Playing Catch up: Keeping busy

Whether cleaning out the fridge, building a backyard shed or installing a clear dual-flush toilet tank, there never seems to be a shortage of green tasks to perform around the house.

Fri, Feb 26 2010 at 3:41 PM EST

Happy Friday, MNN readers! It's looking pretty white — and feeling mighty slushy — here in New York City. I love a good snowstorm now and then but three in one month? Ack.

Has Mother Nature has been generous with the snow in your neck of the woods, too? This weekend would be a great time to tackle all those eco-friendly projects around the house you've been meaning to do but haven't found the time for. Or, it would be a good time just take the time out and read about them. And while you're at it, check out my report from yesterday's Greener Gadgets Conference. There was plenty of innovative-action to be had including a fantastic winner in the design competition portion of the conference. See you on Monday.

The Wall Street Journal explores the curse of the messy, improperly filled, and sometimes unhealthy refrigerator in a great preemptive spring cleaning piece.

EcoHome details "Seven Green Trends for 2010." On the list are water conservation, green remodeling, solar products, zero-energy homes, energy monitoring, super-efficient windows, and heat pump water heaters. Anything that you think was left out?

The Daily Green resorts to toilet humor with a look at the WOW Toilet, a clear toilet tank designed so that users can dress it up by inserting print-out imagery. A duel-flush model is available.

Re-Nest heads to the garden with Rogue Hoes, a line of garden hoes handmade in Kansas from recycled agricultural disc blades.

Design Milk hands the mic over to David van Alphen, a resourceful Chicagoan who erected an eye-catching, modern shed in his backyard for about $3,000.

GreenBuildingAdvisor.com wonders if ground-source heat pumps (aka geothermal heat pumps) are the most energy-efficient and cost-effective way to heat a home.

Michelle Kaufmann goes gaga over Frank Harmon's Taylor House, a Bahamian abode that collects rainwater with the help of of an inverted umbrella-shaped roof.

Ecofriend takes a peek at MisoSoupDesign's Live Pod, a space-agey prefab home concept with bamboo flooring, solar panels, and a rainwater-collecting green roof.

The Los Angeles Times announces that 15,000 single-family homes in the Los Angeles area will be part of a new RecycleBank recycling rewards pilot program starting after April 5th.

Jetson Green admires the Breezeway House. This beautiful and super-efficient home is the first (or what's anticipated to be the first) certified Passive House in Utah.

Fast Company plugs into the innovative, energy-saving outlet gizmo trend.

Yanko Design faces its (laundry) fears with a look at the Laundring, a pedal-powered washing machine concept that prevents "dreaded wrinkle fingers" and unwanted trips to the laundromat.

Image: Dragonarium

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