5/1/14

LED bulbs are becoming more commonplace as the energy-efficient bulb of choice, since they use a fraction of the energy of CFL bulbs and are long-lasting. But LED bulbs can also be problem solvers for older homes. If you have a bathroom that does not have great ventilation, over time the steamy showers can lead to a damp room that grows mold and mildew. By using an LED bulb embedded with an ultraviolet light, you can help inhibit growth of mold and mildew with the simple flick of a light switch. The same bulbs are often used to keep hospitals healthy.

4/30/14

The global retail chain H&M is working to close the loop on the thousands of tons of textile clothing that is thrown away every year that could easily be re-worn, repaired or recycled instead of sent to landfills. H&M has installed free Garment Collecting bins in all of its stores, where you can drop off clothes of any brand to be given a new life when you're done with them. H&M sorts the clothes and separates them into groups: Re-wear (given to thrift shops), Reuse (made into other products, like cleaning cloths) and Recycle (made into entirely new products, like home insulation). Any profit H&M makes is given to social projects to better the world around us.

4/29/14

With about 140 million tax returns processed by the IRS every year, it makes sense to go paperless when filing, to save trees. But going green with your taxes can also save you money in the long run, too. According to CBS News, if you use an electronic file for your tax return, your error rate in filing your taxes is just about 1 percent. If you file your taxes manually using paper files, the error rate skyrockets to 20 percent. So going green by going paperless can actually help you save money and be error-free, too.