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Home & Garden Articles
Going Green - How You Can Save the Earth and Live Better.
Mon 17 Nov 2008 - 15:58
Going Green - How You Can Save the Earth and Live Better.
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Susan_Bresler]Susan Bresler
Want to save energy, improve your living conditions, help the earth, and qualify for tax credits? Go Green! "Going Green" covers two major areas; the first is reducing energy usage, which can save money in the short term and the earth in the long term by conserving natural resources; the second is improving the quality of life, both in the home and in the environment. How can this be accomplished? The following suggestions cover resources from broad to specific. Some will be just informational and some are easily implemented in your everyday life and can have an immediate impact.
Use Renewable Energy and Rapidly Renewable Materials:
Renewable energy comes from sources that are self-renewing, such as the sun or wind, or managed with planned renewal upon use, such as managed forests. These sources are generally not depleted when used in a responsible fashion or are managed in such a way that they are carefully recreated when used.
Solar based - solar panels & photovoltaic cells can be used to create your own energy. Depending on location and orientation, solar energy can provide a portion of the energy used in your home. These systems are just coming into their own and the costs to install them vs. the energy gained and the time required to recuperate the costs must still be carefully balanced.
Wind - Wind farms have been built in many areas of the country to provide energy based on windmills.
Geothermal - systems that use the temperature below the earth's surface to heat or cool a liquid circulated through it. Geothermal energy systems are becoming used to heat commercial, as well as residential buildings. The U.S. Dept. of Energy says that almost everywhere, the upper 10 feet of the Earth's surface maintains a nearly constant temperature between 50 and 60º (10 and 16ºC). A geothermal heat pump system consists of pipes buried in the shallow ground near the building, a heat exchanger and ductwork into the building. In winter, heat from the relatively warmer ground goes through the heat exchanger into the house. In summer, hot air from the house is pulled through the heat exchanger into the relatively cooler ground. Heat removed during the summer can be used a no-cost energy to heat water. For more information please visit the U.S. Dept. of Energy: [http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/geothermal_basics.html]Geothermal Basics at the U.S. Dept. of Energy
Wood Products - These days standards have been developed to create "sustainable forest management." According to Metafore, a non-profit organization dealing with environmentally preferable wood products, "With forest certification, an independent organization develops standards of good forest management, and independent auditors issue certificates to forest operations that comply with those standards." Issues from the size of the clear-cuts to the length of time between harvests are determined in order to protect the viability of a forest. There are several different organizations that certify forest products and there are some differences in forest management standards, but all are looking to prevent stripping the trees from the land and destroying the environment.
Use Energy Efficient Products:
ENERGY STAR qualified products and practices help you save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE. The ENERGY STAR label also designates superior energy performance in homes and buildings. For more info please visit: [http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home.index]www.energystar.gov. Recommendations from the Energy Star program include:
Sealing and insulating the "envelope" or "shell" of your home - its outer walls, ceiling, windows, doors, and floors - is often the most cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort. ENERGY STAR estimates that a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs or up to 10% on their annual energy bill by sealing and insulating. New energy efficient window coatings and installations can work with the sun to block or allow heat to pass through, as well as preventing drafts and easing window maintenance. Films are also available to be placed on existing windows where heat from the sun is a major issue.
Lighting: Use energy efficient lightbulbs. It really can make a big difference when you switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. A standard lightbulb used for 4 hours a day produces 63 kg of CO2 a year. A low energy lightbulb used for the same period only produces 11 kg of CO2 a year. Multiply the difference by the number of lightbulbs in your house and you can see the difference both in Carbon Dioxide production and energy used.
ENERGY STAR qualified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10-50% less energy and water than standard models. Look for energy efficient refrigerators, clothes washers, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers and dishwashers.
New plumbing fixtures and shower heads are designed to perform the same way and give the same satisfaction with significantly lower use of water
Passive Energy Use
Landscaping Techniques
Using native plants usually requires less water and maintenance with higher survival rates.
You don't have to pave everything in site. Paving large areas as development has increased in cities and suburbs (making surfaces impervious), means that rainwater has to run off and collect in larger pools, without the ability to be absorbed by the ground. Inadequate measures of drainage to account for these increased amounts of water has dramatically increased flooding problems in many parts of the country as large quantities of water from storms have nowhere to go and cause streams to overflow, pond on roadways making travel hazardous, or seep into basements and destroy possessions and often mechanical equipment. Allowing rain water to penetrate into the ground, or collecting it for reuse in landscaping, or designing roof gardens which can absorb water, instead of having if run off hard surfaces is highly beneficial in every instance. If you need to pave, create a pond or dry stream bed in your yard, which can accommodate water from a storm and be attractive in all seasons. There are now paving materials with fine holes built into them, so that water can seep through and be absorbed by the ground. Rain barrels from gutters collect water that can then be used for gardens, car washing, and other outdoor uses.
When designing landscaping for your yard, think about site orientation and the impact of the sun during different seasons. Deciduous trees, if oriented properly, are excellent for shielding a house from sun during the summer and allowing the sun's warmth to come in during the winter. Evergreen trees can provide windbreaks in exposed situations or privacy when surrounded by neighbors. Plants can prevent runoff and erosion from slopes during rainstorms and certain types of trees, such as willows, really like water and are good in wet situations, although shallow rooted and can creep around pipes if planted too close. If you're lucky enough to have a damp area, think about plants typically used in water gardening, which will absorb water and provide beauty.
Orienting windows to take advantage of light reduces the need for artificial lighting at certain times of the day, although it can increase heat load.
Use Simple Energy Efficient Methods and Safe Products
Programmable Thermostat: If you're out during the day, why pay to heat an empty house. Programmable Themostat's can turn down the heat when you're away and warm up the house shortly before your return.
Turn lights on and off, don't leave them on. Unplug anything that is not in use. "Phantom electricity", electricity used by things that are just plugged in, phone, computer and camera chargers, small appliances, leftover modems, tvs and other miscellaneous items actually use electricity and add up.
There are now motion sensor devices which can turn on lights in hallways and rooms when someone enters or is moving about.
Use water restrictors in showheads and be mindful of shower lengths and leaving water running when washing dishes. Fill the dishwasher before using. Don't fill pots and boil any more water then you need.
If your windows are leaky, use the clear plastic film in the winter. Even if you have a screen door with no storm door, use the clear plastic film to seal it up. The film shrinks with a hair dryer and is virtually invisible. The other option is clear weatherseal tapes, which you can run along places where you can feel a draft.
Put foam insulation around your doors or storm doors or double hung windows.
If your attic is reachable, increase the insulation, either on the floor if it's not a walkable space, or between the rafters.
Even electric outlets on exterior walls let in cold air, and there are little foam attachements available at hardware stores which can seal those spaces.
Spray foam insulation is available for wide cracks or openings. Just be careful not to put too much in because it does expand quite a bit.
Turn down your heat by a degree or two. Every little bit helps.
Combine your errands and shopping to minimize driving.
Health and Safety Suggestions
VOCs - VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency talks about VOCs in the following manner:
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.
VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.
Benzene is a known human carcinogen. The main indoor sources of this chemical are environmental tobacco smoke, stored fuels and paint supplies, and automobile emissions in attached garages. Actions that will reduce benzene exposure include eliminating smoking within the home, providing for maximum ventilation during painting, and discarding paint supplies and special fuels that will not be used immediately.
Perchloroethylene is the chemical most widely used in dry cleaning. If dry-cleaned goods have a strong chemical odor when you pick them up, do not accept them until they have been properly dried. If goods with a chemical odor are returned to you on subsequent visits, try a different dry cleaner.
Solutions:
These days there are a number of low or no VOC paints, finishes and home products. Since paint can give off VOCs years after installation, it's probably a good idea to look into these products even if their cost is higher.
Throw out old products. No point endangering anyone with stuff that is no longer used.
Store materials that contain VOCs in well ventilated areas and make sure tops are tightly closed.
Carbon Footprint Reduction - A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of our activities on the environment and how that impacts climate change. Our carbon footprint relates to the amount of greenhouses gases that are produced in our everyday life through the fossil fuels that we use for electricity, heating & transportation. It measures all the greenhouse gases we individually produce and is measure in "tonnes" (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent. One of the goals of "Going Green" is to reduce our carbon footprints, by reducing our use of fossil fuels wherever we can. To test your carbon footprint or for more info visit carbonfootprint on the web. Some of the following well-known suggestions just add to the list.
Walk or bike when possible
Carpool
Take bags to the market, recycle newspaper, plastic, metal & glass. Reuse when possible. Many counties have recycling days for all kinds of products, including refrigerators and air conditioners, which insures that dangerous materials will be properly handled and disposed of.
Buy products produced locally to reduce costs involved in shipping and storage.
Change is possible. CFC's - Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were developed in the early 1930s and were used in a variety of industrial, commercial, and household applications. One use, commonly known as "Freon", was widely used as a refrigerant. In 1973 chlorine was found to be a catalytic agent in ozone destruction. The initial concern about the ozone layer in the 1970s led to a ban on the use of CFCs as aerosol propellants in several countries, including the U.S. However, production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances grew rapidly afterward as new uses were discovered. By the beginning of 1996, production of CFCs was halted and the good news is that (according to the U.S. Evironmental Protection Agency) the natural ozone production process will heal the ozone layer in about 50 years. It might seem like a long time, but it proves that change is possible when we work together to make a difference. And that's "Going Green" to me.
Susan Rosenstadt-Bresler is an architect, with a master in business administration from a well-known eastern business school. She works in real estate development, architectural visualization, 3d model creation, and website and software development. Her software and website be found at http://www.3dhomedecorator.com/ and her renderings and architectural visualizations can be seen at http://www.3dhomedecorator.com/render.htm. She has written a number of articles for internet magazines including ones about using color in home design, working with architects and designers, ambiance on a budget and targeting your design problems.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Bresler http://EzineArticles.com/?Going-Green---How-You-Can-Save-the-Earth-and-Live-Better.&id=1683104
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