April 28, 2011

TV legend and solar-energy advocate Larry Hagman brought star power to Dallas’ inaugural Earth Day celebration.

There were many Earth Celebrations around the DFW metroplex these past two weeks, and unlike previous years, all of the events somehow managed to escape rainfall.

Some of these celebrations have been highly successful for the past few years including Plano's Live Green Expo and Oak Cliff Earth Day.

Now in its fifth year, Plano's Live Green Expo featured a wide range of exhibitors, and included rain barrel workshops, square-foot gardening, electric/hybrid cars, and more.

Many of us use hoses to water our gardens, fill our dogs’ water bowls, and fill pools. And in summer months, kids playing outdoor will often drink from the hose. What you may not know is that many hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride, which uses lead as a stabilizer. A 2007 Consumer Reports Study tested 16 hoses:

Dallas Greendrinks and Net Impact are planning another Carrotmob. This time they are coming together under the green umbrella of Earth Day Dallas to once again bring people together to ‘mob’ a local Dallas business.  Carrotmob will reward an environmentally and socially responsible business with a mob of new customers.

Ninety percent of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water. However, you can reduce demand on the hot water heater by washing most clothing in cold water. You will also see less color fading with the clothes. Use hot water for whites, towels, and sheets. Washing sheets in hot water is especially important for killing dust mites. But even with the warmer loads, consider using the hot cycle initially and then using cold water in the rinse cycle. Hot water more effective at killing germs.