TerraCycle’s Upcycling Valentine’s Day Program

Once again TerraCycle is at the forefront of upcycling and reusing products for a brighter future for all of us. They are ready for Valentine’s Day with a few DIY upcycling ideas.

While cleaning up trash doesn’t seem like a romantic way to spend the day, you can celebrate the holiday and effect real-world change with special Valentine’s Day items, products and decorations in Trash Tycoon, Facebook’s first upcycling game from Guerillapps and TerraCycle. In the game, you can clean up trash and upcycle it to fun products like necklaces, Valentine’s Day cards and heart shaped wreaths to send to friends or to decorate your town. Players’ hearts will swell because Trash Tycoon creates positive social impact by donating 10% of in-game dollars to environmental projects sponsored by CarbonFund.org.

Next, love Mother Earth and your Valentine by making an upcycled necklace out of Kraft Cheese wrappers or chocolate wrappers, just like the necklace in Trash Tycoon! TerraCycle’s Design Junkies have brought the beaded necklace into the real world with simple, do-it-yourself instructions available for download here: bit.ly/ValentineBraceletDIY, these bracelets are sure to be a hit with children of all ages while also educating them on the importance of recycling and upcycling. You can also check out this video for step-by-step instructions:

Finally, Valentine’s Day and candy go together like peas and carrots, but the packaging can be a real heartbreaker. All those red and pink wrappers left over from sweet treats can be sent to TerraCycle through Mars’ Candy Wrapper Brigade to be recycled and earn money for charity. Signing up is free and easy at www.terracycle.com.

About TerraCycle:
TerraCycle, Inc. is an international upcycling and recycling company that takes difficult-to recycle-packaging and turns it into affordable, innovative products.  Founded in 2001, TerraCycle (www.terracycle.com) is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with more than 30 major brands in the U.S. and around the world to collect used packaging and products that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new, innovative materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected through TerraCycle’s Brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay for every piece of waste collected and returned. For information on how to join a TerraCycle Brigade and on purchasing TerraCycle products please visit www.terracycle.com.

Guest Post: How a Smart Home Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

As we strive to reduce our carbon footprints, many of us look to simple ways to improve our homes with slight energy efficient updates. While adding weatherstripping to those doors and windows and putting better insulation in your walls and attic can definitely decrease the amount of energy you use, and therefore your overall utility bills, there are a few leading innovations that can turn your energy efficient home to one of the leading green homes on the block.

When most people think of green homes, they think of homes built entirely out of recyclable materials complete with water recycling systems and rain collection barrels. While these homes are phenomenal in terms of their lack of carbon footprint, they aren't always easy to construct in already developed suburban areas. But that doesn't mean you have to forgo a home that has a lowered emissions and energy consumption. For those living in more developed areas, a few simple renovations and updates can turn their home into a smart home – saving them both energy consumption and money.

Vivint, as well as a few other competitors in the home monitoring industry, have recently started to construct home monitoring systems that do so much more than keep your home free of burglars. These companies have begun striving to create smart homes that will reduce a home's carbon footprint as well as save the homeowner money on utilities.

These systems are much more evolved than simple Energy Star appliances. They basically serve as an alarm system that will also monitor your home's thermostat. You can set it specifically to meet you and your home's needs regardless of the weather conditions outside, so that your home is always at an energy saving temperature.

So not only does the Vivint system, and other like it, provide you with a discount on your homeowner's insurance, but it will also help you save on your utility bills. Even better is that you can control these system remotely. So if the temperature that day got hotter or colder than you expected, then you can control your thermostat accordingly to keep your energy efficiency at optimum levels.

You can even control your home's lighting with the feature so you don't have to worry about leaving your lights on the entire time your gone to make it look like someone is home. Instead, you can save energy while also being safe by controlling the lights remotely and only turning them on when necessary.

So if you are looking for a great way to further reduce your home's energy consumption, consider turning it into a smart home. Not only will the discounts and energy saving allow you to pay for the system itself, but it will make your home a much safer and more efficient place – two things any eco-conscious homeowner wants in their home.

Winner Announced for the Emerson Savannah Ceiling Fan Giveaway from Del Mar Designs

We have a winner of the Emerson Savannah Ceiling Fan Giveaway. The winner is:

Cheryl Malandrinos

She entered the giveaway and was chosen by me using random.org. Luckily for her 3 was chosen and she won!

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Guest Post: Go Green On Your Utilities Costs This Winter

Many people are in for a shock when they open their gas or electric bill after the first cold spell of winter. They take a look at the sky-high heating costs and wonder to themselves: How can I bring these expenses down? How can I keep my house warm this winter without paying exorbitantly to do so?

Perhaps the best way to address these questions is by becoming more environmentally-friendly when it comes to your utilities. Going green, after call, is a great way to help the planet while saving yourself some money in the process. So how can you go green this winter? Here are a few tips:

Get Energy Efficient Bulbs

Although more expensive upfront, energy-efficient light bulbs can help you more than recoup those costs after a winter’s worth of use. They also use less energy to emit the same amount of light, thereby allowing you to consume sufficient electricity in a green-friendly manner.

Dim the Lights

Some people will go a step further on the lighting front by regularly dimming the lights in their home. This can, over time, help save on your bills and your energy consumption. If you don’t like the idea of having rooms that are less well-lit, you may want to consider chinese lanterns or other types of lights that go well with a dimmer ambiance.

Insulate Your Home

Insulating your home can drastically improve your energy efficiency during the winter, especially if you live in an older house. You can do this by sealing your windows and by adding insulation to the attic. Since a disproportionate amount of heat will leave your home through the roof, adding even a cheap bed of insulation on your attic floor can be an easy way to boost efficiency.

Get a Smart Thermostat

Worlds apart from the traditional variety, a “smart” thermostat is capable of constantly adjusting your home’s temperature in order to provide the maximum comfort at the most cost and energy-efficient level. It does this by sensing motion in the home and learning habitation patterns. While a smart thermostat will cost you more up front, like an energy efficient light bulb it should insure that you recoup those expenses over the course of the winter season.

These are just a few of the many ways you can work to go green on your utilities bill this winter. Doing so is not simply a great way to reduce your carbon footprint – it also, as demonstrated above, can help save you money in the process.

Guest Post: Myths About Saving on Your Gas Bill

Gas has been getting really expensive over the past couple of years. Economist Richard Hastings predicted it would reach $6 this summer. Thankfully, this dismal prophecy never came to fruition, but it illustrates the concern Americans have over the price of gas.

It’s almost scary to think how expensive gas can be over the next year. Today’s price of $3.55 a gallon is bad enough. If prices go up further, Americans are going to need to be a lot more aggressive about cutting their fuel consumption. Experts have offered many tips to help people cut their gas bill . However, a lot of the most popular pieces of advice don’t help consumers very much. Some advice may even cost them more.

Here are a few pieces of advice you want to be wary of:

1. Clean air filters help. Changing your air filters will help you keep your car in good condition. Before the advance of computers, changing your filter would also help your car run more efficiently. Today, computers adjust gas-air mixtures when air has a hard time getting through. Changing your air filter won’t make your car more gas efficient.


2. Turn off the AC. Experts won’t deny that air conditioners consume more gas. However, air conditioners are much more efficient these days. Turning off your air conditioner can make the difference between getting 33 miles to the gallon instead of 32. You may feel enduring the heat is worth the extra efficiency. However, don’t expect it will save you a lot more at the pump.


3. Pour additives into your tank. A number of companies produce additives that will supposedly make your car run more efficiently. They have been tested, but don’t seem to work as well as these companies claim. Many consumers still insist on using them anyways. Smart consumers won’t waste their money on something that hasn’t been proven to work.


4. Idle your engine. Many people insist on idling their engine when they aren’t driving. Thirty years ago, that was probably the smart thing to do. Engines are much more efficient today, so idling your engine more than a few seconds will actually consume more gas.


5. Fuel efficient cars make all the difference. I am certainly not opposed to buying more fuel efficient vehicles. They can save you a lot of gas in the long-term. Unfortunately, it can take years before the gas savings pay for the cost of the vehicle. One study by Edmunds.com found that some hybrids can pay for themselves in 2 years. Most would take at least 6. Buying a fuel efficient car makes a difference, but doing so isn’t the best solution. You can save much more on gas by practicing good driving habits.

There are plenty of ways to save money on gas. Cutting your speed can save you 7% on gas. Likewise, using your brakes responsibly can cut your bill by 35%. Keeping your car tuned up is important as well. Spend your time on solutions that will actually work.

Kalen Smith is a finance, engineering and green blogger. He is also the founder of Onlinerookies.com where he provides Internet marketing and blogging strategies for businesses and organizations with both for-profit and social missions.