Simple Small Sustainable Steps

April 13, 2016

Adopting a sustainable lifestyle can seem intimidating.  Everywhere you look – magazines, TV shows, the cleaning and produce aisles at the grocery store – it seems like living sustainably is complicated.  But it isn’t.  If you take a single tiny action each day, you can make a big impact on your utility bill, your health, […]

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Harry Potter Would Have Been a Great Leak Sleuth

April 7, 2016

I was in town hall the other day paying our real estate taxes.  First I was struck by how efficient the system was – a lot of what goes on in Philly is not so efficient but the city seems to have perfected accepting money.  I was also struck by the professional, informative exhibits that […]

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Pollinators Need Your Help

February 16, 2016

When we lived in the country we used to have beehives in the yard. It was fascinating to watch the hives work. Unfortunately they were too often empty because of colony collapse. It is a very, very sad moment when you pry open your bee boxes in anticipation of finding bees busily zipping around filling […]

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Recycle for Green Schools

February 6, 2016

In Philly and few other places, when you recycle, Recyclebank rewards you with points that can be redeemed for stuff. Being rewarded with stuff for increasing your rate of recycling is a great idea but one that has always sort of niggled at me. Shouldn’t we all be reducing consumption and reducing the amount of […]

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Because of a Van

February 1, 2016

During our recent snowstorm we faced lots of challenges – where to put snow, how to keep ice from forming on our newly cleaned sidewalks, what to do with the piles of snow that sat on our decks…one thing we didn’t need to worry about was traffic. Why not you may ask – after all […]

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Recyclebank’s GHG Footprint Infographic

January 11, 2016
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Passive House Infographic

December 10, 2015

Don’t know much about Passive House? I think that this Infographic is a great primer. Have questions? Just ask.  If I don’t know the answer I bet I know someone who does. Thanks BleuNest for posting this.

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Is Your Energy Bill in Hot Water?

December 3, 2015

Heating your hot water uses a lot of power. In fact, the DEP estimates that your hot water heater accounts for about 19% of your total energy use. We all love a hot shower – so how do we enjoy that shower AND save money on water, sewer and heating utility costs? There are some […]

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Sustainable Travelogue: Pier 68, Delaware River, Philadelphia

November 24, 2015

I rode my bike over to Home Depot the other day. Instead of battling the traffic along S. Columbus Blvd (there is a bike lane but it can be very intimidating), I rode along the Washington Avenue Green trail and discovered the new Pier 68 park. . What a beautiful place to watch the birds, […]

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Seal and Save

November 18, 2015

Okay. #EnergyScore held another #BPI training class here at our home and ran multiple blower door tests. They found that the house measures at 14ACH (14 Air Changes Per Hour). Your first thought might be, “Holy cow, is that house made of Swiss cheese?” But then you would think back to January’s post and say, […]

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