Eco-Friendly — tips and tricks for saving the world, one step at a time « Eco-Friendly

How To: Install reflective film on your storm door

Applying a restrictive film on your storm door is a smart and great energy saving method. During the long summer months, if any sunlight hits your storm door, it can not only damage the look of your door, but cause your home to become much hotter than you need it to be.

How To: Reuse dryer lint

Even dryer lint can be recycled. Watch this how to video as ultimate cheapskate Jeff Yeager gives dryer lint new life. There are more uses for dryer lint than you can imagine.

How To: Make a bicycle wheel windmill

In this video, you'll learn how to make your very own bicycle wheel windmill. This completely recyclable creation which can easily be made from that old bike that's just been rusty away. Put it to good use and make this great eco-friendly windmill. Step by step you'll learn exactly what to do to make this windmill spin.

How To: Make an eco-friendly windchime out of keys

There are lots of different ways to make windchimes, but three parts are essential; you will need something to hang it with, something to hang it from, and something to make some noise. This how-to video from a Piece of Craft shows an eco-friendly wind chime made from an old sink strainer, old keys, and colored twine. Watch this video crafting tutorial and learn how to make a windchime out of keys, or whatever other recyclable materials you want.

How To: Remove Super Glue

If you've ever gotten super glue stuck to your fingers, you know what a pain it can be to get it off again! Don't worry - there's a simple household item you probably already stock that can take care of your super glue super mess!

How To: Make Green Modifications to Your Toilet to Save Water

Toilets are one of the greatest boons to public health of all time, but they do use a ton of water when they flush. If the old adage "If it's yellow, stay mellow. If it's brown, flush it down," disgusts you, but you still want to find a more green way to flush, then watch this video. I will show you how to modify your toilet at home, making it use less water without sacrificing flushing efficiency. Don't waste money on a low-flow toilet or destroy the planet. Watch this video.

How To: Build your own aquifer

Many communities obtain their drinking water from underground sources called aquifers. If a surface water source, such as a river, is not available, water companies will drill wells into the soil and rock to a water source below. Some homes have their own private wells and must tap into the same ground water sources. In this video tutorial, you'll what aquifers are, how they work, why they are important and, of course, how to build your own model! Build your own aquifer.

How To: Build your own windmill with household materials

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to build your own windmill with household materials. Materials needed for the windmill are a template, scissors, straw, some yarn, some pennies, a paper cup, rubber bands, pencil, single hole punch, a skewer and thumb tacks. Take the template, cut it out along the solid lines and punch holes on the corners as shown in the video. Now with a thumbtack and a pencil make a nice hole at the center of the template. Fold the template along the ...

How To: Take a BIC lighter apart for recycling

For on-the-go lighting of birthday candles (those surprise birthday parties really get you), homemade explosives (because making stuff explode is fun), and cigarettes, a cheapo BIC lighter is a totally awesome fix. But most BIC lighters run out pretty quickly and get tossed without second thought.

How To: Make an All-Natural Insect Repellent with Cacao Leaves

Science investigatory projects suck, or at least seem to at first. But you shouldn't let school drag you down. Instead, use your homework assignment as an opportunity to solve a problem you've always been interested in. And it doesn't hurt if the end result is eco-friendly, either.

How To: Fold an eco-friendly shopping bag into a tiny pouch

Shopping bags are an ecological nightmare, so many modern shoppers use eco-friendly reusable shopping bags. If you have a stash of eco-friendly bags and want to store them more easily, watch this video to learn a novel way to fold these bags that turns them into a tiny pouch, which you could even still use to hold things if you wanted.

How To: Build a compost turner

In this how to video learn to build a compost turner using 100% salvaged materials. This tutorial is excellent for the beginning gardener. Start your own compost and grow great plants with this step by step video.

How To: Recycle a plastic grocery bag into a checkbook holder using an iron

Plastic shopping bags are on the verge of extinction with states threatening plastic bag bans. California has already approved a ban, taking effect in 2012, and other states are proposing the same ban, including Oregon.

How To: Make a solar food dehydrator

Rick van Man of Container Gardening For Food details his techniques for making a solar-powered food dehydrator out of such household debris as scrap wood and old pint cans. The finished product looks amazingly professional! Truly a must-watch for any DIY-inclined gardening enthusiast.

How to Make DIY BioDiesel: Recipe

DIY Bio-Diesel Recipe What you'll need: Funnel and filtrate paper/cloth, containers (jars/buckets), non-kerosene based white spirit, and a spare fuel filter.

How To: Make your own cucumber and papaya soap

Papaya soap can be great for reducing the appearance of scars, but it can sometimes be difficult to find. This tutorial shows you how to make your own papaya cucumber soap at home. All you need is a juicer or blender and some glycerin melt and pour soap.

How To: Make a homemade compost tumbler

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a homemade compost tumbler. Find a large barrel and mount it on a wood frame. You can use recycled materials, like an old pickle barrel if you can find one. There should be an axle in the middle of the wooden posts that runs through the tumbler as well. There should be a pipe in the middle bottom of the barrel to run air through, that will exit through the top where the handles are at. The aeration system will help your compost work properly, so you can ...

How To: Begin composting

In this tutorial, we learn how to begin composting. When you compost, you have a lot of choices of where you want to compost. You can do it inside of a metal bin, in a small tumble type of container, or a wood cedar box. If you are doing a lot of composting, use a large composting bin that you will turn with a shovel. It's important to get oxygen into the pile to keep the bacteria growing. You can use compost accelerator to help get things going and make it more successful. You can compost co...

How To: Recycle an old blank CD case into a toilet paper case or dispenser

If you need to protect your toilet paper rolls from overactive pets, or want a way to travel with tp without having it unroll, you can create a quick and easy toilet paper holder just using an old case for blank CDs and a box cutter.

How To: Make a wind turbine using a ceiling fan

Scott Brown teaches us how to make a wind turbine using a ceiling fan in this video. First, place steel banding around the middle of the ceiling fan base. Now, cross all the combinations of the wires and keep them close together so you don't confuse them. Hook these up to DC terminals so you get around 50 volts on both of them. Hook them parallel so you keep the voltage down to around 50 volts together. Then place the wires into a connector that has a pipe connected to the bottom. This will c...

How To: Build a tin can Stirling engine

The Stirling engine is a relatively old type of external combustion engine that has never really found a niche despite its unique advantages over conventional internal combustion engines. This video for the DIY-inclined will show you how to make your very own small Stirling engine out out of a tin can and some other basic materials. It may not power your house, but you will be able to amaze and educate your friends with this awesome little device.

How To: Make an outdoor wood stove enclosure with roofing tin

There is really no limit to the recycling that a somewhat handy person can do given only some tools and a good supply of scrap. This video walks you through one recycling project, making a wood-burning stove enclosure for your yard using only old roofing tin. If you have access to a wood-burning stove and some old roofing tin scraps, then this video should be very helpful to you.

How To: Dispose of batteries properly

You may or may not know it, but getting rid of old batteries is a problem nowadays. Buying alkaline batteries from the store can be bad news, since these cannot be reused or even recycled. They end up in land fills and can pose serious toxic threats. Buying recycled batteries from the store is a better way to go, since these guys can be recycled and of course, reused. So check out this tutorial for some more adivce on properly disposing or your batteries. Good luck and enjoy!

How To: Make compost for your herb garden at home

Compost is a very important part of your garden. In order to create the compost you need five very important ingredients: air, water, heat, nitrogen and carbon. You can introduce air circulation by crossing branches. Water your pile so it does not dry out, but you do not want to water it too much so that it gets mushy. your compost pile has to be warm in order for it to compost. You can get nitrogen by using green things from your garden like weeds and grass, and you can get carbon by using h...

How To: Stack newspapers for recycling with a wagon and string

The best way to get into recycling is make it simple. Recycling newspapers is a great way to start your efforts to go green. It is one of the most common paper products in your home that can be recycled. The hard part is keeping the papers from becoming a big mess while you store them. Bundling the papers and tying them up can be very hard. An easy solution for that problem is to put two pieces of string that are long enough to wrap around the bundle of papers in a wagon. Lay them in the wago...

How To: Bury waste after the bucket is full in Bokashi compost

In this video from billjackjane we learn how to bury waste after the bucket is full in Bokashi compost. Dig a trench 3 feet wide and 1 1/2 feet deep. Drop in the waste. Make sure all the excess juices have dried off. Spread it around a bit. Cover it with soil. In about 4-6 weeks in will be completely broken down. It will be a rich black soil which you can plant in or transfer to other parts of the garden. This will give us the most benefits. For more information about this visit

How To: Save energy by insulating a garage door

The garage is the largest uninsulated part of the home. Make your garage energy efficient and help cut heating and cooling bills with a little insulation. Watch this how to video and learn how easy it is to use reflective foil or foam core to keep the effects of the weather out of your home. Insulating also helps reduce noise reduction.

How To: Improve the efficiency of your air conditioner

Window and portable air conditioners use a lot of power to do their work. Make sure you're getting what you pay for by cleaning your air conditioner out periodically. The cleaning costs are negligible and can save you a lot of money. In this two-part tutorial series, you'll learn how to make your air conditioning units run as they should. Remember to be careful; air conditioners can be heavy. Get help if you need it and, of course, unplug the air conditioner before doing anything seen in this...

How To: Make a Furoshiki Japanese grocery bag

Learn how to make a Furoshiki bag, a method used by the Japanese for centuries to carry just about anything you can imagine, from food, groceries, boxes, bottles... even watermelons. A very Eco-Friendly way to reduce waste. make your own Furoshiki Japanese grocery bag today! Makes an inexpensive homemade Christmas Gift. Make a Furoshiki Japanese grocery bag.

How To: Dispose of old cell phones and electronics properly

Tossing old computers and electronics in the trash is bad for the planet. Techno-Guru Lloyd gives a smarter alternative.

How To: Eradicate Unwanted Junk Mail from the Post Office Forever (Or… Repurpose It!)

Unwanted advertising is everywhere. Annoying pop-up ads, overly loud late night commercials, spam...it never ends. And before spam, there was junk mail. Junk mail is even worse because unlike TV commercials and internet ads, it's physical. You can't just delete or ignore it—and it's an awful waste of paper. So what can you do about it?

How To: Construct a solar panel from solar cells in a series

If you want to save money on your electric bill, try building some of these solar panels using solar cells wired in a series. You can save money by using extra glass you or a friend may already own if it isn't being used. Soon you can harness the power of the sun by creating your own solar electricity.

How To: Make the Best Kitchen Multi-purpose Cleaner

Think you have a stain on your stove or countertop that just won't come off? Think again! This simple trick will have your kitchen surfaces gleaming in no time!

How To: Make Safe Homemade Glass Cleaner

Supplies 2 parts water

How To: Make your own aquatic tabletop biosphere in a mason jar

Feeling inspired by the incredible Biosphere 2 project? Make your own aquatic biosphere and witness the incredible phenomenon of a self-contained marine ecosystem right on your desk. This is a simple project that won't take more than an afternoon to put together, but could last for years.