Common Eco Sense

by oceandesetoiles

If you’re interested in purchasing organic foods, and green clothing, and dealing with green businesses, it’s important to do research into the providers of these items to ensure you’re getting the environmentally friendly products that you think you are.

Advertisers have their best success with the organic food market. Did you know that the phrase “all natural ingredients” has no legal meaning?  Organic labeling can be  very deceiving  if you  do not understand the meaning.

When you check the organic labels on your food packages, be aware of what they mean. Read the rest of this entry →

Clothes Lines and Line Drying Benefits

If you are concerned about the environment and how you can make a difference, there are many things that you can do today to reduce your carbon footprint and to help save the environment. One thing that is easy to do is to start using clothes lines to line dry your clothes instead of using a dryer. This is one thing that many people never even think

by rosswebsdale

of these days. Unfortunately most households in the United States don’t line dry clothing for a variety of reasons. This can include no room for a clothesline, inability to have one because of a neighborhood association, and more. If you really want to work on saving energy and improving the environment, this is something that you should definitely give a try.

The Benefits

There are definitely a variety of great benefits that you can enjoy when you decide to use a clothes line to line dry your clothing. One of the main benefits is that it is cheaper than purchasing a clothes dryer. Clothes lines are not that expensive to purchase, especially when you consider what you’ll pay for a dryer. Not only will save you on the dryer, but you’ll save on energy. You won’t have to keep paying for the energy to run that clothes dryer. The power of the sun and wind to dry clothing is free. It is better for the environment as well. There are not any greenhouse gas emissions from using a clothesline like there is with a dryer. Read the rest of this entry →

These energy saving tips will not only save you money on your electric bill they also are easy to implement and cost you nothing or very little. These may seem like common sense energy saving tips. If you take a hard look around your home and do a quick assessment you will probably find there are a few of these cost saving items you can do yourself to improve your energy costs.

Use Your Windows to Keep Out Heat and Gain Cool Air

• On cool nights open your windows and turn off your air conditioning while you sleep. When you wake in the morning close your windows and your window treatments to retain this cool air.
• Installing window treatments blocks the sun from heating up your rooms. In our house this is a huge help in the kitchen where we have a southern facing sliding glass door. closing the drapes lowers the kitchen temperature by 10 degrees.

Use your thermostat wisely

• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Turn your thermostat higher when you are not home. When you are home set your temperature to 78 degrees. Another great option is a programmable thermostat.
• Do not set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense. Read the rest of this entry →