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Courtesy Bosch

If you’re considering upgrading an old appliance, the chart above helps illustrate how much you might save with that new fridge, washer or dishwasher. It illustrates the energy costs of operating an appliance over its lifespan, comparing 1990 appliances to those built in 2008. Whizzy new features and new functions aside, the savings from utility bills alone should convince you to make the switch.

I found that buying a modern, front-loading washing machine saved me money in another way too: the steam setting refreshes and  removes wrinkles from fabrics. I haven’t visited a dry cleaner since the new washer was installed. (And thus I’ve avoided perc and other dry cleaning chemicals as well.) I’m dreaming of a new dishwasher since, while the one that was installed in my home isn’t decades old, it’s incredibly noisy!

Bosch has added some energy and water-saving features to their dishwashers. Their ECOACTION function allows you to select an energy reduction mode, reducing consumption up to an additional 25 per cent. The ECOSENSE Wash Management System evaluates the soil level in the water via an infrared light beam and customizes the wash cycle accordingly.

When looking for more sustainable appliances, ask about lifespan, maintenance options and warranties, and also ask about how the appliance can be recycled at end of life. Ask whether there’s an appliance recycling program in place, and consider whether the appliance’s components are made from metals that are lucrative to recycle (e.g., steel, copper and titanium).

What’s your take – do you think replacing an old appliance is an environmentally friendly move?

As we approach Earth Day 2011 (April 22, this Friday), according to a recent Leger Marketing survey of 1,047 Canadians (ages 18-64), “Although the vast majority of Canadians say they make environmentally friendly actions at home, most of them are not willing to pay, or pay more, to reduce their ecological footprint.” 29% of those surveyed said that product claims are “solely used for marketing purposes.”

Gee. Well I hope that stingy sentiment is more about tiresome greenwashing by companies trying to make a quick buck on our eco conscience than it is about feeling tired of trying to help out our earth. After all, doing good things for the environment has a lot to do with reducing, not buying more stuff.

The survey had lots of good news to report, however, such as, “Canadians believe in making environmentally responsible purchases, such as helping to promote paper recycling by buying products made from recycled fibres, or take reusable bags when grocery shopping. Likewise, Canadians believe in recycling and find that the products they buy are often over-packaged.” And in the past couple of years, Canadians have been reminded that reducing means saving money too. Maybe 2011 will be the year to Reduce.

Here are a 10 ways to reduce that are good for the environment and your wallet too. See, it can be win-win!
1. Eat less meat. Soy foods such as edamame offer a source of complete (yet inexpensive) protein.
2. If you do eat meat, try buying frozen cuts in bulk from a small farm via a butcher in your area. Last week I talked to a cab driver who does this; he swears the steaks his family eats are better than those served in Toronto’s best restaurants.
3. Grow some of your own food. Even if you only have room for a few pots of basil, parsley and other fresh herbs, you’ll avoid buying plastic packages of herbs that may have been trucked across the continent to get to you. Plus, a $2 packet of seeds can give you a dozen plants or so; fresh herbs at the grocery store often cost about $2 for a cutting (and come in a plastic bag or box).
4. Take vacations by car or train, not plane. Make the journey part of the experience!
5. Find a funky used clothing store, and trade in clothes that don’t fit for new-to-you style. I found a great-fitting pair of jeans at my favourite shop for $17. Bargoon!
6. Maintain stuff before you put it away for the season. Winter boots? They might need a wash and some conditioner. Wool sweaters, dresses and pants? Give them a light hand wash and dry them to shape. Winter coats? Wash ‘em, and reapply waterproofing agent so they’re ready to face another season. Your stuff will last longer, so you won’t need to spend more next year.
7. Own your own home? Insulate the attic to R50 to save on cooling costs this summer.
8. Buying a new appliance? Check the Energy Star list before you go shopping. The energy savings from an appliance could mean more in cost savings over the life of the appliance than the initial purchase price.

9. Have stuff to get rid of? Need stuff? Sure, you can donate stuff, but you can also make some money selling some items via online ads, and there are some great swapping sites out there for local communities too.

10. Drink tap water, avoid bottled water. If you’re worried about the quality of your water, have it tested by your municipality.

There are lots of other ways that being cheap can help you be green in 2011.

What does reducing mean to you?

As I learned when working on my recent post about the carbon footprint of all kinds of things, we can really reduce the amount of C02 we’re responsible for if we choose vegetarian fare more often, particularly produce from local sources.

So while I’m on vacation this week, I’m going to leave you with a few vegetarian recipes that make great lunches, courtesy of the Homemakers Test Kitchen. And when I get back on Monday, April 11 I’ll be doing a draw at 10 a.m. EST for one terrific set of lunch products from Otterbottle [Update: contest closed! Congratulations to tcpalermo!], including the Insulated Food Containers $21.99, Insulated Drink Container, worth $23.99, the
Insulated Tote Bags, worth $19.99, and the Waterbottle, worth $19.99. It really is a fantastic prize pack! You can find these and other Otterbottle products here; a portion of each purchase goes to the David Suzuki Foundation.

Vegetarian lunch recipes from Homemakers:
- Smoked Gouda and Pepper Sandwich with Curried Cauliflower Salad
- Tuscan Broad Bean Salad
- Florentine Pasta Salad
- West Indian Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Roti

Look for more recipes using our search tool at the top right of the screen.

How do you save waste when packing your lunch? What do you like to pack for lunch?

Courtesy W Network

W Network’s new show Cash & Cari is a new half-hour TV series that follows treasure broker extraordinaire Cari Cucksey and her team as they look for furniture gems in the rough to restore and sell. Cucksey takes those old pieces of furniture and restores them, then sells them in her shop. According to Cucksey, purposing and reusing is the best way to go green  instead of throwing “junk” away.

I asked the new TV star if she had some furniture refinishing tips to share with Eco Logic readers.

Eco Logic: Why is old furniture is attractive to you, even in the rough?  In what ways can the furniture of yesterday outshine the furniture of  today?
Cari Cucksey: Old furniture is attractive in so many ways.  The form and function are always important, but the history and parentage of a piece is what’s really fascinating. Let’s say  that I were to find a late 18th or early 19th century tavern table. The paint, original but faded, the stretchers worn from boots resting on them over the years and the surface scrubbed. I would grab that piece in a heartbeat and not do a single thing to it. Those surfaces can’t be reproduced by machines today and the stories they tell are beyond imagination.

EL: Where do you find great pieces of furniture for fixing up?
CC: Great pieces to repurpose can be found anywhere. Estate sales are an incredible resource, but I bet everyone has a piece in their basement or attic that’s just waiting for a new life. I’d even keep an eye on what your neighbors might put on the curb! Watch for very old pieces though. Painting or refinishing can sometimes destroy the value of a true antique.

EL: Do you have eco-friendly methods to recommend in terms of stripping, repairing and refinishing old furniture?
CC: There are so many products on the market today that are friendly to the environment and much safer to use than products of the past.  Heat guns are a great tool when removing layers of paint from a piece. Just be careful that you don’t apply too much heat to one area for a long time as it will scorch the surface beneath it.
Whenever I repair a piece, I do my best to match the wood and keep true to the original form.  There are salvage yards all over the country where you can pick up reclaimed wood for a great price.
Refinishing is all about the imagination, but when you’re choosing a paint or finish, always look for brands that are low-VOC or zero-VOC (volatile organic compound).These paints are durable, cost-effective and less harmful to your health and the environment. Sometimes the tried and true method of  beeswax polish can do wonders for an old piece. Again, it’s incredibly important to find products that come from sustainable manufacturers.

Have you ever fixed up a piece of furniture? Do you have a great source for  reclaimed materials?

Quick, how could you save about 30 per cent on your home heating costs? If you have an uninsulated basement, head down the stairs and have a look at your energy-saving potential.

The thinking used to be that basements don’t need insulating because, well, they’re underground, nestled inside the insulating walls of earth around the foundation walls. But those walls rise above grade, and heat rises. The rim joist, or header area at the top of the foundation walls, up to the main-level flooring, is a major heat-loss zone, so your furnace (and your wallet) has to work harder when you have gaps in your insulation – or no insulation at all – on your basement walls and up into the wall perimeter.

Since 2008, the Ontario Building Code has required that new houses be built with insulated basements. Those of us with older homes can cut our energy (and thus carbon) use by retrofitting insulation on our basement walls and on the rim joists where the foundation walls meet the base of main floor walls.

And that’s what I’m up to right now, in my free time. My home was built in the 1940s. Although the basement was finished decades ago, I peeled back (OK, a team of friends and I sawed, pried and otherwise arduously removed) the trim and wood panelling and voila, bare concrete walls. Nice walls, mind you — dry, mould-free walls — but totally uninsulated walls.

If I were building new, I would insulate my basement as part of the construction using a system such as insulated concrete forms (ICFs, explained here). ICFs have an R-value (a measure of how insulating they are) of R-18 to R-30 and make up the structure of your foundation, in place of traditional concrete block.

If you have uninsulated basement walls, you can retrofit a basement by building stud walls along the foundation walls, then filling them with insulation and adding a finished wall surface. These days, spray-in closed-cell polyurethane foam is the best choice for this, since it provides a seamless, high-R-value wall that serves as its own vapour barrier. It’s important to deal with any moisture issues, particularly foundation leaks, from the outside before trying to insulate your interior walls. Otherwise you may create a mouldy situation.

I’ll be using closed-cell spray foam to insulate my rim joists. Here’s a great video showing the technique.

Because my home is fairly small, I’m keen to maintain as much room down in my basement as possible. So when looking for a wall insulation option, I was glad to find InSoFast, an R-10 wall cladding option that serves as vapour barrier (when you seal the tops and sides with spray foam) and allows you to attach drywall directly to it. InSoFast panels have a polyethylene strip for mounting drywall, and comes with wiring channels built right in.

Through all of this, I’m aware that, while my basement is leak free and feels dry, to keep it from getting moist and musty I not only need insulation, I need air circulation. With air flow, I’ll avoid condensation (when hot, moist air hits cold surfaces, water forms) and keep my basement nice and dry.

Basements are complicated places to retrofit, but given the energy savings and the lure of expanded living space, it’s worth it!

Flipping through the new issue of Homemakers magazine (February/March 2011, arriving at newsstands now!), I noted a terrific makeup tip that will help you look great and cut out some garbage, too.

I’m proud of my colleague, Rose Pereira, Homemakers Associate Art Director, for allowing us to feature her in our Six Minute Makeover story, the opening of which is shown below. It takes guts to step in front of the camera, not to mention being featured in a magazine that will be read by over a million Canadians. But Rose knew she could trust  photographer Jeff Coulson, Style Editor Karen Kwinter and Art Director Annette Waurick as they crafted this story showing how to cut your makeup routine down to six beautiful minutes.

In this story, CoverGirl makeup pro Greg Wencel recommends using a synthetic makeup brush for applying concealer, rather than a sponge. In fact, in our story, brushes were used for all makeup application. So it’s out with disposable makeup sponges, in with brushes, which you can clean and use over and over again. Kwinter recommends cleaning your brushes regularly with a mild shampoo, or using Quo’s makeup brush cleaner, shown here.

Do you have a waste-saving beauty tip to share?

Potted Christmas trees are a great way to make a home feel (and smell!) green and merry without having to deal with a scourge of dead needles and curbside disposal. (Although a live, cut tree is greener than an artificial tree; click here to read more.) Since my partner and I moved into our first home two years ago, come the Christmas season we’ve wanted something that says “holidays.” But our small house is no place for full-size tree.

So this year we compromised with a potted dwarf Alberta spruce. It’s a very sweet little tree with densely packed boughs that will grow up to four to five feet tall. I’ll plant in my front garden in the spring, but for the next 17 days we’ll use it as a Christmas tree, and enjoy the small-scale holiday cheer it brings.

Here’s the tree as it was when we brought it home from the tree nursery. (It cost $28; it was one of two potted trees they had left, and it was on sale.) I let the tree warm up in our sunroom for a while, and watered it in preparation for the much warmer air inside. After Christmas is over, I’ll move the tree to a cooler area of the house, but I will keep it above freezing since I am not planting it until spring. If you want to plant your tree right after the holidays, review these recommendations from the Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario.

My partner wouldn’t let me bring in the Christmas-tree-to-be without putting it in a bucket (good thinking – I wouldn’t want to risk water on our wood floors). Fortunately I had one just the right size, but it would need covering. I found some red and orange fabric and some ribbon and attached them around the bucket.

I let the tree sit in our kitchen overnight, next to a cool window and spritzed it with water (I don’t know if that helps keep it moist or not, but I liked doing it).

Looking around for light-weight decorations, I realized that many of the pretty ornaments I’ve received in the past are far too weighty for my wee potted tree. I found some textured red Japanese paper and some glittery ribbon and cut out round “Christmas balls” and hung them from the boughs. I added a few silver and gold ribbon curls as well.

I may also decorate my potted tree with a string of LED Christmas lights; they’re not hot like incandescent lights, so hopefully they won’t stress the tree. (And, of course, they 70 to 80 per cent less electricity than traditional tree lights and last about 39 times as long.)

I love that when I walk into the house I get a pint-sized whiff of spruce.

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What if I don’t want to just give away everything that I don’t need? While I’m keen to share my unneeded stuff with others (I just dropped off two bags of clothes at a donation site last week), some things are valuable enough that I’d like to exchange them for a few bucks. Besides, if I sell something of mine to someone, I know that it will actually get reused, perhaps saving one more thing getting manufactured.

I’ve decided to try selling a few things on eBay (I know, I’m probably the last one on the planet to try it). I asked eBay Canada’s Andrea Stairs how best to get starting selling stuff on eBay. Here are her answers:

1. Can I start selling anything on eBay?

eBay is a fun and easy way to sell just about anything. There are hundreds of categories on eBay from antiques to designer clothing to electronics – there’s even a category for “Everything Else.” There are a few restrictions, however, to ensure the safety of buyers and sellers on the site. Before listing an item on eBay, make sure it’s allowed by checking this list and find out if there are specific rules and conditions on how it should be listed.

Selling on eBay is simple – here’s how it works: First you create a seller’s account. Then take some pictures of the item(s) you wish to sell and fill out the online form, entering all the important details about your item, including price, payment methods and shipping costs. After that, it’s a matter of waiting for the bids to roll in (if you choose an auction format). At the end of a successful listing, both you and your buyer will receive an email notification. Once you have confirmation of payment from PayPal, it’s time to ship the item. You can also add the “Buy Now” button to your listing too. This allows you to sell your item at a set price and it allows buyers to purchase the item they want right away instead of waiting for an auction to close.

2. Should I start out by selling a certain type or value of item?

Because eBay is open to the world, there’s a buyer for almost anything you want to sell. Research will help determine the price you should set for an item and how likely it will sell. Use Advanced Search to see other sellers who have sold similar items (called a “closed item search”). How many similar items have been listed in the past month, and have they sold? How much have similar items sold for? Is there a current trend your item capitalizes on?

3. What are the most important things I can do to ensure the buyer is satisfied?

To create an enjoyable buying experience, there are a few things a seller can do:
• Communicate – Respond to buyer emails. eBay buyers are used to confirming item and shipping details with their sellers. You can go a long way to providing great customer service by responding promptly to these questions. Additionally, you can help your buyers by emailing them an invoice once a item has been sold. When communicating with your buyers, it’s important to always be polite and professional.
• Photos – Most buyers want to see a picture before they purchase. So before you list your item, take great photos of it. Consider taking close-ups and multiple views (front, back, side, top) so potential buyers can see all aspects of the item. And, if your item has a flaw, it’s best to display it clearly in your photographs so that buyers can honestly assess your item.
• Feedback – Consider your feedback rating your personal reputation on eBay. If you conduct yourself in a professional, honest and friendly manner, you will be rewarded with high feedback scores, resulting in more sales from repeat and new buyers. Feedback is a two-way street: leave positive feedback for great buyers and you may see them coming back again and again.
• Description – When you include specific information about your item, you make it more attractive to buyers. Include all item attributes including model number, year the item was made, colour, dimensions and, most importantly, the current condition of the item.
• Shipping – Remember to specify shipping charges – you can either list a flat rate by service or you can select Calculated Shipping and let eBay calculate shipping rates for you. The more specific you are about your shipping charges, and other policies, the more confident buyers will be in purchasing from you.
• PayPal – Ninety-nine per cent of items purchased on eBay listed PayPal as a payment option. The majority of buyers from around the world prefer PayPal. As a seller, you save time: Funds can appear in your account right after the item closes; Online tools help you track your payments and quickly ship your goods. PayPal Seller Protection provides coverage in the event of an unauthorized payment or item-not-received claims, chargebacks and reversals.

4. How important are photos and detailed descriptions when selling a product on eBay?

Photos and detailed descriptions are very important in attracting buyers. The saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” really applies to eBay listings. Thorough descriptions are equally important because they are the first, and sometimes only way, buyers learn about your item.

5. Can I sell homemade items on eBay?
Absolutely! There are thousands of homemade items currently listed on eBay, from clothing and jewelry to recipes, toys and decorative items and more.

6. What kinds of accounts should an individual set up before trying to sell items on eBay?
To sell on eBay, first you must be a registered user. Registration is free and only takes a few minutes. Once you’re a registered member, you can create a seller’s account. To do this you need to verify your identity and select how you will pay your seller fees. To verify your identity, you can either provide credit card information or verify your identity by phone. If you provide a credit card, you can use this credit card to pay your seller fees, or select a different method of payment

Creating a PayPal account not only attracts buyers, but makes it easy to receive payments and pay seller fees. PayPal allows sellers to accept credit card or bank account payments for eBay purchases. PayPal is the safe and easy way for buyers to purchase their items, and it’s especially helpful for international buyers.

7. What newbie mistakes do first-time sellers make, and how can Eco Logic readers avoid those?
There are a few common mistakes new sellers make when they first sell on eBay. To increase interest in your auction, avoid the following:

• Not making use of the item’s title – Most buyers find items on eBay by keyword searching. So, making sure that your listing title has all the keywords related to your item will ensure that you maximize the ‘findability’ of it. Include things like brands, models, colours, and sizes. Don’t bother with adjectives such as ‘new’ or ‘great’, which are rarely used in a search.
• Setting a price too high or too low – If your asking price is too high, you are wasting valuable time and money. Likewise, if your price is too low, you could be leaving money on the table. Do some basic market research, and get a good idea what comparable items sell for.
• Photos – A bad photo can actually be worse than no photo at all. When you photograph your item, be sure to light it properly, and include as many photos as possible to convey the appearance, condition, and size of your item.
• Not thinking internationally – By offering your items to US, and even overseas, bidders, you can dramatically increase your base of potential buyers. And in an auction model, more bidders generally means more profit. Remember, eBay is global.

8. How does one determine a suitable starting bid?
Price is one of the most important elements when it comes to selling on eBay. Generally, lower starting prices (the price at which you would like to start the bidding on your item) attract more buyers and ultimately result in higher final value.

Also important to note is that eBay allows you list your first 100 auction listings for free when your start price is under one dollar (check here for fees). If you haven’t done so already, see what similar items have sold for on eBay. Do this by searching Completed Listings, which can be accessed on the Advanced Search page or in the Search Options box in the left-hand column of the search or browse results page.

9. What goods show up on Green.eBay.com?
According to a recent eBay Canada survey, 47 per cent of Canadians feel there aren’t enough green options where they shop. eBay believes that by pairing consumers with the tools, resources, and knowledge to shop in ways that are better for the planet, we can have a big impact.

Did you know that choosing a previously loved leather handbag saves as much energy as a flight from London to Paris? Green.eBay.com is a new shopping hub designed to help consumers access the millions of green products available on the marketplace. You can find almost anything on Green.eBay.com including gadgets, books, clothing and home décor items.

I haven’t brought a plastic shopping bag home in a very long time now, but I’ve noticed that my garbage pail still has a lot of plastic bags in it: bags that have housed foods such as bagels, carrots, rice and milk.

Of course I try to avoid buying things that come in bags — my food delivery service is great about using paper bags for produce such as potatoes and beans — but it’s not always easy. Besides, I’ve recently realized that those bags can come in handy in a second life.

While visiting my grandma and my aunt recently, I asked if they had any tips for keeping carrots crisp. I love the sweet, crunchy snap of fresh carrots, but I’d found that after 12 hours or so in the crisper, they would always become a bit wobbly. My family-endorsed solution was simple: put carrots in a plastic bag. When I said I didn’t have any — that I’d been using reuseable bags for a long time now – they pointed out all the other sources of plastic bags I’d be likely to have. And it worked — my carrots now stay crisp for a week or more. (I can’t say how long they last, really — they get eaten too soon!)

If this reusing idea seems a little gross, know that I often rinse out my bags with a little soap and water, then turn them inside out to dry. But a good bag – perhaps one with a resealable closure – could come in handy in a few other ways.

Here are more ideas for reusing plastic food bags:

- Take them to the farmers’ market or grocery store to collect produce such as potatoes, apples, beans and more.
- Pack your lunch in them. Cleaned up milk bags are great for sandwiches; just slit open the end, then clip or tape them shut.
- Use them to pre-portion snacks for your purse, or for the kids
- Drape them over frost-sensitive plants on cold nights.

Do you have any more ideas for reusing plastic bags?

1. Citrus fruits. My dad recently put halves of less-than-great grapefruit up onto tree branches for the local birds. What a treat!

2. Trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit). When nuts and seeds start to smell off, they may not taste terrific anymore either. Add them to your bird feeder.

3. Banana peels, rotten fruit. Use these to make traps for fruit flies! Here’s how I made a trap last year.

4. Bacon fat. Freeze drippings from bacon and other meat to make your own suet (mix it with that trail mix, above)

5. Liquor cabinet remnants. Strong, sweet-smelling alcohol seems to make a great lure for wasp traps. Here’s last year’s post featuring my secret ingredient.

6. Vegetable stems. According to the book “Compost: The natural way to make food for your garden,” (DK, 2007) these make terrific compost because stems, particularly those from brassica vegetables (e.g., cauliflower) contain a lot of calcium, something that’s hard to get into your compost.

7. Skunky beer. Guess what, slugs and snails are really attracted to the smell of beer! I’ve found it very effective for luring them into a trap (if you feel guilty about that, you could call it marinating). The best part: racoons also seem to like the smell of beer, and they’ll open the trap and drink the beer AND eat all the slugs and snails, doing the trap clean-up for you!