Clean Living

What are eco-friendly toilets?

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Have you ever encountered a troublesome problem of having to go to the bathroom in the woods or while camping? It is a problem that everyone faces, even for those of you who have never gone out for camping. But in any case, without going into the overall details, there is a solution available for those who don’t feel like going out into the woods and digging a hole in the ground. This solution is a portable and environmentally friendly toilet.

What are eco-friendly toilets?

Eco-friendly toilets are innovative inventions that make work easy. They are clean and environmentally friendly.  There are many different kinds, including eco-friendly toilets for the home that are watersense certified as well as portable ones that are ideal for camping trips. Some companies are so proud that you can use them for other outdoor activities where the bathroom is not readily available, such as hunting or fishing, and you can even use them in emergencies or disaster preparedness.

The thing that separates environmental toilets from regular household toilets other than being portable is that you use a biodegradable bag to dispense. Since the bags are designed to be biodegradable, they are in turn, perfectly acceptable to use as compost. If you decide to use these biodegradable bags in compost, you should keep in mind that any waste you may have in these bags will take 40 days to completely degrade to humus condition only if it is placed in an environmentally controlled fertilizer. If you are new to composting, I wouldn’t recommend trying it until you do more research and are confident enough in what you do.

Advantages

For obvious reasons, a lot of our water consumption occurs in the bathroom, so if we can avoid waste and save water here, we can make a big difference to our total household water use. If we are on a counter, that means saving money.

Waste prevention

Too much water is wasted in the bathroom unnecessarily. It is very easy to leave the tap while brushing our teeth. Shower timers are a great way to make sure we don’t get away in the morning, and you can even get a baby shower timers so kids can know the importance of saving water and energy as well.

Softening water in hard water areas can also help save water as it is easy to clean bathrooms, toilets, and sinks. Water softeners and environmental balls for toilets that soften water with a magnet will prevent scum marks and a tartar scale from forming.

clean energy

Efficient use of water

Other tools can help us save water and reduce water bills as well. Faucets and showers with water-saving devices can make a big difference, and many of these can be installed without a plumber.

The taps can be easily converted to convert the outlet from normal water flow into a spray; While showering can be restricted to generate higher pressure, allowing lower main water pressure.
By saving water in the bathroom, we can make a huge difference in water consumption and not only help the environment, but as more and more of us use water meters, we can save money as well.

Mobility

These eco-friendly toilets can be taken along long journeys across areas where rest stops are few and far between. I am willing to bet that it will slow down. I have often noticed that the speed I drive is proportional to how poorly visited the little boy’s room. Now, I take a shower along the journey, and my driving is very comfortable. Also, environmental toilets are often recommended as part of a disaster preparedness package.

Less environmental impact

If environmental toilets are used correctly, they help reduce your environmental impact by reducing your need to use conventional toilets, which use between four to six gallons of clean water per flush.

Negatives

Homeowners may have difficulty installing some environmental toilet models. Installing a double flush toilet often goes beyond the possibilities of an average homeowner to do it yourself, and requires professional installation.

Due to the low volume of water, some users of these toilets have reported the need to clean the accumulated leftovers in the toilet. Choosing how to clean the double toilet type can be confusing for young children or guests.

Minor changes in habits and routines can easily overcome minor flaws, and convert dual environmental toilets into a perfect green choice for any home.

The Bottom Line

Whether the toilet is used during camping, outdoor activities, or even in emergencies, it’s always a good idea to know that there is an alternative to digging a hole in the ground and squatting to do your thing. This environmentally friendly alternative minimizes water consumption and they come with a portable biodegradable bag. Besides, they are usually easy to use.

Clean Water

5 Tips To Make Your Pool Environmentally Friendly

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Most people might think of a swimming pool as a luxurious indulgence. Indeed, it’s something that most of us can live without, but, if you have to have a swimming pool, there are ways to make sure your pool is sustainable and is good for the environment. Here are some ideas:

1- Shower before you get into the pool

Chlorine becomes toxic and even carcinogenic as it combines with organic matter, such as dirt, leaves,skin, or hair. So, showering before you get into the pool helps to decrease the amount of organic matter present on your pool which reacts with the chlorine.

2- Use your pool sweep system sparingly

If possible, set your pool’s filter and pool sweep to run only during off-peak hours to avoid forcing the electricity company to utilize backup generators that are not as efficient or good for the environment. Regulate the length of time you run your filter and vacuum in the fall and winter months, especially if you will not be using your pool anyway. A pool cover will help to keep it clean enough, and you’ll save on energy costs.

3- Build a natural pool

Natural pools like the ones made by Bristol-based firm Clear Water Revival is a chemical-free, comparatively low-tech and very affordable method to produce an indoor pool that is eco-friendly. Materials like clay and gravel are used rather than concrete and fiberglass, and aquatic plants substitute chlorine and costly mechanical irrigation methods with organic purification which enriches the swimming with oxygen, supports beneficial bacteria and gives a natural habitat for marine life.

Spanish architectural business Urbanarbolismo specializes in the integration of character to structures, designing green roofs and vertical gardens in addition to natural pools. They feature edible plants like cress, mint, in addition to small fish and fish that is native to consume mosquito larvae and other insects that are unwanted.

4- Try a Moss Pool

Like normal pools, moss-filtered pools require less chemicals like chlorine and algaecide because they inhibit the growth of germs. Additionally, this reduces water intake since there is less regular requirement to backwash the pool. A moss pool can reduce chemical usage by 40% and water consumption by 75%, saving thousands of dollars.

5- Use solar heating

Using energy efficient boilers and solar panels will decrease energy costs. There is nothing new about using solar heating in swimming pools these days that’s an easy thing to do for most households. However, there are other emerging options too, such as, in the Netherlands, some swimming pools are heated by heat from wastewater. Using a wastewater treatment plant heat is extracted from the wastewater to heat the pool up to 30C. It’s a new system that conserves thousands of dollars in energy as well as reduces carbon dioxide emissions significantly.

If you love saving the environment, please use an eco-friendly toilet.

Clean Energy

Why Clean Energy is Important

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Most of the world’s electricity is derived from power stations that utilize fossil fuels like oil and coal. The process of producing energy creates a lot of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Clean energy is important for the future of the earth.

It’s these greenhouse gases that are causing the earth’s weather patterns to become more extreme. Some experts believe that the changes in weather patterns will eventually threaten the world we live in and the habitats of all living things.

Why nonrenewable energy sources are bad

Non-renewable energy sources, such as coal, oil, and gas have changed the way human beings live over the last couple of hundred years. There’s no doubt our lives would have been very different if these had not been discovered.

But we stand a crisis point.

We can simply use what’s available and as soon as they’ve been used up, that’s it! Perhaps that may not happen in our lifetime but we need to to be responsible about preserving the lifestyles of future generations.

Not only are we in danger of running out of resources, these sources of energy are also polluting the earth.

Importance of clean energy

Moving towards a world of clean energy is essential for the survival of earth.

We’ve already found ways to tap into and harness the energy of the sun, ocean, and wind.

These sources of electricity create only small amounts of greenhouse gasses and are renewable, in other words, they can be used over and over again.

Solar, water and wind are examples of fresh energy resources.

Other ideas

Governments are also researching different approaches to help save the world. One of these is to make companies that pollute the environment pay for their contamination.

Other thoughts include providing funding for tree plantations and tax breaks to encourage individuals to use less energy.

If you love the environment, please use an eco-friendly toilet.

Climate Change

Impact of climate change on the USA

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Like most of the world, climate change is becoming one of the greatest challenge of mankind. The United States faces this challenge along with the rest of the world and will be impacted greatly in coming years.

Annual average temperature in the United States has Increased by 1.8°F (1.0°C) within the period from 1901 to 2016; within the upcoming years (2021–2050), yearly average temperatures are predicted to rise by roughly 2.5°F.  The projections for the United States and the entire world are that the degree and frequency of extreme events will rise. Here are some areas in which the USA is expected to confront profound shifts. What is notable here is that events which we believe to be intense can become the new standard by century’s end.

International sea levels are rising and the prevalence of daily tidal floods are accelerating in over 25 Atlantic and Gulf Coast cities. Sea level rise is forecast to be greater than the worldwide average in certain regions of the USA, particularly on the East and Gulf coasts.

Larger precipitation occasions, either rain or snowfall, is growing in frequency and intensity across the USA and the rest of the world. The biggest observed changes in extreme precipitation in the USA have occurred in the Northeast and the Midwest.

There’s a clear national trend toward a larger quantity of precipitation being focused in the Northeast and Midwest.

Heat waves are becoming more frequent in the United States since the 1960s, whereas intense cold temperatures and cold waves are becoming less frequent. Recent record-setting warm years are estimated to eventually become common in the not too distant future for the United States as yearly average temperatures continue to grow.

Drought will be the norm. Annual tendencies toward earlier spring snowmelt and decreased snowpack are already impacting water sources in western United States, with negative consequences for fisheries and power production. Underneath the greatest emissions situations and assuming no change in present water resources management, chronic, long-duration hydrological drought has become possible until the end of the century. Recent droughts and related heat waves have attained record Intensity in certain U.S. regions.

If you’re looking for ways to help the environment you can start in the home by making sure your appliances and lifestyle supports the environment as much as possible. For example, buy a green vacuum cleaner and if you must have lifestyle products be conscious about how to save energy and discover the benefits of using an eco-friendly toilet.

Clean Energy

Green Vacuum Cleaners

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We live in an age where the vacuum cleaner is an essential part of our daily lives. These cleaning machines help us clean up our homes in a few minutes and are a necessity in an age where everyone is busy. There are all kinds, from barrel to stick to canister vacuums and even specialty pet hair vacuums. Most people don’t think about the electricity a vacuum cleaner consumes and most vacuum cleaners are not environmentally friendly. Here are some green vacuum cleaners to consider.

1 Cardboard Vacuum

A cardboard vacuum can help keep your home clean and an innovative brand Vax allows you to vacuum up the dirt and dust in an eco-friendly way. This revolutionary vacuum cleaner was created with recycled plastic using corrugated cardboard panels!

2 Miele Hybrid

The Miele Hybrid is a high-performance vacuum cleaner that is gentle on the environment. The hybrid is powered by lightweight and strong lithium-ion batteries, providing you with a handy cord-free cleaning encounter. The cells have sufficient juice to maintain the 1,800-watt motor powered for great 20 minutes. To prevent overheating, the engine automatically stops working at a specific temperature and invisibly just after it’s cooled down. If the batteries run out of power, it is simple to control them with the power cord for 3 hours. Therefore, bid goodbye to all those electricity swallowing dirt-sucking creatures eternally and bring home the newest Miele Hybrid and also do your bit for the environment.

3 GTec AirRam

The Gtech AirRam is a high energy, light-weight cordless vacuum cleaner which comes packed with a specialized compression technology that will help save energy. This technology aids in collecting dust from compact bales that you may easily throw in the bin. Adding into the green credentials is the simple fact that the vacuum cleaner is powered with a professional-grade Li-ion battery. It looks like the potential for vacuuming is still here!

Electrolux’s cool initiative

Vacs from the Sea

Electrolux designed ‘Vacs In the Sea’ to increase consciousness about the impact of plastics on our oceans. For this particular green initiative, the world’s leading vacuum cleaner company sent teams out to five seas around the globe to collect plastic and care for the environment. The waste plastic sheeting has been used to create a limited edition set of vacuum cleaners which not only does the job adequately but looks good too.

For more environmentally friendly ideas see this post