The Guide To Efficient Living
One of the simplest ways to improve a home’s energy efficiency and comfort is to make sure that it is properly insulated. Cocoon Insulation from North Carolina-based GreenFiber is a highly efficient insulator, offering more convenient installation and higher R-values than common alternatives, as well as utilizing recycled source material.
As many of you may have heard — I believe merino wool is an optimal clothing material. But it is also useful in the bedroom: as an optimal comforter fill. The advantage of wool is that it doesn’t retain moisture.
Bamboo is an ideal material to fashion into gadgets — it’s tough but lightweight, and it wears well. I also find it much more pleasing to the eye than plastic. But few bamboo-clad electronics have made it into mass production yet. One exception is ASUS’s bamboo-cased version of its U2E notebook which is now available… [Continue Reading]
I’ve been testing a new line of bags called Terraclime by Lowepro. I was impressed by the fact that 95% of the material used to make these bags is recycled content. The fabric is made with recycled PET bottles (i.e. post-consumer plastic). The hooks and zippers are made from plastic salvaged from the factory floor,… [Continue Reading]
I’ve come to the conclusion that natural latex is the optimal mattress-making material. I’ve tried all kinds of mattresses: goose down, wool, foam, cotton futons and box spring mattresses. But I have to say that my first few nights sleeping on a latex mattress were the most comfortable I ever experienced.
A Picopad consists of 15 sticky notes and one tiny pen, that are designed to fit into the credit card slot of your wallet. The pads themselves are made from a cardboard-like material and come in a variety of colors. They feature two small push-out tabs to make it easier for you to pull it… [Continue Reading]
Well, this year bamboo takes the prize as efficient material of the year. We’ve got to hand it to the grass that is showing us yet another side of its efficiency. Since bamboo products are still sometimes difficult to locate, we had to track down these items from a number of different sources. First on… [Continue Reading]
This new cooktop from Wolf uses induction to cook food efficiently, while the cooking surface stays cool to the touch. You must use a pan made of a magnetic material like stainless steel or cast iron. Induction stovetops are about 85-90% energy efficient, compared electric elements which are only 65-85% efficient. The manufacturer also claims… [Continue Reading]
What’s under your kitchen sink, in your garage and on the shelves in your laundry room? The National Institutes of Health has a database listing the ingredients of these products, the potential health effects, and safety and handling. Information in the Household Products Database is taken from a variety of publicly available sources, including Material… [Continue Reading]
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