Maryruth's blog

Green offices aren’t easy to come by these days. Yet commercial buildings account for a huge percentage of energy consumption—close to 40 percent worldwide, in fact. And total carbon emissions from buildings can be upwards of 20 percent of a country’s total contribution to climate changing gas releases.

Much of this energy goes to lighting and conditioning (heating and cooling) these buildings, but can also be chewed up with electronics and appliances such as computers, monitors, copiers, refrigerators, and more.

Between cruise ships, air travel, cars, and hotels, the tourism industry is far from eco-friendly. Per person, our holiday lifestyles add more waste, greenhouse gases, and other pollution to the earth by far than just staying home.

The average single-night spent in a hotel, for instance, produces 0.01 metric tons of greenhouse gases, contributing to a hotel-industry total of 170,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2005 in the US alone. Sixty to 70 percent of a hotel’s budget goes toward electricity and heating/cooling costs. Green travel it is not.

Expanding your living space by creating comfortable outdoor “rooms” is a great way to take advantage of otherwise wasted square footage. Whether you’re working with a spacious backyard or a small apartment deck, this recycled plastic green furniture by Eagle One is an eco-friendly way to decorate your outdoor space in style.

Are you still working on getting the perfect green gift for your Mom this Mother’s Day? With so many eco-friendly gifts to choose from, you’ll have no trouble finding something just right. Whether she likes receiving cut flowers or growing her own, the earth-conscious options available today are not only abundant, they’re beautiful.