Doing more with your router – Extending wireless range – Antenna Upgrade

If you are buying a new wireless router to get better wireless coverage or range, consider repositioning your current wireless router in a different spot and adding a 3rd party wireless antenna. We bought a 9dBi gain wirelss antenna than cost less than $10 and increased our wireless coverage.  Moving a Cable/DSL modem and/or Wireless router to a more centrally located room is cheaper and more green than buying a new wireless router. Mounting your wireless router high on the wall will maximize its range, although it may be a bit unsightly.

If you’re router has terrible software or limited features, consider upgrading good software to the free dd-wrt.

Buying a New Wireless Router

If you are shopping for a new network gear such as wireless router, consider products from D-Link Green. They focus on reduced power consumption (Energy Star Rated), less heat, extended product life, reduced operating costs, never use materials considered hazardous. Their products comply with the EU’s RoHS Directive to protect both our customers and the environment. Several green technologies including switching off unused ports, varying power by cable length, WiFi scheduler, green packaging, and fanless design allow more power to be saved.

The D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router is a low cost eco-friendly, energy-efficient Wireless router. “It delivers Delivers up to 14x faster speeds and 6x farther range than 802.11g.”

Dlink’s website does not list actual power use or savings figures.

Do not forget about putting it on a powerstrip and turning it off using a digital timer when you do not use it.

Dog waste is a public health issue. Keeping parks and streets clean is an important problem that needs to be addressed daily.

Dog Waste Bags

Saw man’s best friend doing his business and the owner responsibly picking up the waste with a reused plastic bag.  Petroleum based plastic bags take forever to decay.  Biodegrabable dog waste bags made of starch are available that degrade in only 90 days to 18 months. If these bags reach the landfill, they will take even longer decompose. Landfills are designed to protect the environment and prevent leakage, so it is hard for air and liquids to circulate, which help facilitate biodegradation. When organic matter decays in a landfill, it usually creates the greenhouse gas methane. Make sure dog droppings are not put into the compost bin.

Flushing Dog Waste

A greener alternative would be to flush only the dog waste (no bag)  into the sewer system or to use an inground dog waste digester like the Doggie Dooley or Staywell Eco Clean. Do not do this with cat poop as it contains toxins that affect marine life. You need to consult with your local municipal waste provider to ensure you follow their guidelines.

You could also make a worm farm or do composting or buy or make a dog toilet aka doggy loo.

Warning! Bamboo Clothing is not eco friendly. The Federal Trade Commission recently charged four sellers of clothing and other textile products with deceptively labeling and advertising these items as made of bamboo fiber, when they are made of rayon. The companies marketed the clothes as green, environmentally friendly, that they retain the natural antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant, and that they are biodegradable.

“Rayon is a man-made fiber created from the cellulose found in plants and trees and processed with a harsh chemical that releases hazardous air pollutants. Any plant or tree could be used as the cellulose source – including bamboo – but the fiber that is created is rayon.”

As the Commission charges, even if the rayon used in the companies’ clothing and textile products is manufactured using bamboo as the cellulose source, rayon does not retain any natural antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant. he rayon manufacturing process, which involves dissolving the plant source in harsh chemicals, eliminates any such natural properties of the bamboo plant.

Similarly, the Commission charges that the companies’ clothing and textiles are not made using an environmentally friendly process. The rayon manufacturing process uses toxic chemicals and results in the emission of hazardous air pollutants.”

Eco-friendly, Green clothes

Not utilizing resources to create new clothes, is obviously the most eco-friendly, green way to obtain new clothes. Secondhand stores, Goodwill, etc. are all good sources of high quality preowned clothes.

Levi’s Water‹Less jeans use on average 28% less water in the stone wash finishing process. Levi’s expects to save approximately 16,000,000 L of water by using this technique. Using traditional garment washing methods, the average pair of jeans undergoes 3-10 washing cycles – adding up to approximately 42 litres of water per unit to the water cost of each pair.

Bamboo Plates are getting more popular, just in time for summer and the go green wave. Free of bleaches, dyes, inks, fragrances, and microwave safe. Bamboo plates are stronger than most paper plates. Even mainstream brand Solo makes them. Many are made of organically grown bamboo and are compostable. Most are single use but hold up to multiple uses. Better yet, buy one that is not disposable, wash and reuse it.

Costco has just added eco Greenwares eco friendly Cutlery Set that is biodegradable and compostable.

Many things are being made out of fast growing bamboo. Bamboo Picture Frames are now available. Blick Gallery Bamboo Frames look a little plain but are finished with a biodegradable resin that contains no oils or solvents. We want to avoid VOCs on products, so every little bit helps.

I saw that Zicam Allergy Relief Nasal spray was labelled homeopathic, leading me to wonder how a big name medicine got that label.  Some research reviewed that a lawsuit was being filed over Zicam casuing destroyed or diminished smell or taste.

“Companies that sell homeopathic products are not required to go through the same rigorous approval process and government-vetted clinical trials that pharmaceutical companies must complete before the Food and Drug Administration will allow them to make a prescription drug available for public consumption.”

Consumer Reports had an article about look alike medication problems with Zicam.

“Two over-the-counter products, Seasonal Allergy Relief and Intense Sinus Relief, both made by Zicam, promise to relieve hay-fever symptoms. Intense Sinus Relief contains oxymetazoline, a nasal decongestant the Food and Drug Administration has found to be safe and effective. The other Zicam product is homeopathic; it hasn’t been reviewed by the FDA and its active ingredients, including sulphur, have been diluted almost to vanishing.

But despite this major difference between the two products, our 11 mystery shoppers, who visited 52 drugstores throughout the U.S., frequently found them alongside each other on drugstore shelves. So consumers might mistakenly buy a homeopathic remedy when they’re really looking for conventional medicine. That wastes money and might lead to inadequate treatment.”

Be sure to research medications and talk to your doctor before taking them. Homeopathic does not always equate to ‘better’

Update: June 16, 2009 the FDA finally issued a warning for people to stop using it.