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Archive of posts tagged reuse

Saving Water by Sheet Mulching

With the severe drought we have this year, water conservation is in everybody’s mind. Outdoor water accounts for 60% of residential usage. Reducing landscape watering can make significant impact. A couple of weeks ago I volunteered at a Lawn to Garden Party in Livermore, organized by StopWaste of Alameda County. The activities were led by []

5 Big Reasons for Greening Your Home

In the past people often think that “green” is about recycling and more recently about saving energy. To me, “green” is a collective term for sustainability. Remodeling an existing home or building a new home is a perfect time to incorporate the different aspects of sustainability. Besides saving energy, green homes also save water, provide []

An Introduction to Ecological Landscaping

As global warming and toxic pollution make the headlines, people are becoming more concerned about the effects human activities have on the natural world that supports us. Although the problems are massive in scale, each of us can have an influence on that part of the world that we are closest to – our gardens. []

4 Tips for a Low Budget Green Kitchen Remodel

Reuse is the gold standard in green remodeling. It saves you money while applying sustainable practices. Kitchen is the most used area in a home. They do get worn out after years of use. If your kitchen still functional, you may want to consider these 4 easy steps to give your kitchen a new look. []

The Terry Project: Sustainability Measures

The final step in air sealing the house was to take care of the old flooring in the kitchen area. It turns out that there are gaps between the old floorboard slats. These gaps will be completely taped up to prevent air or moisture moving from the crawlspace into the living space. A new floor []

The Terry Project: The Beginning

Cathy Terry has been living in her Pleasant Hill, California home for many years. She likes the area and expects to continue living there for many years to come. She knows she needs to update the house. One objective is to expand the family room and kitchen area so that she can look outside to []