Thoughts on green living

Eco-friendly lifestyle tips and tricks are the main topic of many publications and Internet pages created in the last years. Albeit being a local real estate expert gives me plenty of opportunities to talk about the many ways of eco-friendly living with my clients, my topic today will be a bit more specific. Most people have already come across the crucial eco-tips, so we are not going to try to summarize them here again. Our today’s topic will be the three everyday items that we generally don’t even consider to be a problem: food, water and electricity.

Groceries

Since most people (I believe!) regularly recycle paper, glass and tins, most of your common litter is probably composted of food. The bulk of the groceries that we throw away is in most cases in perfect condition and in some cases even in the original wrapper or box. We can find out that out of all the groceries that Canadian families pick out and pay for in stores, 20 to 30% eventually ends up in the dustbin. Adding stores and restaurants’ garbage, that’s 7 to 14 billion tonnes of food per year. That is worth $3 to 5 billion Canadian dollars per year.

Now you are probably surprised by these numbers, aren’t you? With so many organizations trying to help people affected by lack of food, while at the same time so much of it is being wasted right under our noses. While it wouldn’t be too smart to pack unused groceries and send it to countries hit by famine, there are other ways to avoid food being thrown out in vain. 1. Try using leftovers. For example if you had some rice remaining from last night’s supper, you could have prepared stuffed peppers today. 2. A good way of avoiding food going past the expiry date is sorting your food cabinet by this criteria: older food, that is going to expire soon, is placed in the front, while the longer lasting products can stay in the back of the shelves. 3. It may happen that you know beforehand that there is some food you are not going to be able to consume before its expiration date. Instead of throwing it out, try to find a local charity or soup kitchen and bring your food there when it’s still serviceable. Let some people eat it – hunger isn’t only to Africa. 4. If you have some leftovers anyway, try mulching it instead of just throwing it away. Always try to think in the way that food just shouldn’t be dumped. If you don’t have a garden yourself, try to find someone who does and can do the mulching.

Water

You probably already know many tips on how to prevent using more water than necessary in your household. But there is one remarkable aspect of home water saving – toilets, as places we use to get rid of our excrements. We got used to using toilets so much that we no longer think of them – as long as they work the way the are supposed to. However, have you tried to calculate how much water your family uses every month for flushing the lavatory? Wow, that’s a lot of water, isn’t it? And has it ever occurred to you that this quantity is not necessary, that flushing your lavatory can be done using less water? There are two different methods to achieve that. 1. There are new kinds of toilets available, that are using just the minimum volume of water necessary. You might think that there is not much to choose from when buying a new lavatory, but just stop by at your local shop and see for yourself, you might be surprised! 2. Another way of decreasing the amount of water for flushing is to put several plastic bottles filled with water into the tank of your toilet. You might have to experiment a bit before you find out the right volume of water needed for the toilet to keep functioning fine.

Electric energy

You have probably already heard a lot of tips and tricks on how to save electric energy. But now let’s talk about tumble dryers, as I see these myself as one of the biggest energy-eaters in our households. Today, people are not used to waiting before they get something they want or need at the moment, and they sometimes need too much energy getting it, just because it will be done faster. It’s a fact that no one has time today to do the laundry by hands and dishwashers actually save water. But tumble dryer? Would it be such a great problem if we just waited 1 – 2 days for our clothes to get dry? If you really mean to “live green”, use your tumble dryer only in crisis situations or get rid of it (sell it) completely. Not only the environment will be grateful for your decision, but also you will pay less for electricity.

10 steps to achieving "The Green Effect"

During this economic crisis and continued global warming, the need for sustainable development has become a today issue instead of a tomorrow issue. Both private and government entities (including the EPA) have come up with programs and products that promote “green” production and consumption. These environment-friendly practices are now being used in numerous firms and industries.

But what about our homes? Are our homes as "anti global waming" as they should be? Continued efforts to sustain the environment should first and foremost be undertaken under our own roof. These can be done with the use of products that consume less energy and other resources. Over time, the use of these products can result not only in savings but also in the reduction of waste and materials harmful to our homes and the environment.

Here’s a quick list of 10 items I’ve discovered that can make a world of a difference.

1. Heat-energy recovery system

· Sensible Heat Energy Recovery System (SHERS) uses heat generated from an air-conditioner or refrigerator to heat water. Payback period is anywhere from six months to two years

2.The Eco Bio Block

· Made of volcanic stones and beneficial bacteria, is used to purify water in home aquariums, water tanks and big bodies of water such as ponds, lakes and marshes. When deposited in aquariums around 20 gallons or less, there is no need to filter, clean or change water for a period of 1-3 years.

3. Biowash ball

· Washing clothes without using a detergent may seem strange. Introducing the Anabess biowash ball, it’s made of natural ceramics & alters the chemical composition of the water so it can wash clothes more effectively without liquid detergent. It should last over 3 years. Think of the savings in gas from running to the store for more detergent.

4. Air-con with inverter technology

· The Panasonic Envio series of air-conditioners makes use of an “inverter technology” that changes compressor operation speed to match a changing room temperature and adjust power output accordingly, which leads to reduced energy consumption of up to 50 percent, while product only costs about 14% more than the average AC. The payback period may be expected in about seven months..

5.Low Flow faucets

· Moen has heeded the call for water conservation by coming up with WaterSense-certified bathroom faucets. With the help of new aerator technology these Moen faucets use 30% less water than other models but still feel just as powerful on your hands.

6. Compact fluorescent lamp

· Much has been said about the efficiency of compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs. They have a life expectancy that is 5x longer than incandescent lamps and consume 80% less energy with the same level of lumens. Companies such as Purely Products even carry CFLs that double as ionizers for the room, eliminating the need for an unsightly ionizer on the floor.

7.Reusable shopping bags

· The impact of just one person changing to reusable bags over a two-year period is significant. Used twice a week for two years a consumer would save 832 plastic bags from going in a landfill.

8.Biodegradable Cellulose Sandwich bags

· Typical plastic bags are derived from petroleum and take well over a lifespan to decompose. These biodegrade in 30 to 90 days in soil BUT actually keep food lasting longer, unlike plastic, they don't release gases which spoil food taste.

9.Smart Surge Protector

· Green Home introduced a smart surge protector. The power strip can 'sense' the movement of electrical current through the strip's brain. This unique option enables the Smart Strip to turn off selected equipment when it’s not in use saving you money and time!

A small electronic device inside the Smart Strip monitors the current on a single outlet. Let’s say the computer is plugged into that single outlet. When your computer is finished shutting down, the current draw from the computer drops to its idle current -- and the Smart Strip senses the current change, automatically shutting off all of the computer peripherals.

The Smart Strip Power Strip is the only surge protector in existence with energy saving electronics. The 10 outlet surge protector version has 1 Control Outlet, 3 Constant Hot Outlets, and 6 Switched Outlets.

10.Compostable Trash Bags

· These BioBags are made from GMO free starch and are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable.

Now that you know about these products start using them daily. By changing just a few things we routinely use, we each can do our part.