With the California summer dry season approaching, ensuring your landscaping is both fire wise and drought tolerant is a top priority. Here are some helpful tips and resources for reducing outdoor fire hazards and choosing fire-resistant plants th
Are you a homeowner looking to improve your home's energy efficiency and save money on utility bills? The Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) offers a range of services and incentives to help you achieve just that.
BayREN's Home+ program provid
Read more…Greenwashing” is when organizations advertise their products as being more environmentally friendly than they actually are. Some companies use misleading or outright false statements in their marketing to give consumers the impression that their prod
Read more…Photo: Pixabay, PoliDot
In celebration of World Bee Day (May 20) here are some fun facts about bees and bee products, easy and tasty recipes using honey, and how to safely coexist with bees.
Bee Facts
Much has been written about the wonders and b
Read more…Water is Valuable
This winter’s rain and snow have boosted California’s water supply, at least for now. But given our state’s history of volatile weather patterns, fluctuating from heavy rains to severe drought, water resilience and sustainability is
Read more…
Washing your hair and body can be a quick and functional endeavor or a luxurious, spa-like experience. To make sure bathing is as sustainable as possible, consider how you bathe, how long you bathe, how much water you use, how much energy you use to
The Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission is studying how we might adjust transportation to avoid the worst consequences of Bay Area traffic. In a recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle, the commission reports that traffic conges
Nearly Zero Energy Homes
It’s easy to be confused by the acronyms. Here is a partial list.
Author’s note: This article covers a sensitive topic and is intended to provide a thoughtful and forthright discussion on various options available for more sustainable funerals.
As much as we may accept that death is a natural part of life, the way
Read more…If you drive a fossil fuel burning vehicle and you're tired of forking over more of your hard-earned cash at the pump and concerned about the planet's air quality, then buckle up and adopt to these five easy steps to improve the fuel efficiency of y
Read more…
California’s recent rainstorms
From December 26 to January 17, the Bay Area and entire state of California have seen massive rains from 9 atmospheric rivers. These storms have resulted in at least 20 deaths, 30K+ evacuations, and cause
Read more…Photo by Jeremy Doddridge on Unsplash
Considering we spend about a third of our lives in bed, it makes sense to consider what we are sleeping on and how it affects our health and the planet. Most mattresses last between only seven and ten years and ac
Read more…In its original form, this article was posted on the Sense.com website.
Do you want chestnuts roasting on an open fire but not Jack Frost nipping at your nose? You can curl up with a book or a cup of hot chocolate with your significant others before
Read more…Do you have a new year’s resolution to reduce your waistline and/or carbon footprint? Are you looking for delicious, nutritious meals that are easy and efficient to make, contain ingredients you have on hand, and help reduce food waste? The good news
Read more…You may have seen warnings about PFAS in non-stick cookware, but that’s just the beginning. Let’s dive deeper into these nefarious chemicals that have been around since the 1940s. PFAS, which stand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-mad
Clothes are the first layer of insulation outside our skin. Clothes can keep us warm in the winter and (perhaps by removing them) cool in the summer. Some can be returned to the earth after their useful life is over to grow more carbon-sucking, oxyge
Haven't joined the Cleaner Contra Costa Challenge yet? Now is the time to get sustainable! This free website (available in both English and Spanish) provides a list of actionable steps you can take to save water, energy, waste and money. When we work
True or false: Air leaks are one of the largest sources of heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.
TRUE! Drafty doors and windows can make a home's heater and air conditioner work harder—using more energy than necessary and driving up
Read more…It's that time of year again - the air is getting chilly, leaves are turning red and gold and we just can’t seem to help ourselves from wanting to tidy up the garden at the end of the season—raking, mowing, and blowing away a bit of nature that is es
Read more…