eco-home

Holiday Hosting Betty-Style

by Betty on December 8, 2012

Tree made of books


Think back to last December. Can you say that you and your family enjoyed a relaxed, evenly paced, balanced season of traditions, gift-giving and entertaining? If the answer is “no” here are some ideas for a sensible and sustainable December. (This article appeared in Cville Weekly’s ABODE magazine)
*Simplify. What can you take off your list this year? Could you take time off work, delegate, do less, and enjoy? Yes. Think about getting back to the essence of this season.

*Chill out on how the house looks. Put away the disinfectants, polishes, sprays. Replace with a little lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda. Décor can be as simple as pinecones and candles on the mantle. Add some greenery for a fresh scent and you’re good.

*Take some hints from Lisa Quinn, a recovering perfectionist and author of “Life’s Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets.” My favorite chapter is 17 Meals Made from Deli Chicken (Organic and cage-free preferred). Whether you have neighbors or houseguests for dinner, who said sustainable couldn’t be simple? Stay locally-food minded by shopping the Farmer’s Market (now the Holiday Market) for local meat options, as well as winter veggies. Take the pressure off by serving buffet style.

*What about involving the guests in the cooking and clean-up. Good conversations always seem to happen while washing and drying, don’t they? As long as your washer doesn’t keep the water running!

*Gift-giving. Expand your ideas of what constitutes a meaningful gift to a loved one. Homemade crafts or foods, gifts of service, or even charitable giving made in the recipients’ name are welcomed over store-bought items. Purchasing gifts from community craft fairs, non-profits, local businesses, artists or craftsman doubles the giving! There are many charitable organizations that offer Christmas gifts for sale (like UNICEF and NPR).

*Hostess gift: No need for anything fancy. A bottle of Virginia wine will do just fine!

Hope that helps!
Betty

STAY TUNED FOR MORE HOLIDAY TIPS and a new BLOG FEATURE debuting on Monday, December 10

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Betty lights up your life!

by Betty on October 5, 2012


As the daylight hours wane, Betty thought you’d appreciate some bright ideas on energy-saving indoor lighting.

By now I hope you’ve noticed the new labels on lighting. Lumens (which means output of light—we want high numbers here) are the focus instead of kilowatts (energy produced—we want low numbers here). For example, the old 100 watts can be replaced with 1600 lumens.

Maximizing natural light
Sky tubes Skylights are a way to bring the natural light and reduce the need for artificial light, but the old versions came with high maintenance, risk of leaking, and difficult installation. However, the new generation of “sky tubes” are easier to install and offer a slicker, tighter installation.
Light shelf Latitude 38’s Joey Conover suggests this idea, often used in commercial spaces but not that common (yet) among residential properties, so you may have to get creative. Install a light shelf, outdoor or indoor, to reflect light deeper into a large room and provide natural overhead light.

No more wasted energy
Incandescents are so five years ago.
CFLs are 75 percent more efficient, and with the new lighting labels, you should be able to find one that meets your lighting and aesthetic requirements.
LEDs use 1/3 the energy of a CFL and last 25 times longer! And the LEDs keep coming down in price (Philips brand L Prize Winning LED is now $40).

It’s all about control
Putting switches on dimmers, timers, or using occupancy sensors are low-cost ways to trim your electricity use. And I’m excited about emerging technology which will soon let us control everything remotely from our iPhones and laptops. I’ve seen some buzz about “Plugwise,” a system from California-based kWh Power that rids your home of phantom energy loss by allowing you to monitor, track, and control unnecessary energy use. For example, the system could wirelessly send data to your computer to tell you that you left a lamp on when you went to work—and then allow you to turn it off from your desk.

Hope this helps! BWB

{ Comments on this entry are closed }