Green Living

I have recently become fascinated with "green" living. Last week was Green Week, and local cities (like the one I was visiting in Bristol, Rhode Island) were sponsoring "green clean-ups," in which, ironically, multitudes of men on gasoline mowers were cleaning/polluting all in one.

Now, Home and Garden TV is having a sweepstakes, and the prize is none other than a "Green Home." HGTV describes the concept home with 7 main environmental goals: (1) Conveniently Located so long travel isn't necessary; (2) sustainable site, in which the environment around the home is not unduly affected; (3) water efficiency--reducing home water use by about 40%; (4) energy--the home will use approximately 25% less energy than a comparable home in a regular neighborhood; (5) materials and resources all locally provided or made; (6) indoor environmental quality; and (7) education--the sweepstakes educates the public about all the potential options for "green homes" (HGTV, 2008).

So this got me wondering: how environmentally friendly is my own home? Within the last year we remodeled the kitchen, throwing away all the old cabinets in the local dump (no green there); we bought new cabinets instead of refinishing the 1970s ones (nope); we bought mostly Energystar appliances (50% on this one--the frig was a good deal and so that one isn't so efficient); new siding makes the home more efficient (that counts); we replaced stone pavers with green grass (great for the O2 but still takes on water, so 50% there).

Here's where I can go green: new bamboo flooring, as it's a rapidly renewable resource (so says HGTV) and that can go all throughout the downstairs. We can also buy environmentally friendly paint for any future remodeling job; we can replace the overly cold-running refrigerator with an Energystar appliance; we can run fans instead of air conditioners; we can turn off lights (I'm already a fanatic about that); we will replace all old windows and the door with better materials so that the home is fully insulated; we can keep the old, crooked tree in the backyard that is upending the air conditioner because it provides great shade to the house; and, finally, we've replaced all bulbs with the newer halogen ones so that we save on energy.

Well, it's not much, but it is a start.

References Cited

Home and Garden TV. (2008). Green Home: How Green is the HGTV Green Home? Retrieved April 28, 2008, from http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/green_home_2008/article/0,,HGTV_30916_5816498,00.html