Renew Resources

Posts Tagged ‘eco-friendly wood’

Want to hear something interesting?
Once upon a time, 14% of planet Earth’s surface was once covered with lush rain-forests; today it’s down 6%, which is only expected to last over the next 40 years.
Still interested?
Of course you are!
You wouldn’t be interested in this article if you weren’t interested in the environment, patios, and…of course–veggie burgers.But first! Before you eat you need a patio, right?
And during times of hell, fire and brimstone where facts scream out “help your environment; help your backyard” we can’t help but listen.  So without further delay Renew Resources has saved you time and has listed 4 Green Ways to Improve Your Patio!

 

 

Use Water-Borne Stains

Kiss the old days of oil-based solvents goodbye and say hello to water-borne staining.
It’s recommended to stay away from oil-based solvents.
They’re highly saturated with paraffin, which leaves your wood vulnerable to heat and sunlight.
If you want to help the environment while you give your deck a face-lift–use water-borne stains for varnish.
This will instantly lower the dangerous organic compounds emitted in the air which rip the Earth’s ozone.
Water-borne solutions also offer all the benefits of H20′s genetic compounds.
This will allow your wood to breathe and stain just the way “Green” wants and needs it to be.

 

Make DIY Cleaner Using Natural Chemicals

Use white vinegar or apple vinegar to clean out pesky pockets of mildew or rust stains.
I recommend using the following recipe: ½ cup of white vinegar; 1 cup of ammonia ¼ cup baking soda; 1 gallon of warm water.
Try putting it in a spray bottle.
Or just pour your new DIY eco-friendly deck cleaner onto the deck’s surface.
Let it sit, and rinse.
Your tattered deck should look as new as it was last summer.

 

 

Use FSC-Certified Wood

If you need to replace dead wood, use FSC-Certified wood to build addition al patio furniture or extensions.
FSC-Certified wood is the most sustainable wood harvested on planet Earth, and one of the most natural sources for furniture.
Better yet, instead of purchasing new wood, save a few trees and shop around at second-hand stores or at garage sales.
If you can’t find anything at garage sales, another alternative is to opt out for eco-friendly wood made out of recycled plastic.  It lasts longer, frees you from splinters, warps, and overall maintenance giving you the same wood aesthetic merged with more environmentally conscious “muscle.”

 

Save a Tree, Use A Deck Cover

Trust me, I’ve been there. You step out onto your patio and voila. You see hideous planks of wood unfit for the grimiest pirate.
To instantly turn your old deck into new, use deck covers.
You’ll save you a lot of time, money, and most importantly trees!
Deck covers resurface your entire deck using a tongue and groove plank system.
It’s low-maintenance, superior to your deck structure, and provides you with the wood color & textured word grain surface we all want for our patios.

 

Summary

STOP! Before you leave this article thinking about delicious veggie burgers, it’s important to note that only 20% of Earth’s original forests remain in tact.
Over 70% of these forests are found in Russia, Brazil and Canada.
Given the calling of “Green leadership” is trumpeted by all nations; however, these three major countries need to be the “ones” to hammer in the “save-a-tree” nails that build the foundations of a global green effort.
And…that’s the moral of our generation’s story—the end.

Author

SC

Comments?  Got a green talent?  Want to share a few insights?  Drop a comment!

Tags: eco friendly, face lift, baking soda, dangerous organic compounds, white vinegar <BR/>

Did you know planet Earth formed its beautiful curvaceous body 4.3 – 4.4 million years ago?
At least, this is what NASA scientists are telling me– whether you choose to believe it is up to you.
Nonetheless, on April 22nd, 1970, Earth Day was born!

Yes, Earth Day. A day designated to trumpet the age-old mantra, “Recycle; Reduce; Reuse; and Compost.”
All good, right?

Yes. And No.

Yes. Because recycle, reduce, reuse and compost are the fundamentals of every environmentalist.

No. Because yesteryears’ so-called, “Earth Day Celebrations” have already oozed into your everyday lifestyle (thanks society!) and you want Earth Day to be “special.”

So what does an everyday environmentalist do on Earth Day?
Well, Renew Resources has assembled a quick list titled, Refreshing Ways to Celebrate You Earth Day!

Build a Flower Box
Think long-term and consider a present Mother Nature will appreciate for over 50 years.
Get creative and try building an eco-friendly flower box for both Mother Nature and your home.

Flowers do more for the environment than offer pretty silhouettes.
They swallow air pollution and exhale clean oxygen for you, I, and all the other beautiful creatures on this beautiful planet to breathe.

And when flowers finally do succumb to old-age (courtesy of father time), the flower “left overs” reincarnate life back into the Earth’s soil as mulch or fertilizer.

Build a Recycling Box for Your Neighbourhood
Let’s step up your environmentalism up a notch and dedicate a few beads of sweat to build recycling bins for your local neighbourhood.
You can either reuse scrap wood that you have saved over the years or better yet; utilize eco-friendly wood from your local hardware store.

If you can’t find eco-friendly lumber, try our 100% recycled plastic lumber here made out of plastic waste and start building!

Take an Eco-Friendly Bike Tour
Hey, it’s Earth Day. You belong outside! Instead of surfing the World Wide Web and tweeting, “The World’s Greenest Houses”, make a day out of it! Find eco-friendly houses in your local area, gain first-hand experience, create pleasant Earth Day memories and meet new people!

And if you want to be ambitious, bring an organic lunch and have a picnic somewhere comfortable in-between destinations.
You can even knock on the door and try to meet the lovely owners. Just be sure to avoid ruining someone else’s Earth Day. Casual questions and Green talk only! Not, “Can we come in and eat your expensive all organic dinner?”

Plant a Tree
Ok. This one isn’t so ‘refreshing’; however, Earth Day is a perfect day to plant a ritual tree. After building your flower box and recycling bin and trekking from one eco-friendly home to another– end your day by planting a tree.

To save you some time, Renew Resources has researched and listed five species of trees that grow well with property constraints: Red Maple; Conifers; Flowering Dog Wood; River Birch; Redbud.

Summary
And Voila! With the green movement blossoming into a new religion, yesteryears’ “Earth Day Celebration” is today’s everyday norm. When in doubt, recycle, reduce, reuse, reinvent and compost.
Happy Earth Day!

Author
SC
www.renewresources.com

Tags: Save You, beads of sweat, recycled plastic, beautiful planet, everyday lifestyle, earth day, age-old mantra <BR/>

Interesting fact: If you recycle 1 ton of plastic, you save the equivalent energy consumed by 2 people in one year.

Today, it’s ‘Green’ to say that plastic lumber is an eco-friendly carpenter’s dream come true; however, many beginners, hobbyists, and DIY’ers out there looking to incorporate ‘Green building’ best practices tend to limit themselves; being oblivious to the many options recycled plastic lumber can offer.

So if you are looking to introduce more ‘Green building’ methods into your building regimen, save trees and free yourself from high-maintenance hardwood — look no further!

Renew Resources has compiled a quick top 3 list of things you can build using recycled plastic lumber.

Plastic Wood Roofing Shingles

Want to help prevent plastic from overloading your land-fill? Or how about save a ton of lovely animal kingdom creatures from plastic waste strangulation? Or even better, want to prevent plastic waste chemicals from leaking into your soil and water?  Yes? Yes?  And yes?

Well, the beauty of plastic lumber shingles is that it helps the environment and does a better job than your average shingle.  How?

Plastic lumber doesn’t heat up under the sun, so your utility bill will definitely be lower.  Its shock absorption also prevents house hold damage from thunderous hail storms, and is very easy to install saving you a lot of time.

Picnic Bench

Be the one to build an eco-friendly bench for your family this summer. Plastic lumber maintains the desirable natural wood aesthetic and ensures a 50 year life span.  You’ll never have to worry about splinters, warps or even the hassles of painting or varnishing–ever!

Decking

Decks made out of plastic lumber help fight off Mother Nature’s natural enemies (animals, rot, weather, insects etc.). It’s stain resistant, available in almost any color code, water proof  and extremely low-maintenance.

Summary

It takes 10 years for regular plastic bag to decompose in a landfill and 1000 years for harder plastics to biodegrade. Replacing real lumber with plastic lumber just makes sense—you recycle, reduce, and reuse.  Elementary my dear reader, elementary!

Author

SC
www.renewresources.com

Tags: wood roofing, picnic bench, eco-friendly wood, Plastic Wood, shock absorption <BR/>