Category Archive Sustainable Living

How to Get the Most Eco Friendly Air Con

ByGroovy Green May 26, 2023

These days with the constant use of air conditioning and heating, we may want to make sure we use the air con in an eco-friendly way. This not only helps to save our precious resources; it also saves on running costs and will preserve the life of your air conditioning unit. Most people consider keeping the filters clean sufficient, but there is much more you can do to help the planet that requires little effort.

  • If you are getting a split system, ensure it’s an inverter. These have variable speeds, so rather than switching the compressor on and off constantly; they reduce its speed automatically to match demand. This results in less power use and less wear the tear on the compressor.
  • Evaporative air conditioning are one of the most eco-friendly cooling options. They utilize a natural process and lack harmful artificial refrigerants. Additionally, they constantly circulate entirely fresh, cooled air within your home.
  • Before purchasing an air con, ensure it is the right size. If you get one too big for the area to be cooled, it will constantly turn on and off, which costs more to run. If it is too small, you won’t be as cool, and the unit will always work harder to cool the area. This will make it wear out much more quickly.
  • A licensed electrician and authorised air conditioner installer will know how to estimate your heat load and tell you what size unit would be best.
  • Look at the energy rating labels on the air con before you choose what to get. The blue band is for cool air, and the red band is for heat. In some cases, there is another short band above the bottom one that also contains stars. If they are solid in this area, air con is super efficient. 7 to 10 stars is good for efficiency and so sustainability.

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10 Innovative Uses Of Solar Energy In Your Home

ByGroovy Green Apr 5, 2023

Solar energy, including solar panels,  has become a hot topic for good reasons. Not only is it a renewable energy source, but it also helps homeowners save money on their energy bills. With the rise of innovative technology and smart home automation, homeowners can use the solar energy they have saved from investing in a solar energy system from a professional solar panel company. In this blog post, we explore ten innovative uses of solar energy at home that can help save money and reduce your carbon footprint.

Solar Panels: This is the best-known and most popular choice for homeowners using solar energy to power their homes. They convert sunlight into electricity, which is then used to power your home. Solar panels are an excellent investment for homeowners who live in areas with plenty of sunlight, as they can help you save considerable money on your electricity bills over time.

Solar Water Heaters: Solar water heaters use the sun’s energy to heat water for your home. They are ideal for families that use a lot of hot water, as they can help reduce heating costs.

Solar-Powered Lights: Solar-powered lights are inexpensive and an excellent option for those who want to light up their outdoor spaces without using electricity from the grid. They work by absorbing sunlight during the day and then using that energy to power the lights at night.

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5 Great Outdoor Lighting Ideas For Your Concrete Swimming Pool

ByGroovy Green May 23, 2021

One of the great things about having a concrete pool on your property is that you have an almost unlimited choice of how to design it and the surrounding area with your pool designers. Not only does it add value to your property but the way in which the aesthetics of your property can be enhanced by a concrete pool is incredible

An option for enhancing it further is with the use of outdoor lighting, which can turn what might look like a pleasant and attractive pool area during the day, into a stunningly beautiful location at night. To get the wheels turning in your mind in terms of ideas, here are 5 of our favourite options for outdoor lighting for pools.

Underwater Lights

This is one of our favourites as nothing makes a pool more appealing for a swim at night than the lights that are underwater. Not only can they make a pool look stunning, especially if they are coloured lights, but they perform a more practical function in terms of making the pool safer. With the water lit from underneath it is easier to see that someone is in the pool especially if the surrounding light is not particularly bright.

Spotlights

These are great when you want specific features in and around the outside of your property to be highlighted at night. You may have a tree, certain flowers, or it could be some items of the garden and poolside furniture that you want to shine a light on. If you install some adjustable spotlights they can be positioned to shine on the pool when it is being used, and again the use of coloured lighting will enhance the atmosphere.

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Why Green Cleaning Might be Right for You

ByGroovy Green Jan 30, 2020

We’re all guilty of making poor purchasing decisions because we’re short on time. We buy takeaways when there’s no time for dinner, and we take the car instead of walking to get where we need to be a little quicker. We also might choose a toxic oven cleaner over a green, sustainable cleaning product because we believe it will work in far less time than one we make ourselves.

No one’s perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a few subtle changes that can have surprising benefits. Read on to learn why green cleaning might be for you.

There are Fewer Chemicals in Your Home

According to Office Cleaning Services experts, welcoming more sustainable and eco-friendly cleaning products into your home ultimately means that you will have fewer chemicals in your home – and that has to be a good thing. You don’t have to worry about getting chemicals on your skin, breathing them in, or even touching them. You’ll be amazed at the peace of mind that can offer, which is one of many reasons why green cleaning might be for you.

Better for Your Health

Not breathing in chemicals while you clean your home is a pretty decent reason why green cleaning might be for you. Studies have shown that the asthma risk in your household can increase if you use a household cleaning spray a minimum of once per week. Green products can ultimately even out or decrease that risk.

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What to Use Instead of Plastic?

ByGroovy Green Jan 9, 2020

In recent years, the world has done a complete 360-degree turn on plastic use. Instead of it being the most versatile and convenient option around according to its users – it has become the most burdensome for the planet and a thorn for sustainability.

Because most of this generation has grown up with plastic products, it can be hard to flick that switch off right away to focus on sustainable, eco-friendly materials. Some people may not even know what they can use instead. So, what can replace plastic in your everyday life? Read on to find out.

Single-Use Servingware

When you are playing host at a barbecue or community event, it can be hard to find serving ware that’s both convenient and safe for the environment. While you could encourage people to bring their own plates and cutlery, it’s just not practical. Sometimes, plastic seems like the only way. But it’s not.

Instead of plastic cutlery and plates, which will end up in the rubbish bin within minutes of its one-time use, you can use wood or bamboo. There is now a myriad of different eco-friendly serving ware options. While they, too, can be single-use, they break down in the environment and release nutrients into the soil. You can’t say the same about plastic.

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Fun Themes to Try in Your Landscape Design

ByGroovy Green Sep 26, 2019

If you’ve been thumbing through the pages of a home and landscape design magazine, you’ll quickly learn that there can be a lot more to the process than you might have first thought. While you can have a few ideas and designs in mind, the best landscape design is one with a theme. But what theme is going to work for you? Here are a few fun options to show your landscape expert before you begin.

An English Country Cottage

While many parts of Australia are far too hot to really pull off an English cottage look, some boast the perfect conditions. Talk to your local landscape expert about the best flowers to offer premium ground cover and colour.

It also helps if you have the basis for that cottage appeal, such as a country-style home, rolling lawns, and shady trees. Your landscaper can then work their magic with a pond or waterfall renovation and dozens of beautiful cottage flowers to complete the look.

Cool, Calm, and Collected

If you want your garden to be a reflection of your ‘cool, calm, and collected’ personality, then maybe a touch of European in your landscape design is the answer. Europeans love their hedges to be meticulously pruned and maintained with straight lines and dense bush.

European yards also have spacious courtyards with minimal hassle or fuss, a feature fountain, and resting areas. Talk to your local landscaper to see what they can do for you.

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6 Sustainable Packaging Mistakes Made by Many Businesses

ByGroovy Green Jan 21, 2018

Most businesses understand that when they send freight, the more sustainable the packaging, the less it will cost them both for the transport company costs and the costs of purchasing the packaging. Many types of packaging have a reason for their use and existence. Companies try to keep their goods in top shape and packaging can help with this.

However, most people are aware that it is often a marketing ploy alone that dictates the type of packaging.

  • One ‘mistake’ that most companies make on purpose is using a bottle or package that is much larger than needed for what it contains. We’ve all seen vitamin and other pills in large bottles that are only filled to two thirds capacity. The reason for this is to make the product more visible on the shelf and to make the customer think they are getting a lot for the cost of the product.
  • Things like cereal come in two packets. One to keep it fresh and the other to prevent the contents being crushed in transit and handling. While the amount in the packet goes nowhere near to filling it, companies cite the contents ‘may’ have become more compacted during transport. In fact, they too, want their product to take up a large amount of shelf space in the shop so it is highly visible – and they also like it if the customer believes they are getting more than is actually in the packet.

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4 Easy Ways to Incorporate Sustainability in Building

ByGroovy Green Sep 13, 2017

No matter whether you are a sole trader, a larger building company there are good reasons to add sustainability practices to your business strategies – and easy ways to do it. Being environmentally friendly has become fashionable and for good reason. It not only saves you on costs, but it can give your business an edge over the competition if you offer people sustainable building advice.

Here are 5 easy ways to implement sustainability –

  • When ordering building supplies, if you don’t deal in bulk supplies take care to order only what is needed, in timber especially. If you do happen to run out you can save by profiting from other builders who order too much and end up dumping it in landfill or giving it to the recycling centre where they could make recycled furniture or save them time and the effort of on-selling it.  There is a great deal of new timber that finds its way into landfill, which is a shocking waste of a resource that takes years to be ready for cutting.
  • Suggest your clients salvage such things as windows, doors, tiles and other materials from the recycling plant. They – and you – can save  quite a bit doing this where you couldn’t really do it on their behalf unless they asked you to. They would need to choose the patterns and colours of the tiles, anyway.

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How To Be Eco Friendly In The Office

ByGroovy Green Jan 12, 2017

These days, with just a little bit of effort, everything we do can be eco friendly to some extent, whether it is at home, or at a home or work office. You may have set up business as a digital marketing agency such as Slinky Digital and work on your computer all day long. If everyone does something to reduce their carbon footprint, the result will be incredible and our precious resources will last a lot longer.

If you have a computer, you will most likely also have a printer. Not all printers are efficient, but laser printers can be said to be better than inkjet printers because the ink will not smudge if it gets wet. So when you print out a sheet, you won’t have to reprint it due to any smudges, thus saving ink. And you can usually print more with one toner cartridge than one container of ink.

Another way to ensure your printer is eco friendly is to purchase one that spits out those pages quickly. All printers use power while they are printing; if a printer takes 30 or even 10 seconds to print one page of type, it will take a lot longer and so use more power than one that can print a page in 1 or 2 seconds. So it’s important to look at the specifications of a printer before you purchase it.

So look at the pages per minute the printer will do, but also look at what other features it has that you may need. Having a printer that can hold 250 pages is a lot more convenient than one which can only hold 10 pages.

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How to Have an Environmentally Friendly Holiday

ByGroovy Green Dec 27, 2016

According to villa booking experts Easy Bali Villas when you book one of the many villas in Bali for your holiday, you may not think about being environmentally friendly, but sustainable living should be done in every country, not just the one you live in. Many people don’t consider it necessary to practice sustainability when they go overseas, but it is still just as important and can save you money as well.

So just how can you be environmentally friendly while on holidays? There are plenty of opportunities.

  • Don’t scatter your rubbish around. Instead, look for a bin, even if it is out of your way. If there are none in sight, keep your rubbish and dispose of it in a bin at your accommodation.
  • If you are purchasing gifts to take home, make them environmentally friendly choices. They should have been make in a sustainable way and be useful, rather than junk that will end up in the bin.
  • Purchase goods made locally and this includes food. Local products have not had to be shipped to Bali, so they have a smaller carbon footprint. Besides, Bali has some of the best food ever.
  • Don’t use expensive, glossy wrapping paper for your gifts as much ends up in landfill. Instead, place the gift in a nice bag that can be reused and recycled.
  • Purchase only one gift per person. Let’s face it, our kids get many presents; they don’t need to be inundated with more just because you took them on holiday. Consider the holiday itself as their gift.
  • Rather than buying a heap of cards to send back home, send digital ones. If you don’t want to go digital, use cards made with recycled paper.

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