Source: Midwest Living

Looking for ways to save water in your garden? With summer comes an increase in energy and water consumption for many consumers. To keep your garden and lawn looking their best, especially in the heat of the summer, water is an essential ingredient. To help keep costs down – and protect our environment – we’ve found some great tips on how to conserve water in your landscaping projects.  From using landscape fabric to mowing practices, this article has some extremely practical suggestions that you can put into use right away. Get started by clicking here to read the full article!

Source: The Wall Street Journal

As more homeowners invest in renewable energy and other high-efficiency appliances, they’re spiffing up the mechanical room and, in some cases, trying to make the air conditioner a showpiece. “The mechanical room is now like the wine room or the library,” says Stephen Bohner, owner of Alchemy Construction Inc. Mr. Bohner says all of his new construction projects include renewable-energy equipment, such as solar. “If you are spending money on that stuff, you want to show it off.” The mechanical makeovers come as the residential heating and cooling industry battles back from lean years. Perhaps inevitably, some designers are trying to tap into the mania for the design flourishes of Apple’s iPhones and iPods.

Source: USA Today

To promote water conservation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency kicked off an educational campaign today that features four families competing in reality-TV fashion to see which can save the most water. The “We’re for Water Campaign” campaign began in Los Angeles, where two families will spend the next week competing, and will travel across the country to New York, where two more families will face the same week-long challenge. The EPA says that from 1950 to 2000, the U.S. population nearly doubled but public demand for water more than tripled. It says at least 36 states anticipate local, regional or statewide water shortages by 2013. The EPA says consumers can start saving water with three simple steps: check, twist and replace.

Source: USA Today

From tours of energy-efficient buildings to discussions about recycling rates and solar panels, universities and colleges across the country are increasingly putting on the green to attract students who are serious about environmental issues. The trend is growing at schools large and small, public and private, says Mark Orlowski, founder and executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute. “The schools are seeing it as a way of attracting the best students possible,” Orlowski says. In 2009, the institute’s survey, the College Sustainability Report Card, found 27% of colleges and universities were incorporating a sustainability message during the admissions and student orientation processes. The 2010 report card shows that number has increased to 69%, Orlowski says.