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When we bought our house last year, we knew the old AC system was inefficient and would need to be replaced at some point, but frankly, there just hasn’t been room in the budget for such a major expense. As luck would have it, the AC condenser failed just when my mother-in-law arrived for a week-long...

If they can do it Ireland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Thailand, Australia and South Africa, why can’t we do it here? Each of these nations have either banned plastic shopping bags outright, or taxed the consumers who use them. Ireland began their efforts to limit the use of plastic bags in 2002...

Just like millions of other Americans, I'm desparately but optimistically searching for an electric car that I can afford and that will be available before 2010 when most manufacturers are promising to be in production. No luck so far, but I'm learing a lot along the way. For instance, I've...

Like most Americans, we are a two-car family. Most of our driving is done in a 2002 Volvo V70 station wagon that gets about 19.5 mpg during city driving; 30 mpg highway. Unlike most Americans, my husband rides a bike to work three or four days a week, but after work he rides home and hops into a 1992...

changing how you eat is a great way to change how you impact the environment! one thing that does multifarious harm to the environment as we know it is the use and overuse of agricultural chemicals. (a quick and incomplete list: contributes to groundwater pollution; helps pests develop into resistant...

Oh man! I wish we could go. The thing about making a living is how much it interferes with your life! My son and 1,000 other kids are at the capitol today for an Earth Day observance. I know they've been teaching conservation at his elementary school because while we were on a long walk the other...

I've been reading up on rain gardens and green roofs lately. The rainy season isn't far off for us here in Tallahassee, and (if the drought ends this year) we're in for our daily flooding. Rain gardens and green roofs have a lot of benefits like preventing soil erosion, keeping stormwater...

Sorry it's taken so long for my response. Soap is made from more natural ingredients; detergent is made from chemical synthetics. Soaps are made from natural oleochemical found in natural fats and oils; detergents are made from petrochemicals. Soaps react badly to the chemicals in hard water and...

Even with the best intentions, it's not always easy to be green. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, for instance: Buy hybrid! Actually, if your old car is still running, it's probably better to keep it, because the manufacturing of a new car creates a greater carbon footprint...

I remember the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap from childhood. Other than having clean floors, the scent of Murphy's is one of the few things I like about scrubbing floors. And I always felt good about using it, knowing I wasn't exposing my family or our pets to dangerous chemicals. When I was...