21 Energy Saving Tips

Power plugHome appliances & electronics are responsible for 20% of your energy bills. Learn simple ways to save energy and money while using them.  Read More >>

37 Heating & Cooling Tips

FanHeating and cooling account for about 56% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home. This makes them the biggest opportunity for saving money on your energy bill. Read More >>

25 Ways To Save Water

Water DripWater heating can account for 14%–25% of the energy consumed in your home. You can reduce your monthly water and energy bills with these simple tips. Read More >>

Yea, it's Earth Day Y'all!

Posted April 22, 2009 - 8:15am by Brian Rish

Earth DawnToday is the dawn of a new era for Save the Earth Y’all (STEY). Not only is it Earth Day, but today is also our official launch day for this site. We’re starting small, but hope STEY will quickly grow both in size and registered members. 

So take a look around, sign-up for an account, and start learning simple ways you can Go Green with a Southern Twist!

We look forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead and hope y’all do too. And, please, do something nice for the earth today will ya?

Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining

Posted April 10, 2009 - 4:48pm by Brian Rish

Toilet SignApril 19 is National Pee Outside Day, who knew such a day even existed? As creepy and gross as it may seem to the ladies, this initiative is quickly “flowing” across the nation. And I, for one, am 100% on board.

The whole idea behind National Pee Outside day is to bring attention to the fact that the average toilet uses 3 gallons of potable water per flush (new toilets use less, older toilets more). When you take conventional “lawn watering” out of the equation, toilet flushing is the #1 use of water in the average US household and accounts for more than 25% of the water we use in our homes. So why are we wasting so much fresh, drinkable water just to get rid of something men can easily take care of outside? Well that’s a good question, especially when you consider there are many countries with no access to fresh drinking water. Read more >>

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

Posted April 6, 2009 - 6:03pm by Brian Rish

Green lightbulbWe all know one of the easiest things you can do to “green” your home is to replace your most used light bulbs with either CFLs or LEDs, but sadly neither are perfect solutions. From the small amounts of mercury in the CFLs to the high costs of LEDs (as much as $40 for a “standard” watt bulb), many people are longing for a new lighting technology.

Well long no more. A company called Vu1 (pronounced “view one”) is about to introduce a brand new bulb with their patent pending ESL (electron stimulated luminescence) lighting technology. This bulb is neither incandescent, fluorescent nor LED, but has the best features from each bulb type.  Read more >>

What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a happenin’

Posted April 2, 2009 - 6:36pm by Brian Rish

BumblebeeI have a lot of fruit trees in my yard, and when they finally break their winter dormancy and burst into full bloom, it always makes me smile to see the pollen covered bees lazily sampling flower after flower. I know their visits will ensure a plentiful harvest (if I can keep the squirrels away!). But, sadly, that may not be the case in the near future.

In recent years we’ve learned that the world’s bee population is in serious trouble. From the mysterious colony collapse of honeybees to the mite infestations of wild bees, we’ve lost nearly 50% of the world's bee population.

A world without bees is a very scary place. Has anyone seen “Bee Movie”? We rely on bees a lot more than most people realize. Did you know about a third of all fruits, vegetables, flowers, nuts, grains, etc. rely solely on pollination from bees to produce? And even those that are self-pollinating produce better formed and more plentiful fruit if cross pollinated by bees? Clearly without bees, we’d be the ones in serious trouble. Read more >>

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out

Posted March 29, 2009 - 5:20pm by Brian Rish

Single EarthwormA worm composting buddy of mine once told me with a very serious look on his face, “Never stand up in the middle of a party and announce ‘Who wants to watch me feed my worms?’ Strange looks and awkward whispering are sure to follow you out of the room.”

I don’t know if he was speaking from personal experience or not (my guess is “yes”), but it did make me laugh because I know how he felt. I often get the same reaction around the office when I bring up my own red wiggler brood. From digging through the trash to rescue an abandoned banana peel or apple core, to boxing up the shredded paper in the recycle bin to take home to my babies, I’ve definitely had my share of strange looks. But all of those looks have given me the perfect opportunity to educate my co-workers on the joys of vermicomposting. I’m even steps away from convincing my boss to allow me to bring in a worm composting bin for the office… if only her assistant was not deathly afraid of escaping worms! Read more >>