Eco-Friendly

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: 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: 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.

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 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: 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 and use wheat paste for wallpaper

For a natural alternative to wallpaper or poster glue, consider using wheat paste. This clear, permanent adhesive is used by artists and decorators and is simple to make.

How To: Make a DIY trash can out of newspapers

Recycling things isn't nearly as efficient a means of conserving resources as reusing your waste material in it's current form. Enter this video. It will teach you how to make an awesome little trash can / waste paper basket out of perhaps the most appropriate material of all: old newspapers!

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: 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 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: Make shopping bags from old, used jeans

Go green with recycled blue jeans and help to eliminate plastic shopping bags. In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to make shopping bags from old, used blue jeans. For a step-by-step at the conversion process, and to get started making your own blue jean shopping bags, watch this eco-friendly how-to.

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: Recycle milk bottles to make decorative flowers

With this video, we learn how to recycle milk bottles to make decorative flowers. First, mark eight coupled marks on four sides of the bottom of the bottom. Then, poke holes into them and cut into them with sharp scissors. From here, you will continue to do this all the way around the bottom of the bottle until you have created petals. Then, cut above these to make long oval types of shapes and then spread the petals out on the bottom and on the top. Pull the longer petals into the open areas...

How To: Make light using a stepper motor generator

In this tutorial, we learn how to make light using a stepper motor generator. First, take the motor out of an old printer that you don't use anymore. After this, find a few LED lights. You will need to solder the LED lights, then connect them with a soldering iron to the printer motor. Now connect these to a generator, and the light should now shine so that you can see in the dark! This won't use any additional electricity, so you are helping the environment. All of the pieces used to make th...

How To: Use a tumbleweed compost bin

Lars explains how to use a tumbleweed compost bin. A very quick and easy process is key into creating compost for your garden. Watch video for best results.

How To: Make Cheap Solar Panels from Solar Cells (DIY Energy Savings)

Sputnik, Apollo and the Space Race. If you watched the State of the Union address last night, you probably heard President Barack Obama mention those three things.

How To: Turn old CDs and DVDs into coasters for hot drinks

Don't throw away your old CDs and DVDs! All you need is a little felt, some glue and an X-acto knife to turn obsolete software into techie home decor. Just glue the felt to the disc, and then cut out once the glue is dry.

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: Make an eco friendly trap for fruit flies with apple cider vinegar

Fruit flies suck, but the fruit fly traps you can get from a hardware store can sometimes be environmentally damaging. Here is how you can make a safe fruit fly trap out of a votive glass, plastic wrap and apple cider vinegar.

How To: Recycle candles

You're a committed environmentalist but you love your candles. What are you to do? Did you know that you can recycle your candles? There's bound to be stuff left over. Just watch this video and learn!

How To: Ferment bokashi with molasses

Bokashi is a fermented wheat bran used to pickle kitchen food waste to help it compost quicker without foul odors. Watch this how to video to learn how to ferment bokashi with molasses. Use the fermented bokashi to clean the septic system, pickle, or even to compost.

How To: Make a grocery bag out of bandanas

Check out this tutorial that teaches you how to make a cotton reusable grocery bag out of bandanna. All you need is 2 bandanas, sewing thread, a sewing machine, scissors, and marking pens. This is a great, fashionable way to go shopping and cut down on plastic bags. Watch this how to video and you can save the earth in style with reusable grocery bags.

How To: Use water barrels on your garden to save money

If rain is a constant weather in your city, you should check into installing rain barrels outside. These precious storage systems are great to use for watering your plants during the long summer months. Not only does it help you save money, but it helps out the environment as well. They're easy to set up and can be done without much hassle. So check out the tutorial above from the city of Calgary, on how to use rain barrels today. Good luck and enjoy!

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: Reuse pantyhose and stockings

Don’t throw away those ripped or saggy nylons! There are tons of useful things you can do with them.

How To: Compost with worms or vermicompost

Learn how you can compost with worms or vermicomposting with this how to video. Worm compost is a great easy way to make compost without the hassle of turning the compost. And you keep the squiggly little guys as pets too! Watch this environment friendly tutorial and you can have a worm compost in your home.

How To: Make a small windmill from a permanent magnet motor

In this video, we learn how to make a small windmill from a permanent magnet motor. You will need: a motor, a rotor, and a stand to make this. First, you need to find a motor that has permanent magnets on it, like one from a printer. Then, grab a windmill like one from the garden and make a stand by combining three pieces of wood. Then, heat up the side of the motor and connect it to the middle of the windmill so that it spins around. After this, you will connect it to the stand with a fiberg...

How To: Reuse outdated or old business cards in fun ways

If you've changed jobs or transferred your old Rolodex onto the computer, you will have a ton of left over business cards. Why not go green and reuse the cards as something unique? Check out this video for tips on what to do with all those tiny squares of paper.

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: Make an eco-friendly shopping bag

Learn how to make a green, eco-friendly grocery bag. This is a great fashionable way to cut down on paper or plastic bags. All you need is some pretty fabric and a sewing machine. Remember this bag the next time you are going shopping.

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: Make a box out of used plastic bottles

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a box out of used plastic bottles. This task is very simple, fast and easy to do. The materials required for this task are 2 plastic bottles and a zipper. Begin by cutting off the bottom of both plastic bottles. Now glue the zipper on both of the bottom pieces and glue the bottom pieces together. Then zip the bottom pieces together. This video will benefit those viewers who enjoy making arts and crafts and recycling material, and would like to...

How To: Separate your recycling

Recycling your garbage is noble, and in many places mandatory. But it also can be very confusing. This guide will clear up the rules.

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.

News: Would You Live in a Walking Robot House?

If you fancy yourself a nomad, check out Walking House, a mobile and modular dwelling system that is pneumatically powered, all-terrain ready. The vehicle-home crawls along at a snail's pace of 60 meters per hour, which equates to less than 1/2 a mile per hour. Akin in concept to the rolling house-on-the-go (except in the way cooler insect-like robot form), Walking House also boasts some cool eco-friendly features:

How To: Install window insulation in your basement

Just like a garage, basements can become areas where you're saying hello cold air, good-bye money! This is because when cold air fills a basement, the floor above it becomes cold and can actually lower the tempature in that room. To avoid this, you need to install proper insulation at your windows. This can be an easy task.

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 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: 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.