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Posts tagged Green Living

6 Ways to Green the Kitchen

Jul01
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

6 ways to green the kitchen

For many of us, the kitchen is the center of our home. It’s where we cook and share meals, it’s where we spend our mornings and evenings, it’s where we congregate when friends come to visit.

So it makes sense to start with the kitchen when you’re looking for quick ways to implement a greener lifestyle. Think about it: if there are a few small changes you can make to improve your home’s eco-friendliness, beginning in the kitchen, why wouldn’t you?

    Here are six simple ways to get started:

  1. Turn your dishwasher’s water temperature to a lower setting, if possible.
  2. Heat small things up with small electric pans or toaster ovens rather than your large stove or oven, and you may cut your energy consumption by two thirds!
  3. Air dry your dishes.
  4. Check the oven by turning the light instead of opening the door, which reduces the temp by about 25 degrees and increases cooking time.
  5. Use energy-efficient lighting when you can’t just use daylight.
  6. Install energy-efficient appliances. Old refrigerators alone use so much energy, they can account for 15% of a home’s consumption! Look into Energy Star options for savings.

As we’ve said before here at the Buy Owner Blog, green living is not only good for you while you live in your home, but it’s also beneficial for resale. Implement these simple tips to be on your way to a greener kitchen and therefore a greener home!

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged eco-friendly tips, quick tips, real estate marketing
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Greening Your Bathroom

Jun10
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

green bathrooms

About 60 percent of a home’s water usage comes from the bathroom. Want to incorporate green living into your bathroom but not sure where to begin? There are numerous ways to conserve water and energy in your bathroom; thanks to an interactive diagram provided by National Geographic’s Green Guide, you can view exactly where you can conserve and go green in the bathroom here.

For more in-depth tips, here’s a breakdown of the areas to focus on in your bathroom:

  • Bath/Shower: While you might think taking a bath uses less water than a shower because the water isn’t constantly running in a bath, it actually takes about 70 gallons of water to fill up a bathtub. You only use 10 to 25 gallons in a five-minute shower. Low-flow showerheads are readily available now, which release less water at a time. By replacing your showerhead with a head that releases 2.5 gallons per minute instead of the average 4.5, you could save 20,000 gallons of water per year!
  • Faucet: Faucets can waste up to five gallons of water per minute. To decrease this number, attach an aerator to your faucet, which could decrease your gallons per minute from 1 to 2.75 gallons. Regardless, while you brush your teeth and wash your face, turn the water off. Only run it while you are directly using it.
  • Toilets: Toilets account for about 26 percent of water usage in a home, and the older your models are, the more water they use. If you replace a toilet from 1992 or older, you could save up to 25,000 gallons of water per year! Newer toilets have multiple options, such as dual flushes with a low-flow flush for liquids and a more powerful flush for solids. Composting toilets and no-mix toilets are two other options. When choosing a toilet, look for ones with an EPA WaterSense label.
  • Toilet paper: The United States uses 100 million tons of paper per year, and toilet paper is a large contributor. Look for paper that is recycled or thin and easily biodegradable. Use fewer squares at each sitting.
  • Leaky pipes: Toilets and faucets often contain leaky pipes, which waste up to 11,000 gallons of water. Fixing leaky pipes will save water and money, helping your bank account and the environment. To test for a leaky toilet, drop some food coloring into the tank and see if it appears in the bowl without flushing.

For more interactive diagrams and exact ways to cut costs in other rooms, click here.

All of these statistics were taken from National Geographic’s Green Guide.

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged eco-friendly tips, environmental tips, green bathroom
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Green Real Estate Roundup

Jun03
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

think green!

Wondering how the Internet has been buzzing with green information over the last month? Check out this roundup of great articles, filled with information and stories about green living as it relates to real estate and home building!

  • USA Today, “My green house project sparks debate, criticism,“ by Wendy Koch. This is an interesting read. Not only does it provide a real-life example of someone who chose to build a green home, but also it addresses some of the criticisms lobbied in response.
  • KAALtv.com, “Riverland House Goes Green” by Kristin Martin. Carpentry/electrician students at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota, built a Green Star home to sell. According to the article, this residence showcases “innovative concepts” that should continue to grow in popularity.
  • Newsday.com, “Montauk house to tell owner when being ‘green’ pays off” by Cathy Mahon.
Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged eco-friendly tips, home ownership, real estate news
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Green Painting

May27
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Experts say that one of the easiest ways to spruce up a room is to repaint it. Even if you choose neutral colors, the fresh coat will brighten the walls and hide any signs of wear and tear. As long as you’re making a change, why not make it as green or eco-friendly as possible? Because so many types of paint are available, we’re here to assist you in choosing the safest and greenest type for your house!

Tips to follow when choosing paint:

  • Always choose paint with low volatile organic compound levels, or VOC levels. These levels can pollute your air with dangerous chemicals when used in high dosages. Look for paint with less than 150 grams per liter of paint, or for paint labeled low-VOC or no-VOC.
  • Natural paints are a smart option for houses located in dry conditions. These paints are naturally made from plant ingredients, do not contain preservatives and are not synthetic.
  • If you need a synthetic paint, choose water-based latex paints instead of oil-based alkyd paints. The water-based paints have less chemicals and lower VOC levels.
  • Milk paints contain no preservatives or solvents, but they do contain some synthetic ingredients. This natural, odorless paint is made with milk protein and comes in powder form. Once mixed with water, it needs to be used quickly.
  • Recycled paint is available for rooms where consistent color is not required. This paint is literally made from recycled and consolidated old paint, so numerous colors may be mixed together to create a unique hue.
  • If you’re painting your walls white, opt to use whitewashes, which are paints naturally made from lime paste. These paints are affordable and great for stucco exteriors, basement walls, garages and more.

Deciding which type of paint to use will depend on what room you are painting and what purpose you have in painting it. Once you decide on a type, make sure to keep the room ventilated while you apply it, no matter how eco-friendly the paint is. Afterward, donate or recycle your leftover paint and enjoy your freshly painted room with low levels of toxins!

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged decorating, eco-friendly tips, Home Improvement, paint
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The Truth about Energy Star Ratings

May20
2010
1 Comment Written by Alicia

You may have heard about the recent investigation conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Energy Star rated appliances, which found that the Energy Star program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

This Energy Star program began in 1992, managed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Appliances with Energy Star ratings are said to use less energy and release less pollutants. Because government tax credits are available for consumers who purchase Energy Star products, $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is expected to be used for this purpose.

To test the reliability of the Energy Star rating, GAO submitted 20 fictitious products with energy-saving claims. Of these 20 products, 15 were accepted by the Energy Star program, proving that the program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse. The program does not verify energy-saving data submitted by manufacturers, which means manufacturers are basically self-certificating their products. To read the entire report from GAO, click here.

What does this mean for consumers like you who are trying to make your home more energy efficient? It means that you should still strive to purchase products with Energy Star ratings. Though the program might have certified products that aren’t truly energy efficient in the past, the program agreed to strengthen the program with a more rigorous screening process. To read how EPA and DOE plan to make the program more efficient in the future, click here.

This investigation is wholly positive for consumers like you, because from now on, you can rest assured that a close eye will be kept on items that pass with an Energy Star rating. The program will be stronger than ever, as will the energy efficiency levels of the products. If you still have a hard time trusting the program, research a product before you purchase it to find out the average energy usage that it uses per year. Don’t give up on saving energy and receiving tax credits for doing so!

Image Credit: TreeHugger.com

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged appliances, eco-friendly tips, energy star, kitchen
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Taking the First Green Step

Apr29
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

What is the first step you can take to green living? Getting rid of incandescent light bulbs! According to a recent survey completed by a lighting company, 74 percent of the respondents now use compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, which is a huge step to green living! Changing bulbs to energy-efficient models is one of the simplest green changes you can make to your home, and the CFLs save you loads of money by using less energy and lasting longer. LEDs, which are even more energy-efficient bulbs, are used in 12 percent of the respondents’ homes.

Because Congress might pass a law that would ban incandescent bulbs by 2014, why not get a head start on switching them out now? Of those in the study who do not have CFLs or LEDs in their homes yet, 71 percent plan on purchasing them in the near future. If everyone were to participate in this movement, it would save a significant amount of energy and money being spent in households. According to the National Wildlife Federation, each CFL prevents 350 pounds of coal from being burned at power plants during its lifetime. That’s a lot of pollutants that are not being released into the air we breathe!

If you’re looking for the first step to green living, here it is. Replace your bulbs. The other steps can come later, when you’re ready.

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged eco-friendly, environment, lightbulbs
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Extra Uses for Appliances

Apr22
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

These days, when you visit the appliance department at your local store, there is an appliance for almost everything you could ever imagine. You can purchase a blender, a smoothie maker, a juice maker, a milkshake maker and a margarita maker, but why? Can’t the blender alone create smoothies, juice, milkshakes and margaritas? This is just one example of how to use one appliance to multitask.

Although appliances are marketed to make you feel like you need each one, the truth is most of our appliances can be used in more than one way. By doing so, you will save energy, money and space on your counters, in your closets and all over your house!

Here are three examples of extra uses for a common appliance:

  1. Wet-dry vacuums are a popular appliance these days, with their immediate multiuse feature being that they can pick up liquids and solids. However, they can do a lot more than just that. You can use your wet-dry vacuum to unclog drains by plugging the hose into the port that blows out air, sticking the hose down into the drain and turning on the switch. Or, plug the hose into the port that sucks air in, stick the hose down a drain and retrieve items that you may have lost in the drain, such as jewelry. You can also clean out your fireplace, clean up overflowing toilets or basement flooding, or remove snow or rain from your walkways!
  2. Not only can your microwave now cook practically everything your oven can, plus more, but also the microwave has numerous other uses that have nothing to do with cooking food! Disinfect dish rags and sponges by soaking them in vinegar or lemon juice and then heating them in the microwave for one minute. This also works to disinfect cutting boards. For baking, you can soften brown sugar by adding a few drops of water to the plastic bag and then microwaving it for 10 to 20 seconds, and you can bring solidified honey back to its liquid form by microwaving the uncovered container for 30 seconds to a minute.
  3. Drying your hair is one of many uses for your hair dryer. You can also use it to find out if any of your windows or doors are leaking heat by having one person stand outside with the hair dryer, blowing it along the window or door edges, and have another person stand inside with a candle. If the flame flickers or blows out, you might need caulking. You can remove a bandage or piece of tape easier by blowing heat on it first to soften the adhesive, you can remove crayon from wallpaper, and you can remove wrinkles from plastic tablecloths or shower curtains with the warm, blowing air.

These were just three examples of ways to use your appliances in new ways. By thinking creatively, you will save energy, money and space! Little steps like these create greener, more energy-efficient living.

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged appliances, eco-friendly, green tips
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Go Green With Your Hot Tub

Mar25
2010
1 Comment Written by Carrie

Remember this article about eco-friendly plumbing?

According to Mindfully.org, “the average [American’s] individual daily consumption of water is 159 gallons,” while people in other countries live off of a small 25 gallons. Americans use a lot of water by performing everyday activities like bathing, going to the bathroom, washing dishes, cleaning the house and doing laundry.

The article goes on to list several plumbing fixtures that will help you conserve water and energy inside your home. But did you know that you can conserve water and be more environmentally conscious when using your outdoor hot tub, as well? Here’s how:

Try a portable hot tub. Portable hot tubs are slightly smaller than heavy, mounted spas, so they hold less water. You won’t need to worry about draining excess amounts, and they require less energy to reach and maintain your desired temperature.

Use solar covers. Not using your hot tub? Keep it clean using a solar cover! It does double duty by holding in heat and keeping debris out of the water, which does the filter a favor, and you won’t need to put as many chemicals in the water to cleanse and purify it.

Opt for a 100% no-bypass filtration system. Looking for another way to keep the water clean longer? Find a hot tub that features a 100 % no-bypass filtration system in which all water passes through before it enters the spa. Some hot tubs also boast a special technology that uses a three-dimensional surface area in order to maximize filtration power to extend time between cleanings. Instead of draining the water every three months, as you would with most of your typical hot tub models, you may only have to do it twice a year!

Look for a hot tub that has an ozone system or ion purifier. Reduce the need to use harsh chemicals in order to clean your hot tub. A Fresh Water ozone system produces highly concentrated ozone bubbles in that neutralize contaminants on contact. A silvre ion purifier provides silver ions as a natural alternative to water care to limit the use of chemical sanitizers like chlorine.

Change the display temperature. Once the hot tub water reaches your desired temperature to the touch, try lowering the display temperature a degree or two. You won’t feel too much of a difference, but you will save energy. The less work your hot tub has to do, the less energy it produces.

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged conserve water, eco-friendly, eco-friendly tips, environmentally safe, Fresh Water ozone system, Home Improvement, hot tub, ion purifier, no-bypass filtration system, plumbing, solar cover, varying temperature
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Eco-Friendly Backsplashes

Mar11
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Carrie

When it comes to kitchen backsplashes, you have a lot of choices at your disposal. There’s brick, ceramic, glass and steel… However, did you know that you also have eco-friendly alternatives, as well? In one of our Green Living articles, we told you that “materials with low VOC [like] ceramic tile, recycled content glass or sustainable wood” were good options. Today, we’re here to expand on that idea and provide you with more environmentally friendly options for kitchen backsplashes.

Recycled Glass Tile

You may be wondering how glass can be recycled and made into a backsplash in the first place. Producers start off with wasted glass that has been saved from a landfill and glass that has been properly recycled by consumers just like you. They begin by melting down the glass in a heated furnace with temperatures hitting well over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. This liquid glass is then put in a mold and trimmed to the right size and form.

One of the benefits of using recycled glass tiles is that it is usually left in its original form. Some are mixed with industrial colors, but fully eco-friendly glass tiles are left alone. This means that no two backsplashes will look alike, and you are guaranteed your own unique look in the kitchen!

Aluminum Tile

Aluminum tiles are made from 100 percent recycled metal. They are excellent choices for a modern kitchen, especially if you’re opting for an entirely eco-friendly kitchen complete with concrete countertops and recycled wood cabinetry. Prices start around $35 per square foot, and you can even install the backsplash yourself. On top of that, it is easy to clean by simply using a soft rag, liquid dish soap and warm water.

Reclaimed Hardwood & Bamboo

Wood-based wall coverings are generally not sustainable. However, some companies offer reclaimed wood and bamboo to create backsplashes. It is often a good idea to match this type of backsplash up with butcher’s block countertops. This recycled wood has been reclaimed from old wooden structures like barns and farmhouses or even from barley/hay/wine barrels.

Recycled Ceramic Tile

They ways in which recycled ceramic tiles are constructed vary with each manufacturer. Generally, recycled ceramic tile backsplashes are composed of both and pre- and post-consumer waste products: unwanted dirt, dust, glass, plastic and stone. These materials are mixed together and broken down into a fine powder that is then used to create ceramic tile.

For more eco-friendly tips, take a look at the Green Living category on the Buy Owner Blog!

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged aluminum, bamboo, ceramic, eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, glass, kitchen backsplahses, reclaimed wood, recycled, tile
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Green Is In?

Mar03
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

At the annual International Builders’ Conference in January, Wall Street Journal reporter June Fletcher writes about green innovations that continue to pop up in showcases.

As she evaluates different green products and systems, she writes, “Why, I wonder, do I consistently see these products in show houses, but not so much in regular houses?”

The article goes on to describe four specific products featured at the January convection, from spray foam insulation (which is lightweight, highly effective, better at filling small gaps than fiberglass fill or batts) to solar shingles (a lighter, better-looking alternative to solar panels, originally introduced in 2005), insulated concrete forms (around for 20 years!) and structural insulated panels (around since the 1930s yet still rarely adopted, mostly because of retraining that would be required).

To read more of this article, click here.

Posted in Tips and Ideas - Tagged eco-friendly, home builder, Market News, wall street journal
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