I have been working on a few different websites, so for one if anyone has a green business and needs a website please get in touch with me. Anyways, here’s the one that I’ve been working on lately that I want to tell you about. It’s a real estate company that specializes in sustainable real estate! Eco-Realty International specializes in how to green your home for sale, buy a greener home, and is a complete consultant in these areas as well as an expert for buying and selling a green sustainable home.

Exciting, huh? Nancy Riehle is the broker, and she got started by investing in a home here in Spartanburg, SC that was in need of repair. Their repair option? Make it green! They put in Icynene spray foam insulation, used a tankless hot water heater, recycled/able carpet from Milliken, bamboo flooring, concrete countertops, geo-thermal heat pump, I mean everything, and the house sold for $100k MORE than any other house on the street! She had over 200 people at the open house! Green is in baby!

So, now she along with her agents would like to help others do the same thing. Maybe not as large of a return, but it will definitely help your home sell.

Besides, buying and living in a green home is the healthy, wealthy, and wise choice to make!

See: Eco-Realty International

GreenChill, a partnership being established by the EPA, is encouraging supermarkets to switch their refrigeration units over to ones that are both healthier for the environment and more energy efficient for the businesses.

Many supermarket chains are already working with the EPA in this effort, which is still in preparatory stages, such as Publix. See more information on what Publix is doing to support sustainability by clicking on this link. They have reportedly cut energy usage in existing stores by 7 percent and in new stores by 23 percent!

They’re going the extra mile when it comes to green ideas even beyond advanced refrigeration units, by having opened their GreenWise stores which are a one-stop shop for organic foods.

Back to GreenChill– it’s estimated by the EPA the grocery business could save $12 million per year by converting to this initiative! That’s a lot of moo-lah!

That’s 1 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

The equivalent to taking 800,000 cars off the road per year.

Coolant leakage is also a problem with current systems, with DuPont quoted as saying that as much as 20% of the coolant in the refrigerant systems being leaked. That’s a huge ozone/health hazard, since many of the systems in place still have HCFCs in them!

So let’s support the stores that are taking the initiative to care about our health (because this contributes to the indoor air quality of the stores we’re shopping in) and energy consumption.

Note: Wal-Mart, as large as they are, are  NOT part of the initiative.

You can make a difference. Experts say there are hundreds of simple yet meaningful ways to reduce your CO₂ output at home, in the office, in the car, and even on the trail. Start here—with our guide to 101 easy, effective, and often cost-saving solutions.

Key:
# equals pounds of CO₂ saved per year.
$$$$ = Save
$ = Spend

Home and office
1. Use a power strip for your computer, monitor, fax, copier, TV, DVD player, iPod, and cell-phone chargers, and switch it off when those devices aren’t in use. Most electronics draw power even when they’re off, including empty chargers in standby mode. 2,000, $$$$

2. Change your light bulbs. Swap out incandescents with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). 120 per bulb, $$$$

3. Turn off incandescent lights when leaving a room for even just a few minutes. If you use CFLs, turn them off if you leave for 15 minutes. 89, $$$$

4. Cancel catalogs and remove yourself from junk-mail lists. 15, $$$

5. Telecommute. 5,700, $$

6. Pay bills online and save postage, too. 0.04, $$$$

7. Tell cashiers not to print receipts you don’t need. 0.04, $$$

8. Use both sides of the page to print or copy. 6 per household, $$$$

9. Read the newspaper online to save paper, trees, and carbon. 67 (average paper), 300 (NY Times), $$$$

10. Skip the lighter fluid and start your charcoal with an electric igniter or chimney starter. 6, $$$

11. Eat one less serving of meat a week. Substitute a cheese-free alternative each week. Cheese, an animal product, has the same carbon cost as meat. 195, $$$

12. Ride your bike to work. 2,220, $$$$

13. Use recycled paper (100% post-consumer) in your office. 6 per ream, $$

14. Push an electric mower, or even a reel mower—not a gas model. 80, $$$$

15. Replace exterior lights around your home with solar-powered ones. 110, $$$$

16. Rake leaves and shovel snow instead of firing up a leaf blower and snowblower. 20, $$$$

17. Drink tap water instead of bottled, and you’ll also extend the life of your local landfill. Plastic bottles require energy to make, fill, and ship, and half-liter sizes generate emissions at twice the rate of gallon jugs. Faucet water needs energy only to pump. 52, or 2 per gallon jug, $$$$

18. Tote your groceries in reusable bags. 5, $$$

19. Plant an organic garden and grow your own vegetables. 5, $$$

20. Collect rainwater from downspouts and use it to water your garden. 30 per gallon, $$$$

21. Support local farmers by buying a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share. You’ll receive fresh produce every week and reduce the carbon emissions generated by shipping it thousands of miles. 67, $$$

22. Compost food scraps and yard waste so you can skip synthetic fertilizers, which pollute water and are energy-intensive to produce. 0.7, $$$$

23. Buy local and organic food direct from the farmer whenever possible, and keep dollars in your local economy. The biggest savings are realized in eliminating transportation. 200, $$

24. Use a laptop, not a desktop. Laptops use up to 80% less energy. 400, $$$

25. Water plants with a can or drip-irrigation system instead of a sprinkler, and water only between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m., when less is lost to evaporation. 30 per gallon saved, $$$$

26. Reduce your energy usage 20% by downsizing when choosing your next home. 5,400, $$$$

27. Use locally appropriate, locally fabricated materials when building or renovating to avoid the carbon cost of transporting heavy materials. 7 per hundred lbs. not transported from out of state, $$

28. Buy green power, or ask your utility to offer it. The typical United States home uses about 10,000 kilowatt hours a year. 22,000, $$

29. Use recycled-content toilet paper. If every U.S. household replaced one roll per year, 424,000 trees would be saved. 0.4 per roll, $$

30. Repair, don’t toss appliances. Each fix means you won’t buy a new one. blender: 13, refrigerator: 690, washing machine: 410, $$$

31. Buy energy-efficient appliances. Energy Star appliances use 10 to 50% less energy and water, and meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. The appliance’s yellow EnergyGuide label cites its annual power consumption and operating cost, and compares it with similar models. 340 (dishwasher), 780 (refrigerator), 1200 (washing machine), $$$$

32. Dry your dishes on a rack, or use your dishwasher’s air-dry cycle. 660, $$$$

33. Use a microwave, not a conventional oven, to heat small quantities of food. 1 per meal, $$$

34. Buy secondhand at tag sales for household items and save the carbon cost of new production. 55, $$$$

35. Recycle household paper, plastic, and metals. 1,300, $$$

36. Reuse jars, bags, and food containers. 4 , $$$$

37. Set your water heater at 120°F. 1,200 (electric water heater), 880 (natural gas), $$$$

38. Adjust your thermostat down 2°F in winter and up 2°F in summer. 420, $$$$

39. Upgrade your furnace to a more energy-efficient model. 2,400, $

40. Eliminate drafts by caulking and weatherstripping, installing storm windows, upgrading insulation, and removing window AC units in winter. 800, $$$$

41. Use passive solar to capture heat in your home and office: Open curtains during the day and close them at dusk, except in summer, when you should close curtains during the hottest hours of the day. Besides carbon, you’ll save 25 to 75% on your heating and cooling bill. 2,700, $$$$

42. Clean AC filters or replace them. 350, $$$

43. Run ceiling fans instead of AC. In hot climates, this can easily save more than a ton of CO₂. 2,700, $$$$

44. Use cold water to wash and rinse clothes, not hot or warm. 27, $$$$

45. Hang laundry to dry, eliminating one dryer cycle per week. 200, $$$$

46. Take a Navy shower: Turn off the water when you’re soaping up. (I was amazed by the Germans constant use of this, and they were amazed by my inability to learn how to do this) 35, $$$$

47. Go for a low-flow showerhead. 1,800 (electric), 430 (natural gas)

48. Shave in the sink, not the shower. 50, $$$$

49. Don’t overfill your kids’ bathtub. 50, $$$$

50. Say no to carpeting. 4,000 per 800 sq. ft., $$

Top Resources
• Home and office energy audits: homeenergy.org/perfbro.intro.html; epa.gov/climatechange; doe.gov
• Recycling: earth911.org
• Energy-efficient products: eere.energy.gov/consumer; buyenergyefficient.org/buy.html; energystar.gov
• Make your home more efficient: toronto.ca/health/2020/athome.htm; aceee.org/consumerguide/chklst.htm; pepco.com
• Green your office: cleanair-coolplanet.org/solutions/greenoffice.php
• Green power: epa.gov/grnpower/locator/index.htm; climatebiz.com; eere.energy.gov/greenpower
• Get off mailing lists: 888-5-OPTOUT; newdream.org; dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing

Auto
51. Cut down on car washing. 3 per wash, $$$$

52. Accelerate gradually. 100, $$$$

53. Use cruise control on the highway. 100, $$$$

54. Drive the speed limit. 150, $$$$ 55. Combine errands into one trip and save 500 miles of driving a year. 510, $$$$

56. Lighten your load. 100 pounds of junk in the trunk can reduce gas mileage by 2%. 10, $$$$

57. Keep tires inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure, noted on the sidewall. 100, $$$$

58. Check your air filter monthly and replace it when it looks dirty. 800, $$$

59. Don’t top off at the pump. You’ll eliminate accidental spillage and reduce toxic emissions. 9, $$$

60. Don’t idle for more than 10 seconds in traffic or at a drive-thru; instead, turn off your engine. 500 (10 non-idling minutes), $$$$

61. Walk or ride a bike when running errands; cut your driving by 10%. 1,000, $$$$

62. Carpool or bus to work instead of driving. 500 (carpool), 690 (bus), $$$$

63. Use your AC sparingly, or not at all. 100 (sparingly), 600 (never), $$$$

64. Remove your roof rack when you’re not using it; a rack can decrease fuel efficiency by 5%. 250, $$$$

65. Buy a hybrid when it’s trade-in time. 5,300, $

Top Resources
• More efficient vehicle use: fueleconomy.gov
• Climate-friendly vehicles: eere.energy.gov/fleetguide/hevcalc.html; jdpower.com; fueleconomy.gov

Travel
66. Carry a fork and travel mug in your car and say no to plastic silverware, disposable cups, and paper napkins. 65, $$$

67. Reuse hotel towels. 0.1, $$$

68. Bring your own shampoo, conditioner, soap, and skin lotion and skip the single-serve ones in your hotle room. 2, $$

69. Offset your travel with carbon credits. U.S. to Europe: 5,500, $$

70. Choose close-to-home adventures. Cutting your travel distance can save big. 1 per mile, $$$$

71. Travel by bus or train whenever possible. Air travel and driving long distances solo have high carbon costs. Public transit is almost always the most efficient way to travel. 252 per 300 miles in a bus vs. car, $$$

72. Rent a hybrid or biodiesel car at your arrival city. 50 per 100 miles driven, $$

Top Resources
• Green travel and vacations: sustainabletravel.com; eco-indextourism.org
• Offset your travel: nativeenergy.com; carbonfund.org

Trail
73. Use the sun to recharge backcountry electronics. 28, $$

74. Borrow, rent, or share gear. 84 (tent), 60 (sleeping bag), $$$

75. Use an efficient stove. Recycling used canisters also keeps your carbon costs lower. 0.002 per day (canister stove), 0.004 per day (white gas stove), $$

76. Reuse zip-top bags. 0.1, $$$$

77. Buy bulk food and package it yourself in reusable containers. 0.2, $$$$

78. Maintain and repair gear so you replace it less frequently. 18, $$$$

79. Donate $200 in used gear to a charity or consignment shop. 220, $

80. When nature calls, wipe with natural materials such as snow, leaves, sticks, and moss. 0.4 per roll not used, $$$$

81. For camp cleanups, use a cotton bandana that can be rinsed and reused, not baby wipes. 0.8, $$$$

82. Replace old gear with green gear as it wears out—an old polyester fleece with a recycled poly fleece, for example. 6.5. $$

83. Use rechargeables (lithium-ion batteries) instead of standard AA or AAAs. 450, $$$

84. Give up the gas-powered lantern in favor of a candle lantern or an LED rechargeable lantern. 0.3 per hour, $$

85. Plan loop hikes to minimize car shuttles. 1 per mile not driven, $$$$

86. Use mapping software to print your maps at home. You’ll save your transportation to the store—and the map’s, too. 5 per trip, $$$

87. Wear leather hiking boots instead of synthetics. 23 per pair, $$

88. Sleep in a down bag, not a synthetic one. 6.8 per bag, $$

89. Shut down your house when you leave on a weeklong hiking vacation. Turn off all appliances except your refrigerator. 500, $$$$

90. Take low-carbon vacations. A typical 4-day backpacking trip saves big over a golf vacation of the same duration. 1,360, $$$$

Top Resources
• Patagonia and Mountain Equipment Co-op are both leaders in this field. patagonia.com; mec.ca

Community

91. Plant trees, starting with the 10 you’ll get free when you join the National Arbor Day Foundation. 3.3 per tree

92. Convince one friend or neighborhood family to reduce their water usage. 150, $$$

93. Ask your church or synagogue to convert to green power. California-based Interfaith Power and Light’s 460 congregations saved 5,586,000 lbs. of carbon in 2006 by switching to renewable energy and improving their energy efficiency. 12,000 per church, $$$

94. Support bike lanes, carpooling, mass transit, and greenspace, then get 50 people to commute by bike or bus. 30,000, $$$

95. Pick an initiative and lobby in your community. Recruiting just 500 people to recycle their newspapers every day would have a significant impact. 92,000, $$$

96. Volunteer on a community council or for an advocacy group fighting global warming. Conduct a campaign to convert 3,000 homes in your town to CFL light bulbs. 360,000, $$

97. Write letters to the editor and express your opinion in community meetings in support of action on climate change. If a city of 25,000 households switched to 10% renewable energy, the savings would be huge. 68 million, $$$

98. Give away clothes, household goods, and other items you don’t need to friends, neighbors, or charities—or worthy strangers on Craigslist. 81, $$$

99. Organize a clothing swap with your 10 friends, and save everyone money. 1,000, $$$$

100. Ask your dump to open a reuse center where you can bring items that another family might use. 120 for a used bike, $$$

101. Vote for candidates who support action on climate change. Think your vote doesn’t matter? Consider AB 32, the groundbreaking California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which reduces the state’s carbon emissions 20% by 2020. 160 billion, $$$

Top Resources
• Planting trees: arbordayfoundation.org; americanforests.org/campaigns/ikea/ikea.php
• Green schools: globallearningnj.org/SchoolGHGcalculator.doc
• Give away or find free stuff: craigslist.com; freecycle.org
• Green communities: resourcesaver.org/file/toolmanager/CustomO16C45F65020.pdf; green-e.org; epa.gov/greenpower
• General global warming information: climatebiz.com; cleanair-coolplanet.org
• Talking to kids about global warming: dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/air/global.htm
• Carbon footprint calculators: carboncounter.org; http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ResourceCenterToolsCalculators.html
• List and ratings of groups fighting global warming: climateark.org

>> Remember, these are the easy of the simple of the things you can do. Passing these next seven days will put you well on your way to a greener, healthier home and way of life. But it’s by far only a start.

Total Cost: $10

We all have appliances. Lots and lots of appliances. Some big, some small, but they all use power and energy.

Today’s Simple Green step is quite simple to do, but will require your constant thought to make it happen.

We spoke before about running your dishwasher and clothes dryer only when full, which are two very highly used appliances in your home. Let’s talk about a couple others.

First, there’s your heat and air conditioning. When it’s cold it’s cold, and I’m not asking you not to run your heat all together. Or your A/C. But aren’t there perhaps times that you run your systems when you really don’t have to? Or maybe run them more than you need to?

Say for instance, you get up at 7am, get ready for work and leave the house at 7:45am. You come home at 6pm, eat dinner do all that good stuff, and are usually in bed by around 10-11pm. You have “used” your home for about 5-6 hours of the 24 hours in a day. Were you running the same constant temperature the entire time? A big way to save on your heating and cooling bills is to cut the thermostat down when you’re not in the house (at work, at play, where ever) and down when you go to bed at night. A big way you can do this easily is to buy a programmable thermostat to replace your current one, if it’s not programmable. See the Energy Star page about them. Go here to This Old House to learn how to simply install one. And you can buy one from Lowes here for only $29.

Programmable thermostats:

• are more convenient and accurate than manual thermostats and improve your home’s comfort
• contain no mercury
• save energy and save money on utility bills — when used properly, about $150/year
• are better for the environment, since using less energy helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production

And what about your computer. Do you leave it running all the time, even when you’re not using it? Whether at work or at home, computers are an often used item but can be a big energy hog. Computers today are equipped with this neat little feature called “hibernate.” Yes, like a bear, your computer can curl up and keep it’s current state by storing everything on from your memory onto your hard drive so it doesn’t get lost. That way, your computer can shut off, then when you want it back on, it’s like you didn’t miss a beat!

Turn your computer off when you’re not going to use it. If you’ll be away from it longer than 30 minutes, it’s a waste of energy. And don’t forget your monitor. Even though most monitors go to “sleep” after a while, they are still using energy during that time.

And how about your TV. Did you know that your TV is still using lots of juice even after you turn it off? A great solution to your stereo, TV, and other electronics using power while you’re not even using them is to plug them all into a surge protector, and then hitting the kill switch on it! That way, all you have to do is flip one switch and your stuff has juice again, but it didn’t run up your power bill in the meantime.

And your dryer– do you run it when it’s completely full? Ok, this is one place where you really shouldn’t, because your dryer isn’t going to get them dry and you’ll end up running it a second time. And make sure your lint filter is clean every time. Give some room for warm air to help dry your clothes while they’re in there. Also, you don’t have to put everything in the dryer, why not hang it on a clothesline? They’ll have that fresh air scent without using a dryer sheet, and you’ll have used zero energy to get them dry.

Think about how often you use your appliances, and then how often you really need to use them, and scale back accordingly. Using the tips above will get you on your way to saving lots of energy and money on your power bill, as appliances make up a big chunk of everyone’s power bill. I think that goes without saying.

So day three’s over, let’s recap:

• Careful on when you use heat and A/C
• Get a programmable thermostat
• Turn your computer and monitor to hibernate when not in use
• Plug your electronics into a surge protector you can hit kill when not in use
• Hang your clothes out to dry

You’ve spent around thirty bucks and will save WAY more money than that on your energy bill over the course of a year. Keep watching for Greener day 4!

Day One’s Cost: $29
Time: 30 minutes on thermostat
Level of Difficulty: Novice

Why is recycling and zero waste and being careful about how the products you buy affect those who make them and buying from local stores instead of big box stores and buying organic foods and being wary of toxins and achieving sustainability period important?

This movie brings some scary but true facts to the table. It outlines our process that is most prevelant here in the U.S. that is so destructive to our world. Greed has carried us thus far and it has ruined our lives. But we’re too busy to notice it or worry about it. We’ve let it into our homes. But we can make the change.

Following the simple steps to green available on this site will help tremendously, but they are essentially designed to lead you down the road to life-altering sustainability awareness.

We’re playing on the green buzzword in hopes you’ll realize it’s much more than that. That it’s absolutely essential to our survival.

Watch the movie here.

Day two is going to be just as easy.

>> Remember, these are the easy of the simple of the things you can do. Passing these next seven days will put you well on your way to a greener, healthier home and way of life. But it’s by far only a start.

Total Cost: $0

Let’s talk about lighting. Yes, you know what I’m going to say– compact fluorescents. Well, we’ll start there anyways, since you brought it up. Here’s the power difference between CFLs and regular incandescent:

So you can see, to get the same amount of light you will only be using less than 1/4th of the power in a CFL. Plus, during the summer months, those incandescent bulbs are just adding tons of heat to your home. 95% of the energy goes to heating the bulb. By just replacing five incandescent bulbs to CFLs, five of your most used lights, you will save about $60/year in energy costs. So they pay for themselves in two months! Plus, they last way longer.

A 5-pack of CFLs can be had at Ace Hardware for $10.

If every U.S. household replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent bulb, it would save enough energy to light about 3 million homes for a year and save more than $650 million in annual energy costs. Think it's important now?

Another important factor in lighting is cutting the lights off when you’re not using them. It sounds so silly to tell yourself, cut off the light when leaving the room– but do it!

An even bigger part is making efficient use of our windows. Did you know that during the winter, you can help heat your home with the windows on the south side of your home? That’s because they get the most sunlight. So leave the blinds open on that side of your house (sun rises in the east, sets in the west, so you can get your bearings). During the summer, close the blinds where the sun is glaring in to prevent the heat of the sun fighting your AC system.

You also want to open those blinds to let in natural light. During the day, instead of using the overhead light, open the blinds. How many times could you have just done that instead of turning on a lamp or overhead light?

That’s all for day two! Let’s recap today’s money/energy saving tips:

• Buy a 5-pack of CFL bulbs
• Cut off the lights every time you leave the room
• Use blinds and curtains to your advantage
• Let in natural light

You’ve spent $10 that will make you $60 maybe even before the end of the year. Are we smart or what?? Keep it tuned here tomorrow for Simple Day 3 to a Greener Lifestyle.

Day One’s Cost: $10
Time: 10 minutes installing bulbs
Level of Difficulty: You’ve done it already

To start off the week, I’m going to give you something easy easy simple to do.

>> Remember, these are the easy of the simple of the things you can do. Passing these next seven days will put you well on your way to a greener, healthier home and way of life. But it’s by far only a start.

Total cost: $0

Ok, let’s get started! Today, I want you to start by taking a shorter shower. The average home uses 15% of it’s energy in heating water. Taking a 5-minute shower instead of lolli-gagging and taking a 20-minute shower will improve your power bill big time, and the amount of water you use, which is another benefit for the environment. Seen the droughts on the news lately???

Now, you could go all out and take a cold shower, but the title is Simple 7 days, and taking a cold shower isn’t very simple.

The other way to save water heating energy is to only turn on the dishwasher when it’s full. Tonight, instead of turning on that dishwasher right away, peek in there and see if you could add some items before turning it on. Again, you’re saving water on top of your water heating bill.

Same goes for washing clothes. Only here, you can cut out hot water all together. Using cold water for laundry saves on average $63 a year. And there are detergents specially formulated for cold water that get your clothes the same amount of clean.

While you’re over switching your washer to cold/cold, turn that hot water heater down some. What do you have it on now, hot? It should be set to warm, which is somewhere between 120-140 degrees. Can’t tell? Hold a thermometer under your sink and see what it reads– anywhere over 120 degrees is too hot.

That’s all for day one! See– simple, quick, and didn’t cost you a penny. Let’s recap:

• Take a shorter shower
• Turn on the dishwasher only when full
• Wash clothes in cold water instead of hot
• Turn the temp on your hot water heater down

Do this, and I guarantee you’ll see the results on next month’s power bill, and water bill. Keep it tuned here tomorrow for Simple Day 2 to a Greener Lifestyle.

Day One’s Cost: $0
Time: saved 15 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Super-Easy

• Too expensive
• A change of lifestyle
• Weird tree-huggerish
• Difficult to implement
• Not worth the trouble

when the opposite of all the above could be true!

Yes, you can make going green all those things (except not worth the trouble), but it doesn’t have to be!

This site is all about how simple it is to go green. Because going green can be simple, can be cheap to do and easy to implement without coming off as a hippie or changing your lifestyle.

In the following days and week, I will be building for you the simple 7 days to a greener lifestyle.

7 days of simple tips you can follow in different areas of your life to become more eco-friendly, and reduce your carbon footprint.

I’m enlisting you to be green.

So if you’re ready to start, the series begins Sunday, March 9th 2008 right here on the SimpleGreenBlog.com.

Now, California is requesting they be able to make their standards even stricter. What they’re proposing is to cut greenhouse gases by one third by the year 2016– “double the reductions that would be achieved by the new fuel economy standards contained in last year’s energy bill, the best the federal government has been able to do so far.”

So what’s the hold up on allowing California to do so? Well, you see, what had happened was…

Even though the Bush administration is now admitting that, well, there might be something to this whole greenhouse gas thing, they are still stuck on not doing anything about it. Why do we keep getting stumped by the fed?

Read the article from NY Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/0…