Ted is always looking for ways to minimize his ecological footprint. Professionally, Ted is working to gain the skills necessary to turn his passion for sustainable development into action, as an entrepreneur or financing sustainable businesses.
Ted studied economics and international business at Saint Louis University’s campus in Madrid, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was honored as the Distinguished Student in International Business for his class. As the founder and president of the SLU Madrid Business Club, Ted focused the club’s activities on sustainability.
While working for commercial real estate multi-national Jones Lang LaSalle’s Madrid office, Ted strove to implement sustainable practices both within the firm and for its clients. He proposed and designed an Environmental Sustainability Action Plan for JLL Spain. Green Building and Environmentally Sustainable Development remain a passion for Ted: he believes that the intersection of sustainable infrastructure and sustainable attitude is where we’ll find a sustainable society.
Ted currently works for a private equity firm in Madrid, learning skills that he hopes to apply to finance Environmentally Sustainable Development in the United States and around the world.
Cherl Petso is the Associate Editor at Disaboom.com, an online magazine for people with disabilities. Her writing expertise includes articles about the environment and sustainable living, and vegan/vegetarian issues. A vegetarian for 16 years and a recent vegan, Cherl is passionate about animal rights and issues. She enjoys writing about simple ways to lessen the impact on the Earth.
Cherl recently moved to Denver, Colorado from Bellingham, Washington. She enjoys hiking and hanging out with her puppy.
Alexis Steinkamp grew up at Helderledge Farm, a perennial plant nursery in an apple orchard near Albany, New York. As a teenager, she hybridized daylilies, raised chickens, grew tomatoes, chopped wood, picked apples, baked pies and feared mosquitoes. She left the farm to attend Northwestern University and study art and design.
After graduating in 1991, she stayed in Chicago to work in theater, film and special event design. She didn’t make much money, but lived simply and saved for a rainy day or a place to live—whichever came first. As it turned out, the condo came first. Her friends were shocked that she, a starving artist, could afford a condo in the city. How did she do it? She should write a book about it! So, she did. She wrote a personal finance workbook to help young women budget, save and dream called Thrifty Girl KICKS YOUR FINANCIAL BUTT; Get a grip on your finances without dying of boredom. And, she developed a personal finance class that she teaches at Truman College in Chicago.
Today, Alexis still lives simply. She works part-time, writes and lives in a tiny condo with a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline. Visit her online at Thrifty Girl
Loretta White is a writer, educator and scholar who gained huge diversity of experience within varied industries; energy, government, high tech and more. The last fifteen years she brokered deals with the top multinational companies globally, her Rainmaker skills are unsurpassed and she remains an authority on BD, BI, sustainability and the Global Marketplace.
Frugality was the voice of her elders who endured wars, rationing and Depression, raised to respect, love and to co-exist with nature through sustainability, self reliance, need and RRR practices. Loretta’s juxtaposition of ideas, deep love for the planet and her Yankee sensibilities are the foundation of a lifestyle that is in partnership with nature. Loretta indulges her passions for renewable energy, organics and being green on her 17.5 acre farm in central Massachusetts.
Recently Ms. White has lead an Assoc. of Caregivers providing support to those caring for parents, disabled, and others.
Loretta is invested in the community of our species and our planet and her diverse background in technology and green living gives her a unique perspective on how to live with nature and with our own gifts of technology.
Ms. White’s work has been published by Corporations, magazines, readers digest and many others.
Lauren Mangion is a writer, engaged citizen, and an eco-coach from Calgary, Canada. Lauren’s personal life and work are intimately intertwined, both being experiments in more sustainable, lower-footprint urban living.
Through Conscious Home, an eco-coaching service, Lauren educates and inspires her fellow Calgarians with tools and resources toward reducing the individual ecological footprint.
Boston born novelist, short-story writer and who has published thousands of technical papers now works in the horror-fiction world. Occasionally, his characters and stories transcend genres and travel from fantasy to realism.
White contributes to L. A, Weekly occasionally and other magazines and online forums, he also blogs regularly for several news and industry sites.
Current projects include; “Underwater City Salvage,” “Real Vampires”, “The Black Coach”, “The In-Between Time.” His novels are richly textured with excellent grasp on popular culture, and explores feelings of angst, deep-rooted in ancient themes.
A freelance writer specializing in environmental and health topics, Linda recently was part of a core team of writers who developed content for GreenYour, a website devoted to greener living.
She wrote an environmental column for five years for Good Housekeeping magazine called Green Watch. You can find her articles in Plenty Magazine’s online newsletter, Fit Pregnancy, Good Housekeeping, Arthritis Today, Profiles (Continental Airline’s in-flight magazine), and Microsoft’s Encarta.
She served on her town’s environmental commission for 15 years and remains an active volunteer. Her personal essay column for the local newspaper offers her take on the natural world and on environmental topics in her neck of the woods.
Dayanti Karunaratne is a freelance journalist based in Canada's capital city, Ottawa.
Since graduating from Carleton University's journalism program in 2006, Karunaratne has worked on the news desk at the Port Hope Evening Guide, the Ottawa Citizen, and the Molokai Times. Karunaratne's writing appears in the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Magazine, the Globe and Mail, and other lifestyle publications.
Heather O'Neill is the founder of Eco to the People, a green living blog.
Before founding Eco to the People, Heather O’Neill wore so many hats in the field of journalism that even the Queen Mother would envy her collection. She has worked as the managing editor of a beauty trade magazine; as a copy editor for an online tech magazine; as the associate editor of a city magazine and as a newspaper reporter and columnist, and as the senior editor at the popular online newsletter ecofabulous.
Her work has appeared in many publications, including Parenting, Alternative Medicine, Natural Solutions, Marin Magazine, Greenwich Magazine and HOME.
Heather earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from California College of the Arts. She lives and works in San Francisco.
Television producer-turned-blogger-turned-ecogeek, Kirsten Dirksen is co-founder of faircompanies.com a news/blog/video site focused on environmental sustainability for people and the planet.
For the cause, she has transformed her life into an eco-experiment, documenting every endeavor. Before moving to Barcelona, Spain, Kirsten was a TV producer/shooter/editor for U.S. networks like MTV, Oxygen, Sundance Channel and Travel Channel.
Insulation is the one of the best ways to save money on heating and air conditioning. Considering a third of a home’s annual costs are spent on heating, it’s worth spending a little on insulation to keep that heat inside. In this series, I will focus on an array of cost saving solutions for effectively insulating your home. By following these tips, you’ll be able prevent heat loss and conserve energy without breaking the bank. You can even receive a 30% tax credit in certain areas.
Where to Start
Test your airflow On a windy day, hold a lit candle or incense stick to these areas:
Dropped ceiling
Recessed light
Attic entrance
Sill plates
Water and furnace flues
All ducts
Door frames
Chimney flashing
Window frames
Electrical outlets and switches
Plumbing and utility access
Any location where there is a possible air path to the outside
If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you have located an air leakage. Areas that leak air into and out of your home can potentially cost you a lot of money. This probably is an indication of gaps and areas where air leaks into and out of your house. It also may be a moisture issue, so it’s always worthwhile to check out.
Once you have determined where you need to insulate, you have to decide what to insulate with. I recommend using natural insulation products wherever you can. This will decrease your energy costs while protecting your health and home. Typically natural products have a 10% higher “R-value” and the material will last the lifespan of the building, whereas typical insulation will deteriorate faster than the structure.
Interior environments can be densely polluted with toxic chemicals, and adding natural products reduces the harmful VOC’s. Wool insulation actually removes many toxic gases like formaldehyde from indoor air, while man-made insulation products EMIT those gases. Natural products can also be installed without protective gear, as it is safe to handle and non-toxic to both the installer and occupant for years to come.
The US Dept of Energy has a cost to savings calculator. This tool can help you determine what to invest in, and why.
Following is a list of insulation options,
Natural insulationThese are internationally code-approved methods and are available in many formats.
i. Cotton
ii. Cattails
iii. Cellulose Fiber
iv. Perlite
v. Vermiculite
vi. Wool: Wool absorbs, retains and releases moisture without effecting thermal properties, or the performance. It is healthy, breathable and helps relieve mold issues in damp-climate, like here in the Northeast!
vii. Natural Caulk
Radiant Barrier This is an acoustical product as well as a sound barrier increaser
a. Natural loose fill insulation
b. Dryer lint can be saved to close openings
c. Jeans: Old, shredded jeans and clothing is used to make loose insulation commercially too!
Ridged Foam Insulation or Foam Board 2.5 times as effective, but more expensive.
a. Natural versions: perlite, vermiculite
b. Styrofoam
Foam-Spray-Expanding My favorite, easy to use and can spend ½ hour using-no mess or cleanup like other methods.
Don’t forget other heat-loss reducing actions such as Weather Stripping, Caulking, Plastic Wrap, and Door Snakes which are easy to make and inexpensive to buy. They do a great job of reducing air flow and can be moved from door-to-door easily.
Installation
The idea of “the more insulation used, the better” isn’t always true. Air flow is needed to reduce moisture build up that causes mold and other problems. Take advantage of free online courses or go to a local home improvement store for training (or a refresher) when doing any major insulation work.
Please tell me what you think and add your stories and tips.
Click here to find an Energy Star location in your area.
About the author:Loretta White is a highly respected member of the global manufacturing industry and brings over 20 years experience in consulting. Loretta lectures on: Sales, Business Development and Green Business practices and is a published author on sustainability techniques.
Thanks for the breakdown. I keep reading how insulation is the biggest factor, but didn’t know where to start. Do you recommend sprayfoam insulation for walls? I have an old house and I obviously don’t want to take off the sheetrock.
Hi Kevin - thanks for your comment!
I actually have 2 articles that will be posting that tell you where to start. Having had old houses myself, I would start with the windows and doors.. sealing around them. That will be detailed in “7 simple ways 2 save $500.00 or more this winter“-from ecomii blogs”
IF That doesnt give you all you need, let me know and I will attempt to get you more.
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Thanks for the breakdown. I keep reading how insulation is the biggest factor, but didn’t know where to start. Do you recommend sprayfoam insulation for walls? I have an old house and I obviously don’t want to take off the sheetrock.
Hi Kevin - thanks for your comment!
I actually have 2 articles that will be posting that tell you where to start. Having had old houses myself, I would start with the windows and doors.. sealing around them. That will be detailed in “7 simple ways 2 save $500.00 or more this winter“-from ecomii blogs”
IF That doesnt give you all you need, let me know and I will attempt to get you more.