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Home and Garden blog
Low-Flow Toilets and Banned Bulbs, How Washington Moved Into Your House Federal efficiency standards reach down to the toilet tank and the light bulb, and the trade-offs are rarely put to the people who pay for them. Twelve Questions About Rooftop Solar and Who Really Pays for Net Metering Twelve plain answers on how net metering works, why rates and grid costs are the real fight, and what to read before you sign a solar lease or loan. Willis Carrier's Machine Remade the South, and Made the Case for Cheap Energy Willis Carrier's air conditioning made the South and Southwest livable year round and shows that abundant energy is a quality-of-life good, not a luxury. Self-Reliance Starts in the Backyard With a Garden, a Pantry and a Few Hens A family that grows some food, keeps a stocked pantry and can fix things is freer and calmer when shelves or paychecks run thin. Know Your Neighbors' Names, the Small Habit That Holds a Republic Together Self-government starts on your street, because neighbors who know and help one another need far less from the state. Straws, Bags and the Other Small Sacrifices That Only Make Us Feel Green Straw and bag bans ask a lot of shoppers and deliver little measurable benefit, while the real source of ocean plastic goes largely unaddressed.