When it is time for your house to get a facelift, think of all the alternatives before you remove everything and throw them in the dumpster because chances are you could be relinquishing some good old treasure.

Think First

First of all, do some research before you start to tear down the old stuffs. Think of the renovation concept that you have in mind. Do you want to keep the floor tiles or do you want to take out the built-in wardrobe? This kind of planning will save you from running several unnecessary trips in search for materials or wastage in case you want to remove the refurbishment you deem unfit after the initial installation. You can also get some value for money items from your local stores that offer and accept salvaged building materials. They may accept your removed materials so that they can recycle for reselling and offer lower prices when you make purchases from them. Since they are the experts, they are able to revamp the salvaged materials to be just as brand new. Here, you are helping to reduce the reliance on landfills.

Reuse Old Stuffs

In remodeling your home, you may even get to come across old furniture which can be reused elsewhere to create a nostalgic look in your home. For the rest of the furniture which you do not want anymore, check out which are the ones in good condition to be sold at a garage sale or to local stores. If reselling is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of shelter homes which need the lodgings. This is also a great way of doing charity.

Dispose Properly

If, however, the materials are beyond repair for the salvaged building materials stores to accept, take caution in the disposal process. Find out from your local government the areas or centers designated for furniture disposal or recycling as some materials are hazardous to be covered into landfills. Also, engage with an authorized licensed hauling company to dispose of the unusable materials so that they will be transferred to the appropriate place unless you wish to transport them yourself.

Reach Out for Help

Get professional help if you are really running out of ideas. Extra cost may be involved and the recommendations on high quality materials may add on to it but there could be a cost benefit deep within. High quality materials can last a long time and worth your money in the meantime. By any chance, good maintenance will give your house the ultimate timeless look in years to come and prepare to be admired by your visitors. Now that is called a proper remodeling.

Additional reading:
www.lifecyclebuilding.org

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlt/3553879683/

Reuse in Remodeling is a post from: DIY Guides

Do Something

Everyone talks about going green. Everyone talks about recycling. What should you do about it then? If your local authority does not run a recycling program and you have no tools to support your initiative, get recycling bins. These are great helpers to keep your mind to throw your different rubbish into different bins.

Spread the word

Recycling bins also function as a morale boost to your household members. When they see your effort in supporting recycling, they will eventually follow suit and put the recyclable items into the appropriate labeled bins instead of throwing everything to the trash bins. Once this new habit of yours gets underway, words will spread and you will be sending a good influence vibe to your neighbors. No promises that your idea will be accepted immediately but your perseverance will eventually make sense to them.

Better Management

You will also find out that you have better management in discarding the recyclable products. With the convenience of recycling bins, you will be up and ready to take the items already placed to the recycling centers at one go over a weekend.

Do It Yourself

If buying recycling bins is not what you want to spend on but still possess the urge to recycle, consider making your own recycling bins. Big boxes or large plastic containers are what you need and you can label them accordingly. For example, one for plastic and the other for aluminium tin cans.

Why Recycle?

Picking the recycling exercise is one of the best ways of going green. There are so many advantages beneficial to the environment. First of all, you are helping to cut down on the opening of new landfills. Then, you are one of the links to regenerate resources like glass, aluminium, paper, etc. so that reliance is reduced in finding new mines or chopping down trees. This is one of the ways to maintain the environment balance before global warming gets out of control. Of course not forgetting, it may be money worth as some recycling centers may pay you some money for your effort.

With so many benefits to gain from, what are you waiting for? Go get recycling bins.

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobasonic/512778658/

Start Going Green with Recycling Bins is a post from: DIY Guides

Mushroom kits have become so popular for their versatility. We want to grow our own instead of buying it from the store. So, the mushroom kit is like a half-way measure. Mushroom spores cannot be sold in packets like other vegetables seed. So you have to purchase the mushroom kits which contain semi-unprocessed state of mushroom. It’s not hard to grow your mushroom kit. All you have to do is to know some methods about planting them and patience. Here are steps on how you can grow your own mushrooms:

• Mushroom kits comprises of a box, compost ad growing medium, mycelium spores and some peat moss casing. Remove the peat moss bag and lightly pour over the compost covering the mycelium once the kit is opened. Then, scarify the surface to enable the spores to grow with a fork or some other instruments.
  
• Mushroom kits need to be kept at a constant low temperature of 15 to 25 Celsius (60 to 78 Fahrenheit). The mushrooms do not necessarily need to be in the dark. Provided they are kept away from the direct sunlight. Your mushrooms won’t grow and your kit may struggle to produce at all when the room’s temperature shifts above or below this range.
  
• It is advisable for you to start your mushroom kit or delay it for a few weeks but don’t hold any longer than this. Within 7 to 10 days, you will start to produce mushrooms. In the first yield, almost 50% or half of your fruit will be produced with subsequent production slowing with each harvest until eventually the kit stops producing altogether.
  
• Once the mushroom kit has expired, there is nothing you can do with it except tossing the growing medium into the compost heap, this will happen in most cases. It is possible to continue growing more of the mushrooms if you have access to more mycelium spores and provided the peat moss casing is replaced and the compost medium is still moist.
  
• There is a lot of mushroom kit that offers different types of mushroom other than white button mushroom. Such are Shiitake, Portobello, Enoki and many other varieties which are now making their way into the marketplace as gardeners start to experiment with these diverse fungi.

Additional Reading:
http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2009/06/how_to_grow_mushroom_kits.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polandeze/465391874/

Growing mushroom kits is a post from: DIY Guides

One way to help reduce the global warming of our beloved earth is by finding ways to save money and at the same time stay healthy and also be more eco-friendly. You can also do this not only to your own house but also start this practice in your office. The more greener your workplace is, much more lighter ecological footprint, much healthier and also enables you to be more productive. There are lots of ways for you to create a greener environment in your workplace such as by using recycled products, providing recycle bins or installing doubled-paned windows for providing a much better air insulation. In order to be green in your workplace, below are some of the things that you can do.

What you need:

1. Recycling bins
   
2. Non-toxic cleaning supplies
   
3. Shredder
   
4. Scanner or PDF conversion software
   
5. Air and water filters
   
6. CFL bulbs
   

Method:

1. One of the steps that you can use is by changing the current ways your company use papers which is a huge expense and a waste of money for your business. You can still work better with less consumption of the paper usage. In order to change the ways, you can install recycling bins in common areas like the printing or photocopy rooms, conference or meeting rooms and also the pantry or even the rest rooms. Apart from that, the shredder machine can also be used in key locations especially in the proprietary area and the financial department. This shredded paper can be recycled for the usage of packing materials or donated it to non-profit organizations such as the animal rescue operations association that can use it for the bedding of their animals.
   
2. Make it a point or habit to print only on-demand. Nowadays you can have an electronic copy of your documents maintained on your company’s network drives where the staff can access it through the local area network. Your company’s brochures, catalogs or other printed materials can be printed in bulk or kept in an electronic format which can be created by using a scanner or third party software for converting it to PDF file formats. Your e-mails should only be printed as and when the urgency arises and you can also add a reminder on every email sent or display the message in the printing room that says “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.”
   
3. As for your building maintenance, you should also consider eco-friendly practices like performing routine and scheduled maintenance on the HVAC systems including changing its air filters regularly. This is because the air quality of indoor air is greatly affected by your building’s heating and its cooling systems which in the end can cause health problems to people working in the building.
   
4. Apart from that, you can also change your lighting from fluorescent bulbs into the more efficient and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) whether for the rest rooms, hallways, breaking rooms and also the kitchen areas. Then, you can install aerators on bathroom and kitchen faucets for enabling you to reduce the water flow without affecting or reducing water pressure.
   

5. Next, if you are using the traditional industrial strength product that comes with high toxic for cleaning purposes, try changing the habit by using non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning supplies.
   
6. Try to educate your staff not to use container made of Styrofoam and plastic.
   
7. Install water filters for your office faucets for reducing the amount of bottled water that you consumed.
   
8. Use more ceramic materials such as ceramic mugs for coffee, or biodegradable cups, plates and other tableware instead of using Styrofoam and plastic ware.

Additional Reading:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-work/
http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/article191852.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5395584_go-green-workplace.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcdead/3892022815/

Going green at your workplace is a post from: DIY Guides

One way to help reduce the global warming of our beloved earth is by finding ways to save money and at the same time stay healthy and also be more eco-friendly. The environment is very important and caring for it must start from the early stage especially in schools. You can organize discussion on how to go green around the school compound, in the classroom and any location in the school that you think is suitable so that people who notice it will do the same for the environment outside of the school. In order to go green in your school environment, below are some of the things that you can do.

What you need:

1. Recycle bins
   
2. Recycle papers
   
3. Plant seeds and grow plants
   
4. Walk or Carpool
   
5. Organize going green projects
   
6. Reusable containers for keeping your lunch meals
   

Method:

1. Schools need to provide recycle bins in strategic locations in order for students to put all the recycle items accordingly such as recycle paper where they can use them as scrap paper rather than using a new paper and after that they can recycle it. You will also be saving the environment if you encourage the usage of both sides of the paper for any homework and assignment for printing purposes.
   
2. You can also organize going green class project for example by sponsoring a recycling competition, creating a mini compost area outside your classroom, or adopting the rainforest. Recycling competition such as which class can collect the most newspapers, soda cans, water bottles or any item which can be used for recycling will definitely attract a lot of interest among the students.
   
3. Apart from that, you can also plant seeds into pots or grow plants (either vegetables or flowers) in pots so that you can put it inside your classroom. This will make your classroom become greener and at the end of the year or when the plants have grown big, you can transfer it to the school’s garden or you can even start creating a mini compost pile outside of your classroom.
   
4. You also need to remind students to always remember to turn off water faucets once they have finished using it. Leftover water from a cooking or science assignment can also be used for watering your school’s garden instead of throwing it down the drain. Then, make sure that you check for any leaks at your window for insulation leaks and water leaks from your faucets so that immediate remedy can be done by the school maintenance unit.
   
5. Always remember not to litter your school compound or area and do your duty as the student of the school to always clean up after yourself and also use the right recycling bins or trash whenever you are throwing away rubbish or recycle items.
   
6. Besides that, you can change the way you commute to school either by riding a bicycle or walk to school if the location of your house to the school is within walking distance. If it is not possible, you can always carpool along with your friends or teachers where you can save as much as possible the need to use cars and at the same time, decrease air pollution and also money.
   
7. Other than that, you can use reusable containers for putting your lunch so that you do not have to throw away any more plastic bags, juice drink box and brown lunch bags.
8. The attire that you wear to school can also play an important role because if you are wearing the correct attire according to the weather, your teacher does not have to raise either the heat or air conditioning level of the classroom.
   
9. Always ensure that you have turned off all the computers in the classroom after you have used them for the day before you leave the classroom so that you can save more on energy.
   
10. The school administration also can introduce student grades via online where you can eventually save on paper and enable parents to be more pro-active in evaluating the student’s performance. Teachers can also start preparing notes, photos and study guides by using Power Point presentations in order to reduce waste of using paper. Teachers and the school administration can also introduce an E-mail only campaign so that they can cut on the usage of hard copies of substitute requests, field trip proposals and meetings.

Additional Reading:
http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2008/06/23/50-ways-to-go-green-in-the-classroom/
http://www.ehow.com/how_4670835_green-school.html
http://www.worldvision.ca/ContentArchives/content-stories/Pages/5-Steps-to-Go-Green-at-School.aspx

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomatoskin/2374932312/

Going Green at School is a post from: DIY Guides

One way to help reduce the global warming of our beloved earth is by finding ways to save money and at the same time stay healthy and also be more eco-friendly. With the massive traffic jam that keeps growing day by day, loss of time due to rush hour problems, high gas prices, car park expenses, plus also high maintenance cost of vehicles. In order to be green in your style of commuting daily, below are some of the things that you can do in becoming green commuter.

What you need:

1. Walk or ride bicycle
   
2. Do bulk errands in a single trip
   
3. Organize carpool
   
4. Shut off car engine when not in use
   
5. Do schedule maintenance of your car accordingly
   
6. Use public transportation
   
7. Telecommute or work from home
   
8. Change to Hybrid car
   

Method:

1. First of all, you can either choose to walk or ride a bicycle whenever you can especially if the place that you are going is considered not that far to your place. This is one of the ways of going green that can help the environment and also make yourself healthier because by walking or cycling, it helps to provide a good workout for your body. Other than that, this type of method reduces the emission of carbon output into the environment.
   
2. Apart from that, if the need still arises for you to drive your car, for example, to do some errands, you can plan to do one week’s task in a single trip so that you can save a lot on fuel consumption. You can accomplish this by making a list of the items that you need to do for that particular week and organize it within a day to enable all of the tasks to be done in a single trip. You can also drive your car according to the speed limit and do not accelerate you car above the speed limit of the area. By driving every 5 miles an hour with at least 55mph consistency will reduce 10 percent of your fuel efficiency.
   
3. If one of your colleagues live around the area that you live in or nearby your house, you can regularly take part in the carpool activity between each other in commuting to the office. Thus, this will reduce the number of cars entering the town area or your office area.
   
4. Always make sure not let your engine idle for more than 30 seconds because if you shut the vehicle’s engine off, it will definitely be more fuel-efficient and reduces emissions of carbon into the environment and people will not be breathing the bad air from your vehicle fumes.
   
5. Ensure that your car is always maintained according to its schedule because under-inflated tires, dirty air filters, and neglecting to change your engine oil can all cause your car’s gas mileage to plunge. For a normal regular maintenance, car engine oil, fluids and also its air filters needs to be changed at least every 3,000 or up to 5,000 miles in order to see that your car is always in good condition.
   
6. Besides that, you can also use public transportation because this mode of transportation costs less than driving your own car into the city. Although the task seems to be quite daunting, once you have master all those schedules and know the routes, it will be a breeze in the future. You can always try to do this slowly for example, use the bus or train (especially hybrid buses and electric trains) one day in a week, or just follow your friend (green commuter) who is already familiar with the transportation route. Apart from that, using public transport also provides you with ample time of doing some reading while waiting or even do your job earlier because nowadays, some trains and buses even offer Wi-Fi connectivity which enables you to check email or browse the internet during your waiting period or during the journey.
   
7. If your company allows you to do your work from home, you must take that opportunity of working from home which is also known as telecommute (especially if your work involves a computer or the internet, and it really helps you and also the environment. This is because you do not have to produce carbon output into the environment and managed to keep one car out of the massive traffic jam. According to the statistics, in 2004 alone up to 44 million Americans telecommute or at least working part time.
   
8. If you can afford or having budget to change your car, it is recommended that you change to Hybrid cars because this type of cars is a revolution for the current era and it helps a lot in the going green concept. The Hybrid car also provide better gas mileage and give lower emissions. Besides that, you should also consider to use vehicle that uses bio-diesel or vegetable oil as alternatives to gas or petrol in order to save the environment.
   

Additional Reading:
http://www.squidoo.com/agreenlife
http://simplemom.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home/
http://www.wisebread.com/10-ways-to-go-green-and-save-money-at-the-same-time
http://www.treehugger.com/gogreen.php
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1608705/how_to_go_green_commuting_to_work.html?cat=27
http://www.supergreenme.com/go-green-environment-eco:Eco-friendly-Commuting

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clickr12345/3568840720/

Going green in commuting is a post from: DIY Guides

Nowadays, you just cannot run away from technology, as it is everywhere. You can see almost everywhere people using cell phones, iPods and PDA’s. Many houses have their own computers, laptops and faxes as the telecommuting ways have increased. When these resources being used expand, we have to consider a way to make this technology eco-friendly. This is for the sake of helping our planet earth and at the same time saving your money. Here’s how you can go green with your technology:

• Recharge and reuse your batteries. You can choose rechargeable batteries for your laptops to PDA’s. This will help to decrease electronic wastes and save your money. Even if you are buying batteries in bulk, you still have to pay more. Try buying lithium-ion batteries or nickel metal hydride which is eco-friendly and cost effective. When the batteries have come to their end of cycle life, check the instructions on how to dispose them. Take steps if there are services for disposable available. You can also check with your municipality if there are steps that can be taken.
• Utilize solar power. Solar power is cheap and reusable. You can buy a solar charger for your batteries and other equipment. The solar charger will use the power of sun to charge your gadgets to keep them going. This way, you are saving more money and lessening your electricity bill payment too.

• Always pull the plug when not in used. You don’t have to charge your cell phone or iPod every hour even if you don’t use it. Even if you turn the power off, the electricity is still drawing through the socket. So, make sure to unplug your gadget’s socket when they are not in used.

• Don’t change to new if they are still good. To be an eco-friendly gadgets geek, you need to retain a greener attitude with technology. If your gadget is still in good condition, not broken and still intact then why should you buy a new one? Avoid applying the “two years rule”, what you can do is; keep your technology longer if they are still in good use. By this way, you are cutting down on unnecessary waste.

• Upgrade your gadgets from used items. You can surf EBay and Craigslist for used but not new gadgets if you want to upgrade your tech items. These websites are full with used technology for sale. You can also buy the items at a great deal and lower tech waste. If you are already fed up with your old gadgets, you can sell them on this websites. So, you are making a few dollars and saving those items from the landfill.

Additional reading:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2149674_green-technology.html

Image Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdickert/305722372/

How to go green with your technology is a post from: DIY Guides

You can recognize green electronics easily as they use less energy than the traditional models. By buying green electronics, you are helping the environment by reducing carbon wastes. At the same time, you can cut more on electric bills and save more money by using green technologies. Green technologies are longer in usage and works even more efficiently.

Here is a guide on how you can buy green technologies:

• Choose electronics with energy efficiency rating. You have to make sure that the item has gone through a certification program to determine its energy efficiency. For example, you can check for Energy Star, Alt Energy labels and 80 plus.
  
• Purchase tech items from manufacturers that support green electronics. Current initiatives from electronics manufactures such as Sony, Apple, Kodak, Gateway and Sharp producing green electronics can be among best options that you can choose from. You can visit Green Electronics website for more complete listing.
  

• Locate stores that sell green electronics near your area. Verdant Computing and Nuvo Technologies sells eco-friendly computers and other electronics items.
  

• Check out the additional environmental certifications held by the green electronic product. Additional labels which include RoHS complaint and Repurposed. RoHS Compliant products do not contain toxic or harmful materials. A repurposed product means that the gadget is designed to be refurbished or recycled at the end of its lifecycle.
  

• Recently, EPA has started an initiative to allow manufacturers to register their green electronics products. EPEAT label shows that the product has been gone through the assessment process.

Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2342023_buy-green-electronics.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anim3/3950177049/

Buying green electronics is a post from: DIY Guides

It’s a big thing when you are living in an eco-green lifestyle nowadays. Why shouldn’t you? Not also by going green lifestyle can save our planet but at the same time can save your money too. A going green lifestyle confronts almost all aspects of your life including electricity usage. Here are some tips on how you can save money on your electric bills.

Things that you need:

• CFL bulbs
  
• solar lighting
  
• power strip
  

Steps:

1. When you are not using electrical devices, unplug the master socket after use. Many electrical devices continue to use energy even when they are shut off such as cell phone chargers, computers and televisions. If you see a little red lit or the digital clock on the DVD player is still on, that’s means it still using extra power and you can get charge for it. For a simple solution, plug these items into a power strip that can be shut off when you are done using or charging them. Turn the light off also when it’s not in use. You can teach your children to start going green while they still young to turn off the light switch after use.
   
2. Outdoor solar lighting can be a good source for going green-lifestyle. You can search in many home improvements stores now as they sell a wide range of outdoor solar lights that use no electricity at all. If you want to decrease your electrical usage, opt for path lighting or motion detection.
   
3. What is cheaper than using the environment elements themselves? The sun. Take advantage of the natural sunlight. Install skylights or sky tubes; open your blinds or drapes in the morning.
   
4. You can install CFL bulbs throughout your house. It is not hard to install, as it’s easy as screwing in a light bulb. CFL bulb types can be found in any home store improvements and brand such as Philips manufacture good quality of CFL bulb. If you still have your old bulbs and they still work, don’t bother to change them just as yet. You can always wait until they die and then use the new CFL bulbs. That way you are saving money better.
   
5. Air conditioner in your house is the biggest culprit of electricity. To save the electricity, you can set your thermostat a couple of degrees higher in the summer and use ceiling fans instead of air conditioner to keep your home cool.
   
6. It is good to build a clothesline outside your house to hang your clothes to dry. Electric cloth dryers installed in your washing machine are a big electric energy waster. You are only using the sun, wind and your energy to dry your clothes.

Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4962133_go-green-electrical.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lori_greig/297096847/

Going green electrical is a post from: DIY Guides

Sometimes there are projects that you can’t handle on your own when it comes to remodeling your house. Some of the projects need specific skills that need you to hire a general contractor. If this is your first time planning on hiring a general contractor, you can follow these easy steps below.

• Conduct several interviews with contractors to find the best contractor that suits your remodeling requirements. Never pick the first contractor that you find in the phone book. Take referral from other people that you know on another way to find a contractor for interview.
  
• When discussing plans with each potential contractors in the interview process, give each of them a plan of your remodeling requirements. Include the project’s budget in the plan. Let the contractors know the dimensions of the space they are going to work on and what you want to do with the space. All of this information will help them to prepare a bid for the job.
  
• During interviews, you should look at their work by checking at their previous projects’ pictures and contact references. Previous projects that have been done by the contractors can be a good indicator to see their quality and craftsmanship of work. Make a call to the references and ask them if you can look at the contractor’s work. At the same time, ask the previous clients about the contractor’s experience, behavior and work ethics.
  
• Set a time to the general contractors for a bid on the project. The bid should include an estimation of supplies and labor cost. Other things that should be included are if there is any usage of sub-contractors. Avoid choosing the lowest bid. Before determining the best bid, review carefully to all of the information that the contractors have given.
  
• Choose a contractor based on the interview, bid and references. You should choose a contractor that you can trust and produce the best quality of work at the best value of costs.
  
• Make a timetable for the project. Once you have successfully chosen your general contractor, sit down with them and discuss the timeline for the project. To make sure that things are going as planned, ask the chosen contractor to find out how long it is going to take and check in periodically.

Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/articles_4384-working-contractors.html?sort=commentcount+desc
http://www.ehow.com/how_2078292_hire-general-contractor.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brockbuilders/3633256097/

Hiring a general contractor is a post from: DIY Guides