Back in the 1950s, homeowners were inundated with ads, like this one, depicting pretty housewives using state-of-the-art home appliances. The home became a symbol of post-war affluence modernized with dishwashers, dryers, ovens, vacuums and other timesavers promising to make life easier. Those were the days … days of inefficient, energy-guzzling machines. We’ve come a long way, baby. Demand for energy-efficient appliances has increased, which means prices have dropped on once-costly items such as high-efficiency furnaces.

So, how do you tell the good from the gimmick when it comes to green appliances? In North America, the easiest way to guarantee you’re buying an efficient, third-party-verified machine is to look for the Energy Star label. Energy Star is an internationally recognized rating system that tests products for energy efficiency. Products range from building materials (windows, doors, insulation, ventilation) to appliances to lighting. Some states and provinces offer rebates for Energy Star purchases.

Outdoor Green Gear

Of course, green appliances aren’t only found indoors; preparing for the springtime rush, retailers are now pushing eco-workhorses for the yard. Forget gas-guzzling mowers; Solaris’s cordless, solar-powered mower can cut up to 10,000 square feet on one battery charge. Simply mount the solar panel on your shed’s roof and get cutting. Retail value: $569.

Black & Decker allows you to mow and mulch–leaving behind grass clippings (rather than bagging and composting) that function as lawn fertilizer and reduce the need to water–with their Cordless Mulching Mower, which runs on a rechargeable 24-volt battery. Retail value: $500.

Black & Decker also makes other cordless yard tools such as hedge trimmers (about $100) and tree pruners (same price).

Super-recycler TerraCycle Inc. sells oak rain barrels for collecting rainwater for watering plants, lawns, and so on. Simply place the barrel under your gutter’s downspout and turn April’s showers in May’s flowers. Retail value: $150.

Of course, this is just a small sampling of green appliances for your home. Virtually every home category is jammed with green products, so look for the Energy Star label and read the fine print. You can find the products above at the Home Depot, and other large retailers across the continent.

The 10th annual Interior Design Show was held a few weeks ago in Toronto, and although the bitter cold has turned everything snow white, the real colour of choice this year is, you guessed it, green.

IDS 08 featured a seminar on the benefits of sustainable design, from your home’s mechanical systems (heating, cooling, ventilation) to design (passive solar) to furniture and fixtures. Sustainability permeated every corner of interior design, as shown by the new products on display at the show.
Luckily, you didn’t have to come to Toronto to find these goods. Here’s a sampling of the new, the cool, the green.

Rad Rads
Belgian manufacturer Jaga has transformed boring—albeit efficient—radiators into objets d’arte. First there’s Angula Plus, which, unlike a traditional rad, fixes around 90-degree corners with a thin width that makes it perfect for small spaces, such as entranceways and bathrooms. But it’s the Heatwave (pictured below), designed by Joris Laarman, that will cause your head to spin.

Unbeatable Underfoot
Forget hardwood flooring and look to its evolution with Plyboo, a laminated bamboo material that can be used for flooring, paneling and plywood. Plyboo has been recognized by the Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) certification system for its durability, and its composition from 100 per cent bamboo grass means the resources used can be replenished without needing to replant them.

Let it Flow
American Standard’s new FloWise high-efficiency toilet is the Cadillac—the Michael Caine—of toilets. Not only is it stylish and easy to clean (if there’s anywhere for an anti-microbial surface, it’s definitely the toilet)it also uses 20 per cent less water than standard, 1.6-gallon-per-flush toilets, and comes with a 10-year warranty.

Rock On
South African designer Ronel Jordaan has taken our fixation with fixing the planet and turned it into rock—well, soft—solid comfort. 100 per cent wool rock-shaped cushions and pebble carpets contain fibres that link when rubbed together, bringing nature inside, while keeping things comfy.

—Jay Somerset

Propane

As a highly portable fuel, propane provides you with modern convenience no matter where you live, work or travel. Propane can economically go anywhere a portable cylinder can be carried. Or wherever a propane delivery truck can travel to a storage tank.

Propane is a highly concentrated energy source. For example, the typical 20-pound container of liquid propane connected to your backyard barbecue holds the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of useable fuel.

Burning propane for fuel creates lower greenhouse gas emissions (which are attributed to climate change and global warming) than many other energy sources.

Propane is an environmentally friendly fuel. It has an extremely low sulphur content and therefore does not contribute to acid rain. Propane does not contain lead and never has.

When propane is burned, it produces harmless water vapour and carbon dioxide, two things the natural environment uses and produces every day.

Propane Appliances

Propane appliances are more durable than their electric counterparts, requiring fewer repairs.

Propane water heaters heat twice as much water in an hour than electric water heaters.

Propane high efficiency furnaces can provide energy costs savings of up to one third over conventionally-powered units.

Propane powered direct vent space heating units use outside air to support combustion while recirculating inside air to further warm the room.

Propane pool heaters heat greater water volumes in less time than electricity.

For more information on the benefits of propane, call the knowledgeable and neighbourly team at Superior Propane toll-free at 1.87SUPERIOR (1.877.873.7467).