Friday, December 5, 2008

Bio Logs etc

This winter, Chez Nous, we are going the Eco Wood route for firewood to boost our home heating.
This is a product made from wood processing waste. Essentially its super compacted sawdust that has been compressed into logs and bricks, There is far less moisture in the compressed sawdust than in traditional firewood so it burns hotter and cleaner than regular firewood and doesn't require the cutting down of more trees since it uses prexisting waste. So far I am liking them. No bugs in my house and less dirt though they do shed some sawdust when being taken out of their packaging. The catch quicker with less newspaper and kindling than regular wood and they burn hotter so my woodstove heats a bit faster with fewer logs. We have two types...so called Power Logs and the bigger slower burning Night Logs for sustaining the heat out put of the stove once the Power Logs have heated it up.
The logs contain no petroleum additives like paraffin to bind the sawdust unlike some similar products.

Be Green Link

Here is a link to an excellent news program segment called Be Green . If you have a true interest in living a more sustainable lifestyle with lower impact on our Mother, you should check out the blog and the video segments!
There are great links and sources in the blog articles. Its excellent and Geeta is succinct, knowledgeable, and personable. If i had more than two thumbs I give them all up for Be Green.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

This ain't cheap BUT


I have been looking for an alternative dishwasher detergent and finally I have found one that I can live with. Attitude brand dishwasher detergent. Its less expensive than some of the others and a one liter bottle does 26 loads. At $5.99 a pop ( ..thats right FIVE NINETY-NINE!!! ACK!!!!) its not as cheap as the clorine and phosphate laden ones but it is better for the environment and has not been leaving etching on my glasses. Contains tea tree oil and that'll jack up the price of anything.
For the dishes in the sink I have been buying Bio-Vert. They too make a dishwasher liquid but its really liquidy and I think you use twice as much.
A laundry soap I have been loving is Presidents Choice Green 3X concentrated for cold water washing. So far its rockin' my world. A much smaller bottle means less plastic packaging in your recycle bin, a lighter lift for pouring or carrying to a laundrette, takes less space in the cabinets. Less water in the product means that less water was used in production AND you use less product than less concentrated detergents. It meets biodegradable standards and is fragrance and colourant free as well. Its really been doing a great job in my HE washer unlike some other detergents that have left me wanting. Best of all? The Price! ONLY $4.99 for 26 loads (compare that to some bigger bottles and brands). So, to recap: less expensive, effective in cold water saving you money on heating water, wastes less water in production, less packaging for the recycle...its all good.
Stain fighter I love: The laundry bar from The Soapworks. I find this brand in health food stores and bulk food stores like The Bulk Barn chain. These soaps have no packaging and are displayed for purchase in a wooden rack/case. The laundry bar gets out stains that I gave up on! Its works better than fancy schmancy grand name stain removers. One bar lasts a LONG time. I cut mine up into small chunks and only use a chunk at a time so the whole bar doesn't get ooky in the soap dish on the laundry sink. The rest are stored in the paper sack I brought it home in. I'm still on the first chunk and its been a few months. Not bad for less than two bucks.