Hippy Green

1 ) Buy CFL or LED light bulbs and replace the ones you have around your house. You can also just wait for each light to burn out and pickup a CFL or LED light bulb, this lowers the upfront or initial cost and spread it out over time. Seriously is a $2 light bulb going to bankrupt you? You will probably break even in a year with your electricity bill. () Enjoy! LEDs are a LOT more expensive, but they last so long and use hardly any power.

2 ) UNPLUG, Do you know how much electricity we waste just by having charges and/or TVs plugged in that are NOT ON. The simplest way to do this is to hook a lot of your electronics up to a power strip and flip that little button when you want it on or off. Yes this can be a hassle, but hey if everyone did it, imagine how much power we would save.

3 ) Stop buying bottled water. I know its cheap, but seriously we should look at cutting down on each of our carbon footprint by not only recycling but thinking about what we buy. Do we really need water from Fiji? Pickup a Nalgene bottle and a Brita filter and take that money your saving and put it in a Roth IRA or pay off your Credit Card Debt. Do you realize on the average each American carries over $8,000 in credit car debt! So lets think smart and not pickup that smart water and instead carry a clear nalgene bottle.

4 ) Change your cleaning products. I know most of us use the same cleaning products for the house and/or clothing. We probably have been using the same ones our parents have been using and just buy it without thinking, but seriously you can go green and smell good! I find that I am switching over to a lot of green products.

5 ) Cut down on waste. I know 1 sheet per flush is a bit much, but lets think the next time we use an entire roll of paper towels to clean up that mess. We should pickup the 10 pack of dish towels at Costco or target and just wash them in the laundry. This way we are not cutting down trees to clean up some spilled milk.

6 ) Go bamboo not plastic. Having plastic forks around for serving cake can cut down on washing the dishes, but why not look at a more “organic” type of silverware. They even sell corn based recycled silverware, or better yet, just use the dishwasher, thats why we created it. Since I have moved to Arizona I have taken full use of my dishwasher and plan to NEVER GO BACK!

7 ) Save water and money. Buy water-efficient showerheads or better yet, take showers together. Do you have a partner or friend who wants to save the world, tell them you want to cut down on your water consumption and want to shower together. I find this is not only a fun time, but you really do save time in the shower and with a water-efficient showerhead it can help even more.

8 ) Buy rechargeable batteries for all your toys. I find that most people just pickup a 20 pack of AA and use them until they run out. What a waste! We are in 2007 and they SELL rechargeable batteries, even ones that plug in to the USB port and can be used as AA. Think about the electronics in your house, the tv, dvd, cable, audio remote, and the Wii remotes, clocks, flashlights, etc. Just think USB Cell the next time you need some AA or AAA. You can plug them into your computer, laptop, and even some dvd players to recharge. (any USB port)

9 ) Adjust Fridge and Freezer Temps. This can save you on your electricity bill as well as keep your food cold, but not frozen. I am not talking about turning it completely off, just adjust it to 37 degrees F for the refrigerator and 0 degrees for the freezer.

10 ) Raise the Central Air or keep it around 75 degrees. You can always install a ceiling fan (also adds value to the house) to help cool down your place as well as circulate air.

As much as I would like to say I am going to try and be a vegetarian, its just not me. But if you are or thinking about it, wannaveg.com posted some great Veg BBQ Tips. I also wanted to mention Steve Pavlina who is not only a great blogger, but discusses why he is a vegan.

Summer is here and I hope your busting out a BBQ this weekend, I know I am! One veggie item I had that was amazing last weekend was some fresh figs grilled with honey and whip cream. This summer we picked up a new grill and have been using it every weekend and sometimes even during the week. I love to cook and encourage you too! Please let me know some of your favorite grilling recipes as well as any suggestions for people who are becoming vegetarians.

Starting my own consulting company, Nomad Thinking I have thought about what to put on my business card. Recently I have found out that if you google Geek Guru and click I’m feeling lucky, my blog shows up! Anyway, I came across a neat business card by Jamie Wieck. Its pretty cool to have a business card that is also a plant, just add water!

We need to start thinking green like this and creating products that are either recyclable or biodegradable. This green business card is also a great way to brand yourself as a designer and a philanthropist.

Have a Green Business card? Let me Know

Buying rechargeable batteries helps the environment as well as doesn’t leave you stuck in a blackout with a flash light and dead batteries. For the past couple of years I find myself either buying rechargeable batteries for all the little electronic gadgets I own. I feel as if this way I will never have to buy a bunch of batteries for a device over and over again.

Disposing of batteries is also a pain and a problem. These batteries end up in landfills where they corrode and leak with various content (mercury, cadmium, etc.) into our grounds and possibly end up in our water systems. Do you dispose of your batteries properly? You can also save money because batteries are expensive. By recharging them you are just increasing your electricity bill by pennies rather then paying $5 or more on batteries every couple weeks/months/years.

There are various types of rechargeable batteries, the latest form that I have found so useful are the usbcells. These are AA, AAA, 9V, or even some portable device batteries that have a USB port to be used to recharge and then ready to uses. I find this great for wireless keyboard and mouses, just charge them over night and plug them in first thing in the morning. These rechargeable batteries are great for the UBER Geek in you, you always have a free USB port, but how many times do you run out of batteries?

Well I know its spring here but in other parts of the world, its beginning to get cold. I saw this great hack on how to build a portable solar heater from soda cans, plexiglass, wood, and a hose. Its pretty genius when you think about it and great in places like Vermont where its a LONG winter. Maybe even a project to get started this summer for use next winter!

Chris Pepe over at Tears of Fire posted yesterday (I was planning to post it, but was so busy launching Hippy Green) on Earth Day his Recycled GreenHouse, a light blub, Dunkin Donuts cup and some small flowers.

Chris is know for his creativeness and have written about him yesterday. This article on his twiki even made it on makezine’s blog, another great site that has come cool DIY Green projects! So if you have a dead light bulb and some creative juices flowing you to can build a small green house in an hour.

Chris Pepe of Tears of Fire has build some interesting Green DIY projects. Using our Avronics board he has build a Wind LCD Meter to monitor the MAKE DIY Wind Turbine that his brother Michael built. Chris has worked on a variety of EE projects that deal with Green Technology as well as fun Green toys like a solar powered pendulum. Chris is also a University of Vermont Graduate and is currently working on some really interesting projects.