We are onto our last zone and almost done with the going green blogs! Here is the Outside Zone. Here are some Sustainability action items for the outside zone: water your lawn more efficiently, create a sustainable landscape, and plant a garden of your own. To water your lawn more efficiently: be water wise, collect your rainwater, and use your rainwater. To create a sustainable landscape: landscape for your climate, choose native plants, and be wildlife friendly. To plant a garden of your own: grow your food with a raised bed garden and compost to create organic fertilizer. Here is a Money Smart action item for the outside zone: Improve your energy efficiency from the outside in. To improve your energy efficiency from the outside in: plant shade trees, add awnings to stay cool, and consider a solar CPV power system. Here are some Healthy action items for the outside zone: Practice safe landscaping technique and bring your home outside. To practice safe landscaping techniques, lim...

Last week we discussed the first zone, this week are discussing the next zone: The Systems. Here are Money Smart action items for the systems zone: Understand how you use energy, pay yourself back with easy energy updates, and tighten the building envelope. To understand how you use energy: take a hard look at your utility bill and establish a baseline with an energy audit. To pay yourself back with easy energy updates: install a digital thermostat and light your way to savings. To tighten the building envelope: seal the gaps, patch your ducts, beef up your insulation and improve your window’s performance. Here are some Energy action items for the systems zone: Maintain your mechanical heating and cooling system and work with nature. To maintain your mechanical system: stay warm and keep cool. To work with nature: take advantage of natural heating techniques and incorporate natural cooling methods. Here is a Healthy action item for the systems zone: Optimize your ventilation syste...

In this blog, we are going to make our action plan. Let’s start with the Inside Zone. Here are some Healthy action items for the Inside Zone: Bring the Fresh Air inside, get to know your pollutants, Test for possible pollutant sources in your home, and keep pollutants out. To bring fresh air inside your home, use a mixture of passive ventilation and spot ventilation. Some pollutants to know is: Radon, Mold, Dust, Lead Based Paint, Asbestos, VOC’s, and Combustion Gas. To test for any of these pollutants in your home: Use your senses, get a DIY kit, and have your home professionally tested. To keep pollutants out: keep gasses vented to the outside, keep your home dry, keep your home nontoxic, and keep your home clean. Here are some Money Smart action items for the inside zone: Improve your lighting design and boost energy efficiency. To improve your lighting design: embrace natural lighting and choose smart artificial lighting sources. To boost energy efficiency: sometimes you don’t...

Let’s delve into Part 2 of Green Your Home. We are now ready to have a green home. But the question now is where to begin? Step by step of course: 1.       Clarify Your Green Priorities 2.       Create Your Green Team 3.       Build Your Green Project List 4.       Turn Your Project List into a Plan of Action Let’s start by ranking the three priorities in order from highest to lowest: Healthy, Money Smart, Sustainable. Let’s say Healthy is your highest priority, here are some suggestions for you: Hardwood floors, low-VOC paints, exhaust fans in bathroom and kitchen, plants in the home, carbon monoxide sensors, and air filters. Let’s say Money Smart is your highest priority, here are some suggestions: energy efficient appliances, optimally designed HVAC system, passive heating and cooling features, a tight building envelope, and a right size home with a smaller footprint. ...