latimes.com - Green

Remodeling fireplace habits in Southern California

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

With wood-burning hearths being tightly regulated and eased out of newer homes, companies and homeowners are turning to cleaner alternatives.

This wintry week surprised Southern California with shape-shifting clouds hitched to chilly wind, rain in the valleys, snow in the mountains -- just right for a cozy Valentine's Day spent corralled around the hearth, logs ablaze. Or is it?

Is your clothesline illegal?

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

In places where the practice is banned as an unsightly nuisance to neighbors, right-to-dry activists and blogging eco-moms are forming an alliance.

When clothes dryers account for at least 6% of the electricity used by U.S. households, is it any wonder that line-drying is coming back? In places where the practice is banned as an unsightly nuisance to neighbors, right-to-dry activists and blogging eco-moms are forming an alliance. Their cause: to reduce energy consumption and to call upon sunlight rather than bleach to get those whites even whiter.

Homemade cleaners get the job done

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Armed with four simple, environmentally friendly ingredients -- white distilled vinegar, baking soda, castile soap and water -- you can clean windows, bathrooms and floors.

Something green and drippy is growing on store shelves. It's the assortment of "green" cleaning products many people are spraying, scrubbing and wiping all over their homes in an attempt to keep things fresh, sanitary -- and environmentally benign.

Pet hens and chicks

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

They're found at shelters, pet shops and feed stores. You can create a home for them yourself or go online for a pricier shortcut.

Being the not-so-proud owner of a gecko and a goldfish, I didn't put another un-cuddly animal high on my list of future pets. A chicken? The thought hadn't occurred to me until a recent visit from friends who had spent the last few years downsizing their lives from San Francisco to Santa Cruz to a tiny Canadian town in the middle of nowhere. Over a scrambled egg breakfast at my place one morning, they began clucking about the hens in their backyard and the delicious organic omelets they feasted on almost daily.

Solar power incentives make it easier to switch

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The move to a photovoltaic system is a smart strategy unless you're already highly energy efficient. If so, it might not be worth the cost.

Like most Angelenos in this fragile and declining housing market, I won't be buying a different home any time soon. I want to make the most of the property I've got. I want to turn it into the most efficient, self-sustaining and worry-free space I possibly can.

Gray water: from the washer to the garden

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:18:28 -0700

With help from the Greywater Guerrillas, our new sustainable home improvement columnist sets out to recycle, recycle, recycle.

I was never more excited to do laundry, and it wasn't because my son and I were running out of clean underwear. I had just installed a system to divert gray water from my washing machine to my xeriscaped frontyard, and I was anxious about whether the $312 and two days I'd spent installing it would pay off.

iPhone app measures your car's global footprint

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 13:54:06 -0700

Up to Speed blog: The tool computes a vehicle's real-time fuel consumption, helping a driver adapt his or her style to become more economical and more eco-friendly (by creating fewer emissions).

Vintage fabric as eco-friendly fashion

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:27:10 -0700

Retro purses made from vintage car upholstery fabric are cool and green!

Kim White found a way to make some green by sewing green; use vintage car upholstery fabric that was just sitting in a warehouse. White bought the entire warehouse, which was full of unused fabric from the 70's and 80's. What was made to sit on years ago now fits neatly under your arm...as a handbag. KTLA's Asha Blake reports.

Enjoy a Beautiful Garden and Use Less Water

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

How would you like to save the Earth, save on your water bill and still have a fabulous garden?

Gas prices nudge Southern California drivers onto mass transit -- slowly

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The car habit dies hard, but observers notice train parking lots filling faster and more professionals packing seats for the ride to and from work.

She thought about it for four years. She wanted to try it, but kept balking.