Dear EarthTalk: A number of federal energy efficiency related tax incentives expired at the end of 2010. Will any such programs remain in force and if not, are there other ways to save money on green upgrades? It is true that some federal tax credits for energy efficiency upgrades expired at the end of 2010, [...]
Residential buildings are responsible for using roughly 20 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (PDF). This presents a huge opportunity for home energy savings, and figuring out the best way to get homeowners to save energy is an important area of research. A UK organization [...]
As I mentioned back in September, The Nature Conservancy takes millions in corporate donations from polluters to fund their “enviro” activities. After writing them for quite some time I was finally sent a document listing some of their biggest donors for 2009, a list which included Monsanto, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Nestle, and Altria. But one [...]
As children, most of our parents constantly told us to clean up after ourselves. To put our toys away, to make our beds, to wipe up the spilled paint all over the kitchen table — we always had a little voice over our shoulder reminding us that it’s necessary to clean up your own messes. [...]
These days it seems like going green has become a hot commodity, and it”™s about time too! Companies and businesses all around the globe are searching for ways to cut back on energy and wasteful consumption in order to protect our environment and its inhabitants. It”™s an extremely important concept that has taken far too [...]
I have been talking about CFL light bulbs on this site for just about as long as I have been publishing it, about 4.5 years. Every light fixture in my home(s) has had a CFL bulb in them, and my electric bill has rarely been above $35/month at the absolute highest. Those bulbs are a [...]
I keep a plastic bucket in my shower. No, it”™s not used to give sponge baths, but rather to collect a few gallons of the cold water that comes out when I turn on the hot water to take a shower. In the house that I just moved in to, I am very lucky to [...]
