Five Green conscious moves for your home
by: Ines.Hegedus-Garcia on August 20, 2007 23:34:41 4 comments »
I used to think that Miami was not very "green conscious" and not many people were environmentally friendly but I was so wrong! Maybe in Miami we are not as obvious as on the West Coast because we don't see every household having a compost pile and we don't publish the use of bio-degradable detergents nor color code our recycling bins.
But the truth is that we are GREEN, we do recycle, we do conserve water and energy and we do look for thermal products like insolated windows to help us with energy consumption. To make things easier, I found a Business Week article, written by Alex Halperin called Five Green Fixes for Your Home. By following these five simple steps, you will be helping the environment as well as your pocket book (saving energy, does mean saving money).
- Buy EnergyStar appliances - did you know you could save up to a third of your energy bill just by buying EnergyStar approved appliance?
- Close up gaps where air and moisture can escape - just by caulking and weather stripping, you can prevent a/c escapes, and in the case of South Florida, moisture and heat coming in! - insulating attics and walls also can do a lot for your power bill.
- Do a blow test - you will have to read this section completely, because it is really complicated and at the same time very simple - it is done to make sure the least amount of energy is used to heat or cool your home.
- Watch your water consumption - from flow reducers in faucets to recirculation systems in hot water heaters
- Upgrade windows - although this can be costly, insulated windows will pay off in the long run (you can even get Impact Resistant Windows and kill two birds with one stone), insulated windows also help with noise reduction if you live near a busy intersection or train tracks.
There are a lot of green architects and green builders around, and it is becoming more and more popular to be "green conscious" - and although you don't have to be an extremist and feel like you are a flower-child from the 60's, it is the small things that make a difference.
check out this great local site that constantly gives ideas on how to make a difference - Greener Miami
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· http://liveinlosgatos.realtownblogs.comGreat article, Ines! This is good information for everyone.
Permalink August 21, 2007 16:52:18 · http://www.miamism.com/Permalink August 21, 2007 17:33:47 Love your site--Get the "Green" message out there! As an architect and mother of 4, our environment has been a priority for us (inside and out)---In addition to being eco-friendly, the biodegradable cleaners I have used for years do not have the toxins many cleaners have. Did you know that 90% of poison exposures happen at home? And that common cleaners give off fumes that can potentially increase the risk of kids developing asthma- the most common chronic childhood disease? If your home is anything like the average U.S. home--+20# of household hazadous waste each year--EPA considers toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, oven cleaners and bleach as hazadous waste! We need to make our homes and schools healthy by switching to non toxic and biodegradable cleaners to start--e-mail me if you want more information. I am hosting a series of presentations to help people "Go Green"-
Friday- August 31st and Sept. 14th 7:30 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Sat.- Sept. 1st and Sept. 15th 9:30 a.m.- 11 a.m.
RSVP- Salowarch2@aol.com
Permalink August 23, 2007 09:08:27 · http://www.miamism.com/I think you bring such an important wealth of information about cleaning products that most people don't even know about. So if you feel like being featured, please let me know - you can even plug the products you use. THANKS!
Permalink August 23, 2007 09:49:39This post has no comments awaiting moderation.
