Here we are at the end of another year. 2010 is just around the corner and for me, it is the beginning of another opportunity to make life choices. What will I do in the coming new year to help my home, my planet be a better, healthier, greener place? Lets see, there are so many things, here are my top 5 green resolutions:

1. Plant more plants in the yard, in the community, on the planet. Trees are like the lungs of the planet. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Additionally, they provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Trees also absorb sound and reduce noise pollution. Check out this site if you don’t have space to plant a tree around your home:  Trees for the Future

2. Reduce my use of an automobile. We have now become a one car family. With just my husband and I, it seems to be working out for us. We have found that we don’t need two cars. We also own two bikes and are in good health so walking is also an option. So far so good. There really is no need to drive short distances, I recommend getting a bike or if you have the money, an electric scooter.

3. I am absolutely going to start using my eco-friendly/reusable grocery bags. I have them, they are in the car; I am going to take them into the store, I mean it!!

4. Any new appliances we buy will be the energy star variety. As we get into the new year, any item we need to replace we will research and purchase the most energy efficient  item. First on the list, our electric can opener is near its end. My choice, an old fashion hand crank can opener. Not as quick but we just don’t use that many can goods, so I think it will work.

5. Recycle more. Reduce our purchase of packaged products and buy more bulk with less extra wrap! Don’t forget to make lots of visits to Our Everyday Earth.com in 2010, we hope to make a difference in our lives and others by passing on as much earth friendly information and ways to simplify your life.

There you have it, my top 5. What about you? Leave a comment on any resolutions you think might help out planet.

The University of Hunan, China, has developed a new type of environmentally friendly residential building, a house whose sub-structure is made entirely from bamboo! Using a new product called “GluBam®” the Hunan University, Institute of Modern Bamboo and Wood Composite Structure Team worked in conjunction with the Changsha Bamboo Kaisen co-operation to build a wonderfully eco-friendly home made entirely from sustainable bamboo.

Bamboo Timber House Built With GluBam®

Hunan University is located in Changsha which is the Capital of the Hunan Province, the university dates back to the Yuelu Academy which was founded in 976 A.D. making it one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world! So it’s no surprise that they have managed to come up with such an innovative solution to building green.
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In the beginning

We have a small area in our side yard that we are going to turn into a garden spot. We had a couple of tomato bushes and some onions last year, but the roses around the area did not allow for much sun. So we have moved the roses and made a space around 8 x 8. We would like to grow tomatoes, oni0ns, and put a trellis for zucchini and squash. I also have some strawberry plants I would like to put in the center in a raised bed, still working on that idea. We have put a four foot fence around it with a gate to keep out the dogs, rabbits, etc. This was made out of left over cedar pieces that our contractor friend had. We now have to put in the boards to keep in the soil and then add organic soil. Come spring, we will plant our little garden. I can already visualize the paintings from the produce and the good tasting homegrown veggies on the table.  We’ll see how that works out. I’ll keep you posted.

New fence out of cedar scraps

Congratulations to Stephanie, we will be sending her the “Simplicity” one of a kind green bracelet made from recycled materials.

Our Green Competition for November

You are probably about to decorate this years Christmas tree so we wanted to share our Top 10 list of ornaments made from recycled materials. Many of these awesome eco creations could be made at home from recyclables but each of the top 10 recycled Christmas tree ornaments shown below can be purchased online.

Number 1: Recycled Mother Board Ornaments

These ornaments are made from recycled computer circuit boards and they’re some of our favorites, a top pick for any green geeks!
Avialable from MotherBoardGifts.net

Recycled Christmas Tree Ornaments from Used Motherboards!

It’s that time of year again when the Christmas tree lights come out of storage and houses all across America are aglow with festive decorative lighting. This year with advances in LED lighting I wondered how much energy could be saved using LED decorating.

**Note: This post sparked some debate so I have edited it to include some real world numbers from our own holiday decorating last year. We used incandescent bulbs last year and I had no idea how much energy they would be using. I will be using figures for LED bulbs from www.HolidayLEDs.com for my calculations.

LED Decorating Can Equal Huge Energy Savings

I found myself asking… How much energy could we save using LED lights for decorating our house?

We wanted to wish all of our readers a “Happy Thanksgiving” but we didn’t want to forget to leave for the holiday without celebrating the humble turkey.

Lets Celebrate the Turkey!

Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient. But a thankful heart hath a continual feast.

View our Turkey Photo Gallery below;

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