Planet Green
READ MORE ABOUT:
Living with Ed follows Ed Begley, Jr., and his wife, Rachelle, as they green their home, family, and celebrity friends. But if you've ever wondered what kind of advice they'd give the rest of us, then the Ask Ed forum is your chance to find out. Readers submit questions and comments about the show, green living, etc., and Ed chimes in with his green answers; here, we've rounded up some highlights of the past week.
Q. I'm looking for wall-to-wall carpeting that is eco-friendly but durable, since I have a child and a cat that sometimes thinks the carpeted staircase is a cat-scratching post. I have come across Mohawk's SmartStrand carpet that claims to use a bio-based product in its fibers. It does not have the antistain chemicals applied to the surface like most traditional carpets but I am still concerned whether there are any other chemicals in the carpet that will affect the indoor quality of my home. Where can I find information regarding the chemicals that are used in this specific product and what else, other than the make-up of the fibers, should I be concerned about? And is there any eco-friendly carpet padding you know of?
A. I'm not a big fan of carpeting - it acts like a sponge for nasty stuff in the house. I have wood floors throughout my home with area rugs that can be easily cleaned. If you must use carpet, try FLOR from Interface. It is recycled and recyclable, is put down in modular squares, and is a very eco-friendly solution.
Ed
Q. While I do carry reusable bags in my car, sometimes I have more stuff than bags, and I end up with bags to recycle. I live in LA so I can put them in my blue recycling bin, or I can take them back to the grocery store and put them in the "bag recycling" bin there.
I'm just curious if there is any benefit in taking them to the store vs. putting them in the blue bin. I wasn't sure if the grocery stores use a service which is more efficient, or it's less energy-intensive due to them being pre-sorted and/or going more-directly to facilities that can use those materials.
A. If you have to take a plastic bag in an emergency, try to reuse it from home rather than recycle it. I keep a small drawer of them and use them for carrying things around. If you must recycle it, check with the store to see what they do with them. They may have a better use for them or they may be putting them in the blue bin themselves. The blue bin should be the last resort. Reuse is better than recycle whenever possible. If you forget your reusable bag at the market, try going without a bag at all—a few armloads to the car will help you remember the reusable bag next time!
Ed
Q. On one episode, Ed mentioned that using the dishwasher rather than washing the dishes in the sink was better for two reasons. First, the energy used came from his solar panel and second, the dishwasher uses less water than what a human being would use. Sounds right.
On the episode where he and his lovely wife were replacing the counter top in their kitchen, his wife is shown washing the dishes in the bathroom sink and she said, if I'm not mistaken, washing the dishes in the sink uses less water. Was she mistaken? Did I just get it wrong?
A. You are correct—but remember, we made the show over time. In an early episode, I was saying that hand washing was better...something I always believed to be true. In the second season, I was shown data from Whirlpool that suggested I had been wrong. After analyzing their data, I decided to put in a Whirlpool Energy Star dishwasher. By running full loads in this unit, I believe I am now saving water over hand washing...and of course the electricity is coming from solar, as is most of the hot water. It was one of those things where we were actually able to document my learning curve on the show. I'm always learning.
Ed
Read More About Ed and Ask Him Your Questions
Living With Ed
Ask Ed in the forums
Ed Begley, Jr., on Eco-Friendly Floors, Green Pets, and More
-
- {}
