LED is a term that’s been trending in the lighting world. But what does it actually mean and how great are the savings – in terms of electricity bills and the environment – in terms we can understand? Regal Lighting has tried to help educate homeowners on the benefits of LEDs and provided a list of helpful questions and thorough answers. Read the piece “8 LED Lighting Questions Answered” to learn more about LED.

Kate is an integral part of the casaGURU team. She edits content and assists both homeowners and home professionals in getting set up within the casaGURU community. She leads a green and environmentally conscious lifestyle, which is why she's keen to find new Green, Gardening, or Outdoor Living tips. If you are too, add Kate as a friend and write on her wall.

Consciously opting for natural materials and products can reach every end of your home, including your bathroom. Check out "Beautiful Bath Mat Gallery" which highlights 4 bath mat options including cork and bamboo.

Interested in learning more about energy efficient lighting options? Then “Lowe’s Guide to Energy-Efficient Lighting Design” is a great read for you!

Kate is an integral part of the casaGURU team. She edits content and assists both homeowners and home professionals in getting set up within the casaGURU community. She leads a green and environmentally conscious lifestyle, which is why she's keen to find new Green, Gardening, or Outdoor Living tips. If you are too, add Kate as a friend and write on her wall.

The world’s water supply is speedily depleting and Canada is largely responsible by being one of the biggest consumers of water second only to the United States. We can’t keep idle and continue to run our taps recklessly. Canadians must start to seek solutions to conserve water.

Facts on Canadian Water Consumption to Spur you into Action:

• Canada is the second biggest water consumer in the world.
• Canada’s water consumption per capita is 65% above the world average
• Though 80% of the earth’s surface is covered in water, 97% of that is salt water, 2% is glacial ice, leaving only 1% that is fresh water.
• On average, a family of four uses 240,000 litres of water each year.
• More than half of the water used in a home is to shower, bathe and to do the laundry.
• Nearly a third of the water in a home is being used to flush the toilet.
• A mere 10% of a home’s water supply is used in the kitchen and as drinking water.
• Even the smallest drip from a leaky faucet or pipe can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.
• The human body is composed of 70% water.
• A human cannot survive more than one week without water.

One way to help combat water waste is the installation of a greywater recycling system. One such system from a company called Brac Systems is highlighted in the article “Conserve Water with Greywater Treatment Systems”. These systems can reduce your rapid water consumption by up to 30%! Now that’s worth checking out.

Kate is an integral part of the casaGURU team. She edits content and assists both homeowners and home professionals in getting set up within the casaGURU community. She leads a green and environmentally conscious lifestyle, which is why she's keen to find new Green, Gardening, or Outdoor Living tips. If you are too, add Kate as a friend and write on her wall.

A great way to combine green living with home décor is to decorate with environmentally friendly furnishings or accessories. One of my favourite home decor “trends” is furniture created from salvaged wood where the grains, knots, shapes and imperfections of the tree are kept intact and highlighted.

A lovely large wood table from a large slab of reclaimed wood and stools made from logs make excellent eco-friendly furnishings. Many of the companies I’ve come across sound very passionate about their craft and commitment to being green, local, and sustainable.

In the piece “Welcome Recycled Wood Furniture into Your Home”, there are four furniture design companies profiled which exemplify this green passion (three Canadian and one from California).

Do you know of other home décor or design companies doing their part to be green by focusing on recycled, reclaimed or salvaged materials from sustainable and local sources? If so, let me know! Friend me and leave me a message.

Emer is a web editor and writer for casaGURU who always has her eye out for fun home furnishings, accessories, products, trends, and tips. If you have ideas for me, find my profile, be my friend, and write on my wall.

I’m always on the lookout for new ways to be green. I find it’s especially important within the home. That’s why I'm a big fan of DIY household cleaners. When I make them myself I know exactly what is being used to clean my home surfaces. This way I can better control my family's indoor air quality. I feel good knowing that I’m using eco-friendly products… plus green cleaners are more cost-effective. There are a lot of homemade cleaning recipes out there, and a particularly helpful bunch in the article “Be Green and Save Green with DIY Household Cleaners.”

Kate is an integral part of the casaGURU team. She edits content and assists both homeowners and home professionals in getting set up within the casaGURU community. She leads a green and environmentally conscious lifestyle, which is why she's keen to find new Green, Gardening, or Outdoor Living tips. If you are too, add Kate as a friend and write on her wall.

We found a fabulous light bulb that fulfills the following:

• Our conscious: it saves energy so it’s better for the environment
• Our budget: it uses 80% less energy than the incandescent kind
• Our wallet: it lasts about 8 years, which translates into longer intervals between replacements
• Our aesthetic: it looks super cool!

What is it? It’s Plumen 001, the world’s first designer energy saving light bulb.

To find out more about this green interior lighting check out the photo gallery in the Green Living Community: "The World’s First Designer Energy Saving Light Bulb"

Kate is an integral part of the casaGURU team. She edits content and assists both homeowners and home professionals in getting set up within the casaGURU community. She leads a green and environmentally conscious lifestyle, which is why she's keen to find new Green, Gardening, or Outdoor Living tips. If you are too, add Kate as a friend and write on her wall.

casaGURU President, Carl Mascarenhas, wrote an informative article for a Mediaplanet Supplement in The National Post on “green” renovations. Entitled “What does ‘green’ really mean?”, Carl clarifies a number of "green" terms to help homeowners in the market for green-er home improvement materials, products and professionals make better choices when renovating.

Carl Helps Decipher Popular Green Terminology

• Sustainable
• Reclaimed
• Water saving
• Energy saving
• Energy efficient
• Low VOC
• Carbon neutral

Carl says that “second only to ‘organic’, ‘green’ is arguably the most used and least understood product label, especially in the home improvement industry.” It’s a word that’s thrown around as much as “light”, “lite”, and “low-fat” is on labels in the grocery store; similarly it’s overused and under-understood. However, don’t be discouraged. Carl insists that, though it can be confusing, “with the increasing number of earth-friendly material and product options and falling prices, we can all make ‘green-er’ choices when renovating.”

To learn more, read the full article, “What does ‘green’ really mean?”.
 

The countdown is on until the lights around the world are turned off this Saturday, March 28 at 8:30pm, for Earth Hour.

A total of 82 countries, included dear Oh Canada, and 2,140 cities, towns and municipalities have committed to a dark hour in efforts to combat global warming.

While this is no small feat, it is only 60 minutes. So does one take that idea and stretch it out over the other 8759 hours of the year? By looking into long-term ways to save energy.

• Check out this article, Curb Your Energy – Not Your Enthusiasm, which offers three useful energy conserving tips.
• Take the time to casaGURU TV’s segment with the Office of Energy Efficiency.
• And read this piece by Steve Maxwell, which gives insight on how innovations cut energy use and boosts the environment.