green homes

Green from the Ground Up

jchatraw — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:35:08 -0400

While recently shopping for a house, I was shocked at how often developers throw around the word "green" as if it's as simple to do as saying replacing tile over laminate. What I really discovered was that developers were using the word "green" because it's a buzzword in our culture, not because it truly meant anything. It was just another marketing ploy. Double-paned windows are good, but as Yoda would say, "A green house it does not make."

A friend of mine recently finished the most gorgeous green home I've ever seen. He and his builder attempted to create the highest-rated LEED home in the state. While the final inspection has yet to reveal if they reached their goal, I received a crash course in understanding what green building is truly all about.

If you're interested in this topic, David Johnston and Scott Gibson's book Green from the Ground Up is a must read. It's written for builders, but buyers need to read it so they don't get the wool pulled over their eyes by slick developers who do just barely enough to call something green when in reality they're jacking the price up and selling you short. Here's an excerpt from the book explaining what green building really is:

At its most basic, green building is a tripod of three interrelated goals:

Energy efficiency, the cornerstone of any green building project. A well-designed and green-built home consumes as little energy as possible and uses renewable sources of energy whenever possible. Lower energy use not only saves homeowners money but also has broader societal benefits, including fewer disruptions in energy supplies, better air quality, and reduced global climate change.

Conservation of natural resources. Conventional building needlessly consumes large quantities of wood, water, metal, and fossil fuels. There are great varieties of effective building strategies that conserve natural resources and provide other benefits, such as lower costs. Strategies include the use of durable products to reduce waste and specify recycled-content products that reuse natural resources.

Indoor air quality. Poor indoor air quality is often caused by mold and mildew that are the result of leaks or poorly designed and maintained heating and cooling systems. Another common source of indoor air pollution is the off-gassing of chemicals found in many building materials. Some are known carcinogens.

Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle at Home

jchait — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:26:33 -0400

Green cars, solar roof material choices, how to install a composting toilet, and more; there's a lot of green info in the world to absorb. Sometimes we ignore the little things.

Recycling is a little thing, in that, it takes almost no time, and only a small amount of effort to create positive green changes.

Your first step is to learn about recycling in your community. Recycling is something that most communities support in one form or another. However, the amount of recycling going on, and what specific areas will accept as recycling varies. Today we'll look at how to find out about recycling in your community and neighborhood. Tomorrow we'll move on to what you should be recycling in your home.

Recycling is variable. In Oregon, it was rare to meet someone who hadn't heard of recycling, In New Mexico (at least my area) we barely had recycling pick up in the neighborhood, and most people didn't bother at all.

To learn about recycling in your neck of the woods visit your state's webpage; usually something like California.org or California.gov, and you'll be able to locate links about recycling and trash pick up in your area. Most of the time recycling info is mixed in with the waste info, so look there first. Your local trash center, or dump as the case may be, can also point you in the direction of recycling resources. This is going to be basic recycling though; paper, plastics, glass, and cans.

If you're looking for a recycling center that can take special items; batteries, light bulbs, old pottery, and so on, you'll need to visit Earth 911 - they have a form you can fill out and it will locate you a recycling center.

What's Cool (and Hot) in the World of Green Living

jchait — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:22:05 -0400

Here's what's fresh in the world of green living.... Or, you know, at least what I'm reading. I'm fairly fresh, so it counts.

Chlorine free swimming: Got a pool? Maybe you should consider a fresh water pool, or at the very least a healthy alternative to chlorine.

California green energy proposal has thin support: Interesting news for those sunshine state dwellers - or is Florida the sunshine state? Hmmm. In any case, if you live in California, or even not, this is a good read.

Study Examines Air Pollution’s Effects on Ecosystems; Finds Widespread, Serious Impacts: In I bet you could have guessed that news, this post looks at just how much damage has been done due to pollution - scary, but need to know stuff.

Envirovac by eureka: cool news about one cleaning product that can lower your energy use, saving money the earth, and your floor from crumbs. Nice.

A furniture collection of beautiful scrap: Great looking furniture for your home, made of scraps. Sounds odd, but sound is overrated. Go take a look; I think you'll like it.

Save the planet by getting a big butt: Seriously. You won't believe your eyes. What some people think up.

Don’t forget to protect your skin from the summer sun: Helpful tips from an organic friendly blog.

Got pets? I just have fish; (easy care). However if you're a cat lover, check out, Many Uses of Catalog Pages to Entertain Cats - I don't even like cats all that much, yet I'm highly amused by this funny, photo filled post. Plus there's a nice recycling message involved.

Last up a kooky post I did elsewhere, but it’s worth sharing; Hey baby, what’s your sign? If you're interested in some low-key green horoscope fun, then this post is for you.

Five Tips for a Greener Home

jchait — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:12:38 -0400

Here are some easy tips for going green in your home.

Stop incoming trash. At home we produce enough trash, there's no good reason to have trash delivered as well. Stop all that junk mail with two quick visits to both Green Dimes and Catalog Choice. These are free services that allow you to opt out of junk mail and excessive catalogs.

Re-doing your kitchen? Is a total cabinet remodel really necessary? Maybe you could simply refinish, paint, and add some new nice knobs to brighten the space. It takes trees and energy to create new cabinets. If you truly need new cabinets, aim for sustainable wood and non-toxic finishes.

Shorten your showers or try something even better along side of shorter showers. Place a Tupperware bin in the side of the shower you don't stand on, allow it to fill and use that water plants, wash your car, or mop the floor.

Stock your kitchens with local fare. If you can go organic even better; but overall, you'll save massive transport energy and support local companies by eating foods grown and made within about 100 miles of your house. It may seem hard, but if you live in a thriving area, it's not. See if you have a local co-op in your area to search for deals.

To freshen up your walls without harming the earth, consider the Grasscloth collection or Bamboo wall covering collection by Phillip Jeffries. Both are lovely, and the grasscloth collection is made with jute or reed fibers, 100 post consumer paper, and cool natural veggie dyes.

[Image of Grasscloth and Sea Grass Grasscloth collection via Phillip Jeffries.]

Green Audit Your Yard & Garden

jchait — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:45:40 -0400

This week we've been going over some easy green audits you can try at home. So far we've looked at:

Tonight let's look at our last green audit of the week - your yard. Following are some tips you can use when green auditing your yard and garden.

Do you use a green lawn mower.

Are you using smart water tactics?

Watering in the early morning or at night.
Keeping your water where it needs to go, not running off into the street.
Consider having less grass, and more bark, patio space, or soil.
Mulch plants and trees to conserve water.
Plant like with like - you don't need to plant water loving plants among plants that conserve water. You'll waste water when watering.

Are objects in your yard and garden recycled and sustainable - think about decorations and planters you may have.

Use recycled bags for clippings.

Toss out any toxic chemicals and pesticides and use natural fertilizer, weed control, and pest control options. To learn more read:

Reduce Your Fertilizer Use with Grasscycling

Natural Ways to Get Rid of Garden Pests

Plant organic seeds and organic plants.

A big part of proper green gardening and yard tactics has to do with where you live. There are general tips you can follow, but water conservation is going to be different in New Mexico vs. Oregon, so it pays to learn regional tactics. Visit the National Gardening Association and check out their regional site which will connect you with a regional newsletter and regional gardening blogs.

Visit Mother Earth’s Garden to learn all about green gardening.

Green Audit Your Closets

jchait — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:52:16 -0400

As you may recall we're talking about green audits this week. So far you can read about:

Today we'll look at closets. Most people don't think about green auditing their closets, but it's actually a place that can create a big impact environmentally. Following are some issues to consider during a green home closet audit.

Clothing materials: Synthetics like polyester, acrylic, rayon, and nylon; and materials like wool, fur, and plastics in clothing are bad for the environment. These are not green materials. It's much better to look for natural fibers like hemp, or buy organic cotton when you buy new. There's some controversy about thrift store finds. Personally I think thrift stores are a good thing, yeah, some of the materials may be bad, but face it, the clothing has already been made, and by reusing it, you're saving on production of new clothing (a process that takes energy and resources). There is a camp that believes you should never wear bad materials, even used, but I think that's sort of silly.

Ivory: You shouldn't buy ivory. Ivory turns up in odd places too - jewelry, hair clips, buttons, and more. Ivory production is responsible for hundreds of elephant deaths daily. It's not worth it.

Other animal materials: Stay clear of shells, skins, and items like coral - all are from animals and don't need to be wardrobe accessories.

Air fresheners: You don't need to use toxic moth balls, or other chemical air fresheners in the closet. Try to place Cedar blocks or shavings in your closet. OR you can stuff a small pouch with dried lavender, cloves and cinnamon, or dried citrus sprinkled with essential oils, to keep your closet smelling great.

Make sure hangers are made of recycled material.

Green Audit Your Bathroom

jchait — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:34:44 -0400

This week we've been taking a look a green audits for the home and garden. So far we've seen:

Today we're going to take a closer look at how to green up your bathroom. The bathroom is a great room to green audit because you use it daily, many times daily in fact, so it's a room where small changes can create big differences.

Look at your water habits: Do you take 30 minute showers? You really shouldn't; that's pretty wasteful of water. If you find you’re having trouble taking shorter showers you might want to try a timer. Place a basic kitchen timer on your counter, and set it for ten minutes - how fast can you wash.

Do you take baths?: Baths can take up more than twice the water of a typical shower. Saving water will save you both energy and water.

Check for leaky toilets: Remove the lid of your toilet tank, add some bright food coloring. Wait about 20 minutes, go back and check around the base of your toilet. If you see colored liquid you have a leak. Some leaks are easy to fix with a basic hardware store kit, and other leaks require a plumber; check at your hardware store to see which option you'll need.

Look at bathroom packaging and supplies: Are you buying organic, animal testing free, natural products in recyclable containers? Recyclable toothbrushes and razors? Do you buy too many bathroom items? Trust me you don't need eight face creams, that's just a waste of packaging.

Do you re-use your towel?: You don't need to rewash your towel every time. That's an energy and water waste.

Check your shower head: You should have a low-flow shower head installed. You'll still have a nice shower but save lots of water.

To learn more read:

[Image recycled toothbrush via Recycline]

Green Audit Your Pantry

jchait — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:42:21 -0400

This week we're looking at how to green audit your home. Yesterday we looked at how to green audit your home cleaning supplies. Today we're moving on to your kitchen pantry.

The kitchen pantry is usually not a big old toxic mess of a place, but it is a place where people tend to have some major over packaging issues.

Take a look at your kitchen shelves, walk-in pantry, fridge, and anywhere else you store food items. Yeah, I use pantry in a broad way - any food items should be audited. Look first for over packaging. For example, cereal in a plastic bag, in a box is double packaging. Pasta that's sitting in a flat container and that also been shrink wrapped is too much packaging. Go through everything, and as you sort, make a list of everything that you think is too over packaged.

Also look for food items packaged in non-recyclable packaging and non reused packaging. You can check for the little recycle symbol, or check the inside of boxes. It's not a completely hard rule, but for the most part, white interior cardboard means non-recycled. Darker cardboard has usually been recycled and reused.

Look at juice bottles, cheese slices that are individually wrapped, and fruit you buy in plastic. Try to think of alternatives. You can buy bulk foods (reuse containers and bags), you can buy fresh berries and freeze them instead of buying frozen in bags, you can have turkey sliced at the meat counter and wrapped in paper vs. buying turkey in plastic wrap and a container.

To learn more read:

Your Kitchen Food Pantry

Bulk Food Storage: Flour and Other Dry Basics

Green Audit Your Cleaning Supplies

jchait — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:24:00 -0400

Cleaning supplies are a good place to start if you want to green audit your house. Cleaning supplies are easy to sort, and an important thing to audit because many cleaners are chock full of harmful chemicals.

Green auditing your cleaning supplies is a three step process:

1) Sort cleaning supplies.

2) Get rid of toxic cleaners.

3) Find good alternative green cleaning supplies.

First of all you need to go room to room, locating all cleaners. Usually, we keep cleaning supplies in the kitchen, under sinks, in the laundry room, in the garage, and in the bathroom. Don't forget weird little cleaning supplies like air fresheners you keep in bedrooms.

Here's a break down of how green your cleaners should be. As you sort you should read labels and look for known poisons and toxic chemicals.

Laundry area and kitchen soaps - you want to make sure laundry detergents and dishwashing detergents are bleach and phosphate free. You also want to make sure they contain natural surfactants; traditional surfactants are made from petroleum. Look for detergents that are biodegradable - although note that this is a pretty flexible term, with no certification. It's best to look for the phosphate / bleach free info first.

Basic household cleaners - avoid ammonia, bleach, lye, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, phenol, and other nasty sounding ingredients. Honestly, I'm sort of the mindset that if you can't pronounce it, or you don't recognize it, it's likely no good. That's just a general observation though.

Packaging - Just because it's green, doesn't mean they packaged it well. There are packaging differences among say, the greener detergents. Choose packaging that's recyclable, reusable, and not double wrapped.

Safely discard any toxic chemicals (talk to your local recycling center to learn more). Then create your own homemade and safe alternative cleaning supplies. To learn more about safe cleaners read:

Tomorrow we'll move on to another green room audit.

Green Audit Your Home & Yard

jchait — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:03:51 -0400

There are professionals you can hire to run a green home and yard audit for you. If you have a complex home situation, a pro can help. That said, most of us can easily run our own green audits with a few basic tips.

Today let's look at what exactly a green home audit is. Basically a green audit is a study, or examination of a specific area. For instance, you can study your bathroom, see what is and what is not green about the bathroom, and then make decisions to improve the greenness of the bathroom. You can audit your home in its entirety, audit room by room, and even audit a single pantry. You can also audit a commercial setting, school, or other area.

Green audits are never the same, because your home is unique to others. This is a good thing because you can audit for specific green qualities if you choose. For example, you may want to do an energy audit, or a water use audit, or an all over general, "How green is my home" audit.

The first thing you'll want to do is choose how much you'd like to audit. If you only want to audit your kitchen that's cool, or maybe your goal is to slowly audit your entire house. The key is to take it slow. A pro may be able to do an entire audit in a day, but if you do it yourself you'll want to go slow so you don't miss anything. You may also need to get outside help for certain issues, say, lighting concepts and designs.

Tomorrow we'll start looking at how you can run a basic green audit on specific rooms.