Showing posts with label green your home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green your home. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

TerraCycle: A New Trend in Recycling

If you have ever seen our blog before, you have probably noticed that we place a large emphasis on recycling unwanted goods and appropriate trash. Recycling is clearly a great way to help out our environment, but it has never been seen as an interactive process. Because after all, when we 'throw away', it never goes away, it ends up in a landfill.

Enter TerraCycle, a company that focuses on re-purposing materials (some not normally known as recyclable) and turning them into usable goods. Take a look at some of their awesome products below!


The interactivity aspect of TerraCycle's vision is highlighted by the brigade programs that the recyclables are funneled into. When signing up for TerraCycle you are asked to join a brigade program, which specifies what type of materials you want to collect. There are over forty different brigades, including cigarette waste, energy bar wrapper, solo cup, diaper packaging, candy wrapper, etc. People are encouraged to join multiple brigades. 

When your waste is ready to be sent in  a shipping label can be downloaded from the TerraCycle website and directions are given for the materials to be sent to the appropriate TerraCycle facility. 


Once the products are received by TerraCycle, points are given to the sender based on the amount of products sent in. At any point the points accumulated can be redeemed for a variety of charitable gifts. Gifts include donations to various organizations and schools. Over the course of the year, individual brigades and TerraCycle as a whole hold competitions where prizes are given based on the amount of materials submitted.

Users are able to track their points, as well as the points of their respective brigades in real time on TerraCycle's website. This is a great way to make recycling fun and competitive!


Check out the website for information on Terracycle's recycled products available for purchase. As well as their groundbreaking cigarette waste program and zero-waste boxes.




Friday, August 16, 2013

Green Roof: Good for the Environment, Neighborhood and Wallet

Lately, we've been seeing more and more about green roofs. No longer for hobbits, this sustainable addition to the home minimize bills while maximize the beauty of urban landscape. Green roofs, or vegetated roofs, which have a layer of living plants on top of the structure.

  • Green roofs reduce storm water runoff. Grass and plants absorbs rainwater and minimize run off as well as potential flooding. 
  • It also lasts longer than traditional roofing by protecting it from sun damage. Extending the life of the roof saves you money and keeping waste out of landfills from re-roofing.
  • Keeps roof and house cooler by acting as an insulation. You can set the thermostat 6-8 degrees cooler than non green roof homes while also minimizing Urban Heat Island Effect, the premise that cities are warmer than the neighboring countryside. This reduces summertime cooling necessities, saving money and energy.
  • Green roofs are a source of oxygen and a habitat for birds, insects, chickens, and even goats to graze on. Feel free to raise your own food and vegetation since you'll have the room!

Green roofs have so many benefits, and they're just so pretty! Take a look at a few of our favorites.




Is this something you would consider doing?