Nightlight Theory

02/13/2011

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It's nighttime and dark in the bathroom - if your frugal like me, you rely on a motion activated daylight sensitive LED nightlight. Nightlights that stay on all night are silliness, unless: 
  • you have guests staying over
  • have a small child who is afraid of the dark
  • make it a habit to leave hazards on the floor in random places. 

Studies also prove that exposure to bright lights in the middle of the night mess with your body's internal sleep cycles. Properly functioning "smart" nightlights will remedy this situation. The kicker is that using the nightlight will save you money over time vs. turning on the full bathroom light.

Incandescent lights are not efficient, they generate a lot of heat and the bulbs burn out. Get rid of your old school night lights and upgrade to a more functional model. Unplugging and plugging, or switching on and off "dumb" nightlights is ridiculous in 2011.

Below is a model I recommend, just make sure the seat is down when you're done :-)

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To Keurig or not to Keurig

01/22/2011

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Ok, so you buckled in and got a Keurig  for the holidays. Maybe you like how convienient and fast the magical machine is at work and needed to get one for the home. Regardless, let's take a step back and evaluate the environmental impact of such a machine vs. conventional coffee maker methods. Here is a link that sums up some of the key points and counter points. http://greenanswers.com/q/177622/pollution-toxins/consumer-products/are-those-k-cups-coffee-bad-environment It looks like there are arguments for both sides, but if you are able to switch to the reusable Keurig My-Kap cups it might be the best of both worlds - 20 K-cups in the landfill each year vs. 1500 for a typical coffee addicted household. 
*Update 3/22/11 per a web comment added a mention of the Solofill Cup, Refillable K-Cup For Keurig Brewers, they are a 4 star ranked product which definitely gets my attention - and much better for the environment than other Keurig options.
In conclusion, for now I'm sticking with my home ground fair trade beans and four cup Mr. Coffee - coffee maker. Bottoms up folks.

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Put your gutters to work

03/24/2010

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Picture
Ever wonder where all the rain goes that falls on your roof each storm? Look in your basement, sump pump, storm drains, and other non-desirable places. Why not harvest that water in a catch basin and use it for a "sunny day"?
Some great uses include: washing your car, watering your plants, cleaning, or a variety of other outdoor uses. We don't recommend drinking that water unless you have a UV filter and significant media filtration with charcoal to make it safe to drink.

Below are some good choices to consider to get started on the right foot. If you want to go the DIY route, get the complete Rain Reserve kit and acquire your own barrel locally. 

Sun and Earth located in Conshohocken typically has a few barrels available each week for customers of their environmentally friendly products.(So long as they are using them for rain collection or other ecologically responsible projects.) 

Sun and Earth, Inc.
221 King Manor Drive
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 239-9677

Of if you don't live in the area: You can find a local source of barrels here It is very likely that you will not need to hook up your regular hose the entire year!
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Extra cash to pay for your next re-model?

11/16/2009

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If you have anything that you can sell from the “before” picture, take four quality of the item and write an accurate description, and get that item on Craigslist pronto (photos of it installed and after it was removed are a nice touch).  If there are any doors or drawers, always include a shot with them open and closed. Also make sure to clearly indicate the condition – having someone drive out to see an item that you said was in great condition (which is actually not) will get them angry. Make sure you give all dimensions in your listing to eliminate waste of time email volleys. Sometimes that extra inch or two in width means they can’t get it through their front door – leaving an angry buyer. For heavy/large items –I also write that they should bring a vehicle of adequate size and a helper.

*Important: Don’t give any phone numbers, email addresses, or home addresses in your listing - just a major intersection close to where you live. If someone wants what you have got, they will email you with their phone number.  Spam is prevalent on Craigslist and this is the best way to filter out the junk replies. Just tonight I sold a dishwasher on Craigslist for $25 more than I paid for it one year ago! I can attribute this only to good pictures and an accurate description.  If you sell something and the person is truly dissatisfied with their purchase for good reason…buy it back. There is no reason to have that on your conscience. Above all, be patient and have fun. Craigslist is like fishing in your sleep. If you have items in fair to excellent condition that are accurately depicted and described, they will sell eventually if priced right.

Payment: I have taken a personal check one time with success, but as a rule – stick to cash, mention this when you are on the phone with the buyer.

To jog your imagination, here is a list of some items that I have bought and sold on craigslist in the past few years: circa 1962 metal kitchen cabinets and range fan, old but working fridges, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, wire, changing table from the 70’s, fish tank, countertop, shed, toilets, trampoline, coffee table, BBQ grill, painting easel, etc… If you’re not getting any bites on your items, lower the price or give it away to a charitable place like http://www.vianet.org/  in Allentown. They will come and pick it up with a truck and you get a tax write-off.

P.S. Try to keep the photos with your editing software under 100k in size each for quick uploading, I use NikonView which is a free program available online here http://download.cnet.com/Nikon-View/3000-18488_4-21903.html

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Idle your engine or switch it off ?

10/20/2009

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Shut off your engine. Idling for even 10 seconds uses as much gasoline as stopping and restarting. That may not sound like a lot, but that’s gas money being spent just to pollute the atmosphere. Wouldn’t you rather use it to buy something for you or your family? More info here
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Paper Towels, the bane of a business owners existence

02/02/2009

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Lets examine the common C-fold paper towel in a little more detail. In order for it to be produced, trees must be cut. They have to be shipped to your business. They have to be purchased in large quantities and stored somewhere in your business. An employee has to un-box and load them into a dispenser. The trash must be emptied everyday, sometimes more in addition to the purchase of plastic trash bags. Unless your dispenser is filled properly every time, the towels may fall on the floor and look unsightly. Many users take way too many to dry their hands. Certain individuals will always inevitably clog up your toilets with the towels on occasion. Now you have to deal with plumbers and other maintenance challenges. 

Installing a modern high powered hand dryer (not the wimpy ones of yesteryear) eliminates lots of overhead. (Saving around $959/yr for a family owned restaurant) After you try one of these for yourself, you may want to even install one in your home! We source these dryers wholesale, if you would like a quote for your business, please contact us.

One other item to note, is to try to make sure your restroom doors open outward if possible. This enables people to avoid touching the door/handles with their hands on the way out.

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How can I simultaneously reduce my overhead and be a “Greener” small business owner?

02/01/2009

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Sometimes, making the decision to turn your small business into a greener running machine can be difficult to implement. Getting caught up in the day to day activities coupled with countless obligations leaves little time to spare.

I encourage you to capitalize your time by taking advantage of the dip in consumer traffic at your business. Dedicate an hour or more to review each aspect of your business where you spend money. Ask yourself, why am I doing this? Is there a better way to achieve this task or function? Does this spending activity benefit the employee or the customer? How can I reduce my spending so I can pass the savings on to the customer?

The following are a few ideas that will help to jog your mind, but each business has its’ own challenges and opportunities.

-Can I replace any lighting in the store with compact fluorescents bulbs (CFL’s) or even more efficient LED lighting?
-Do I leave the lights on in the restroom at my business? Perhaps I should install a motion sensor switch in the restroom?
-Do I have paper towels in my bathroom? Maybe I should swap them out for a next generation high powered hand dryer…
-I wonder if installed an instant hot water heater under the sink if it would save money?
-Am I using a flat screen LCD instead of an older CRT monitor at the register?
-Am I handing out plastic bags at my store? Maybe I can pass out inexpensive reusable cloth bags that have my logo/name on the side, so that I get free advertising and reduce throwaway waste…
-What is the thermostat set in my business, could I tweak it a degree or two without causing discomfort to clients/customers?
-Do I have a programmable thermostat that changes the temperature automatically when no one is in the building?
-Should I install a humidifier to make it feel warmer in the winter?
-Do I have a high efficiency HVAC system?
-Do I have a recycling bin in the store, or does everything go in the trash?
-Is the packaging of anything that leaves the store in an environmentally sensitive container. (E.g. take out containers for food are available in enviroware materials that biodegrade quickly unlike foam or plastic)
-What do I do with my cardboard?
-Do I need something for my business? Maybe I can get it locally and less expensive on craigslist.
-Do I utilize the farmers markets in the area to get locally grown produce and goods? They are often less expensive than big box stores and it takes less fossil fuel to get it to your business…
-Do I have window tint on my sunny spots to decrease heat transfer in the summer?
-Can I telecommute on certain days (or ever day) and get the same work done without driving all the way to the office?
-Do I live close to my office?
-What if I could eliminate a car in my household by biking to work? -How much would I save in fuel, maintenance, insurance, taxes, and fees?
-Perhaps I should consider meeting with my client over a WebEx instead of driving in traffic?
-Is snail mail really required for that business function? Perhaps I could email it instead saving paper, stamp, ink, fuel?
-Maybe I should follow the undeniable trend and begin to transfer my paper advertising budget to digital media?

These are just a few ideas, if you have any more feel free to add them to the list.  Enjoy the Super bowl tonight and more importantly, advertising genius at it’s finest!

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