More Hip Than Hippie #188 - The Heat Is On

Home heating is a hot topic as we head into winter. Energy-efficient heating alternatives abound.

Chilly fall nights have Dori and Val thinking about how to heat our homes without harming the planet, or the pocketbook. Nearly all American homes are heated with fossil fuels or electricity. Learn about some options to help homeowners and apartment-dwellers kick the oilcan! Also, Val has bats in her belfry for Halloween, and a listener makes an offer the Hipsters can't refuse!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Thanks again to Val's hip in-laws for the great big bottle of Boatyard Bitter Ale from Port Townsend Brewing in Washington. Bitter, party of two!

Chocolate: Behold an organic delight from Terra Nostra. The smooth, subtle Double Dark Truffle 60% cacao bar gets a Double Dang!

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Things! Need an easy, efficient way to heat your home? Val loves her EcoFan Heat Powered Wood Stove Fan. The warmth from the stove powers the blades, which circulate air right where you want it. Bonus: the fan is quieter than her 10-year-old kid.
• Green 'zine. Peruse the pages of a new online magazine called Coco Eco. Set your own ambience as you glean tips for being glamorously green.
• Buy polar. Stuff a stocking with a set of 6 "planet earth" bottle cap magnets. Or keep them on your fridge to remind you to buy organic beer.

 

Hip News

• Blightmares. The Blacksmith Institute thoughtfully made a list of the 10 biggest pollutions problems that should be keeping you up at night.
• Pod Almighty. Chrysler's new Peapod EV hits the streets in 2010. Well, at 25 mph, it kinda taps the streets. But this is one pimped out golf cart.
• It completes us. The all-electric MINI E is in the pilot phase before its official debut. Among its cool features: a giant yellow electrical plug painted on the roof. Sold!

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Peel away stains! With all the citrus fruit coming into season now, it's time to clean up your cups and saucers. Shake some salt onto a piece of citrus peel, then use it to buff away tea stains and such. We recommend salted limes; when you finish, just add tequila and relax with a Margarita!

 

The Heat Is On

Chilly fall nights have Dori and Val thinking about how to heat our homes without harming the planet, or the pocketbook. Nearly all American homes are heated with fossil fuels or electricity. Learn about some options to help homeowners and apartment-dwellers kick the oilcan!

• Wood pellets. Made from recycled wood waste, they burn efficiently and are easy to store.
• Tulikivi stoves. The Finnish company produces soapstone stoves that warm surfaces in a room without drying the air. The fire burns so hot, wood is totally vaporized. No waste!
• EcoFire Super Grate. By supplying a light pattern of air to the base of the fire, this grate increases the temperature of the fire, reducing pollutants. Easy to install, fits most fireplaces.
• Biodiesel. Non-toxic, renewable, with no retrofitting required. But price and availability may be obstacles. The National Biodiesel Board has all the info you need.
• Gel fireplace. More for ambience than heat, these portable fireplaces burn cans of alcohol. They burn clean and require no venting.
• Geo-exchange. Use the earth's own heat storage system to heat your home in winter and cool it in summer. It's good enough for George Bush's Texas ranch, and over a million more US homes.
• Inverter heat pump. Like a reversible refrigerator, the pump extracts heat from one location and transfers it to another. Quiet and efficient.
• Radiant floor heating. Heat rises from insulated wires beneath the floor, warming surfaces and keeping air temperature lower.

Listener E-mails Got a burning question? Send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. And remember to post articles, links and hot topics at our MHTH forum!

• Trystan at Yahoo! Green reminds us to pick up dishware and linens at thrift stores for holiday entertaining on the cheap. She'll look for us at the Green Festival in SF, Nov 14-16th. Stay tuned for details on a possible Hipster Meet-up!
• Ted in Michigan plans to Reverse Trick or Treat with fair trade goodies this year. He also offered to fill an important seat in our Hipster Cabinet. Ted, welcome to the administration!
• Dakkar sent a story about the winner of the 2008 Green Earth Design competition.

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