In honor of Earth Day, April 22nd, I’ve dedicated this, and the following April posts, to “green” real estate topics.
Given the impact that real estate has on the environment, all homeowners should be aware of their local “green” resources and do as much, as possible, to reduce their daily foot-print on the environment.
As someone once pointed out, “ Hey, they aren’t making land anymore” so we need to be better stewards of our natural resources. Not just so we can enjoy a better life, but for the next generations!
Going “Green” is easy, it’s more important now than ever before, it’s fun (except for the Navy shower) and you will have a positive impact!
Here are some helpful tips for your home and office:
1. Use a power strip for your computer, monitor, fax, copier, TV, DVD player, iPod and cell-phone chargers, and switch it off when those devices aren’t in use. Most electronics draw power even when they’re off, including empty chargers in standby mode.
2. Change your light bulbs. Swap out incandescents with compact fluorescents (CFLs).
3. Turn off incandescent lights when leaving a room for even just a few minutes. If you use fluorescents, turn them off if you’re for 15 minutes.
4. Cancel catalogs and remove yourself from junk-mail lists.
5. Telecommute.
6. Use a laptop, not a desktop. Laptops use up to 80% less energy.
7. Pay bills online and save postage, too.
8. Tell cashiers not to print receipts you don’t need.
9. Use both sides of the page to print or copy.
10. Read the newspaper online to save paper, trees and carbon.
11. Skip the lighter fluid and start your charcoal with an electric igniter or chimney starter.
12. Eat one less serving of meat each week. Substitute a cheese-free alternative each week. Cheese, an animal product, has the same carbon cost as meat.
13. Ride your bike to work.
14. Use recycled paper (100% post-consumer) in your office.
15. Push an electric mower or even a reel mower- not a gas model.
16. Replace exterior lights around your home with solar-powered ones.
17. Rake leaves and shovel snow instead of firing up a leaf blower and snowblower.
18. Drink tap water instead of bottled, and you’ll also extend the life of your local landfill. Plastic bottles require energy to make, fill, and ship, and half-liter sizes generate emissions at twice the rate of gallon jugs. Faucet water needs energy only to pump.
19. Tote your groceries in reusable bags.
20. Plant an organic garden and grow your own vegetables.
21. Use a microwave, not a conventional oven, to heat small quantities of food.
22. Support local farmers by buying a community-supported agriculture ( CSA ) share. You’ll receive fresh produce every week, and reduce the carbon emissions generated by shipping it thousands of miles.
23. Compost food scraps and yard waste so you can skip synthetic garden fertilizers, which pollute water and are energy-intensive to produce.
24. Buy local and organic food direct from the farmer whenever possible, and keep dollars in your local economy. The biggest savings are realized in eliminating transportation.
25. Water plants with a can or drip-irrigation system instead off a sprinkler, and water only between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m., when less is lost to evaporation.
26. Reduce your energy usage 20% by downsizing when choosing your next home.
27. Use locally appropriate, locally fabricated materials when building or renovating, to avoid the carbon cost of transporting heavy supplies.
28. Collect rainwater from downspouts and use it to water your garden.
29. Say not to carpeting.
30. Buy green power, or ask your utility to offer it.
31. Buy energy-efficient appliances. Energy Star appliances use 10 to 50% less energy and water, and meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. The appliance’s yellow EnergyGuide label cites its annual power consumption and operating cost, and compares with similar models.
32. Dry your dishes on a rack or use your dishwasher’s air-dry cycle.
33. Recycle paper, plastic, and metals.
34. Reuse jars, bags, and food containers.
35. Set your water heater at 120 degress Farenheit.
36. Adjust your thermostat down 2 degrees in the Winter and up 2 degrees in the Summer.
37. Upgrade your furnace to a more energy-efficient model.
38. Eliminate drafts by caulking and weather stripping, installing storm windows, upgrading insulation, and removing window AC units in the Winter.
39. Use passive solar to capture heat in your home and office: Open curtains during the day and close them at dusk, except in Summer, when you should close curtains during the hottest hours of the day. Besides carbon, you’ll save 25 to 75% on your heating and cooling bills.
40. Hang laundry to dry, eliminating one dryer cycle.
41. Clean AC filters or replace them.
42. Run ceiling fans instead of AC. In hot climates, this can easily save more than one ton of CO2.
43. Use cold water to wash and rinse clothes, not hot or warm.
44. Take a Navy shower (Oh yes I do!): turn off the water when you’re soaping up.
45. Shave in the sink, not the shower.
46. Don’t overfill your kid’s bathtub.
( Backpacker September 2007)
References/Resources:
Home and office energy audits: homeenergy.org/perfbro.intro.html; epa.gov/climatechange; doe.gov
Recycling:www.earth911.com
Energy-efficient products: eere.energy.gov/consumer; buyenergyefficient.org/ buy.html; energystar.gov
Make your home more efficient: Toronto.ca/health/2020/athome.htm; aceee.org/consumerguide/chklst.htm; pepco.com
Green your office: cleanair-coolplanet.org/solutions/greenoffice.php
Green power: epa.gov/grnpower/locator/index.htm;
Climatebiz.com; eere.energy.gov/greenpower
Get off mailing lists: 888-5-OPTOUT; newdream.org; dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing
www.bestgreenhometips.com
Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment or by calling me, toll-free, at 1-800-231-0622.
For information on Mammoth Lakes real estate, please log onto my real estate website at www.easternsierraproperties.com
“ Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled”
- Cowboy’s Guide to Life
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