The Home Depot's New Green Product Database

As of last month, The Home Depot in conjunction with the U. S. Green Building Council has rolled out a new online database of The Home Depot's over 2,500 products and materials that can be used towards points or prerequisites on LEED for Homes projects.

Be sure to check out the site here: LEED Home Depot

Even if you're not involved with LEED or green building in general, the benefit of this database is truly great for folks looking to use green or Eco-friendly products and materials and aren't looking to spend all day at their local Home Depot searching labels.

Green California Summit next month April 26, 2012

It's that time of year again, the Green California Summit is back once again, taking over the Sacramento Convention Center. This year the summit has been scaled back to 2 days rather than the normal three, taking place on April 26th and 27th. This years theme is, "Building a Green Future for the Golden State".

Registration opened last moth for attendees, and currently key note speakers have not been identified for this years summit. Please check the site for a list of scheduled vendors and sponsors.



The Green California Summit usually has a little bit of everything allowing for attendees to find something to perk their interest whether it be new technology, automobiles, contractors, or educational materials. Make sure you check it out and explore to find out what perks your interest.

Repurposing Your Front Lawn

Gone are the days of children playing and adults conversing on their front lawns... these days it's more like the kids hunkered down in their rooms with video games and their parents are coming home, pulling their cars into the garage, never even setting a foot outside in the front of their homes accept when they're getting the mail from their "community" mail box. What use is a front yard? Why do you even need a lawn in the front of your home if it doesn't serve a function?

Maybe we should all tear out the lawns in front of our homes... unless you have a HOA, then you better check before you grab that rototiller and shovel. Turf takes an incredible volume of water to stay green and thrive, why waste this precious resource if a lawn isn't necessary? Where to begin...

Let's start by evaluating programs for water efficient landscaping for the greater Sacramento area:

Sacramento County Rain Garden Program

Sacramento County River-Friendly Landscaping Guidelines for Lawns

California Department of Water Resources Landscape Guidelines

Federal EPA Landscape Design Tips

With these resources it's quite easy to come to terms with removing the lawn in front of your home; there are so many options to choose from. Below is a link to a photo gallery of local front yards that have already transitioned to more water-friendly, drought tolerant landscaping:

Lose the Lawn photo gallery

Whether you want hardscaping, a rock garden, drought tolerant garden, or even xeriscaping, you have a wide range of choices at your disposal with even the possibility of rebates and grants depending on where your home is located. Close your eyes and picture driving or walking up to your home... do you picture a green lawn and a few sparse plantings or do you picture a colorful palette of flowers and leaves, rock and glass, and butterflies and birds fluttering around your front garden? If you don't use your front yard for anything but wasting water you mine as well let the birds and butterflies enjoy it... and maybe even some of your neighbors if they're hip to the idea.

The Art of Repurposing

This is a little pet project I'd like to share that embodies the very essence of reuse, recycle, reclaimed, and repurposed.



Here we have a wonderful old console TV that I'm sure so many have discarded over the years to the bulging landfills... one man's junk, can truly be another man's treasure.

Large amount of e-waste that was properly recycled by a reputable e-waste recycler... I wonder how long all of this would take to decompose in the landfill?

Gutted, sanded, and ready to be primed, painted, and stained. The interior shelves have been constructed from some scrap pine and some pieces of press board from another old piece of furniture.

An old TV cabinet has now been given new life as a swanky cocktail bar complete with reclaimed mirror bar backing, low VOC interior paint, non toxic water-based stain, and repurposed under cabinet lighting. At the bottom, where the old speaker used to be has now been converted to wine storage complete with a hidden hinged front door panel. This same furniture piece could easily cost someone anywhere between $500 to $1000 at a retail furniture store, but all I had to do is use a little ingenuity, a little elbow grease, and save one man's junk from the landfill.