Yikes! After we got our last SCE&G bill, our biggest ever, we realized action was needed. If they were going to keep raising the rates, we needed to crank-up the conservation. In the past we’ve measured our usage with a Kill-a-Watt meter, looked into solar hot water, bought LED lights, installed CFLs, but now it was [...]

At this month’s Green Drinks Charleston gathering, the topic at hand will be energy efficient mortgages. Daniel Island Realty has become Charleston’s first myEnergyLoan provider, and Jeff Cole and Gary Harwyn will be on hand to speak to their benefits.  Energy efficient mortgages sound interesting, as they help bundle in sustainable add-ons to the home during [...]

After years of guilt and frustration from using old school incandescent Christmas lights, I finally broke down and bought a set of LED lights for our tree. LED lights use 90% less energy than traditional bulbs, burn safer by producing less heat, and last for years instead of months. Having voluntarily made the switch, I [...]

I recently saw that Charleston Style & Design Magazine will be coordinating the building of a Green Idea Home at Battery Island Row. This event will bring together sustainability experts from the Charleston-area to show off their game and demonstrate the latest green offerings. Cool! This should be an interesting venue for our local green [...]

Every day, I look for new ways to reduce my impact on this planet.  I loved Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff the first time I watched it, and I believe this is going to be one of our culture’s toughest challenges as we move towards a sustainable future. One of the biggest uses of [...]

My goal to go emissions-free in my yard was put on hold this summer when I decided not to purchase that reel mower I had my eye on. I did, however, go through with my plans to seek an alternative to my loud, gas-fueled weed eater. It’s now August, so I’m calling it – my [...]

OK, It seams like these high gas prices are here to stay. Earlier this month, they finally crossed the $4 mark here in Charleston. While this is bad news for our wallets, it’s good news for the environment. People are driving less, using public transportation more, and buying cars with more efficient engines. Overall, our [...]

OK, so it got pummeled by golfball-sized hail, but my Prius is truly a cool piece of technology. The greenie in me loves the high-mileage low-impact stats, but the geek in me loves the intricate hybrid power system. Learning to trick out my foot to maximize mpg is just the start of it. I’m already [...]

When it comes to going green, our family’s mantra has always been “Do What We Can, When We Can.” To that end, a couple weeks ago the stars aligned and guided a 2008 Toyata Prius into our lives. We couldn’t be happier. Over the last few years, I’ve spoken with many Prius owners about the [...]

One of our many goals around the house this year is to reduce the amount of electricity we use. We actually notice a difference in our bill when we’re vigilant about turning off the entertainment center’s power strip, but we’re sure there’s hidden power hogs elsewhere in the house. That’s where our newly acquired Kill [...]

From 8-9 p.m. tonight, the Eastern Time Zone will be celebrating Earth Hour, a world wide conservation effort. Even those these ideas are kind of gimmicky, they do generate a lot of positive awareness. Australia has already gone dark, and we’ll get our chance tonight. Even Google has their lights turned off today. So if [...]

More news on the solar front: The Sustainability Institute is hosting a free solar energy workshop. Oddly there’s no infocon their website, but Bethany says: On March 13th, 2008, from 6-8 p.m., The Sustainability Institute will host a solar energy workshop free to the general public. A special guest from Argand Energy Solutions will spearhead [...]

While SC creeps along with net-metering, I thought I’d take a look at a solar technology that has positive economics today: solar hot water. Hot water heaters consume a large share of our household juice each year, so cutting the cord can have a real impact. I contacted Solar Hot Water Works (part of Elemental [...]

Despite the dreary weather last night, about 25 of us made it to the Charleston Alternative Energy Meetup at Huger’s Restaurant. These monthly meetings are hosted by local greenlebrity Ian Sanchez, and bring together a wide range of people interested in biodiesel, solar, wind, wave, and nuclear energy. The meeting kicked off with a 30-minute [...]

Last week, Melanie sent me a link to Santee Cooper Green, the state-owned energy company‘s environmental portal. They generate and provide electricity to Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry county residents, as well as 20 electric co-ops around the state. In fact, they provide the juice to 41% of South Carolina – a statistic that makes anything [...]

It’s no secret that munching on locally grown food can greatly reduce your impact on the environment. The average U.S. meal travels 1500 miles from source to plate, which causes an unnecessarily large carbon footprint because of all the transportation. Every time you buy something grown in the Charleston-area, you are choosing to eliminate your [...]

When I wrote about road trip recycling and other things last week, I forgot to mention that I finally purchased some carbon offsets for my vehicle. We’ve made major efforts to green up our summer traveling (recycling, cruise control, slower speeds, tire pressure, filling up at night, etc.), so offsetting our vehicle’s carbon emissions was [...]

On my recent road trip, I spent some time in Northern Indiana. Amish communities dot every county, so examples of sustainability where everywhere. This time I really noticed all the recumbent bikes…they seemed to be everywhere. I also liked the road side pool/pond we drove by, complete with concrete deck, diving boards, and slides. Good [...]

Hey, thanks for participating in the first Go Green Poll! At the time of this post, there are 44 votes – more than I anticipated to be honest. I’m glad the count is high, as I hope to use this tool for serious litmus testing later on. Anyhoo, here’s that first poll: Looks like we’re [...]