LED lightbulbs will be greener, but right now they're pricey - while CFLs are usually less than $2 each. And it's a field of constant innovation.
Between $15 and $50 per bulb over 5 years.

Red-hot innovation. Remember burning holes in paper with a magnifying glass? These appliances focus the sun's rays onto your food and cook it as thoroughly as a traditional oven - without using a spark of electricity. So simple you can even make them yourself.
These replace the standard convection ovens which use around $0.10 of electricity an hour - and then there's gas.

There are mineral-salt-powered equivalents to washing powder, like the Ecoballs "flying saucers". And yes, they work.
$200-$400 per 1000 washes.

Over half of American homes don't have them: that's a lot of homes being heated when they don't need to be. Install one today (say, a Ventstar Flat Stat) and watch your heating bills plummet.
Calculate your exact saving here (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet).

They're wasteful and polluting - and avoidable. Use one of the newer brand of push reel mower - or, if you have some money to invest, solar-convert!
With a gas-powered lawnmower, an hour's grass-cutting is around 100 miles in your car.

You use the most fuel at low speeds and when you start your car. So short trips really aren't worth it - cycle or walk instead. Give yourself longer to shop (you can cut down on gym time to balance things) - and carry less by shopping more often. 
With rising fuel prices, you can expect any fuel economy savings to grow and grow.

Make sure everyone's in before turning the key. And waiting for someone for more than 60 seconds? Kill the engine. You're more likely to consume more fuel idling than restarting.
It's been estimated that idling Burger King customers waste 16 million gallons of gas a year.

Prepacked sandwiches: all that plastic, and how much money? So make your own: it's vastly cheaper and more fun (you get to choose the fillings).
Personal estimate: Making my own - $15 /wk. Shop-bought - $30-50/wk.

Tumble-drying needs huge amounts of energy (see below). So go for a combination of an eco-friendly spin dryer for when it's raining, and washing lines (standard or fancy) for when the sun's shining.
Tumble dryers use around 2.5 kwH of electricity per hour. Compared with the rest of your appliances, that's huge. Dry naturally, and you'll save $100s a year. Oh, and millions of tons of CO2.

If your room's a bit gloomy, don't just reach for the lightswitch. Think about how to get more daylight into your room - whether simply by moving furniture around, or guiding the light in with sunpipes or mirrors.
Banishing the lights for the night will have a significant impact on your electricity bill. Even turning them on an hour later than before will make a difference.

Catch rainwater in water butts or more sophisticated arrangements, and you have a ready supply of water for anything except drinking (you'd need fairly expensive filtration to make it safe).
Up to half your water bill.

We want to see the return of Victory Gardens, using every neglected square inch of everyone's back yard to grow vegetables. Food miles turn into food inches, and the results taste better than you could have imagined if you're been eating the mass-produced variety. Also, buy locally produced food - it's just other people's Victory Gardens!
Huge savings on grocery bills.

There's a great deal of concern about energy being invisibly wasted, particularly with modern devices that have a "standby" setting. So when you've finished with the electronic marvel of your choice - unplug it.
Anything from $50 a year upwards per household is spent on keeping those little red LEDs glowing.

It's cutting-edge, so it's certainly not cheap - but ground source heat pumps are the next big thing in eco-friendly house design. They run some of your water supply through the ground where it picks up natural geothermal energy. Result: toasty-hot water for free!
Your central heating bill will evaporate.

If you can find an alternative to using your electric A/C unit, use it - but remember that it's much less eco-hostile to cool the house down than it is to heat it up. So when the house gets cold, think layers layers layers.
See it as a challenge - to make your Winter electricity bill lower than the summer one!

As Allison noted a while back, 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes into heating the water. Wash on a cooler setting, and you save energy...
...and that saves you money on your bill. Couldn't be easier.

Meat is the most expensive item on the average food bill. It's therefore ironic that we eat too much of it - and no, I'm not vegetarian (although that's an excellent argument against meat as well). Meat is a delicacy, not a staple - so don't be afraid of having a few no-meat days during the week.
500g T-bone steak - $20. Just sayin'.

If you're the average American, you buy four bags of groceries, and you throw one of them straight in the trash. No, really. So learn to make the most of the food you buy: soups, stews, freezing, composting, you name it.
One quarter (or more specifically, 27%) of your food bill, right there.

With technology, everyone loves shiny and new things - particularly us men (a genetic flaw, perhaps). But if there's a second-hand, perfectly functioning alternative, we should go with it. So become a retrophiliac, and always try to buy last year's technology, first- or second-hand.
Regarding full retail price, look at what happened with the iPhone.

There's no cutting corners on quality clothing - except when a professional tailor is doing it for you. If you want to look fabulous on a budget, trawl your city's second-hand options and find items that are near your size - then have them adjusted.
A guy's perspective: in this manner I saved $200 on a suit last year.

The Information Revolution has changed the way we work. Telecommuting is a much cheaper option to spending 3 hours in traffic. Videoconferencing beats the real thing in bucks. So find ways to avoid those costly long hauls to and from work. (Even if the company's paying!).
Or are you saying that your own time isn't valuable to you?

Always support your local traders - they're where you'll most likely to get the best-quality goods. But when it comes to the harder-to-get items...shop online. You save on packaging and (depending on the items) you save on gas, because it's delivered to your door by someone who was on the road anyway.
And yes, shopping online is almost always cheaper - if not quite as tactile and fun!

It prevents urban tumbleweed. It's stylish. And it's tougher than those flimsy supermarket  bags...
...which you're increasingly being asked to pay for (by companies that lack the nerve to ban them altogether).

Household cleaners are expensive. So don't buy them. Go for the natural, non-polluting options that are just as effective, available everywhere and cost next to nothing.
Miracle cleaners miraculously wipe out your budget. Lemons, on the other hand, are cheap.


In the bad old days, you paid extra for an eco-conscious lifestyle. Now, eco-friendliness is the norm - and in more and more cases, not choosing green is the way to overspend.
Choose green, save money, help the planet. There is no catch.

Image

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

The less optimistic among us love to point out that “green” is a trend, and, like all trends, that it will fade with time. I proudly say that I’m not green because it’s trendy, but because it’s who I am. I strive for beauty and balance in my life, and that means respecting the people, plants and animals around me. I’ve raised my standards and have come to expect a world where everybody cares about the consequences of their actions.

More than just an accumulation of ecologically-sound actions, being green has to be who you are. It’s an intuitive thing; it means taking into account your neighbors, the trees in your yard, the birds nesting in that tree, and the bugs that sustain those birds. It means being aware of the big web that holds this world together, and then letting your actions come from that awareness. Everything is interconnected.

Respect, self-awareness and future-thinking are at the heart of being green. Nobody can do it all, but all of us can do our best. I don't think green is a trend; I think we're all finally waking up to ask the important question: how will my actions affect the seventh generation?

Image: Mayr

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

It's summer!

Now, I'm not sure England is actually going to have a summer (we didn't have one last year), but the rest of you can safely stash away the heavy-weather gear, unfurl your limbs and head out into a fresh, spring-cleaned world waiting to be explored.

Carrying what? You'll need your water bottle (and we can recommend a Steripen to accompany it), a map - or GPS, if that's your thing - and a waterproof coat, just in case the weather turns English. And why not carry all these things in a rucksack that's as eco-friendly as the rest of your lifestyle?

The Hempmania H20 mini-backpack (essentially a "daysac") is produced by a Mayan family in the Guatamalan highlands using sustainable fair-trade practices, and is tough, back-hugging, has an adjustable water-bottle pocket and comes in a variety of colours including terra cotta (a delicious hint of sun-baked brick against your back, there). I like it because it's not too granola for hemp - in fact it looks rather high-tech. It's a perfect gift for a guy, as well.


All set? Go!

Hempmania backpack is available from DailyGreenProject for $30 + $5 shipping.

Image: code poet

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

A truly modern city is one that's overgrown.

I love cities. In Rome last month, I was fascinated by how Italians utilized every corner of their balconies and gardens (more so in the Republic of Georgia) - admittedly as much for rusting motorbike/moped parts as for greenery. That's men for you. But it struck me how this most ancient of European cities has evolved - in some places at least - into the very synergy of nature and culture that modern designers are falling over themselves to create from scratch.

That means growing things. That's the personal call to arms of the city dweller, the would-be guerrilla gardener, the committed gastronaut. It's a cinch to line windowsills and balconies with pots and baskets. There are even kits to do half the work for you, like the Miniature Edible Garden Kit, or the "herb eggs" we reported on recently. Your own fresh oregano and mint makes dishes like this toe-wigglingly delicious - grow nettle and dandelion, and you're on the way to a free, healing green tea every morning. The list heads over the horizon. Feeling more adventurous? Have a read of this blog from a balcony-growing enthusiast.

But it's not just about saving money, it's about ownership. The best way to live in a city is to care about it; to want it to have a positive effect on yourself and those around you. A city neglected by its occupants feels ugly and unappreciated. So let your plants run riot over the wood and concrete - beautiful and useful. Bring your city to life!

Image: bluelemur

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

You hear cynics say that bringing your own grocery bags to the store isn't going to make a difference. That we need to get industry to stop polluting and government to commit to renewable energy. And then they say, with none-too-little smugness: "But hey...go ahead and do it if it makes you feel better."

Why, thank you, I will!

However much we do need more government and industry commitment, I find this attitude not only infuriating and condescending but also dangerous. Yes, dangerous. This is just the kind of talk that makes people throw up their hands and say, "Screw it, I'm not going to compost. It's messy and a lot of trouble and it doesn't do any good anyway. I'm going to buy bottled water and throw away the bottles while I'm at it. And I'm going to drive the biggest car I can find and eat an 8-oz. steak every day."

Smug: we could use less of it.

The fact is, this attitude that it's somehow "not our job" or futile to "do our part" is relatively new. Americans used roll up their sleeves to do the hard work. Do World War II, rationing, and Victory Gardens ring a bell? In that case, the government did inspire the people. In our current situation I think the people need to inspire the government. But however it happens, this stuff worked and can work now. (At one point, Victory Gardens supplied 41% of the produce consumed in the United States.) Now that's collective action at work. Isn't the survival of the planet at least as important as winning a war?

I didn't know until I started writing this, but Michael Pollan recently covered some of the same ground. Here's what he says. What do you think? How much do individual environmental choices matter? Or are they only really good for making us feel better?

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

Image: Thiru Mirugan

If you’ve ever considered vacationing in Taos, consider staying in an Earthship for the night. Earthships are surprising constructions,  made mainly from old tires, aluminum bottles and cans. Far from looking like a trash heap, Earthships are elegant, well-insulated and built to blend into the natural environment.

Located 15 minutes outside of Taos in the high New Mexican desert, HelioHouse’s Earthship serves as an educational, sustainable vacation rental and boasts comfortable furnishings, a full kitchen and beautiful views. They’ve even got wireless internet.

But besides the creature comforts, HelioHouse – and all Earthships – uses passive solar, passive ventilation, rainwater catchment, graywater systems, and onsite solar sewage treatment, to create off-grid, wholly sustainable living.

By staying at HelioHouse you can support innovative green design and at the same time learn about a very viable alternative, green building method. Consider this an education vacation.

Check out the DVD Garbage Warrior to learn more about Earthship innovator and biotect Michael Reynolds.

A summery weekend ahead - and there's no real excuse to be indoors during the day (no arguments, please). But if you find yourself online just now, here are a few links worth a read:

Whip Up are keen for us to reap the benefits of the homemade and the handcrafted: be sure to make some time for them.
Shown above: sea kelp is everywhere! Mostly in the sea, of course, but here on land we keep bumping into great sea kelp products (for example, in our first linky feature) - and now there's this Natural Hair Wash with Sea Kelp and Organic Kelp Shampoo Bar over at Pretty By Nature. It looks like chocolate. Can you eat the stuff as well? (Aha!).
Tracey "Tao" Oliveto has been looking at alternatives to plastic shower curtains (and finding that even antibacterial hemp needs a through-breeze to stay pristine.
Over at Grist, Katharine Wroth is getting in a lather over green dish soaps. Me, I like being up to my elbows in Ecover.
Shown above: Solar-powered gadgets over at Re-Nest: love the oven, not so convinced by the lighter (what's wrong with these?).
Recyclable plates that survive the microwave and the freezer....and they're made from fallen leaves and water? Yes, really. (Thanks, Triplepundit).
It's true - you can make notebooks out of anything - and as this article shows (found via Hippyshopper), that even includes tea tins.
Shown above: how much do we love recycled shipping containers? Answer: lots. Therefore we're floored (and walled and ceilinged) by the sheer genius of the illy Quick House, reported on by The Style Files.

We like the recycling suggestion by Tracey Stokes at eco street - turning washing machines into furniture! (Using up discarded items other people don't look twice at - that's classy).

Vanessa at GreenAsAThistle has just finished her 365-day lifestyle makeover. Wander back through her archives (here's day 1) and see how she found the experience.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Recently we've spotted a new trend in eco-chic decor. Let's call it Things That Make You Slightly Uneasy. (Like this, for example).

The latest items to raise the hairs on the back of your neck are those of the Witches' Kitchenware range. No doubt about it - the sustainable two-tone Guatemalan wood looks gorgeous, and reaffirms my belief that plastic kitchen utensils are thoroughly last-century. But....it's the prongs, the spikes, the tangs. The dagger. There's also a gorgeous-looking cauldron - sorry, casserole dish, and a set of witch-inspired gloves and aprons.


If you're happy with feeling like your kitchen belongs in the world of a certain boy-wizard (or, more likely, if young children have out-voted you on this matter), keep an eye on Artecnica's site - they seem to be looking for a new distributor at the moment. And when you're equipped, you could even try out a few "authentic" recipes from Kate West's book here.

(Disclaimer: Ecosalon does not take any responsibility for anyone accidentally being turned into a toad. Thank you).

Images: Artecnica

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

Sweating out the summer? Here are some tips to keep you beautiful and healthy throughout the heat.

First, don’t forget your biodegradable, petroleum free, marine safe sunscreen.

You’ve gotta protect your face with a sustainably made sunhat.

If you’re sick of the daily bout with a razor, try waxing your legs instead. Moom wax is made of truly natural, virtually edible ingredients.

Keep your skin well-exfoliated with organic body scrub.

This is the perfect time of year to exercise outside. You may not be fit enough for beach yoga, but even yard work counts! Do some stretching on the grass, run in the park, or organize a group game with the neighbors.

Stay hydrated! Drink plenty of water, of course, and eat sweet, hydrating fruit for lunch. Here’s a fantastic recipe for luxurious fruit salad.

The driest time of the year is also the most important time to conserve water. Here are 14 pretty painless water conservation tips that everyone needs to know.

Enjoy your summer, everyone. I hate to say it, but turn off your computer (yes, sniff, step away from EcoSalon) and go outside! We’ll still be here when you’re ready to come inside and cool off.

Sara’s shameless plug: Hi, it’s your editor. De-lurk, dear reader, and leave this fabulous writer a comment. (We love chatting.) You can also share this post with friends – just click your favorite social bookmark listed below. New reader? Be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter to win free eco goodies! You can also subscribe to any RSS feed your heart desires.

Image: Thiago Floriano