Keeping up with their annual tradition of giving away a green home, HGTV's 2010 Green Home is located in The Pinehills neighborhood of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The home is still under construction, but we know some of the green features include low-water landscaping, permeable pavers, rainwater collection, soy-based spray foam insulation, Energy Star roofing, solar photovoltaics, and Smart Sun efficient windows.
Ever since we came across an amazing post at Curbly on cleaning with baking soda, we've been addicted to the site. More than anything, Curbly is about celebrating and supporting DIY enthusiasts—with forums, how-tos, and a great blog that will send you to cool DIY projects all across the web.
It seems every time we turn around there's another new eco cleaner, which we guess is a good thing! The majority of the population might not be up to making their own cleaners quite yet, so in the meantime it's good to provide non-toxic options you can pick up in the grocery store aisle. The Eco Clean line of cleaners are fully biodegradable and free from phosphates, bleach, ammonia and petro chemicals.
Yesterday Emily showed us how to make a number of bathroom cleaners with just a few simple ingrediants. Along the same lines we're going to show you how to make your own eco-friendly laundry detergent with only 3 ingredients, it only takes about 3 minutes and it's cheaper than the regular stuff. We got the recipe as a gift from an Aunt and it works great!
Name: Lauren and Eric Wendlandt, architects/designers with Framework Design
Location: Westside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri
Size: approx. 6,500 square feet of commercial, residential and workshop space (two offices, two residences, and a woodworking/furniture shop)
Years lived in: officially 5 months - started in 2007, built from 2008-9.
Even though Lauren and Eric just completed Vivienda Moderna a few months ago, the home has an old soul. The building is located on the corner lot of an old mansion (whose foundations were unearthed during construction), is partially clad in wood siding from disassembled Kansas barns, and incorporates other salvaged material from around the region...
The windows in my house are over 50 years old: single paned, leaky, and water condenses on them on cold mornings. It took some courage, but I finally started replacing them, one-by-one. Now that I've successfully replaced four, I wanted to share the steps to this seemingly tough project that is completely doable.
Strawberries. In Medieval times strawberries symbolized prosperity, peace, and perfection. Through history they have also be considered aphrodisiacs, and some lore has it that Native Americans taught settlers how to sweeten cornbread with strawberries, and this was the inception of the strawberry shortcake. What is undisputed about strawberries is that they have no fat, very few calories, yet are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, fiber, and vitamin B6. And very few things taste better than a perfectly ripe strawberry.
When it comes to recycling, we've found you need one thing: intention. We had to get creative with a recycling station; with limited space (and a limited recycling program at our apartment complex), we managed to organize a system to keep it simple, clean, and make sure it goes out on time. Here's how.
We're sharing questions & answers from the industry pros at the USGBC's Green Home Guide!
Q: Anybody install radiant heating for the kitchen or bathroom floor? Really hard to find information about cost savings and how radiant heating can impact your house bill. Is it worth it? Can it also cool your home? How much did it cost and where can I find the product?
Sent by Justin
Looking for a way to significantly reduce packaging waste? A visit to your local bulk bin offers this, plus the opportunity to save money, to buy only what you need, and to try new foods with minimal investment. Here's how to go about scooping and and storing…
Buy second hand and keep stuff alive longer! Lots of great furniture finds in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington DC in today's PM Scavenger.
Love the Re-Nest Green Tours? Want to join our team and share great homes from your area? Re-Nest is putting out a special call for Green House Tour Contributors! If you've got a excellent eye for sustainable design and photography, and good scouting skills, read on!
It doesn't take a lot to significantly cut down on waste in the kitchen. We've made a few changes in our habits, and, suddenly, hardly anything is going into the trash. It feels good to know we're sending very little to the landfill.
We often hear people complain that they're no good at thrift store shopping—they have an aversion to dirt, no patience, or just bad luck. The truth is that anyone can be a good thrifter if they keep an open mind. It's as simple as recognizing when an object needs a good cleaning, a coat of paint, or even just a new context. Here are a few common items to keep an eye out for the next time you're at the thrift store.
We love Mason jars. We use them for all sorts of things around the kitchen. So when we first saw the prototypes for these universal lids that add even more functionality to our Mason jars, and to cleaned-out jelly and tomato sauce jars too, we were pretty impressed. Well, that prototype is now in production and for sale.
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