There are so many good books about green living out there that I stopped picking up every one I see years ago. I have my favorites that I consider classics, Debra Lynn Dadd’s original Nontoxic and Natural (I’ll talk more about her another time) among others. Now I've added a new one to my list of classics. I picked up Renee Loux’s Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home primarily because her book on raw foods, Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods is on my cookbook shelf. Honestly, I’ve never seen her show so I didn’t realize she was also a natural living expert.
I'm glad I picked it up, as it is a book that anyone interested in starting or furthering a natural lifestyle should own. It is priceless as a resource book. It’s particularly valuable because the information isn’t likely to become obsolete as some books in this genre do. This is because she doesn’t just rely on identifying safe brand names and products in the market place. She also gives detailed lists of chemicals to avoid and make it yourself alternatives. She lists the dangers of the chemicals or contaminants in each area, everything from laundry detergents to bedding. She explains very clearly what to look for, what to avoid, and what the alternatives are. You can probably guess from my writing I particularly enjoy the new homemade formulas she offers to add to my repertoire. I highly recommend this book for those starting on the path to discovering natural health as well as seasoned natural health gurus.
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We've finally progressed to a safe, efficient light bulb that's generally available. It's been known for years that the Light Emiting Diode (LED) bulbs were the most efficient, but it's taken a while to create them so they can provide more than a couple of watts of light.
Incandescent bulbs use large amounts of energy in resources, manufacture and use; 90% of their energy use is from the heat they generate. Incandescents use all this energy and they only last about six months. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's) have their own problems. We've started using them in place of incandescents because they use less resources, and they last about 8X longer than incandescent light bulbs. Unfortunately they also contain small (very small) amounts of mercury requiring them to be disposed of as hazardous waste. There is also concern about CFL's because they're causing allergic reactions in a small percentage of the population. The uncovered spiral versions appear to be the most problematic. Individuals with lupus seem to be particularly sensitive. LED's have none of these problems. Then there's their longevity. At 8 hours of use a day one bulb can last as long as 34 years! Another interesting feature is that they don't tend to attract bugs like others do because of their color spectrum. LED's are actually not bulbs at all, but little semi-conductors. They never actually "burn out", but will gradually lose their lumen production in their later years. |
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