Opportunities to target green consumers increasing, but one size may not fit all

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3 Ways to Reuse Cardboard Boxes

I have a love for cardboard because there are so many uses for it. The most obvious one is as a box. Boxes are great ways to store stuff, move stuff, and ship stuff but there are so many other things you can do with the cardboard too.

3 Unique Ways to Use Cardboard (Boxes)

1. Compost it. Cardboard can go right into your compost, which you can use to plant a garden and more. Just be sure to remove any staples, tape or other items from the cardboard before you compost it.

2. Make your own puzzles. A great craft to do with the kids is to draw a picture or design on the cardboard and then cut it up into puzzle pieces. Mix the pieces up and put the puzzle back together again. It'll provide hours of family fun.

3. Flatten and store. When you have good and sturdy boxes, flatten them, store them under your bed or in a closet. When you move, have friends that move, or need to ship a gift to a family member, these cardboard boxes come in handy to use over and over again.

Cardboard is a great material. These are but three ways to reuse your cardboard boxes--three ways to keep it from becoming trash.

See How One Winery is Reducing its Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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5 Ways to Beat the Heat this Summer without Beating Down the Environment

There is no doubt that summer is in full swing--even if the calendar says it's not technically summer yet. We tend to deal with the sweltering temperatures by cranking the AC. While this can cool us in a most refreshing manner, it's not so kind to the environment.

Use these five ways to beat the heat without killing the environment in the process.

1. Refresh your air filter. If you have a washable filter, then clean it at least once a month. If you have a disposable filter, then change it at least one a month. If you have pets or your house is overly dusty then you may want to clean your air filter more than once per month. A clean air filter helps your AC unit to work properly without overexerting itself and causing it to work harder and cost you more money.

2. Clean the coils.

The coils in your AC unit absorb the heat--making the inside of your home cooler. If these coils get dirty, the AC unit has to work harder to cool the house. Make sure the coils are clean and dirt free.

3. Service the unit.
Keep your AC unit in working order by having it professionally serviced once a year. Having a professional check it for leaks, flush it out and make sure there is an efficient amount of refrigerant in the unit allow the AC to work properly, more efficiently and more cost-effectively.


4. Block out the sun.
Keep the temperature in your house cooler by blocking out the sun. Close the shades or curtains in rooms where sunlight may heat up the room. This keeps the temperature inside your home from rising, causing the AC to kick on more often.

5. Install your thermostat out of the heat zone.
Install your thermostat in a neutral area that is not in direct sunlight or near a heat zone (i.e., the kitchen). If the thermostat is picking up false temperatures, it may cause the AC to kick on more often than necessary, which also runs up your energy bill.

While the summer temperatures outside are heating up, you need to stay cool inside, but there is no reason to take down the environment in the process. Take these five steps to make sure that your AC works properly, you stay cool and the environment remains unharmed in the process.

15 Ways to Save Energy (and Money) at Home

Whether it's the troubled economy or you're trying to get your finances in order there are steps you can take at home to cut back on your expenses. As an added bonus these are also ways you can save energy, so you're saving your money and the environment simultaneously. Implement some of these suggestions and you can add a couple thousand dollars to your bank account.

1. Put outdoor lights on a timer or use sensors. This keeps lights from staying or coming on during the daylight hours.

2. Have a conversation with your utility company. Utility companies across the country are offering rebates and incentives to customers that take conservation measures. It may be a rebate for using compact fluorescent light bulbs or for installing energy efficient appliances. It doesn't hurt to ask, so check out the website or give the power company a call.

3. Green your holiday lights. Use LED light strings during the holidays. It's shown to save you in the neighborhood of $11 per season.

4. Let the dishwasher wash the dishes. Consumer Reports found it's unnecessary to rinse your dishes before you load them in the dishwasher. You can save up to 6,500 gallons of water each year by letting the dishwasher do its job.

5. Let the washing machine work. Speaking of washing--let your washing machine and detergent do its job with the cold cycle. Most detergents have germ killing agents so hot water isn't necessary to clean the germs. Cold water does the trick!

6. Line dry clothes. When possible, dry your clothes on a clothes line or hang your clothes on hangars and hang them inside the house. If you have to use the clothes dryer, don't put too many clothes in each cycle.

7. Lower the temperature two degrees. When nobody is home or right before you welcome guests, lower the temperature on the thermostat a couple of degrees in winter. This helps to keep the heater from kicking on as often--saving you money and saving energy.

8. Insulate and seal. Reduce the cost of energy by about 30 percent by insulating and sealing cracks in ducts.

9. Insulate properly. Make sure your home is properly insulated. This is especially true for older homes. Proper insulation can cut your heating and cooling bills down by 10 percent.

10. Call in a professional. Professional energy auditors can inspect your home, using professional equipment, to find energy leaks. You can find a professional energy auditor in your area at www.resnet.us.

11. Clean the fridge coils. By keeping the coils under or behind the fridge it helps the fridge to run more efficiently, which saves energy and money.

12. Use power strips. Plug items into a power strip that can be turned off all at once. Turn the strip off when these items are not in use.

13. Portable heating and cooling units. Instead of running the central heat or air system, use portable heating and cooling systems to heat and cool the areas of your home where needed.

14. Block out the sun. Use shades, drapes and curtains to block out the sun on hot days. This helps to keep the air conditioner from kicking on more because the sun streaming in the windows is raising the temperature of the room.

15. Use trees for shade. Plant shade trees on the west side of your home to help shelter it from direct sun and keep the inside temperature cooler.

GreenHome.com Does the Research for You

We all want to do what is right for the environment. Whether it's cleaning the house or washing our hair, we want to use products that are safe for us to use and don't harm the environment in the process. The problem is with the number of things we use on a daily basis it's not possible to research and find a product for every need we have that is also good for the environment.

GreenHome.com saves the day. This website acts as the primary source of information for a variety of products. It researches and finds the greenest products on the planet and lists them all in one place. No need to search all over the net or all over town for the greenest products around. Simply stop by GreenHome.com. The research has been done and the products are listed for you to make the right choice without having to spend too much time figuring out what the right choice is.

Homeowner's Associations Are Heading Down the Green Path

I live in a townhouse community in Miami, Florida, which means my maintenance fee pays for the management company to take care of a lot of the things that I don't want to have to worry about such as putting a new roof on my townhouse or landscaping. I see my personal management company doing things that are and are not friendly to the environment. This got me to thinking, how are other HOAs around the country handling their role in environmentally friendly ways.

See how your HOA handles each of these issues. If it's not in an eco-friendly manner consider talking with them to see how some changes can be made.

4 ways HOAs are friends of the environment

1. Going native. One way communities managed by HOAs can be friends to the environment are to plant native and indigenous plants to the region where you live. This helps to ensure that these green plants and flowers can survive and thrive in the environment provided by nature. This means less watering with sprinklers and not having to use harsh chemical fertilizers and bug repellents, etc.

2. Save water. By planting native plants in your community you are already one step ahead of saving water. Since these plants are native to the environment, they do not need to be watered with sprinklers as much as a plant that isn't native may need to be. Encourage your community to use rain-sensor sprinkler systems so they are setup to turn on when needed rather than on a set time schedule. Nothing is more of a waste of water than when sprinklers are running during a rain storm.

3. See the light with solar power. Common areas of the community need to be well-lit for safety reasons, but nobody says that solar lighting and low energy light fixtures can't be used. With the easy availability and the effectiveness of solar-powered and low energy lighting, it's a viable option for accomplishing the safety factor in an environmentally friendly way.

4. Go paperless. Websites, blogs and emails are the perfect venues for HOAs to communicate with their residents and vice versa. Have your HOA institute online billing and announcements rather than wasting paper, a stamp and the gas emissions for the post office to deliver the information.

My HOA is an offender on some of these issues, which I'm working on changing. In other instances, they do a great job in meeting the needs of its residents and the environment. How does your HOA stand up?

Green Cars: Find an Eco-friendly Car the Easy Way

Tired of driving the gas guzzling SUV, which is draining your wallet and killing the environment? Are you looking for the Consumer Reports of the eco-friendly car world?

You've come to the right place!

The website Green Car offers you a one-stop resource for everything you need to know about green cars (hybrids, electric cars and more). These green cars have been put to the test by the experts and you can find out how they did. Before you head out to buy a new car, check out Green Car first to see which cars are friendly to you and the environment.