Green Living Archives - Page 3 of 12

How to make your Business “Green”

In today’s busy marketplace, going green can have more impact than ever before, and not just environmentally. As markets and niches are becoming more diluted with competition, going green can help small businesses stand out from the crowd. If you don’t have the capital or you aren’t the owner of the business – going green doesn’t necessarily have to be a costly investment.

As a start, consider making these easy-to-do changes:

– Replace light bulbs with energy efficient ones.
– If it’s comfortable outside and appropriate, let the wind be the air conditioner
– Choose to clean with greener products, as an alternative to harsh chemicals
– Re-claim furniture and fixtures, a little TLC can go a long way!
– Consider placing plants around the business, or making a “living wall”
– Use recycled material for bags and receipts and/or make them optional
– Buy energy efficient equipment
– Follow the rule of – turn it down, turn it off.
– Cut extra packaging out

Forget ‘Smart Homes’-You Need a ‘Smart Office’

Smart homes are all the rage these days. You can control your home’s temperature, lighting, and even monitor it remotely. So this brings up the question-why does your office get left behind? The answer is that this doesn’t need to be the case. Using this technology for your office instead to create a ‘smart office’ can lower your stress and really save you time and money to boot. Here are a few ideas to achieve a smart office and how it can help you in the long run.

Smart Lights

Energy management is a huge thing these days and saving on electricity costs through lights is a great way to get it done. Smart lights have the ability to change lighting conditions based on what’s currently happening in the building. If there’s no one there then they will shut off. If someone is walking along a hallway when it’s dark, the lights can shut on and off in sequences as they move along the hallway so it uses only the light that you really need.

How to set up a Roof Garden

As more and more people reside in tighter living spaces, and available land to build on becomes scarcer, increasing numbers of people choose to create a roof garden to provide them with some garden space. If the idea of having a roof garden appeals, then read on to find out all you need to know.

Why have a roof garden?

Even if you don’t have the space to own a conventional garden, a roof garden has tons of appeal in itself. In many cities, where living space is tight, roof gardens are highly sought-after and can add value to the price of your property.

High up from the ground and away from the noise of traffic, a roof garden can be an idyllic oasis, providing stretching vistas and intriguing skylines.

As well as being good for the environment, this garden in the sky has other benefits too. It has been suggested that a roof garden acts as natural insulation, which can reduce your heating and cooling costs.

If there is a storm, a roof garden can decrease water runoff as much of the water is captured by the plants. Even in far-away Eastern European countries like Belarus, with all its traditions and rituals, roof gardens have become a very common and popular sight.

Some experts believe that a roof garden can increase the life expectancy of your roof, as the garden protects it from fluctuations in weather and temperatures. It may even lower the risk of fire.

How to create a roof garden

So how do you go about creating a roof garden? There are lots of things to consider, and many aspects will depend on the type of roof you’ve got and the size.