We know that many of us will need to spend our tax rebate check on critical items like food or rent or paying off debt. But just in case you have some of your tax rebate check left and you’re looking for eco-friendly ways to spend the money, we have some ideas we’d like to share with you.

And we’ve geared these tips to supporting the US economy, so you get to do the right thing for the planet and be an eco-patriot at the same time! In coming up with our list of ideas we decided it would be good to recommend ideas that reduce our negative environmental impacts but also support US manufacturers and service providers. So here are five eco-smart ways to use your rebate to support the Earth, the US economy, and save your household money in the long run.

1. Buy a high-efficiency water heater. A high-efficiency water heater can cut your energy use, water use, carbon footprint and even utility bills (over the long run). For most homes you can get the heater itself for $600 - $1,200, but you’ll probably have to spring for installation as well. Models made in the US include the AO Smith Vertex (a storage model that beats the pants off of tankless HW heaters), electric models made by American Tankless Water Heaters, and natural gas tankless heaters made by Rheem (some made in the US). Click here to learn more about making the tankless decision, and click here to find local installers.

2. Upgrade your insulation. If you don’t have insulation (like many older homes in the Southwest), or you only have partial insulation, upgrading your home’s insulation is an excellent way to reduce your energy use (for both heat in the winter and cooling in the summer). It will also make your home more comfortable. Fully insulating your attic and walls will cost a few thousand dollars, but you can do it in installments to cut the cost. Start with the attic — that will run between $700-2,000, depending on the size of your home. Then you can move on to the walls at a later date. The insulation investment will pay for itself in less than five years. And your local utility company very likely offers substantial rebates, so be sure to check with them for incentives. You can also buy great insulation made in the US out of recycled and sustainable materials such as Cocoon cellulose insulation (recycled newspaper), Ultratouch recycled denim insulation, and BioBased insulation (made from soybean oil). Click here to see great insulation recommendations and you can find local insulation installers here.

3. Replace your oldest appliance with an Energy Star model. Old appliances are major energy-wasters and can also use excessive amounts of water as well. Old clothes washers, refrigerators and dishwashers are typically the biggest energy hogs. We highly recommend you upgrade to an Energy Star model — this will save you money in the long run as well. Like with insulation, many local utilities offer great rebates on appliance upgrades. You can find Energy Star appliances here, or you can go directly to the Energy Star site (part of the US EPA) and check the full range of makes and models. Unfortunately, there are few (if any) US appliance manufacturers left …

4. If you irrigate, replace a high-water area with drought-tolerant or native plants. Global warming deserves all of the media attention it gets, but our growing water-shortage crisis doesn’t get enough coverage. If you live in the Southeast or Southwest US, we need to be doing everything we can to reduce our water consumption. Grass lawns are water-hogs and it is a great idea to incorporate native and low-water-use plants into your landscaping. To learn more about native landscaping, click here. Any plants you buy are grown in the US, and you can also use the services of an eco-friendly landscape designer and/or maintenance team– find local landscape services here.

5. Swap out all of your lights and shower heads. Perhaps you’ve been waiting to change your incandescent lights to compact fluorescents or LEDs because the latter are expensive. Now’s the time spend a couple hundred dollars and get really energy-efficient lighting throughout your home– and for outdoors as well. Compact fluorescent lights will last ten times as long as standard bulbs, and LED lights will last 5-10 times longer than the fluorescents. You’ll save money and energy. Also spend $50 to get a few low-water-use shower heads. These shower heads can save you 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water per person per year. And they work great. You won’t know you’re in a low-flow shower! Most low-cost items like this are made overseas these days, but at least you’ll be supporting your local retailer.

Of course, you might instead be thinking about using that stimulus check for a new flat-screen TV or computer. If so, make sure they’re Energy Star - here are links to the Energy Star pages for TVs and computers.

Read More about Energy, Water, and Money-Saving Home Improvement Investments:

• GreenBuildingTalk: Solar Hot Water and Heating — Is it Right for You?
• All You Need to Know about Water Saving Technology around the House
• KBIS Report: It’s Getting Green in Here

You may not know it, but your kitchen is one of the biggest resource hogs in your house. You use electricity and natural gas for your appliances. You use water in your sink and dish washer. Your fridge is stocked with foods grown and transported from all over the world that require chemicals, water and fuel to be produced and transported. And then there’s the non-recyclable packaging that goes straight to a landfill.

Here is a list of things you can do in your kitchen to lower your environmental impact, and also to live in a healthier home. We have recommendations for appliances, products and new behaviors.

Any chance you are planning a kitchen remodel? We also have great recommendations for you– wonderful new materials for countertops,cabinets and floors, leads on top-rated green architects and interior designers, and more. Just scroll down if you’re focused on a remodel.

Get Green in the Kitchen

1. Use energy-saving appliances. You can greatly reduce your power and water usage and your greenhouse gas production by using Energy Star appliances. Energy Star appliances can save as much as 50% of your energy and water use, and can cut your carbon footprint by 1000+ pounds, compared to standard appliances. Click here to see Energy Star models.

2. Use compact fluorescent lighting. Compact fluorescent lights use 1/4 the energy and last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs. And they come in versions that are dimmable, recessed-ready, and daylight spectrum–any version of light type you can think of. Each high-use bulb you replace will save up to $10 and 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, and they last for many years. Click here to see our wide range of CF lighting options.

3. Recycle and Re-use. Can you rinse that ziplock and use it again? Can you reuse the containers you got from take-out? And don’t get plastic bags every time you go to the store for groceries– take durable reusable sacks with you. Click here for reusable grocery bags..

4. Eat Organic, Eat Local. Not only is eating organic healthy for you and your family, but it keeps chemicals from running off into our oceans and rivers from non-organic farms. Eating food sourced locally–like from farmers’ markets– means tons of carbon dioxide are not released into the atmosphere in the process of transporting food to you. To learn more about eating organic,see our selection of great books on organic food and cooking. Also, you can find a farmer’s market near you to get delicious, organic, locally-grown foods.

5. Get green cleaners. Each time you spray a standard cleaner on your counter you breathe in a fine mist of harmful chemicals. Use non-toxic, organic dish soap, detergent and cleaners to protect yourself and your family. See our selection of green cleaners.

6. Compost. Don’t throw out those coffee grounds and banana peels– save landfill space and make your own rich potting soil using a composter. It’s easy! And there’s even a model that works right in your kitchen. Find the composter that’s right for you.

7. Only run your dishwasher when you have a full load. It takes the same amount of energy to run a full or a half load– so wait another day and fill up that machine. Also, remember that washing dishes or pots by hand takes more water than doing them in the washer– so go ahead and put them in the machine.

Remodel Your Kitchen the Great Green Way– it’s healthy, sustainable and gorgeous!

If you remodel a kitchen the “normal way” you’d likely use some combination of new woods for cabinets, marble or tile for countertops, and perhaps some new tile or wood flooring. These standard materials consume resources and contain many toxic chemicals. Fortunately there is a very different way to design and build your new dream kitchen– a way that is sustainable, healthy and jaw-dropping gorgeous. We’ll show you how.

First you should find an architect or an interior designer who is skilled in working with sustainable materials and knows how to build in an eco-friendly manner. Use our nationwide listing of green architects and interior designers to find a great one near you.

Now let’s focus on materials you should consider. Let’s talk about countertops.

Terrazzo is so beautiful you will not believe it is sustainable. Terrazzo consists of recycled glass and crushed stone held together by cement or epoxy. It is buffed to give it a smooth finish. Terrazzo is low maintenance, long-lasting, and has high recycled content. Recycled materials can make up as much as 95 percent of the materials in terrazzo. Terrazzo from EnviroGlas(pictured at right) and Icestone are particularly good for their high recycled content.

“Paper Stone” is another great countertop option. Comprised of paper and other fiber suspended in resin, these materials look surprisingly like stone and come in a variety of exciting colors. The material is heat resistant and very durable. It is also easy to maintain with a nonabrasive cleaner and a cloth. PaperStone and Richlite are two of the more well-known brands. Richlite (pictured at below) uses pulp from sustainably managed forests, and PaperStone incorporates up to 100 percent recycled paper pulp.

On to kitchen cabinets.

Everyone automatically thinks “new cabinets” when they start to plan a kitchen remodel. But cabinets are often made from wood harvested unsustainably and saturated with chemicals used in sealing, gluing, and painting. Many of the chemicals used can be cancer-causing and can offgas into your home for years. Fortunately there are some great, safe alternatives.

First, save whatever parts of your existing cabinets that are still servicable. Are the shelves okay but the fronts have to go? Already, you’ve saved a lot of wood and money. For the new cabinet elements, you can use reclaimed wood, or formaldehyde-free pressed fiberboard. Or you can even get cabinets made from compressed plant material (such as wheatboard).

For the best in wood cabinets, you want to find ones that use either reclaimed wood or FSC-certified wood (FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council–www.fscus.org– and they assure that wood is grown and harvested in a sustainable manner). For reclaimed wood, you can turn to several companies that make cabinets using salvaged wood. CitiLogs uses reclaimed wood and custom milling to produce beautiful products. A company that will sell you reclaimed cabinet-grade wood is Elmwood Reclaimed Lumber.

You can also go the “new but sustainable route” with cabinets. AlterECO manufactures cabinets out of bamboo (a fast-growing grass) and wheat board. (Pictured at right.) Check out AlterECO’s cabinet selection here. Another great supplier is Breathe Easy. Breathe Easy cabinets are made using bamboo, FSC Certified plywood and/or wheatboard (all formaldehyde free). Both companies offer low- or no-VOC finishes. Also check out Kirei board, which makes panels out of the pressed stalks of harvested Chinese sorghum. Visit www.kireiusa.com.

You also have some great flooring options.

Marmoleum is not your grandma’s linoleum. (Pictured at left.) It is made of linseed oil, rosins, and wood flour, affixed to a natural jute backing. It is durable, comfortable to walk on and comes in a mind-blowing array of colors and patterns. To learn more about Marmoleum and find a dealer near you, please click here.

Another great sustainable flooring option is bamboo. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass and is very renewable, durable and attractive. We recommend Teragren bamboo flooring, a company whose mission is to help reduce our dependence on dwindling timber resources by manufacturing flooring, stairs, and panels from bamboo sustainably harvested in the Zhejiang Province of China. Click here to find a Teragren supplier near you.

Also have a look at these amazing tiles made out of recycled rubber– they come in blue, gray, shades of orange, and many other colors. They are both durable and springy, which means they’re easy on your knees. Visit www.ecosurfaces.com to see samples.

Lighting is also critical

Why not use some skylights or solar tubes? Natural light is best for your health and for the environment. If you do need electric lights, there are many great recessed, track and decorative light fixtures that work great with compact fluorescent bulbs. You’ll save a lot of power and money going this route.

Last but not least, don’t forget about appliances. We’ve already mentioned them in the section above, but don’t forget that appliances will consumer energy for as long as they are in your kitchen, so make the right choices from the start and buy Energy Star appliances.

Thanks for learning how to green your kitchen. Please make sure to check out our new Green Products Ratings & Reviews on main site at www.lowimpactliving.com where we’re adding new and exciting features every day!

A very efficient clothes washer saves both water and energy. Water Factor (WF) measures the number of gallons per cycle per cubic foot that the washer uses. In order to qualify as a very efficient clothes washer, it must have a WF of less than 5.5. To put that number into perspective, washers that have a WF of 8, the maximum for an ENERGY STAR labeled clothes washer, use up to 10,000 gallons of water a year. One of Asko’s UltraCare clothes washers boasts of a WF of 3.4, using under 3,000 gallons of water a year. Granted, at 1.9 cubic feet the Asko model is quite small, but if water efficiency is the goal, Asko sets the standard.

The Modified Energy Factor (MEF) measures not only the amount of energy used by the washer but also the amount of energy saved by the dryer due to the washer’s water efficiency. A MEF of 1.8 is the minimum to qualify as a very efficient clothes washer. Some manufacturers, like Bosch, Kenmore, LG, Maytag, Samsung, and Whirlpool (pictured above,) offer clothes washers with a MEF of at least 2.5, saving over twice the energy of the federal standard 1.26 MEF.

Remember, to qualify for the very efficient clothes washer credits, the washer must have a WF of less than 5.5 and a MEF of greater than 1.8. While they do not yet have a list of very efficient clothes washers, the ENERGY STAR site does have a list of qualifying ENERGY STAR clothes washers. Look under the WF and MEF columns for qualifying, very efficient clothes washers.

Please post any feedback you have on these products.

Instead of directly heating the air, the Dryer Miser uses a heat exchanger filled with a fluid that is heated in order to transfer heat much more efficiently. “Made of durable copper and aluminum, the Hydronic Dryer’s heat technology works by heating up a specially formulated, non-toxic and non-corrosive heat transfer fluid with an immersion element (similar to a water heater). The fluid is transferred to a heat exchanger where it is mixed with air. The heated air is then blown into the dryer’s drum. The result is a safer, highly energy efficient dryer, that dries faster than any other brand available on the market – up to 41% faster!”

Fundamentally, this is the same kind of innovation as the innovation of going from heating a house with a forced air furnace to heating it with radiant heating. In addition to the energy savings it offers, because the Dryer Miser works at much lower heating temperatures than gas or conventional electric dryers (150 F versus 1000 F for conventional dryers) , it greatly reduces the risk of dryer fires. Even better, it is possible to retrofit an existing dryer with the Dryer Miser for about $300 and a 30 minute technician’s visit. So millions of old appliances need not be scrapped in order for this innovation to make its way into wide use.

The inventor is working with appliance companies to incorporate this device into their dryers, as well as talking to the EPA about getting these dryers Energy Star rated (thus far, no dryers have an Energy Star label).  As EcoGeek notes: “…it would have been easy to call his dryers the most efficient on Earth. Brown always qualifies the statement with, ‘aside from the sun.’ And that’s a touch of modesty that, to me anyway, is very welcome.”

via: EcoGeek.org

The 20 teams selected for the 2009 Solar Decathlon have been announced by the US Department of Energy. Each team will receive a $100,000 grant from the DOE to be used for creating a completely solar-powered home for the competition.

The full list can be found in an article at Custom Home Online. The 2009 competition has some international flavor, including last year’s winner, the Technische Universität Darmstadt, as well as the Universidad Polytécnica de Madrid and two groupings of Canadian universities.

One former faculty adviser to a university Decathlon team lamented the reduction of the Solar Decathlon to a more narrow range of design concepts. The first few Decathlons were wide-open events, with very different designs. But with certain criteria in place, the strategies have been narrowed down to address the specific problems posed by the Decathlon challenge. These are still good designs that are being produced, but they are now tuned to a set of particular requirements and criteria.

Homes designed for the Decathlon should perhaps be viewed in the same spirit as one views Formula One race cars compared to ordinary cars. In the cases of both the auto race and the Solar Decathlon, the competitors are tuned for specific ways of maximizing the allowable methods for winning a contest. While some developments in the competition may trickle down to more prosaic, domestic uses, it’s not a representative testbed.

We’ll certainly be looking at the entries when the Decathlon is held; however, I don’t expect to see great numbers of them making an appearance in a neighborhood anytime soon. Like race cars, they are great to look at, and fun to think about using, but for most of us, they aren’t a practical alternative to what we have now.
Image (Kansas State/Univ. Kansas 2007 entry in front of Washington Monument) via Curious Cat

This tip comes from Dani Greer, creator of The Non-Electric Life Squidoo Lens:

Americans are hooked on gadgets, and far too many of them are electric. Some of them are downright ridiculous, and don't make life an yeasier or more pleasant. Why use a leafblower, when a broom or rake will do the job? Look in your kitchen. Is it Gadgetville in there? When was the last time you used that electric jar opener you got for Christmas? Even a regular electric can-opener is a waste of energy and resources...

And why use an electric grinder or blender when a mortar and pestle will work just fine for grinding up spices? A simple cheese grater works to grate ginger, too. A mandoline does as quick a job as a food processor. The added benefit is that non-electric gadgets aren't nearly as noisy. Most of the time they'll cost a lot less than that expensive Cuisinart. 

Of course, the point of this post isn't to reveal to you my food storage fetish, but to show you that more and more kitchen appliances are hitting the market that allow my two sides to co-exist more peacefully. Take for instance, the new ultra-luxury PRO 48 from Sub-Zero. This massive fridge looks like it needs its own power plant. However, according to the manufacturers (always a trust-worthy source), this steel monsters consumes less energy than a 100 Watt light bulb!