the new breakthrough philips LED lightbulb: is it worth 60?
Low energy light bulbs are something we’ve grown accustom to reluctantly. We love that they last so long and don’t use as much electricity as standard bulbs, but we hate their blueish glow and the way they slowly come to full light. Technically, incandescent bulbs 40 watts and higher won’t be manufactured after 2014 (something that is still be contested in Congress). The one thing that will make everyone happier about making the eco switch will be better bulbs.
Enter Philips and their new LED which won a $10 million U.S. Department of Energy prize last year. It is the most efficient bulb made yet that can replace your old 60 watters. It comes with a three year warranty and supposedly will last about 20 years (presuming 4 hours of use a day). As USA Today reports, the claim is that it gives off a softer light the CFLS most of us are using now, and it doesn’t contain Mercury, which makes the CFLs dangerous if they break. Philips’ new bulb hits store this Sunday, Earth Day, and the price tag may keep you from making the switch immediately: they will cost between $20 to $60.
We’ll be keeping our eyes out for reviews on their glow – because wouldn’t we all pay more for a bulb that made us look better? If you have an opinion of it, leave your thoughts here!
More posts on our quest for the perfect light bulbs:
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celebrate earth day with angela adams & save 20%
There are lots of things you can do to celebrate Earth Day this coming weekend. In our house, we’re pledging to stop letting the tap water run when we brush our teeth. I’m also thinking of buying this adorable seagull doormat from Angela Adam’s site. Make a purchase there between now and April 22nd and you can not only save 20% off the normal price, but the company will donate 20% of the price to Maine Audubon. Just enter the code EARTH at checkout. Since Maine is a place that’s near and dear to our hearts and summer vacations plans, we are happy to support the organization dedicated to preserving its natural beauties.
So whether you’ve been eying one their signature rugs (like the gorgeous hand-tufted Garden, above) or just want a canvas sail-bag for the summer, this is the week to take the plunge.
a quick, sustainable way to loosen dirt and grass: why i love the broadfork
Chances are, your yard work stories are a lot like mine:
Part 1: I know! Let’s plant some heather along that awkward retaining wall in our front yard. It will soften the wall and give the dogs a visual clue not to fall three feet into the gully behind it.Part 2: Hmmm, now that we’ve dug out a planting strip along the wall, I am reminded of how uneven and lumpy we left our yard from the last big project. Maybe we should just level out this part a little bit…
Part 3: We are now digging up and leveling our entire yard. This work will never end. Ever.
The good news is, this story has a very happy ending: the broadfork. After spending hours using shovels and hoes to level out just a tiny section of yard, we decided to a tiller would make the work go faster. The tiller was already checked out of our local tool library (more to come on those), but the volunteer suggested we give this big, heavy, slightly ominous looking steel fork a try.
I’m not kidding when I say, the broadfork completely rocked our yard work world! This one in particular is one piece, forged from steel by Meadow Creature on Vashon Island, a charming island 15 minutes off Seattle’s far southwest shore. You can find them in a combination of steel and wood, but the one-piece construction will no doubt last longer, and the heaviness (although it was NOT too heavy for me to lift, and my upper body strength is pretty pathetic) made the process super easy in breaking up hard-packed dirt and grass:
First, lift the broadfork up about a foot (being careful of your own feet — those tines aren’t exactly friendly) and then drop it down, letting gravity do the work.
Second, step onto it and wiggle it back and forth in the dirt — this is the fun part.
Third, push down on the handles, lift dirt
Then move the whole thing a half-step over and repeat.
Using the broadfork was a revelation: in just three hours, we’d completely leveled three times what we’d struggled with the day before. Once the dirt was loosened, it was easy to rake it into our yard’s lower section.
Best of all, using the broadfork was fun and gave me some exercise, too — kind of like doing light step aerobics, only with some upper-body work involved.
At nearly $200 each, broadforks are not exactly cheap, but if you have a lot of tilling work to do each year, they do come recommended. Or you can look into joining a local tool library like ours! — Mary T.
how do you get your garden ready for spring?
In a blink of an eye, spring is suddenly in full bloom! Blossoms are on the trees, the bulbs have all sprouted — even the mosquitoes have come out. Hopefully it’s not too late to get my act together and prepare for the growing season ahead. Last weekend I gave the grasses in our front yard a haircut, and this Saturday it’s time to prune the crepe myrtles. I also want to get some herbs and veggies growing inside the house. I love this idea from Cottage Hill blog: recycled newspaper seed pots. They’re made using a tin can as a mold. Once the pot shape is formed by the folded paper, fill it with soil and compost. When the seedlings are ready to be planted, you can put the whole thing — newspaper pot and all — in the ground. Genius!
What are you doing to get your garden ready? I need tips!
steal this idea: gutter gardens
Can you tell that we have spring on the brain? There’s still frost on the ground in the morning, but we are already plotting our gardens for springtime, and herbs are on our the top of our must plant list. We spotted this idea the other day on RecycleChicken.com: gutter gardens! We’re not sure how we’d attach this to the house, but the elevated position would be great to prevent ground critters from nibbling, and new puppies from digging. What do you think? Could you rock these sprouts?
