that took in account sunlight, slope of the lot, and trees, we realized that our home already did that. We have a 1/3 acre lot less then a mile from the city, so we have enough land to plant a small garden, but still close enough that we can get paid a city rate for our work. Can't build the compost toilet anytime soon, but I think hubby is glad about that as the children range from 5-11, so some fear on if they'll remember to cover it up, when they sometimes forget to flush!
Though now that we have decided to stay I'm sorry to say that I have to change the reason of this blog from finding and making an Eco-friendly home to converting our existing home to an Eco-friendly one.
I'm already making plans about adding a deck, and changing our gardens to become more efficient. I'm going to add some berries to the garden so that we can harvest them, plus we are looking into dwarf trees. I plan on having a cutting garden so that I can supply my flowers without buying them. We plan on clearing the backyard so that we can plan a little garden to help with vegetables. Now I really wished I paid more attention when my Memaw was canning. Oh well I'm sure that can still be learned, even though getting a vacuum sealer and freezing works too!
I'm off to do some more research about my plans. I have great ideas, but we can only do so much at a time, especially since I refuse to pay someone to do it for us (at least at this point). I'm hoping that I can teach my children what I learned helping my grandparents with their garden (keep in mind that it was a 1/2 acre garden and feed them throughout the winter) that food doesn't magically appear in the supermarket and it tastes better when you know exactly where it came from and what went in it.
Mar 10, 2007
Still looking for that Special Place
Well I certainly didn't think that finding that special place would be as difficult as it is turning out to be. We are trying to stick with already built houses that need work (most a lot of it) so that we don't build on unused land. But that seems to bring so many different problems. We prefer to find one that can be gutted and start from there to make it as green as possible but most houses haven't been built to take advantage of the natural resources. So we now are looking for houses built in the early 1900's or earlier and they are either already rehabbed (but without green methods and practices) or need so much work that we will definitely need a place to stay during the rehab. Since we were planning on selling our home and living in the new one while we rehabbed it to be more energy efficient and eco-friendly. So now we have to decide if we should get something that need a little more work so it will be cheaper, but we don't have to sell the one we're living in until the new one is at least livable. Or do we buy a lot that never had a home and then build from scratch. This really didn't seem to be that hard to decide when we started looking actively for a new home we have spent the last few years investigating new technologies and old to decide what we could do to lighten our load on the planet and now that we are actively trying to do that we find all new possibilities that we though we had already thought through. So I hope you enjoy our journey because I can tell you from the start we're having it will definitely be informative and hopefully something we can laugh about when we get through it.
Mar 2, 2007
Hello World
Hi. This blog is dedicated to my husband and my search for a new home and then making that home self-sufficient, or Off-Grid. I figured it would be a great story to share. So I'll start with who we are and where we currently live. We are a family of six, one husband and wife, one son (11), and three daughters (8, 7, and 5) and our various pets (One dog, two cats, hermit crabs and fish). We live in Baltimore,MD and are looking to move to a more rural setting to take ourselves off the grid. We are looking currently in western Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Luckily my husband and I work from home so we have a little more freedom as we will be taking our jobs with us. This journey will surely have its ups and downs but it will definitely not be boring. And for any of you out there thinking of doing the same thing you can watch us do all the mistakes and then get it right the first time. I welcome comments and advice as we will surely need them. We both grew up in the suburbs around Baltimore so this is going to be interesting. I hope you come along for the ride.
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