What Are Lean To Greenhouses? 

A lean to greenhouse refers to a type of greenhouse built up against the side of another structure. The lean to greenhouse has only one sloped roof. It has three sides of its own, and uses the side of another structure for the fourth wall.  

• Lean to greenhouses can be made of metal, plastic or vinyl (commonly referred to as polyvinyl chloride or PVC). The plastic materials used in building lean to greenhouses are usually coated with various UV protective materials to ensure the safety of the people who use them and so they last a long time.
• Lean to greenhouses are small, versatile buildings that can easily adapt to various climates and weather conditions. They work well in various environments and landscapes. Like fully-built greenhouses, they’re also able to withstand extreme weather conditions.
• Wondering what kinds of materials to use, and what sizes and shapes are available? Swgreenhouses.co.uk has a nice range here of lean to greenhouses for you to choose from.

Where to Place A Lean To Greenhouse?

Now that you know what lean to greenhouses are, it’s time to learn where you should place yours. Here are three options

• Over An Existing Porch Or Near Your Kitchen If you’re eager to grow more vegetables and herbs to eat, installing your lean to greenhouse near your kitchen makes a lot of sense. No matter what the weather, you can dash out to your greenhouse to gather herbs and greens or pick cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables that can be grown in a compact space.
• Adjacent to Your Deck or Shed Accessibility is key. Place your lean to greenhouse in a spot you can easily get to.
• NOT Under a Tree! Never install your lean to greenhouse directly under tall trees because of the following reasons:
  • Trees will cast shade, encouraging growth of green algae. 
  • Tall trees block light, and their falling leaves and branches may cause damage to your greenhouse and block guttering. 
  • Also, tree roots could upset the greenhouse’s foundation and make planting into the beds tricky. 
  • In addition, honeydew from insects coming from the tree’s foliage can make the plastic or glass material of your greenhouse sticky and hard to remove.

NOTE: Position Your Lean To Greenhouse South-Facing

When placing your lean to greenhouse, take stock of how much natural light it will receive. It will be shaded by the structure it leans on for at least part of the day. You want the supporting side of the structure to be on its north side, so as much natural light as possible bathes the greenhouse from the south. Plan to supplement with lighting, and potential some heat, especially in colder climates.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways to position your lean to greenhouse in your property. You can install your greenhouse over an existing porch or near the kitchen, or against an existing shed or garage. Just make sure to avoid installing it under tall trees to avoid mold growth due to light limitations and pest infestation. Also, it’s best to position your lean to greenhouse facing south for maximum sunlight exposure.

You can get more tips for building a greenhouse here.

NOTE: Paid partnerships and sponsors help us bring you the expertise you need to live the greener life you want. Our editorial positions remain our own. 

The post 3 Places to Put A Lean To Greenhouse So You Can Grow More Food appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Here’s how to tell which ones are the best – and the 5 places you should install them to use the least amount of energy and save the most money on your energy bill. And if you don’t have any bulbs, don’t worry.

Taking the Energy Star Pledge enters you into a giveaway for a terrific package of ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED LED Bulbs worth $50 (see more below).

Look for the ENERGY STAR Logo

The best LED bulbs are those that bear the bright blue and white ENERGY STAR logo.

The ENERGY STAR is a symbol of energy efficiency, set up by the federal government to help consumers and companies save energy

LED bulbs that earn the ENERGY STAR label are independently certified to save energy and help protect the environment. Here’s what that means:

LEDs that are ENERGY STAR Certified meet the program’s high-performance standards to save you the most energy and money while

providing the highest quality light.

So first things first: Whenever you shop for an LED bulb, above all, make sure the blue ENERGY STAR logo is on the package (just like it is on this one to the right).

PUT ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED LED BULBS IN THESE 5 LIGHTS

According to the U.S. EPA, the average American home, maybe like yours, has approximately 70 light sockets, many of which still use old-fashioned incandescent or halogen bulbs.

Understandably, you might not be able to replace the bulbs in all your lights at once. That’s why EPA has put together this list of the fixtures where you should replace the bulbs first.

Replacing your home’s five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with models that have earned the ENERGY STAR can save you about $40 per year on your electricity bill.

Though you might spend that much money buying the new bulbs, after the first year, that $40 just builds and builds. In 10 years, you could save $400 (and that’s if you only replace the bulbs in five fixtures – what if you do them all??).

Take the ENERGY STAR PLEDGE!

That’s not only a terrific way to stop wasting money on lighting, it’s also one of the best investments in your home you can make. ENERGY STAR encourages you to #lightthemoment with certified LED bulbs in videos like this one:

NOTE: Many retailers, including Ace, WalMart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot, offer frequent sales that make buying LEDs extremely affordable. Look for sales and coupons that will save you even more money when you buy LED bulbs.

Even if you can’t or don’t want to replace all 5 bulbs, as least do one.

A single ENERGY STAR Certified LED bulb that has earned the ENERGY STAR can save nearly $55 in electricity costs over its lifetime.

TAKE THE ENERGY STAR PLEDGE

There’s so much to keep us busy that, despite our best intentions, sometimes we don’t get around to doing what we should or want to do.

That’s where the ENERGY STAR Pledge comes in handy.

I took the ENERGY STAR Pledge because I wanted to make myself a promise – that I would actually switch to LED bulbs. Here it is! (I pledged to replace 5 light bulbs, as well as to turn off lights when not needed.)

I’d like to ask you to take the ENERGY STAR Pledge, too.

It literally takes less than a minute to do, so no “I don’t have time!” excuses, please!

As an added incentive, taking the pledge enters you into our LED Great Bulb Giveaway for a chance to win ENERGY STAR Certified, high-quality LED bulbs worth $50 (you can decide what kind you want, up to $50).

All you have to do is snap a screenshot of your pledge (like I did with mine) and share it on the big Green Purse Facebook page.

How easy is that?

I hope you’ll do it right now!

POST A PICTURE OF YOUR ENERGY STAR PLEDGE TO WIN LED BULBS WORTH $50.

The post People Who Choose 5 ENERGY STAR Certified LED Bulbs Save More Money appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Green living can save anyone money, but for seniors facing retirement, going green is especially economical. Choosing an eco-friendly lifestyle can save literally hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year through simple steps that won’t crimp your style but definitely improve your life. And all that green living will help leave a healthier legacy for future generations, too. Want the specifics? Here you go.

10 Ways Green Living Seniors Save Money

1) Energy – Green living seniors use less energy to heat, cool, light, and power their homes. That means they have taken steps to: insulate attics and crawl spaces; weatherstrip windows and doors; install curtains or blinds over windows on the north (cold) side of the house, and awnings and shades on the south (hot) side. Green living seniors also use a programmable thermostat to make it easy to automatically reduce energy consumption when they’re not home. This model, the Nest, is one option.

2) Water – Green living seniors don’t waste money buying bottled water, which ounce for ounce can cost 10,000 times more than tap water. Instead, they have made a one-time purchase of a water filter and fill their own reusable bottles and pitchers with filtered tap water. Depending on how much bottled water they previously bought, these smart seniors could be saving $10 or more a week.

3) Food – According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most consumers throw away at least 30% of the food they buy because they forget about it and it spoils, or it passes its expiration date. Green seniors keep track of what’s in their fridge and pantry; find yummy ways to enjoy leftovers; and shop from grocery lists so they don’t buy too much in the first place. They also buy from the bulk bins, where they can buy as much or as little as they need and avoid the excess packaging that also drives up the price of our food.

4) Cars, Car/Van Pooling, and Car Sharing – Seniors living together who retire often find that they no longer need two cars, or don’t need their own car as much as before. It’s more economical to maintain and fuel only one car, and to take advantage of the van pools that many communities now offer their senior citizens. Plus, with the expansion of car sharing services like Zip Car, it is becoming much more convenient to share cars rather than maintain your own. This is particularly true with Zip Car. You pay an annual membership fee and an hourly use for the vehicle. But you don’t pay for insurance, gas or oil, new tires, or maintenance.

5) Bicycling – In retirement, seniors find they have more time and interest in bicycling for recreation or to get chores done. It’s a great oil-free, pollution-free way to get around town without having to spend money on gasoline, and of course, it will keep you in shape.

6) Mass Transit – Cities that have mass transit systems usually offer seniors big discounts for taking the bus or subway. Check with your municipality to see when the discount kicks in. In Washington, D.C., it’s age 65, but it could be as early as 60 or 62 where you live.

7) Downsize – Downsizing to a smaller home or apartment probably saves the most money on heating, cooling, and maintenance. The environmental benefits can’t be beat either, since a smaller dwelling has a smaller carbon footprint, and will use less water (fewer bathrooms? less lawn to water?) and require less “stuff” in terms of furnishings, paint, cleaning products and more.

8) Extra Care Communities – Rather than downsize to a smaller home, many seniors are opting to move into retirement communities which are already designed to save energy and other resources, and make it easy to bicycle or take van pools rather than drive. Some communities specialize in eco-friendly dwellings and offer their residents organic gardening options and opportunities to volunteer on green projects. Others maximize energy efficiency through wise construction practices, community design, and use of LED lights and water-saving appliances.

9) Travel – Green living seniors in the U.S. who have a sense of adventure can enjoy many opportunities to volunteer with the National Park Service or the National Wildlife Refuge System. In some parks, you can camp at low or no cost in exchange for volunteer services. If you put in 250 hours over the course of a year, you’ll earn a free annual pass to national parks and other wilderness and wildlife destinations. At the age of 62, for just $10, you can buy a lifetime pass that will gain you free entry to the nation’s national parks, wildlife refuges, and Bureau of Land Management public lands.

10) Library – Libraries offer seniors an absolutely free way to access almost any information you want. If you don’t have a computer, use one at the library. Rather than buy a book, borrow it. The same goes for movies and music. Plus, use the library to read your favorite magazines and newspapers.  You’ll save money on the buying side, and do your part to cut back on the amount of paper that needs to be printed, since you’ll be sharing all these materials rather than owning them outright. If you have an e-reader, you can probably download a lot of what you want from the library’s website so you don’t have to make the visit there if you don’t want to.

The post 10 Ways Green Living Seniors Save Money appeared first on Big Green Purse.

On Earth Day, all of us here are sharing our stories so you know that just the opposite is true! My own experience is that going green actually saves me several thousand dollars a year while increasing my quality of life. That’s because I’ve figured out how to reduce what I buy, reuse what I have, and save energy and water, two items (especially energy) that could otherwise cost me hundreds of dollars a year. I put my top suggestions in a new ebook that’s free to download if you want more information.

Want even ore ideas to go green and save money? Here’s how a lot of people I know and respect are also saving money by being green:

Betsy at Eco-Novice offers very concrete ways to save money on products that otherwise increase your exposure to toxic chemicals. Her helpful post includes 6 switches she’s made that you can, too, including a switch from disposable plastic baggies to reusable food bags in food-safe fabrics in a variety of sizes, from snack to gallon.

Kristina of The Greening of Westford recommends using local libraries to borrow books and movies for kids and adults alike rather than go out and buy them brand new. Also, she says, if you do want to buy, drop in to your library’s book sales, where they generally sell used books at greatly reduced prices. Kristina notes that she brings the process full circle by donating the books she buys back to the library at some point so they can be re-sold again.

Brittney Gordon-Williams, Communications Manager for EPA’s ENERGY STAR products, ticks off some specific ways consumers can save money by saving energy. For example, did you know that ENERGY STAR certified LED light bulbs use 70-90% less energy and last 25x longer than your old incandescent bulbs?  Or that enabling your computer and monitor’s power management fatures can save you up to $90 a year?  Brittney invites you to check out My ENERGY STAR for more tips and energy-saving suggestions.

Beth from My Plastic Free Life has found many ways to save money by going plastic free. Of course, she saves a lot of money by using a refillable water bottle rather than buying bottled water, and she’s reused all kinds of glass jars for food storage, rather than by new plastic ones. She skips new plastic shampoo bottles and deodorant applicators by mixing up those products herself from baking soda and other ingredients, and then storing them in the same containers over and over.  And she’s learned how to fix many things when they break rather than replace them – the ultimate money-saving strategy.

Anna at Green-Talk offers lots of useful ways to go green in the kitchen and save money, too. For example, “don’t forget to install an inexpensive aerator for your faucet to reduce your water usage as well as your bill,” she suggsts. Plus, “Don’t stop there. Plants need water? Water them with leftover cooking water or half drunken glasses of water.” Good idea!

At Groovy Green Livin’, Lori has a great list of “15 Ways to Be Green Without Spending a Dime.” One that has saved me a bundle over the years is her #14: “use Freecycle, Craigs List or other sites that have free stuff.” It’s all about reusing and keeping good stuff out of landfills,” she says. Amen to that!

Paige of Spit That Out the Book recommends using coupons from green companies to offset their costs. She provides a long list of green couponers, green coupon aggregators and flash sale sites, which was totally new to me.

Leigh Ann at Green4U offers this unique suggestion to save money and go green, too: Invite friends over for dinner, rather than go to a bar or the movies. Make it potluck so everyone participates, and rotate houses so the same person isn’t hosting all the time. Great idea!

 Sommer at Green & Clean Mom reminds people that “Less Meat Means Less Money.” Generally, she reminds us, “veggies, rice and beans cost much less than meat products. In this economy, as fuel prices and food prices rise, we can expect meat to become an expensive habit. Reduce your meat consumption and save a little.”

Karen at EcoKaren offers a terrific list of “11 Things You Should Never Buy to Be Safe and Save Money.” For example, skip the pre-cut drumsticks and chicken breasts – a whole chicken is half the price. Chicken stock in a box? Not when you can make it yourself much more cheaply from the bones of that chicken you just cut up. As for canned tomatoes, many cans are lined with BPA, a toxic chemical linked to birth defects. Maybe it’s time to learn how to can or freeze tomatoes yourself?

Jen of Jen and Joey Go Green doesn’t shy away from the fact that sometimes, “eating healthy is going to cost you more than pre-packaged food. That is just the way the kale crumbles!” However, “pre-planning will help you spend less on healthy food than you would buying processed foods that are full of chemicals.” That sounds like a good trade to me!

Trina at O’Boy! Organic also focused on food, offering real food money saving tips that help her on a weekly basis.  She says she’s able to keep her food bill down to $150 a week by planning her menus, using foods she already has, having at least one leftover night in the week, buying meat in bulk, and buying staple items online. Her links to the various shopping sites she uses are very helpful, too.

For a few more ways to save money buying food, here’s my list of Top Ten Organic Food Price Busters. As Stacy of Move The Market says, “If money is energy, I want to invest mine in creating the world I want to live in…As I’ve happily discovered, what’s best for my body and the planet is often best for my budget, too.” That is so true!

How do you save money going green? Please share you suggestions!

 Want More Money-Saving Tips?

Top Ten Ways to Beat the High Price of Gas

Top Ten Ways to Save Energy and Money at Home

The post Go Green, Save Money. Here’s How! appeared first on Big Green Purse.