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: Green Housing Improvements for the New Year

The beginning of the New Year is a great time to begin practicing environmental responsibility in your own home. Maintaining a green-friendly household is easier than you may expect and typically requires only minimal changes in order to reduce your overall energy consumption. Here are five green resolutions that can save you money while saving the environment as well.

Home energy audits
Assessing your home’s energy usage is an excellent way to identify problem spots and areas that need improvement. Professional energy auditors typically perform a thorough in-home inspection using specialized equipment including infrared camera setups and blower doors that can quickly and accurately find leaks in the exterior of your home, especially around windows, doors and other openings. Do-it-yourself energy audits can also provide valuable information to homeowners, but may lack the in-depth results possible from a professional in the field.

Insulate and save
In most cases, homeowners can improve the energy efficiency of their home by adding insulation to the walls, floors and ceilings. The attic and foundation of the home are statistically most likely to be under-insulated, making these the first areas to check when planning an insulation project. U.S. Department of Energy figures show that approximately 44% of the energy cost associated with maintaining a home is comprised of heating and cooling costs. Ensuring that attic spaces are adequately insulated can save from 10 to 40 percent of the cost of cooling your home in warm climate areas, so this green-friendly project can save you some green into the bargain.

Programmable thermostats
One of the most inexpensive ways to cut costs and increase the energy efficiency of your home is to replace old, outdated thermostats with new programmable devices designed to keep your home comfortable when you’re home while going into energy-saving mode when you’re not. Basic programmable thermostats can be set for specific times of day, while more expensive wireless thermostats can be accessed remotely by homeowners from cell phones, tablet computers or any other internet-ready device. These technologically advanced systems can make a major difference in the comfort level and energy costs of your home.

Energy efficient windows
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that replacing older windows with new Energy Star rated windows can reduce heating and cooling bills by as much as 15%. Financial incentives are available for both new and replacement installations of Energy Star windows for up to 10% of the cost of materials for these new window systems. Since Energy Star qualified windows can cost upwards of $300 apiece, these incentives can add up to a considerable amount of money for homeowners.

Water heaters
Modern energy efficient water heaters are available in three varieties:

• Traditional tank water heaters
• Gas condensing units
• Whole-home on-demand tankless

Traditional water heaters are good choices for homeowners who are comfortable with the amount of maintenance and the instant availability of hot water, but are the least energy efficient choice in most cases. Both gas condensing and on-demand tankless systems can save homeowners around 30% on the cost of water heating, making them the more efficient choices in most cases. However, upfront expenses can be considerable for these advanced water heating systems.

By resolving to reduce energy consumption within your home and considering these green-friendly projects, you can practice environmental responsibility throughout the New Year and keep more green in your wallet while you put more green in your daily routine.

Alex Levin is an online marketer for several nationwide surety agencies. When not educating entrepreneurs and contractors on bonding requirements, he enjoys fixing up his home and researching new construction techniques.