Sierra Club Green Home

Many older homes, and maybe some newer homes, are not tightly sealed and protected from the elements. If you home is drafty, consider making some simple home improvements to save some money and keep your family comfortable during the frigid winter months. For just a few dollars, you can save much more than your investment on home energy and heating costs by installing shrink wrap plastic sheeting over your drafty windows and wall or window air conditioning units. (Photo by Datarec, Flickr)

Singapore’s Changi Airport, one of most highly awarded airports in the world, was reclaimed from swampland and from the sea. In 2010, the Changi Airport Group (CAG) established an environmental management system designed to proactively protect the environment, prevent pollution, and improve environmental performance and regulatory compliance. This program is based around the ISO 14001 standard, and debuted at CAG’s and Clean and Green Singapore “Changi Goes Green” event in November 2010. (Photo by Snoopaki, Flickr)

Do you want to have the best environmentally friendly gifts this year, without the price tag? Here at Sierra Club Green Home, we have an exclusive database of GreenCheck® products and service providers who work hard to bring you the most sustainable products and services at costs that fit all budgets. These GreenCheck® providers are offering promotional codes and discounts exclusive to SCGH readers. Just another reason to visit SCGH.com: SAVINGS! (Photo by Lism, Flickr)

FRESH is a documentary by Ana Sofia Joanes which focuses on local farmers and food suppliers and their positive relationship to the food that we eat. Watch FRESH The Movie online for free today, or sign up to host a screening anytime. (Photo courtesy of Growing Power)

Are you a builder, architect, or green provider looking for a sense of community in the sustainable design world? Now there is a new way to exchange knowledge, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. (Image courtesy of Green Hippo Hut)

You aren’t supposed to fill those laundry detergent caps. There are lines inside showing the amount the manufacturer recommends, and that is often still more than you need. More is not better. Too much detergent reduces cleaning power and is leaves residue in your clothes. Try throwing a few of your towels into the wash without soap and see how much suds form. (Photo by Emily, Flickr)

Here are some tricks from Sierra Club Green Home to made the appliances you already have use less energy. First off, don’t use the timed setting on your clothes dryer. The automatic setting uses moisture sensors to tell when clothes are dry. Not only does this use less energy, it saves wear and tear on your clothes. (Photo )

SAN FRANCISCO—Recently SWITCH Lighting gave me a personal demonstration of their new LED bulbs, and it convinced me that incandescent light bulbs’ days are numbered with this new technology coming out next month. (Photo courtesy of SWITCH Lighting)

Environmentally friendly windshield washer fluid can be made using just a couple of household items, namely rubbing alcohol. Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol is a much safer alternative than methanol (methyl alcohol), which is in the “blue” commercial products. If you read most any commercial windshield washer fluid product labels, you will see a “hazard” warning. Methanol (methyl alcohol) is a hazardous chemical and should be used with caution. (Photo by)

Dog waste disposal poses a dilemma to the environmentally friendly pet owner. Leaving the waste on the ground is hazardous, as it may carry E. coli, salmonella, or giardia, and the rain can wash it into rivers, streams, and oceans. Beaches and rivers have been closed to the public due to such contamination. So we need to pick it up. However, instead of taking this organic matter that would eventually degrade on its own, encasing it in plastic bag, and throwing it into an airless landfill where nothing decomposes, you can compost it. (Photos by Jim’s Photos1, Flickr)