Category Archives: Environment

Review – Lightphoria 10,000 Lux Energy Light Lamp

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Lightphoria with AC adapter & storage bag

Lightphoria with AC adapter & storage bag

I recently purchased a Lightphoria 10,000 Lux Energy Light Lamp by Sphere Gadget Technologies to try doing light therapy in the mornings at my desk. I usually arrive at work between 7-7:30am when it is barely light outside, and frequently don’t get outside again until I leave after sunset in winter.

Because I’ve done research on light box use I was aware that distance from the light makes a big difference in whether or not you get the expected dose. I have a SunSprite Wearable Light Tracker which measures light intensity. I hung this on my glasses next to my eyes and experimented with placement of the Lightphoria. What did I find?

Sunsprite Light Tracker

Sunsprite Light Tracker

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Save Water – Shower With A Bucket!

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Shortly after moving into our new-to-us 1954 single family Cape we of course started discovering issues. One was that the water pipes inside the house were all only half-inch diameter – smaller than more modern houses.The result is that in order to get sufficiently warm water for my 6am 2nd floor shower I must run the shower for up to a minute or more before I dare to step in.

One feature I like is the older 3.5 gallon size toilet – even though modern low-flow toilets use only 1.5 gallons per flush I found myself needing to snake through clogs in the ones we installed in our old house at least once a month.

But after a full 3-month water billing cycle showed we were using the maximum amount in the lowest price tier (up to 15 CCF per cycle – “CCF” = Cento Cubic Feet = 748 gallons per CCF) I decided to work on offsetting the inefficient toilet and shower routines.

By implementing a few small changes to my bathroom routine, in the first week I cut my net water use in half, saving nearly 100 gallons! Here’s how:

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