· Sustainable Living
Heat pumps in cold mountain valleys: what works and what to watch
Cold-climate heat pumps can heat a house in a frosty valley. Here's how they work, what COP means, and how to site, size and back one up in the mountains.
Nadia Kowalczyk
Nadia renovated a drafty old farmhouse on a tight budget and learned home energy the hard way. She writes about waste, gardens, heating and everyday green living – with the costs and trade-offs left in.
Pieces by Nadia
· Sustainable Living
Where your recycling actually goes after the truck pulls away
Follow a bin of cans, boxes and bottles from the curb through the sorting plant to new products, and learn which habits keep your load out of the landfill.
· Sustainable Living
Backyard composting without the smell: what each odor is telling you
A healthy compost pile smells like damp soil. Ammonia, rotten eggs and sour vinegar each point to a specific problem, and most can be fixed in one afternoon.