Zipcar car sharing service for the US and UK markets
Filed Under Cars, Rental Cars | Trackback
Zipcar is just one of those services that is a good idea when looked at from all angles. Sure, it’s tough to pull it off, however, Zipcar appear to have achieved this. Car ownership is expensive and if you have a car just for those times when you need to go somewhere and the majority of time it sits in the garage then a car sharing service might be perfect. No longer do you need to tie up money in a car and lose when you sell it, you can join a car sharing service like Zipcar and enjoy the benefits of a car without the ownership hassles. Heck, you don’t even have to worry about fuel because that’s included in the Zipcar service.
So you are wondering why this is here at Ecobye? Well, sharing a car means less cars need to be manufactured so there are material savings there. There are less cars on the road because people actually think twice about whether they need to really get a car for the trip. The Zipcar website also shows that members save money, compared to car ownership, and are then able to use those savings on other eco-friendly products that might cost a bit more than the regular ones.
There are many locations around the US and UK and membership rates vary from area to area. Fuel, insurance and all other costs are included in the hourly and daily rates. Just pickup the car, drive off and then return it when you have finished.
The Zipcar website has more information.
Bamboo Living prefabricated bamboo houses
Filed Under Buildings | Trackback
Bamboo Living Homes is a maui, Hawaii based firm that recognises the benefits of building green homes from bamboo. Technically bamboo is a grass rather than a tree and is the fastest growing plant on earth with some varieties growing about four feet a day. There are a few unique things about bamboo that make it very appealing from an environmental point of view. Obviously it is a renewable resource and matures in around five years. It is basically a carbon sink as it converts carbon dioxide into sugars that form the fibres of the plant. It is strong enough to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes and actually survives them better than other building materials.
The variety of bamboo that Bamboo Living Homes uses a ‘timber’ species and the hollow tube shape gives it a strength factor about 1.9 times more than an equivalent solid wood beam. There are a variety of designs to choose from or you can custom design a home for yourself. you can even create your own resort villas with the prefabricated villas delivered to your site and an installation person then trains local personnel in assembling them. Prices on the site are shown per square foot so you can get an idea of the pricing as well.
More details about Bamboo Living Homes at their website.
Save fuel when driving by taking your foot of the accelerator
Filed Under Green Tips | Trackback
By doing this one simple thing I was able to get 15-20% better fuel economy and it is so easy. When approaching red traffic lights, stop signs etc simply take you foot off the accelerator earlier than you normally would and let the car slow down itself rather than accelerating further and then applying the brake as soon as you remove your foot from the accelerator. If your car has a fuel economy gauge that gives instant information about fuel being used then watch this whilst doing the above and you will see the gauge probably move close to zero when you back off.
ShiKai All Natural Hand and Body Lotion
Filed Under Skin Care | Trackback
ShiKai the company was formed as a partnership between an organic chemist who was interested in natural products and a pharmaceutical chemist. Their research was concentrated on the properties of shikakai whch has been used as a hair cleanser in India for centuries. They developed an extract based on this and called it ShiKai.
The ShiKai All Natural Hand and Body Lotion is a plant based product (like all ShiKai products) that uses the healing properties of ingredients such as pure aloe vera and borage oil, with shea butter and vitamin E. Borage oil contains one of the higher concentrations of Omega 6 fatty acids and these are directly into the skin cells for maximum benefit. The lotion comes in eight fragrances – honeysuckle, cucumber melon, vanilla, yuzu, gardenia, sandalwood, pomegranate and coconut.
Buy ShiKai products online from Drugstore or Mother Nature
Set your washing machine to drip dry and bucket out the rinse water
Filed Under Green Tips | Trackback
No elaborate grey water systems are need for this one, just a few minutes towards the end of the wash cycle. Have a look on the washing machine and somewhere near the button for cold/warm/hot wash (please use the cold wash setting) there is probably one for drip dry. This means the washing machine will stop before the rinse and spin dry cycles. Keep a bucket handy as then press the normal button and direct the rinse water into a bucket. For me, once it is full I simply lift the lid and it stops rinsing. I then empty the bucket on the garden and repeat the process about five times. That equates to nearly fifty litres of water then goes on the garden rather than down the drain.
A couple of things to keep in mind. Buy a washing detergent designed for cold water washing and with a low phosphate level. You don’t want to end up ‘poisoning’ your garden. As an added measure, don’t always empty the buckets in the same area and try to avoid getting it directly on the leaves if possible.
Avalon Organics Peppermint Revitalizing Shampoo
Filed Under Hair Care | Trackback
Avalon Organics is dedicated to offering products that conform to their Consciousness in Cosmetics philosophy. The five elements are purity and safety, sustainability, products that work, sensuality and personal choice. They can still be practical whilst following these principles such as developing their own preservatives because they do recognise that they are necessary for a stable long lasting product.
The Avalon Organics Peppermint Revitalising Shampoo uses certified organic peppermint to help stimulate and invigorate circulation in the scalp which leads to healthier hair. Certified babassu oil works as an emollient to moisturize the hair and restore the natural elasticity. Other vitamins and amino acids are also incuded to assist in giving your hair a silky smooth look.
Buy Avalon Organics products from Drugstore or Mother Nature
Turning the heating down a few degrees and save energy and money
Filed Under Green Tips | Trackback
If you have a house with the ducted type heating then chances are you have it set a bit higher than your really need. Try turning the thermostat down a bit and see if you notice any difference. You probably won’t. Also, try wearing an extra layer and something slighly thicker that will keep you warmer and particularly on your feet and cold feet can often make you feel colder.
Turn the air conditioning up a few degrees and save energy and money
Filed Under Green Tips | Trackback
My neighbour has their air conditioning on 24/7 during the summer and I’d hate to see their electricity ccosts. Instead. try turning up a few degrees and you probably won’t even notice it. It also pays to go outside every now and then to see if a cool change has come through and therefore, no need for the air conditioning any more and you can just open the windows and cool the house down.
Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Diapers
Filed Under Baby Products | Trackback
The Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Baby Diapers might not be organic like the Moltex Oko Disposable Organic Diapers, however, they are still much better than the other mass produced brands that include harmful chemicals such as chlorine. Th Seventh Generation diapers are not whitened with chlorine and thus help reduce the exposure of your babies to harmful chemicals at such an important time of their life.
Like all Seventh Generation products, all the ingredients are disclosed and a quick look at the website shows they contain chlorine free wood pulp fluff and are fragrance and latext free. The leg gathers are stretchy and with resealable closure tabs they compare just as well, if not better from a performance basis, that the leading mass marketed brands.
Buy Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Baby Diapers from Mother Nature or Drugstore.
Charge your mobile/cell phone in the car rather than the home
Filed Under Green Tips | Trackback
If you have a phone and also have a car charger then instead of charging it frm the wall plug in your home or office, use the car charger when you are driving to and from work or simply out running errands. That way you are using ‘free’ energy from the car without affecting performance and saving energy costs at home by not plugging it into the wall to restore the charge. This can also be used for ay items that have a car charger.
