Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Mississippi used solar power, it would take 53 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover nearly two-thirds of […]
Search Results for: eco-home/energy-efficient-lighting/solar-lights
Oklahoma Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Oklahoma used solar power, it would take 107 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover 90% of the […]
Rhode Island Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Rhode Island used solar power, it would take 8 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover an area […]
South Dakota Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in South Dakota used solar power, it would take 7 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover 5% of […]
Wyoming Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Wyoming used solar power, it would take 104 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover nearly two-thirds of […]
The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals For Homesteaders
Amazon’s massive Prime Day promotion started Monday, July 15th at 12 am PT. They’ll be announcing deals throughout the day. This year’s Prime Day will last for 48 hours. Each deal will be one of four types: Prime Day Deals: Deep discounts on top products that last until Amazon runs out of stock (in some cases,
Alaska Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Alaska used solar power, it would take 8 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover 2.8 million acres
North Dakota Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in North Dakota used solar power, it would take 67 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover more than
Arkansas Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Arkansas used solar power, it would take 80 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover 89% of the
Tennessee Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Tennessee used solar power, it would take 85 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover all of the
Tiny House Plans
When looking for blueprints and designs for building your tiny house, the search can be arduous and overwhelming. With all the options on the internet and in books it can be hard to know which ones are worth using. Look for tiny house plans that come with detailed instructions explaining how to construct the house,
Earth-Sheltered Home: An Eco-Friendly, Passive Housing Alternative
Folks on the street may call them “hobbit houses” in reference to J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, but earth-sheltered homes have been around for far longer than 1937 when the novel was published. Though the practice of using a protective layer of earth to embrace your home exploded in popularity in the 1970s, it’s truly been around
Edison Bulbs
Edison light bulbs refer to those wound filament bulbs made popular by the Edison Electric Light Company. Marked by twisty and almost decorative-looking filaments of tungsten and carbonized bamboo, these light bulbs have mostly fallen out of favor due to high energy consumption. Most homes are illuminated through compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) or light emitting
Montana Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Montana used solar power, it would take 36 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover 14% of the
Wisconsin Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Wisconsin used solar power, it would take 86 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover nearly all of
Off-Grid vs. Grid-Tied Home Solar Systems
It’s still possible to generate your own electricity whether you live in the middle of town, or the middle of nowhere. To decide which is better for you, it’s essential to know the difference between off-grid and grid-tied home solar systems.
Outdoor Chandeliers
An outdoor chandelier can create the perfect, mood-setting lighting to make your spring and summer nights last even longer. I love those afternoons with friends that move into dinner in the backyard with a great bottle of wine, which turns into another great bottle after the sun is already setting. Have you ever noticed that
Sustainability 101: How To Build A Solar Oven
You know those hot summer days when you can see heat waves rising from the sidewalk, and people say things like “that sun’s hot enough to fry an egg”? Well, there’s more wisdom to that statement than you might think.
Outdoor Wall Sconces
An outdoor wall sconce can be: A functional item. Just there to make sure you don’t trip over the patio stairs. A contributing design element. Follows the theme or style you’ve chosen for your outdoor decor. A focal point. If you don’t have incredible landscaping, or stunning furniture, sconces are an inexpensive backyard conversation piece.
Shipping Container Homes
Shipping container homes seem like a no-brainer. Approximately 30 million steel shipping containers are in existence, filled and floating, or standing empty in a port. 8 feet wide by 8.5 feet high, and either 20 or 40 feet long, the steel shipping container has been the globally standardized transportation module since 1956. Sending empty containers
Solar Roadways
The Solar Roadways project is working to pave roads with solar panels that you can drive on. Their long range goal is to cover all concrete and asphalt surfaces that are exposed to the sun with Solar Road Panels. They plan to start off small: driveways, bike paths, patios, sidewalks, parking lots, playgrounds, etc. This
Is Tesla’s Solar Tile Roof Right For You?
Tesla’s solar roofing tile is now available for pre-order. Should you go for it? Ultimately, Tesla’s goal is for you to use their products to power your home with 100% clean and renewable energy. Tesla’s solar tiles work in tandem with their Powerwall battery pack to power your home and save you money in the
Top 10 Reasons to Live in an Electricity-Free Home (PPB #27)
When I designed my cob house here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage two years ago, I decided that I was going to live without electricity. I had no plans to buy a solar power system or a wind turbine. I was going to make the leap to live electricity-free in my home, in order to live
Quonset Huts
The Quonset hut, designed for military use, is finding its way into contemporary living— with some important upgrades. The original huts, developed on Quonset Island, Rhode Island, were cheap, temporary housing for troops on the move. They were easy to put up, easy to take down and pack, and made of inexpensive materials—corrugated steel and
Plastic Bottle Homes and Greenhouses
Plastic bottle houses, PET houses, recycled plastic home, plastic bottle building
Propane: The “Dirty Little Secret” of Living Off the Grid
Living off the grid sounds romantic…no more bills from dirty energy companies, self-sufficiency, green power, etc.; however, there is one “dirty little secret” found in most alternative energy homes. Without it, some off-gridders couldn’t cook, refrigerate, heat water, or dry clothes. That dirty little secret is propane. Propane is a “by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining,”. Due to
Masonry Heaters: Benefits, How They Work, And Photos
When you think of heating with fire, the first image that might leap to your mind is a crackling wood stove, the mainstay of cozy homesteading living rooms everywhere. But despite it’s current ubiquity in back-to-the-land imagery, the wood stove is a relatively recent invention, having been invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1742. If you
Homestead Stories: Growing Vegetables Indoors
The growing season is too short and I long for fresh vegetables year-round. Whilst most supermarkets have fresh produce (at a price depending on where it came from), there’s nothing quite like growing one’s own food, indoors or out, and enjoying the benefits of the harvest. I have had considerable success growing lettuce and herbs
Eco-Friendly Kitchen Sinks
Seekers of eco-friendly sinks, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news first: Affordable, new kitchen sinks aren’t 100% eco-friendly. When choosing a sink you’ll be balancing different aspects of sustainability. We’ve tried to give you a starting point for all the buying choices you’ll have to make. Kitchen Sink Materials/Colors
Off-Grid Heating Options & Alternatives
Last month, we debuted the first post in our series of Homesteading Questions and Answers. As we get questions from you, we try to formulate the best possible answers to help you on your adventure. This month is all about off-grid heating options. Sarah wants to know about “Heat alternatives that don’t require the grid,
Eco-Friendly Playgrounds
Parents know the benefits of installing playgrounds and playsets. Beyond being a fun activity that gets children outdoors, playground equipment is important for a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and interpersonal development. A day in the backyard or at the park does wonders for kids’ physical health, as well as improving their self-confidence and social skills,
Try An Eco Friendly Christmas Tree
Upcycled, recycled, reused eco-friendly Christmas trees are a sustainable alternative to chopping down a living tree or buying a tree that’s been chopped down and shipped to you. Christmas tree farms are a classic example of monoculture, where a single crop is cultivated in a wide area. Row after row of similar trees does not make for a
Cordwood Homes
Cordwood Homes and Barns
Floating Homes
AMPHIBIOUS ARCHITECTURE, Floating Homes
23 DIY Chandelier Projects To Illuminate Your Space
Lighting is one of the best ways to create ambiance or set the mood in any room. It’s also one of the ways that homeowners can showcase their own style. When you go to add new lighting to the rooms of your home, however, it’s easy to get sticker shock when shopping retail to find
The Solar Roof That Will Cost The Same As Shingle Roofs
The way Elon Musk tells it, today’s solar panels have the same problem electric cars once did—they look funny and don’t work that well. He doesn’t think solar-paneled roofs will truly take off until they’re as attractive and as inexpensive as other kinds of roofs. He made his point—with lifesize visual aids—in October 2016 on
How Much Does It Cost To Customize A Tiny House?
If you’ve researched buying a tiny house you know prices are usually listed as a “starting price,” just like new cars are. Why? Because a tiny house is too personal for a one-size-fits-all option to work. So builders offer options to match a customer’s budget or lifestyle. Someone doing a lot of outdoor work might
Books
Inspiration Green Book Recommendations. Selected green, eco, sustainable books to read. Plus- sources of digital books.
How Energy Efficient is Induction Cooking?
Induction cooking is a promising new technology that could make food preparation much more energy-efficient (as well as time-saving).
Organic Mattress Guide
Many mattresses contain harsh fire-retardant chemicals and inexpensive synthetic fabrics. Are these mattresses safe for you to lie on for 8 hours every night? Only a few mattress companies sell 100% organic mattresses. Most mattress companies use a mix of natural and synthetic materials. An organic mattress doesn’t contain harsh chemicals—it meets fire safety standards
Outdoor Beds
Outdoor beds are trending, but you may be wondering, “Why an outdoor bed and not just a hammock, chair, or bench?” Prepare to list your bench set for sale, dear reader. Aside from the most obvious use for outdoor beds (the ability to lay down outside on something other than grass, dirt, brick, concrete, or
DECT Phone Safety
DECT Phone Safety, Dangers of DECT, low radiation dect phones
Tiny House Cost
Tiny houses vary widely in cost. The factors that are going to impact the final price tag of your tiny house are: The type of materials you use (natural materials, salvaged or new) The systems and features you chose (off-grid or on-the-grid) Whether you are building it yourself or hiring a builder If you’ll be
Solar Drinking Water
You can use solar power to pump water, you can use solar power to heat water, and you can use use solar power to purify water, but what if you could use solar power to make water. A few dreamers are working toward this reality. In June 2016, Artist Ap Verheggen unveiled WaterCube. Watch the
How to Buy an Eco-Friendly Dishwasher (In 2014)
While an eco-friendly dishwasher is already a bit of a redundancy, the model you choose & the way you run it can save even more energy & water.
Flooring Ideas: 18 Eco-Friendly Options For Your Next Home Renovation
If you’re doing a home renovation or are in the market for some new flooring, you’re in luck. Right now, it appears that just about every type of flooring company has some exciting option you’re bound to love. Before choosing your flooring there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be sure that
Earthbag Homes
Earthbag Construction, Sandbag Buildings
Best LED Shop Lights
Fluorescent shop lights were standard in most workshops, but LED tubes have recently become a viable replacement. In fact, some new LED tubes work in fixtures designed for fluorescents. The upfront cost of LEDs is much higher than fluorescent bulbs, however, they have several benefits. Most importantly, they’re much more energy efficient than fluorescents, so
Living Off-Grid: What It’s Actually Like
In our modern day, with cable TV shows banking off of the “weirdness” of living off the grid, the very phrase “Off-Grid” images of end-of-the-world preppers stocking up MREs and ammo, wild-haired hermits digging in the dirt for acorns and mushrooms, or maybe criminals attempting to elude capture. But if you visited our off-grid homestead,
Planetsave Considers the Benefits of Living Off the Grid
We tend to think that living off the grid is always a good thing, but our sister site Planetsave wants us to think it through better. What do you think?