Green Home Authority

Ever since Napster came onto the scene in 1999 and redefined the way music could be accessed using the internet (until 2001 when it was shut down for violating copyright laws) distribution has slowly turned green. No longer is an end user required to take a car or bus to the local Walmart to purchase a plastic disk, with it's plastic box and the plastic wrapper with that paper and ink inserts just to enjoy a bit of new music. And oh yeah, those security tags and scanners aren't exactly sustainable either.Things have changed and now music is available (legally)...

Recently I took a part time job working at REI; while there I learned about backpacks, clothing, shoes and food bars... Some of that experience has paid off in my hiking and packing ability but the one biggest takeaway for me has actually been the ProBar. I live in Northern California and out here there are a lot of healthy eaters, vegans, and vegetarians. We've got plenty of cultural influence so there are lots of restaurants to choose from but people are also very active and food on the go (or in storage for the next earthquake or brown out)...

Jonathan Safran Foer appeared on the Colbert Repor this week and shared his findings (that most of us already know, at least subconsciously) that 99% of the meat produced in the US on farms is done in inhumane ways and that we're polluting our bodies by eating tortured flesh. His new book "Eating Animals" discusses the details of his journey to these farms collecting data and insight. Now I do occasionally eat meat and this isn't a rant about becoming a pure vegan, maybe just considering what's happening, being aware. Staunch meat lovers will enjoy the Colbert episode where Steven...

Okay, on second look, I'm not really sure whether Pacman loves green jobs or just enjoys snarfing anything resembling a round dot? In any case... look at him go! The logo mockup you see below is for our sister site Green Job Feed which syndicates renewable energy jobs from all over the web. This past month they've fleshed out a new logo and added syndication technology provided by Indeed, the web's leading job search engine.Green Job Feed.... get it? get it??? Yum!We here at Green Home Authority are proud and excited to be a part of the Green Job Feed...

Story by Will Viitanen - The world is changing at exponential rates leaving many to wonder about "sustainable" concepts and ideals simply because they are believed to be new. Sustainability is far from a new ideal; however being on the cusp of a paradigm shift, individuals need to be fully aware and active in the new "green" world.Sustainable IdeasIn recent years environmentalists have introduced the word "sustainable" into everyday language. The word itself, "sustainable," can be defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as having the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. One unfamiliar to the...

For several years now there has been controversy mounting over whether plastic water bottles are harmful. There are theories that leaving a bottle in a hot car will leach chemicals into the water you drink, there are concerns about the affects of BPA, and there is evidence that plastic bottles caps are killing tens of thousands of birds every year as they are mistaken for food.We did a story recently on the new BPA free Nalgene and CamelBak bottles in combination with portable filters, but what about the times when you can't bring your reusable bottle? There are many sporting...

Having recently purchased a baja style prerunner modeled 1986 Toyota Pickup (based on the European Hilux model) I was aware that the smog emissions might not be the best. Surprisingly, even this truck which is over 20 years old still gets over 20 miles per gallon and is quite efficient. While not everything on this truck is stock... my friend and I were able to clear emissions in the Bay Area and have been enjoying the jumps and offroading in Hollister California. Check out the video below, just for fun. The truck is named Maybeline and our hope was to...

In our last story we covered ways to reduce energy and resource use by 50% doing things like adding an aerator to your sink and swapping out your old fashioned light bulbs for CFL's. Some of the tips were fairly obvious but one stood out from the pack as being both relevant and easy to implement. A company called SPRANQ has created a line of computer fonts that work for both Mac and PC that reduce the amount of ink required for printing. This font line is called Ecofont and it's available in two different flavors, the free basic version...

Sometimes just knowing what to is the hard part when it comes to energy and resource savings. Take a quick look over this short list, you may already know some of these saving techniques but we're willing to be at least one will be new to you.ShoppingNext time you get the urge to shop, grab your laptop and browse the online aisles. Shipping a 10-pound package overnight by air uses nearly 50% less fuel than you'd use going to and from the mall. Do even more by opting for ground shipping which uses 20% less energy than air shipping. Many...

I'm a big fan of reusable water bottles, ever since the days of Nalgene sport bottles I've been carrying one with me. They are fun to toss around, easy to clip to bags, and quite durable. I feel great about not using throw away bottles, even though they can be recycled they are a lot more wasteful in terms of shipping and packaging. Taste can be an issue with localized water, or if you fill up with OJ or soda, but many people own a Brita or PUR water filter pitcher to help with that... We'll get more into this...