Do It Yourself Solar Panels have become quite popular, especially if you or someone you know is handy. You can build them easily with a little patience and time. The savings is substantial, and from what I can tell the quality is as good as many prefabricated panels- if you’re using quality parts.

I’ve run across many DIY sites for solar panels, and I’m opting not to put in links- but rather have you do a search for ‘diy solar panels’ and see what looks good to you. You always want to do the research on any given company, or before buying a manual that promises to give you all the answers. There are so many options that you will be surprised.

You also want to do the research for your geographical area to determine how well solar panels will work for you.

I received a link from a friend recently about Rachel Botsman and the ‘rise of collaborative consumption’ called “What’s mine is Yours”. She has collaborated to write a book about recycling and reusing on a truly global level. This is a theme that has been on the rise, and gaining speed. Pass the link on, it is really inspirational. Retailers won’t like it because it will reduce sales. But this is about waste and re use, not creating more waste and consumerism.

Rachel is a compelling speaker, and her talk on TED.com is great. This is well worth the watch.

Ted.com  is about ‘ideas worth spreading’ and a site worthy of frequent visits for tangible content, not fluff and gossip.

Enjoy!

Villa Welpeloo in Enschede, the Netherlands, was designed by

Architects Jan Jongert and Jeroen Bergsma. It doesn’t look like a recycled building. The architects reversed the typical order of the design process (first home, then materials) and began scouting the local area for items to recycle. “Reused materials account for 60% of the structure” says Jongert. “And that goes up to as much as 90% when it comes to the interior.”

They created a ‘Harvest Map’ for an inventory of possible materials to use within a 9 mile radius. They even used Google Earth seeking abandoned buildings for telltale signs of defunct industry and possible scrap materials.

Follow link here:

Amazon is starting a program to help curb shipping material waste.

There will be a ‘ship free with Amazon tote’ button. The tote is a reusable, weatherproof bag that you return to Amazon after delivery.

Amazon has worked out a zip code schedule according to geographical areas.

Particular areas with certain zip codes have a specific day of the week as their tote day. Items sold directly by Amazon and under 50 pounds are eligible, and will have the “ship free with Amazon tote” button on the page. Most regular items should fall under this category. You just need to time it so that it arrives on your next ‘tote day’. There are no minimum delivery sizes, subscriptions or fees attached. You may keep adding items to your order until 10am 2 days before your ‘tote day’. They say you may the leave the tote bag on your doorstep to be picked up the next week on the scheduled delivery day.

Sounds like a great idea to me. I hate the waste of the packing materials that I recycle.

This is an interesting planter that is self watering as well as attractive. It is good for those of us that don’t have green thumbs!

The water reservoir can last up to 2 months.

It is ideal to monitor the planter to see how the water usage is for each plant in the beginning.

There is a visible indicator that shows where the water level is, so it is easy to monitor.

They come in 4 colors: Green, White, Light Blue and Light Grey.

They cost about $42 usd.

Link to manufacturer Greenamic:

Assembly Overview in Flash format:

If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 1,000 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save: 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 155 million gallons of water

I know that the life expectancy of my hot water heater has passed, and so I decided to look into Tankless Hot Water Heaters. Below are some of my findings.

Tankless water heaters cost more to purchase ($800-$1250), and cost more to install (average installation according to Consumer Reports is around $1250). Many models have a life expectancy of around 20 years. It is estimated that the savings is in the neighborhood of $70-$80 per year, which means it could take up to 22 years to break even. There are often rebates or incentives which would improve this return on investment. Doing an online search, I’ve read that some of these units are more favorable than others, so do your homework.

Regular hot water heater tanks cost between $300- $500 to purchase for mid range models, and cost about $300 for installation. They don’t usually require much maintenance with the exception of running the overflow valve monthly to help eliminate sludge. This may vary according to the quality of water in your area.

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