It’s that time of year again. If you don’t wake up bright and early, it’s dark before you know it. In my neck of the woods, sunset is around 5:15 pm. Not only is it a bummer for those trying to squeeze in an outside workout, it means that you’ll be lighting your home to compensate for the lack of sunshine outside. It’s the perfect time of year to introduce LED home lighting (light emitting diodes).

Noah Horowitz, Director at NRDC, wrote over at Huffington Post, that LED lighting could cut our nation’s electricity costs by $13 billion annually. This in turn would save on pollution because that’s how much energy is generated from 30 coal fired power plants annually. Individually, LED home lighting saves more than $125 over the 20 year lifetime of the bulb. With a house full of LEDs, that’s some big savings.

These bulbs have gone from costing $25 per bulb just a few years ago to just around $9 and they’re available at most hardware stores. And your local utility may even offer a rebate of up to $5 per bulb.

With every size, shape, and light quality now available, here are some tips for getting what you want.

According to the Huffington Post:

For example, if you want the light to have that yellowish incandescent bulb look, buy one that says “soft white” and has a color temperature of 2700K. If you prefer more of a cooler, bluish-white look, buy one marketed as “daylight,” which will have color temperature of 5000K or so. Given that preferences vary by consumers, be sure to save your receipt and only buy a few initially so you can test and see which type you like before switching your whole home to LEDs.

And when it comes to getting ready for the holiday season, choose LED string lights. Today they’re available in just about every size and color.

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Image: Stephen Ridgeway

The post It’s Dark Outside, Invest in LED Home Lighting appeared first on EcoSalon.

I have a large, shameful pile of junk in my basement that has been growing out of control for three years. I try not to look at it when I pass it, because when I do I inevitably feel that flush of guilt – “Why haven’t I recycled this stuff already?” But for many items, from packing peanuts to old scraps of carpet, it’s not as easy as putting it in a curbside bin. Sometimes it seems like an awful lot of effort just to find out whether something can be recycled at all, let alone how or where.

But don’t give in and toss those questionable items in the trash! You might be surprised at some of the things that can actually be recycled. Turn wine corks into flooring, trade in energy-sucking holiday lights for LED strands and transform your old sneakers into a tennis court – sometimes it’s as easy as simply dropping them in the mail.

Wine Corks

If you can’t bear to throw away wine corks and tuck them away in a drawer for some craft project that will never materialize, here’s a tip: send them to Yemm Hart Green Materials of Missouri. They’ve started an experimental wine cork recycling program that processes the old bottle stoppers into lovely environmentally friendly cork floor and wall tiles. Eventually, they hope to actually pay people for their corks, but for now, do it out of the kindness of your heart. Here are five other creative reuses for old wine corks.

Books, DVDs & CDs

Most people don’t toss their used books, DVDs and CDs in the trash, but buying new consumes unnecessary resources (and a lot of cash) – so why not trade your old ones for something that’s new-to-you? Swaptree.com is a cool website that allows you to essentially keep a constantly fresh, rotating selection of reading material, movies and music for zero dollars. Who doesn’t love free stuff? Just sign-up, list your unwanted stuff and choose the items you’d like to receive. Then, you simply complete the swap through the mail. Easy!

Shoes

They’ve been through a lot – from dog poop at the park to downpours on the trail. It wouldn’t exactly be charitable to donate your grimy, rough-looking trainers, but the landfill isn’t the answer either. Nike is happy to take your rubber-soled shoes – no matter who made them – and recycle them into new athletic surfaces like basketball courts and running tracks. Find your nearest drop-off location at the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe website.

Foam Packing Peanuts

Nobody with eco-minded tendencies likes receiving a package full of polystyrene packing peanuts. They’re made from petroleum, and aside from that, they’re just plain annoying and hard to get rid of. Instead of sending them back out to be somebody else’s problem, give them to people who actually want them: EPS recyclers. Polystyrene packing peanuts and molded foam cushioning can be either dropped off at a local location if you have one, or sent in the mail.

Carpet

Whether it was ripped out of a flooded room or just saw more than its fair share of pet stains and baby vomit, old carpet can be pretty gross. Unfortunately, getting rid of unwanted carpet isn’t always easy, but if you’re lucky, you might just have a carpet reclamation company in your area. Check out the map at CarpetRecovery – you could be able to give that shaggy rug new life as composite lumber, roofing shingles, railroad ties or automotive parts.

Holiday lights

You want the green cred – and lower utility bills – of LED holiday lights, but just can’t justify buying new ones yet. That’s cool, use what you have, but when those old strands give up the ghost, send them off to HolidayLEDs to be recycled and you’ll get more than just do-gooder satisfaction. They’ll gift you with a 15 percent off coupon for anything on their site, so you can get the twinkly LED lights of your dreams.

Bras

Maybe you’ve grown out of purple polka dots (figuratively) or grown out of your old size (literally) but either way, don’t toss that bra. Most of us take a selection of clean undergarments for granted, but there are plenty of people in need. Bosom Buddy Recycling will take your old bras and give them to deserving women around the country including women’s shelters, transitional housing and breast cancer survivor support groups.

Prescription Medication

Our water has a drug problem, and as a result, we’re all taking in way more medication than we bargained for. Drinking water in many major metropolitan areas is contaminated with all kinds of pharmaceuticals – from antibiotics to antidepressants – and it’s not just a result of them passing through our bodies. Instead of flushing your prescription meds down the toilet, donate drugs that are still usable. Not every state has a recycling/redistribution program or allows patients to donate directly, but it’s worth a shot – check out the list at NCSL.

Images: dawgbite77, psyberartist, ianmunroe

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