New Windows Help In The Cold Snap

Phew ;-)

The outside temperature is currently -12C/10F. If we had our old windows, they would now have sheets of ice on the inside (frozen condensation), unless I had the furnace up to about 24 or 25 (75F).

I went to high school in the interior of BC - my old hometown is currently at -33C/-27F. Houses there are built a little differently though - ALL the windows have two separate, independently sliding pieces of glass, with about a 4 inch cushion of air in between (when we first moved there from the south coast when I was in high school, I thought they were the strangest windows I'd ever seen, but when the winters produced weather cold enough to freeze exposed flesh, I understood ;-)

Anyway, thanks to our new Energy Star windows, we have the furnace set at only 18C/64F, and lo and behold - no ice anywhere (inside the house, that is ;-)
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My Two Green Deeds For The Day

Green Deed #1: Lil' J and I went to get haircuts while A is in school, and we went on foot, with the toboggan. We arrived early and stopped at a nearby produce store to pick up some bananas and potatoes first.

I had a big backpack, and J was bundled to the hilt, in layers including snow pants. He had fun :-) The only minor glitch was trying to decide what to do with the toboggan once we arrived at the salon, but after I wiped all the snow off, I was able to bring it inside and stash it in a corner.

Green Deed #2: With the weather outside at -6C, we are keeping our heat inside down at 18C. It's quite comfortable, and the furnace only has to turn on occasionally for a few seconds to maintain it.

Do you have any green deeds for today to share?
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Pack & Roll - For Grocery Shopping On Foot

I bought one of these (Pack & Roll box on wheels):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PACK-LARGE-FOLDING-BOOT-SHOPPING/dp/B0013UQQPY/ref=pd_sim_lp_1/279-4013353-0342744

...recently, and love it. I bought it at Home Hardware and paid about the same as shown in the above link (it was about $30 Cdn.).

It's durable plastic, so it doesn't matter if you're out in the rain (like I just was about :20 ago!). It has a weight capacity of 70 lbs, and collapses into an easy to carry briefcase-with-handle shape.

The only drawback is that the wheels are quite noisy - I'm used to quiet stroller wheels. All in all though, I'm happy I bought it and have gotten good use out of it so far.

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5 Benefits Of Rain Barrels

It's raining at the moment, so my mind naturally wandered to rain barrels, lol. When I did a quick Google, I was surprised at the variety of products that are available these days.

Here's a quick recap of how rain barrels are beneficial and green:

1) They reduce the amount of water that needs to be chemically treated (residential irrigation can account for as much as 40% of treated water consumption).

2) Using collected rain water to water your garden keeps the chlorine, lime and calcium (to name a few) out of your garden soil.

3) They save on your water bill.

4) Use of water from rain barrels saves energy by reducing the need for pumping reservoir water.

5) Water from rain barrels is not bound by city water restrictions (grrrr), so you can water your lawn whenever you like (ha! so there ;-)

There are definitely strong arguments in favour of rain barrels - we may invest in one in the new year.

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Going Green With Steelcase

It's nice to see corporations getting into going green - and example is Steelcase (they manufacture office furniture). If you visit their website, they have a section on Steelcase sustainability, where they outline their corporate green initiatives.

For example, under their "materials chemistry" section they talking about manufacturing their product with the following in mind:

1) Safe and healthy materials
2) Materials re utilization
3) Water conservation and quality
4) Energy
5) Social responsibility

Definitely an interesting read - it's nice to see companies such as this one heading in an environmentally friendly direction.
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Green Christmas Lights

When it comes to decorating for the holiday season, the best choice for Christmas lights seems to be LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). Here's a brief recap of some of their advantages:

Cost Effective - the initial expense is recouped over time, with less wattage used and fewer replacement bulbs needed.

Cool - LEDs cause no heat build-up, therefor reducing risk of fire.

Durable - LED are solid with no filament, so they can endure conditions which incandescents can't.
Energy Efficient - LED light bulbs use only a fraction (1/3 - 1/30) of the energy required for Incandescent or CFL bulbs.
Long Lasting - LED bulbs last longer than both compact fluorescents and incandescents.
Mercury Free - there is no mercury is used in LEDs.

So... they're colourful and green!
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