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The Home Office Goes Green

May 11, 2010 By Editor Leave a Comment

If you’re concerned about the environment, there are a lot of reasons to think about working from home.  If you already have a home office, you may be familiar with some of them.  But read on anyway to find out how working from home can make your lifestyle even greener.

Right from the start, working from home helps you save on fuel costs, and benefits the environment.  If you commute 60 miles roundtrip every day, for 48 weeks out of the year, you drive over 14,000 miles.  So by using your home office, you are significantly reducing the carbon dioxide that your vehicle contributes to air pollution.  And even if your car gets 30 miles per gallon, at the cost of $4 per gallon, you will personally be saving at least $1,800 per year in fuel costs.

You can also make green choices when you purchase office supplies.  Some of the easiest green supplies to purchase are recycled ink cartridges, recycled paper and energy efficient light bulbs.  Recycled ink cartridges for your printer are also usually less expensive than the brand name versions.

If you’re concerned about your printer’s warranty and you want to stick with the brand name, you can still recycle the empty cartridges.  Watch for the ink cartridge recycling bins at your local office supply store.  In some communities, there are even ink cartridge recycling bins in the pet stores.  So keep your eye out for the retailers who are trying to do their part to be eco-friendly, and let them help you recycle.

Recycled paper is sometimes a little more expensive than the regular version.  So if you’re on a budget, recycle your paper in other ways.  Instead of tossing all used paper out, start a pile for paper that has been used only on one side.  Keep it in a location that makes it handy to use for scratch paper.  Then when you really are ready to throw paper out, be sure to toss it into the recycling bin instead of the regular trash.

Using energy efficient light bulbs in your home office can save you time and money, as well as helping you stay green.  Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.  These bulbs use only about 20 percent of the energy that incandescent bulbs use.  They last 3 to 4 times longer than regular bulbs, so you won’t have to change then as often.

Most of these tips cost very little or no money.  If you’re interested in cleaning up the environment, these are easy ways to begin.  If you’re already doing these things, spread the word to friends and family who are just getting started on their eco-friendly lifestyles.

zeolite

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Green Business Tagged With: environment, green office

What is Green Real Estate?

May 11, 2010 By Editor Leave a Comment

Most people are concerned about living in a healthy environment, and eco-friendly housing is becoming a popular topic these days.  Home Builders and Real Estate Agents are starting to talk about “green real estate”.  But what qualifies a house to be advertised as “green real estate”?  At least one national builder uses 5 criteria.  They are: energy efficiency, indoor air quality, resource efficiency, water conservation, and site management.

Let’s take a look at what each one of these characteristics means.  Energy efficiency refers to the appliances in the home, as well as items like wall insulation, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, and insulated door and roofs.  Low-E windows block radiant heat from coming into the house.  They can keep a house several degrees cooler than regular windows, especially when they’re installed on the south and west sides. These are all items that can give homeowners real saving in the cost of their energy bills over the life of owning their home.

Indoor air quality is affected by the furnace and air conditioning system, as well as the materials used in carpeting, laminate flooring and compressed wood materials.  In the recent past, these items were typically made with materials that produced toxic gases like formaldehyde.  Even when there was no obvious odor, the off gassing from these materials could cause respiratory problems for people with allergies and chemical sensitivities.  Now low VOC (or low off gassing) carpeting and compressed wood items are commonly available, but you have to check their labels.

Resource efficiency refers to using solar, wind or geothermal resources.  Solar water heaters and solar swimming pool heaters are becoming much more available, even in tract home subdivisions. Consumers want to help clean up the environment and save on utility bills.  They’re letting the new home builders know what they want, and the builders are beginning to listen.

Water conservation can involve items like low-flow toilets and no-drip plumbing fixtures.  Shower heads which minimize water use also help the conservation effort.  Gray water (or drain water from sinks) can be recycled and used in exterior sprinkler systems.

Site management includes xeriscaping.  This is the practice of landscaping with plants that are native to the region.  They are specifically selected to grow and thrive with natural rainfall, and without additional watering.  Site management can also include strategically orienting the house on the building site.  This can maximize sun exposure in the winter to help heat the interior, and minimize sun exposure in the summer to keep the house cooler.  Trees and plants can be strategically placed to with similar effects, to help heat and cool the home according to the season.

These criteria are not national, world-wide or even industry-wide building standards.  But with the rising cost of energy, and the likelihood that energy costs will continue to increase, consumers are having a real impact on the building industry.  Builders are finally seeing that energy efficient eco-friendly homes sell faster than other homes.  So it looks like green real estate is here to stay.

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Green Business Tagged With: eco-friendly housing, green real estate

Green Lifestyle: 5 Low Cost Tips

May 11, 2010 By Editor Leave a Comment

Going green has become a popular trend that looks like it’s here to stay.  Even if you can’t build a new home that is energy efficient or remodel your existing home to make it greener, there are still things you can do at home to help the environment.

First, consider replacing your old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.  These bulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than the older style bulbs.  As an added bonus, they last longer so you won’t have to change then as often.

Second, you can attach aerators to your faucets.  These little devices attach to the faucet where the water comes out, and mix air into the flow. You’ll use less water, but the water pressure will remain nearly the same as before.  There are similar devices available to attach to your shower heads, which will reduce the total amount of water you use while showering.

Third, replace your old thermostat with a programmable one.  This will allow you to fine tune your heating and cooling cycles to the times you’re at home and actively using your living areas.  The energy savings can really add up when you stop keeping the house warm or cool for the entire 8 to 10 hours that you spend at work.  You can set the thermostat to turn off as you leave for work, and set it to automatically turn on about a half hour before you return home. Your house will be comfortable while you’re at home, but you won’t be wasting energy and money while you’re away.

Fourth, install a water filter on your kitchen faucet instead of buying bottled water.  Most municipal water systems in the United States provide clean, healthy drinking water, so a filter is usually not necessary.  But major beverage manufacturers have spent millions of dollars on marketing campaigns to get us to think that bottled water is cleaner and safer than plain tap water. If you just can’t bring yourself to start drinking water from the tap, you can at least buy and install a filter.  Then you can stop adding plastic water bottles to your local landfill.

Fifth, start using cloth tote bags for your grocery shopping.  Plastic grocery bags are not biodegradable, and are another of the many disposable items that are clogging up local landfills.  If you don’t want to start a collection of cloth grocery tote bags, you can at least reuse the plastic grocery bags.  Many communities also have recycling receptacles for plastic grocery bags.  So when you have accumulated more than you can use, instead of throwing them away, you can recycle them.

These are just a few ways you can help clean up the environment.  They’re fairly easy to implement.  They’ll help you get in the habit of looking for ways to be even more eco-friendly.

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Green Tips Tagged With: energy efficient, Green Tips
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