Eco Friendly Home Insulation – From Farm to Walls

natural insulation

Most of us are aware that adding insulation to our home’s walls, roof, and attic essential in reducing energy usage and associated costs. But, the insulation materials we choose can also have a direct impact on the environment as well as on our home’s indoor air quality. There is much more to insulation than its R-value (how efficient the material …

Environmental Poetry – Nature, Energy and Expression

Here at The Chic Ecologist, I like to highlight all types of businesses, products, arts and artists, but it’s rare to find an environmental poet! Here are three selections from Robert Lopez, an electrical engineer major focusing on sustainable energy at Cornell University. His full bio can be found at the bottom of the post. Enjoy! Untitled Might we view …

Five Cheap DIY Energy Saving Tips

Looking for ways to save some money? Energy conservation is a great way to reduce your energy costs and save money (and the environment). Here are 5 easy do-it-yourself (DIY) energy saving tips you may not have thought of. Insulation and Leaks – A huge way to reduce your heating and cooling bills is to reduce the air flowing out …

Saving Energy Helps You Lose Weight

Please excuse the sensationalist title, but it was just too good to pass up, and oddly true at the same time. Research into the links between the increase in weight and the warming temperature of our homes has resulted in some startling news- Warmer homes contribute to weight gain. Now before you turn your house into a meat locker, you …

Intelligent Auto Learning Thermostat – NEST

Ever taken a good look at your heating or cooling bill and wanted to do something about it? Well, even if you have and bought a smart programmable thermostat, you may be spending more than without one. A recent study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that “as many as 50 percent of residential programmable thermostats are in permanent …

Earth Hour 2010

Earth Hour is starting to crop on the calendar. If you’ve never heard of it yet, you can visit Earth Hour’s site. During Earth Hour, participants turn out all their lights for one hour. It was started by the World Wildlife Fund three years ago as a way to speak up and raise awareness about climate change. While largely a symbolic act showing …

Winterize your Home for Energy Efficiency

Eco tips for saving money this winter. What works well in the winter, can also save you money on your cooling bills in the summer too! The Little Stuff: Seal up cracks – Common spots for drafts are entryways (the back door and garage doors are notorious for draftiness) window moldings and seals. Caulking windows, sealing cracks and installing weather …

LED vs CFL vs New HEI Energy Efficient Incandescent – Lightbulb Shootout

With energy efficiency awareness growing, and new lighting technologies being developed at a rapid pace, which bulbs on the market offer the best value for the eco-conscious? With the more recent popularization of Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs due partly to their electricity savings and partly from huge discounts and government energy rebates making them more affordable, we ask the …

Green Electronics

With so many choices for those looking to buy a new Television, laptop computer or other type of electronic device, why not take the environment into consideration when choosing? Nowadays you can pretty much find four or five separate equally equipped 46 inch LCD HD televisions put out by different manufacturers. So when the specs are the same, the price …

Energy Green Cellphone Charging – Eco High/Low

Green cell phones are the topic of today’s Eco high/low. While green is a relative term here, alternate ways of charging your battery are emerging with more of an environmentally friendly spin. While this has yet to really gain traction, here are two options fairly new to the market, one an a uber chic (and most likely uber expensive) mechanical …