10 Easy Ways to Go Green

1. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: For a recycling center near you click here.
2. Lighten up: Use energy efficient light bulbs like these.
3. One click for man, one giant leap for the planet. Adjust your thermostat up one degree in the summer and down one in the winter to drastically reduce emissions.
4. Use your off switch. Turn off electronic devices, lights, and appliances when you are not using them.
5. Get dirty. Plant a tree. Don’t have a green thumb? That’s no excuse. Here’s how.
6. Take your foot off the gas. Carpooling and using public transportation reduces emissions and is cost effective. Find a carpool near you.
7. Out with the old, in with the new. Replace old appliances with energy efficient ones. There are many to choose from and they’re not too pricey.
8. Go local. Farmers markets and independent stores are less likely to ship products or use harmful pesticides. You use less gas shopping locally too!
9. Organic is your friend. Don’t be afraid to try organic products. They taste, feel, and smell the same but they are natural instead of processed. Price differences are minimal but the nutritional benefits are massive.
10. And this little baggie went to market… Bring your own bags to the market. An average American family acquires 60 plastic bags per week and rarely reuses them. Try ECOBAGS® Shopping System or Classic String Bag and help us save the planet, one bag at a time.

Credit :: http://going--green.blogspot.com/

Affordable Green Housing

Affordable Green Housing

When it comes to affordability, not much can beat a Manufactured Home built off-site or a metal building assembled on-site. The reason these two industries can achieve such inexpensive prices is due to efficiencies realized through factory construction and a reduction in labor. The answers about what is “affordable” is clear, but we perceive a problem because we are a society that’s used to getting what it wants, and we don’t want vinyl boxes with bland colors. As we design affordable housing, we must embrace the need to build from designs that remove as much labor from the process as possible. We must also embrace the need to down-size our lives and to reduce energy use as much as possible. Over the life of a building, the operational costs far outweigh the cost to build the building in the first place. So, what is “the smart money”? I say it’s making sure a house is insulated, at very least. What’s smarter is a solar design, because buildings can heat themselves in almost all climates. It’s fact, not theory. There is variability in pricing from contractor to contractor, due mainly to factors including necessary or desired profit margin, overall current demand for labor, economic conditions, etc. What is “affordable”? Though we should consider long-term costs in addition to first costs, affordable housing finds itself in a position where even first costs can be insurmountable. While there is truth in the statement that “green” design doesn’t cost more, it’s more correct to qualify the statement by saying that “green” design limits our options. “Green” design forces us to make choices, tradeoffs and sacrifices. However, it also keeps money in our pocket, our homes healthier and more comfortable, our environment cleaner and our childrens’ future brighter. Some people see “Green” design as a fad that preaches a select group of ideas and products when the old ways of doing things are working perfectly fine. Well, that’s wrong. “Green” design is as much about exposing what’s bad as what’s good.