You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Green living' category.
Living green also means living simply. Do we really need all this stuff?? Americans (like me), love their stuff. But more stuff leads to more consumption, which leads to… well, I don’t have to tell you. If we all just started pairing down just a little bit. Getting back to the essentials of what we need to keep happy and healthy on a daily basis, and resist the urge to consume, we could end up with lower credit card bills and reduce our cumulative impact on the environment through reduced demand for consumer goods. Of course, the Bush Administration would like us to spend that tax relief check when we get it. That’s you’re call.
Where to begin? We can start by going through what we already have. Make sure to maximize your recycling and reuse opportunities, and minimize the amount of trash. There are many, many resources out there that will take your donations, accept your electronic goods, and safely dispose of any hazardous waste. Habitat for Humanity will even take paint! With a few tips, you can ensure a successful transition to simpler living.
- Spread Out the Work. Sorting through the contents of an entire home can prove overwhelming for even the most energetic person. It took you many years to gather all of your belongings, so you can’t expect to get through everything in one session. Plan for several 2-5 hour sessions over the course of days or weeks to sort through one room at a time.
- Be Prepared. Downsizing is hard work. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty. And have the tools you’ll need on-hand, including: leaf bags (for donations), boxes, trash bags, permanent markers, labels for sorting, scissors, tape, post its, Ziploc bags, archival quality storage containers for photos and other sensitive keepsakes, and rubber bands.
- Go Room-by-Room. Work in one room at a time. Resist the urge to move things from one to another and then starting work in the second room. Finish one room, move on to the next. You can create piles of items that need to be moved to their “homes” and take them with you when you leave that room. If two or more people are working together, you can each work in separate rooms.
- Divide and Conquer. If any single room is too overwhelming, such as the basement or attic, break it into smaller tasks. Do one section of the room one day and move to the next section the next day. If you allow yourself to become overwhelmed, you may not be able to keep going.
- Stay Organized. Designate one relatively open room to serve as the staging area for those items that you are not keeping. Label and create piles of items that you plan to give to family, donate to charity, or sell at consignment, yard sales, or auction (for more valuable items).
- Identify Your Resources. If you’ve done your job right, you’ll likely have a lot of items that need a new home – one that is not yours! So in advance of starting work, identify charities that you like that also provide pick-up service. You’ll also need haulers that will take away trash, and outlets for recycling or safe disposal of electronic and other hazardous household waste. Local consignments shops and auction houses may also be interested in some of your more valuable items.
- Get Help. If it’s all too much for you to handle on your own, ask for help. You can reach out to family, friends, or neighbors. If they can’t help you, they may be able to recommend professionals who specialize in helping people downsize and organize their homes.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
OK, OK, I keep seeing all of these articles about the wonderful advent of the LED Christmas lights. Yes, they do reduce electricity use as you can see from the comparison below:
A string of C-7 (large) bulbs: 4 watts per bulb x 25 bulbs per string = 100 watts per hour
A string of mini-lights: 0.4 watts per bulb x 100 bulbs per string = 40 watts per hour
A string of LED lights: 0.04 watts per bulb x 100 bulbs per string = 4 watts per hour
But at the risk of being called a Grinch, I have a few questions. First, how many people are actually ditching their old, traditional lights for the new LED lights? My guess is not many (which I guess is good in a way, since then they’d end up in a landfill somewhere). Second, what good are the LED lights if they are left on all day and all night as their new owners take advantage of their energy-efficient properties? Not good at all. As I drive through my suburban neighborhood, I am stunned by the amount of holiday lights I see (not to mention the blow up decorations with their power-hungry fans). What happened here? I thought people were becoming more aware of their personal contributions to global warming!
Energy use can increase as much as 27% from November to December, largely due to holiday lighting. According to Ask Pablo, “If you traditionally decorate your house with twenty 100-bulb strings you require 850 W. If you turn your lights on for 6 hours per day this adds up to 5.1 kWh per day. If you put your lights up a month before Christmas you will have used 153 kWh to spread joy into the world, not to mention heat and light pollution. At $0.15/kWh the cost for this would be over $22.”
Now I don’t feel so bad about my single string of colored lights around my front door.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
Here is a link to listen to my interview with Andrew Winston, author of Green to Gold. It is also available on GreenBiz:
Download mp3 |
Just a short note: Did anyone see the article in the Washington Post about the link between divorce and the environment? The research on which the article was based was apparently legit; the National Academy of Sciences published it. According to the authors, “researchers calculated that in 2005, divorced American households used between 42 and 61 percent more resources per person than before they separated, spending 46 percent more per person on electricity and 56 percent more on water.”
I suppose that now, those of us who are trying to live a more sustainable existence might want to add “get married” to our green to-do lists. Of course, reviewers warn that “the findings serve as an argument for marriage and cohabitation, rather than as reason not to divorce.”
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
For seniors, going green is about more than just the environment, it can also be about ensuring a safe and healthy life for people who may have physical or financial limitations. We’ve compiled some tips specifically for seniors, to help them keep their homes healthy, while saving money and doing good for the environment.
1. Green your household cleaners.
Many common cleaners are loaded with chemicals that can affect health and reduce air quality. Fortunately many products are now available that are “green” and safer for health and the environment. Or use home-mixed cleaners; vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything when mixed with a little warm water. Finally, skip antibacterial cleaners, which often contain tricolsan, a potentially toxic compound. Scientists suspect these products may breed antibiotic-resistant super bugs. Need more motivation? FDA has found that antibacterial soaps and hand cleansers are no better at cleaning than regular soap and water.
2. Improve air quality.
Indoor air quality has declined as manufacturers use more chemicals in producing our household goods and our homes are more air tight. Two of the biggest culprits are new carpeting and paint. So if you’re upgrading, be sure to select a low-emitting products that will not release harmful chemicals into the air. For all consumers goods, like textiles, furniture, and carpets, look for “green” alternatives that have third-party certification, like the Greenguard or GreenSeal logo, which ensures low toxicity. Also, be sure to occasionally air out your home on nice days, which brings fresh air in and takes toxins out. This is especially important when cleaning, painting, or having new carpet installed.
3. Go fresh, naturally.
Skip the store-bought air fresheners and plug-ins, which can compromise air quality and health. Use natural air freshening methods like boiling favorite herbs or spices. Also, plants may not make your house smell better but they are good for filtering interior air; Peace Lilies are a favorite choice. And don’t forget, baking soda is a great odor-eliminator for your carpet or fridge.
4. Wipe those feet!
Help keep dirt, waste, and pollutants out of your home by putting a good doormat at the door. Or make yours a shoeless house. Less dirt and pollutants tracked in from the outside also means less sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, which means less work, water, energy, and fewer chemicals.
5. Turn it off.
Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers; and activate “sleep” features on computers and office equipment that power down when not in use for a while. Turn off equipment during longer periods of non-use to cut energy costs and improve longevity. And unplug anything with an indicator light – like chargers and toasters – even if turned off, because that light means it’s still using electricity. In addition, install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat that turns down the heat at night and when you’re not at home and save about $100 each year.
6. Seal it up!
During hot months, keep heavy drapes or blinds closed on windows facing the south, east, and west windows. In winter, let the sun in those windows. Sealing and weatherstripping your windows and doors will ensure that you’re not wasting energy on heat or air conditioning that escapes through leaks to the outdoors. A combination of air sealing and adding insulation to attics, basements, and crawlspaces can save up to 20% of your home heating and cooling costs.
7. Perform regular maintenance.
Check the furnace or air conditioner (AC) filter each month, and clean or replace it as needed. Dirty filters block air flow through your heating and cooling systems, increasing your energy bill and shortening the equipment’s life. Annual or bi-annual maintenance by a contractor will also help keep your system running efficiently.
8. Conserve water.
About 15 percent of an average home energy bill goes to heating water. To save hot water, take five-minute showers instead of baths and lower the temperature on your water heater to no more than 120 degrees F. For $20 you can purchase a water heater blanket that will pay for itself in less than a year and put pre-cut, pipe-fitting insulators on those hot water pipes. Do only full loads when using the clothes washer or dishwasher and switch to cold-water washing—detergents formulated for cold water get clothes just as clean.
9. Swap out your bulbs.
About 95 percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs goes to heating the bulb, adding unwanted heat to your home in the summer and wasting energy. By replacing your five most used light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulbs, you can save $60 each year in energy costs. These light bulbs use two-thirds less energy and last up to 10 times longer. For additional savings, use dimmers, timers, and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.
10. Reduce your mileage.
Improve your health, save gas, and reduce CO2 by walking or biking whenever it’s possible (and safe for you to do so!) or by using public transportation. Or try combining your trips — either by sharing rides with someone else or by running most of your errands in fewer trips rather and several shorter ones.
P.S.
I wrote this one for my husband, Jarad, and all the wonderful people he works with at Greenspring Retirement Community in Springfield, VA, which is part of Erickson Retirement Communities, a green company that is very modest about their impressive, ongoing sustainability efforts — both social and environmental. Or visit my other website for Better Senior Living LLC.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
Beth Ziesenis from Life on Avenue Z has tagged or “memed” me (I admit, I had to look it up too). Which means you, dear reader, have to suffer through another completely un-serious blog today. (And, unfortunately, this one isn’t even about going green.) It also means that I have to write seven things about myself and “tag” seven others, based on the rules below.
And even though I have vigilantly deleted every single chain email I have ever received, I’m going to do this. I am rationalizing to myself that doing this will help increase traffic to my blog and website; thus, I am actually marketing! But you know what, sometimes you just have to break it down. It is my blog after all. And besides, it’s Friday.
Here are rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know they have been tagged and comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 facts:
1) Everyone I know believes that I am so incredibly organized. But my dark secret is that I practically “rent” my library books. Even with online renewal and reminder notices, I seem to always have to pay fines. And at 25 cents per book, per day, that can really add up. I’ve been this way since I was in grade school.
2) I like having curly hair, but I never tell people that. Whenever someone compliments me about my hair, they always follow it with, “But I bet you hate it.” And some compulsion inside me makes me nod in agreement, or at least find something to complain about. Oddly enough, I usually pride myself in honesty. Which brings me to….
3) I am an absolutely terrible liar. I have no idea why, but people always seem to know when I am not being completely truthful, which means I seldom go this route. Except in the case of no. 2 above (or maybe I ring false even then). I was once in a job interview where the interviewer actually said to me, “You’re not interested in this job.” And I wasn’t, but didn’t think she knew that!
4) I don’t drive a green car and feel guilty about it. It’s just not in the cards right now to buy anything new, what with me starting my own business and all. I’m still driving my ‘99 Honda CRV, which gets terrible mileage for a 4-cylinder. But, I try to make it better by taking public transportation as much as I can. And in my most recent job, I worked from home two days a week for the last 8 years.
5) I started dating my husband when we were both in high school – I was 17 and he was 15. And I was too embarrassed at the time to tell more than just my closest friends that I was “robbing the cradle.” But we’re still together, so I guess he wasn’t too offended (although he does still bring it up now and then).
6) Sometimes I can be incredibly naive, to the point that I shock myself! Yet most of the time I consider myself someone with an plenty of common sense, an assertion with which those who know me best would likely agree. ‘Nuff said there.
7) Some days I feel like I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Like maybe I just want to run away to the foothills of Virginia and become an organic farmer. Or write a novel. Or paint pictures. Or live in Africa. Although I am thoroughly committed to what I am doing, of course.
Here are my links so far (more to come):
More Than We Know
Green Girl Guide
Work It, Mom!
Life:Version 2.0
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
We were all just waiting for it to happen, the ubiquitous articles on greening your Christmas. Well the Washington Post was right out there in front of the pack with a full spread on how to have a green Christmas. From presents, to trees, to wrapping paper, to lights. The Post article goes on to discuss which is greener, a fake tree, a real tree that is recycled into mulch, or a burlap-root tree. In the end, they couldn’t decide. I do, however, have an alternate suggestion. It’s environmental because no trees were cut down, and apparently 100% recyclable: a Festivus Pole! And, as a bonus, if you want to leave it up all year long, it converts into a basketball net. What could be better?
Perhaps this post is a bit less serious than my usual, but I simply could not resist.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
I just received an excellent tip from Vinay Kumar, co-owner of printers GRCDirect, on how to reduce your junk mail by 90% by signing up for a junk mail removal service for $19.95 per year — still a bargain when you think about it. And they’ll plant a tree in your name. The nice thing about this service, is that it works for small businesses as well.
Most of the free resources that I wrote about previously, are for residents only, not small businesses. By following my own advice there, I’ve reduced my junk mail substantially — but admittedly not as much as I would have liked. The problem is all of those anonymous mailings that go to all residents. I’m not quite sure how these items would be handled, but I think it’s worth a try.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
In my online travels (that’s the only way I get to travel these days), I came across a few things well worth sharing. I hope you find them useful as well. First, a new CFL bulb, called the CCFL bulb, which has much lower mercury, better color, and is dimmable and usable with motion sensors. It’s available locally in the DC area from Better Bulb in Bethesda, MD.
Now onto the videos. You’ll need to devote some time to these, but well worth viewing. First, for those skeptics still out here who aren’t convinced that Global Warming is a reality or are unsure whether or not it’s caused by humans. This airtight argument will be fun to use at upcoming holiday parties with you favorite naysayer.
The second video, Black Balloons, provides a visual for energy consumption. Very creative.
Sorry for the amalgam of stuff today. I just thought these resources were well worth sharing. Hope you enjoy.
The other night I was watching Desperate Housewives. (I know, I know. But I read that it had gotten much better this season.) And I absolutely cringed when I saw one of the characters dump his medication down the kitchen sink (the plumber, who really should know better). Right there on national television — a character caught polluting our water.
According to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, most pharmaceuticals should not be flushed down the drain. There are some exceptions (maybe Mike the plumber was aware of these, or maybe he just knew he’d be taking them out of the drain later after Susan went to bed anyway), for those medications deemed controlled substances.
But why, you ask, should I not flush my medicine down the drain? The simple answer is that these chemicals can and do end up in our waterways and in our drinking water. While many of these chemicals are removed during treatment at the plant, trace amounts do remain. These chemicals can accumulate in the environment since they do not all break down.
The EPA recommends mixing pharmaceuticals with coffee grinds, cat litter, or some equally unpleasant matter (I’ll let you fill in the blank), to discourage anyone from using them once disposed of in your trash. Although realistically, if anyone is fishing through your garbage, how discouraged will they be by a little wet coffee? Bottom line: Put your unused medications in the trash, not down the drain. In fact, U.S. EPA offers lots of helpful advice on proper disposal of all sorts of items that we use every day.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
