krissy's blog

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  Can't go wrong with pumpkins, candy, costumes, and ghost stories...especially if you go the eco-friendly way.

Costumes:  Get creative!  Instead of going to the party store and spending $35 on a costume that will probably rip by the end of the day isn't worth your while.  Scour a thrift shop.  Some of the best costumes I've ever seen were the result of a little trip to a local Goodwill.  You can find all sorts of interesting stuff from there that can be made into a cool costume.  If you're crafty with a needle and thread, make something from scratch.  Hand-me-down costumes are another green way to go.  For kids, finding a costume that would also be good year-round as some dress up clothes is a fun idea.

Decorations:  What's the greenest way to decorate your house for Halloween?  Why, jack-o-lanterns of course!  Scoop out the pumpkin pulp, cook the seeds, make some pie, carve a spooky face, then once the pumpkin begins to decay, toss it in your compost bin.  Can't get much more eco-friendly than that.  As far as store bought decorations go, go for stuff that costs a few more dollars but that is durable so you can store it and take it out year after year.
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Today is the last day of summer.  The days are getting shorter and cooler.  Before you know it, it will be time to turn on the heat.  You might be thinking of ways to lower your heating bills and make your home more energy efficient.  So, what are your choices?  Replacing windows is costly.  Or maybe you rent and you can’t make any big changes.  

Luckily, there are several things you can do to help keep your home warmer during the winter months without price-prohibitive renovations.  I had the opportunity to speak with Brian Besold, co-founder of San Francisco Bay Area home performance firm Kevel, who offered several helpful tips.

A common recommendation is using 3M plastic on your windows.  It does make a difference but only for a few months because the adhesive wears off after a while.  Plus, it looks terrible and makes window inoperable so you can’t open it.   If there's an unseasonably warm day and you want to let in some fresh air, you simply can't if you have the plastic on your windows.

Instead, Besold recommends Indow Windows.  (pictured left) Indow Windows produces a plexiglass panel that can be tailored to fit your window.  All you have to do is pop it into your current window frame and viola!  It serves the same purpose as a double pane window, but at a fraction of the cost.  ... read more

A lot of us focus on recycling things like cans and newspaper, but recycling can go beyond that.  How about recycling water?

There are a few ways to recycle water. 

1)  Harvest your rain.  Collect rainwater and use it to water your garden or wash your car.

2)  Collect shower water.  Keep a bucket in your bathroom so you can collect water as your shower water warms up.  If you use biodegradable bath and hair products, you could even use the rest of your bathwater!  ... read more

"Bad boy!"

Uh oh!  Did your dog pee all over your rug?  Or worse -- your cat?  (I think cat urine is one of the foulest smells known to man, and my naughty but adorable little cat is who inspired today's post)

There are ways to get rid of those awful smells, but you've got to act fast before the smell gets worse!

These tips should work for both dogs and cats, and will help with any type of pet odor from urine to vomit.   And all you need is vinegar and water!... read more

Thanks to my lackidasical efforts in emptying out our indoor compost bin, we have a bunch of fruit flies hanging around our kitchen.  Once you remove the source and anything else that might attract flies (no fruit in the fruit bowl for the time being!) it's time to trap those annoying suckers.  

Here's an easy, nontoxic way to rid your kitchen of those pests.  ... read more