Carnival of the Green #174!
Step right up friends! I come before you this fine day with an idea. A way of summarizing some of the best green blog posts of the past week for easy consumption by young and old alike. I call it the Carnival of the Green, and by gum, it's really taking off! Blog carnivals have helped put cities like Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook on the map! Why, just last week they had a great big carnival over at Eco Joe's and next week, the carnival's demisemiseptcentennial will be celebreated at Green Living Online.
And now, without further ado, I bring you the 174th Carnival of the Green:
To kick things off, David Shiffman of Southern Fried Science makes the link between the decline of shark populations and global warming in his post Sharks and global warming?
From the very large, to the very small, all creatures play an important role on this blue marble we call earth. GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life says Let's Give Three Bronx Cheers for Bumblebees!
Over at Eco Empress, the empress looks at a subject near and dear to my heart in her post Eco Living Vs. Saving Money.
As much as I'm committed to the idea of frugal green living, I must admit that Jill at The Barefoot Badger makes a good point regarding An environmental tax to reveal a product’s true cost?
This month ooffoo is hosting a debate on whether we need nuclear energy… Right now the vote is almost 50/50, and the cases for and against are coming in thick and fast.
On a practical note in these recessionary times, Condo Blues presents How to Make Powdered High Efficiency Laundry Detergent at the site of the same name.
Once you're done washing, what the most eco-friendly way of drying your duds? Heather Levin shows us the way in her post on How To Line Dry Your Clothes.
Michelle at A House Called Nut takes off-grid living a step further and explains her experience when she discovers, We have a composting toilet.
Beth Terry over at Fake Plastic Fish confronts waste of another sort, swag bags, in her post How Many Environmentalists Does It Take to Spoil the Party?
Speaking of plastic, Chris Baskind of Lighter Footsteps asks Aquafina’s New Eco-Fina Bottle: Greenwash or Progress?
Come along with Sally from Veggie Revolution on her visit with green designers Jim and Kathleen as they put the finishing touches on one of their remarkable houses. Lots of pics in this post, I visited the builders of SunGarden Houses, lovely passive-solar homes.
When it comes to a home's effect on the environment, size matters. Silicon Valley Blogger presents Living In A Small Home: Pros and Cons of Downsizing Our House posted at The Digerati Life.
And what's a home without a garden? Neighbor Nancy presents Gardeners: What To Plant Now posted at Recession Depression Therapy.
Lynn Miller, Founder of the Green Moms Carnival, sent us a link to a well researched OrganicMania.com post where she describes the concerns many parents have about the potential consequences of long term exposure to chemicals in our everyday products: It May Be April Fool’s Day, But Toxins in Baby Bath are No Joke.
Head on over to My Recycled Bags to learn how to turn your old media into new accessories: Cassette Tape Clam Shell Clutch.
Myscha Theriault shows us how to bring the country to the city in Urban Green: Loving the Planet While Living in the Big City posted at Wise Bread.
Finally, find out how you can Nourish Your Skin Organically at Free Organic News.
That's it for me, thanks for visiting and be sure to check out next's week's Carnival of the Green at Green Living Online. Toodles!
TwoFlush Dual Flush Retrofit kit by Aquanotion
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[Here's a guest review from my brother Andrew Davidson]:
The TwoFlush from Aquanotion is a dual flush conversion kit for standard North-American style toilets. It can potentially save hundreds of liters of water by providing a choice between a full flush and a low-flow option every time you flush. TwoFlush is a Canadian company based in High River (just south of Calgary), Alberta, Canada.
First some toilet history. Back in the good ol' days toilets used 20L (5 gal.) per flush, then, for a time, "low flush" 13L (3.5 gal.) became the North American standard. Today a new toilet must flush with 6L (1.6 gal.), we are now in the ultra-low flush era. The TwoFlush can be installed on any of these toilets - the full flush will remain the original capacity of the toilet, and the half flush can be adjusted to ensure that the bowl is cleared. If you have an older toilet with a larger tank, the TwoFlush will reduce your water usage without the need to replace the toilet, but to save the most water, you still have to replace your toilet with a new 6L/3L dual flush model.
The TwoFlush kit replaces some of the parts in your toilet tank, including the flapper valve and flush handle. The basic parts of the TwoFlush are the valve tower:
and the handle assembly. Note the two nested handles, the smaller one for a half-flush and the larger one (which also rotates the smaller one) for a full flush:
Also included are instructions, a large foam ring (for sealing between the tank and bowl) and some adapters so that the handle fits in different sized holes depending on the handle hole on your tank. What is recommended, and not included are new brass tank tie-down bolts -- it seems like these should be included, but they can be easily picked up at any hardware store for a couple of dollars.
Installation requires complete removal of the tank from the bowl, replacement of the flapper valve, and handle assembly, and re-installation of the toilet tank. This is more than a simple flapper valve replacement, but less than installing a new toilet.
Here's a picture of the top of my toilet tank with the old flapper valve and handle. Unfortunately my tank does not have a flat front (see how it curves in just to the right of the handle and then back out further to the right), and is not compatible with the TwoFlush!
The TwoFlush requires that your toilet tank have a flat front, which is unfortunately not listed as a requirement in the FAQ on the TwoFlush website, but is mentioned in the included instructions. The other requirements are that your toilet handle be in the left upper corner of the front of the tank, and that the tank dimensions be at least 13" tall, 16" wide and 6" deep, and that the toilet be a two-piece model (i.e. separable bowl and tank).
It's too bad I haven't been able to install the TwoFlush on the most used toilet in my home but I may have more success putting it downstairs. For upstairs perhaps I should consider another TwoFlush product, the Class-on dual flush 9L/3.8L replacement tank, which replaces the entire tank:
[Thanks for that review Andrew - I'll post an update when he finally gets this thing installed]
How do you save water in the bathroom? let us know in the comments!
Selling Some Reviewed Products on eBay
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I'm selling some products we've reviewed here in the past on eBay in order to lighten the load a bit before my big move. Bid early, bid often.
Daily Update: Wind Down in the Backyard
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GreenDeals Weekly?
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Okay okay, I’ve been incredibly lax in updating the site for the last month or so and I’d just like to take a minute to explain what’s been going on. Since the start I’ve been running GDD from Baton Rouge, Louisiana while my wife finishes her masters at LSU. I’m happy to say she’s successfully completed her degree requirements now and we’re heading back to our native Canada soon. For the past month or so I’ve been busy with job applications and interviews which is why the site has gotten so little attention. Now that I’ve secured a great internship in Toronto I’m busy packing and moving. While I’m happy with the way things are shaping up, it will mean fewer updates in the short term (while I pack and move) as well as the longer term (when I’m working a full-time job).
So, don’t expect too many GreenDeals or product reviews in the coming weeks - I’ll do my best but odds are I won’t get a lot done. I’m going to try to push out some reviews I’ve been sitting on before the move and I may try to find some help to keep things more consistent in the future. Drop me a line if you’re interested in writing product reviews for GreenDeals Daily - you’ll get a chance to try (and often keep) some of the latest eco-friendly products while helping our readers decide which are worth buying.
Thanks for sticking with us through this transitional phase - and don’t forget to continue to share and vote on new GreenDeals while I get my act together.
Green DVD Club Manages to Entertain as it Inspires and Educates
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Earth Cinema Circle is a new DVD club that sends out a bi-monthly green themed DVD. Each disc comes packed with some of the most compelling films selected from among hundreds originally screened at environmental film festivals around the world.
No Gloom and Doom Here
Each DVD includes four fun and inspiring films introduced by eco-star Ed Begley Jr. The March/April edition spanned over three hours and included the feature-length Garbage Warrior chronicling the quirky Micheal Reynolds who creates earthship homes out of garbage that are entirely self-sufficient. Also included on the disc were three shorter selections ranging in topic from flip flop recycling to the incredible ecology of an African fig tree.
Some environmental films can be too heavy-handed, pessimistic or worst of all, boring. I was happily surprised to be entertained from start to finish by this wonderful collection. I'm not even normally a huge nature film buff but I can honestly say the incredibly complex and interconnected life of the fig tree had me riveted from start to finish.
Reel Green
In order to live up to the high environmental standards set by these excellent films, ECC has taken steps to ensure their packaging and carbon footprint are as green as possible. The liner notes, envelope and DVD case are all made from 100% recycled fiber, contain no plastic and are printed with soy-based inks. Additionally, Earth Cinema Circle puts a percentage of membership fees toward Conservation Fund's Go Zero tree planting carbon offset program.
A Great Green DVD Deal
Joining the Earth Cinema Circle will set you back about $23 including shipping per DVD. When you sign up you'll begin receiving, and being charged for, one disc every two months. Best of all, there's no commitment and you can cancel at any time.
With Earth Day coming up, a membership to Earth Cinema Circle would make a great gift for someone you're trying to nudge toward sustainability - or even a nice treat for yourself. I enjoyed my review copy of this month's disc so much that I think I'll go ahead and sign myself up for a paid membership. Here's how I rated them:
What are your favorite eco-friendly films of all time? Let us know in the comments!
Daily Update: Earth Day Doo-Dads
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Daily Update: You LED Up My Life
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GT's Synergy Organic & Raw Kombucha
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I'm finally doing this review in part to assuage my guilt. GT's was one of the first companies kind enough to send me product for review and in return for their kindness I mistakenly left an entire case of their Kombucha out for several months to spoil. I felt doubly guilty when I went to Whole Foods to pick up a bottle of their Gingerberry flavor to review and saw how expensive it is, $4 a bottle! Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that claims to detoxify the liver, increase blood flow to the brain, stimulate the immune system and even cause mild euphoria. This may be explained in part thanks to the trace amounts of alcohol and caffeine in the brew.
After spending more than I really think any (mostly) non-alcoholic beverage should cost, my wife and I cracked the bottle. Now I know this stuff has health properties verging on the mystical, and I know a legion of kombucha devotees will come down hard on me in the comments but this stuff tastes pretty darned bad. That said, I'll admit that while there's nothing appetizing sounding about a fizzy drink with an odor reminiscent of feet and a flavor approaching salad dressing, I can see how it could be an oddly addictive acquired taste for some. Tina Fey provides a great description here about four minutes in:
GT's Kombucha is organic, which scores it some green points, and it may be worth a try for those brave souls who just aren't satisfied with mainstream beverage choices. Those with a thirst for adventure and a reduced carbon footprint can even make kombucha at home - but I'll be sticking with my un-fermented iced tea for the time being. Here's how I rated the funky elixir:
Have you tried kombucha? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
Daily Update: Vote on Your Fav Green Amazon Products with 'Green 3'
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Today's Featured GreenDeal:
Save on Green Goods with Amazon's Social Shopping Site Green 3
Yesterday's Best GreenDeals:
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