How To Go Green With Bamboo

The Power of Bamboo

Published Date: May 07, 2010

One of the greatest gifts the Earth has given us to go green is a plant that has been used in Asia for thousands of years; bamboo. In the west, bamboo is not used as much as it is in Asia, but that is beginning to change as more and more people discover just how amazing this plant is.

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world, usually growing about one foot every single day. This means that rather than reach maturity in 30 years like trees in North America, a bamboo stalk can reach maturity within three years. In addition, one bamboo stalk can be harvested many times as each time the stalk is cut; a new stalk will continue to grow.

However, the fast growing ability of bamboo is not the only thing that makes the plant so great. There are several facts about bamboo that most people do not realize which show how versatile the plant is.

1.    Bamboo stalks are used in Asia to reinforce concrete because it has the same tensile strength as steel.

2.    While bamboo stalks are as strong as steel, fabric made from bamboo is actually as soft as silk.

3.    Bamboo towels are much better than cotton towels because bamboo is better for the environment, it does not take as much space to grow and bamboo towels are 1.5 times as absorbent as cotton towels.

4.    Bamboo can grow nearly anywhere and where it does grow; it helps to protect the soil from erosion.

5.    Bamboo can be made into a variety of environmentally-friendly products including floors, countertops, furniture, clothes, towels, baby clothes, baby products, toys, scaffolding and construction materials.

One of the biggest concerns about bamboo is that people feel that it costs more. This is not true at all. In fact, bamboo is beginning to fall in cost because it is becoming so commonly used throughout the world now. Even Wal-Mart, is beginning to sell bamboo products for a very low price. Many studies have also been done and found that bamboo is going to be one of the biggest exports and imports throughout the world in the 21st century. Many countries are starting to jump on this and grow their own bamboo. Currently though, China accounts for about 80 percent of all the bamboo exports in the world, and China grows all the bamboo it uses. The United States, Canada, Europe and Australia account for some of the bamboo exports and their hold on the market is beginning to grow.

So, if you are thinking of going green in your home, you can do no wrong by implementing bamboo everywhere you can. The floors are strong, the countertops are beautiful and the fabrics are soft. In addition, if you are thinking of investing in something that will increase in value in the coming years, then you should look at bamboo.

What other plant on Earth is as strong as steel, as soft as silk, waterproof and more absorbent than cotton? Bamboo is the wonder plant of the 21st century.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Mar 7, 2010

The Environmental Trend of Using Sod Roofs

Eco Friendly Sod Roof

Published Date: May 15, 2010

When you think of the roof of a house, you probably think of shingles, sheets of tin or ceramic tiles. However, there is a new trend in roofs that is actually not anything new. It is sod roofs and for thousands of years they were the way most humans built a roof. It is nothing new, but this age-old practice is being rediscovered as more and more individuals try to become more self-sufficient and environmentally-friendly.

Also called turf roofs and green roofs, a sod roof is typically built these days by combining dimpled plastic drainage membranes that are used instead of birch bark. Bitumen roofing felt is nailed down and a drainage membrane is put over this to create the drainage layer. Turf is then put on.

Other types of green roofs do not use this method. Some are only roofs with container gardens on top, while others feature irrigation systems and while not sod, allow for the growing of plants. Another form of green roof is the use of rooftop ponds that are used to treat grey water before it is used elsewhere by the homeowners.

A green/sod roof serves many purposes for a home or building. It helps to create a habitat for some wildlife, especially birds and insects, while absorbing rainwater, insulating the building and lowering the urban air temperature. It has also been found that not only do green roofs increase the value of a home; they also greatly increase the life span of the roof itself.

Some other benefits of the green roof include:

1.    It can reduce the cooling load of a building by as much as 90 percent, with 50 percent being the norm.

2.    It reduces storm water run off.

3.    It filters both pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the outside air.

4.    It helps to filter out any pollutants that may be in the rainwater.

5.    It insulates the building from outside sound.

6.    It provides agricultural space even in the middle of the city.

In a study done by Environment Canada, it was found that a green roof greatly improves the insulation of the roof. In the study, there was a 26 percent reduction in summer cooling needs and a 26 percent reduction in winter heat loss when there was a green roof. The lifespan of a roof was also increased by two to three times when it was a green roof.

Buildings all over the world are beginning to latch onto the idea of a green roof, including in Vancouver where more and more buildings are growing gardens on the roof instead of just leaving it bare.

Just recently, the University of Central Arkansas put in plans to put soil and plants on top of a classroom building in order to save money on the cost of utility bills and to help gain more benefits from the natural surface on top of the roof. University officials plan to put low-growing and slow-growing plants on the top of the roof, amounting to roughly 2,000 square feet of soil and plants. The life of the building will also be extended because the green roof will soak up UV rays.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on May 15, 2010.

How To Increase Fuel Efficiency

Tips To Conserve Gas And The Environment

Published Date: Apr 03, 2010

When you drive a car that does not have good fuel-efficiency, you are doing no good for yourself, or the environment. It is important to find ways to conserve gas so that you can ensure you save money, and the environment in the process. Here are some ways you can increase your fuel efficiency.

1.    Do not warm your car up too much, even when it is cold. When it is -30 degrees outside, you only need to warm up the vehicle for about one minute at most.

2.    Revving up your engine can cause fuel to be wasted for no reason.

3.    Slowly accelerate your vehicle rather than speed up quickly. Only push the pedal down about a quarter of the way so that the vehicle can operate at its most efficient level.

4.    When you buy gas, buy it when it is coldest outside because gas is denser when it is cold. This gives you more fuel concentration for less money at the pump.

5.    A very important tip is to not speed. When you speed, you lower your fuel efficiency. For example, traveling at 55 mph will give 21 percent better mileage compared when you are driving at 70 mph.

6.    When you are driving on the highway, close the windows of your car because the air drag of open windows will reduce your fuel efficiency by about ten percent.

7.    Use your cruise control whenever you can because this keeps your vehicle from constantly adjusting in speed, which ensures your vehicle stays at its most efficient.

8.    Coast down hills as much as you can. Coasting down a hill and letting the momentum carry you for a brief period of time will save a lot of gas and keep the fuel efficiency high.

9.    Try to limit how much you reverse as much as you can because reverse uses more gas than going forward. One good tip is to back into a stall so you can pull out in drive when you start your vehicle to leave.

10.    Keep your vehicle tuned-up because this will give you the most fuel efficiency when you are driving. Clean air filters in your vehicle to keep fuel efficiency high.

11.    Keep your tires inflated to their optimum limit. Tires that are underinflated will lower your fuel efficiency. You should also get tires that have a larger diameter for your rear tires because this will also save you fuel.

12.    Do not have the air conditioning on because it will lower your fuel efficiency by about 20 percent. The more you use electronics in the engine, the more of a load on the engine and the less fuel efficiency you will get.

13.    One of the easiest things you can do to save money and fuel is to walk as much as possible. This keeps you healthy and it keeps you from using gas. In addition, you should look at car pooling to work. This will save you 75 percent on your fuel costs for your commute to work.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on April 3, 2010.

Do You Know What You Can Compost?

What To Compost

First Published Date: June 25, 2010

Composting is something that is incredibly good for your garden and for the environment. When you compost, you keep waste from being thrown away and you give your garden and plants the vital nutrients it needs to grow strong and healthy. Composting is very easy to do. Essentially, all you do is take organic waste, mix it up with dirt, throw in some mulching worms and keep rotating the compost every few weeks and you will have great compost for your garden. As for what you can compost, there are plenty of different things you can compost.

One thing you can compost is your hair and nails. These items are organic and will disappear over time but if you put them in your compost you can give your garden a big shot of nitrogen and calcium, which is very important for your garden. So, when you have a haircut, or cut your nails throw the waste into the compost and help your garden out.

You can compost your jeans and cotton shirts. This is because denim and cotton are organic and will break away over time. All you have to do is cut up the pieces of the clothes and throw them into the compost. They will disappear over time and give your garden lots of great nutrients and minerals. All that will be left eventually are the buttons and zippers, and you should probably just remove those when you throw the clothes in the garden in the first place.

Vegetable waste, fruit waste and any other type of food can be thrown into your compost. This gives your compost many vitamins, nutrients and minerals that will help your garden grow very strong. Now, it is important to note that you cannot put meat or egg shells into your compost. Egg shells do not break down so you have to mash them into a powder so that it can biodegrade. Meat runs the risk of getting maggots into your compost, which will cause your compost to be ruined.

If you rake the leaves on your lawn, then you will be able to compost the yard waste. Many homeowners now leave leaves on their lawn through the winter because it helps to provide the lawn with nutrients and you can use that same concept in your garden. Just take the yard waste and mix it into your compost and the following year you will have a very healthy garden.

Animal waste, specifically manure from horses and cows is extremely high in nitrogen and a good way to help your garden out. You should only use the manure of horses and cows, unless you have a special composter that can handle human or dog waste. Done right, you will help the garden with minerals and nutrients that come from the food the animals eat.

Compost is something that can help your garden greatly and it is essential if you are going to be doing any sort of organic gardening.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on June 25, 2010.

How To Find New Uses For Old Things

Finding Uses For Things In Your House

First Published Date: November 8, 2014

One of the most important things you can do when you are going green is to reuse what you already have, even before you recycle it. The concept is to reuse, then recycle and by doing this you lower your overall footprint on the environment greatly. It is quite easy to do, and it can save you an immense amount of money in the process. So, how can you reuse, then recycle, items in your home?

First, look at milk containers. The big plastic ones can be used in a number of different ways. First of all, you can use them as flower pots once you have cleaned them out. By doing this, you will have no need to buy flowerpots and you can even decorate these pots any way you wish. Another great use for milk containers is as water cans. Take a plastic milk container, poke several holes in the top of it and fill it with water. Just like that, you have a great water container that will work just as well as one that you buy at the store.

Now, yogurt containers can give you many different things around your home. Whether you have large yogurt containers or small ones, they can be used in a variety of methods.

·    You can use yogurt containers as seed starters because they are very easy to grow things in. This will give you a head start on your spring and summer growing. It also helps make the inside of your home nice and green as the snow melts outside.

·    If you cut out the bottom of the yogurt container, you can then use it to protect the base of your plants outside from insects.

·    If you like to make crafts, you can use yogurt containers to make a variety of things that you can use around the house, or for the children to play with. You can make it something you do with the children when you make cool creatures out of yogurt containers.

·    If you have leftovers, why not store them in yogurt containers rather than buy Tupperware?

·    Got toothbrushes laying around your bathroom? Stick then into a spare yogurt container and help organize things a bit.

Another great thing you can reuse around the house is plastic bags. These are awful things but you can use them to make bags by knitting plastic bags together. You can also use them to keep food fresh, or to serve as water liners in potted plants.

The things in your house can be used for a variety of things and you just have to decide what you want to use them for. Remember, when you reuse something, you are keeping yourself from buying new. That is very important because it helps the environment and when you help the environment, you help everyone. So, just reuse then recycle and you will be doing the world a very big favour.