Festive light exchange

I know, I know, it's far too early to start thinking about putting up your holiday lights. But, it's not too early to plan, right?

I ask because Toronto Hydro and the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas are launching the 6th annual Festive Light Exchange today at the St. Lawrence Market.

This program means Toronto residents can exchange two strings of incandescent holiday lights for one free string of energy-efficient LEDs. The program runs until December 6. Check out the schedule for neighbourhood swaps on the Toronto Hydro website. (They've also got instructions on making cute, eco-friendly ornaments.)

Not only is it a free holiday decoration, but it also should help lower your seasonal electricity bill. Toronto Hydro says these eco-friendly bulbs, which are supposed to last about 20 to 30 years, use up to 95 per cent less electricity, saving you money on your bill.

They also produce very little heat, which makes them safer for use around children and pets. Plus, they're virtually unbreakable, "because the chips that convert electricity to light are encapsulated in solid plastic, rather than glass bulbs."

I know I'll be opting for LEDs when it comes time to buy (my first!) strings of lights for my new home! And, if you are among those who don't think it's too early to be dreaming of holidays, check out our tips for greening the festivities. 

(Shutterstock image)

Going green, in more ways than one

I've been intrigued by Boomerang Paints for a while: an eco-friendly, and ecologo certified, low-VOC recycled paint, which retails for about $15 a can.

It's made using leftover paints and stains, which are donated through Rona stores and other retailers. (Find a drop off near you here). They use about 1 per cent new material in the paint to try to keep colour, thickness and drying times consistent.

It sounds promising, but I've always wondered, does it work? How does it stack up to regular brands?

Luckily, I had the chance to give it a test run, using a pretty shade of green called "moss", in my mud room.

My first challenge? Getting the lid on the new, eco-friendly plastic pail open. It took some help from Mr. Speedy and a roofing tool, but, eventually, we outsmarted it.

Once we actually got to the painting part, it worked pretty much like all the other paint I've been schlepping home from the hardware store. I did, however, find it a little runnier, and needed to stir it more vigorously, than the paint and primer combo I've been favouring lately.

Painting over a seriously banged up beige took two coats, plus touch ups.

And,be warned, the colour choices aren't huge - 16 shades in the eco-certified latex line, with earthy names like "wheat" "shore" "moonlight" and "cotton."

Read more about Boomerang, and find local retailers, at the company website.

Poll results: Green roofs

Last week's poll looked skyward to the new green roof bylaw in Toronto (read more here and here), which requires all new developments to include construction of a green roof (or cash in lieu of $200 per square metre) by Jan. 31, 2010.

While we didn't get a ton of responses on this one, I figured I'd share the very close results anyway.

Half (an even 50 per cent) of those who responded said they don't support the new bylaw, while 42 per cent said they were in favour of it. The remaining eight per cent said they "maybe" support it.

This week, we're looking at the pride of home ownership (read more here and here). A recent survey found that the majority of Canadians believe there are more than just financial benefits to owning home, and that many Canadians believe owning a home is a worthwhile investment, even if it is more work than renting. Do you agree that the merits of owning a home go beyond the financial value? Let me know on the front page poll.

And, for a little more reading enjoyment this weekend, check out Colin and Justin's red bedroom makeover, find out which condo towers make the Condo Critic's top 5 list and get some tips on the tools to help you get a perfect paint job.

Pushing my way to a well-kept lawn

Thanks to all the rain we've had lately, the combination of (mostly) weeds and grass that I call my lawn has been growing like crazy. And, because Mr. Speedy and I have never had a yard of any sort before, we had to buy a mower.

After some discussion, we decided to join the trend and go for a reel mower. (Read more about reel mowers currently on the market). We wouldn't need to worry about plugging in - a challenge on our odd shaped lot - or worse yet, struggling with schlepping home fuel (we don't have a car) for a gas mower. It would be eco-friendly and quiet. And it would give us some extra exercise.

So, we went shopping. While I've previously written about the fab Brill model, its $265 price tag was a little over our just-bought-a-house budget. So, we went with a cheaper, but still easy to push, model from Scott's.

We've mowed the lawn several times now with it, and it seems like every time we have, some kind neighbour has offered us the use of their powered mower! I don't know if we look like we're struggling, but people do seem to take pity on us!

But, all in all, it's not so bad. Our yard is fairly small and can be done in a few passes. You do need to move at a decent clip, and reel mowers seem to have a knack for passing over long weeds, which bend over and evade the blades. It seems like no matter how many times you push the mower back and forth over it, that one straggler in the middle of the lawn just won't die. It's more efficient to just pull it out.

Our yard also has a few very uneven patches, and the mower will sometimes bottom out on the hilly bits. I'm very glad that we went with a model that has wheels in the back, in addition to those by the reel, to help keep it a little more stable and make it easier to push.

And, finally, we've learned if you are going with a push mower, you've got to keep it short. These things just can't handle super long grass, so we've been careful to take ours out for a walk about once a week.

I like our push mower, and I'm still happy with our decision to go the eco-friendly route - though I don't know if I would try it on a larger, less flat lawn. And, as an added bonus, all the sympathy has helped us to meet our new neighbours!

Cleaners worth showing off

I get the chance to try a lot of green cleaners. Really, with the amount of products I try, my house should be far cleaner!

I was recently sent a sample of J.R. Watkin's new natural line of homecare products.

I've since become a fan of their aloe and green tea all purpose cleanser ($8, shown). Not only does it smell great and help tackle kitchen messes, but the label is just so pretty!

I've been keeping this bottle handily within reach on a shelf in the bathroom or on the kitchen counter —  it's so attractive that I don't feel the need to hide it!

The company has a full line of natural products, including bathroom cleansers, all-purpose wipes, dish soap, laundry soap, furniture polish, window cleaner.

Do you have any pretty homecare products to recommend?

I've been cleaning since the Green Living Show

This year was my first trip to the Green Living Show, and I was very excited to see all the certifiably green products on offer – from home improvement and décor to food, clothes and beauty.

There was so much to see, in fact, that I’ve spent the past week sifting through my notes, and the generous cleaner samples!

I was actually really surprised by the number of major retailers displaying at the show – PC Home had an enormous block, as did the Home Depot (who were also sharing some incredible eco-friendly wallpaper designs from Graham and Brown). Clorox’s GreenWorks cleaners, Aveda, Brita and Roots also had their own spots on the floor.

Speaking of Brita, I’ve been thinking it may be time to replace my too-small pitcher with a larger one, and was thrilled to see a model in green at the show. I’d never seen one in that shade before – which also happens to suit my new décor – and was so sad to find out that it was a special show model, not for retail.

But, there were tons of great goodies that I could take home with me!

My first stop (well, after snagging a few eco-friendly samples of yogurt, cheese and tea in the food section) was at the Attitude cleaner booth. This Montreal-based company has started to pop up on grocery store shelves in the GTA, with a great new packaging design featuring stark whites and animals – for example, bright orange fish on the dish soap and penguins on the cold water laundry detergent. I really liked their product samples, and also appreciate the fact that they’re eco-logo certified. In other cool news from Attitude, they’re working on a refill station concept that would allow buyers to refill their existing bottles at select stores.

Next stop was the Nature Clean booth, one of the classic eco friendly cleaners, and, as an added bonus, it’s an Ontario-based, made in Canada company. It’s also eco-logo certified, and available at grocery stores as well as green stores such as Grassroots. Nature Clean already has a refill program in place with Grassroots, allowing consumers to bring in their own containers for the wide variety of products. At the show, I learned that they’ve just introduced take-home refill kits, in recyclable boxes, of course. It is so handy to be able to refill at home rather than schlepping yourself to the store when you suddenly run out of hand soap!

I quickly passed by the Clorox GreenWorks booth, as it was too busy for me to have a chat with the reps, then on to the Bio-Vert station. I wasn’t familiar with this company, but grabbed one of the samples of their biodegradable, biotechnological cleaner to test out. The ‘green chemistry’ in the cleaners is intended to lift away the dirt. I tried the bathroom cleaner and it seemed to work fine, though a little bit of elbow grease was, as always, needed.

I also chatted with the folks at Eco-Max, a brand that has gone from commercial cleaning to household non-toxic options. Their pretty floral packaging and scents was a draw, as is the fact that they’re based in Ontario. I hadn’t seen their products on store shelves before, but I will be keeping an eye out for them from now on.

The green cleaning options seemed never ending, as next up was Seventh Generation. I got the chance to try a load of laundry with their free and clear double concentrated laundry detergent, and it seemed quite nice, but, it is hard to make a concrete opinion based on one or two tries with a wide variety of prroducts. At this point, I can't say which worked best, though Attitude gets points for cute packaging and Nature Clean for their long lasting eco cred. 

Getting out of the cleaning section, I found myself getting a warm blast while taking a peek at some artwork. Turns out this was no ordinary framed print, but rather an example of Redwell Infrared Heating, which produces radiant heat – which warms the objects in the room, instead of the air, so it actually requires a lower temperature. With the ability to turn it on only when you need an extra heat boost, this is a greener, and far more attractive, alternative to an energy sucking space heater.

The other booth that really caught my eye was Greenwood Studio. With gorgeous handcrafted, and custom, furniture crafted from sustainable wood sources, including a stunning arching light over a rustic yet delicate chair, it was hard not to stop for a look.

I also checked out Wildflower Farm's booth, as the promise of a lush, low maintenance lawn seems almost too good to pass up! You can read more about them here.

So, while my trip was mostly focused on cleaning (as have the days since as Mr. Speedy and I get ready to move) it was definitely enjoyable and informative, and I'll certainly be heading to the show again next year!

POLL: Has the market hit bottom?

With recent signs of life in Toronto's housing market, including quick sales and studies citing greater affordability, it seemed like a great time to ask Yourhomers if they thought the market has hit bottom — and the majority say no!

More than half, at 55 per cent, of voters said the market will continue to slide. Just under a third, at 28 per cent, said we've hit bottom while 11 per cent say the worst might be over. The remaining six per cent said they didn't know.

Personally, I have no idea whether we've hit bottom and are recovering or if the market is merely having a bit of a spring thaw. Either way, it seemed like a good time for Mr. Speedy and I to buy!

This week's poll continues on the idea of buying a home, looking at a recent trend of people trading in large homes for teensy luxury condos — with astounding price tags. Would you rather put your dollars towards square footage or amenities? Vote on the front page and let me know!

And, for some more Saturday reading, check out the fabulous wallpaper in Colin and Justin's bedroom makeover, get some eco-friendly product inspiration and learn the basics of green gardening (after all, with this weekend's forecast, isn't it the perfect time to putter in your home plot?)

Green your home for Earth Day

It's Earth Day, and, according to a recent Home Depot Canada and Environics Research study, the Home Depot Canadian Green Home Index, we Canadians have a long way to go in greening our homes. We scored only 60 out of 100 in green home habits!

According to the index, 83 per cent of Canadians are interested in making their homes greener, but only two per cent say their households are already as green as they can be.

We're not even doing all that well on basic green principals, with only seven per cent using reusable shopping bags and turning off lights or appliances when they're not in use.

The index, which will be conducted biannually, also found that in the past six months the top three green efforts undertaken by consumers are:

- Choosing recyclable or biodegradable and organic products (25 per cent)
- Buying energy efficient light bulbs (24 per cent)
- Using green garbage/recycling and compost bags (22 per cent)

While I do try to use reusable shopping bags, clean green and turn out the lights when I leave the room, I know there's still a lot more I can do. For example, for months I've been meaning to hook my home entertainment system up to a power bar so that I can fully shut it down when it's not in use. I am, however, making that a priority when I move!

Other ways to easily boost your green cred include:

- Go for the classic cleaning combo: water, baking soda and elbow grease
- Get an energy audit to find out how energy efficient your home really is, and where to start making changes
- Repair cracks in your foundation and around windows and door — stopping those leaks can lower heating and cooling costs by 10 per cent
- To curb water usage, the Home Depot recommends replacing washers and valves on leaking taps, running the washing machine on cold, and watering your lawn early in the day to avoid evaporation
- Donate unwanted items from your spring cleanup rather than putting them out on the curb
- Clean your air conditioner coil and vents and schedule an inspection of your entire heating and cooling system by a professional
- Consider a push mower for your summer lawn care - you'll reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 80 pounds a year and burn off calories at the same time

For more great green ideas, check out 10 tips for a clean, green spring.

Mopping the floors has never smelled this good...

Recently, thanks to an epic smoothie spill in my kitchen, I desperately needed to buy a new mop. So, a little while later, while out shopping with Mr. Speedy, I picked up Method's O-Mop.

The O-Mop starter kit, which comes in recyclable bamboo packaging, includes an "ergonomic mop" (which basically means that it's curved, or, as they say, "bends so you don't have to"), corn-based sweeping clothes (like a Swiffer, but compostable), a reusable microfibre mop pad and non-toxic all-purpose floor cleaner in a yummy lemon ginger scent. The whole kit retails for about $30, and I also picked up the almond wood cleaner, which costs about $7.

Sure, it smells great, and has some eco-friendly street cred, but it also has a few other nice perks, including the fact that the microfibre mop pad can be tossed in the washing machine between uses and that no bucket full of water is needed. The freedom from lugging around a sploshing bucket of dirty water was honestly enough to hook me.

You simply squirt the cleaner on the floor, scrub it with long strokes (though bigger messes, like dried smoothie remnants, may require a little more attention) and voila, the kitchen floor is clean and sparkling — and smells delicious. No need to open all the windows to air out that awful chemical smell like with my previous cleaning supplies!

But, like all products, it's not perfect. The metal and plastic construction of the mop itself makes me worry that a few hard scrubs could break the head clean off, and a few cracking noises during use helped reinforce that fear.

So, the verdict? Love the eco-friendly aspect and the great smelling cleaners (which left no apparent residue on the floor), but I am still a little concerned about how the mop will hold up to heavy scrubbing over time. In the meantime, my floors will be sparkling and my home will smell like almonds and lemon ginger.

Metro Home Show sneak peek!

Spring is a great time to get inspired for all your renovation and gardening projects, even if the weather isn't quite nice enough to act on them! And the next show I'll be hitting up is the Metro Home Show, which starts next week (April 10 - 12).

Now, as those who read my blog regularly or follow me on twitter may know, I enjoy my fair share of video games and technology, and Mr. Speedy is really quite the gadget geek. As a result, I'm really excited to check out the "techno-chic" trends at the show's Sony Spaces, styled by Cheryl Tourrenueva (who many of you will know from Home Heist).

And, as an added bonus, she's done this video to share a sneak peek of her plans for the eco-friendly, techno-savvy and stylish spaces. But, we'll still have to wait until next Friday to find out what the finished rooms look like!