Remember when telephone poles had colorful glass insulators atop their cross arms? These days, most telephone poles have either silicone or ceramic insulators, and many people are recycling the obsolete glass insulators as communications and power companies continue updating aging lines. Old insulators, which are bell shaped and used to suspend phone lines and power lines from supporting poles, have long been a popular item to collect -- especially among many who grew up seeing vivid … [Read more...]
6 DIY Pallet Furniture Tutorials
It is estimated that 2 billion shipping pallets are in use every day in the U.S. alone, so it is inevitable that some lay abandoned. Why not use them to make something awesome? Following are 6 DIY pallet furniture ideas to add some pizzazz -- and practicality -- to your outdoor living space. Some of these might even enhance your indoor living space too! #1 - DIY Pallet Furniture Table & Chairs Set View the photo tutorial with all the steps required to build a … [Read more...]
Awesome Recycling Project: Buy an Old Traffic Light and Turn It Into Game Room Décor
Want to go green with a fun recycling project? How about red, yellow, and green? When I was 8 years old, my dad bought me an old traffic light for my birthday. He and I later painted it, fixed it up, and got it working again. It soon became part of my bedroom décor and almost 25 years later still adorns my home. At the time, he bought it for me because I had a love (and still do) for traffic lights. But, beyond being one incredible birthday gift, it also reminds me that municipalities … [Read more...]
3 Important Considerations For Energy Efficient Remodeling
Let's face the facts – you are more or less dealing with utility bills that you'd love to see lowered. Thanks to remodeling opportunities, you might have a chance to make things better in terms of efficiency and saving money. The first thing to remember is that your home is a system which operates based on how you have it set up. Some of the remodeling you do will affect the way the house looks, with little to no effect on the overall quality of energy efficiency. However, in order … [Read more...]
Seaweed Fertilizer: A Great DIY Natural Fertilizer For Your Garden
I’ve been gardening for many years -- both in vegetable beds and using containers on balconies. Whatever the situation has been, one of my annual keys to success is seaweed. It’s true, most other things called ‘weeds’ we’d rather keep out of the yard, but when seaweed is available it’s one of the best kinds of organic fertilizers nature provides. Not only does seaweed supply important nutritional value to soil, it also helps stimulate growth in plants, enhances the dietary value of … [Read more...]
Epic Pedal-Powered Snow Plow is Zero Energy and Back Friendly
The snow has cleared now. But if you're living in a place that’s still getting snow -- or still has it on the ground -- and you need some bike paths or sidewalks or even parts of the roadway plowed (or if you think you might run into a problem with snow next year and want to be prepared early), I just recently discovered a cool DIY pedal-powered snow plow you might be interested in. Check out this video to see it in action: Basically, as you can see, the seat and wheels of an … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Air Dry Your Laundry In Any Space (or Any Season)
Is your dryer just as loud and energy taxing as mine? Call me crazy, but why not use the natural breeze to dry your clothes? Small things that are a part of living greener often times result in being labeled a hippie... even if only playfully so. Personally, I embrace the hippie identity -- to a point. One thing that I just can’t give up, however, is having clean clothes. I think we can all appreciate each other not reeking from being too “natural”, if you know what I mean. When you … [Read more...]
5 Green Valentine’s Day Date Ideas
Want to have a green Valentine’s Day with your special someone? Of course you do. Here are some cool date ideas to start your relationship off or keep it rolling in a good green way. … [Read more...]
Eco-Friendly Homemade Cleaning Products: The Best Ways To Clean With Lemons, Cooking Oil, And Vinegar
Green living can mean a number of different things -- from learning how to make homemade solar panels to using organic fertilizer in your yard and garden. Living green also has to do with conserving water, energy costs and using those commercial cleaners that are full toxic chemicals that could hurt our animals and children. Yet, we keep using those cleaners. But maybe the only reason we do this is because we aren’t aware of how many natural cleaning solutions we actually have in our … [Read more...]
Green DIY Project: Transform An Old Tomato Cage Into A Funky Outdoor Lantern
With the new year, brings some chilly weather outside, at least where I live. If you’re looking for things to do while bundling up and keeping warm inside, why not work on creating something for those warmer months? I’m talking about repurposing a tomato cage into a funky, personalized outdoor light. How cool is that? Even though it seems like spring and summer are far away, time has a tendency to sneak up on us and eventually it’ll be that time of year. With your personalized light … [Read more...]
