Green Living

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Go Green on Your Terms

Published August 10, 2011 | By Alan Vryhof

Green living has been the topic of a lot of debate. There are many people who believe that we are rapidly using up the earth’s resources and many who believe just the opposite. Regardless of who is right or wrong, it just makes good common sense to preserve our resources for as long as possible so why not make a few small changes to do so? One thing I hear from people is that is it more expensive to “go green” and initially that might be true.

Changing over your whole house to energy saving light bulbs is not cheap but in the long run, it pays for itself many times over. Appliance made after 1993 can be 99% more energy efficient than old appliances. Upgrading can be expensive but the savings makes it worth it. We are not saying you should run out and replace everything at once, who could afford to do that? But if you make it a goal to gradually replace your lights and purchase Energy Star rated appliances, you will be making steps toward a greener life and, over time, a fatter wallet.

Here are some other small changes that produce big results:

Green Laundry

Wash in cold water to save 3 times the electricity
Use detergent formulated for cold water
Use environmentally friendly detergent
Dry clothes on a clothesline if possible

Green Electricity

Switch to energy saving light bulbs, they lower your energy bill and put money in your pocket
Take s shorter shower to save water and electricity
Turn off lights and appliances when you are not in the room
Unplug appliances when you are not using them, many have LED lights that continue to use energy when they are turned off
In winter, turn off the oven, but leave the oven door open after cooking a meal to use the residual heat

Green Food

Buy local whenever possible to reduce the need for trucking and shipping
Cut meat consumption back by 20%, most greenhouse gases are the result of the livestock industry
Avoid processed foods; this is better for your health and using fewer processed foods cuts back on the need for packaging as well as the emissions caused by processing plants
Buy shade grown coffee; the coffee industry kills a lot of trees otherwise
Choose to only eat fish that is less subject to accidental catching such as Albacore tuna over Bluefin tuna

Green Car

Choose the right sized vehicle for your needs.
Lighter colored cars can be more efficient because they stay cooler and require less air conditioning
Look for tires that improve MPG

Green Trash

Reduce waste in our landfills by recycling, reusing and composting

Green living is easier than you think!

Written by Alan Vryhof

Save Energy – Green Lighting

Published February 10, 2011 | By Alan Vryhof

We’ve come a long way from using candles and lanterns to light our homes. Unfortunately,the energy used to light our home, office, or garage adds to our electric bill and increases the carbon footprint of our homes. By reducing the amount of energy we use for lighting we can reduce the impact our house has on the environment .

The two major players in the green lighting field are CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs, and LED (Light Emitting Diode) light bulbs. There are good and bad points with both types of bulb.\n\nFluorescent light bulbs are more energy efficient than a standard incandescent bulb. A 15W CFL (Compact Fluorescent light) bulb puts out light equivalent to a 75W incandescent bulb. This is the upside of CFL style green lighting. CFL bulbs cost more than an incandescent bulb, but are supposed to last 8 times longer or about 8000 hours. This can save you quite a bit of money on your energy bill. The bad points of a CFL bulb are:

There is a warm up period before the bulbs light fully
They contain mercury which is hazardous
They cost more than standard incandescent bulbs
Not all CFL bulbs can be dimmed on a light dimmer

LED light bulbs are another option where you can save energy with green lighting. LED lights are rated at nearly the same wattage output as a CFL bulb. LED bulbs are estimated to last around 25,000 hours, they contain no mercury or hazardous material. LED lights come on full bright and can be dimmed with most light dimmers. There are of course bad points to these bulbs too. There is debate about the temperature of the light put out by LED lights. Some people say that they cast a blue, green or other hue of light causing colors in your home to look off.

For that matter, unless you purchase full spectrum bulbs, all forms of artificial lighting can have a detrimental effect on your vision and lead to SAD (season affective disorder). We need the full spectrum of light produced by the sun and when we spend too much time under artificial lighting, our bodies produce reduced amounts of vitamin D. This can lead to depression and vision problem along with many other health issues.

Full spectrum CFL bulbs are available, they are a little more expensive than the regular type. “Grow lights” are available in LED style but these appear to be lighting fixtures as opposed to bulbs you can use in lighting fixtures.\n\nI think there is a place for all of these bulbs in your home if you want to save money, the planet or both. The U.S. government is trying to ban incandescent bulbs. I think the incandescent bulb still has its merits in limited applications. I would recommend trying each type to find your own preference before you change all of the lights in your house.

Written by Alan Vryhof