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Need some references help to find
greener options?
Check Out:
- Locally, Northwest Exterminating has a green option for pest control. It's worth looking into!http://www.callnorthwest.com/
- Cobb County water conservation specifics-http://water.cobbcountyga.gov/outdoor.htm
- Energystar is a US gov energy rating site for your home, appliances, building materials, etc.,,,can we say "TAX BREAK?"http://www.energystar.gov/
- EcoBroker. com sites for you! http://www.ecobroker.com/misc/articleview.aspx?ArticleID=4
- Atlanta-based environmental collaborative membership- http://southface.org/
- Put your home page onto "Blackle.com", ( from Google.com)then pull up from your "favorites menu as you need. This saves more energy each time you boot up your computer. Need to see something prettier? GO OUTSIDE AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH! http://www.blackle.com/about/
- A fantastic gift giving site any time of the year. An affordable donation provides a sustainable livelihood for a child, a family or a community! THE gift to give to those who have everything!http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.183217/
- Freerice.com- A click of the mouse helps you test your knowledge and feeds the needy! Careful...it's addictive!
A BIG GREENIE!
Here is an easy way to start greening up and save yourself money too! Go to the site below, put in just a little info and under "Which organization referred you here, if any?" scroll down to "RoseannBlacher.com" and click. You will help us towards our goal of 500 lights changed for the better...savings for you and the planet!
It's as easy as click or cut and paste to your browser search bar...then off you go towards helping everybody... and your pocketbook!
THANKS!
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=cal.pledgeForm
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What is that?!? Repurpose means recycle back into use, just not to the recycling center. Non-toxic drums to rain barrels. Concrete blocks into fence post bases, etc. There is an infinite number of items that need not be thrown away because they no longer serve their original purpose. Think about it...REPURPOSE!
In the Cobb County, Georgia area, here are the contacts for the recycling centers:
Recycling
As in most counties in Georgia, Cobb County residents are encouraged to recycle. Many of the municipalities offer curbside pick up of recyclables for city residents. Residents of unincorporated Cobb County need to contract with their garbage haulers for curbside recycling.
For more information on recycling online click here, or please call one of the following numbers:
- Keep Cobb Beautiful - (770) 528-1135
- Keep Marietta Beautiful - (770) 794-5606
- Keep Smyrna Beautiful - (770) 431-2863
Got more that paper or plastic? Check out:
http://www.graphicardt.com/elc/reuse.htm
This site will tell you where to take everything from paint to computers. Remember never pour paint, solvents, or oily waste down your drain...it ends up in EVERYONE"S water system...including YOURS! |
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You might have heard me mention the term "Green Baby Steps" on the radio or in conversation. "Baby steps" is what it is...small steps to learn to improve over any situation. In this case, being unsure about what "green" means and not sure you want to follow what someone else dictates,but you want to do something! Well, try it. What can it hurt do be a bit more aware of your consumption and try to find areas to improve? Sometime our environment or demographic does not make it possible to be totally "green" in our practices, but we can contribute. A very easy first step is to go to my pledge site to start changing those light bulbs to energy efficient CF's or compact fluorescents. It will help your bottom line when you pay your bills. C'mon, you can do it! If you need my help...let me know..here's the site: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=cal.showpledge&cpd_id=423 Go there, put in your info, and when they ask "for what organization", click on "RoseannBlacher.com". I don't get anything but the satisfaction of doing a little more to help. Then, if that wasn't painful for you, try other things like using darker screen savers to reduce energy used by your computer. Pull out wall plugs when not in use to stop the sneaky "seepage" from "vampire appliances" (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/09/020926065912.htm) while we aren't actively using an appliance, etc. There are lots of little things we can do which all add up when we all do them! MOW, MOW, MOW YOUR LAWN Due to the nature of my job, I can't always walk or hike for exercise...and Idon't have a yard service so I can incorporate my yard work with my workout ( see my front-page calorie-burner column). I'll sweep instead of use the blower, rake instead of use the mower to suck up the yard waste, but now, I am also trying to reduce my carbon footprint* by substituting the gas-powered engine mower with my hand-powered reel mower. It is a tough workout, but it doubles or even triples the effort of walking and takes me about 20-30 minutes to do what's left of the grass part of my yard. Not to mention the reduction in odor from the gas and oil off-gassing and exhaust from the combustion. In the same vein, I have reduced my grass-lawn by about one-half and incorporated native plants in one large bed and wildflowers and vegetables in the other... in the front yard! I then use rain barrels and air conditioning runoff to water the vegetables, thus saving watering from the tap. Water the lawn? Nope, I don't! * Your carbon footprint is the direct effect your actions and lifestyle have on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.It's likely the biggest contributors to your footprint are travel, and your electricity consumption at home. However, all your actions have a direct or indirect impact, including your diet, and the clothes you wear. We know cars, buses and aeroplanes burn gasoline, public transport may use gasoline and electricity and your home uses a significant portion of your personal electricity needs that generally comes from fossil fuel burning power plants. All these actions contribute to accelerating global warming and climate change. |
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What an EcoBroker does:
• Help sellers identify and highlight environmentally friendly features of their home
• Help buyers find homes with demonstrable green features and certification
• Help buyers and sellers find special funding for home renovation, purchase and environmental upgrades
What makes a home environmentally friendly:
• High energy efficiency, low heating, cooling and electricity bills
• Low-flow water fixtures and water-using appliances
• Construction with sustainable or recycled materials
• Clean indoor air quality
• Low-maintenance, drought-resistant landscaping
• Easy access to mass transit and pedestrian amenities | | |
Now, some area Realtors are setting the pace for EcoBroker certification, a national program that trains real estate professionals to spotlight the environmental features of their listings and help buyers find homes with clean indoor air, efficient energy and water use and access to transportation alternatives.
The four-year-old training program designed by John Beldock, a former U.S. Department of Energy official and lifelong environmentalist, has grown to include some 2,000 agents in 42 states, including Georgia.
Most EcoBrokers receive their schooling through an online course offered by Beldock's company from its Evergreen, Colo., offices.
But Atlanta's Harry Norman Realtors last week( November 2007) brought Beldock to Atlanta.
"Then they're out there in the community as green ambassadors," Beldock said.
In addition to helping sellers understand the value of their homes' environmental features and helping buyers find healthy, efficient, accessible homes, EcoBrokers also maintain a trove of resources that can provide cash, special interest rates, tax incentives and rebates to help with energy efficient purchases and renovations.
Beldock said consumer demand for environmentally conscious design and construction has grown far beyond the bounds of a niche market into a set of universal expectations for quality, service and reliability. With energy prices climbing, water becoming more precious and traffic gridlock growing, homeowners increasingly demand accessible, efficient living spaces.
"It's tough to meet a consumer that's not concerned about these things," Beldock said.
Thanks to: Atlanta Journal Constitution, 11/2007 |
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Yea, my Mom NEVER said that to me! Well, what have I been saying all these years about water conservation? It's here people, and it's now time for EVERYONE to do something about it. I heard a group of middle school kids in a teacher-led class discussion on environmental concerns talking about the water situation. They simply said go to the store and buy juice!!!! Kids, we need to talk...now! Thank you teachers! Keep up the good work!
What do we do when the water is gone? Well, it won't be go to the store to buy juice! California leads the Western states in water-wise methods and we must take a strong stand in the same. Personally, my bath and sink water is diverted to the garden or reused as "gray"-water in the first cycle of my washing machine. I have rain barrels for garden watering, I mulch EVERYTHING, and am converting the entire yard of our newly purchased home into native plants...they thrive under more adverse conditions in this area. I am reducing the size of my greenspace in the yard by adding plants that many times double as manageable, edible crops; rhubarb, asparagus, apple, cherry, persimmon and paw paw trees. They all provide shade and can be watered from the runoff from the roof to provide food crops for us and the wildlife.
OH CHRISTMAS TREE! When you are finished with the holidays and need a home for that wayward tree, check out:
http://kcb.cobbcountyga.gov/chipper.htm
Many counties provide this service, so look into your county service directory in the phone book or on line. As well, ask your local electric company or tree service working in the area if you can have their wood chips. The are delighted to give you a large load for FREE, to keep from paying the landfill dump charges! The pile takes up space until spread, but it is the perfect winter exercise of hauling and spreading a good four-inch-plus layer throughout your garden. Another great benefit, it does not affect the decimated Cypress forests in the Deep South that were ripped away by hurricane Katrina. Yep they are still suffering there! NOTE: ask to make sure your free mulch does not contain any trees diseased or affected by Pine Bark Beetle infestation. A reputable arborist will tell you the facts before he delivers your goods!
Another "greenie" tip...Remember the days of leaf raking? Yes we all hated it, but now that I don't run all over the neighborhoods playing and having a fun day (unless I am looking for houses for my clients) I miss the exercise. So, I put away the leaf blower 80 per cent of the time and rake my leaves! Yes I do! Not using the blower reduces my "carbon footprint" and noise pollution...AND my neighbors appreciate listening to the birds instead of another machine running. Baby steps...start with the deck or the from walkway area, then expand as you feel. Awesome upper body and waist workout and as you saw on my front-page garden site it burns the calories! WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEAVES You say? READ ON!
Making Compost
Gardeners love compost. It's common knowledge that compost improves water drainage, fertility, and structure in garden soil. Recent research shows that compost also can inhibit plant diseases, neutralize toxic chemicals in the soil, and reduce erosion. Quite a list of accomplishments for this "black gold" that anyone can produce in their backyard. You can make compost yourself or purchase it from a growing list of commercial sources. Due to the problem of shrinking space in landfills, many communities forbid dumping yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves, and branches, or charge a premium for taking them. This has spurred many municipalities to create their own community composting facilities, where they create finished compost for city landscaping projects or sell it to landscapers and gardeners. Private companies also are commercially producing compost for sale. However, you don't have to break the bank buying compost for your yard. It's easy and inexpensive to make yourself. Leaves, grass clippings, and even vegetable wastes from the kitchen are the some of the common materials you can use to make compost. It's just like making lasagna. Just add a layer of this, and a layer of that, then let the whole thing cook until done. You won't believe how all of those leaves will mellow down into gorgeous soil. It works as a "side-dressing" for plants as well. They will flourish with the nutrients in this "non-chemical" home-made cocktail!
Thanks to NGA.org!
I "turned" an entire season's -worth of leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste into five large wheelbarrows-full of the most beautiful garden soil you could imagine! We now are feasting on beet greens, turnips, carrots and late tomatoes, plus herbs!
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