Our deck gets a lot of sun in the afternoon and the outsides of the house are pelted with the heat. We have cellular blinds on the way for inside insulation but we needed a solution for the deck itself that would also absorb some of the heat from reaching the inside of the house.

We decided to go with bamboo shades that we would mount on the outside of the deck to keep the sun from the side of the house that would also let us use the deck in the afternoon.

Bamboo shades of course are made from bamboo which is a rapidly renewable resource. In fact it can grow as much as 3 feet per day. It is a great alternative to using wood (which isn't as easily renewable); also it is easy to clean and insulates very well.

We went down to Rona and got a few of them. They had sizes ranging from 36 inches to 96 inches in length and 72 inches in height.

They were extremely easy to mount; we needed a wood surface, measured, drilled a pilot hole and screwed in the hook then mounted the bamboo shades on them.

I was surprised at the difference these blinds made. Not only was the deck bearable now, the inside of the house was much much cooler.

We were on a mission last night to find blinds for the home and to get tips on making the windows more energy-efficient.

Our stops included Sears and Home Depot. The staff pointed us towards cellular honeycomb blinds which maximizes energy efficiency and insulates the home fairly well. They come in single, double and triple cell arrangements which provide different levels of insulation and light transmission. Chelsea at Home Depot indicated that depending on the supplier, installation times can range from 12 to 19 days. Both places offer free in-home consultation though. I think we are definately leaning towards these shades.

Other options include bamboo roll-up blinds (as a easily renewable resource) and Home Depot also has energy film that has 99% UV Rejection, 85% Light Transmission, 65% Solar Heat Rejection. It can help you save up to 12-18% of annual energy costs but they are recommended for single pane windows.

The reviews have been good: "This film keeps out drafts and conserves heat in winter, to save money and conserve energy."

I was looking at getting embroidering and silkscreening of the EscapePollution logo done and I approached Dog's Ear for more information. I spoke with Al who is the franchise owner in Kelowna and he seems to be a very nice guy. He explained the embroidery and silkscreening processes and provided me with a quick qoute. I sent him my logo and he printed off a sample for me to approve. 

I was in the market for various styles and found out that they carried eco-friendly clothing. In particular they carry the Ash City clothing line which uses eco-friendly fabrics and recycled materials.

I ordered a 'his' and 'her' lightweight recycled polyester jackets for my wife and I. The jackets have reflective piping on them which was perfect for my wife who rides a Honda Jazz Scooter.

The embroidering looked great on the jacket and Al worked hard on getting it done quickly for us. We have ordered a few other items and no doubt, we'll be ordering bamboo and/or soybean apparel in the near future.

E-friendly renovation tips that can increase the value of your investment

• Windows - switch to triple-glazed that are installed properly
• Lighting - use sensor lights, skylights, compact-flourescent bulbs
• Heating - get high-efficiency furnaces, radiant heating, solar panels, solar heated hot water tanks (hot water tanks are 25% of your gas bill)
• Insulation - pack insulation in the walls, basement, attic, around pipes
• Water - install low flow toilets and showerheads, install on-demand hot water heaters
• Paint - use paint that has no VOCs (these cause breathing problems)
• Carpet - install wool carpets that don't pollute the air and are renewable,
• Floors - use renewable resources such as bamboo or cork or recycle old materials
• Surfaces - use products such as PaperStone that is made from recycled paper instead of non-renewable stone

Tips gathered from Joanna Pachner's article titled "Green renos increase a home's value".

By June, Asus will have eco-friendly laptops

To promote environmentally friendly products, Asustek will introduce the 11-inch S6 and 12-inch U6 laptops which have bamboo coverings. The units are priced around $1600 USD.

Asus is also working on the same bamboo concept for desktop PCs and monitors. My next PC and laptop will be definately have components that are easily renewable and can be recycled quicker.

Digitimes has the story.