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We were so excited to find eco-friendly luggage and other items, including business card holders, wallets and handbags made from recycled airline seats and fabrics. Tierra Ideas, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, creates the products below using leather aircraft seat covers, aircraft fabrics, aircraft curtains, tire inner tubes and more: Business card holder from recycled tire inner tubes BUSINESS CARD HOLDER /// Made of recycled tractor tire inner tubes gathered up from Siler City... Read Full Story

Learn about Property Assessed Clean Energy Loans If you are not aware of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans, you are not alone.  The program was established three years ago to allow financing of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs via long-term property tax assessments. With no money down, property owners can install solar panels, wind energy and more, paying off their investments over a 20-year period.  If they sell the home before the loan is paid off, it is... Read Full Story

Do you engage in e-waste recycling? Its great to live in a world with all the conveniences offered by our electronic gadgets.  But with new models of cell phones, tablets, televisions and more coming out every 6-12 months, consumers are tempted to trash perfectly functional electronics in favor of the newest item. To minimize impact on the environment, consider electronic recycling when shopping for holiday gifts this year.  Why?  Here’s a snapshot of the problem: 4 million iPhone 4S... Read Full Story

Biodegradable dog waste bags Dog owners – rejoice!  There is now a way for you to take your pet for a walk and still be eco-friendly.  We all know that cleaning up after your dog is the proper thing to do.  The problem is that most dog poop bags are made from plastic, which is not environmentally friendly. With these biodegradable dog waste bags, you can toss the whole package into your compost bin with no mess and no fuss.  We found these baggies from BioBag Dog at OrganicUniverse.com... Read Full Story

Solar panels on Fenway Park While Major League baseball has just come to an end for the 2011 season, fans of the sport know that, in a few short months, spring training will begin again.  Eco-minded fans may worry about the giant carbon footprint of baseball stadiums that require massive amounts of energy to operate 6-7 months each year.  Consider that there are 30 MLB teams, each of which have stadiums that seat thousands of fans. A new trend is to install solar panels on sports stadiums... Read Full Story

The 2006 documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car,” appeared to show the auto manufacturing industry in bed with Big Oil, such that battery-powered vehicles never even had a chance.  Its hard to believe that just five years later, electric vehicles (“EVs”) have enjoyed a mainstream resurgence that has resulted in people literally lining up to purchase cars that do not run on fossil fuels.  A new documentary with the not ironic title, “ Revenge of the Electric Car ,” opened a week ago in New... Read Full Story

Nest Labs Programmable Thermostat You probably already know that one of the easiest ways to lower your energy costs and save money is to install and use a programmable thermostat. Yet, many homeowners have not made the switch, in part because of the hassle and… well… because they don’t want to learn how to use a new gadget that does not provide entertainment. A team of computer experts in Palo Alto, California – led by a former Apple executive – hope to change this situation with the... Read Full Story

Energy saving tips for the home Looking to trim your utility bills?  Its easy with a few simple steps! Once you cut your energy and water consumption, your bills will be reduced.  Its a simple equation: save energy and save money. Here are the top 10 ways to save energy at home : 1.    Install a programmable thermostat .  Instead of trying to remember to turn the heat down when you go to bed or leave for the day, and then back up at other times, a programmable thermostat will do this... Read Full Story

It’s no secret to parents that our children are watching our each and every move.  Tie that to the fact that their minds are running at a constant speed of 100 miles an hour, and more often or not (whether we like it or not), they’re going to ask us “why?”  “Why are you doing that?” “Why aren’t you doing that?” and, most importantly: “Why should I do that?” Green kids all season long! Now, while we might get frustrated with the questioning, when it comes to training by example, children... Read Full Story

Charging ahead with electric cars Electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are quickly becoming mainstream options for people looking to save money at the gas pump and reduce CO2 emissions.  But viable options to recharge electric cars are one of the biggest stumbling blocks to charging forward with the new technology. Short-range trips, like commuting and running errands, can be accomplished simply by topping off the charge on the car’s battery, either at home or via a public... Read Full Story