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Responsible Firewood

Monday was the start back to school here in Pennsylvania, and the date seemed to bring with it the first signs of fall. Only the week before, the temperature and the humidity was high enough conditioning and shorts. Today I am dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans and had to close the windows because our heat-adapted bodies aren’t used to temperatures in the low 70s. The temperatures remind me that it won’t be long now before we will be firing up the wood burning fireplace. We’ll have to split and put up some wood for the winter to ensure that … Continue reading →

Age Appropriate Chores in Different Eras

On my daughter’s bedroom wall, there is a list. I like to have a can-do attitude about things, so instead of having a list of the chores that she must do, there’s a list of things that she’s able to do. It includes items like “brush teeth and comb hair,” “pick out clothes,” and “make bed”. My daughter can also set the table for dinner, and apparently she can remove everything from her school bag and sort it, although this skill seems to be one we need to work on! While I like to think of my daughter as a … Continue reading →

Getting Stuff without “Consuming” It

One of the dilemmas we face in our efforts to live responsibly is what to do about purchasing things that we seem to need. We own a home on two acres of what is mostly wooded property, and even that needs to be maintained. For example, we currently have two trees in our front yard that have fallen, and another that is leaning precariously. They need to be cut and removed, for safety reasons, if for nothing else. Power tools are required. Here is a recent want. I have been establishing a healthier lifestyle for myself, and have been working … Continue reading →

Home Energy Audit

Today, we had a contractor come by to discuss getting a home energy audit. There are different types of home energy audits, and this one is going to be a doozy. You can get usually get a free home energy audit from your local power company. They will send someone over to evaluate common issues with energy efficiency, such as drafty windows, doors with gaps, etc. Most of these items you can catch yourself with a careful eye. Then then there is the really serious home energy audit, which costs around $500. State of the art equipment is used to … Continue reading →

Greening an Older or Historic Home

When we hear about great advances in green living related to homes, it all has to do with new home design and new home construction. Green materials and advanced heating, cooling and energy systems can make it easy to live a green eco-friendly life at home. But the question is, what if you have an older home, one that you either can’t or don’t want to modernize to meet green living standards? Are you left with making the choice between living less responsibly or moving? Actually, no. There are several ways that you can preserve your older home’s integrity without … Continue reading →