Stop Junk Mail, Stop Direct Marketing, Stop Robocalls Today
Posted by Norman F, July 21st, 2017
Annoying and wasteful.
Junk e-mail wastes natural resources, everything from paper to plastic to fuel to get the mail into your mailbox. It is critical to limit the amount of junk mail you receive.
The Direct Marketing Association allows you to opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail and e-mail.
Stop Junk Mail.org has an easy to use printable form to stop junk mail. It has postcards to send in, places to write to, and 800 numbers to call to get you off many direct marketing lists.
Filed under: Conservation, Easy, Effort, Environment, Green, Home, Reduce, Waste | Tags: junk mail |
PPL Electric Energy Efficiency Rebates to Save Money
Posted by Norman F, June 23rd, 2017
New rebates have been added for 2017.
Utility Company PPL Electric has a bunch of programs and incentives to help save energy and money.
- $150 Energy Star Central Air Conditioning rebate
- New Refrigerator Energy Star rebate $35
- $300 Heating and Cooling Rebate for Heat pumps
- Up to $400 rebate on water heaters
- Up to 75% on Insulating your home’s attic
- Up to $350 back for switching to a variable speed pool pump
- Low income: Home Assessment, weatherization, and appliances
- Appliance Recycling Program $35 rebate and haul your old appliance away for free through the Appliance Recycling program. Pick up your old room air conditioner and dehumidifier at the same time to qualify for a $25 rebate
New Home using PPL
Filed under: Easy, Effort, Green, Recycling | Tags: Energy Efficiency Rebates, PPL Electric |
Recycle Drugs, Recycle Medicine – Disposing of Medicine Properly
Posted by Norman F, April 28th, 2017
April 29, 20187 10am – 2pm local time, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The DEA is promoting this day for people to turn in your unused or expired medication for safe disposal. They have a local collection site locator on their website. Over 5600 sites will take back items. Several cities near me are participating with most drop of locations at police stations. Last year 324 tons was taken back and recycled.
Pennsylvania and Delaware had their events early in September 2015.
Filed under: Easy, Effort, Environment, Green, Health, Home, Water | Tags: flush medicine, Medicine Disposal, Prescription Drugs |
Earth Day 2017 – Become more Eco-Friendly and Green
Posted by Norman F, April 22nd, 2017
Happy Earth Day, Monday April 22, 2017. It’s great that more attention is being paid to eco friendly, green causes. Earth Day started slow, but has gained momentum every year. We celebrate it everyday as do many of our readers. Look for local events in your community.
Take time to help educate friends, neighbors, family members, and strangers about ways to lead a more eco friendly or green lifestyle. Only through extended enlightenment, can the cause succeed.
- Eat leftovers, do not go out to eat
- Use a refillable water bottle
- Change all your lightbulbs to CFLs or LEDs
- Walk or take public transportation instead of driving your car today.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Recycle everything you can today. Learn new ways to recycle items.
- Plant a new tree in your garden
- Stick to organic, sustainable, and local products today.
- Eliminate your junk mail
- Start using a reusable bag
- Switch to an Electric Car like a Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model S
- Put solar panels on your roof
Filed under: Alternative Energy, Cleaning, Conservation, Eco Friendly | Tags: earthday |
California has a Ban on Toxic Flame Retardants (PBDEs or polybrominated diphenyl ethers) that took effect in 2011. These commonly found chemicals are toxic and accumulate in breast milk, harming kids development. Several other states have followed California. If you live in other states, you may want to verify this. House dust gets mixed in with PBDE’s, causing this chemical to spread.
Since 1975, manufacturers of furniture have treated their products with inexpensive flame retardant chemicals. Tobacco firms have even pushed for this treatment, preventing them from having to create a fire safe cigarette. These chemicals don’t really cut down on flammability. They cause toxic gasses and smoke to occur, which causes most fire deaths and injuries.
In 2005, some fire retardant chemicals were banned. A study in 2012 that appeared in the journal, Environmental Science and Technology by UC Berkeley and Duke University, found that toxic and untested flame retardants were present on most couches that they examined. These chemicals are linked to cancer and other health problems. It is literally almost impossible to buy furniture without flame retardants. Additionally, furniture with flame retardants are not required to be labeled.
Filed under: Effort, Environment, Green, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Kids, Medium, Shopping | Tags: baby products, Cancer, Endocrine distruptors, Flame retardants, Furniture, PDBE |
Last Update: April 2017
Get a Free Solar Power Estimate from a local vendor by clicking the link to the right.
2016 – 2017 continues the very popular residential Solar Federal Tax Credit first enacted in 2009. The previous solar tax credit program was capped at $2,000. With the new credit, you can claim up to 30% of solar power costs for a new solar electric system off your Federal taxes. Existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rental properties do not qualify. Tax Rebate Expires: December 31, 2021 The Solar Federal Tax Credit 2016 – 2017 works especially well when coupled with a state rebate program. (CA, CT, NJ, NY)
Filed under: Alternative Energy, Effort, Energy, Green, Hard, Home, Solar | Tags: Federal Tax Credit, Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency, Solar Energy, Solar Panels, Solar Rebate, Solar tax credit |
Green Eco Friendly Clothes – Bamboo, Nylon, Polyster, Microfiber
Posted by Norman F, March 17th, 2017
Most people do not want to negatively affect the environment with their clothing picks. Shockingly, there are several gotchas with even this simple Choice.
Nylon, Polyster Yoga Pants, Fleece, Sweat Wicking Athletic Wear
Would you believe that most of these items shed microscopic plastic fibers — called “microfibers” — when washed? Municipal Wastewater systems flush these microfibers into natural waterways, eventually reaching the sea. This would Possibly contaminate sea life. Other recent studies show that microfibers can end up in the stomachs of marine animals, including seafood such as oysters.
Comfortable athleisure clothes are emerging as an unlikely source of plastic that’s increasingly ending up in the oceans and potentially contaminating seafood, according to Gulf Coast researchers launching a 2-year study of microscopic plastics in the waters from south Texas to the Florida Keys.
Filed under: Clothes, Conservation, Easy, Eco Friendly, Effort, Environment, Green, Kids, Money, Shopping | Tags: Bamboo Clothes, Bamboo Textiles, Cotton, FTC, Levi's Water<Less, microfibers, Rayon |
Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheets – What ingredients are in a product?
Posted by Norman F, March 15th, 2017
Do you worry about what is in that detergent or cleaning product? How green is it really? What do I do if it gets on my skin? Is it dangerous?
We have often cited Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS in our analysis of cleaning and construction products. What are they?
Newer SDS’s have a structured format and required information that MSDS’s were not required to have.
Filed under: Cleaning, Easy, Eco Friendly, Effort, Environment, Green, Health, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Kids, Money, Pollution, Shopping | Tags: ingredients, Material Safety Data Sheets, MSDS, SDS |
SDGE Rebates, SDG&E, or San Diego Gas and Electric Rebate for Energy Efficiency
Posted by Norman F, March 1st, 2017
New rebates have been added for 2017.
San Diego’s power utility San Diego Gas and Electric rebates are here. SDGE or SDG&E has a bunch of money saving SDGE rebates and ways to go green and save money.
- Home energy efficiency rebates of $25 for Energy efficient clothes washers
- $250 on Electric Water Heaters
- $100 rebate on Gas Water Heaters
- $200 rebate on variable speed pool pumps
- You can print rebate forms out online and then send in proof of purchase.
Recently I found a friend who was using Chinese Miraculous Insecticide Chalk otherwise known as Pretty Baby Chalk, Ant Chalk, Roach Chalk and Chinese Chalk. Tres Pasitos is a Spanish name for this product.
The product is illegal and dangerous. The EPA has a warning on it too. We tried it in the past and found that it didn’t really work. I found this stuff being sold all over San Francisco’s Chinatown and it is for sale on eBay.
It does kill bugs because it contains toxic chemicals but are hazardous around kids. Did you know that plain old chalk also works!
Filed under: Easy, Eco Friendly, Effort, Environment, Green, Health, Home, Kids | Tags: Ants, Chinese Insecticide Chalk, Pesticide |
