Sierra Club Green Home

From cameras and cell phones to watches and eggbeaters, we use batteries every day in all sorts of household products. It’s hard to imagine life without them, but can the environment live with them? (Photo by EvelynGiggles, Flickr)

Utilities and energy providers across the nation are turning to personalized home electricity reports to help customers save money on their utility bills and reduce their carbon emissions. These easy-to-understand reports provide customers with information about their energy use compared to people with homes of similar square footage in similar climates. See how they work. (Photo by Jannoon028, Freedigitalphotos.net)

Ever wondered where your used electronic appliances go? Or maybe you just think, “I paid my recycling fee, so they must have been recycled in a proper way.” As a matter of fact, most e-waste from all over the world is shipped to third-world countries such as China. Here’s how to reduce e-waste’s harm. (Photo by Blogpaedia, Flickr)

Panasonic Eco Technology Center (PETEC) is an unusual recycling facility in many ways. Since it started operations in 2001, PETEC has recycled more than 8 million units of appliances. Take a look at how it does so and why Japan’s unique recycling law has helped PETEC earn its sucess.

Japan is known for being high tech, and thanks to companies such as Panasonic, its high tech is going green. Take a look at Panasonic’s eco innovations for the smart home of the future and the smart city the company plans to complete by 2013. (Illustration courtesy of Panasonic)

KUSATSU, JAPAN — In the United States, Panasonic Corporation is known for electronics, not for its home appliances which are a familiar brand in Asia. The company is taking big steps, however, toward providing green solutions for living, including both “do-it-yourself” tips as well as Panasonic technology for the home.

The one question that comes up time and time again from homeowners is: “What steps can I can take to lower my home energy costs?” Here are some tips to help you look at your energy consumption and things you can easily change.

SAN JOSE, CA — San Jose’s Clean Energy Showcase displays solar, wind, and electric vehicle technologies to the public from a display across City Hall. Close to 6,000 people have toured the showcase since it opened in December of last year, including local schoolchildren, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and a group of Russian entrepreneurs. (Photo courtesy of the City of San Jose)

The products we buy and use can have a wide variety of public health and environmental impacts including toxic exposures, air pollution, water pollution, climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, natural resource use, waste disposal, and ecosystem damages. The EPA now hosts the greener products portal online, which makes finding environmentally friendly products easier.

Editor’s Note: October is National Energy Awareness Month. Take a look at your home’s energy use and how you can take advantage of incentives for efficiency.

Federal tax credits for upgrading your home with energy efficient items, from windows and doors to insulation and heating systems, are going away at the end of this year. Read about the future of these incentives and what you can do to get some money back on purchases you make now to increase your home’s energy efficiency and save money on your energy bills in the future. (Photo courtesy of Simonton Windows)