The environment is a major news issue and everyone is thinking green. Sometimes it seems difficult to go green in your everyday life, but just a few simple steps can move you down the path to a green Santa Cruz home. You won't even have to break a sweat or crack open a can of paint.
In the Laundry Room
Pick machines for your Santa Cruz home that have an Energy Star rating for peak performance to conserve water and electricity. According to Planet Green, an Energy Star washer saves enough water over the machine's life to provide drinking water for six people for a LIFETIME. It will also save you hundreds of dollars in utility bills over an average 11 year machine lifespan. Use natural drying when possible. Hang clothes on a clothesline in the sun on nice days.
Use green products to wash your clothes. Laundry soaps that contain phosphates are dangerous to the environment. Look for products made from bio-degradable phosphate free materials.
At the Store
Buy your cleaning supplies and cleaning detergents as concentrates so you get more in each bottle. The fewer bottles you buy throughout the year the less ends up in a landfill.
Buy florescent bulbs instead of incandescent and carry your purchases home in reusable shopping bags.
Eat Green Right from Your Backyard
You can make your Santa Cruz home your very own grocery store. It doesn't take a huge space to grow a garden big enough to feed an average family each year. You will harvest fresh vegetables you know are free of pesticides and herbicides that are bad for the environment and your health.
As a National Association of Realtor's Green Designee, I have become a residential real estate professional advocating education and adoption of green real estate principles. If you'd like more tips on going green, subscribe to my blog. Each week you'll get free tips like this one sent to your email inbox. It only takes a few seconds to subscribe now.
LINKS:
National Association of Realtor's Green Designee
Posted by Lauren Spencer on
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