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Conventional Home                     
The realities in our homes


 

Green Home
Things you can do immediately		  

Deep Green Home
Ultimate changes
  Energy and Water we purchase
 
The average family spends over $3100 each year on energy and water bills1. 50% of our electricity is generated from coal-burning plants, a major source of air pollution and also responsible for 40% of our CO2 emissions that are contributing to climate change2.

1) US Census 2005
2) US Environmental Proection Agency, “Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2005,” April 2007


  
Since traditional energy production has such a negative impact on our environment, reduce your home’s energy and water use (a good goal attainable to start with is 10-25%), and switch to electricity produced from renewable energy from your utility. Since new power plants are needed only to meet peak demand, running major appliances at off-peak times can help reduce the need for new power stations to be built. 		 
Reduce your energy and water use 40-50% or more relative to a conventional home and use on-site renewable energy, rainwater collection, and graywater systems to make your home more self-sustainable.
  Goods & Services we buy
 
The average grocery store’s produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. Not only does transporting our food result in significant carbon emissions, both food and cleaning products get produced using significant quantities of pesticides. Over one billion tons of pesticide products are used each year in the United States,3 and 23 of the world’s 28 most commonly used pesticides are suspected carcinogens4.

3) US Environmental Protection Agency
4) Co-op America

  
The average American household spends $6000 each year on food and $600 on housekeeping supplies7. The choices you make have a major impact on your own family’s health as well as the environment. Buy in-season, local, organic food, shop at your local farmer’s market, and use non-toxic cleaning products.

7) US Census 2005		  
In addition to shopping at farmer’s markets, other alternatives include signing up to get food through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and growing some of your own food. That way, you’ll know for sure what chemical pesticides and fertilizers have (or haven’t) been used on your food.
  Our Homes        
 
Every car in a showroom has to post its miles per gallon, but when buying a home there’s usually no way to know how much it’s going to cost you to live in it. Our homes account for 21% of total US CO2 emissions. Most of them are “clunkers”--under-insulated and leaky--they use energy and water inefficiently and have poor indoor air quality.


 
The first step is to know how much energy and water you use by totaling up the past year’s bills. You then need to find out which parts of your home use the most resources so you can make a plan and budget to make it more energy efficient. A great way to start is by always replacing appliances and lights with Energy Star models.		  
Energy considerations should be taken into account from the very beginning of the home design process. Steps you can take when you remodel your home include installing dramatically upgraded insulation, Energy Star windows, and heat recovery devices for your air and water.
  Our Behavior        
 
America has only 4% of the word’s population yet we use 25% of the world’s resources, including energy, and produce a quarter of the world’s total CO2 emissions. 		 
The most important energy saving device in the home is you. Simple changes like adjusting the thermostat several degrees, doing laundry in cold water, turning off lights, recycling, and many others add up and have a major impact. When you’ve done what you can, buy carbon “offsets” to help lessen the impact of the rest of your energy use, then keep making changes to continue improving.


  
Green habits will become everyday habits, and you’ll find you start noticing even more opportunities to further lessen your impact on the environment. Already recycling extensively? Time to try composting. Interior lights all Compact Fluorescents (CFLs)? Replace exterior lights with solar powered ones. Have low flow showerheads and toilets? How about installing a rainwater barrel.
  Our Waste        
 
Each American generates almost 2000 lbs of trash each year, almost 70% of which is landfilled or incinerated5, both of which have major adverse environmental impacts. Two million tons of toxic e-waste ended up in landfills in 2005 and less than 380,000 tons was recycled5. Raw sewage is supposed to go to wastewater treatment plants for processing, but our systems are plagued by broken or overloaded pipes so untreated sewage is released directly into the environment on a routine basis6.

5) Environmental Protection Agency
6) Natural Resources Defenses Council
  
By reducing consumption, re-using, and taking responsibility for properly recycling and disposing of all of our waste, each of us can have a major impact. This includes not just solid waste, but also the water that leaves our homes, via our plumbing and run-off from our yards and driveways. For example, use a phosphate-free dishwashing detergent and keep this pollutant that contributes to algae blooms and dead zones, out of our waterways.		  
You can help by planting a raingarden or green roof to reduce the strain on the stormwater system.
Once you have your comprehensive recycling system set up and part of your routine, you'll find the amount of solid waste you throw out each week will have been reduced tremendously. You may even find yourself asking yourself as you're about to throw something in the trash if there's a way to recycle it or re-use it. Or maybe next time there's an alternative product you can use that doesn't leave anything destined for the landfill. In terms of water, you can reduce the strain on the stormwater system by planting a raingarden or green roof.


 
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