Everyday Green Home: Recent Episodes
Marla Esser Cloos
The Everyday Green Home Podcast helps you GET the value of green: for you, your family and your community. Whether its green homes, green living or the people who make it happen, join Marla Esser Cloos to learn how green and sustainability practices and products work for you.
Wicked problems are significant issues with no single, straightforward answer, and they are everywhere!
Transportation is a wicked problem that touches every aspect of our lives, whether we realize it or not. It affects what we have on our dinner tables, the clothes we wear, and everything we have inside our homes. It even affects where we work, how we get there, and how we spend our vacations. Yet, we tend to take it for granted.
I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, coming to you live from Shock City Studios in St. Louis, Missouri. I am delighted to have my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, join me today to discuss the wicked problems surrounding transportation.
The transportation system is undeniably complex and multifaceted. I invite you to listen in as we journey through the evolving world of our transportation system and explore the wicked problems it presents.
Impact of COVID-19
The absence of commuters and students traveling to school during the pandemic highlighted a significant shift in how we perceive transportation. I found it eye-opening to see the streets resembling quiet Sunday mornings when it used to be rush hour.
Electric Cars and Infrastructure
A noticeable change after the pandemic has been the proliferation of electric cars, even in states like Oklahoma, traditionally associated with fossil fuels. The increasing presence of electric vehicles is encouraging. But we must recognize that the infrastructure to support them is evolving, and supply chains for materials like copper and lithium must grow exponentially to meet the 2035 EV goals.
Mining
Mining, especially overseas, raises concerns about environmental and ethical practices. Those considerations are essential as we make the shift to electric transportation.
Transparency in the Supply Chain
Many pieces get hidden from the average consumer within the supply chain for energy and transportation. With both gasoline for cars and the materials used in the batteries of electric vehicles, transparency remains a challenge. We need better labeling and reporting to know where our products come from, because that awareness allows us to make informed choices, not only for environmental reasons but also to support ethical and responsible sourcing.
Public Transportation
The lack of robust public transportation networks, especially in the Midwest and Southeastern United States, forces many to rely on personal vehicles. However, expanding and improving public transportation could significantly reduce congestion, pollution, and the need for massive parking lots in urban areas. Achieving a well-balanced transportation system that combines individual and public options remains a challenge yet to be overcome.
Walkable Cities
The issues with transportation issue also extend to city planning and the use of land. Deciding whether we want to continue sacrificing valuable space for parking lots or promote walkable cities that will reduce our reliance on cars is a balancing act, and the choices we make today will have consequences for future generations. This complexity highlights the need for thoughtful, integrated solutions, considering the environment, society, and economics.
Maintaining Existing Infrastructure
We often rush into building new infrastructure before adequately maintaining existing systems. We must prioritize maintenance and repair to ensure the longevity of our transportation networks and reduce costs and environmental impact in the long run. In essence, addressing the wicked problem of transportation requires a multifaceted approach, incorporating sustainability, ethical considerations, and urban planning for a better future.
Maintenance in Transportation
Maintenance for transportation still tends to get overlooked in the planning process, leaving far-reaching implications. It is easier to secure funds for capital budgets than to get funding for ongoing operational expenses. Capital expenditures have the allure of job creation and development, making them more appealing to budget approvers. Unfortunately, maintenance often falls by the wayside despite its critical role in preserving and extending the life of our transportation systems.
Unforeseen Consequences
The bias towards capital expenditure, driven by political and economic factors, is concerning. When creating impressive new structures gets prioritized, it is easy to lose sight of the need to maintain existing systems. The consequences of this negligence are evident on the roads. A simple blowout caused by the poor condition of a road can lead to severe consequences, from inconvenience to accidents and increased healthcare costs. That is a stark reminder of the vital role of maintenance in ensuring our safety and well-being.
Extreme Weather and Infrastructure Challenges
Many regions, like St. Louis and Oklahoma City, face extreme weather conditions that wreak havoc on their transportation infrastructure. Asphalts expand and contract under temperature extremes, creating fissures and potholes. These constant shifts necessitate research into more resilient road materials that can withstand the stresses.
Shifting Transportation Modes
Considering the most efficient modes for moving goods is crucial. Shifting from road transportation to rail can reduce the number of trucks on the road and the associated pollution. Trains are known for their economical and environmentally friendly tonnage transportation, as they can carry a considerable load with minimal fuel consumption. Exploring the potential for rail transportation can significantly impact the overall efficiency of our transportation systems.
Collaborative Planning
Transportation decisions should prioritize the greater good, not the preferences of the few. Fostering collaboration among multiple stakeholders, including federal and local governments, businesses, and the general public, remains a challenge. Those stakeholders often vie for their share of the transportation budget, further complicating the decision-making process. Budget allocation is influenced by political interests, so the focus must shift from individual gains to what is best for the collective community. We need a comprehensive master plan that does not cater to personal preferences or political influence.
The Complexity of Transportation
Transportation is a wicked problem that is more intricate than housing and buildings. The many parties involved, from government agencies to private industries, and the relentless battle for funding require a multifaceted approach.
Collaboration
The wicked problem of transportation demands our unwavering attention and collaboration to ensure a safer, more efficient future for all.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources
Green Home Coach Workshop - How to Sell the Value of Green Homes and Features
How do All Electric Cars Work
Building the electric-vehicle charging infrastructure America needs
The EV Battery Supply Chain Explained - RMI
Transportation Trends 2022-2023
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
It is hard to talk about how our homes impact our health, well-being, and climate when so many people still struggle to afford the cost of buying their own homes.
Today, I bring you a solution cultivated by Kerry Langley, an industry colleague I have known for quite some time.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I invite you to lean in and pay attention as you discover how his financial modeling tools and software can help you unlock the doors to a brighter financial future and lead you to the home you deserve!
I am so excited to have Kerry share his insights today! They will allow you to approach your housing journey with a fresh perspective and attain outcomes you may never have thought possible.
Getting to know Kerry
Kerry Langley is a financial math enthusiast. With a career spanning 38 years in mortgage banking, he used to cater to millionaires with complex financial dealings. However, the 2008 recession took him from thriving to struggling and led him to re-evaluate his approach. After talking to a friend who worked at Merrill Lynch, he felt inspired to explore opportunities that could benefit a broader audience. So he transitioned to high-performance homes and green buildings, even though he had limited knowledge about green and energy-efficient concepts.
Making Green Living Financially Accessible
Kerry began a mission to make sustainable, green living financially accessible. He partnered with various organizations to create EarthCraft House, a certification program promoting green homes. That endeavor led to the development of his green mortgage software, Home Bucks, to help consumers identify ways to improve their homes, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce the total cost of ownership.
Creating Home Bucks
Even though he lacked experience in software development, Kerry still embarked on developing a software tool. The result was a groundbreaking tool called TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), which he later trademarked under the name Home Bucks. This innovative tool aims to empower consumers to live in homes that may seem out of their budget range by optimizing financial aspects.
Making Green Choices affordable
Through Home Bucks, Kerry demonstrated how buyers could incorporate items like solar panels into their mortgage, lower their interest rates, and ultimately reduce their total cost of ownership without straining their initial budget. His practical approach dismantled the misconception that sustainable living was financially out of reach and reinforced the idea that green choices could, in fact, be affordable.
The EarthCraft House Certification Program
After being approached by the Atlanta Home Builders Association and the Southface Institute, Kerry partnered with them to develop a green mortgage and got involved with the EarthCraft House certification program.
Enhancing Energy Efficiency
Kerry's approach to green homes includes the integration of solar panels, improvements in insulation, installation of energy-efficient appliances, and upgrades to windows. He aims to demonstrate that achieving sustainability and energy efficiency does not necessarily come with a higher price tag.
Addressing Misconceptions About Green Homes
One of the challenges Kerry encounters is the prevailing misconception that green homes are expensive and unattainable. Through his meticulous financial modeling and calculations, he debunks that myth.
Creating Long-Term Wealth
Kerry helps his clients make informed decisions about their homes, which is their most significant investment. He firmly believes that with careful consideration and a comprehensive understanding of the financial aspects, individuals can build long-term, multi-generational wealth through homeownership. His approach also involves smart financial planning.
The Importance of Thoughtful Home Buying
Kerry emphasizes the importance of thoughtful consideration when buying a home. He points out that people often spend significant time and effort choosing appliances or home decor, yet they fail to pay the same attention when buying a home.
Indoor Air Quality Matters
Indoor air quality frequently gets overlooked unless health issues arise. However, as families grow and parents become more concerned about the health of their loved ones, questions about indoor air quality, chemicals, and other factors come to the forefront.
Empowering Families
Young families, in particular, are challenged in the current housing market due to rising home costs. Kerry believes that by optimizing their budget and considering energy-efficient options, families can make more informed decisions and create a better living space for their loved ones.
Maximizing Resources
Starting a family tends to trigger a shift in priorities, so parents are more inclined to question the safety of chemicals in the home, off-gassing from cabinets, and other potential hazards. Aware of the lack of resources and guidance for addressing those concerns, Kerry understood how young families navigating the housing crisis could benefit from learning how to maximize their resources.
A Wise Investment
It is wise to invest in an asset that appreciates over time rather than investing in items that can depreciate. A home is generally the most substantial investment people ever make. Therefore, making thoughtful decisions that provide a comfortable living space and contribute to long-term financial stability is crucial.
Exploring the Home Bucks Model
The Home Bucks model takes several factors into account, including the price of a home, the commission structure, the current home performance, and potential improvements in energy efficiency and sustainability. It aims to calculate the total cost of ownership while considering all of those elements.
Driving Down Interest Rates
A key aspect of the Home Bucks model is its ability to lower interest rates, which significantly impacts the overall cost of homeownership. By optimizing various financial factors, Home Bucks can often reduce interest rates by one to one-and-a-half percent, resulting in substantial long-term savings for homeowners.
Flexible Financing Options
Home Bucks evaluates all possible financing options, not limiting itself to traditional mortgages. It considers point-of-sale financing for home improvements and various strategies. By analyzing their financial picture, Home Bucks helps its clients make the most cost-effective choices for their circumstances.
Paying Off the Mortgage Faster
A unique feature of the Home Bucks model is how it helps clients pay off their mortgages faster without additional payments. So, some homeowners can save money by shaving off significant years from their mortgage term.
A Unique Model
The Home Bucks model is unique in that it has the ability to transform people's financial outlooks while also enhancing the feasibility of green and energy-efficient homeownership.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Green Home Coach Workshop - How to Sell the Value of Green Homes and Features
Do You Know Your Total Home Ownership Cost
3 Ways Real Estate Pros Can Be Change Agents
TCO Flex (Total Cost of Ownership)
Connect with Kerry and Homebuck$
HomeBuck$
In a world of evolving priorities and rapidly changing investment landscapes, three letters have ignited discussions that resonate far beyond the financial realm: ESG. Environmental, Social, and Governance is a trifecta of influence shaping how businesses get scrutinized, evaluated, and ultimately endorsed.
ESG has grown into a juggernaut of consideration, designed ostensibly to gauge a company's commitment to the planet, its people, and its principles. However, as the spotlight has intensified, so have the debates surrounding its genuine impact.
I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, here to guide you in navigating the labyrinth of ESG with fresh insight and an open mind! I am delighted to have Tony Pratte of the Sound Room, join me to share his viewpoint as we discuss ESG and unravel its meaning.
The Meaning and Impact of ESG
ESG is not just a buzzword but a framework that evaluates how a company performs in areas beyond financial metrics. ESG is a lens through which companies get scrutinized for their environmental practices, social responsibility, and corporate governance. It is significant for investors seeking to align their portfolios with ethical and sustainable values. However, much complexity and subjectivity are still involved in measuring those factors accurately.
Navigating the Challenges
The challenges inherent in implementing ESG criteria include the potential pitfall of greenwashing, where companies manipulate or exaggerate their ESG efforts to appear more environmentally and socially conscious than they are. The lack of standardized reporting and varying interpretations of ESG metrics can make it difficult for investors to make informed decisions. Furthermore, the skepticism that ESG can evoke makes one wonder whether some corporations genuinely embrace these principles or are merely jumping on the bandwagon.
Balancing Profit and Purpose
Balancing profit with purpose is a central theme when addressing the tension between financial success and ESG commitments because companies can indeed be both financially successful and socially responsible, and companies with strong ESG practices often have a competitive edge, attracting consumers, investors, and even talented employees who align with their values.
A Paradigm Shift in Business
ESG considerations drive companies to adopt sustainable practices, create social impact, and enhance governance structures. There are many real-world examples of companies embracing ESG principles and reaping benefits like reputation, customer loyalty, and innovation. ESG has catalyzed a shift towards purpose-driven business models, redefining success beyond monetary gains.
ESG on a Personal Level
Individuals can contribute to the ESG movement in their personal lives with conscious consumption, ethical investment choices, and supporting companies aligned with their values. Education and awareness are essential to inform consumers because informed consumers can drive demand for responsible products and services. We need to understand that ESG is not solely a corporate endeavor. It is a collective effort that begins with small, intentional actions.
A Call to Embrace the Potential of ESG
The potential of ESG is crucial for positive change. Despite its complexities and controversies, ESG allows for a more sustainable and equitable future. So it is essential to engage with ESG discussions, ask critical questions, and support companies genuinely committed to making a difference.
Diverse Board Composition and Qualifications
When examining the composition of a company board concerning ESG, some instances prompt the consideration of whether the lack of banking expertise could impact board decisions. That raises questions about the percentage of board members with banking experience and the potential implications for decision-making.
Risk Management and Consequences
Tony points out a scenario where poor risk management led to the approval of loans that could not get repaid, exposing an oversight in the ESG efforts of the company. That highlights the importance of evaluating the actual practices and consequences linked to ESG strategies because potential unintended outcomes can arise, even with well-intentioned ESG initiatives.
Direct and Indirect Links in ESG Impact
Various indirect links and unintended consequences could emerge when exploring the nuanced connections between ESG and outcomes. Those unintended consequences can arise when companies prioritize meeting ESG criteria over qualifications or expertise. That underscores the complexity of measuring the impact of ESG and how different motivations behind ESG integration can lead to contrasting outcomes.
ESG and Energy Policy Considerations
ESG discussions often intersect with debates about fossil fuels and renewable energy. That is why we need comprehensive energy policies to consider environmental and economic factors.
ESG and Green Building Integration
Certified green buildings align with ESG goals and contribute to sustainability and societal well-being. Green buildings lower risk, offer quality assurance and positively impact energy consumption and occupant comfort.
Balancing Perspectives and Encouraging Dialogue
Individuals need to have a balanced perspective and open dialogues in the ESG discourse. Tony and I are willing to engage in productive conversations despite our differing viewpoints, and we encourage listeners to seek understanding, ask questions, and communicate the benefits of ESG efforts to foster positive change.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
What AI and IoT can do for smart homes
Why Are AI-Enabled Smart Home Products the Next Big Thing?
The Sound Room (where Tony works)
Smart Home, Connected Home with Tony Pratte
Gift of a No-Touch Home with Tony Pratte
No Touch Home Control with Tony Pratte
The Future of Green Design and Home Technology
In a world increasingly driven by the pursuit of sustainability and community well-being, the rise of B Corps is emerging as a beacon of hope for a more conscious and responsible business approach.
I was recently captivated by a charming shop called Plenty Mercantile, nestled in the heart of Automobile Alley in Oklahoma City. It is a delightful store that embodies the principles of sustainability and ethical entrepreneurship, and I was thrilled to meet Traci Walton, one of the owners!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I invite you to join me in exploring the incredible achievements of Plenty Mercantile and learn how they charted their course toward becoming a B Corp.
So, fasten your seatbelts for a heart-warming and inspiring tale of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and the pursuit of a better world!
The Origin of Plenty Mercantile
Plenty Mercantile came into being due to Traci and her daughter Brittany's passion for sustainability and desire to bring sustainable practices to mainstream retail. Traci was raised by her Native American grandmother, who instilled the values of respecting the environment, which further influenced their vision for the shop. The idea to create a store resembling their home and promoting sustainability took root, and they embarked on their journey of starting Plenty Mercantile in 2012.
Becoming a Leader in Sustainability in Oklahoma City
Plenty Mercantile has played a pioneering role in promoting sustainability in Oklahoma City. They aim to create a safe and welcoming space for customers to shop while making informed choices to support sustainable practices.
Becoming a B Corp
A B Corp certification is a voluntary designation for businesses and organizations committed to positively impacting people, the planet, and profitability. Traci explains that they aspired to become a B Corp from the start, aligning their business practices with sustainability on every level. However, achieving the B Corp certification was challenging. After years of following the B Corp structure and seeking improvement, they finally enlisted the help of a consultant, which proved to be a game-changer in guiding them toward their B Corp certification.
The Importance of B Corp Certification
The significance of a B Corp certification goes way beyond just marketing a company as sustainable. It involves a deep dive into financials, governance, impact, and various aspects of business operations, providing third-party verification of their sustainable practices.
The Power of Making Sustainable Choices
Sustainability does not necessarily mean higher costs. It means there are cost-effective and sustainable alternatives available in the market. Making sustainability choices sends powerful messages through purchasing power and contributes to long-term positive change.
People-Centric Sustainability
Sustainability is people-centric because it focuses on how sustainable choices positively impact individuals, their health, and future generations. Considering the health implications of products and practices is crucial for everyone- especially those who are cancer survivors!
Building a Sustainable and Equitable Business
Sustainability is integral to the business values of Plenty Mercantile, and it gets reflected in every aspect of their operations. Traci points out that sustainability extends beyond the products they carry in the store. It also encompasses how they treat their employees, community engagement, and overall business practices.
Encouraging Others to Pursue Sustainability
Traci aims to inspire others to pursue sustainability and B Corp certification. Sustainability is a journey that requires continuous effort and improvement, and she hopes to see more businesses in Oklahoma and beyond adopting sustainable practices and becoming B Corps because it will positively impact communities, the environment, and future generations.
Celebrating Sustainable Products
Traci and I love sustainable products! We also enjoy educating consumers about the benefits and values of using sustainable products and explaining why they should choose products that align with their values and contribute to a sustainable future.
The Role of Plenty Mercantile in Promoting Sustainability
Plenty Mercantile is a leader in promoting sustainability in the retail industry and creating a positive impact on the planet and the lives of individuals. Its commitment to sustainability has shaped its unique identity as a sustainable lifestyle store, offering products that meet the needs of consumers and align with their values.
Navigating the Challenges of COVID-19
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Plenty Mercantile managed to stay afloat. They used the opportunity to expand their online presence and went from offering 400 products on their website to an impressive 4900, making their online platform robust and thriving! The expansion allowed them to delve even deeper into understanding the ethos behind each product and the companies they work with, reigniting their passion for sustainability.
Showcasing Sustainable Home Goods and Eco-Friendly Products
Plenty Mercantile proudly offers an array of sustainable and eco-friendly home goods and products. From direct imports from Nepal to toys and baby products that prioritize health and sustainability, the store has been dedicated to curating products that align with its vision of responsible and ethical consumption.
The Positive Impact of Making Sustainable Choices
Sustainable choices need not be expensive, and consumers can positively impact the environment by choosing products that align with their values.
The Sustainability Summit
Sustainability efforts get amplified through collaboration and partnerships. To foster a sense of community and bring like-minded individuals and companies together, Traci and I are co-hosting the Oklahoma Sustainability Summit. The event will serve as a platform for businesses, organizations, municipalities, and individuals interested in sustainability to connect, share ideas, and collectively drive positive change. We hope the summit will inspire people to demand more sustainable choices and support local businesses prioritizing sustainability!
Expanding Sustainability Efforts and Future Endeavors
Plenty Mercantile continues to expand its sustainability efforts by actively seeking ways to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into its operations. They are excited about their upcoming store at the airport, where they can introduce travelers to sustainable choices and showcase local businesses that align with their values. They are also actively exploring electric vehicles and renewable energy as part of their commitment to a greener future.
Creating Healthier and Happier Communities
Traci and I believe that sustainable choices are not only beneficial for the environment but also contribute to healthier, happier communities. Through collaboration, education, and the Oklahoma Sustainability Summit, we hope to inspire others to make informed choices that promote positive change and create a more sustainable world for future generations!
Have a great green day!
Links
Green Home Coach Workshop - How to Sell the Value of Green Homes and Features
Plenty Mercantile
Plenty Mercantile on Becoming a B Corporation
Plenty Mercantile B Corporation Certification
B Corporation - Make Business a Force for Good
Ok Sustainability Summit
Artificial intelligence has become the buzzword of the century, permeating news headlines, chat platforms, and even our everyday browsing experiences. Its presence in our lives is undeniable, revolutionizing the world of computing and enhancing human existence in ways we could have only dreamed of!
Amidst this AI revolution, another concept has been capturing our collective imagination for years- Smart Homes.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am excited to delve into the realm of smart and connected homes with a true expert in the field! I have Tony Pratt from the Sound Room joining me in the studio to explain how to tie smart home technology together with AI.
Tony’s insights will undoubtedly leave you captivated as we embark on an enlightening journey into the world of artificial intelligence and smart homes!
Artificial intelligence and connected homes
There are two parts to getting to grips with artificial intelligence and connected homes. The first is getting to understand all the different smart home devices. The second is learning how to tie them all together. (Companies like the Sound Room have the experience to know which features you can use to integrate and interact with your devices.)
Still a work in progress
Currently, the integration of artificial intelligence into smart home devices is still a work in progress. While AI has not fully permeated the realm of smart homes yet, it is undoubtedly the direction in which the technology is heading. Soon, AI algorithms will be capable of learning your preferences, such as the desired temperature for your thermostat, by analyzing data from various sources. This includes comparing it with external factors like outdoor temperature, humidity, and wind conditions. Through this correlation of information, AI will enable smart homes to provide a more personalized and optimized living experience.
Privacy and Data Collection
There are concerns surrounding data collection and privacy in smart home systems. Tony explains that while some systems collect data, it is kept within the house and not accessible externally. He points out the trade-off between inexpensive devices like Google and Alexa, which mine user data to offer cheaper products, versus systems that prioritize privacy and charge higher prices.
Artificial Intelligence and Home Automation
AI is transforming home automation by enabling more advanced data processing and analysis. AI allows systems to understand users' habits and preferences, leading to more personalized and efficient control of devices. Tony highlights the importance of planning and having multiple trigger points in an AI-powered smart home.
Challenges in Implementing Smart Home Systems
There are several challenges in implementing smart home systems, particularly the shortage of computer chips and reduced quality control due to external factors like COVID-19. That has resulted in higher device failure rates, which can impact the user experience.
Home Automation Start Points and Wifi Networks
Tony suggests two starting points for home automation: environmental control (lights, locks, thermostats) and entertainment (audio-video systems). He explains that while entertainment systems are more appealing, environmental control is easier to implement initially. He stresses the significance of having a robust wifi network in smart homes, as that forms the backbone for connecting various devices and ensures smooth functioning, especially as AI becomes more integral to home automation.
Lock and Leave
By connecting additional devices to their smart home network, homeowners can ensure that all their devices interact seamlessly and respond to voice commands through platforms like Alexa or Google. That integration allows for convenient control over different aspects of the home, such as triggering routines like "good morning" or "good night," as well as indicating when the homeowner is leaving or arriving.
Future Trends in Smart Home Technology
Future trends in smart home technology include low-voltage backlighting, integrated LED cans, and the need for compatibility between different smart devices.
The Internet of Things
With the Internet of Things (IoT) and the connected city, everything relies on sensors. However, there is a significant challenge in the form of a shortage of computer chips, which are essential for these interconnected systems. The supply of computer chips has become extremely limited, and even the available ones suffer from a lack of quality control, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Remote diagnostics
Remote diagnostics for HVAC systems will enable technicians to diagnose and even fix issues remotely. That will reduce the need for physical visits, speed up repairs, and enhance the overall user experience.
Exciting opportunities and challenges
The ongoing technological advancements bring exciting opportunities while also posing challenges that must be addressed for a seamless and secure smart home experience.
The Power of Monitoring Internet Performance
New systems allow users to log in and monitor their internet performance. That real-time insight into a service provider or equipment issues is a game-changer for both consumers and service providers. While cable companies have offered similar monitoring capabilities for some time, recent advancements offer greater convenience and efficiency.
Technology as a Solution to Labor Shortages
With the labor shortages in the trade industry, there is a need for both skilled workers and advanced technology to meet the growing demands of the modern world. Tony points out that technology can be a powerful tool to augment that workforce.
Remote Troubleshooting with AI and Smart Home Technology
Tony had an experience where he used remote access and AI to troubleshoot a client's wifi system. He points out that technology can save us a lot of time and resources by diagnosing issues remotely and allowing technicians to be more efficient and effective.
AI and Smart Home Technology Optimization
Tony explains that to achieve true optimization, all devices must be interconnected and capable of learning from user habits. While that vision is still a work in progress, it promises greater automation and convenience in our daily lives.
Smart Appliances Require a Robust WiFi Network
A robust wifi network is crucial for the functionality of smart homes, especially as they advance to the AI level. In the future, smart homes will not only consist of individual devices like door locks, garage door openers, and light switches but will also include essential appliances like refrigerators and other power-dependent equipment. As the scope of smart home technology expands, the reliance on a strong and stable wifi network becomes even more critical to ensure seamless connectivity and communication between various smart devices and appliances.
The Role of AI in Automation and Beyond
The role of AI is increasing in various fields, such as writing emails and creating content. We can anticipate continued growth and the integration of AI into our daily lives.
The Future of AI and Smart Home Integration
When considering the future of AI and smart home integration, Tony suggests seeking advice from system integrators or automation specialists to navigate this evolving landscape.
The Exciting Potential of AI and Smart Home Technology
Tony and I are excited about the potential of AI and smart home technology to improve our lives. We plan to explore this topic further in upcoming episodes and encourage listeners to stay updated on the latest developments in this exciting field!
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Green Home Coach Workshop - How to Sell the Value of Green Homes and Features
What AI And IoT Can Do For Smart Homes
Why Are AI-Enabled Smart Home Products the Next Big Thing?
The Sound Room - where Tony works
Smart Home, Connected Home with Tony Pratte
Gift of a No-Touch Home with Tony Pratte
No Touch Home Control with Tony Pratte
The Future of Green Design and Home Technology
Do you ever think about home inspection?
Most people only ever think about home inspection when buying or selling a property. However, the truth is that you will benefit from a proper home inspection because it will allow you to live in a healthier and more comfortable home environment.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I’m excited to introduce a remarkable Oklahoma City lady I recently had the pleasure of meeting. Stacey Page is a home inspector who brings a unique perspective to the field. She joins me on the show to discuss the importance of home inspection for our daily lives.
Becoming a Home Inspector
Stacey started home inspecting about two years ago, working with her husband in the company he started five years ago. She initially helped with the administrative side of the business, but her passion for homes and woodworking led her to shadow her husband and eventually become a home inspector herself. She did the necessary nine months of training, passed the state test, and has been doing inspections with her husband for two years.
Women in home inspection
Stacey believes that many women feel intimidated by home inspection due to the male-dominated construction industry and the perception that women have less knowledge about home maintenance and functioning. However, she emphasizes that women have the capability to learn and can bring a different insight and perspective to the job.
Hazards
Stacey acknowledges that home inspection can be dirty and uncomfortable, with hazards such as spiders and unpleasant environments. However, she assures that there are ways to protect oneself, such as wearing coveralls, booties, and gloves. Despite encountering some dirty and unpleasant situations, Stacey has also inspected immaculate houses.
Why regular home inspections are important
Regular home inspections are essential to catch issues early on before they become major problems. Inspections can reveal problems like moisture build-up between window panes, overflowing condensate lines, and active leaks. Those issues can lead to wood rot, termites, mold, and other expensive problems if not caught early enough. Even if a homeowner is already aware of an issue and has attempted to fix it, it is still necessary for inspectors to thoroughly check the area to ensure there are no remaining issues.
The biggest reason for people to have a home inspection
The most important reason is the health and safety of your family and having a healthy home. A home is one of the biggest investments in people's lives. Issues can arise with new builds due to contractors cutting corners. Home inspections and maintenance are essential for ensuring the home is safe and efficient.
The long-term costs of maintaining a home
We must consider the long-term costs of maintaining a home and not just the initial cost. Homeowners need to be educated on how to maintain their homes because small issues, like failing caulking, can lead to larger problems like flooding.
The unique thing about Stacey’s company
One thing that sets Stacey and her husband’s company apart from others is that after something they point out gets repaired, they go back and re-inspect the home for free to check that the job was properly done.
A wellness check for your home
Having your home inspected every few years is a bit like going to the doctor for a wellness check.
Potential issues and safety
It is essential to address potential issues in a house, such as roof problems, moisture, mold, termites, mildew, and electrical hazards, and to have safety measures such as smoke detectors in place to avoid potentially life-threatening situations.
A clear understanding
Stacey’s company aims to provide clients with a clear understanding of the condition of their homes without using scare tactics. They categorize issues into normal, minor, and major, so their clients can prioritize their concerns. The goal is to help clients feel safe, comfortable and informed about purchasing a home.
Selecting a home inspection company
Real estate agents may recommend home inspectors they are loyal to or have a habit of using, but it does not always mean they are the best. Homebuyers should do their research and ask questions before blindly trusting the recommendation. Look up the company and read reviews to ensure a quality inspection. Some inspectors have hidden fees, so be aware of what services are included and what the total price will be. It is important to educate yourself and not blindly trust or choose based on price alone.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Atlas Home Inspections
International Association of Home Inspectors
Oklahoma Construction Industries Board
Infrared Certified
Why You Should Always Get a Home Inspection
Can My Home Be Green?
Real estate is a massive part of our lives!
We live in homes, buy homes, sell them, fix them up, and rent them, and real estate is at the heart of all that!
Much about real estate has been in the news lately, with home prices being turbulent during the pandemic and people moving to different places.
The side of real estate that has recently been taking hold is one that I love working with most. It’s the side that brings better, healthier, and more sustainable homes to the forefront, and there is a whole group of people out there trained to work with it. They know how to talk to you as a buyer, seller, or renter and can help you find a home that works best for you and everyone living with you!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I’m excited to have Kari Klaus from Realty Sage, and Ashley Rose Gonzalez from Ashley Rose Sacred Spaces, joining me on the show!
About Ashley Rose Gonzalez
Ashley is a NAR Green-certified realtor located in Boca Raton, Florida, and does surveys on most of South Florida. She has been a green realtor for the last two years. Her green journey began about ten years ago when she had a tumor in her stomach. Fortunately, she caught it before it became cancerous. At the time, she had been living in a toxic environment and was in a toxic relationship. So she had to learn how to take charge of her life and health, and it became her passion! Ashley’s life is now a sacred ritual for herself and the earth. She believes she is here to assist and educate her clients.
Small steps
Ashley believes it is her dharma to save the earth and help people live in the healthiest way possible! She started with small steps, changing the products she was using. She used to be a fashion stylist in New York, working with eco and hemp designers, and had no idea that her journey would lead her to where she is now!
Customized service
Ashley learns about her clients and customizes her services to suit their specific needs.
About Kari Klaus
Kari is the Founder of Realty Sage and its sister site, Realty Sage Pros. Realty Sage started as Beaver Green Homes, which was based on Kari's struggle to sell her property after making it as green as possible. Realty Sage is a different kind of real estate market that uses a sage score system based on features like solar systems, energy efficiency, and certifications to help market properties. It gives buyers a better understanding of a home’s features and helps sellers market more accurately. It also gives real estate agents like Ashley a platform to work from and showcase their skills.
Realty Sage Pro
Realty Sage Pro is a site for green real estate agents to list and market properties. It has more than 120,000 real estate agents across the country on its database. They are preparing to expand into other professionals like architects, interior designers, and landscapers.
Women in green homes
There is a growing group of women working and collaborating in the green home space.
Taking care of ourselves
Women are starting to understand that caring for the earth begins with ourselves. That means we must also take care of our physical homes because everything is connected, and they are an extension of who we are. Ashley believes it is our collective and individual duty to care for and preserve our environment.
Economics of green building
Building a green home today makes financial sense because doing so now is way more affordable than before.
Understanding the difference
It can be hard to understand the difference between different eco-friendly homes. Realty Sage allows real estate agents to help people understand the finer differences, apart from price, like quality and certifications.
Feng shui principles
Designing a home with feng shui principles makes it feel better! Ashley Rose is delighted to have connected with Kari and loves having a place to showcase her feng shui skills and help people find eco-friendly homes!
Biophilic design
A global expansion of eco-real estate and a global eco-friendly movement is happening. Kari was in Singapore several years ago and got inspired by the biophilic designs she saw there.
Inflation reduction
Healthier homes do NOT have to be more expensive! The Inflation Reduction Act is coming this year. It offers financial assistance to upgrade and help make low-income homes more eco-friendly.
Staying true to herself
Ashley was inspired to become a NAR Green designee and an eco-real estate agent because it helped her stay true to herself and keep doing what she loved when she had to pivot her business during Covid. So she started incorporating the green journey she had been on in fashion in homes.
Selling homes with heart
Ashley lets her heart guide her in the work she does. Kari created Realty Sage specifically for the real estate agents like Ashley, driven to go the extra mile to understand the environmental aspects of properties and the lifestyle requirements of the people they work with when selling a home.
Global energy-efficiency
Eco-friendly homes are being promoted all over the world! In Mexico, people are getting pushed to go solar, Singapore is doing amazing things in terms of architecture and biophilic design, and some places in Europe are even more advanced than the US in ensuring that homes getting sold are more energy-efficient.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Workshop - Sell Value of Green Homes and Features: https://greenhomecoach.com/how-to-sell-the-value-of-green-homes-and-features/
Realty Sage
Realty Sage Pros
Ashley Rose Sacred Spaces
Eco E-book from Ashley Rose
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
Have you read about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the news over the last six to eight months?
The Inflation Reduction Act was passed to help combat climate change, upgrade electrification, and move people toward new technologies in their homes and businesses. It is a big piece of work that applies to almost all of us because a large part has to do with our homes.
So, what can we do to improve our homes, and how can we be assisted in paying for them? I have two wonderful guests with me to walk us through their experiences and help answer those questions!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, Brett Vredevoogd from Eco Equity Real Estate and Pamela Brookstein from Elevate Energy join me on the podcast to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act and how we can use certifications and energy efficiency to improve the homes we buy and sell.
Brett Vredevoogd
Brett is a realtor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He focuses on helping eco-conscious homeowners increase energy efficiency and maximize their home equity.
Pamela Brookstein
Pamela works for Elevate, a non-profit based in Chicago. They work nationally, designing and implementing energy efficiency programs. They focus on reaching anyone who could benefit from energy efficiency and cleaner home upgrades.
Assistance for low to moderate-income housing
Pamela believes that the Inflation Reduction Act will rectify many of the wrongs that have happened in the past. It will provide assistance for all homeowners to improve the experience they have in their homes and reap the benefits of energy efficiency, cleaner indoor air, and lower utility costs.
The value of energy efficiency
Brett works primarily with existing homes. At this point, he focuses on getting as much data as possible on the MLS about the energy-efficient aspects of homes and educating all the players in the industry about the value of energy efficiency.
Understanding how people feel about energy certification
Brett and Pamela work together to understand how people feel about energy certification and its effect on market value. Brett has had favorable responses from sellers and buyers after seeing what homeowners have done to make their houses healthier and more energy efficient.
Pamela’s classes
Pamela teaches two classes. One is on solar, and the other is on high-performing homes. An entire module focuses on setting agents and sellers up for a good appraisal.
Appraisers
Appraisers have started going to Pamela’s classes. They have been asking her to meet them at the houses to tell the story of what makes those houses so special. Having all that data upfront makes things much easier for them when an appraisal gets contested.
A checklist
Brett feels that a checklist will make it much easier to prove that a house is more energy-efficient than all the other stock in a particular neighborhood.
Pearl Certification
Pearl Certification has a practical and light-hearted approach to explaining things to professionals and home buyers. Brett found them about four years ago. He has been using them because they do an excellent job of providing potential buyers with a client-facing report that quickly lays down all the logistics of why a house is more efficient than most other stock in a given area.
The magic of certification
Home buyers appreciate the third-party certification because most people don’t fully understand the range of benefits of an energy-efficient house. So they want a third-party certification to prove that the house is truly energy-efficient.
An overview of the Inflation Reduction Act
4.3 billion dollars will come in over the next ten years, by way of tax rebates and programs to improve the existing housing stock. That money will go a long way in helping to change people’s lives and their experiences in their homes. There is a strong emphasis on upgrading electrification. Money has been allocated for training energy assessors, and there is a tax incentive for having an energy assessment done. The idea is to remove all gas appliances from homes, so there will also be rebates for everything electric.
Rewiring America
Rewiring America has a website that lays out the available tax rebates and incentives.
Reducing costs
The Inflation Reduction Act will reduce or eliminate costs for low and moderate-income homeowners.
The benefits of certified energy-efficient homes
- They are well-built
- They are well-maintained
- They are resilient
- They have many high-performing assets
- They get a good return on investment when sold
Resources
Green Home Coach Workshop - How to Sell the Value of Green Homes and Features
Eco Equity Real Estate
Elevate Energy Value for High Performing Homes
Elevate Energy Education for Real Estate Agents
Rewiring America - more details on IRA 2022 Tax Rebates
Pearl Certification IRA Information
Home Performance Counts
GHC Trusted Partners
Many different aspects of our homes may impact our health and well-being and the ease with which we can maintain our homes.
Something I learned to take in hand during the pandemic was the filtration in my home. Filtration systems may vary, but they all serve the same purpose: To filter the air moving through the heating and cooling systems, making it cleaner and better to breathe.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, Gay Harris of Superior Air Quality and Green Screen Air Filters joins me to discuss better air quality for our homes.
Taking over the Green Screen Air Filter company
Gay and her husband worked in construction on and off for years until seven years ago when they took over the Green Screen Air Filter company. After that, they continued doing home and garden shows as the original owners had done. They liked the product because it creates better airflow for filtration units and saves electricity.
Green Screen Air Filters
The Green Screen Air Filter is a commercial-grade filter. It has been around since the 1950s, although not in the residential form. The main difference between Green Screen Air Filters and others is that all pleated filters collect dirt particles predominantly on one surface, so they quickly start restricting the airflow. Whereas the Green Screen is a one-inch fabric that layers the dirt according to the size of each particle. The Green Screen has hundreds of surfaces to collect the dirt particles, so it does not restrict the airflow.
Allergies
Gay and her husband suffered from severe allergies when they first heard about the Green Screen Air Filters. When they started using them in their home, they began getting better and better each year and using fewer and fewer allergy medications. They no longer need to use allergy medications, so they know it works!
Cabin air filters
Most cars have odors, so Superior Air Quality supplies cabin air filters cut to specific sizes for different types of vehicles.
Setting up and replacing air filters
Gay and her husband help their customers figure out all they need to know about setting their air filters up and how often they should get replaced.
RV filters
Those living in RVs want to make sure that less dust gets inside. Green Screen Air Filters keep the dust out of RVs and ensure the air conditioning units stay clean.
Custom
All Green Screen filters, frames, and grids are customized and cut to fit any specific size.
No risk
The Green Screen Air Filter technology and design ensures there is no risk of slowing air conditioning systems down or causing them to burn out.
The importance of air quality
Air quality is extremely important because it directly impacts our health and well-being. According to the EPA, indoor air quality could be up to seventy times worse than the outside air. That’s why good filtration is essential to ensure optimum indoor air quality.
Purifiers
Purifiers are an important addition to indoor air filters. Different options are available, many of which are inferior, so Gay is happy to talk to anyone looking to find out more about them.
MERV rating
The home building and home maintenance industries are fraught with variables. So they tend to cling to products that work. Many heating and cooling companies are unfamiliar with Green Screen Air Filters, and that’s why Gay has a MERV rating equivalency on the Green Screen Air Filters.
The ASHRAE Test
The MERV rating helps in general. However, it only shows the number of particles collected and says nothing about the airflow. The ASHRAE Test has taught Gay about airflow, so that's how she knows that the Green Screen Air Filters are amazing and provide way better airflow than any other filter!
A tip
Turn the thermostat fan from auto to on between dinner and bedtime and back to automatic again when you go to bed to filter the evening air and keep all the pollens out.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
www.GreenScreenAirFilter.com COUPON CODE GreenHomeCoach
The Green Screen Air Filter (MERV 11) Marla and Scott use in their home
What Makes the Green Screen Different?
Green Screen, GHC Trusted Brand
Past EGH Episode Green Screen Air Filters with Gay Harris
Learn more in my book, Living Green Effortlessly, Simple Choices for a Better Home
Ask your questions on the Love Your Everyday Green Home Private Facebook Group
What is the green home industry?
If you’d like to learn more about it, find out how to connect with people within it, and get to know about all the new things coming out in it, you’re in the right place because you will hear all of that today!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I am excited to have Allison Friedman from Rate It Green with me today to talk about all the wonderful work she is doing! I love what Allison has built by tying her product, company, and service together!
Rate It Green
Rate It Green is an open directory network for the green building industry or anyone interested in green building, from beginners to experts, including trade professionals, consumers, and advanced DIY-ers. They are both residential and commercial and have individual members, as well as organizational and company members. The aim is to get people together to shorten the learning curve by engaging, collaborating, sharing information online, and talking about their experiences building sustainable and healthier places to live.
It’s all connected
People are finally beginning to understand that health, sustainability, and living better lives are all connected. It is a learning process, and we all need to know that we are not alone and can help each other.
Where it all started for Allison
It all started in 2006 when Allison decided to renovate her home. It did not start out as a green project, and she made several mistakes along the way. She learned that it is hard to renovate sustainably while learning on the job- particularly back when it was hard to find any information on sustainable building practices.
A learning process
Renovating her home was a learning process for Allison. If she had known when she started the project what she now knows, she would not have done it. However, she hopes all she has done and is still doing make her the best steward for building green homes.
The future
Allison is optimistic about everyone living healthier and more sustainably in the future, but moving the needle has been more difficult than was predicted.
Sharing information
Allison would like to make the experience of sharing information online more human. However, she still prefers to engage with people and share information in person whenever possible.
Sharing her journey
Allison would like to use her resource to share her journey with others. She would like to talk more about improving indoor air quality, reducing the energy load, having clean water, and the things we are unaware of that could endanger us or cause health problems.
Health and energy assessments
The Inflation Reduction Act requires energy audits and assessments for some rebates. Unfortunately, there are very few companies doing those assessments. Free energy audits are available in Massachusetts.
Tighter homes and indoor air quality
People have been getting excited about energy efficiency over the last few decades. Many have been tightening up their homes and learning to make do using less energy. As a result, better indoor air quality management is necessary to avoid any health risks associated with air pollutants getting trapped inside tighter homes.
Advancing indoor air quality systems
Advancing indoor air quality systems happens on a level above the regular kind of energy audit, and Allison is working toward finding that.
Initial energy assessments
For an initial assessment, find someone with either a BPI or a HERS certification. Many utilities also offer some type of energy assessment, but they tend to vary from municipality to municipality or state to state. You can also go to www.energystar.gov and www.energy.gov to learn more and find resources.
Content
Rate It Green has five key types of content:
- Discussions
- Groups
- Articles
- News
- Open Events Calendar
Feedback and member content
Rate It Green is a member-driven community that depends on member content and questions to thrive. So they like to know which features, information, and resources the members want.
How to get started on Rate It Green
To get started on Rate It Green, go to www.rateitgreen.com and click “Join the Community”.
Have a great green day!
Links:
An Introduction to Residential Green Building Certifications Part I
The Residential Green Building Market, Where We Are and Why Part II
Rate It Green Videos
Rate It Green Registration Tutorial
Can My Home Be Green Program referenced in the Rate It Green article
What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program
www.rateitgreen.com
afriedman@rateitgreen.com@rateitgreen (Twitter)
Rate It Green’s Youtube (Subscribe today!)
https://www.facebook.com/rateitgreen
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rate-it-green
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisontfriedman/
Plastic is a wicked problem! We are finding bits of it everywhere!
Plastic was a great invention. It has become an integral part of our convenience lifestyle, so we can’t seem to do without it. But it is filling our landfills and oceans, and we even find it in our food and water!
It was exciting when plastic soda bottles came out because they were light and did not break. Since then, however, plastic has gone in unanticipated directions.
So what can we do now?
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today I am super excited to have my son, Trent, joining me on the podcast to explain how he uses recycled plastic to make filament for 3-D printing and talk about recycling different types of plastic.
Circular solutions
Trent is the co-founder of a St. Louis-based company called Printerior Designs. They focus on creating circular solutions for the industry by turning recycled plastics into 3-D printing filaments that can get used for creating new objects. They have developed three types of materials that have impacted the waste created in the industry, and they hope to continue reducing the enormous amount of waste the industry creates.
Plastic lasts
Plastic lasts for a long time. It does not deteriorate, and it does not biodegrade. We find it everywhere because it is lightweight and convenient. It does not break. It can easily be formed into any shape, and it costs much less than many other materials.
Versatility
Plastic is versatile and useful. So billion-dollar corporations continue researching and finding innovative ways to create new types of it.
Single-use items
Items like plastic grocery bags, water bottles, and straws are all wasteful because they only get used once before we throw them away. Then they last an extremely long time in a landfill!
There are two main kinds of plastics:
- Thermoset Plastics – They never break down
- Thermoplastics – They break down and can be recycled
Thermoset plastics
The use of thermoset plastics has decreased drastically over the last twenty years or so. There is something in them that can get reused, but we still need to figure out how to do it.
Recycling different types of plastic
Five of the seven most commonly-used plastics are easy to recycle. However, there are many different ways that each type of plastic gets formulated for specific applications. That makes it very hard for recyclers because each formulation within the same category of plastic has to be recycled separately.
Polypropylene plastics (PP Plastics)
Hundreds of different types of polypropylene get manufactured because companies require different formulations to fit their specific applications.
A vast array of different plastics
There is a vast array of different plastics. That causes problems for companies like Printerior because their machines can recycle some formulations but not others.
TerraCycle
TerraCycle is a company that has been researching hard-to-recycle materials. It is one of the few companies in the US that tries to recycle 3-D print filament. You can pay them to send you recycling boxes for specific categories of materials, like candy wrappers or lipstick tubes. Some vendors may even sponsor recycling boxes for their products!
Pay attention
We need to pay attention when recycling. If we put all our plastics together in one bag before putting them in a recycling bin, those items will likely end up in a landfill since the plastic, a film rather than a solid, cannot get processed by most single stream recyclers.
Making it easier for recyclers
Only about 9% of all the items intended for recycling get recycled. Certain municipalities still allow items for recycling to get sorted and separated. That makes things a lot easier for recyclers and increases the amount of recycling!
The future
In the future, recycling may get done chemically rather than mechanically.
Recycling plants
Some recycling plants use high-end robotics to do their sorting. But many still use basic machines and rely on people to sort things by hand.
Single-use plastic
Many people prefer to buy items with less packaging because a lot of single-use plastic gets used for packaging that just goes to waste.
From industrial waste to high-value products
Industry produces a lot of plastic waste! At Printerior, they use clean industrial waste PLA and PETG plastics to produce their 3-D print filaments. That helps them know what they are working with, have a clean stream, and create a high-value product!
Post-consumer plastic
They are moving toward using post-consumer plastic and turning it into new items. They are currently doing some tests and preparing to launch their new material.
Who Printerior work with
Printerior works with consumer waste. They collect waste from hobbyists, school districts, universities, and maker spaces, process it, and turn it into high-quality 3-D filament.
A first
When their new product comes out, Printerior will be the first company in the 3-D printing world to bring filament made from recycled post-consumer plastics to market. They are also about to launch several other first-to-market post-industrial materials.
PLA
Most people use PLA filament for their 3-D printers. PLA is a recyclable bioplastic that is usually made from corn. Most compostable single-use utensils and food trays get made from PLA. Printerior currently uses industrial waste from the companies producing those items. They are working towards using post-consumer items as well.
What you can do to help with the plastic problem
- Use less single-use packaging
- Use more reusable items
- Recycle what you can
- Buy items made from recycled materials
Something to look out for
Don’t fall for marketing schemes that say items are “recyclable” rather than “recycled”.
Ways to recycle
Go to the website of your local municipality and look up the best ways to recycle for their facilities. Many municipalities also have drop-off locations. Those locations are usually where most recycling happens.
Have a great green day!
Links
About Printerior Designs
https://printeriordesigns.com/ Use code GreenHomeCoach for 10% off your first order.
Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse
Recycling 101 from Waste Management
What is Plastic Recycling and How to Recycle Plastic
7 Types of Plastic That Are Most Common
Addressing the (sic Waste) Problem
Managing Waste from GreenBiz
We are facing so many challenges in the labor and workforce and the construction industry right now, and people want to know why there aren’t more women employed in construction, the home-building industry, and the skilled trades.
I am a huge advocate for workforce development, women in construction, and women in the skilled trades, and I have come up with a solution! It’s a phenomenal project called The House That She Built.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I have Natalie Miles joining me today to discuss The House That She Built project and why it is so important, and explain how you can learn more about it.
Professional Women in Building
Natalie is a member of Professional Women in Building (PWB) and part of the council in Utah. She jumped on board after being invited to a kick-off event and meeting all the amazing women who worked in different areas of construction.
About Natalie
Natalie grew up in construction. After having her kids, she started a home staging company. Her customers often asked for her advice on various aspects of their homes. That motivated her to become a new construction designer. So she sold her home staging business about ten years ago and went into designing new construction full-time. Now, she works exclusively for a builder, doing their designs and managing their projects. Last spring, she became a general contractor.
Learning on-site
Natalie did not learn anything about the work she does at school. She took it upon herself to learn everything while she was working on-site.
The House That She Built
The goal of Utah Professional Women in Building was to get more women into construction. So they decided to start a scholarship fund to encourage girls to get into construction work. As a fundraiser, they decided to have a house built entirely by girls. That was how the concept for The House That She Built was born.
A non-profit
Natalie went all-in, volunteered to be the materials coordinator, and managed to get almost all the materials for the project donated! They operated as a non-profit, and the money they made from The House That She Built project got used to create their scholarship fund.
An incredible experience
It was an incredible experience for all the Utah members of PWB to be involved in the House That She Built project and learn all the new skills that the project required! About 100 women worked on the house. They had skilled women from all over the US joining them. By the end of the project, they had all formed a lasting bond as a sisterhood!
The time-frame
It took about two years to coordinate the project before they started breaking ground. Then it took them less than a year to complete the construction. It was a challenging project, but they were successful!
Designers
Many designers were working on the house, so they divided the home into various spaces and allocated each area to a different designer. In the end, all the design aspects flowed together beautifully!
Healthy practices
They built the house using many practices required for healthier and better homes!
Impressive women
In the garage, they created a collage of all the photos of the women working on the house. That impressed the younger generation who came to see the house after the construction had been completed!
A children’s book
Mollie Elkman was so impressed after seeing the house that she wrote a children’s picture book called The House That She Built!
Girl Scouts
Natalie and another designer went to a Girl Scouts troop meeting to read The House That She Built picture book, speak about construction, and help the girls build some birdhouses. Afterward, the girls posted pictures on social media, and the next day, Natalie had about 30 Girl Scout troops asking her to do the same thing!
Girl Scouts can now earn a patch for The House That She Built!
Changing the face of construction
The Utah PWB successfully created a significant scholarship fund that will expose many women to the skilled trades. They hope to inspire other PWBs to start similar projects across the nation. In doing that, they hope to change the face of construction!
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
The House That She Built - Utah PWB
The House That She Built Book
Meet the Real-Life Women from The House That She Built
The House That She Built Girl Scout Patch
The House That She Built on Instagram
Wicked problems have been a huge part of our lives!
Most of us know that the housing market has been a little crazy for the past few years. Some of that has been due to wicked problems like labor shortages, supply chain issues, and even land shortages in many parts of the country.
The labor shortage has been of interest to many people, me and my guest co-host for today included. So, we decided to do something about it!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today I am joined by Will Blake, of Vesta Foundation Solutions in Oklahoma City. Will and I have worked together on several projects.
Today, we are talking about workforce development, particularly in the building industry and skilled trades.
Plumbers
Lately, it could take weeks or even months to get a plumber to come out unless it’s an emergency, and you are willing to pay double.
A cascading labor shortage
The labor shortage in the new build and remodeling industry is cascading! That’s because there aren’t enough people in the trades, especially the licensed trades.
Licensed trades
We are greying out in the licensed trades. That means that those who have been trained to become the backbone of the industry are retiring. So, why are there no people behind them as they choose to move on with their lives?
A shrinking workforce
Will’s construction company specializes in an unlicenced trade, and even so, they are still experiencing issues with supplies, rising costs, and a shrinking workforce.
Three categories
Most people we converse with fit into one of three categories:
- Nobody wants to work in this category. (This is the largest category.)
- People in this category are trying to identify generational workplace inequalities or issues with safety, diversity, and inclusion.
- People in this category want to know what we are going to do about the situation. (This is the smallest category. Will and I fit in here.)
2025
Almost 20% of our workforce will be aging out by 2025. Many of them will be taking all their knowledge, wisdom, hard skills, operational knowledge, and understanding of vendor relationships with them. Nearly 12% will come in to replace them, but that will be spread across all industries.
Additional issues
We did not get the population increase we were hoping for after Covid. Closing the borders and slowing down the movement of migrant workers into the country has also added to the problem of not being able to build enough houses.
Technology
Technology can provide some innovative new housing solutions, but there are still many missing pieces, and technology will not solve the hands-on labor problem.
A difficult business
Construction is a difficult business. 50% of businesses go out of business in the first five years. But in construction, it happens with 75% of businesses.
Purpose
Will’s company does foundation repair, concrete lifting, wood floor system repair, crawl spaces, and drainage. As a company, they tie its purpose back to the concept of the broken window theory, which is all about caring for infrastructure. So even if their efforts do not directly help the company, they are meant to indirectly support the industry and fix the problem with staffing, supply chain issues, etc.
No one to do repairs
If no people are available to do the necessary repairs to our homes and businesses, it means that either they won’t get done, or the homeowner will have to DIY them.
What is the problem?
The message for getting people into the construction trade has either been lost or skewed dramatically. Schoolchildren are encouraged to go to college rather than explore careers in the trades even though many people in the trades are earning a lot more than their college counterparts.
Build My Future
Build My Future OKC is an event put on by the Central OKlahoma Association of Home Builders and it’s Professional Women in Building Council. It is a one-day hands-on interactive construction career fair. When I moved back to Oklahoma City from St. Louis, and we got Professional Women in Building going again after being dormant, I told the other members about Build My Future and suggested we make it our signature project. They all agreed. Currently, there are between 25 and 30 Build My Futures taking place across the country to help young people learn about careers in the skilled trades and building industry.
Build My Future
Build My Future is an event put on by the National Association of Homebuilders. The events are one-day hands-on interactive construction career fairs. When I moved back to Oklahoma City from St. Louis, and we got Professional Women in Building going again after being dormant, I told the other members about Build My Future and suggested we make it our signature project. They all agreed. Currently, there are between 25 and 30 Build My Futures taking place across the country to help young people learn about careers in the skilled trades and building industry.
Interesting career opportunities
There are some exciting and fulfilling career opportunities within the skilled trades, from marketing to sales to administrative to the production side to manufacturing, that provide a great living above the national average without any student debt loans.
Go younger
One thing that has come up is that we need to go younger because high school students pick a track to follow in the eighth grade.
A week-long camp
A group of like-minded construction business owners suggested doing a week-long free camp, Construct My Future, to allow kids to learn about various things they can do in the trades. Although they had good intentions and good support initially, things only worked out when they started focusing on seventh and eighth graders rather than high school students. The seventh and eighth graders were very engaged, and their parents also got involved.
Great possibilities
A big part of our mission with the Build My Future and Construct My Future programs is to help more people- especially teachers and parents, understand the great possibilities in the skilled trades industry.
Will’s advice
The world is full of opportunities. Will suggests that young people keep an open mind to learning a specialty skill that will be useful everywhere and give a lot of value.
Have a wonderful October and Careers in Construction Month!
Resources
Careers in Construction Trades
Careers in Construction Month Toolkit
Build My Future OKC
Build My Future - Get Involved
Build My Future Trainings and Resources
Construct My Future Camp
3 Reasons Workforce Development is Now a (Big) Part of My Work
Eco-renovate is a term a business friend coined while doing a project on a historical building in Chicago, Illinois.
We all have the opportunity to up-level our home, a home we are buying, or homes we are selling. There is so much we can do to improve our health and that of the world while we make our homes a whole lot better!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I’m thrilled to have Sheridan Foster joining me today to talk about the cool eco-renovation project she and her team did in the historic Chicago building!
Starting EcoRenovate
Starting EcoRenovate was a big deal for Elemental Green because it was the first renovation they ever took on from start to finish. It involved a lot of learning and many interesting insights. It allowed them to expand their focus and look beyond the materials used for the building and the furnishings they brought in.
The historical Chicago building
The striking historic modernist building is near the Chicago University campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood. I.M. Pei and Araldo Cossutta designed it, and it was built in 1961. It was built as apartments and is now condominiums. The building has curtain walls and big, beautiful windows with delicate arches. It has been registered on the national register of historic places.
An opportunity
During Covid, Sheridan saw an opportunity to renovate one of the top-floor corner units in the building. So she decided to jump in with EcoRenovate and see what she could do with the space.
Staying true to the design
Sheridan wanted to stay true to the original design. So she and her team decided to keep existing architectural elements and update and modernize the condominium.
The kitchen
They decided to start with the tiny, closed-off kitchen and tie it in with the rest of the condo. They took down part of two of the walls to connect the kitchen with the main living area.
The bathroom
The bathroom still had all the original quirky and charming fixtures. They had to change the wall tiles because they were plain and not very nice. But the floor tiles were lovely, so they retained them.
Color
Color affects our moods and energy levels, so Sheridan and her team deliberately added pops of color to the space. The view of Lake Michigan inspired them, so they brought lots of blue into the interior space.
Eco-friendly building practices
To ensure they were not compromising the eco-friendly building practices, they judged everything they brought in, from building materials to furnishings, against the standards of what makes a good and sustainable product.
Mindful and eco-friendly building practices
Refusing to compromise enabled them to identify some great companies to work with that used eco-friendly products, treated their employees fairly, and used mindful and eco-friendly building practices.
Circularity
They evaluated everything they did against the concept of circularity and focused on assessing the impact of all the materials used to ensure that they were making things better rather than worse for the planet.
Making the connection
People are starting to make the connection between their personal health and the health of the world at large.
Paint
Sheridan repainted everything in the condo using paint from a company called Recolor. Recolor is a woman-led company looking to solve the problem of waste paint because paint is toxic, so it cannot get thrown away in the garbage. Recolor filters and reprocesses leftover paint so that it can be reused. As a result of the reprocessing, Recolor’s paint is lower in VOCs than regular paint. It is available from Amazon or through Habitat for Humanity stores in a range of colors.
Sheridan’s favorite part
The part of the renovation Sheridan enjoyed most was re-doing the kitchen with hand-made and hand-painted tiles from Fireclay Tile! They also put in bamboo plywood fronted cabinets and a large island workspace.
Indoor air
To improve indoor air quality, they put filters over all the vents. They also put Molekule air filters in all the rooms. (The Molekule is not just a filter. It uses electricity to destroy unwanted air particles.)
Taking on a renovation
Taking on a renovation may seem overwhelming, but it will feel great once you have accomplished your goal! Sheridan points out that it is vital to keep your goals for the project in mind when looking for the right products.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
EGH Earlier Episode with Sheridan
Elemental Green
Affordable Green Homes Hub
Video Interview
Buy stuff for your home curated by Marla
#ECORENOVATE BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO AN ARCHITECTURAL ICON
#ECORENOVATE GUIDE TO SELECTING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: AN ECO-FRIENDLY BEDROOM DREAM
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: A SUSTAINABLE LIVING ROOM COMES TO LIFE
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: SUSTAINABLE UPDATES TO A 1960S KITCHEN
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: TWO BATHROOMS UNDERGO A GREEN MAKEOVER
Eco-renovate is a term a business friend coined while doing a project on a historical building in Chicago, Illinois.
We all have the opportunity to up-level our home, a home we are buying, or homes we are selling. There is so much we can do to improve our health and that of the world while we make our homes a whole lot better!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I’m thrilled to have Sheridan Foster joining me today to talk about the cool eco-renovation project she and her team did in the historic Chicago building!
Starting EcoRenovate
Starting EcoRenovate was a big deal for Elemental Green because it was the first renovation they ever took on from start to finish. It involved a lot of learning and many interesting insights. It allowed them to expand their focus and look beyond the materials used for the building and the furnishings they brought in.
The historical Chicago building
The striking historic modernist building is near the Chicago University campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood. I.M. Pei and Araldo Cossutta designed it, and it was built in 1961. It was built as apartments and is now condominiums. The building has curtain walls and big, beautiful windows with delicate arches. It has been registered on the national register of historic places.
An opportunity
During Covid, Sheridan saw an opportunity to renovate one of the top-floor corner units in the building. So she decided to jump in with EcoRenovate and see what she could do with the space.
Staying true to the design
Sheridan wanted to stay true to the original design. So she and her team decided to keep existing architectural elements and update and modernize the condominium.
The kitchen
They decided to start with the tiny, closed-off kitchen and tie it in with the rest of the condo. They took down part of two of the walls to connect the kitchen with the main living area.
The bathroom
The bathroom still had all the original quirky and charming fixtures. They had to change the wall tiles because they were plain and not very nice. But the floor tiles were lovely, so they retained them.
Color
Color affects our moods and energy levels, so Sheridan and her team deliberately added pops of color to the space. The view of Lake Michigan inspired them, so they brought lots of blue into the interior space.
Eco-friendly building practices
To ensure they were not compromising the eco-friendly building practices, they judged everything they brought in, from building materials to furnishings, against the standards of what makes a good and sustainable product.
Mindful and eco-friendly building practices
Refusing to compromise enabled them to identify some great companies to work with that used eco-friendly products, treated their employees fairly, and used mindful and eco-friendly building practices.
Circularity
They evaluated everything they did against the concept of circularity and focused on assessing the impact of all the materials used to ensure that they were making things better rather than worse for the planet.
Making the connection
People are starting to make the connection between their personal health and the health of the world at large.
Paint
Sheridan repainted everything in the condo using paint from a company called Recolor. Recolor is a woman-led company looking to solve the problem of waste paint because paint is toxic, so it cannot get thrown away in the garbage. Recolor filters and reprocesses leftover paint so that it can be reused. As a result of the reprocessing, Recolor’s paint is lower in VOCs than regular paint. It is available from Amazon or through Habitat for Humanity stores in a range of colors.
Sheridan’s favorite part
The part of the renovation Sheridan enjoyed most was re-doing the kitchen with hand-made and hand-painted tiles from Fireclay Tile! They also put in bamboo plywood fronted cabinets and a large island workspace.
Indoor air
To improve indoor air quality, they put filters over all the vents. They also put Molekule air filters in all the rooms. (The Molekule is not just a filter. It uses electricity to destroy unwanted air particles.)
Taking on a renovation
Taking on a renovation may seem overwhelming, but it will feel great once you have accomplished your goal! Sheridan points out that it is vital to keep your goals for the project in mind when looking for the right products.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
EGH Earlier Episode with Sheridan
Elemental Green
Affordable Green Homes Hub
Video Interview
Buy stuff for your home curated by Marla
#ECORENOVATE BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO AN ARCHITECTURAL ICON
#ECORENOVATE GUIDE TO SELECTING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: AN ECO-FRIENDLY BEDROOM DREAM
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: A SUSTAINABLE LIVING ROOM COMES TO LIFE
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: SUSTAINABLE UPDATES TO A 1960S KITCHEN
#ECORENOVATE REVEAL: TWO BATHROOMS UNDERGO A GREEN MAKEOVER
The term wicked problems describes some of today's most challenging social issues. Wicked problems require a reframing of success because they might never be fully solved. Success with wicked problems means having an impact on or making a difference toward improved outcomes and reduced risk.
Today, we dive into the wicked problem of people-ism.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am recording live at Shock City Studios with my co-host, Tony Pratte, today!
People-ism
I recently found a book on Amazon called PEOPLEism: A Re-emergence in the Belief in People, A Chance to Humanize Ourselves Again. The notion of people-ism is central to many of the wicked problems we have been discussing on the show.
Everything in nature is interconnected
As I learned more about nature, I discovered that all natural systems are interconnected. If, for example, I help save polar bears, it will also help save me and others.
Human welfare
We all tend to be concerned about our welfare, how we will continue to thrive, and how we will survive any particular occurrence. Unfortunately, something that tends to get lost in that conversation is me caring about what is in it for you as well as for me.
Surviving and thriving as a collective
It can be challenging for individuals or small groups of people to survive in our modern-day world. To thrive and survive as individuals, we need everyone to survive and thrive.
Our natural world affects us
Our natural world affects us. Everything in nature is tied together, yet we tend not to talk much about the people aspect.
It’s all about the people
I realized that having a green or sustainable home that promotes better health and a better life is all about people. A home is really just a place to enhance people’s living experience.
Building a house
When a house gets built, it is not just about the builder and the homeowner. There are also suppliers, neighbors, people in the subdivision, and others you may not even realize are stakeholders who have to consent to the project.
Studies
There are studies on how people assess the companies with which they do business. A key indicator is how well the people within a company get treated. Fair wages and social justice get considered nowadays before people engage with a company.
A shift
The shift started with groups of people looking to companies to represent their values. As we began to experience the great resignation, companies' values became an even sharper area of focus.
Why are people leaving companies?
- People feel comfortable now because money got pumped into the economy.
- People want flexibility.
- People prefer working from home.
- People who kept working during the pandemic saved money because there was nothing to spend it on. They can now afford to leave their positions.
- Some people feel it is just not worth working anymore.
- The younger generation is getting into a freelance mindset. So if something does not work out, they leave and go elsewhere.
- Fewer companies are offering benefits like pension schemes to anchor their people.
Experience
Lately, attracting employees has become more about the experience and less about money.
Mental health
Mental health has become part of the public conversation. People are paying more attention to their work-life balance and happiness quotient lately.
Home
The way people view their homes and what they require for their homes has shifted during the pandemic.
Struggling to find workers
Some of the places struggling to find workers include restaurants, retail, and essential services where people do not have the option to work from home. Many people in those industries jeopardize their health and safety to provide their services, so they feel it is not worth working there anymore.
A new normal
People must understand that the old normal does not align with the new normal.
Grace and patience
We need to practice patience and grace when dealing with people.
Thinking about others
We need to think about others. Things that we think will affect just us do not. If, for example, we buy something unhealthy for us, the chances are that it was also unhealthy for those involved in producing it.
Putting people first
The notion of putting people first is hard. Putting people first has become even more challenging as our society has become more divisive, but we all need to do it anyway.
A bigger conversation
It can be harder to listen and be part of a larger conversation than to be right or have your way.
Acts of people-ism
Putting your problems in front of you rather than between you and others is an act of people-ism. Another one would be to understand that there are many different points of view, and there are no absolutes.
Temper tantrums
Lately, having public displays of temper tantrums has become normalized in places like restaurants. That is because people are focused on themselves and do not take the time to seek to understand the bigger picture related to the situation. Those tantrums also affect those to who they are directed and those who witness them. That is how the notion of people-ism came about for me.
Empathy
I am grateful for the empathy I developed during the pandemic because it enabled me to come from a gentler place when dealing with others. As a result, I have become a better mentor and coach. I sincerely hope that more of us will experience that too!
Change
Change is afoot! Change in the workplace usually starts with the new generation entering the workforce and then filters its way into the older generations. That is a good thing because everyone needs to learn to talk about things that make them feel uncomfortable.
How common purpose relates to people-ism
We all have a purpose. When people who work together understand their purpose and understand how they can contribute to the overall purpose, that’s people-ism!
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program
Wicked Problem Definition
Helping People: The Living Well Toolkit with Tony Pratte
What Are We Afraid Of and What that Means for Corporate America, Blog from Shelton Group
A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
Science Moms On Climate Change — Now It’s Personal!
by Katharine Hayhoe
The term wicked problems describes some of today's most challenging social issues. Wicked problems require a reframing of success because they might never be fully solved. Success with wicked problems means having an impact on or making a difference toward improved outcomes and reduced risk.
Today, we dive into the wicked problem of people-ism.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am recording live at Shock City Studios with my co-host, Tony Pratte, today!
People-ism
I recently found a book on Amazon called PEOPLEism: A Re-emergence in the Belief in People, A Chance to Humanize Ourselves Again. The notion of people-ism is central to many of the wicked problems we have been discussing on the show.
Everything in nature is interconnected
As I learned more about nature, I discovered that all natural systems are interconnected. If, for example, I help save polar bears, it will also help save me and others.
Human welfare
We all tend to be concerned about our welfare, how we will continue to thrive, and how we will survive any particular occurrence. Unfortunately, something that tends to get lost in that conversation is me caring about what is in it for you as well as for me.
Surviving and thriving as a collective
It can be challenging for individuals or small groups of people to survive in our modern-day world. To thrive and survive as individuals, we need everyone to survive and thrive.
Our natural world affects us
Our natural world affects us. Everything in nature is tied together, yet we tend not to talk much about the people aspect.
It’s all about the people
I realized that having a green or sustainable home that promotes better health and a better life is all about people. A home is really just a place to enhance people’s living experience.
Building a house
When a house gets built, it is not just about the builder and the homeowner. There are also suppliers, neighbors, people in the subdivision, and others you may not even realize are stakeholders who have to consent to the project.
Studies
There are studies on how people assess the companies with which they do business. A key indicator is how well the people within a company get treated. Fair wages and social justice get considered nowadays before people engage with a company.
A shift
The shift started with groups of people looking to companies to represent their values. As we began to experience the great resignation, companies' values became an even sharper area of focus.
Why are people leaving companies?
- People feel comfortable now because money got pumped into the economy.
- People want flexibility.
- People prefer working from home.
- People who kept working during the pandemic saved money because there was nothing to spend it on. They can now afford to leave their positions.
- Some people feel it is just not worth working anymore.
- The younger generation is getting into a freelance mindset. So if something does not work out, they leave and go elsewhere.
- Fewer companies are offering benefits like pension schemes to anchor their people.
Experience
Lately, attracting employees has become more about the experience and less about money.
Mental health
Mental health has become part of the public conversation. People are paying more attention to their work-life balance and happiness quotient lately.
Home
The way people view their homes and what they require for their homes has shifted during the pandemic.
Struggling to find workers
Some of the places struggling to find workers include restaurants, retail, and essential services where people do not have the option to work from home. Many people in those industries jeopardize their health and safety to provide their services, so they feel it is not worth working there anymore.
A new normal
People must understand that the old normal does not align with the new normal.
Grace and patience
We need to practice patience and grace when dealing with people.
Thinking about others
We need to think about others. Things that we think will affect just us do not. If, for example, we buy something unhealthy for us, the chances are that it was also unhealthy for those involved in producing it.
Putting people first
The notion of putting people first is hard. Putting people first has become even more challenging as our society has become more divisive, but we all need to do it anyway.
A bigger conversation
It can be harder to listen and be part of a larger conversation than to be right or have your way.
Acts of people-ism
Putting your problems in front of you rather than between you and others is an act of people-ism. Another one would be to understand that there are many different points of view, and there are no absolutes.
Temper tantrums
Lately, having public displays of temper tantrums has become normalized in places like restaurants. That is because people are focused on themselves and do not take the time to seek to understand the bigger picture related to the situation. Those tantrums also affect those to who they are directed and those who witness them. That is how the notion of people-ism came about for me.
Empathy
I am grateful for the empathy I developed during the pandemic because it enabled me to come from a gentler place when dealing with others. As a result, I have become a better mentor and coach. I sincerely hope that more of us will experience that too!
Change
Change is afoot! Change in the workplace usually starts with the new generation entering the workforce and then filters its way into the older generations. That is a good thing because everyone needs to learn to talk about things that make them feel uncomfortable.
How common purpose relates to people-ism
We all have a purpose. When people who work together understand their purpose and understand how they can contribute to the overall purpose, that’s people-ism!
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program
Wicked Problem Definition
Helping People: The Living Well Toolkit with Tony Pratte
What Are We Afraid Of and What that Means for Corporate America, Blog from Shelton Group
A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
Science Moms On Climate Change — Now It’s Personal!
by Katharine Hayhoe
It can be hard to find good products that also have great packaging.
Several years ago, I started using a great set of products with amazing packaging that gets specially delivered.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I have Lindsey McCoy from Plaine Products joining me today! Plaine Products is a company with a unique delivery system for sustainably packaged vegan bath and body products!
Plaine Products
Lindsey and her sister started Plaine Products in 2017.
About Lindsey
Growing up, Lindsey wanted to save the planet. Back then, business was not the way to do it, so she joined the non-profit world and spent the next twenty years working at various non-profits.
Environmental education
Her last non-profit position was doing environmental education in the Bahamas. She was not an environmental expert at that point. She only knew what recycling was, and she had heard the term zero-waste before.
Plastic
Lindsey spent time with many scientists and environmental experts on the island. While showing them around, she kept on seeing plastic piling up everywhere. She did not want to add to it. So she started using reusable bags and water bottles and tried to buy less.
Starting a company
In May 2015, when she and her husband moved back to the US, Lindsey asked her sister to help her start a company to help people accumulate fewer plastic bottles. They launched their business in February of 2017.
A subscription system
Lindsey and her sister created a subscription system where they send out bottles of bath and body products with pumps. When their customers run low, they send out refill bottles. They pay for the return of the empty bottles, which they then wash and reuse.
Finding the right manufacturer
Lindsey’s sister is picky, so she made Lindsey go through several manufacturers before they found one they both liked.
Ingredients
They had to learn a lot about ingredients! They settled on using only clean vegan beauty ingredients in all their products. Before that, Lindsey had no idea how bad most of the bath and body products she used were or what was in them.
Connection
Many people tend to miss the connection between their health and the health of our world.
Poor communities
The plastic problem is worse than we realize. Most plastic gets recycled in places with poor communities. The people living there have to breathe toxic air and plastic fumes.
We have a choice
Many people know that plastic can be bad for their health. Yet they continue to use it because it is so convenient. Fortunately, we have a choice. Even though millions of dollars have been spent convincing us that we should value convenience above all else, we can still decide how we want to live.
Reducing waste
There are many solutions out there for reducing the amount of waste that gets produced.
Word of mouth
Hearing from someone you trust has been proven to be the best recommendation for trying new products. Hopefully, people will also learn from others how to make more mindful decisions.
Why is there so much plastic?
Plastic is a by-product of fossil fuels and is very cheap to produce. In the US, fossil fuels are subsidized. That makes plastic even less costly to produce.
Plastic has many good qualities. It is indestructible, durable, and can get molded into any shape. Still, it does not make sense to use something that lasts for hundreds of years for five minutes and then throw it away.
Cancer
Plastic is one of the first things most people with cancer eliminate from their lives because there are too many health questions surrounding it that are just not worth asking.
Recycling plastic
Plastics can get recycled, but the process is complicated. One of the biggest problems is that most cities do not have the facilities to recycle more complex types of plastic.
Metal
Metals are infinitely recyclable. That means that the aluminum bottles used by Plaine Products never need to be thrown away.
The Plaine Products system
Plaine Products has a circular approach. They try to create as little waste as possible in every aspect. After making something, they send it out to be used. Then the packaging gets returned to be washed, refilled, and reused. Even their cardboard boxes were designed to be reused many times over.
No perfect solution
There is no perfect solution to the plastic problem. Lindsey gets frustrated with organizational nit-picking and finds the term zero waste a little intimidating. She prefers to simply do the best she can with whatever comes up each day.
Their products
Plaine Products strives to make fewer products that can do lots of different things. All their products are chemical-free, so they are safe for everyone to use, including children. The products are all aloe-based and super-thick. You only need to use very little, so they last for ages!
New products
At Plaine Products, they do their best to respond to whatever people ask for without creating any extra items to be thrown away. Lately, they have been embracing more hair products. Their newest products are a deep hair conditioner and a styling gel, and they will soon be adding a scented handwash.
Environmentally friendly products
Environmentally friendly products have come a long way! There are some excellent products available today. Remember that by supporting businesses that support your values, you are helping support our planet for the future!
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Links and resources:
Plaine Products COUPON CODE GreenHomeCoach
Plaine Products - GHC Trusted Brand
Sustainable Products and Packaging
Circular Economy, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Designing Out Plastic Pollution
Hear Lindsey's first podcast episode on the Green Coach Show
Recommended book:
Cancer as a Wake-Up Call by M. Laura Nasi
The term “wicked problems” describes some of the most challenging social issues of this time. Those problems require a reassessment of success because being successful with wicked problems means making a difference toward them or influencing improved results and diminished risk, even though the problem may never be fully solved.
Consumerism, or focusing on economic improvement based on things people buy, could be another wicked problem.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! My co-host Tony Pratte and I are recording live today at Shock City Studios in downtown St. Louis Missouri!
Challenges
Many challenges and issues are tied to the topic of consumerism.
Consumerism and waste
One reason consumerism is problematic is that our focus on buying things leads to large amounts of waste. Creating those products also speeds up the use of our natural resources.
Retail in Oklahoma City
I recently read an article about the glory of retail in Oklahoma City, a city dependent on the sales tax generated by the sale of goods. That made me wonder if the same thing happens in other places too, and whether that drives the push for people to keep on buying things.
Municipalities
Each municipality has its source of income that gets written into the by-laws, and the local city governments determine how those funds get used.
Property tax
Part of the property tax charged by municipalities goes to the fire and police districts, and some of it goes to the county for infrastructures like parks, forests, and museums.
Stuff
People tend to use a lot more stuff today than they did in my mother and grandmother’s time.
My parents and grandparents
My grandmother grew up in the depression, so she had a waste not, want not mentality. My parents grew up during World War 2 and were teenagers in the 1950s. So they went from a scarcity of materials to a booming economy in the next decade where money and products were abundantly available.
The economy
The economy was put back on track in the 1950s by pumping money into manufacturing goods and creating jobs for the soldiers returning from the war.
Plastic
We were excited when soda came out in plastic bottles because they did not break. At the time, we had no idea of the impact it would have, and how that convenience would later merge with consumerism.
Two kinds of companies
A marketing theory asserts that two kinds of companies exist. One notices a need and develops a product or service to solve it. The other develops a product or service and then creates a need for it.
Convenience
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a growing feeling of coming of age because of all the new products and innovations that were coming out, and people thought they needed those things to have a good life. As life began to speed up in the following decades, people thought they needed more convenience items.
Innovations
It takes time for society to evolve. Most of the innovations between the 19th and 20th centuries showed up toward the end of the 20th century. Today, innovations are happening all the time.
Overload
There are so many more product choices available today than we need. I prefer smaller local grocery stores with fewer items to choose from.
Costs
Many unseen costs are associated with everything we buy.
Circle
Today, companies should use a circular rather than a linear way of thinking when looking at the things they produce.
Responsibility
We are slowly changing from a linear economy to a circular economy. A circular economy means you remain responsible for the products you have produced throughout the life cycle.
Nature
Everything in nature is used. Nothing gets wasted. We can use a similar life-cycle assessment for things we produce.
Generations
It’s interesting to see how differently younger generations look at things. There seems to be less emphasis on stuff with younger people.
The experience
There currently seems to be less emphasis on things and more on the experience.
A simpler life
Living a simpler life with fewer things to maintain leaves you with much more time to do the things you want.
Flaws in the system
The toilet paper shortage during the pandemic exposed some major flaws in our system.
Psychology
Consumerism was built on psychology and the understanding of human behavior. The psychology behind buying things is immense!
Economic wellbeing
The amount of stuff people buy is a measure of our economic wellbeing. That will need to change going forward.
A solution
We need a solution that does not rely on things being produced, sold, and disposed of but still encourages economic growth.
Things changed
In the 50s and 60s, things were produced locally and built to last. Jobs got produced around the repair and maintenance of those things. In the 70s and 80s, more imported goods became available that were cheaper, did not last as long, and could not be repaired. Even though those goods cost to buy in the short term, they ended up costing more in the long term because they had to be replaced- often several times.
A shift
Many wicked problems stem from short-term thinking. We need to shift from short-term thinking to long-term thinking. We also need to understand the unintended consequences and trade-offs of every decision.
A new normal
During the pandemic, when things were in short supply, people were happy to substitute one thing for another. Now, many people have gone back to wanting what they want again without understanding that they are not in alignment with the new normal.
Be mindful
I urge you to be mindful about the things you use and buy and only use what you need.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
EGH Shop
Trusted Partners
The 4th R - Refuse
Shop Your Values
Right to Repair
Good Better Best: Cutting Your Consumer Carbon Footprint
Right to Repair Revisited
Flushing Trees Down the Toilet
Study.com
There are so many different products to choose from for our homes, well-being, and personal care that it is often really hard to figure out which products are better for our health and wellness, are longer lasting, more durable, and do what they are meant to do.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I’m doing a solo episode to share my thoughts on selecting the best products and materials to bring into your home. Much of the work I do involves helping people understand the specifications for products and materials, find what will work best for them, and provide them with the necessary health and wellness benefits when they do a design, remodel, or big build project.
A health and wellness remodel in our kitchen
My husband and I recently did a small remodel in our kitchen. We called it a health and wellness remodel because the kitchen was small, and we wanted to make it spacious enough for us to cook together.
Home repairs
We also had some significant cracks in our dry walls, so we called in several professionals to take a look. One of them thought there might be a crack in the concrete slab under the floor too- and he was right! So, we had that fixed and replaced floor.
Materials
Our designer was Christy Howell from CRH Design Build in Oklahoma City. After she set out how everything would look, we had to select the materials.
Limitations
We ran into some limitations with supply chain shortages and had to make some trade-offs. Going through that process helped me understand things from the client’s perspective!
Green labels
Green labels give an independent third-party verification for products that have been researched and tested. I advocate for using trusted green labels when selecting materials or products for your home or the homes you are building or remodeling.
Goals
Start your remodel by considering your goals and laying out what works.
Choosing materials that worked for us
For our home remodel, we wanted to use durable materials that would work well together and did not off-gas. We chose quartz countertops, and even though we had to do some trade-offs, we eventually found a flooring product we felt good about that worked for us. We also used tiles made with a lead-free glaze and zero-VOC paint for the walls and cabinets. (Unfortunately, we had to use a high-VOC primer to make the cabinets more durable.) We learned a lot from the process!
The Everyday Green Home Shop
The shop on Everyday Green Home is divided into many different categories. Most of us have an established relationship with Amazon, so all the products in the shop are sourced from Amazon. There is even a go-green edition of the Monopoly game available there!
Affiliate programs and brands
We have had direct affiliate relationships with several companies, and those affiliate programs are all still there. We are excited to have added some new affiliate partners too, and we hope to add a few more by the end of the year. We will also add the products we like to use ourselves, in our homes and daily lives, to the trusted partners and brands category.
Imperfect Foods
Imperfect Foods is a company that helps people avoid and fight food waste by repackaging and selling ugly produce and surplus foods at affordable prices. Most of their food is sourced sustainably. All the packaging is recyclable, and the food gets delivered right to your door.
Rothy’s shoes
Rothy’s shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles. They are super comfortable and have arch support! They are also washable.
Oka-B Shoes
Oka-B shoes are manufactured by a woman-owned company in Georgia. They are made from plant-based plastic and are recyclable. They are very comfortable with arch support.
Inventive ways to use resources
I love seeing the inventive ways in which people use the resources we already have in a new way! My son and his business partner have a company in St. Louis, Missouri, called Printerior Designs. They make filaments for 3-D printers from recycled plastic, and they also have a print farm that is growing steadily. I am super proud of him!
Small businesses
Many of us own small businesses, and we like to help one another out. I love finding products that support the cause and help other small businesses!
Trusted partners and brands
Partners are vital for reaching enough people, so I started building a network of businesses with which I had previously collaborated or shared content. I created a trusted partners and brands page on the Green Home Coach website so that we could all share our audiences and knowledge and make the network more official. I am very excited to finally get it off the ground and have the opportunity to share the word and pay things forward with the trusted partners and brands page!
I encourage all listeners to try some of the new companies, products, and new ways of thinking!
Have a great green day!
Links
Green Home Coach Trusted Partners and Brands
Everyday Green Home Shop
The Truth About Green Product Labels
Who Gives a Crap TP
Imperfect Foods
Ask your questions on the Love Your Everyday Green Home Private Facebook Group
We have some tremendous wicked problems in our society right now!
Wicked problems are how we describe some of today’s most challenging social issues. They call for us to reframe our notion of success because they may never get fully solved. Being successful with wicked problems means making a difference toward them, improving the outcomes, or reducing the risk.
Today, we are diving into the wicked problem of infrastructure.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! My co-host, Tony Pratte, and I are recording live at Shock City Studios in St. Louis, Missouri!
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is critical to our growth and progress as a society and how we transport water, people, and things. Newer cities in the US tend to have fewer problems with their infrastructure than some of the older cities in the eastern part of the country.
Old cities
St. Louis is one of the oldest cities in the United States. In most of the world’s older cities, we find bits and pieces that show us aspects of what the infrastructure used to be like in the past.
St. Louis
Many things come into play in St. Louis. It was founded in 1764, so it was around even before the United States of America. It is situated where east meets west in the United States and still holds that heritage. It also has different weather and cultural patterns.
The infrastructure of St. Louis
Parts of the infrastructure of St. Louis date back to 1764, and we don’t even know where much of it is. Several years ago, the foundation for a new high-rise got dug in the central-west end of the city, and they had to stop when they came across a hundred-plus-year-old water shoreline that nobody knew anything about.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The infrastructure needed to run our country and the built environment are very tightly linked. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is being looked at right now. There has been a lot of discussion about what infrastructure entails. Some interpretations are that infrastructure includes roads, buildings, the electric grid, and the services that enable people to connect and cities to work.
The infrastructure for a house
The infrastructure required for a house is immense! It includes sewers, storm-water systems, the electrical grid, internet, cable, gas, roads, fire hydrants, water, and more. The entire home infrastructure gets attached to a regional infrastructure provided by a company or organization, and then that gets tied into the national infrastructure.
Three electric grids
There are three electric grids in the United States. They are west of the Rockies, east of the Rockies, and in Texas. A lot of management goes on in the different power pools that most of us know nothing about!
Energy transitions
Energy transitions need to happen slowly to avoid losing any potential generation.
Physical infrastructure
Many discussions lately have been about how money gets allocated for building new physical infrastructure. Yet the existing infrastructure has not necessarily been well maintained. An example is the hundreds of bridges throughout the country that need repairs.
Political leaders
One of the reasons our infrastructure has reached a point where so much is in disrepair is that our political leaders seem to find it better to build new infrastructure instead of repairing what we already have.
Revitalizing Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City has a project to revitalize the city called the Maps Project. It is now in its fourth round.
Budget
We need the budget to maintain everything that gets built in our cities. Campaigns to raise capital funds are possible, but not for operating expenses. How we fund projects, and stock prices, are both parts of the problem.
Municipal meetings
One solution is to go to municipal meetings and speak out about any repairs or maintenance that needs to get done. There are also open forums where citizens can hear about the plans, how the money gets allocated, and voice their opinions.
Representatives
We have a strong we versus us mentality in this country, and we tend to see our government as separate from ourselves. We should realize that the people running our country are our representatives, not our leaders.
Taking responsibility
We need to tie our personal experience into the responsibility of asking our government representatives to be accountable for the way our infrastructure gets maintained. That means we have to be persistent when we ask them to do something and let them know that we will only vote for them if they take full responsibility for everything that has to get done.
Sustainability
Sustainability means that we can move into the future.
Controlling the infrastructure
Municipalities control much of our infrastructure daily, and organizations and companies control much of the infrastructure on a regional or national basis. Both of those matter, so they need to be addressed. They also need to connect.
A master plan
St. Louis municipalities need a master plan to speed up the creation of infrastructure for new developments and upgrade the existing infrastructure.
Three prominent issues
We have three prominent issues with our infrastructure:
- Fixing what we already have.
- New structures need to get built better.
- We must think ahead about the additional infrastructure that we need to grow.
Maintenance
Maintenance is a crucial part of keeping anything built in the best possible shape. It is the same with infrastructure.
Get involved
It can sometimes be hard to get involved with bigger issues. For many of us, it is easier to get involved locally, so show up at a city planning meeting. It will be worth showing up because your community and future may be affected.
Have a great green day!
Links:
What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program
Wicked Problem Definition
Delivering on the Promise of Federal Infrastructure Funds in States
Infrastructure Topics on GreenBiz
Strong Towns 101
EPA Green Infrastructure
Lately, I’ve been talking about health and wellness and how much it impacts our living environment. That means how we design, build or remodel a house or building, how we live in it, and how we interact with it.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! For the last few months, I have hosted one of my business partners on the podcast. It has been exciting to build a group of people who care about how people live in their homes!
Today, I am happy to have Christy Howell of CRH Design Build back on the show! Christy has been on The Everyday Green Home podcast several times before. I have enjoyed connecting with her and watching how she has progressed with transforming her business and how she shows up in Oklahoma and Oklahoma City as she learns more!
Mainstream culture
I moved back to Oklahoma City six years ago after living in St. Louis, where I got deeply involved with the sustainability culture. In St. Louis, the green culture eventually became part of the mainstream culture through work with the regional Chamber of Commerce. I loved being part of that evolution!
People care about their health
Christy and I have discovered a fair amount of interest in the green and sustainability culture because people care about their health. That is important because people’s health and how they live their lives blend.
Crafting the story
Oklahoma is very conservative. That sometimes closes people off from hearing the whole story. So we have learned to craft the story in a more meaningful way.
Professional Women in Building
Professional Women in Building is a council of the Homebuilders Association and a national council with the National Association of Homebuilders. It is all about supporting women in the building industry, trades, and the ancillary industries around the building industry.
Like-minded go-getters
It was fun and inspiring bringing Professional Women in Building back to Oklahoma City because it brought together a group of like-minded go-getters who were all parts of the building industry! Some great personal and professional relationships have emerged from that group.
Build My Future
Professional Women in Building was the genesis of, Build My Future, a construction career day for high school students. The Construct My Future camp for middle school students also came about after that.
Christy’s background
Christy started her career in interior design about twenty years ago. She was working for a homebuilder when she decided to spread her wings and open a design firm. After that, she moved on to her current design form, CRH Design Build. Christy is gradually educating herself as she educates others about her type of build.
A healthy home
With a wellness-inspired design aspect, a home built with a solid envelope creates a healthy home.
Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)
Insulated Concrete Forms are well-insulated life-sized Lego blocks used to create the envelope for solid, energy-efficient, health-oriented, air-tight, comfortable homes.
Mechanical ventilation
ICF homes are air-tight, so they require mechanical ventilation. (Affordable options are readily available.)
Remodels
Remodels tend to be more expensive than new construction.
My home remodel
We brought Christy in to do our home remodel. (Before that, she consulted with me about remodeling her parents’ home.) Being each other’s clients has been insightful for both of us! Our rebuild was green-oriented, and we also brought in some sustainability factors. Fortunately, we managed to salvage many of the old materials and donated them to be reused by those who needed them.
Why did we remodel?
Our main driver for remodeling our home was health and wellness because we spend a lot of time there. Another reason for our remodel was that during Covid, my husband and I started cooking together, but we soon discovered that our kitchen was too small.
Challenges
Some things were challenging to do. We had to work with supply chain issues, and we also had to educate our workforce about certain things and motivate them to learn some new habits. We also had to remove some click-and-lock flooring that was glued down.
Using products to their fullest capabilities
Christy likes to educate herself about the products she uses to ensure that the products she implements for her clients get used to their fullest capabilities.
Real wood floors
Real wood floors are natural and reasonably sustainable. They are also beautiful!
Trade-offs
There are always trade-offs because anything we touch on this planet will have an impact. So we need to accept that, be flexible, and adapt. We also need to understand how any given trade-off will impact us.
Dealing with issues
When an issue arises, Christy addresses it immediately. She communicates with the contractor and the client and does everything she can to rectify it.
Bringing our skills together
Christy and I are finding a way to bring our skills together when we work on a project. That allows us to create something better than we would have managed before.
A video series
Our goal is to put a video series of our entire project together, from start to finish, along with some commentary on things that others may be able to use in their home remodels. We hope to have it done by August or September. Christy and I plan to put it out on our respective channels at different times. You can learn more about it on Green Home Coach, Instagram, and Facebook.
Contractors
When we push contractors into the green and sustainable world, they tend to feel overwhelmed and want to keep on doing things how they did them before. Giving them information upfront helps them feel more comfortable with making a change.
Have a great green day!
Links:
What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program
CRH Design Build
Building in Wellness
Pursuing Green Home Certification
Sherwin Williams paint used in remodel
Ask your questions on the Love Your Everyday Green Home Private Facebook Group
Follow CRHDB on Instagram to see photos
Follow Green Home Coach on Instagram
Global challenges are abounding, and working in the world of sustainability, health, and wellness has brought many wicked problems to light.
We can describe some of the most challenging social issues we face today as wicked problems. With those problems, we have to re-frame our notion of success. Although they will never get entirely solved, success with wicked problems is about impacting or improving outcomes and mitigating risks.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am excited to be back in the studio today with my co-host, Tony Pratte, who is joining me to talk about the wicked problem of changing weather.
Stay tuned for more!
Crazy weather
There has been some crazy weather in St. Louis for the last couple of months! It has been raining a lot, and the driving downpours have caused many problems for land developers.
Lots of rain
Over the last decade or so, we have seen an increase in rainfall in the Oklahoma area. There has been unusual rainfall between March and November- and sometimes even December!
Changing weather patterns
Weather patterns appear to be changing everywhere. Even though some of it could be cycles, the changing weather over the last few years has been partially due to the increasing drought in the western part of the United States.
What is rain?
When the moisture in the air reacts with water in the ground, it rains. Currently, the ground out west lacks water, so rain is not getting triggered in that area. The moisture that should be causing rain in the west (in California, Arizona, and Nevada) is moving eastwards.
Extreme weather patterns
Lately, the extreme global weather patterns have become more extreme!
You cannot compare Oklahoma with St. Louis
You cannot compare Oklahoma with St. Louis because St. Louis is a meteorological anomaly. Most cities have two weather patterns. They are either affected by the Arctic or the Gulf of Mexico. St. Louis gets affected by both, so it has three weather patterns. For weather forecasting, two mathematical equations get combined. In St. Louis, there is a third equation that throws everything off.
A river effect
St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the second-largest freshwater flow in North America. So the state is surrounded by water. That causes a river effect, much like the lake effect at the Great Lakes, which amplifies many weather patterns. That matters because it helps us gauge the changes we see in the weather patterns.
Climate shift
Things that do not usually occur in certain parts of the country are happening a lot more, and strong weather patterns have been reported in the news. Scientific data shows that the weather is changing, and people are starting to accept it.
Water usage
Many large cities are in the desert. Air conditioning makes the heat bearable, but where does the water come from? A limited amount of fresh water exists on the planet that constantly gets recycled through the water cycle. A billion people have problems accessing clean water every day. Yet we keep building big cities in areas with no water (like Las Vegas), and more and more people keep moving to those locations.
Subsidized water
The water pumped to the desert cities gets subsidized, so people aren't aware of the real cost. If it was not subsidized, fewer people and businesses might move to those cities. That could relieve some of the strain on the natural resources of those locations and help stabilize the weather patterns.
Water rights
In the west and in California Central Valley, where a lot of food is grown, water prices are soaring. As the drought in that area worsens, people are buying up water rights. That has created a challenge for small farmers who are unable to compete with the huge conglomerates that own the water rights.
Is water an inalienable right?
The corporations that own the big farms can use their resources, create hedging strategies, and buy options on commodities like water. So people are talking about whether water is an inalienable right, and if it should be commoditized and purchased.
A perpetual cycle
Changing weather affects water patterns, and water patterns affect the weather. It is a perpetual cycle, so it is hard to know where to start if we want to change things.
Natural patterns
The natural patterns that exist will continue. If there is mismanagement, however, things get thrown out of whack, and problems tend to get amplified.
A wicked problem
The water issue is a wicked problem because it requires many different solutions. If we want to continue as a society, we need to figure out how to deal with the effects of the weather changes.
Change
Change is here, and it is unavoidable. No matter what, we will have to adapt, mitigate, and suffer.
The real cost of water
Mitigating and adapting will not solve this problem. If people were charged the actual cost of water in desert cities rather than subsidizing, it could prevent some future suffering.
Thinking differently
We have to start thinking differently about water and the changing weather patterns. Some people recognize that, so they use water wisely and consider ways to conserve it when building.
Figuring out how to obtain water
Although the agricultural community has probably adapted better than most by coming up with more efficient irrigation systems and using technology tools, we still have to figure out how to capture water and recharge the aquifers. Because thousands of acres of farmland and millions of people are affected by the weather changes.
Wasted water
The water from the heavy rains in Oklahoma City over the past weeks has been running through the storm-water systems and into the Gulf of Mexico. That water gets wasted because it mixes with salt water. It would be a much better idea to figure out a way to keep that water fresh and re-introduce it to the water cycle.
Using strategies to overcome the feast or famine effect
We can all do something for ourselves to overcome the feast or famine effect resulting from changing weather patterns. Small steps add up.
Gutters in Oklahoma
Gutters are not automatically fitted on houses in Oklahoma City because there is usually not enough rain to make them worthwhile. With the climate becoming wetter, more people are putting gutters onto their houses and installing rain barrels and rain gardens to capture the water.
No simple answers
There is no simple answer to the wicked problem of obtaining enough water for everyone with changing weather patterns. We need to have open and realistic discussions about what is changing weather and the water patterns. It does not matter who caused the problem. What does matter is that we have to fix it.
Some simple tips for becoming part of the solution:
- Use rain barrels (if they are legal in your state)
- Install a rain garden
- Buy local produce
- Use native plants for landscaping
- Stand up and speak out about the need for change
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program:
Green Home Coach
Study.com video: wicked problems definitions
EPA.gov climate indicators
Scienceline on how weather affects the way we live
EPA.gov
Weather.com - weather changes
National Geographic - climate change
CDC Climate Effects on Health
Psychiatry.org
We’re hearing a lot about health and wellness right now!
Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental well-being, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matter!
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I’d like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jillian Prichard Cooke, the Founder of Wellness Within Your Walls. Jillian is joining me today to tell her story and talk about her journey.
Stay tuned for more!
About Jillian
Jillian is a champion of wellness. She helps people connect wellness and health in their homes and buildings. She was recently appointed by the Global Wellness Institute as a Global Wellness Ambassador.
A compelling reason
Jillian had a very compelling reason for starting Wellness Within Your Walls: Sixteen years ago, she got involved with the very first Leed-certified home in the United States, in Atlanta Georgia, together with Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura and Rutherford approached the home from an angle of sustainability and systems. They explored greywater, water purification, solar, and smart home technology.
Points system
Laura and Rutherford were ahead of their time and were able to experience the Leed certification through the points system.
A health challenge
The Seydels and Jillian were consultants on the project, and Jillian experienced a massive physical and mental health challenge related to a cancer diagnosis. Her immediate concern was about where it came from and how it had happened.
Environmental
It was not genetic, so it had to be environmental, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The only constant in Jillian’s life had been her career in interior design, where she had been exposed to toxins regularly for forty years.
The birth of Wellness Within Your Walls
While she was working with Laura and Rutherford, Jillian decided to bring to their home a step beyond what their Leed program was about. That was the birth of Wellness Within Your Walls. They were asked to write a class for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IIDA CEU Credit. That eventually turned into a certification. After that, they made a concerted effort to understand how energy efficiency relates to houses.
A holistic approach
Many health and wellness benefits lie between energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. Jillian and I both support a holistic approach to the design-build process.
Everything is related
Everything is related, so when planning for energy efficiency, it is vital to put strategies in place that align with high performance and sustainability in the home and speak directly to health.
My involvement
Jillian and I met at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. (I am involved with the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Green Building Standard, the green certification endorsed by the National Association of Homebuilders.) Soon after meeting Jillian, I realized the wellness aspect of Wellness Within Your Walls would complement the National Green Building Standard- or any other green certification program.
Bridging
Wellness Within Your Walls bridges everything that is trade-related and bestows knowledge on consumers to assist them with their decision-making processes and advocating for themselves.
The Healthy Living System
The Healthy Living System is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the building and design industry. It is a ten-point strategy system that adopts everything that relates to health and wellness with other systems within the home and takes it beyond the physical build-out of the home. It starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light, and it includes physical, mental, and spiritual wellness and conscious and mindful consumption on the part of the consumer.
Food science
Another point within the Healthy Living System is food science. Food science is about more than nutrition. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) lays out what consumers should be doing regarding food science in the laundry room and kitchen, and strategies for buying food.
Behavior strategies
The last and most important point of the Healthy Living System, as it relates to the consumer, is about behavior strategies and the way consumers conduct themselves inside their homes.
HVAC systems
Air strategies in the home are vital because they can either spread or prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in the home. Jillian has a partnership with Aprilaire. They were prepared for the pandemic and shipped out personal ventilation units to purify the air in people’s homes and offices. Their 4-inch cassettes capture 99.5% of all airborne viral and bacterial particulates.
2020
2020 was disruptive, but it was also a paradigm shift- especially around health and wellness within the home.
Wellness Within Your Walls
Wellness Within Your Walls offers natural, sustainable, and responsible options for the things we use inside our homes. What sets them apart is they are not afraid to talk about chemicals and off-gassing strategies. They support consumers with healthy products and assist them with education and certification around their four Ps:
- People
- Places
- Programs
- Products
They are always willing to take on new projects outside of the normal wheelhouse of residential design and application. They recently got involved with social equity in less-served communities.
Mothers & Others for Clean Air
Mothers & Others for Clean Air is a non-profit group that advocates for clean air. They have put out a free Healthy Home Clean Air toolkit.
The three categories of the Healthy Living System:
- Natural options
- Sustainable options
- Responsible options
The ten Healthy Living System strategies:
- Clean Air
- Clean Water (Go to The Environmental Working Group and use your zip code to look up what is in your water.)
- Natural Light
- Chemical Control
- Physical Wellness
- Mental Wellness
- Spiritual Wellness
- Conscious Consumption
- Food Science
- Behavioral Strategies
Healthy Home Take Control
Jillian and I invite you to listen to the podcast series we started a while back called Healthy Home Take Control.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Connect with Jillian:
Email Jillian - Jillian@wellnessinyourwalls.com
Wellness With Your Walls
We’re hearing a lot about health and wellness right now!
Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental wellbeing, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matter!
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I’d like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jillian Prichard Cooke, the Founder of Wellness Within Your Walls. Jillian is joining me today to tell her story and talk about her journey.
Stay tuned for more!
About Jillian
Jillian is a champion of wellness. She helps people connect wellness and health in their homes and buildings. She was recently appointed by the Global Wellness Institute as a Global Wellness Ambassador.
A compelling reason
Jillian had a very compelling reason for starting Wellness Within Your Walls: Sixteen years ago, she got involved with the very first Leed-certified home in the United States, in Atlanta Georgia, together with Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura and Rutherford approached the home from an angle of sustainability and systems. They explored greywater, water purification, solar, and smart home technology.
Points system
Laura and Rutherford were ahead of their time and were able to experience the Leed certification through the points system.
A health challenge
The Seydels and Jillian were consultants on the project, and Jillian experienced a massive physical and mental health challenge related to a cancer diagnosis. Her immediate concern was about where it came from and how it had happened.
Environmental
It was not genetic, so it had to be environmental, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The only constant in Jillian’s life had been her career in interior design, where she had been exposed to toxins regularly for forty years.
The birth of Wellness Within Your Walls
While she was working with Laura and Rutherford, Jillian decided to bring to their home a step beyond what their Leed program was about. That was the birth of Wellness Within Your Walls. They were asked to write a class for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IIDA CEU Credit. That eventually turned into a certification. After that, they made a concerted effort to understand how energy efficiency relates to houses.
A holistic approach
Many health and wellness benefits lie between energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. Jillian and I both support a holistic approach to the design-build process.
Everything is related
Everything is related, so when planning for energy efficiency, it is vital to put strategies in place that align with high performance and sustainability in the home and speak directly to health.
My involvement
Jillian and I met at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. (I am involved with the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Green Building Standard, the green certification endorsed by the National Association of Homebuilders.) Soon after meeting Jillian, I realized the wellness aspect of Wellness Within Your Walls would complement the National Green Building Standard- or any other green certification program.
Bridging
Wellness Within Your Walls bridges everything that is trade-related and bestows knowledge on consumers to assist them with their decision-making processes and advocating for themselves.
The Healthy Living System
The Healthy Living System is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the building and design industry. It is a ten-point strategy system that adopts everything that relates to health and wellness with other systems within the home and takes it beyond the physical build-out of the home. It starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light, and it includes physical, mental, and spiritual wellness and conscious and mindful consumption on the part of the consumer.
Food science
Another point within the Healthy Living System is food science. Food science is about more than nutrition. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) lays out what consumers should be doing regarding food science in the laundry room and kitchen, and strategies for buying food.
Behavior strategies
The last and most important point of the Healthy Living System, as it relates to the consumer, is about behavior strategies and the way consumers conduct themselves inside their homes.
HVAC systems
Air strategies in the home are vital because they can either spread or prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in the home. Jillian has a partnership with Aprilaire. They were prepared for the pandemic and shipped out personal ventilation units to purify the air in people’s homes and offices. Their 4-inch cassettes capture 99.5% of all airborne viral and bacterial particulates.
2020
2020 was disruptive, but it was also a paradigm shift- especially around health and wellness within the home.
Wellness Within Your Walls
Wellness Within Your Walls offers natural, sustainable, and responsible options for the things we use inside our homes. What sets them apart is they are not afraid to talk about chemicals and off-gassing strategies. They support consumers with healthy products and assist them with education and certification around their four Ps:
- People
- Places
- Programs
- Products
They are always willing to take on new projects outside of the normal wheelhouse of residential design and application. They recently got involved with social equity in less-served communities.
Mothers & Others for Clean Air
Mothers & Others for Clean Air is a non-profit group that advocates for clean air. They have put out a free Healthy Home Clean Air toolkit.
The three categories of the Healthy Living System:
- Natural options
- Sustainable options
- Responsible options
The ten Healthy Living System strategies:
- Clean Air
- Clean Water (Go to The Environmental Working Group and use your zip code to look up what is in your water.)
- Natural Light
- Chemical Control
- Physical Wellness
- Mental Wellness
- Spiritual Wellness
- Conscious Consumption
- Food Science
- Behavioral Strategies
Healthy Home Take Control
Jillian and I invite you to listen to the podcast series we started a while back called Healthy Home Take Control.
Have a great green day!
Links and resources:
Connect with Jillian:
Email Jillian - Jillian@wellnessinyourwalls.com
Wellness With Your Walls https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/
Healthy Living System from WWYW https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/10-step-approach/
Healthy Home | Take Control™ Podcast https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/podcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-pritchard-cooke-7ba8bb140/
Connect with Marla:
Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and healthier products
Healthy Living System from WWYW https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/10-step-approach/
Healthy Home | Take Control™ Podcast https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/podcast/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-pritchard-cooke-7ba8bb140/
Connect with Marla:
https://wellnesswithinyourwalls.com/
Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and healthier products
Wicked Problems: Trade-offs of electric vehicles with Tony Pratte
The topic of wicked problems has been inspiring some interesting conversations lately!
Driving electric vehicles rather than those powered by internal combustion engines is fascinating for Tony and me! Recently, Tony sent me an article explaining that what we need right now is an honest and comprehensive evaluation of the entire life cycle of clean energy- from raw materials through disposition. Up to now, we have only heard about the benefits of clean energy, so we need to understand the real cost of clean energy, including the negatives and the environmental impact.
In reality, there is a trade-off for everything we do, and if we fail to look at both sides, we have no way of knowing whether or not we are making the right decision.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, my co-host, Tony the Green Guy, is joining me to talk about various aspects of electric vehicles and the vehicles we know. We will also dive into the decision-making processes and the life-cycle analysis.
Energy independence
During a recent special election for a new Senior Senator for Oklahoma, a previously conservative candidate sent out a flyer saying that we need to restore our energy independence. He was referring to fossil fuels because Oklahoma is an oil and gas state. But energy is not the fuel, and ironically, Oklahoma has made a big investment in alternative energy sources.
Trade-offs
There are certain things we need to transition away from, but they have to remain part of the process until we find an infrastructure that can handle the alternative. There are trade-offs for everything, so it is vital for us to know if the alternatives are better than what we currently have.
Solar
Most of us think solar is a good idea. But nobody talks about how solar affects wildlife or where the materials used to make the solar panels come from.
Honest discussions
We need to be willing to have honest discussions about alternative energy sources. We need to listen and be open to hearing things that might make us uncomfortable. Those conversations can be challenging, so when we have them, we need to put the problem in front of us, not between us!
Electric vehicles
The number of electric vehicles in Oklahoma is increasing almost daily! Electric vehicles have many advantages. There is no waiting in line for gas, and they require less maintenance. On the flip side, motor mechanics will have to find new ways to use their skills, and fuel stations will have to diversify over time.
Internal combustion engines
Internal combustion engines will still be around for quite some time because the infrastructure for EVs still has to be created.
No one answer
It might help if we have more options to ease us into things as they change. A solution might be a combination of several ideas or possibly a hybrid approach.
Hybrid
Hybrid vehicles could be a good option because they will allow people to drive electric in the city or for short trips and use the internal combustion engine for longer trips.
BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement)
Many people use BATNA to look at everything they do because if something does not work out, it means they will already have the next best thing in mind.
Budgets and affordability
Budgets can influence people’s decisions when choosing a vehicle. Apart from the budget, there are also many other things that can influence their choices. Creating a grid to compare the affordability, the various options, and the trade-offs can help a lot!
Sustainability
The manufacture of any electric item, batteries, in particular, requires a lot of rare earth minerals. Unfortunately, rare earth minerals are not a sustainable resource because they are mined. We need to understand that our natural resources are limited, and mining has a massive impact on the environment. In some countries, mining even infringes on human rights.
Life cycle analysis
As consumers, we should have transparency around the origin of everything we buy. That falls into the life cycle analysis of products, which has been a big push in sustainability reporting. Electric vehicles have big batteries, so the life cycle analysis of those batteries is important to consider.
ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting
Much of the transparency we are seeing right now in various industries is a result of ESG reporting.
Asking questions
It is vital that we ask questions to ensure that the products we buy align with our values. We need to know the trade-offs, where the materials used to manufacture the products come from, and whether the materials were resourced in a responsible and sustainable way.
Recycling and reusing
It is in our best interest to recycle and reuse electronic components because they are made of hazardous materials- often rare earth, and therefore cannot be placed in landfills. We will have to reuse those materials in the future because we are sure to run into a serious supply chain issue when no internal combustion engines and only EVs are manufactured within the next eight to thirteen years. In Oklahoma City, there is a place for recycling, reconditioning, and repurposing electric vehicle batteries.
Better solutions
As a society, we need to look for better solutions for everyone! To get from a fossil fuel-based society to an alternative energy-based society, we will initially have to marry the two together. The percentages will change over time as fossil fuel gets phased out and the infrastructure for alternative energy grows and improves.
Mining is not sustainable
We will have to recycle electronic materials in the future because mine developments and the mining of many of the necessary minerals are not sustainable.
Wicked problems
Wicked problems are here to stay, so having these conversations is vital! We hope you will put some of your thoughts and energy into helping to solve some of these problems!
Have a great green day!
Resources:
What Makes a Green Home Green - Audio Program
https://greenhomecoach.ac-page.com/wmaghg-direct
Environmental downside of EVs
https://fee.org/articles/the-environmental-downside-of-electric-vehicles/
Pros and cons of EVs (based on driving, fuel input, maintenance, etc)
https://earth911.com/eco-tech/pros-cons-electric-vehicles/
EVs are not "zero emissions"
https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/
Battery remanufacturing, reuse, and recycling - company here in OKC Spiers Technology https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/okc-based-spiers-new-technologies-keeps-electric-vehicles-on-road-with-pioneering-battery-remanufacturing-services/
and https://www.spiersnewtechnologies.com/
EV myths https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths
Fuels Institute weighs in on life cycle analysis
https://www.fuelsinstitute.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=8e633fd7-0153-43ad-b9a5-7cb795b22f93
A research overview of life-cycle assessments for gas-powered and electric vehicles
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/awalker.pdf
What is wellness real estate?
We hear a lot about wellness real estate lately. Sheila Alston knew nothing about it until she started thinking of ways to bring health and home together. After doing some research, she discovered that wellness real estate had already become a 134-billion dollar industry two years earlier!
The very first wellness lifestyle community was built near Atlanta, Georgia. It has been a great success, and people love living there!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am super excited to introduce you to my guest, Sheila Alston, the creator of WellnessRE Magazine! She is joining me today to talk about wellness real estate and how to make the connection between a healthy home and a healthy life. Stay tuned for more!
Wellness real estate
Forward-thinking developers are building wellness-based communities and creating neighborhoods that support a healthy lifestyle. Rather than just building a suburban area with a community pool, they have been thinking more about the design. Wellness neighborhoods include green features and amenities centered around a community farm or some other aspect of wellness to benefit those living there and bring them together.
Growing in leaps and bounds
Wellness real estate has grown in leaps and bounds over the last two years. Last November, it was said to be worth 275 billion dollars!
How Sheila got into wellness real estate
When her kids went off to college Sheila became a real estate agent. She also got a health coaching certification, but being a health coach did not feel like her calling. She wanted to find a way to bring health and home together, so she researched wellness real estate and found that it sparked her interest.
WellnessRE Magazine
When Sheila got her real estate license, she wanted to stand out from the other real estate agents and provide value. She also wanted to educate people on creating a healthier home environment. So, she started a podcast to interview experts in the field. She met wellness architects, home biologists, and other businesspeople doing amazing things in the industry. After a few months, she decided to create a digital magazine as a tool to position herself differently within real estate, forge deeper connections with people, and help people live better in their homes.
Green homes versus wellness
Green homes have been around for some time, but many think that they focus only on energy efficiency. (note from Marla - This is a common misconception, yet certified green homes are built or remodeled holistically with many health and wellness benefits in addition to efficiencies.) Sheila understands that wellness is more than just green. It is about people living well and thriving in their homes.
Making the connection
Sheila went to the Integrated Institute of Nutrition (IIN) and learned that health and wellness are more than just diet and exercise. Toxins in your home environment could be detrimental to your health and manifest as chronic pain or discomfort. Yet many people fail to make the connection between their health and their homes.
Driving change
People- professionals, in particular, need to understand the “why”, the value, and the benefits of people living better in their homes. Both Sheila and I want to help people with solutions and drive change. Real estate professionals are in a perfect position to be change agents because they are at the intersection between people and their homes.
Helping people
Many real estate agents want to help people, but they end up sharing and educating on the transaction rather than sharing information about the home environment. Or helping people love their homes and feel more comfortable in them. Surrounding themselves with green and healthy home experts, and having a toolkit of healthy resources, is a good way for agents to help people live better and more comfortably in their homes.
Mindset
Real estate agents need to educate people about the benefits of homes because most people don’t really care about the features of a home, but they do care about the benefits. It will help if agents adopt a mindset of guiding people rather than trying to sell to them.
Healthy homes
Most people want healthier homes that are easier to maintain. Since Covid, more people are starting to understand that health and homes go hand-in-hand.
Home town or home base
Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group said homes had become hometowns instead of home bases during the pandemic. A hometown is where you find schools, stores, work, and play. During the lockdowns, all of that happened within our homes.
How well your home takes care of you
It is vital to consider how well your home takes care of you.
A Wellness Kitchen
Many couples enjoy cooking together. A Wellness Kitchen is laid out and set up to have enough space for two people to cook comfortably together.
Where to start with making your home healthier
Sheila recommends that people start by de-cluttering their homes. Clutter is overwhelming for the brain and nervous system. When a home is clean and tidy, it is a lot less stressful when walking into it or waking up in it. Another thing would be to regularly change the air filters on the ventilation system because clean air is vital in any home. It would also be helpful to install a water filtration system, so you always have good clean water to drink.
Color
Color is like medicine. Many people don’t realize how important it is to surround themselves with colors they enjoy. Use calming colors in calm spaces. Ask a color specialist if you need some help. Remember to use only use low or no VOC paint.
Sheila’s book
Sheila recently wrote a book to inspire real estate professionals to learn about wellness real estate. Her book will also help real estate professionals talk about wellness real estate more easily, and deepen their relationships with their clients. The book is intentionally short, so it is a quick read.
Upgrade
You can upgrade to a wellness house by adding spa amenities like an exercise room, an infrared sauna, a pool, or sports courts. Those amenities will help you lead a healthier lifestyle.
Have a great green day!
Links:
Join WellnessRE Pro
WellnessRE Magazine
Sheila's Book
The Wellness Real Estate Podcast
Sheila's podcast Blooming - A Healthy Home by Design, and I got to be on!
Wellness Agents on Instagram
WellnessRE Magazine on Instagram
We face so many challenges in our world today! That is why we need to connect the dots between our homes, and the health of our communities.
Many of us don’t make the connection between our health, our homes, and the health of the world at large. Yet sometimes, without us even knowing it, the products in our homes make us sick. Or they impact our safety and comfort.
It all starts with us. Even though it might feel overwhelming, we need to understand that each one of us holds the world in our hands, and it is OUR challenge to take care of it.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and my co-host and partner in podcasting, Tony Pratte, aka The Green Guy, from The Sound Room, is with me! We are kicking off a new series today called Wicked Problems! Stay tuned for more!
What is a wicked problem?
Wicked problems are social or cultural problems that are difficult or almost impossible to solve. They are deeply complex problems that are broad in scope and large in scale. Most people have a hard time wrapping their heads around wicked problems.
The characteristics of wicked problems
- They are all unique
- They have multiple uncertain root causes
- There is a vast and open-ended source of possible solutions
- They involve numerous and varied stakeholders
- They can be improved but never really solved
Solving wicked problems
All solutions for wicked problems involve large-scale changes in behavior, structure, and technology. Those solutions will probably create new problems and have unintended consequences.
The deal
There are many wicked problems in our world today. We are all about creating better health for people and society. But we understand that that could bring about even more wicked problems.
Super-wicked problems
There is a sub-category of wicked problems called Super-Wicked Problems. They are characterized by time running out, having no decision-maker in charge, and those seeking to solve the problem also causing problems.
Many of the complex problems we face today fit this description. And the tough part is that we all likely contribute to the wicked problems, and we all have the power to be part of the solution.
Trade-offs
There are trade-offs for everything we do in our everyday lives.
Personal health
Although there is a lot of emphasis on personal health right now, people don’t understand all the factors that may impact their health. There are also many different stakeholders in personal health, and they all many have competing viewpoints.
Trust
We are reaching a point where people are starting to tune out of all the information because they don’t know who to trust.
A disconnected world
I am all about the connectedness we feel inside us because even with all the technology available today, we still live in a disconnected world. A growing number of people are anesthetized today and tend to separate their feelings from whatever is happening in the world around them.
Connectedness
People need to understand that there is a connectedness between the various parts of where we function as humans and our health. Covid has helped with that understanding because it changed our appreciation for our personal space, relationships, and daily routines.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Since the start of the pandemic, survival mode (in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) has become more prevalent in most people’s lives, and health has come to the fore for most of us.
The global economy
Many of our daily habits (like drinking coffee or sending our plastic waste overseas for developing countries to deal with) involve the global economy. During Covid, many things became unobtainable. Since then, we have become more accepting of everything available to us.
Thinking differently about our homes
Spending all our time at home during Covid made us think about our homes differently, and we started noticing things that we were too busy to see before.
Healthier habits
Many of us adopted healthier habits during the lockdown period. We started walking regularly or gardening because we had the time to do so. Doing those things also helped us connect with nature.
Connecting our health to the world health
Knowing how to connect our health to world health could be classified as a wicked problem. A statement made by John Holdren, a Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Harvard during the Obama administration, helps us put that into perspective. He said we have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We will do some of each, but the question is what the next will be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be needed and the less suffering there will be.
Addressing wicked problems
When addressing wicked problems, we need to define what success looks like for that problem. Usually, success becomes improved outcomes, acceptable behavior, and reduced risk.
The common good
There is great value in making the common good equal to our own. We need to understand that everything we buy, or use in our homes and daily lives, has an impact. Changing some of those can be a way of mitigating the health effects on ourselves, our communities, and the planet.
Natural products
No chemicals or synthetic fertilizers are used in the production of organic food. That benefits us, the farmers, and those manufacturing organic or more natural products. Using more natural products in our homes will have a similar benefit for us, those involved in producing the products, and the planet.
Dealing with wicked problems
To succeed when dealing with wicked problems, it helps to start small and get to a place where you have adapted and mitigated, and you are dealing with less suffering. Remember that small wins will breed momentum.
Three ways to get started with dealing with the wicked problem of connecting our health, home, and world:
- Swap out two or three products you use every day for better (healthier and more natural/ethical) products.
- Only support companies that make products and offer services in line with your values and make concerted efforts to improve the world and people’s lives.
- Speak up. Have conversations with people about using healthier products, developing their values, and forming better habits.
Taking action
These are not always easy things to think about, but taking small steps is easy, and that is where it starts! Remember, you don’t have to solve the problem- you only need to make an impact!
Earth Day
Most people, women, in particular, tend to wear many different hats! Having a home that works for you rather than against you can make a critical difference in your day-to-day living.
As women, we play a vital role in connecting the dots between our homes, our health, and the health of those for whom we care. As mothers, we like to stand up for our families, friends, and communities because we want our children, grandchildren, and future generations to have a good, safe, and healthy life.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Join me on Earth Day for a micro workshop where you will discover the connection between your home, your health, and the health of the larger world! You will have the chance to do a Dream Your Home exercise to uncover how you want your home to feel and perform for everyone living there! We will wrap up with some simple steps to improve your well-being via the connection between your home and your health.
Find us on Facebook Live on the Green Home Coach page at 11 am central time, on Friday, April 22nd, 2022. RSVP on the Green Home page to get your Dream Your Home worksheet! See you there on Earth Day!
Links:
Earth Day Webinar (complimentary) https://www.facebook.com/events/723921088968810?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%7D]%7D
EGH Podcast Your Comfort, Health and Safety: Start Where You Live https://greenhomecoach.com/your-comfort-health-and-safety-start-where-you-live/
EGH Podcast Just for the Health of It https://greenhomecoach.com/maintaining-a-healthy-home/
https://porch.com/resource/climate-change-home-ownership
IAQ is the next Big Deal, Shelton Group https://sheltongrp.com/IAQ-Is-the-Next-Big-Deal
Two Things Maslow Can Teach Us About What is Happening Right Now, Shelton Group https://sheltongrp.com/two-things-maslow-can-teach-us-about-whats-happening-right-now/
You know what they say, “ Reduce, reuse and recycle.” Well, there are now four Rs. The first is REFUSE, which gives us the power to stop things from happening by simply refusing them. If we follow the 4 Rs to a T, then our world will be better for all those who come after us. Even though I’m sure you can think of plenty of examples of how society bearded itself over time with excessive production rates (I'm looking at YOU plastic bag!) and disposable containers, all hope is not lost! There is always a little room to improve our mindsets to be more cognizant of the 4 Rs, including minimizing what we purchase.
Tony’s bio
Tony is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is responsible for building relationships between home builders and The Sound Room System designers to help create the ultimate home experience.
Tony has been working in the construction industry for more than eighteen years. During that time, he has been building relationships, and he has become a valued part of the construction team, assisting his builder clients with delivering their customers’ dreams. He is currently a member of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri, where he also served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2011. His specialties are builder development, industry networking, and interior design.
Is buying disposable worth it?
In our current world, the general mindset is one of a “disposable society.” And as such, people believe everything should be replaced when it gets old or worn out - even if this means they're constantly spending money to keep up appearances or to save themselves a bit of time.
Another important R
The fourth R stands for Refuse. You can simply all-out refuse to buy or use things that you don't need, like straws, plastic water bottles, plastic bags; it’s an easy way of reducing your environmental footprint without compromising on convenience! For example, if you buy a new appliance, you must do something with the old one. Look for someone who is in need of it, or try selling it to help recover part of the costs of the new one.
Repairability; yet another R
Repairability is very important because it conserves resources, and extends the reusability of items. We don’t need to make more piles in landfills with items that could be repaired and used.
Plastics
The plastic problem has been around for a long time, but it’s only recently that we have started to truly comprehend just how bad of an impact it is having. We constantly hear about the harm done by single-use plastics and what needs to happen in order to resolve these problems once and for all - yet nothing seems to be taken seriously enough!
Refuse!
The solution may lie within us though. Can you imagine your life without coffee cups or straws? Refuse to buy things you don’t need. It seems like a small price to pay for the greater good.
Links and resources:
The Sound Room
Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Bags from Everday Green Home
Single-Use Plastics 101
Electronics Donation and Recycling
Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products
Earth 911 - living/well-being
Earth 911 - garden/air conditioning
What if you could run your business in such a way that it was actually good for society? A Force For Good! That's what Gail Garey, founder of Impact 360 Strategies says she wants to do. Her love of the outdoors and corporate background set up this work with B Corporations- those companies who are pledging themselves as forces against social isolation through innovation or environmentalism or some other positive cause -and not just making money off people’s needs.
Gail's mission is to guide and empower business professionals around the world with her expertise in environmentally friendly, socially responsible sustainable practices. She provides tips for individuals looking at greening their company while also sharing information about how we can all make an impact on this important issue ourselves!
Gail’s bio
Gail is the founder of Impact 360 Strategies. Her mission is to guide and empower business professionals to accelerate environmentally friendly and socially responsible sustainable business practices that improve the bottom line and create positive social change.
Gail’s background
Gail's background is in corporate work. She left her job a few years ago to pursue an exciting new opportunity that’s better aligned with what she loves.
Natural therapy
Nature has always been a source of therapy for Gail. Whether it's running outside or going hiking with her dogs, skiing cross-country in winter, and garden work during summer - the natural world provides peace that she can't find anywhere else.
Interview
When Gail interviewed Marla some time back for a video series that she was hosting, the idea for sending a bi-monthly email newsletter emerged. The email contains tips about what all individuals can do as part of individual efforts to empower themselves while also protecting our planet.
Important work taking place
There are a lot of really great things happening in environmental space these days, from fighting climate change to researching new solutions and taking actions on the corporate level, and especially at the individual level!
Consulting business
Gail, a seasoned management professional, and environmentalist, is excited to launch her consulting business, Impact 360. Strategies shared will provide guidance in taking environmentally-friendly practices from concept through implementation with the goal of improving bottom lines as well creating positive social change.
Health
We all have the opportunity to make a difference in our health and in that of the planet. By making mindful choices, we can improve what it means for us now as well as influence future generations.
B corporations
One of the reasons Gail loves the B Corporation movement is because it allows us, as consumers and investors, to make informed decisions about which companies we support.
B corporation awareness
Part of what Gail’s consulting firm focuses on is increasing the awareness of people about the B Corporation movement and working with purpose-driven companies that want to become certified as B Corporations.
What is a b corporation?
- B Corporation is the certification of a company.
- B Corporations are companies that marry profits with purpose. They are committed to working for environmental and social benefits, as well as making a profit.
- A rigorous, independent, third-party verification process with the non-profit entity, B Lab ensures that those companies meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and transparency. The successful companies get a logo to inform people that they are, indeed, B Corporations.
Links and resources:
Gail’s Website
Impact 360 Strategies - Gail's Company
B Corporation - A New Kind of Business That Balances Purpose and Profit
B The Change - The Stories of People Using Business as a Force for Good
Find a B Corp
Everyday Green Home Shop
Everyday Green Home’s Products From B Corp
Today’s show topic is very exciting to me. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for improving eco-friendly living spaces. Everything varies according to your needs, style, and budget!.
Today, Tony Pratte joins us and discusses how we can “green up” our homes! He reminds us of exciting opportunities we all have to reuse or reconstruct previously discarded materials and incorporate them into useful things for our homes; while feeling good about keeping discarded items out of the landfills!
Incremental green
This is incremental green! As you care for, maintain and upgrade your home one step at a time - like painting or replacing do-hickeys with Volatile Organic Compound free paints & products--you’ll be providing an enhanced experience for everyone living in the house by making it healthier, safer (and more comfortable).
Marla’s point-of-view
There are many parts to a home, and lots of things inside every house, so breaking everything down into five different categories is a helpful way to avoid feeling overwhelmed when you’re thinking about all you need to do, to green your home.
The five different categories are:
- The place where your home sits on the land.
- All the materials and the different products that are brought into the house to make it a home.
- Energy
- Water
- Breathing
Everything that happens outside of your home fits category 1, like windows and natural light, trees for shade, rain barrels, and garden plants and flowers.
Category 2 could be as simple as using reused, recycled, bio-based or wood-based materials in your home, and sourcing your materials locally.
For category 3, make sure that any new appliance you buy has Energy Star, repair whatever you can, upgrade your lighting to LEDs, and buy the kind of plugs that you can turn on and off remotely.
For category 4, you need to do whatever you can to conserve water. Don’t leave the water running when you’re brushing your teeth, shaving, or doing the dishes.
Breathing, in category 5, is all about the indoor air quality in your home. This category is most closely tied to your health and wellness. A good place to start is with the air filters in your heating and cooling units.
Marla’s top 3 green tips:
- Use LED lightbulbs
- Use only green cleaning products
- Use only recycled or non-tree toilet paper so that you don’t end up flushing a forest down the toilet.
Links and resources:
- Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
- Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
- Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products (link words "Everyday Green Home Shop")
- Incremental Green article, County Living Magazine
- Green As You Go - Paint by Numbers
What does it mean to buy green?
There are no standard definitions for the words used to describe green products, so we sometimes tend to confuse products that sound green or claim to be green with those that truly are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Some companies intentionally use words like natural or eco-friendly as a marketing ploy to imply that their products are better for you and the environment than they may actually be. That is known as greenwashing. Unfortunately, many companies that greenwash their products spend a lot more time and money on marketing than on becoming more sustainable and ecologically friendly.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am pulling a podcast out of the archives in which Tony Pratte, my regular co-host, and I dive into the concept of greenwashing. In our conversation, we explain what you can do get above and beyond greenwashing, take action, and do better. We focus on green labels for the home and explain how they can work for you. Green labels for the home cover everything from energy efficiency to water efficiency to resource efficiency to toxin-free products and recycled materials. Stay tuned for more!
Green Guides
Greenwashing has been going on for a couple of decades now. Lately, people have been getting more concerned about it. Due to the current uncertainty surrounding the environmental and eco-friendly claims that companies have been making, the Federal Trade Commission has created green guides to help ensure that marketing claims regarding the environmental attributes of products are substantiated and truthful.
Wise up to greenwashing
We all need to wise up to greenwashing and realize that we vote with our dollars. Many of us base our purchasing decisions on the performance, sustainability, and culture of the companies we buy from. So we are usually willing to pay a moderate premium for products made by people and companies authentically committed to being better environmental and health stewards.
Green labels
A lot of research goes into figuring out if products are what they claim to be. Green labels prove that research has been done on products by a green label-certified independent third party. Green labels give us guidelines to ensure that the products we buy will protect us, our families, and our fellow human beings. If the third party did not exist, anyone would be able to do or say whatever they wanted about any product. Green labels give us the peace of mind that comes from knowing we are using something better.
Greenwashing
The term greenwashing got coined about ten years ago. It gets used when someone thinks or hopes, rather than knows, that a product is green. It is nothing more than marketing hype or the misdirection of consumers because, although something gets claimed to be good for the environment, in reality, that may or may not be so.
The FCC and greenwashing
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has put out rules about what you may say and claims you may make about a product. There is also a standard code of ethics for marketers, and the American Marketing Association has specific rules that forbid marketers from making any unsubstantiated claims.
Using 'green' terms
Many people- even those in the home-building industry, do not understand fully what green terms mean. Nor do they understand their value. And they often do not even know how to use the terms correctly. So they tend to throw them around loosely, without understanding the consequences or the ramifications that are sure to follow. For example, a home that has Energy Star-certified, energy-efficient windows cannot be described as an energy-efficient home simply because it has an energy-efficient feature in it.
No real meaning
Some terms have no real meaning to the FCC, like natural, which is often used to describe food and personal care products.
Specific rules
There are some specific rules for using the word 'organic' to describe products.
The goal of green labels
Green labels exist to give people something tangible, and reliable parameters around a particular characteristic. They help us to understand more about what we are buying.
Having peace-of-mind around energy-efficiency
Lately, many companies are doing things that are more sustainably-minded. There are multiple levels on which we can choose to engage with the companies that are doing things better.
Guidelines
Green labels give us all the necessary guidelines to ensure that we are doing something impactful that will protect our families, ourselves, and fellow human beings without doing all the research.
Everyday Green Home Shop
To help you, I have started putting a lot of products in my Everyday Green Home shop that have green labels. For the products that do not have green labels, I go through the vetting process I learned from the Green Building Standard to ensure that they meet the requirements needed for a Green Home Certification. For the personal care products in my shop, I refer to the Environmental Working Group.
Taking small steps
You can green your entire home, taking one small step at a time. Some steps to take in that direction are:
- Energy Star - It covers 1000s of quality products including complete home certification. Choose these products when you decide to upgrade or change anything electrical in your home.
- Water Sense - It covers, for water, much the same as Energy Star does for energy. Choose these products when it is time to upgrade or replace your washing machine, dishwasher, faucets, showerheads, or plumbing fixtures.
- Green Guard - This certification tells you that a product, usually for woodwork or cleaning, has fewer toxins in it, and it meets California's requirements for air quality.
- Start taking control of the quality of the air you let into the house.
- Cradle To Cradle is a new energy-saving concept for both products and processes. It is an efficient way to use resources.
How green labels apply in other parts of our life and for homes
The US Green Building Council has LEED (Leadership, Energy, and Environmental Design). It is available for homes. There is also the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and local and regional green building standards, like Green Build Texas, Green Build Washington, and Earthcraft Homes in the South-East.
There are also energy-efficient only certifications, like Energy Star, for homes and new homes. Home Energy Ratings Score (HERS) is a home energy ratings score index or a scale of energy efficiency which assesses the energy usage and relates it to an existing home.
Sustainability is about more than just the products
Sustainability is about society and living standards. It is about how people get treated and the wages they are paid.
Referral links:
My website Green Home Coach
1-https://greenhomecoach.com/shop/ Everyday Green Home shop for curated better and green products (link words "Everyday Green Home Shop")
2-Green Guard products on Amazon (needs my affiliate added in) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=greenguard&rh=p_n_cpf_eligible%3A21512497011&dc&crid=DO9J421RCZB3&qid=1644108145&rnid=21512496011&sprefix=green+guard%2Caps%2C257&ref=a9_sc_1
3-Signposts for Better Product Choices with Green Labels https://greenhomecoach.com/the-truth-about-green-product-labels/
4-The Truth About Green Product Labels https://greenhomecoach.com/the-truth-about-green-product-labels/
5-EPA Buying Green for Consumers https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/buying-green-consumers
6-A Guide to Greenwashing and How to Spot it from EcoWatch https://www.ecowatch.com/greenwashing-guide-2655331542.html
7-FTC Green Guides https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/federal_register_notices/guides-use-environmental-marketing-claims-green-guides/greenguidesfrn.pdf
8- Energy Star www.energystar.gov
9-The Environmental Working Group - https://www.ewg.org/
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Can business be a force for good?
There is a huge transition taking place within our culture and society right now. We are seeing some fascinating changes, many of which are being integrated from the younger generations up to the older generations.
Whether we realize it or not, most of us vote with our pocketbooks. Today's younger generations only support the companies that uphold the values they want to encourage. My generation tends to buy from companies we believe in. Those companies share our values and do things that we feel are important. We also like to get involved and make things happen.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I am pulling an episode out of the archives today with Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group. In our conversation, Suzanne and I dive into the notion of companies being a force for good.
Suzanne is an optimistic and inspiring individual with a wealth of relevant information! She founded The Shelton Group, which has done a lot of research and focuses on sustainability, social justice, and the emerging idea of ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) within the mainstream.
Suzanne is a huge believer in business! She understands that when companies benefit from their actions, it inspires them to do more. She and I agree that businesses can be an agent of change and help us wrestle with some of the big immoral problems that exist out there today. Stay tuned for more!
The Shelton Group
The Shelton Group is the country’s leading marketing communications firm that focuses exclusively on the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) space. It is there to help companies gain a market advantage as a result of what they do to create a sustainable and socially just world.
Suzanne founded the company twenty-nine years ago, and they have focused on the ESG space for the last fifteen years.
How The Shelton Group achieves its aim
The Shelton Group achieves its aim by creating ongoing insights gatherings to discuss the thinking and the expectations of the market and how people’s thoughts and expectations translate into the brands they prefer and the products they buy.
Those insights then get applied as marketing communication strategies and communication platforms which the company then amplifies out, over time, on behalf of their clients.
The bias of the Shelton Group
The Shelton Group believes in the power of organizations and entrepreneurialism. It fundamentally trusts in the strength and intensity of business and competition.
Suzanne thinks she is also wired that way!
A force for good
Businesses can be a force for good if everything they do benefits the business in terms of money or profit.
Solving problems in the world
Business can be utilized as a force for good to help with solving some of the many problems in the world. Realistically, however, the only way that any business can work as a force for good is if there is some monetary value in it for that business.
A pragmatic approach
Suzanne believes that businesses need to explain pragmatically how they can read and measure their market advantage and how they intend to execute against that.
An optimistic view
Suzanne is an optimist. She is sure that we will weather the storm of the global pandemic and come out stronger and better than before on the other side. She also feels optimistic that businesses will solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
The good news
Over the last couple of years, Wall Street has been asking questions that they were not asking five years ago. Investors are also asking questions on investor calls with Fortune 500 companies about diversion and inclusion policies or greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, if a company does not have its environmental and social acts together, it will not be in a position to answer those questions.
Corporate America
Now that Wall Street has started asking those questions, Suzanne finally feels that financials are a part of the environment and part of the work-streams within our society. She also believes that Corporate America is now motivated in a new way.
The best thing that’s happened
For Suzanne, the best thing that has ever happened to move everyone towards creating a sustainable future is that Wall Street has started asking some vital questions that they were not asking before.
The ESG framework
The ESG framework is a framework through which rating agencies measure and rate the performance of companies based on a host of metrics under the environmental, social, and governance categories. Those scores get reported to fund managers and investors on Wall Street. Part of the ESG framework is to obtain metrics on social issues, including gender equity, racial equity, and even pay equity.
Where business needs to go to create meaningful solutions
Although what has been happening in America over the last couple of years is generally not good for business in the long run, Suzanne points out that there is no business case for global warming or societal unrest either.
Suzanne’s advice for business people
Suzanne advises business people to embrace stakeholder capital and a triple-bottom-line approach to move forward, make sense of the world, and help create world peace. She believes that that will ultimately be the best approach for businesses, the world, and the planet because they are all connected.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach
Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products
The Good Company Report, Shelton Group
Sustainalytics
Just Capital
Change the World - Fortune
Pearl Certification
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
We all care about the health of our family and friends and want them to live in a safe and healthy environment.
A few years ago, The US Green Building Council created a movement, campaign, and toolkit called the Living Well Standard, which published a message that still stands true today. It spells out how much it matters that the places we live, work, and play should not hurt us but protect us and enrich our lives in a sustainable way. That should be a standard that we can all expect and enjoy, rather than a luxury or a privilege.
Environmentalism is all about people and living well. But that tends to get lost amid all the advocating, politics, and policies. That is why I am all about action because words do not mean much until we get in there and do something!
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am pulling a show out of the archives in which I have a great conversation with my co-host, Tony Pratte, and we share a lot more detail about the Living Well Standard and toolkit. We discuss how the Living Well Standard helps people help themselves, each other, and the environment. We also talk about the action we can take, as individuals, to make a difference.
What we do matters, and every little bit adds up! Stay tuned for more!
The Living Standard
The Living Standard, released by the US Green Building Council, is all about people. It is a dialogue to help people understand more about green living and sustainability.
The Living Standard is a toolkit
The Living Standard is a toolkit designed to help us improve our conversations about what we can do to live a green and sustainable lifestyle.
Small things count
If you can picture a billion people making small changes, you will see that it ultimately adds up to a billion small changes happening all over the planet. So, if you make even a small and incremental change in your life, you will not have to worry about the big environmental problem.
A big conversation
Talking about the environment is a big conversation because there is a lot that we need to understand. Unfortunately, many people tend to have problems when they talk about the environment because they become consumed with the big picture.
What we need to understand
We need to realize that everyone looks at things a little differently, and there are certain things about which we will not always agree. That, however, will make no difference to the kinds of small, common-sense changes that we all can make.
There is always something you can do.
There is always something you can do to be part of the solution and change things for the better.
Sometimes, we can become overwhelmed with everything we need to do to green our homes. It helps to know that whatever we do on a small scale will ultimately also work on a bigger scale because, even if it is something small, it will still move the needle.
The US Green Building Advocacy Committee
A while ago, the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the US Green Building Council asked Tony to be on their advocacy committee.
Why the Living Standard was released
The Living Standard was created to move the environmental conversation away from jargonized, scientific, builder-speak towards a more common language that can easily be understood by everyone.
A non-confrontational conversation
A conversation about sustainability and greening the environment does not have to be confrontational.
The goal of this podcast
The goal of this podcast is to have heartfelt conversations and keep politics out of the way.
How to have the right kind of conversation and take it to even more people
We need to speak to more people who live outside of our community. We also need to use inclusive language and powerful images to help everyone feel that they can take the action that is needed daily to create a sustainable environment for all.
It’s all about a choice
It’s all about the choice you make. You can choose to take a small, incremental step now that will make a big impact later on.
The top three things you can do to make meaningful small changes in your home
- Use only LED lightbulbs
- Use green cleaning products
- Use recycled toilet paper
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home Facebook group
Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach
Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products
The Living Standard Tool Kit
The Living Standard Campaign
The Standard Issue Report
Are you interested in making your next home a healthy, eco-friendly one? We have partnered with RealtySagePros.com to help match you to expert agents who are matched, based on your unique real estate needs. It’s free, has no obligations, and takes less than 5 minutes.
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
There seems to be an app for everything right now!
Could you imagine downloading an app for your house? Or even a whole bunch of apps? Well, that is what you need to do if you have a smart home!
But how do you go about connecting everything in this time when technology is constantly moving and things keep on changing?
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am happy to have my co-host and resident expert, Tony Pratte from The Sound Room, joining me to have an in-depth conversation about the latest technological developments for smart homes.
In this episode, Tony and I talk about the intersection between home and tech, and we discuss the digital revolution that we are going through right now. Tony sheds some light on the technology you need for your smart home and explains how to connect and control everything to make your home easier to live in and more comfortable than ever before. We also offer some great tips for having a smarter and more connected home.
Things are moving fast
Technology is moving so fast right now we can barely keep up! Between the 1960s and the 1910s, technology did not change much. Now, the average homeowner seems to feel like a deer in headlights with all the technological changes happening!
A proprietary system
Our internet and cable provider also provides systems for security and home automation. So in my home, we have a proprietary app for security and our home automation system. Having a proprietary system means that the provider is the only one who can work on it.
Adding a system
If you already have a proprietary system and would like to add another DIY system, you will need to have a separate system for that. You will also have to have different apps for each system.
Thermostats and HVAC warranties
I have to use the thermostat supplied by my service provider, even though I liked the one I had before, better. If I have a problem with the thermostat and bring in an outside party to change it, it would result in the warranty on my HVAC system being voided immediately.
Key entry points
There are key entry points for smart homes. The HVAC system is one key entry point, and security is another.
Environmental control
Environmental control takes care of your home infrastructure. That includes your security, HVAC system, and door lock.
Entertainment
The entertainment side controls the audio and video in your home. It can also control the home security side.
Security cameras
Both the environmental controls and the entertainment controls can control security cameras.
Video
The environmental side might handle some small light audio, but it will not cope with video.
A digital revolution
We are now experiencing a digital revolution known as the Fourth Revolution. Although it is a technological and digital revolution, it is how our lives are evolving. It is no different from the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Science fiction
Our current technology is like science fiction. Tony points out that science fiction is rooted in what is to come in terms of technology.
Affordable technology
Technology is expensive initially. But as it advances, people find ways to make it more accessible and affordable.
Smart homes
Smart homes have individual components that can be controlled remotely by a third-party device, like an app on a smart device or with voice control. The idea behind smart homes is to make our lives more convenient and comfortable and save time and energy.
Connected homes
In a connected home, everything is connected to the internet. All the items in the home are also connected via the same app or third-party device. A connected home absorbs and transmits data by working through the internet.
Maintenance
In a connected home, the appliances transmit data to the manufacturers to inform them when parts start to fail. That makes home maintenance easier and allows the appliances to last longer.
Setting scenes
In connected homes, you can set scenes. For example, if you set up a “good morning” scene and turn it on by pushing a single button, the shades will go up, the door will unlock, the security system will disarm, the coffee pot will start making coffee, and music and the TV will switch on.
Systems and apps
You can have several systems within a single app. You can also have a few single items, like voice-controlled Delta Faucets, that do not reside inside that app but can be tied into the overall system and controlled with a third-party voice-controlled trigger.
Crossing systems
Alexa and Google are the primary platforms for voice control. At The Sound Room , they also have more basic environmental systems that will operate well with Alexa and Google. The Sound Room provides a more custom DIY initial install experience and support.
A growing awareness
There is a growing awareness of the possible impact of having wifi-based electronics in our homes or on our bodies.
Crowded homes
The term crowded home was coined because people’s homes are so crowded with technology right now.
Infrastructure
In the future, every electric item in our homes will be on wifi, so we will need the proper home infrastructure to support those devices.
A hard-wired data jack
Having a hard-wired data jack on your smart TV will ensure that you have a continuous stream of the internet going to the TV, regardless of the number of people using the wifi in your home.
Lighting
The lighting in smart homes can be controlled remotely by a third-party device. Most lighting controls involve replacing the switches, not the light-bulbs. Lighting is more complicated, especially when it comes to dimmers and LED light-bulbs.
Remodeling
When remodeling a home, if you would like to have someone like Tony install a DIY home-control system, rather than having a professional system installed, the people living in the home need to be smart and experienced enough to manage and support their items and equipment.
CEDIA
CEDIA is an association to help people find integrator companies, like The Sound Room, in their cities. They handle all the accreditations and certifications and put on an annual show for custom electronics installation companies.
Three tips
Three tips for having a smarter and more connected home:
- Put in the best wifi system that your budget and home can handle. (This is vital because it is the backbone of a smart home.)
- Get a video doorbell.
- Find one item that would improve your life, like smart light-bulbs, a Sonos music system, or a learning thermostat, install it, and test-drive it.
Most of us do not realize how often our beliefs, values, and traditions play out in our lives because they are so deeply entrenched.
Working with sustainability and green over the years has taught me a lot about people. I have learned how much our beliefs, values, and even our traditions impact the way we live our lives and how the way we live connects with climate change and sustainability.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I will be focusing on beliefs, values, and the traditions we tend to adopt. I will offer you some alternative perspectives for looking at your home and living in it. I will also explain how the way you think impacts the way you live.
Thinking is changing
Mainstream thinking is changing. Ideas around what people consider green, eco-friendly, and environmentally friendly have advanced over the last decade.
Raising awareness
Climate change, social injustice, and wastage affect all of us. Chemicals, toxicity, and polluted air impact our health, and when things in our homes are off-gassing, that can make us sick. That is why I have become more and more committed, over the years, to raising awareness around those issues.
Writing about what matters
Over the last ten or twelve years, I have written many articles about what matters to me, like committing to using sustainable building practices and making sure we have comfortable and healthy homes in which to live. Recently, I felt honored when the National Association of Home Builders asked me to write a piece for their blog.
Living green
Living green involves our common sense, making mindful choices, and using whatever we have wisely. We need to remember that our choices influence everyone around us and the environment in which we live.
Getting your beliefs and values to work for you
Getting your beliefs and values to work for you starts with a personal evaluation. For your home, the first step is to understand that your home influences not only you but your entire community.
Give yourself some grace
You cannot do everything right all the time, and none of us are perfect. So learn to be okay with doing whatever you can as much as you can. I do my best to follow how I want to do things 80% of the time and give myself grace for the other 20%. Remember that you also need to give grace to others.
A good example
I strive to be a good example. I have worked hard to be an example to my children and others in my family.
Get to know what you believe in and value
Get to know your beliefs and your three most important values. Then, take action and do whatever you can to live up to what you believe and value.
Helping people
Helping people has always been part of my life. Part of the reason I became the Green Home Coach was to help people like you learn how to help yourself so that you can help others do the same.
Sharing your superpowers
Sharing your superpowers is helpful to others and very rewarding!
A better way
Become aware of better ways to do things so that you can live a healthier and more comfortable life in your home.
Waste
I have worked hard to come up with ways to reduce the amount of waste in my home. I am still working towards finding out how to waste less time, however!
My book
A few years ago, I wrote a book called Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home. I loved having the opportunity to put my beliefs into action! None of the basic concepts in the book have changed since I wrote it. You can ask to join my Facebook group to see a video synopsis of each chapter.
Things you bring into your home
Everything you bring into your home should be made from natural, sustainable (renewable), or responsible materials.
Start small
When you decide to take action, start small. Pick three things that you can do better, and stick with them. (I chose to use only LED lightbulbs, green cleaning products, and tree-free toilet paper in my home.)
Stay in line with what you believe
Make sure that every decision you make for your home stays in line with what you believe and value.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach
Does Greener Living Support Your Values?
Women Want Sustainable & Healthy Homes — How 4 Female Members Deliver
What does it mean to “be green” anymore?
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Did you know that reusing stuff is back in vogue again?
People reuse things for many different reasons. When they do, it always reminds me of my grandmother because that is her legacy. She was one of the biggest motivators for me getting involved in the green and sustainable world.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, The Green Guy, is joining me to have a conversation about my grandmother’s legacy of reusing almost everything.
In this episode, Tony and I discuss how different generations relate to the notion of reusing things, and we also talk about what we can learn from how our grandparents and great-grandparents did things.
My grandmother
My grandmother was born in 1909 in a small town in South Texas. She was a young woman during the Depression. Back then, most communities were small, rural, and self-sustaining. So things were scarce and had to be reused. I remember her telling my sisters and me when we were little to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
My mother’s generation
My mother grew up simply and frugally. Even though she learned to do without many things during World War 2, it was her generation that brought in the mass manufacturing of convenience and luxury items.
The next generation
People from each generation usually want to ensure that those in the next generation will be in a better position than they were. Most parents are willing to work hard so that their children do not have to work as hard. They want to know that their children are well provided for, well-educated, and in a position to make more money than they did.
Resources
We need to learn to use all our resources wisely if we want them to be available for the next generation to use.
Creating a culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing
The culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing is becoming more fashionable lately. Especially amongst the younger people.
Tony’s family
Tony grew up in a working-class family. They lived comfortably but not ostentatiously. They budgeted, planned, and only spent money on necessary things.
Education
My parents sacrificed a lot to give my sisters and me a private school education. They saw a good education as a foundation for us to be in a position to do whatever we wanted for the rest of our lives. My sisters and I are very grateful for their sacrifice!
Reusing things
My grandmother used to reuse things like foil, rubber bands, paper clips, and nails. Some of that rubbed off on me. So when I get a plastic take-out container, I either reuse it or throw it away in the recycling bin. I do not buy zip-lock bags anymore. But if I get one, I wash it out and reuse it. I also save and reuse glass jars.
The younger generation
Some younger people do not think they will have the opportunity to live the same lifestyle as their parents did, or to retire, because they have high college debts and do not have high-paying jobs. Prices also keep rising, and they do not budget, so they struggle to put any money aside.
Easing the financial burden
There are things they can do to ease their financial burden. Many of them are learning to hold onto things and reuse them. They are also learning to stretch their budgets more.
Buying used items
I buy as many used items as I can. Used furniture is safer because it has already off-gassed.
Changing our lifestyle
My husband had brain surgery a few years ago, and that changed everything for us. Although we live comfortably, we have a simpler lifestyle now and use fewer resources than ever before. Apart from saving money, we now also save time and energy.
A fine line
There is a fine line between hoarding and keeping everything and being wise about keeping the things you will need.
Neighborhood swaps
Neighborhood swaps are a great way to get what you need when you need it, without having to buy things you only use once in a while, like trailers and gardening equipment.
Follow the four Rs
- Refuse: If you do not need something, do not get it.
- Reduce: You will use a lot less if you take only what you need. (Like unnecessary packaging.)
- Reuse: Wash and reuse items like plastic or glass containers. We reuse straw bales that people have used for Christmas decorations in our garden.
- Recycle: Recycling something will change its form. (Newspapers can be recycled into writing paper.)
Packaging has changed
Many people have changed their attitudes about reuse because packaging materials have changed so much over the years. Learning to refuse unnecessary packaging, and reusing whatever you can to store things in, is a great way to tackle two problems at once in a sustainable way.
Getting only what you need
Focus on getting only what you need. Then, when you occasionally splurge on something you want it will feel so much more special!
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
My fav reusable bags...for everything! (and search "bags")
Uncluttering Life
"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” Has a New Sibling…Refuse! with Tony Pratte
Recycled Crafts: Crafts Made Using Recycled Materials
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Houses and buildings are moving like crazy, but supply chains are still nuts!
Remodeling has been affected by all the craziness that is going on with homes and homebuilding. However, when we decide to do a remodel, we have the opportunity to do some amazing things to make our homes even better!
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today, my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, is joining me to have a conversation about remodeling and building. We will cover the building envelope, systems, and changing fixtures and finishes.
Build My Future
Build My Future is a one-day construction event. It is an interactive job fair designed to give high school students a hands-on opportunity to experience how things get done in the construction industry and skilled trades. I assisted in bringing a Build My Future event to Oklahoma City in 2019. We hosted another event in Oklahoma on October 26th, 2021, and I was both honored and excited to be part of it!
Labor shortage
The labor shortage keeps on getting worse, but we need people to build houses. That is why events like Build My Future are vital.
People power
There appears to be a trend towards making things more and more efficient, but we still need people-power on building sites and behind the brains to make it all work.
Commercial building versus home building
The commercial environment has done a much better job of adopting healthier, greener, and more sustainable building principles than the home building environment has done. That is so because the homebuilding environment is based on repeatability, while commercial building is based on one-and-done plans. So, with commercial building, everything gets re-engineered, and with home building, there is a set of plans.
The goal
The goal of homebuilding is to build as efficiently as possible, using the same plan but with some tweaks.
Bridging the gap
There are tremendous opportunities in the home industry for adopting greener and more sustainable building principles. People who do what I do help bridge the gap between the home industry and the commercial industry.
A labor of love
When remodeling a home, we often take products built in a repeatable fashion and tailor them to our specific needs and desires. Remodeling a home is usually a labor of love because it tends to be quite a challenging undertaking!
Unforeseen situations
Whenever you remodel or redecorate a home, you have to make provision for unforeseen situations.
The building envelope
The building envelope is what protects the inside of a home from the outside. It includes the walls, the windows, the doors, the roof, the basement, and the foundation slab. That is the best place to start with a remodel or an upgrade if it involves tearing out or removing walls or building an addition to the house.
Some key things to do for the building envelope
- Do an air-sealing package. That should include the exterior walls, the base or floors, and the ceiling and roof.
- Caulk the joints if you see any light shining in from the outside.
- Seal everything up properly. Particularly around the windows, doors, and openings for electrical wires, plumbing fixtures, or anything else that has to go through the walls.
- When buying sealants, ask the salespeople for advice about the best products to use for each different area of the house.
- Put in healthier and better insulation than there was before. (You can get a low VOC insulation that will not off-gas as much as others. There is a certification called Green Guard Gold that independently verifies products that do not off-gas much.)
- Have a conversation with your contractors and sub-contractors about using greener and healthier products. If they don’t want to do things your way, find another contractor.
Windows and doors
Buy the best windows and doors that your budget will allow. Remember that windows are harder to replace than to install. Also, make sure that you put in windows and doors with the best insulation rating. It helps to work with an experienced home professional.
Roofs
Replacing the roof shingles on your house will allow you to choose the best and healthiest options, even if that only means choosing the color. Use your common sense when making that choice. Pay attention to your region, and remember that dark colors absorb light and heat, while light colors reflect light and heat. The choices you make not only need to look good, but they also need to perform well.
Renovation loans
If you get a renovation loan when buying a home, it will add all your renovation expenses to your mortgage. That means you can get all your renovations done before moving in. Look on www.desireusa.org for incentives and rebates to help you make your home just the way you want it.
Systems
Modern homes rely on systems for heating, cooling, and ventilation. Remodeling your home will provide an excellent opportunity for you to add a fresh air intake to your heating, cooling, and ventilation system.
Moisture
You want to get the moisture out of your house because it could cause mold. So, you need a system that ventilates as well as heating and cooling your home. In some climates, you might also need a humidifier or a dehumidifier.
Professionals
It is worth spending some extra money on a professional because that will ensure that things get done in the right way.
Zoning your system
A properly sized and zoned heating… system is achieved by carefully calculating the loads for the home and its occupants. Then it will not have to work as hard to achieve comfort and control. Properly sizing and zoning any system is key to achieving good outcomes and works even better with a high energy system.
Water heaters
There are various options for water heaters. You could select a tankless water heater, a high-efficiency tank, or even a solar water heater. Remember to look for the Energy Star label!
Maintaining your system
If you maintain your heating, cooling, and ventilation system it will last much longer. Use the best filters you can and don’t forget to change the filters regularly.
Fixtures and fittings
Replace your lightbulbs with LEDs, and whenever you replace your plumbing fixtures, get low-flow fixtures. (Unless you have an automated lighting system where the type of lightbulb you use matters.)
Better options
There are better options for flooring, kitchen and bathroom cabinets and countertops, and paint. Always choose low or no VOC paint. You can use sustainable, low or no VOC, or recycled flooring, and use solid wood cabinetry. Always check your sources when using recycled items, and make sure that none of your building products contain formaldehyde.
Remodeling is a labor of love and we’re here to inspire you to make your home everything you want it to be!
Referral Links:
For some of my fav products for remodeling and redecorating, go to Everyday Green Home and search "paint", "lights", etc.
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
4 Benefits of Green Remodeling
A Green Certified Remodel!
Lessons Learned From My Own Remodel
The Top 10 Myths About Green Home Remodeling
Explaining High-Performance Building
Benefits of Green Remodeling
Book: Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed
BONUS for RENTERS
Build My Future OKC
DSIRE
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Recycling has gone awry, and there is plastic everywhere!
Do you sometimes forget to put recyclable items, like plastic soda bottles, pill containers, and the little plastic takeout cups and lids from takeout food, in the right place and end up throwing them out with the trash? Or have you ever had something that you would like to recycle, but you do not know what to do with it?
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am excited to have my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, AKA Tony, the Green Guy, joining me in my virtual studio for another episode in our series on the climate crisis, where we discuss convenience, where our plastic products come from, and tips you can use for better and wiser recycling!
Creative solutions
Even though Tony and I do not always see eye-to-eye on everything, we are not afraid of having difficult conversations. We are just as willing to talk about things we disagree on as we are about things we agree, to find creative solutions.
Katharine Hayhoe
Katharine Hayhoe is a well-known Texas-based climate scientist. She is encouraging people everywhere to open up the conversation about the climate crisis.
Back in the day
When Tony and I were growing up, we had to pay a deposit for the glass bottles the soda came in. We would get the deposit back again when we returned the empty bottles. We also had regular recycling drives in our neighborhoods.
What has changed?
Convenience, or taking the easy way out, has taken precedence over everything else, and many people do not think twice about throwing away single-use containers or packaging materials.
Impatience
Our lives have become more complicated. Most people are used to getting whatever they want immediately or getting instant responses from others whenever they try to contact them, so they have become impatient. As a result, they are unwilling to make a plan to recycle something and would rather throw it into the trash immediately.
The unintended consequences of convenience
There was an explosion of fast food in the 1980s. Since then, it became all about convenience, and we never stopped to think about the unintended consequences of what was happening.
Plastic
Plastic has had more unintended consequences than we ever imagined.
Behavioral inertia
As a result of getting used to doing things very easily, many of us now suffer from behavioral inertia when we need to change our habits. In a book I read, the author explains that it is far easier to change an existing habit than it is to start a new one.
Swaps
Get into the habit of swapping single-use or unrecyclable plastic items for items that can be reused or recycled sustainably.
The numbers
In the United States, in 2017, we produced 35,400,000 metric tons of plastic. Of that, only 11% got recycled.
You cannot mix plastics that are to be recycled
More than 70% of recyclable materials land up in landfills. That can happen because people throw items that are not recyclable into recycling bins, which could contaminate an entire batch of recycling. Another problem is that many municipalities have not been able to keep their recycling programs going or going as robustly as before. New types of plastic also complicate things by adding to the vast assortment of plastic products that we still need to figure out what to do with.
What recycling means
Recycling something means rescuing and processing the material it is made from to make something new.
Driving the market
We need to drive the recycling market by demanding more recycled products. That will motivate companies to provide more vibrant, sustainable, and financially rewarding recycling services.
Virgin plastic
The bulk of our virgin plastic gets made from petroleum. By recycling that plastic, we recycle the inherent value of those products.
Where do our products come from?
Supply chains have become globalized and very complex, so many of us do not know where our plastic products come from. We need to pay more attention to that and learn more about it.
Cut out the waste
There are many good uses for plastic. To get the best use out of plastic, we need to cut out all the wasteful ways it gets used.
Recycling labels
Only one in five Americans always look for the recycling labels on items before throwing them away. Brands could help by making more of their packaging materials recyclable and making the labels on their packaging easier to see.
A fast-growing number of solutions
A fast-growing number of solutions are coming up for recycling. Many new companies are using less or no packaging. Solutions are also being provided by businesses like my son’s company, Printerior, which makes 3D printing filaments out of recycled plastic.
Some tips for better and wiser recycling:
- Try to use non-disposable items at least 80% of the time.
- Ask yourself if you truly need an item before purchasing it.
- If an item does not need to be packaged after you have bought it, accept the receipt and carry it out of the store.
- If you have to choose something disposable, choose something reusable or easily recyclable.
- Develop the habit of always doing whatever you need to, to dispose of items responsibly.
- Read the labels, and put whatever you are throwing away into the right place.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
One way to chip away at our mountains of plastic waste is to re-use it. Printerior Designs is doing just that! SHOP Recycled 3D Printer Filament https://printeriordesigns.com - 15% discount with coupon code GREENHOMECOACH
For some of my fav recycled products go to Everyday Green Home and search "recycled"
Earth 911 Recycling Guides
The How2Recycle label needs a massive campaign - and brands should make it happen, from the Shelton Group blog
The Challenge of Recycling, National Geographic
Products made from petroleum
Terracycle
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
So many people have been buying and selling houses over the past year!
Lately, people have been much more concerned about their health and wellness, both in their lives and in their homes. Fortunately, we now get to take our health and wellness into account when looking for a new home or fixing up the house we are living in.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I am excited to bring you another teach-talk! Today I will be doing Part 2 of an episode I did a couple of weeks ago with Tee (Therese Forton-Barnes) of The Green Living Gurus. In that episode, Tee and I had a fantastic conversation about different ways to make your home better and how to clean up your house to make it less toxic, safer, and healthier for everyone living in it.
In this episode, I will be talking about what you, as a new home buyer, need to look for to find a new home that works for you and has all the elements you need. I will help you formulate a plan and share some of the things I learned from my experience of buying a home about five years ago.
Specific things
When buying a new home, there are specific things to look out for that will give you a good starting point for having health, wellness, and comfort in your home. You also need to notice the things that are missing so that you can build them in and improve your home.
Upgrading
If your home has a very old furnace or air-conditioning system, it could be a perfect opportunity to upgrade to something energy-efficient with healthy ventilation. Possibly an air-purification system, too.
Financial assistance
Many options are available for loans or financial assistance for energy-efficient home upgrades, either through the FHA or privately.
A plan
You need to know what you are looking for when buying a new home, and you also need a plan to know where to start. I will help you formulate a plan using a hand-out I helped create for a mini-workshop for new home buyers that was put on several months ago by a mortgage company in Oklahoma City.
Lists
- Make a list of your top three non-negotiable priorities. (These are the things you must have.)
- Make a list of your top three “nice-to-haves”. (These are things you would like to have but could do without if they were not there.
- Make a list of the top three things that you will not accept under any circumstances. (If you are working with a realtor, share those things with them.)
Finding things you want that will meet your health, safety, and comfort requirements
- Look at the neighborhood where the house is to make sure that you will be happy living there. Communities and neighborhoods can differ a lot.
- Check to see if the home has enough insulation and that it will perform. (Energy assessments are available in most communities across the US if you want to be sure.)
- Check for ventilation. Make sure that there are operable bath fans and a kitchen range hood that vents to the outdoors.
- Check for any spots, and notice any musty or suspicious smells. If you find any wet spots, have them inspected to know why they are there.
- Look for durable and easy-to-maintain finishes and materials, like hardwood floors and scrub-able paint. (Use low or no VOC paint if you need to repaint.)
- Look at the countertop materials in the bathrooms and kitchen. Make sure that they are durable and meet your lifestyle.
- Find out what the operating and maintenance costs are. It is vital to know what you are getting yourself into and how much it will cost to run your home. (Set aside between one and three percent of the purchase price of the house for your annual maintenance.)
- Take the hassle factor into account. Make sure that the house is as easy as possible to run and maintain.
Book
I recommend reading Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed. Although it is a little dated, it covers all the basics, and I learned a lot from it!
Have a happy, healthy day!
Did You Miss Part 1 with Tee?
Health, Happiness, and Homes with Tee of the Green Living with Tee Podcast
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Health Happiness and Home - How to Pick A Home that Truly Works FOR You
Book: Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies, by Eric Corey Freed
BONUS for RENTERS
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Finding a new home is not easy. We all want to live in a comfortable place that keeps us in good health and wellness, but many of us do not even know where to start because there are so many factors to consider.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today I am sharing the podcast with Tee (Therese Forton-Barnes), the host of the Green Living with Tee Podcast. Both Tee and I have a strong desire to help people make their homes healthier, so we decided to introduce our two audiences to each other by co-hosting this show.
In this episode, we will be diving into some simple and straightforward ways to ensure that your home is safe, healthy, and comfortable for you, your family, and the whole community.
About Tee
Tee lives in Buffalo, New York. She has the Green Living with Tee Podcast, a business called The Green Living Gurus, and a product line called Tee’s Organics, which will launch soon.
Tee came out of college as a party planner. She ran a party and wedding planning business for thirty-five years. When the pandemic started, it was the perfect time for her to start helping people get toxic chemicals out of their homes and introduce them to a new and healthier product line.
Why should you have a greener home?
The air inside your home could be between five times and a hundred times more polluted than the outdoor air. To live your best and healthiest life, you need to control what you bring into your home. Take everything you use in your home, like cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, and even air fresheners and candles into account because the chemicals in those could weaken your immune system and potentially cause cancer or other illnesses.
One thing at a time
Talking about toxic chemicals can be scary for some people when they realize that there could be toxic items in every room.
One thing at a time
The only way to tackle the task is to do just one thing at a time and do the best you can.
Baby steps
Buying a new house is the perfect time to do a healthy detox inside the house. If you feel overwhelmed, start with baby steps, and have fun while you are doing it!
Doing it better
Having a greener home means doing things better! Regardless of where you live- if it is in a small apartment in the city or a large house in the country, there will always be things you can do to clean the air, lower the toxicity, and make your home safer and healthier for yourself and your community. Every little bit counts!
Regulations
There are currently no strict regulations for the chemicals that get used in our homes.
Understanding your home
Green homes can be certified by the National Green Building Standard, endorsed by the National Association of Home Builders. The requirements for that certification include homeowner education and homeowner documentation to prove that the people living in the home know how to operate it and keep it at its best.
Location
If your home is near factories that produce pesticides, you could find some of those toxins venting into your home. Toxins (like those found in dryer sheets) could also be venting out into the environment, and your home, from other homes nearby.
Structure
There could be toxic chemicals in the products used to construct the walls and roof assemblies of your home.
Moisture
Ensure that your home was built to keep the moisture out. That will prevent poisonous molds from growing inside the house. When buying a house, look out for any wet spots on the walls, ceilings, and floors. Also, look out for wood rot around the windows and doors.
The Hayward Score
The Hayward Score can be used to assess the overall toxicity in your home.
Ventilation
Having good ventilation in your home is essential. It is vital to have fresh air circulating in your home, especially if it is air-tight. Opening a window just a crack will improve the overall air quality of your home.
Systems
Have a fresh air intake put onto your HVAC system, and use the best filters that you can. A great trick I learned is to turn on the blower fans when I dust and vacuum to suck the dust out of the air. Remember to replace the filters regularly to ensure that the heating and cooling system keeps on working efficiently.
Air purifiers
Air purifiers can catch some of the chemicals that you cannot prevent from entering your home.
How to make things better and reduce the risk of getting sick
- If you buy a new house, give it some time to off-gas before you move in.
- Leave dry-cleaned clothes or any new items outside for a while to off-gas before bringing them inside.
- Choose interior surfaces that are easy to clean and durable. That will prevent having to use chemicals to clean them.
- Paint your walls with low or no VOC paint.
Tee’s top three tips for healthier homes:
- Ditch the dryer sheets and change your laundry detergent for a chemical-free option.
- Use only chemical-free cleaning supplies or make your own.
- Filter your water and stop buying bottled water.
Light bulbs
Use LED light bulbs. They are recyclable, last for years, and use less energy.
Toilet paper
Use tree-free toilet paper so that you do no longer flush trees down the toilet.
Labels
Read your labels and get to know the ingredients in everything you buy.
Remember- it all starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light.
Referral Links:
FREE Download - Health, Happiness, and Home: How to Pick a Home that Truly Works FOR You
My website Green Home Coach
Green Living Gurus
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Green Living Gurus Do You Think Your Home is Healthy?
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
What is a Healthy Home?
BONUS for RENTERS
Award-Winning Spec Home Healthier
Healthy Home Buying from Wellness Mama
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
The topic of unintended consequences is huge! Just thinking about it is enough to make my head spin!
There are so many different aspects to consider in that regard, particularly when you think of unintended consequences in terms of their impact on the environment, climate change, and the day-to-day way we live our lives.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am excited to have my favorite co-host, Tony Pratte, joining me live in-studio to tackle the tremendous topic of unintended consequences.
In this episode, Tony and I talk about how we need to think a little more about everything we do because there will always be some other effect or consequence to any of our actions.
Leaping to conclusions
So often, people leap to the conclusion that a certain solution is the only solution. I do not think that there is only one solution for anything.
It will take many solutions
I feel it will take many solutions to improve our health, safety, comfort, and this planet on which we live.
A systemic approach
Often, when looking for a solution, people fail to look any further than the next step. That is why we need to look at things systemically.
A catchy phrase
A catchy phrase or trending meme will not suspend the law of physics, the law of gravity, or the law of mathematics. Just because something sounds good, it does not mean that it is the right way to do it. Nor does it mean that there will be no consequences for that action.
Introducing a biological organism into a different environment
If we want to prevent something from getting out of balance, and we introduce a biological organism into an environment in which it is not naturally found, we are merely treating the symptom. To find a solution, we need to look at what caused the imbalance in the first place.
Tradeoffs
The departments of natural resources in the different states have programs that trade certain species to find out if they can exist in different environments. They do that for research purposes and also to increase biodiversity.
An example
An example of that happened in Missouri, where there was an overpopulation of white-tailed deer. A little more than ten years ago, some of the white-tailed deer got placed in a different location, and in return, the state of Missouri got given some armadillos. As a result, and as an unintended consequence, Missouri now has a growing population of armadillos.
An unintended consequence with wolves
We can see a similar unintended consequence where endangered wolves got reintroduced into places with a lot of ranching.
Unintended consequences can also be good
An example of a positive unintended consequence happened in Illinois when bald eagles got reintroduced. Illinois is one of the favorite migratory spots for the bald eagle to breed. So the unintended consequence is a lot of extra tourism in the area.
Fully understanding the unintended consequences
If people fully understood the unintended consequences of their proposals, they would be less likely to go forward with risky ventures.
Out of control
It has often happened that species brought in from other places to solve short-term problems have blossomed out of control in a new location. That unintended consequence is that the artificially introduced species then has to be controlled.
Native plants
It is always best to use native plants for your landscaping to avoid using extra resources to keep your plants alive.
Building science
Everything you do to protect yourself from the environment has a tradeoff. Building science looks at everything from a systemic perspective. It helps to control the tradeoffs and minimize the things that you do not want to happen.
Building tighter homes
In the 1970s, we started building tighter homes to save energy. However, we did that without considering what we were putting into our homes. The unintended consequences emerged about fifteen years later with mold issues in those homes and a generation of kids with more asthma cases than had ever been seen before.
Healthy homes
The materials used in your home need to be permeable. Your home needs to breathe and allow the air to circulate to let water vapor through so that the interior can dry out.
Be prepared
Be prepared for future unintended consequences that could pop up in unexpected ways when you least expect them.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Easily find stylish, energy-efficient options for your home. Enter "energy" in the search bar on the Shop page!
Green Living - Saving Ourselves
Does Greener Living Support Your Values?
Taking on Climate Change at Home...from NPR
How to Fight Climate Change at Home
The approach of fall presents a wonderful opportunity for us to speak about the outdoors!
I really appreciate the cooler weather and love being able to spend time outside without getting too hot! Also, when August rolls around each year, I cannot help thinking about the harvests that will soon be coming in from the farmer’s markets- and even from my garden!
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today I am excited to bring you another Everyday Green Home Podcast Teach Talk! In this episode, I will be talking about the harvest, the garden and outdoors, maintenance, and what you need to do to get ready for the cooler weather. I will also share some fun ways to get outside and enjoy the milder weather.
Our garden
We have the craziest garden, and it is producing right now.
My first harvest
Although we are, at best, experimental gardeners, our very first harvest for this year was a massive Armenian cucumber!
Sustainable and chemical-free experimental gardeners
Being experimental gardeners, we have been trying out many different things. Everything we do gets done as sustainably and chemical-free as possible.
Farmer’s market
We love our farmer’s market! There is a farmer we buy from there who grows the most beautiful chemical-free produce.
Straw bale gardening
Last summer, we started gardening with straw bales. We did it because Oklahoma has very clay-ey soil, so it takes a lot of compost and augmentation to prepare the soil for growing vegetables.
A raised-bed garden
Using straw bales creates a raised-bed garden, which is a lot easier on the back and knees.
How we got our used straw bales
I placed a notice on our local neighborhood Facebook group just after Halloween last year and once again after Thanksgiving where I offered to collect the straw bales that people had been using as decorations. By doing that, we managed to acquire fifteen straw bales that people would otherwise have thrown away.
Reusing resources
Collecting used straw bales gave us an ideal opportunity to reuse some resources that were already out there. We also saved a lot of money because we did not have to pay for them.
Conditioning the straw
Before planting, the straw needs to be conditioned to break it down into compost. We left our bales to sit over the winter, and in early spring my husband treated them with natural fertilizer and water for a few weeks.
Fun
Straw bale gardening has been lots of fun, and my husband and I have learned a lot from doing it!
Seedlings
We also grew our own seedlings this year. Unfortunately, the tags I made faded in the sun, so we were not entirely sure what we were planting. Next time, we will find a better way of noting what the different seedlings are.
A drip system
My husband put in a drip system with a timer to water the garden. That allowed us the freedom to spend some time away from home, and still keep our garden growing.
Harvesting
Last year, we heard that an ice storm was coming at the end of October, so we went out into our garden with flashlights the night before the storm and harvested everything.
Preparing
This year, we plan to be more prepared for the harvest. We also plan to have our garden well-prepared for the winter.
Saving seeds
We managed to save some of the seeds from what we planted, and what we bought from the farmer’s market, last year. Some of the plants we have this year come from those saved seeds. We dried them and kept them in the refrigerator to preserve them.
Keeping notes
We plan on keeping notes of the things that work best in our garden.
A good time to plant
Fall is a good time to plant new trees and shrubs and to seed new lawns or turf. Look for sustainable turf if possible because it requires less water and maintenance.
Outside maintenance
For us, outside maintenance includes cleaning up in the garden. I have also been collecting seeds from the wildflowers in our garden.
Inspect your home
Inspect the outside of your home to make sure that everything is in order, for the winter. Remember to do the little things like changing your heating and cooling filters and your water filters. It is a good idea to make a list of all the things that are critical to do to make sure that your home is safe and sound for the cold winter months.
Maintenance checklist
Use a maintenance checklist to make sure that you do everything that needs to be done. A checklist will help you to figure out what you can do yourself, and what you will need professional help with.
Declutter
This is a good time to declutter. A garage sale is a good way to get rid of any items that you no longer need.
Reuse or recycle
Always try to find ways to reuse or recycle whatever you can. Try to make use of ‘junk services’ wherever possible.
Day trips are fun
Day trips are a good intermediate at this time of year if you are not quite ready or do not have the time to take a long trip.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Grab our FREEBIE - Landscaping for Energy Efficiency!
Stuff for Your Garden
Stuff for Your Outdoors
Landscaping for Beauty, Energy Efficiency, and Comfort
Maintain and Document So You Can Rely on Your Home
Our Garden photos
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
I have seen some crazy things happening lately in the homebuilding industry! There is turmoil with both new and existing homes as a result of shortages and supply-chain disruptions in many different areas.
In this episode, we will look at the problems we are facing and discuss why they are happening. We will break everything down into the three parts of a house: the land, the materials, and the labor. They are all connected, and we are having challenges with all of them.
Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Green Home Podcast! I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I am happy to have my ever-popular co-host, Tony Pratte, joining me face-to-face in the studio today!
Huge impacts
The markets for real estate, new builds, and remodeling of existing homes are connected, and they are all having problems now. The impacts of that are huge. They are affecting building costs, timing, and even how people are moving around.
The rising cost of lumber
Houses are now being sold, sight unseen, to the highest bidder, and new homes are currently averaging between twenty and forty thousand dollars more due to the rising price of lumber.
A challenge
There are not enough people working in the construction and skilled trades. Even finding someone to come in and do a simple home repair has become challenging right now.
Sawmills
Sawmills got shut down during the pandemic. We have fewer sawmills online now than we did ten or twenty years ago because many of them shut down during the great recession and never got going again.
Border and lumber issues
The turnaround time for lumber shipments from Canada is way too long because it has to cross the border and quarantine. The transportation of the materials is also an issue because the transport drivers are having problems with being locked up.
Alternative materials
The producers and salespeople of alternative materials are finally making sure that their voices get heard.
Cabinets
There is a massive issue with kitchen cabinets being unavailable.
Windows and doors
Even windows and doors have become hard to find because factories in which they are made were shut down. Now, they are unable to catch up with the demand.
Appliances
There is a six-month wait for many appliances, even though many warehouses are full of appliances that have already been paid for. The warehouses are full because the pipeline got stuck due to new houses not being completed or reaching a point where the appliances can get delivered.
Copper
Electricians are running out of wire, and the price of raw copper is shooting through the roof! That affects plumbers and electricians and also inadvertently HVAC heating and cooling.
Resin
There is a shortage of the resin that makes the plastic for electric cover-plates, light switches, wall plates for cable or data connections, speakers, ceiling-mounted speaker brackets, and more.
It is all connected
If the openings in the dry walls for the electric wires do not get covered, the house cannot get inspected. Without the inspection, the sale of the house cannot close. That creates even more demand in the already-tight existing home market.
Home inspections
Homebuyers and sellers are now becoming willing to waive their home inspections. If you buy a house without a home inspection, you have no recourse, and you will never know what you are dealing with in terms of termites, water issues, or components that do not work.
Demand is outstretching supply
Currently, the demand for materials is outstretching the supply. That has caused a surge in pricing.
A shortage of land
Many people want to move into single-family homes. That requires land, but there is a shortage close to the cities.
New areas
As a result of more people working more flexibly or working from home, new areas are starting to open up for people to live.
The basics of land
The land to build homes on is finite and scarce. Ten years ago, it took about six months to get through all the permit requirements for developing a new piece of land. Now it takes two to three years, and that leads to increased costs.
Labor
There has been a shortage of labor in the skilled trades and homebuilding industry for many years. Because, as a nation, we were encouraged to aspire to higher education. As a result, we lost almost two generations of tradespeople. Many people do not realize that the trades are higher education.
No debt
With most skilled trades you could make between sixty and a hundred thousand dollars a year, with zero debt.
Women in the construction industry
More and more women have been joining the construction world. We need women to be doing that kind of work, so I am excited to be joining a project in Utah next week, called The House that She Built. It is hosted by women in various trades, to bring awareness to women in the building industry.
Professional Women in Building
My part in the Professional Women in Building organization was to help bring an event, Build My Future, to Oklahoma City in 2019.
Construction sites
Construction sites are fun! There is music going, people making fun of each other, and people working hard as a team. Individuals from the various trades can be found on-site, all with the same end in mind- to produce the home.
What we can do about the labor shortage
We can encourage young people to learn more about opportunities in the trades and hopefully connect more with those coming into the trades- particularly with more women.
Jobs in construction
There are jobs in construction for everybody! So, if you want a job, you will find one there because the unions are actively looking for people.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Why Builders Stick with Lumber Despite High Prices, NAHB Now
Steel Prices Have Tripled
Supply Issues Linger from NAHB Now
NAHB Supply Chain Summit
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
The idea of 3-D printing is exploding right now in almost every sector! Today, I am happy to introduce you, the listeners, to my son, Trent Esser. Trent and his friend are starting a 3-D printing company in St Louis, called Printerior. The company is currently in the beta testing phase, and they are getting ready to have their first product launch within the next two to four weeks. Trent is joining me on the show today to talk about his exciting new venture and explain how 3-D printing works.
For this episode, I get the chance to do something cool that I have never done before! I will be working with my son for the very first time!
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I have my dedicated co-host, Tony Pratte, joining me in the studio today. Be sure to stay tuned to hear what 3-D printing is all about and find out how Trent aims to use 3-D printers to solve the world’s plastic waste problem.
Production facility
Trent and his team moved into their production facility about a month ago. They are done with the construction phase now and are finally getting everything set up and ready to start production.
About Printerior
Printerior is a sustainable additive manufacturing company.
Their goal
Their goal is to help solve the world’s plastic waste problem by using 3-D printers and waste plastic to create sustainable products.
A new way
3-D printing is a new way of manufacturing almost anything and everything. It has taken a while to get started in the US, but Trent and his team are working on accelerating things.
Using already-existing plastic
Trent uses recycled plastic for the feedstock for his 3-D printing, so he is guaranteed to have enough supply for the rest of his life.
100% recycled filament
Right now, they are creating 100% recycled filament for 3-D printers.
What the filament for 3-D printing is
The filament for 3-D printers is a bit like the ink in an ink-jet printer. It allows the printer to build up layers and create a shape. The filament is the actual plastic that makes every print.
Plastic
Almost all plastics are made from petroleum products. We are starting to see more and more plastics made from corn and potato starch, however. In the US, corn starch gets used for making PLA plastic.
Different variations of plastic
3-D printing uses different variations of plastic. These include the traditional PLA bioplastic, made from plant material rather than petroleum, and many other kinds of plastic ranging from ABS to PETG, depending on the specific requirement for each application.
What compostable plastic means
Although compostable plastic was branded as eco-friendly, it is not quite true. Compostable plastic can only be composted in a commercial composting center because it takes a lot of heat and pressure to do it. There are very few commercial composting centers, and most of them will not compost plastic of any kind.
A full recycling service
Printerior creates filament from plastic waste sources and 3D printing waste collected through the Printerior Recycling Program. This 100% recycled-content filament is then used to make new 3D prints, completing the cycle.
Who they work with
Printerior works with universities, school districts, maker spaces, and small-scale businesses that use 3-D printing to manufacture their products.
Incentive
Sometimes, prints fail, and the product does not come out as intended. Printerior incentivizes businesses, schools and consumers by recycling the scrap that they would normally throw away and then giving them a discount on their next order of feedstock filament based on the amount of plastic they recycle.
A tricky process
Although making plastic from recycled plastic sounds easy, once you get down to the finer details, it can be a tricky process. It requires clean feedstock, formed in the right way, that comes out in the right consistency with the correct material quality. The whole process is not cheap, and it takes a lot of effort.
Easy to buy
Trent’s product has to be as easy to buy as new plastic to be competitive. Although it took a lot of time and effort to get established, things will soon start going more smoothly for them.
What they make
Apart from making 3-D filament, Printerior also has a print farm. They can make almost any product that is approximately a cubic foot in size.
How 3-D printing can spark entrepreneurship
3-D printing allows many different products to be brought to market faster, without the large cash requirements to cover the molding costs for manufacturing plastic products.
Cost-competitive
So far, 3-D printing has been cost-competitive, up to about fifty to one-hundred-thousand parts. After that, injection molding is more cost-effective because it is faster.
COVID face-shields
The manufacture of COVID face shields took off during the pandemic, and they were in short supply. So, 3-D printer communities from around the country banded together and produced millions of them that went out to hospitals in days rather than months.
The building industry
3-D printers are also making their way into the building industry right now.
How it started
A while back, Trent and his friend, Hayden, now his business partner, got into large-format printing. (That is where their company is heading for the future).
University of Missouri EQ Accelerator
They participated in the University of Missouri EQ Accelerator (Entrepreneurship Alliance), from which they received some seed funding.
Europe
After that, Trent went to Europe to learn about large-format 3-D printers. He loved what he learned there and came back full of enthusiasm for his new project.
The pandemic
Unfortunately, he arrived back home one week before everything shut down due to the pandemic.
Pivoting
When things started settling down again, they reached out to their partners, who told them that it would take more than a year to get things going. So Trent and his partner decided to pivot into making filament for the consumer market.
Easily recyclable and sustainable
They want everything they manufacture to be easily recyclable and sustainably sourced.
3-D printing has taken off
3-D printing has taken off and become cost-effective. The cost of good-quality 3-D printers has dropped drastically.
Schools
Some school districts even have entire curricula based around 3-D printing and additive manufacturing.
A great team
Trent and his business partner, Hayden, are both very artistic and creative. Trent has an entrepreneurial spirit, and Hayden is an engineer and designer. They have also brought a third co-founder, Jordan, on board. Jordan is an expert in computer science and electrical engineering.
Making a dent in the climate crisis
Manufacturing has a huge footprint. By using 3-D printers and recycled material for manufacturing, and recycling plastic, Trent and his team are doing their best to put a dent in the climate crisis.
Referral Links:
Printerior - recycled 3D printer filament, print farm, and large format printing
SHOP Recycled 3D Printer Filament - 15% discount on your first order with coupon code GREENHOMECOACH
See designs on Printerior's Instagram @printerior
Printerior on Facebook
3D Printing in the St. Louis area? Learn how to join Printerior's Recycling Program
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Is your home a part of the solution to what is going on with climate change? Or is it a part of the problem? Did you know that every choice you make for how you live in your home and everything you bring into your home impacts your health and the planet as a whole?
The climate crisis has shown us that building a life for ourselves and creating modern conveniences have made a big footprint on the earth and our fellow human beings. So, a while back, my co-host and I started a series on climate change as an opportunity for us to discuss what climate change means. We wanted to create a space to talk in-depth about the climate crisis and let people know why we care.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte from the Soundroom, is joining me in the studio for a face-to-face conversation about how to make your home a part of the solution to the problem of climate change.
Buildings
Buildings, including commercial properties and our homes, are about forty percent of the current load.
The impact of the building process
There is a lot to deal with when it comes to the climate crisis, and most people do not understand the full impact of the building process. People tend to think only about what goes into the building of a structure without thinking of where the materials come from or how to maintain and power it once the structure is complete.
Energy conservation
Many of us have been focused for years on our energy and water use, conservation, and efficiency, without ever knowing how much our homes contribute to the problem of climate change.
A green or sustainable certification
When looking at homes from a green or sustainable certification perspective, we essentially build, remodel, renovate, or reconstruct a structure to become healthier and more comfortable. We also do it to make the use of water and energy more controllable.
Six categories
We look at six different categories when it comes to the green or sustainable certification of a structure or home:
- The land that it sits on.
- How well it uses resources.
- How well it uses energy.
- How well it uses water.
- Its indoor air and indoor environmental quality.
- How it gets operated and maintained.
Each of the above categories offers us an area of improvement for how we live in our homes, how our homes perform, and the size of the load. Any step, even baby steps, will start to turn the tide.
One of the greenest things that you can do
Caring about how a home gets operated and maintained is one of the greenest things that you can do that sustains the home or structure into the future and ensures that things do not need to be replaced as soon.
Knowing how to operate your home is vital
You need to know how to operate your home. If not, you will never reap all the benefits. If you know how to operate your house as it was built, designed, and engineered, you will reap the benefits for the rest of your life.
The load
Our homes are there to make us comfortable and protect us from the elements. Yet, they are also part of the load that we place on the world, on our communities, and on each other.
A choice
We need to choose whether we want to be part of the problem or part of the solution. So, we need to educate ourselves and shift our perspectives to look at what we can do, rather than looking at the things that we are not doing.
Saving energy
We need to accept that even if we cannot do the big things, we can still do small things in our homes to conserve energy. We can get rid of energy waste, replace old appliances with more energy-efficient ones, replace the light bulbs with LEDs, and be more mindful about the amount of energy we use. It also helps to ensure that the heating and cooling system was properly designed, the house is air-tight for the winter, and the windows are shaded in the summer.
Free resources
There are many free resources available on the internet to help us understand more about green homes and make better choices. One of my favorite new resources is Home Performance Counts, put out as a joint project between the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders.
Water
We should never waste any water because water is our scarcest resource. Worldwide, a billion people per day do not have access to clean water. Yet water is vital for manufacturing things and recycling. It also takes water to make electricity.
Buying choices
We need to educate ourselves to make the best choices for buying products that have been made from the most sustainable resources. It is always best to choose the items that have the lowest impact. Remember that you cannot be perfect, so give yourself grace and do the best you can.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Easily find stylish, energy-efficient options for your home. Enter "energy" in the search bar on the Shop page
Green Living - Saving Ourselves
Does Greener Living Support Your Values?
Taking on Climate Change at Home...from NPR
How to Fight Climate Change at Home
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Have you ever wondered how to go about finding a home that has everything you value? It is vital to have a home that supports your lifestyle, and finding the right one can be pretty hard. Now, more than ever, after spending a year indoors, we have learned to value having a comfortable home with all the features we need.
My husband and I wanted an energy-efficient home, and we wanted it to have a back porch for us to sit on. We also wanted a home that would help us support the family health issues we were dealing with at the time. Even though I am in the industry, I had no clue how to find that home.
I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and in today’s podcast, I will introduce you to my friend, Kari Klaus, who is doing some great work in the area of green real estate. Listen in to learn more about how to find a home that has everything you want, and need.
Real estate is fluctuating
The real estate market is hot for sellers right now because there are still some very interesting potential fluctuations coming out of the pandemic with people working from home.
Change-agents
There is a huge opportunity right now for those in real estate to be change agents.
Any home can become a greener home
Any home, even an older one, can become a greener home by up-leveling the lighting, systems, and appliances.
RealtySage
Many years ago, Kari bought a home in Arlington, Virginia. It was old and quaint but super outdated and energy inefficient. Although she renovated and updated all the appliances and electrics, she knew she would have problems marketing the property on some major sites because they do not emphasize or educate buyers about the green features of the home, like solar. That means that sellers may not get their return on investment if the buyers do not understand what is in it. People need to see the houses on the internet to know what they look like and understand how much was invested in making them comfortable and energy-efficient.
That is what they do at RealtySage.
RealtySage Pro
People also need experts who can help explain everything. That is where the second part, RealtySage Pro, comes in. RealtySage Pro connects buyers and sellers to experience a knowledgeable real estate agent who understands all the features and systems of the home.
The value in green homes
There is value in green homes that often gets overlooked.
A big investment
A home is one of the most important and expensive things in which we invest. Buying a house sight unseen can be a problem for people when they do not have all the information upfront.
Trends
California has mandated zero energy-performance homes and solar. That trend will continue until it becomes the norm.
A learning curve
Consumers need to know where their houses land on the green and smart technology scale. They also need to learn about the different codes and certifications, what they stand for, and what they mean.
Solar
Consumers can potentially save hundreds of dollars in energy costs from having solar on their properties.
Millennials
Millennials are making an impact on our society right now. They are currently the largest group of home buyers. Millennials love automated homes with smart technology, and they also love living close to where they work.
The big unknown
The post-pandemic remote work situation is the big unknown that could transform real estate significantly.
An exciting time
It is an interesting and exciting time right now with lots of potential opportunities. With so many people working from home, many commercial office buildings could convert in the future to become apartments and condos.
Have a home that supports you
Think about what is important to you. Think about having a home that supports your comfort, health, and well-being. Then, take action to make that happen.
RealtySage Pro has a massive database
RealtySage Pro has a database of almost 150,000 real estate agents across the country to help match sellers with the right buyers. Their agents understand the value of off-grid properties and help sellers to market that.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Intelligent Real Estate Search with RealtySage
Get matched with a RealtySage PRO
Sage Score
Work with Marla to prep for buying or selling a home
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency®
Home Performance Counts
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Climate change is becoming part of many everyday conversations and many of our children may have questions – spoken or unspoken – about climate change and how it may impact them. How do you talk with them about climate change?
Both my kids are grown and work in an industry that focuses on sustainability, so we have some pretty interesting conversations. Tony does not have any kids, so the conversations he has are geared more towards an adult point of view and tend to be more on the academic side. Even though Tony and I live in very different worlds and do not always see eye to eye, we feel our different outlooks bring a balanced perspective to our conversations.
Today, we will be talking about our kids collectively as a society.
Not an easy decision
Many people are having a tough time deciding whether or not it is a good idea to start a family today, with all the political strife, the climate crisis, and everything else that is going on in the world. Yet, many generations of people have most likely been having the same conversation over the ages. Because as Tony points out, society and civilization were always built on strife.
A rough year
The past year has been rough for the kids. Tony feels bad for them because they have lost out on so much in the classroom, on the sports ground, and especially in their social development. He feels that losing their connections can end up slowing their development.
Screen time
Pre-COVID, our kids, as a society, spent a lot of time in front of screens. Right now, with online learning, kids are getting even more screen time. That makes one wonder what the effects some of the things they are getting exposed to will have on their physical health, mental health, and social development.
Humans are impacting the world
I found the topic of climate change interesting during the pandemic lockdown because, in many parts of the world, the natural environment cleared up very quickly. That was, in many cases, an indication that humans are impacting the world in which we live. So, I hope we can figure out how to do this and learn to live in symbiosis with the natural world a little better.
Emissions
We drive many more miles today than we did in the 1980s. Yet, we have fewer emissions today because technology has improved. Even though we are unlikely to stop emissions entirely, there are things that we can do to lessen the impact.
Internal combustion engines
Many manufacturers have pledged that after a certain date, they will no longer manufacture internal combustion engines.
Electric vehicles
If we are going to be driving many more electric vehicles in the future, we need to figure out how to fill the need for electricity without creating any unintended negative consequences.
Break the silence
We need to lose the fear of upsetting the conversation, break the silence, and start talking about the things that impact climate change. That goes for adults as well as kids.
Talking to young adults and kids
When having a conversation with younger adults or children, focus on maintaining a positive attitude about everything. Be transparent with them. Give them all the facts and present issues as challenges rather than problems. Teach them to give each other grace. Help them face their fears, give hope, and show them how to take action when necessary.
Mindset
We have to get out of a problem-based mindset and start teaching kids more of a solution-based mindset.
Outdoors
Get the kids to spend time outside on sunny days to connect with nature and become familiar with the bright and cheerful outdoor environment.
Positive experiences
Watch your language, and give children as many positive messages and experiences as possible. The more positive experiences they have, the more equipped they are to handle any doom and gloom situations.
Take a hike
Encourage your kids to go hiking with you. You can encourage them to pick up trash along the way. Cleaning up the environment will teach them how to take action while also giving them a positive experience.
The health of the planet
Teach your kids that their health is tied to the health of the planet. Teach them not to waste, and let them know that recycling is vital. Explain to them that what we do in our homes affects not only them but the whole world, too.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my private Facebook group Love Your Everyday Green Home
Kid's Bamboo Telescope for exploring outside
How to Talk with Kids about the Climate Crisis - Shelton Group
How to talk honestly to kids about climate change — and still give them hope
How To Talk To Kids About Climate Change - NPR
Project Learning Tree Activities for Families
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Taking the time to do regular home maintenance adds up to a greener lifestyle. By doing a little more research every time you need to replace, repair, redecorate, remodel, or renovate, you can make a difference. All of that is a part of maintenance, which is super important around our homes. Maintaining your home is one of the greenest things that you can do. Maintenance preserves the life of things, so the more routine maintenance you do around the home, the longer things will last. And the longer things last, the fewer things end up in the trash or the recycling bin.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today, I would like to talk to you about spring maintenance.
My friend, Tina Gleisner, from Home Tips for Women, is my maintenance go-to. She collaborated with me on the chapter about maintenance in my book, Living Green Effortlessly- Simple Choices for a Better Home. For today, I pulled an episode out of the archives where Tina and I talk about spring maintenance.
Tina knows how to rock out maintenance with her three-tiered approach, so be sure to listen in today and get ready for some super home maintenance!
Enjoy the episode!
The most important point
The most important point to remember about taking care of your home is that you are the chief home organizer. That means that you do not have to do everything yourself. Your number one priority is to see that all the important things get done.
Critical jobs
Some critical jobs need to get done in a home that we do not have the tools or the experience to do. So we should not even attempt to do these things.
Spring maintenance
The focus of this podcast is on spring maintenance because spring is a great time to do several things outside of your home. Many of those things will require the assistance of an expert.
Organizing your checklist
It is always best to start by inspecting things around your home. Then, make a list of all the things that need to be maintained or repaired.
Planning
Planning what you intend to do and who you will hire to help you can minimize the costs of your ongoing home maintenance and repairs in the long run.
Checking the roof
If you are uncomfortable on a ladder or if there is a chance that you could fall, do not go up onto the roof yourself. To check your roof, stand back and take some photos of it with your phone. Then, go to your computer and blow the pics up to see all the details. You can save them so that you can use them again the next year to see if anything on the roof has changed.
New roofs
If you do some spot-checking every year, for the first ten years, without actually going up there, that will be sufficient for most new roofs. If you live on the coast or in an area with harsh weather all the time, your roof will not last as long as it would in an inland area with mild weather.
National Women In Roofing
An organization called National Women In Roofing will help you better understand all the different classes of roof shingles, explain what your roofing insurance will and will not cover, and answer any questions that you might have.
Hidden damage
If you need a new roof, it is never a good idea to put a second layer of roofing shingles on top of what you already have because there may be hidden damage to the plywood underneath the shingles.
A tip for recycling old roof shingles
Many communities have a Roof to Roads program where they recycle asphalt shingles to use for building roads. So, if you are removing an old roof, look into recycling the old shingles.
Protecting the wood and checking for wood-rot
If you can catch a problem early, it could save you a lot of money and effort in the future. So check the wood around your windows and doors, and any decking or other wooden trim around the house, for signs of wood rot that might be starting. If you find anything, it can quite easily be sanded and painted to protect the wood and prevent any deterioration.
The two biggest problem areas
The two biggest problem areas for wood-rot are the window-sills if the water does not roll off them fast enough, and the vertical piece of wood directly under the exterior doors. The longer the problem remains, the more the repair is likely to cost.
Wood rot
Tina has an article on her website that goes into the different levels and costs of wood-rot on window frames. She also has a series on her website about all the areas of wood rot in a home.
Roof flashing
The flashing on the roof usually gets made of thin material, like galvanized steel. It is there to direct water away from the critical roof areas.
Spring home-maintenance
Doing outside home maintenance in the springtime is vital because you will start spending a lot more time outside at that time of the year.
Two main things need to get done in the springtime.
- Find and deal with any damage that may have occurred during the winter.
- Look out for the safety of your family while they are spending time outside. That includes checking the walkways, decks, hand-rails, and outside lighting.
Tina’s spring check-list
Tina has a checklist available on her website to give you many different ways to look for potential problems in your home.
Some things to look out for:
- Concrete is porous, and it sucks water up, so keep a lookout for any rising damp.
- Push gently on the wood around your doors and windows with your fingers to check for sponginess. That would indicate that there is some wood-rot going on there. If you find any wood-rot, you will need to do something about it quickly.
- Check to see if the weather-stripping around your windows and doors requires replacing.
- Check if any of the screens for your windows or doors are torn and need to get replaced.
- Check your garden hoses and check that the irrigation system is working well.
- Ensure that your air condition system is working well and that your fans turn in the right direction.
Remember that a clean home is easier to maintain. It helps everything to work more efficiently and last longer.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home
Curated collection for you
Spring Home Maintenance Checklist
Home Tips for Women (PDF Download)
Better Hose Bibs - Use This to Replace Outdoor Hose Bibs
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Climate change is a big topic! We hear a lot about it lately in the news, in newspapers, and in people’s conversations. Climate change is something that we all need to talk about, and many questions are surrounding it.
People often get lectured about the things they are doing wrong in the world today. So, we would like to use this series to open people up to the idea of having conversations so that we can all work together to find solutions.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and my favorite co-host, Tony Pratte, is joining me today for another episode in our series on climate change.
In this episode, we talk about human-made climate change. We will talk specifically about the choices that we can make, as humans, to fight the whole people-driven part of climate change.
Tony and I want to help you, the listeners, climb into the details of climate change. We want to encourage you to think about things differently, and we would like to help you dive deeper into the issues that matter and consider a perspective that you might not have thought of before.
Everything has become politicized
There has been a lot of discourse and disagreement around climate change, and like everything else, the topic of climate change has become politicized.
Grace
I come from two things - people and grace. I come from caring about everyone, including the people I know and those I don’t. In the past, people have forgiven me for the wrong things I believed in or what I did wrong. That helped me to understand how important it is to give grace to everyone else.
Talking about things
Tony and I have honest conversations. Although we often disagree about things, we always agree to talk about them. You have to be able to discuss every issue from both sides because that is the only way you will ever find the truth.
600,000,000 Years of Climate Change
Climate change is a fact. It is real. Some things have been going on for 600,000,000 years that cause the heating and cooling of the earth naturally. Tony has a chart that he stares at every time we talk about climate change. The name of the chart is 600,000,000 Years of Climate Change.
Climate change impacts our lives
Climate change impacts every area of our lives. That includes our food, livelihood, social injustice, the buildings we live and work in, and our transportation. It all matters! Yet, we have run amuck! We have made decisions that are not in our best interests in the long term because there are many unintended consequences to those decisions.
There is a winner and a loser
When someone is doing what they can to maximize their quality of life, there is always a negative externality that is causing someone else to have less.
Everything is balanced
If you look at the physical rules of our universe, everything is balanced. That could be happening with human-induced climate change.
Human impacts on the environment
A National Geographic article highlights that humans impact the physical in many ways. Those include overpopulation, pollution, and deforestation. Those kinds of changes have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water.
Air quality
The air quality improved in many urban centers across the planet during the pandemic.
The quality of our lives
We need to consider what we are willing to accept for the quality of our lives.
Social cost
There is often a social cost to the recycling of things, which is not accounted for.
A growing movement
There’s a growing movement to buy products from companies that support your values and do things that are in line with you or better. More and more companies are telling us about what they are doing to be accountable for their actions.
A better quality of life
Some people are willing to spend a little more to buy what they need for a better quality of life that has less impact on the environment.
An impact
Almost every activity we engage in to improve our quality of life has an impact that can be negative on our or someone else’s quality of life.
Plastic water bottles are made from oil
Not many people know that plastic water bottles are made from oil.
Understanding the processes
We need to learn and get to understand the processes of how things are made and done. It is difficult and takes work, but we need to do it.
Things you can do
- Don’t get overwhelmed.
- Understand what products are made from what.
- Recycle.
- Use your common sense.
- Avoid single-use plastics.
- Research the companies you want to support.
- Encourage companies that are not doing things right to do things better.
Create change
Your voice is worth using. Use it. Say something to create change. Or you can vote with your pocketbook by not buying something.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home FB Group!
Products made from petroleum
Climate explained: how much of climate change is natural? How much is man-made?
Global Warming Overview (requires an email address to read)
Teaching Essential Principle Six Human activities are impacting the climate system
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Here, in the United States, we use more toilet paper per capita than in any other country on the face of the earth. Although things are different in other parts of the world, in our society, we view toilet paper as a necessity because that is how we were trained in our culture, in our economy, and in our lives. Toilet paper was the first thing everyone stocked up on at the start of the pandemic. It is something that we know we need to use, but we think we have no replacement for it.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, Tony Pratte, my occasional co-host, joins me on the show once again for another conversation in our series about climate change.
Today, Tony and I are talking toilet paper! In this episode, we explain what goes into the toilet paper that we are literally flushing down the toilet. We also discuss what you can use as alternatives and why that matters.
Looking at our country as a whole
When we look at our country as a whole, we are the most prosperous country with the largest economy. Yet, we are very wasteful.
Use this, not that
I got a flyer from my local natural grocery store explaining what we should and should not use. They list many different items, from laundry detergent, to grocery bags to weed killer, and they even list toothbrushes.
Alternatives to single-use products
There are many alternatives for us to use rather than single-use products, where we tend to be the most wasteful. Most of us do not think of toilet paper in that category, however.
Flushing forests
We are literally flushing forests down the toilet so that we can use something a little softer to wipe ourselves.
Recycled materials
I have used recycled toilet paper for several years now because I feel that any time I can use a recycled material rather than virgin material, it is a good thing. It takes far less energy, water, and chemicals to make something from a recycled product, and you are also expanding the life of that product.
Wood pulp
All paper gets made from wood pulp. Different kinds of wood pulp get used in making the various types of paper.
Wood mills
Wood mills have tons of scrap lying all over. One would assume that those scrap bits of wood get used for making paper, but that is not what happens.
Making toilet paper
Toilet paper is not only made from leftover bits and pieces of wood, but shockingly, 44% of the wood pulp used to make toilet paper comes from clear-cut native virgin-growth forests.
Planting trees
Although many of those involved with forestry claim to plant a tree every time they cut one down, it will take many years for those trees to reach their full forest height. Those trees often get planted within a monoculture instead of in a diverse setting with active microbiomes like a forest. Everything in nature works in systems, including forests. So, when forests get ripped out for our convenience, there is a long-term pay-off.
Using recycled paper for toilet paper
Many of the resources used to make paper could get offset by using recycled paper to make toilet paper.
FSC certified forests
Forests that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified have been deemed to be sustainable and sustainably managed.
Toilet paper made from virgin wood
Paper made from virgin wood has longer fibers which give it a lot more life. Every time paper or wood gets recycled, the fibers become shorter. So it makes a lot of sense to use recycled paper to make toilet paper because it will get flushed down the toilet.
Sewage plants
Often, sewage plants make fertilizer from the sludge.
Bamboo
Paper made from bamboo feels more like paper made from wood with longer fibers. So toilet paper made from bamboo will feel more comfortable to use. You need to know that the bamboo was responsibly sourced, however.
Consumers
As consumers, we tend to have a lot more power than we comprehend. We can use that power to vote with our pocketbooks and choose the products that we use with care.
Learning about alternatives
Learn more and talk to people about what you have learned. We can all help each other by sharing what we have learned about alternative ways to do things.
Overall impact
We need to understand that with every change of materials, there is an overall impact that we need to factor in.
An ecosystem
The whole globe is a massive system made up of smaller ecosystems. When one of them gets knocked out of balance, the system looks to correct and find balance. But that takes time.
Tearing down forests
Forests are massive carbon dioxide storage facilities and they play a huge role in balancing the climate of the natural world. All of that gets negatively affected when we tear the forests down. The habitats of many species of animals, birds, and insects get destroyed. Some indigenous people depend on forests for their livelihood.
The natural world supports us
The natural world matters. Your health, and that of your family and friends, is highly dependent on the health of the planet. So, we need to remember that the earth supports us and take care of it.
You can make a start, one roll of toilet paper at a time!
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Book - Toilet Paper on page 72
The Issue with Tissue
Toilet Paper on my shop
I'm giving Who Gives a Crap bamboo TP a go. Want to try it, too?
Toilet Paper Debate video
Report Exposes How Sustainable 26 Major Toilet Paper Brands Are — Check Out the Winners and the Losers
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
The climate is changing. Yet, the term “global warming” often gets misunderstood. It all seems to be happening much more visibly and much more intensely lately, which indicates that something is actually going on.
In today’s episode, Tony and I discuss how to speak to others about controversial subjects, why we need to see the bigger picture, and we also talk about the importance of coexisting in the best way possible in this beautiful world of ours.
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am back today with another conversation in our series on climate change. Tony Pratte, my sometimes guest, sometimes co-host, is joining me on the show today.
In the last podcast that Tony and I did together, we started a conversation about the emotions that arise in people when climate change, or what I more accurately refer to as “the climate crisis”, comes up.
Ground rules
In our last conversation, Tony and I set the ground rules for how we, as human beings, can talk about the issue of the current climate crisis. We spoke about how we can still manage to have that conversation even if we do not see eye to eye. We discussed compassion, grace, trust, and transparency, all of which are qualities that most of us would like to have in our lives anyway because they will serve us well in any situation.
The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule for having any controversial conversation is to treat people the same way you would want to get treated.
Honoring yourself
Many of us tend to think we need to be altruistic and always take care of everybody else. Honoring yourself and your health, wellness, and wellbeing is also very important, so remember yourself, too, when having those conversations.
Challenges
We have some big challenges right now in our society. Many of us do not feel that we can change things, even though some know that is not the truth.
The big picture
Everything we do and all of our decisions ultimately ties to the big picture and little steps can lead to big changes. So, we need to know what to do and to whom we need to listen.
Communication channels
The vast number of communication channels that we have today, with all their different points of view, make it hard for us to know who to listen to and what to believe.
New possibilities
Many people fail to question things. There is a tiny group of people, however, who are willing to take action and challenge the currently accepted narratives. They are willing to be the bridge-builders to open up new possibilities and share new information.
Things are changing
We are currently seeing impacts that we have never seen before in our lifetime. The climate is changing rapidly and many people desperately need food, medicine, and employment. We need to find a way to supply all of those things without disrupting our precious planet.
The way we are living
The way we live is impacting the earth faster than it can react positively for us.
What will happen to us?
The pandemic has shown us that the earth will be able to correct itself and keep on going. So, the question is, what will happen to us?
Time
Our concept of time is not the same as how time relates to the earth. The earth works in cycles that can last for millions of years. We, as humans, tend to relate to time in terms of the length of our lifetime, so we do not know what the earth can handle.
What we know
We know that a different lifestyle exists relating to three billion people living on the planet versus ten billion people. We need to start thinking about how our lifestyle is impacting the earth.
A new way to live
We need to find other ways for so many of us to live on the planet and maintain a similar lifestyle without harming anyone else or the environment.
Solar panels
Ten square miles of solar panels in the New Mexico desert could power the entire USA commercially. There are some trade-offs to that, however, in terms of resources, so we need to find a way to balance things out.
A goal
We need to look at everyone on the planet as stakeholders and find a way to put our problem in front of us rather than putting it between us. To help improve things for as many people as possible without taking anything away from others, we need to develop accountability and take responsibility.
Tony's goal
Tony's goal is to have today's conversation influence someone else.
And for that person to have a similar conversation with their friends. And then for those friends to have the same kind of conversation with some other people. And so on.
If that happens, we may eventually be able to see some positive changes. Also, a conversion from a problem mindset to a solution mindset.
Coexisting
In many ways, the climate crisis reflects many of the things going on in the world today. There are things that we need to figure out to coexist in the best way possible in this beautiful world of ours.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
@greenhomecoach on Instagram and Facebook
Global Weirding with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe on YouTube
Matt Ridley's "A Lukewarmer's Ten Tests" (PDF Download)
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Today, I am doing something a little different. Laryssa Kwoczak, my guest, is also a podcaster, so today, I am her guest, too. We will be releasing this podcast on her platform as well as on mine.
Listen in to our fascinating conversation to learn more about Laryssa, why bees are such an important part of our world, what you need to know before attracting bees to your garden, and so much more. Did I mention resources? We’ll have plenty of those for you, too.
About Laryssa
Laryssa lives in Hawaii. She has been keeping bees for about ten years. She used to work for a commercial apiary where she was teaching people about bees.
The Buzz About Bees
When she stopped doing that, she started doing her podcast called The Buzz About Bees. Laryssa created her podcast to dive a bit deeper into the hive and what bees do, and what the beekeeper does. She tries to make her podcast as friendly to non-beekeepers as possible.
Why bees are so important
Bees are important because they make honey, plus they pollinate foods like nuts, fruit, and vegetables, and flowers. They are an integral part of our world, and they are fascinating creatures. Bees are also food for birds, and they help the soil.
Honey
Honey has antibacterial properties. It gets used in bandaging for burn victims because it helps pull the moisture out.
Never goes bad
Honey is the only food that never goes bad.
Planting for honey bees
Honey bees have an action called flower fidelity, so they like to fill their sacks with just one kind of nectar for months at a time. So, when you are planting for bees, it is good to have more than one plant of one variety to encourage the bees by making it worth their while to stop by.
One of the best pollinators
The pollen sticks to the fuzzy bodies of the bees. Then they go to the next flower of the same variety, spread the pollen, and pollinate it. That is why honey bees are one of the best pollinators.
Lots of everything
Different things attract different pollinators. So, have lots of everything! Herbs are great to plant if you want to attract pollinators to your garden.
Natural practices
It is healthier for everything in your garden if you use natural practices and trust that the bees know what they are doing.
Attracting bees
Before you try to attract bees to your garden, make it a healthy environment for them by not using harsh chemicals, like weed killers that could kill them. Do not spray any weed killers, even natural ones, in the garden during the daytime when the bees are around. Sunset is the best time to spray. But it is best not to spray at all because some weeds are food for bees.
Planting for the bees
Planting some bee-friendly flowers is a great way to attract bees to your garden. Planting flowers like tulips, or goldenrod, that come up in the early spring or late fall is best because that's when the bees are desperate for food.
Butterflies are amazing
Butterflies can sniff out their host plant from over a mile away. If you plant something that attracts a certain kind of butterfly, there is a chance that they live in your area that they will find it.
Great places to go for resources
The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge is a great place to go for resources. You can also post your garden on that site. There is also Xerces.org, where you can go to your state, and it will tell you what to plant for native pollinators, as well as honey bees.
Finding more pollinator-friendly places
Laryssa encourages people not just to think about their yard, but also to get involved with their homeowner's association and to talk with their neighbors to find places in the neighborhood that can be made more pollinator-friendly.
Potted plants
If you are not interested in pulling weeds or dealing with unwanted pests, potted plants are also great for attracting bees.
Don’t be afraid
You do not have to be afraid of having bees in your garden because bees are unlikely to sting. Honey bees will die if they sting you.
Creating a green environment around your home
Many different practices will support you in working with nature and help you create a pollinator-friendly environment around your home.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Curated for your yard and garden
The Buzz About Bees Podcast
Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
ID plants
Bees in My Backyard videos
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Our homes have now become everything for us! That means that we have been a lot harder on them now than we were before, pre-pandemic. But we have also learned a lot more about our homes because we are spending so much more time in them lately.
I have worked from home for years, so I have made sure that my home serves me well. As a result, I have a slightly different perspective, and I’ve learned many different things over the years.
My goal is to share what I have learned with you through my Facebook group, Love Your Everyday Green Home, through teachings from my book, Living Green Effortlessly, and also through the people I meet.
2020 was the year of the grand experiment for many of us! Now that we know that we are free to experiment, we can become more intentional with whatever we decide to do in our homes. You don’t have to do it all. Just pick a few of the things I suggest, and go try them out.
Today, I will focus on the interior of our homes. It is important to have a comfortable home with beautiful spaces that serve your health and wellness. Your home should provide you with the kind of spaces that you want to be in.
Our pre-loved sofa
We recently bought a second-hand recliner sofa. Although we knew it was unlikely to be our forever sofa, we needed a space to be comfortable together. Our pre-loved recliner sofa was a perfect fit for us!
Using pre-loved, or second-hand furniture
Using pre-loved furniture makes it very easy to make short-term, intentional decisions for a specific need. When something we bought second-hand is no longer useful to us, we can put it back into the marketplace for pre-loved furniture and pass it on to someone else.
Off-gassing and older furniture
One of the advantages of buying older furniture is that it has had time to off-gas any chemicals or toxins that could be in the fabrics or the wood.
New furnishings
With new furnishings, you want to do some research to look out for what you are buying. There is a group called Sustainable Furnishings Council. It has a list of companies that adhere to a set of practices in the manufacture of furniture to ensure they meet the sustainability levels.
Things to watch out for
You need to watch out for the materials used in furnishings, rugs, soft goods, and window treatments for their potential to off-gas. It is always best to use natural products whenever possible.
A list of go-to’s
Having a list of go-to’s for what works well in your home will be helpful for you. Look for products that are sustainable, renewable, or more chemically responsible whenever possible.
Paint
Choose safer paint, preferably with no or low VOCs.
Wallpaper
When choosing wallpaper, you need to consider what is in it and ensure that you select a safe and healthy option for the people living in your home.
Floor coverings
You need to select carpets and flooring products that are safe and healthy for the people living in your home. Carpets and long-shag rugs tend to be dust-traps, so they are not the best option for people with allergies. Try to choose materials and products made from either renewable materials or recycled content. Choose materials that can eventually get recycled to keep them out of the landfills.
Ceilings and walls
Ceilings are usually covered with paint. Ceilings and walls influence the way that the light plays in your home. Light is an important part of health and wellness. Consider that when choosing a color for the walls and ceilings in your home. Light-colored ceilings and walls help to magnify the light.
Heat
Having dark-colored floors and walls is great for holding the heat in your home during the colder months.
Cabinetry
Pay attention to your cabinetry. Formaldehyde is a chemical that you want to steer clear of. It is still in some products, especially those made from pressed wood.
Bathrooms and kitchens
As you fine-tune, remodel, or rebuild your kitchen and bathroom, you need to be specific and intentional about the choices you make. Your choice of tiles, walls, and flooring needs to support your health and your comfort.
Plumbing fixtures
Choose plumbing fixtures that will require little maintenance, last a long time, and optimize the use of the water coming into your home most effectively. Pay attention to the toilet. You might want to upgrade an older toilet to a new one that flushes better and saves you lots of water.
Moisture
You want to keep your kitchen and bathrooms dry. Make sure that nothing you choose for your kitchen and bathrooms mitigates moisture.
Soft surfaces
You want your soft surfaces to be as comfortable and cozy as possible. Use great fabrics that will be safe and healthy to have in your home.
Green Labels
Green labels will help you make better choices for the things you use in your home.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Curated collection for you
What Goes IN Your Home: What To Think About, What to Look For, What to Choose
The Stuff our Homes Are Made of – Resources and Materials
A Place to Dream, Design, and Discover with Sheridan Foster of Elemental Green
Green Interiors
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
We are talking about landscaping today! Many of us are trying to figure out ways to make our homes look more appealing and feel more comfortable. The pandemic gave us the ideal opportunity to experiment with different ways to improve things in and around our houses. Some of what I will be sharing with you today is about how to take those experiments a little bit further. I, for one, have been having a whole lot of fun discovering what I can do in my yard. And what I can grow there!
One of the things that I have come to recognize from the green living space is that a set of actions can give you all kinds of unintended benefits. Landscaping is one of those. You may be landscaping for beauty to create a colorful garden space outside of your home. Many of us are trying to figure out ways to create edible gardens, but we have not always thought about the idea of landscaping for comfort. Stay tuned to find out more!
Using plants in strategic areas
You can use plants in specific areas around your house to form insulation spaces, dead spaces, to provide windbreaks, and to strategically shield your home and yard from the elements.
Oklahoma
Driving around in the countryside of Oklahoma, I started noticing that there were windbreaks all over the place! You can use the same principle around your home.
A hand out for you
I have added a link for a handout that takes you through the step of how to think about landscaping not only for beauty but also for your comfort.
It all starts with understanding the energy flows
It all starts with understanding the energy flow that comes in and out of your building and how that works with the sun.
The key generator
The sun is the key generator of energy on our planet. So how your home is oriented on the land is the very first thing you need to look at.
Using the sunlight
You want to take advantage of the way the sun is positioned on your house to bring in warmth on the colder winter days.
Positioning
How your house is positioned allows you to take advantage of the sunlight through your windows by warming up the walls.
The foundation of your house
Your house was built on a foundation. That foundation is often a source of leakage. So you can have foundation plantings around the edge of the house. Be sure that the plantings are an appropriate space from the foundation to insulate without encroaching on the structure itself. Nurseries and landscape people can help you with the plantings that will specifically operate and grow the best in your region.
Shade trees
Shade trees are one of the best investments you can make for your land. Shade trees are a huge advantage because they will provide shade for the very sunny windows in the summer and they will lose their leaves in the winter to let the sunlight in when you need it most.
Hardscape
You can use shade trees to shade the hardscape like patios and driveways. You can also use shade trees to shade the concrete in and around your home.
Note: Shade trees take a long time to grow, so now is the best time to get started with them.
Plantings
Use plantings for exterior shading when your shade trees are not yet big enough to provide the shade. You can also use trellises, arbors, awnings, or even solar screens on the outside.
Shrubs and trees
You can plant shrubs and trees in key locations to shield your home from the prevailing winds.
Local nurseries
Local nurseries will be more than happy to help you with a plan to make your landscape beautiful and help you experience more comfort in your home and yard.
Resources
Many resources are available to help you find the best plants to use, and where to plant them. Many universities have extension programs which are a great resource.
Water
Think about how the water is running off on your property and how you are using it. Consider getting some rain barrels. Rainwater is soft and better for your plants than city water.
Native plants
Consider using some native plants in your garden. Native plants require a lot fewer resources in terms of water, pest control, and fertilizer to thrive.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Landscape Guide
EGH for your Garden
Landscaping for Beauty, Energy Efficiency, and Home Comfort with Tony Pratte
Sustainable Solutions For Water and Landscape On Your Home Site
Green Landscaping with Native Plants
Frisella's All Around The Yard Podcast
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
I’m Marla, on the Everyday Green Home Podcast. I am excited to have Tony Pratte joining me on the show today! Tony and I are good friends. We have known each other and worked together for many years. He used to be a regular co-host on this podcast back when it was called The Green Gab.
Today, we will be talking about a big, hot topic. We will be discussing the climate crisis, also called climate change or global warming.
Our intention for this podcast is to set up some basics around that topic and to look at some of the key points to follow. We hope to give you a baseline for having this conversation in your life and generate some thinking that might be different from the way you used to think.
Tony and I are not in full agreement on all aspects of this topic. However, we both feel that it is important for us, as a society, to learn how to agree to disagree about certain things, to allow us to have these conversations.
We will base our conversation primarily on three things: emotions, transparency and trust, and politics.
Positive conflict is a powerful tool
Tony is an expert in team development. He knows that team building involves understanding conflict and knowing that positive conflict is a powerful tool. It is a tool to unlock creative energies, and those creative energies can always lead to creative problem-solving.
A solution-based mindset
Tony points out that although most people have a problem-based mindset, true leaders understand that you need to have a solution-based mindset to overcome any problem. So, you need to identify the problem and then discuss the solutions.
Framing the conversation
To frame the conversation as we go forward, we need to bear in mind that we should always aim to do no harm.
A complicated issue
Many people feel uncomfortable having the conversation we are having today about global warming because we are dealing with a complicated issue. It is a passionate discussion, and it runs to the emotions. None of us want to think we are bad people or that we are wrong.
Dealing with emotions with grace
Our word for 2020 was grace. We need to be able to both give and receive grace. Grace can be a good baseline to help us get through the emotions that arise when we talk about difficult topics like the one we are discussing today.
Taking action
We need to take action, regardless of our beliefs and emotions. We need to figure out how to find solutions.
This conversation
Sharpening our listening skills becomes vital for the conversation about climate change and global warming. You have to be able to handle another person’s emotions on this topic with grace. Our biases are very strong things, so you need to fully understand what the other person is saying and validate their opinions, whether you agree with them or not, to move forward.
Compassion
Developing your compassion will help you to discuss this emotive topic with grace.
Transparency and trust
Transparency engenders trust. Currently, we live in a society and in a time of a constant information cycle. We have a class of leaders in politics, business, and thought who cannot wrap their heads around the current 24/7 information cycle because everything they do can get found somewhere. As a result, they need to be concerned about anything that they might be hiding.
Money
Money is influencing the topic of climate change on all sides. The motivation is to keep the conversation narrow and as simple as possible. Because when the conversation takes its true and complicated form, it becomes hard to influence others.
Influence
For Tony, talking about transparency and trust comes down to the fact that people are trying to influence others based on power and money.
Products
Most of us always trusted the people who provide the products that we buy. Now, we are discovering that there are skeletons in the closet, and there are words in the lists of ingredients on the products that mean something quite different from what those words truly mean. That adds to the element of distrust.
Cognitive bias
When people realize that they cannot trust someone, they revert to their cognitive bias and develop a stronger emotional connection to that bias.
Well-paid spin doctors
Tony believes that in politics, there is a legion of well-paid spin doctors who are there to keep discussions binary. So for today’s topic, you either believe in climate change and that it is real and dangerous, or you are a climate deny-er, and you think it is all a hoax.
Constituents
As constituents, we have the power to pay more attention to those for whom we are voting.
We need to question
We should not allow politicians to frame an argument in one way or another. That is ultimately our personal choice, so we need to start questioning everything.
To truly understand
To truly understand what goes on, you have to listen actively, have both eyes open, and leave any preconceived judgment, cognitive bias, or politics at the door.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Follow @greenhomecoach on Instagram
Like Green Home Coach on Facebook
Global Weirding with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe on YouTube
Matt Ridley - A Lukewarmer’s Ten Tests (PDF)
Compassion Center @Emory University
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Right now, health and wellness are everything, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to help you explore some things around your home that you may be able to do a little differently.
We are all spending much more time at home lately. That means that we are putting a lot more wear and tear on our homes than we did before, so you may be cleaning things up, changing things around in your house, or even redecorating.
Today, I will be focusing on the health and wellness aspect of cleaning your home. I will be walking you through the process of how you can clean because how you clean matters.
Cleaning impacts various aspects of your home
The way we think about our homes is changing. Today, I heard that healthy is the new green, and that resonated with me because cleaning your home is one of the ways you can impact the health and wellness of everyone living in it. Cleaning also helps with the maintenance side of your home.
The way you clean matters
The way that you clean makes a difference. You want to use something that truly works without requiring any extra work on your part, and you also want to use something that will not contain harmful chemicals that could harm your health and wellness or on that of your family or your pets.
Choices
There are many choices that you can make in the non-toxic, chemical-free space. And many subscription services are coming up in that space.
Step one
The first thing you need to do is to remove all the debris and dust. I never use paper towels unless there is something very nasty to be removed, like pet mess. I use microfiber cloths because they work well, and after using them, I can simply throw them in the wash.
Polishing
I follow up by polishing stainless steel appliances, glass items, and mirrors with all-natural linen or a cotton tea towel.
Shabby Chick
Shabby Chick is a woman-owned company in Oklahoma. At Shabby Chick, all their products are natural, and they list the ingredients on the back, so you know what is in each product. They make an all-purpose cleaner and a stainless steel and glass cleaner. You can order them online.
Better life
Better Life Cleaning Products was founded in St. Louis, and they also make natural cleaning products.
Cleaning floors
We vacuum once in a while to remove the dust. Then we use washable mops to clean our floors. The mops were made by Bona, which also makes other natural cleaning products.
Specialty tools
You can use some specialty tools with microfiber cloths to clean things like blinds and the tops of your ceiling fans. After using them, the microfiber cloths can go into the wash.
Getting rid of dirt and debris
You want to get the dirt and debris off the floors, countertops, bathroom surfaces, faucets, ledges, window sills, blinds, ceiling fans, lamps, and light bulbs.
DIY
Many people make their own cleaning products out of cleaning vinegar. There are many recipes online for making different cleaning formulas, using vinegar, lemons, and baking soda.
Baking soda
Baking soda is abrasive, so it also makes a great scrubby powder to put in with any of your cleaners. And you can sprinkle some baking soda onto your rugs to freshen them up.
Sanitizing and disinfecting
It is best to use an EPA-registered disinfectant. Go to the EPA website to look for registered products. We found two different cleaning products that work similarly.
One is Force of Nature, which is an appliance that rearranges the molecules in water, vinegar, and salt, to make a safe cleaner that also disinfects and sanitizes. The other one is the Tersano iClean, which uses technology to electrolyze the water to create a safe disinfecting and sanitizing agent on the spot, out of tap water.
Preventative measures
We have several doormats, both indoors and outdoors, to capture the dirt and keep it out of the house, so we don’t have to clean as much.
Cleaner air
You also capture a lot of dirt in the filter for your heating and cooling unit, so you should clean it regularly. A MERV 13 filter will make for even better filtering if your cooling unit can handle it. I use a Green Screen air filter, which works on a different system from the pleated filters. You can also get HEPA filters with air purifiers to clean the air in your home.
Plants
Having lots of plants in your home also helps to clean some of the chemical toxins and pollutants out of the air.
A schedule
It helps if you can create a schedule where you spend just a few minutes each day doing some quick cleanup tasks so that you don’t have to do as much when you do a full house clean. Then you can have weekly tasks like mopping and cleaning the bathroom. You can do a deep clean once a month.
Simplifying and decluttering
Simplifying things, and decluttering, means that there will be fewer things for you to have to clean.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Everyday Green Home Cleaning Collection
Green Your Cleaning
Dusting your Home
Gift of No Touch Home
Home Tips for Women
More Home Tips for Women
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I’m back today with Chapter 7, the final chapter of my book, Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home.
On today’s episode, you’re going to learn what a Certified Green Home is and the various reasons why you might want to consider one. Whether you dream big or dream small, there’s something out there for everyone, as you’ll soon find out. Listen in - I think you will hear about some things you can put into action.
I thank you for joining in and learning about how to make simple choices for your better home!
Turning your dreams into goals
Many people have never thought about the possibility of turning their dreams into goals and creating a certified green home for themselves.
Money, time, and effort
Most of us spend a large amount of money, time, and effort on our homes because they mean a lot to us.
An ideal green home
Ideally, a dream green home would be off the grid, with no mortgage or electric bill. The water would come from a well, but it would still have every modern luxury. That is do-able, but you would need a plan.
Energy-efficient homes
There are energy-efficient homes in every part of the country, so you could take a look at them to inspire you.
A road map
You could work with any builder, as long as you have a road map and know what you want. You have to set your priorities, and you need to understand how to accomplish your goals and dreams.
A certified green home
Having a certified green home means that your home has a third-party, independent verification. Having a third-party to inspect everything means that there is someone always looking over the process, the materials, and the selections, to make sure they meet the criteria set forth by that specific plan.
Higher quality
Third-party certification goes hand-in-hand with quality. So, it is usually consistent for green homes that are certified and use energy-efficient programs to be of higher quality.
Energy Star
There is an energy-efficient home certification under Energy Star. So, new homes can be certified under Energy Star for energy-efficiency only. The products inside the house can also be Energy Star certified. There are also other energy-efficiency programs and ratings that you may run into.
Green home certification
The green home certification programs are much more holistic. They include all the different parts of the home, and they take a lot of other things, above and beyond energy-efficiency, into account as well. There are national, as well as numerous regional, and local green home certification programs.
The benefits of a green-certified home
One of the benefits of a green-certified home is the health and safety of you and everyone else living in that home. Another benefit is that the resale value of your home tends to be better, and green-certified houses tend to sell faster. All the certification programs give you, as the homeowner and inhabitant of the home, the peace of mind and reassurance that your home has that third-party stamp of approval that stays with that home, and that can be very important if you ever decide to sell the house.
Comfort
We all want to be comfortable, especially in our homes.
Cost savings
There are many ongoing and long-term cost savings to be had from green-certified homes. Those could be the operating costs, the maintenance costs, and the insurance costs.
Planning is key when building an affordable green home
Like every other home, green homes come in all shapes and sizes. They can range from basic to high-end luxury. Some of the specifics that you follow in the building process are what make it a green home. Sustainable planning is key when building a green home because making changes down the line can create a domino-effect of throwing things off.
Goals
When doing your planning, you need to know what the goals of your planning process are. So, you need to design your home with the end in mind, incorporate sustainable or green and energy-efficient design-building and materials, and you need to reduce the operating, utility, and maintenance costs.
Materials
For a green-certified home, you need to use longer-lasting materials and have lower maintenance and recyclable and renewable contents.
Some things to think about
You have to think in a balanced and holistic way about your home, so you need to consider the categories of selections, products, materials, and processes used to build a home that meets the green homes certification program. You need to think about the materials you use, the indoor environmental quality, the education and documentation, and the energy and water-efficiency of the home. You also need to choose your community, and where you want your home to be situated.
Paying for your home
Incentives and rebates are available in the different states. There are many green and energy-efficient loans available. Green insurance, warranties, and energy guarantees may also be available for your home.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
My curated collection for you
eBook – Certifying a Green Home
Helping Builders Build Green
Green Home Certification Program I work with the most: NGBS Green
NAHB Sustainability Kit High-Performance Homes Videos
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I’m back to discuss Chapter 6 of my book, Living Green Effortlessly- Simple Choices for a Better Home.
I hope you will find some helpful information to help you make simple choices for your better home because that is what this podcast is all about.
Today, we'll dig into understanding the components and the systems in our homes and how to get information about how to take care of them, repair them, and replace them.
I want to help you to learn how to take the power of living healthier and more comfortably in your home.
A home that serves us
There are so many things that we all need to do to serve our homes. What we want is a home that serves us, and works to supports us. One of the main premises behind green and greener homes is having a home that supports us and makes our lives easier and better.
A better home
Everything about green, sustainability, eco-friendly, and high performance boils down to a better home for you to live in with your family, friends, and anyone else who lives in your home with you, including your furry friends.
User manuals
We all need our user manuals. The average home in the US has a minimum of 75 systems and components that are relied on daily. Each of those systems and components has a manual.
When you bring something new into your home
When you get a manual for something new that you bring into your home, I suggest that you write down, on the manual, the serial number of the item, the purchase date, the purchase price, and the place you purchased it from. Then file the manual away in an easily accessible place.
If you do not have a manual
If you do not have a manual for something in your home, you can search the internet to find one. When you find it, bookmark it to have easy access to it whenever you need it.
There are even special sites for old manuals. You can try searching for old user manuals.
Why user manuals matter
User manuals usually tell you how to maintain an item, take care of it, and clean it. They also provide repair and warranty information about the item. They often have a contact number, website, or email for the company that makes the product.
A running list
You need to have a running list of all the items that need a routine inspection and/or maintenance, and having a system to remind you to go through that list regularly, as part of your household chores, is a great idea.
Heating and cooling
You need to change the filter of your heating and cooling system regularly. By doing that, you will impact the efficiency of how that heating and cooling unit runs. It will also make the air in your home better so that you breathe better.
You also need to check your outdoor heating and cooling unit regularly and also get it serviced regularly.
Check your roof
Check your roof by taking a picture of it with your smartphone, and zoom in. You should check your roof regularly if you live in an area prone to hail or wind damage. Also, remember to check the gutters and the downspouts.
Once a year walk-around
Once a year, do a more thorough walk-around. You can look at the outside of your doors and windows, check the weather-stripping, and see if any caulking needs to be replaced.
Garage doors
You need to check your garage doors and the remote opening system regularly.
One of the greenest and most sustainable things that you can do
One of the greenest and most sustainable things that you can do in your home is to make sure that everything in it continues to work and last. That requires basic maintenance, so you need to keep an eye on things.
A tip for your winter maintenance
Do your winter maintenance while the weather is still warm. And make some space to store your outdoor items like your patio and garden furniture during the winter.
Seasonal checklists
My friend, Tina Gleisner, had a handyman business, and she shared some great ideas for my book. She suggests that you make things easier for yourself by dividing your home maintenance into four seasonal checklists.
Winter home maintenance
Winter home maintenance happens indoors. You can find and repair the minor, annoying things you try to ignore for the rest of the year.
Spring home maintenance
Spring home maintenance gets you outdoors to find and repair any storm damage and prepare your yard for the growing season.
Summer home maintenance
Summer home maintenance is about outdoor safety, living spaces, and landscaping projects.
Home maintenance priorities
In all four seasons, your priorities are the safety of those inside your home, water damage inside and outside, and energy-efficiency.
Tips for your checklists
Pick the items on your list that you want to do yourself and find reliable home professionals to do the rest.
Find an experienced homeowner or professional to help you check your home once or twice until you know what to look out for.
A three-part ongoing process
Maintaining a home is a three-part ongoing process: inspect, maintain, and update.
Write things down
You need to write things down and keep records of what you have done because that will make things simpler for you and save you a lot of grief and bother down the road. It will also help you when you want to sell your house.
A home recovery plan
After a disaster, your priority is safety. Once everything is safe, you can focus on recovery. Having a home recovery plan before you need it will help you get things back on track sooner after a disaster.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
My curated collection for you
HomeNav
Navigating Home Maintenance Without Driving Yourself Crazy
Home Maintenance Checklists with Tina Gleisner
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
I’m Marla, The Green Home Coach. Thank you for joining me on the journey of learning about your home, and discovering how you can make some simple choices to make it an even better, greener home.
Today, we will be covering Chapter 5 of my book, Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home. Chapter 5 is about landscaping. Your home sits on the land, it interacts with that land, the land supports your home, and the landscaping is the crux of that.
Your enjoyment, recreation, and even food might be a part of the land that surrounds your home. Often, when we think of landscape, we think of curb appeal. There are many different things that can come into play with that, and that is what we will be covering today.
Health, wellness, safety, and comfort
For most of the people I talk to, their health, wellness, safety, and comfort are of utmost importance. Often, our homes are not providing that. I would like to help you find how you can do that in your own home. I’d like to help you find the things in your home that may not be working in your best interest, and I also want to help you to create a home that you enjoy, that supports you and the people that live there, and that gives you a great sense of peace, peace of mind, and wellbeing.
Little things that we can do
There are so many little things that we can do in our homes that will add up to a greener home, and I want you to live life to the fullest in your home.
Many ways to do things
There are many different ways to do things. Some of the ways that can be the most supportive of our health and wellbeing are often simple or have been around for a long time.
Your home and that landscape surrounding it
Your home and that landscape around it can even support each other in energy conservation. So, you can use the landscape surrounding your home to make your home more energy-efficient.
Plants
You can have plants planted at the proper distance around your foundation to help insulate the foundation and the bottom part of your home.
Trees
You can plant taller trees on one side of your house to be a wind-break. You can use trees or shrubs for shade. They will also lower the temperature in your home by several degrees.
Hardscape
The hardscape is the hard surfaces that surround the home. They can be concrete patios, driveways, or a flagstone or gravel patio. Dark concrete will absorb the heat, so it is a good option for colder climates. Lighter surfaces like light concrete will reflect the heat and help to keep the surface and the areas surrounding it cool.
Permeable materials
Permeable materials, like stone patios, or gravel, will allow the rainwater to go through them. It will then go down into the ground and the water table.
Water
Water is powerful, so you need to know how to manage the water around your house most effectively. Stormwater is the biggest consideration for the outside of our homes. If you have a lot of water running off of your property, into the street, and down to the watershed system, it will carry away whatever you put onto your yard, your garden, and around your house.
Chemical fertilizers or pesticides
If you have used chemical fertilizers or pesticides, it will all get washed down to the watershed, so it is always best to use as few of those substances as possible. Chemicals genetically alter or kill fish and other aquatic creatures and plants that form part of the closed water system on earth.
To keep more water on your property
To keep more water on your property, you can either use rain barrels or rain gardens.
Sprinkler systems
There are ways to install sprinkler systems so that they are more water-efficient. Some of that is in the settings. Some of it is in the choice of sprinkler-heads, and some of it is adding a rain sensor so that the sprinkler does not go off when it rains.
Smart irrigation systems
Designing or upgrading your water irrigation system to be smart can make a big difference.
WaterSense
WaterSense is a third-party, independent certification program that helps identify water-conserving and water-efficient fixtures and installations.
If you do not need irrigation
If you do not need irrigation, you could install a drip system or soaker hoses.
Having a beautiful lawn and garden
There are eco-friendly and bird and human-friendly ways to make your lawn and garden grow without any chemicals. The cost of using chemicals is very steep for the earth, so it is always better to do without them, whenever possible.
Native plants
Choose native plants that work in harmony with nature, thrive in your area of the country, require little water and maintenance, attract wildlife, and help control invasive species. Native plants do not need chemicals, fertilizer, or water, so they save you water, time, and money. With native plants, you do not have to spend a lot of time working in the garden.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Landscaping for Energy Efficiency and more
EGH for your Garden
Grow Inside
Grow Outside
More on Landscaping
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
Today, I’m sharing a podcast that I recorded with Madison Hopkins for her podcast, the Modern Ways Eco-Friendly Homes Podcast.
Madison is quite the go-getter! She is also a real estate agent with Moving With Madison in the Denver area.
In this episode, Madison and I talk about the 5 Myths of Green Homes. It is a guide that I put out, and it is available on my website.
We dive into the five myths of green homes. We talk about green means in the home environment, when it comes to living in an environmentally friendly way and living healthier, safer, and more comfortably, with more durability and less maintenance.
Living in a green home is vital for having a healthier and more comfortable living experience. And the term “green” describes the products and the practices necessary for making our homes both healthier and more comfortable.
Be sure to listen in to hear my conversation with Madison about the 5 Myths of Green Homes.
The people to who the guide is aimed
The 5 Myths of Green Homes guide are aimed at those who work with homeowners and home dwellers, like builders, designers, and real estate agents.
People who live in rented homes
I would like to remind those of you who live in rented or leased homes that there is still a lot you can do, even if you do not own the property in which you live.
People who live in apartments
Those of you who live in apartments can switch to wind energy, and you can also compost. Those are two easy things that you can do to create a greener home.
City-wide sponsored composting
In Denver, there is city-wide sponsored composting available from the Denver gov when there is a single-family home. There are also private companies that supply compost in the Denver area.
Renewable energy
Many utility companies offer an option for you to have either a part of or all of your electric bill filled by renewable energy. That is a way for us to contribute, as individuals, to our utilities having more renewable energy.
The 5 Myths of Green Homes
Myth 1: Green only matters to certain clients, like millennials
Myth 2: No one is asking for green homes
Myth 3: Green is expensive
Myth 4: Solar panels are the hallmark of a green home
Myth 5: Green is just the latest trend
Those are the five common myths about green homes. We will discuss each of those in a little more detail.
Myth 1 - Green only matters to certain clients, like millennials
It’s not just millennials. Everyone needs to be cared for. Many people look to the younger generations for where things are going because that’s mostly where trends start. And then those trends move up the demographics, from the people to older people. So, even though there has been lots of action and vocalizing from millennials around green and sustainable living, we still need to understand what is important to everyone in each demographic. For example, a retired couple, or a mom with a young baby that crawls around need to find the specific features in the homes they are looking for, building, or remodeling.
Things to look out for
For cabinets, look for the green label and avoid formaldehyde.
For floors, go for natural products that are produced in a chemically responsible way or those made from recycled materials. Or possibly even a combination of those. If you have allergies, avoid carpets as far as possible because they are a trap for the dirt and dust in your home.
Myth 2 - No one is asking for green homes
People are asking for energy efficiency, and many people assume that green is energy-efficient.
It is important to ask questions, but many people don’t know what to ask for when it comes to green homes. That is why Madison and her real estate team tell people about what they can do to make their homes greener.
There are grocery stores or isles in grocery stores dedicated to products with a lot fewer chemicals.
Myth 3 - Green is expensive
Doing the practices and using the products in a home that will help it become green certified can cost a little more. The cost is typically only between three and five percent more than that of a code-built house, and some fixtures in green homes use much less energy. So the operating costs will remain the same, year after year.
Myth 4 - Solar panels are the hallmark of a green home
Before fitting the solar panels, every solar installer that I know personally will have the home undergo an energy analysis and tighten it up before they size the solar panels. After that, a large solar panel might not be necessary.
Newer solar panels are more efficient than the older ones, and they also cost significantly less than they did ten years ago.
Myth 5 - Green is just the latest trend
Green has been around for decades. When the National Association of Homebuilders took an official position on green homes, it was all the proof I needed to debunk that myth.
National Green Building Standard
For the last ten years, I have been teaching around a green building standard called the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard (I call it the NGBS for short) endorsed by the National Association of Home Builders. It provides a framework of categories to follow for homes that are getting built or remodeled.
The NGBS teaches people how to keep their homes serving them.
The five categories of the National Green Building Standard are:
- Where the home is situated
- Efficiencies in resources
- Energy and water
- Indoor environmental quality
- Behavioral - for homeowner education and documentation (How to live in your home and operate it to keep it green)
Green and sustainability
I’d like to caution you that “green” and “sustainability” are catch-all terms that could mean different things to different people. These words encompass safer things that make your home more comfortable and durable and require less maintenance.
Different people want different things out of their homes, and green and sustainable practices are almost always the route to get them.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Download: 5 Myths of Green Homes
Curated collection for you
Work with Me
How a Green Home Saves You Money
I’m Marla, The Green Home Coach. I’m back today with another chapter from my book, Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home.
I wrote the book to help you and share some of my experiences so that you won’t have to make the same mistakes that I was making.
Our homes have a secret life that we may not even know about as a result of all the complexities of our modern lifestyle. You could unknowingly be living in a home that is not in your best interest, and it could be making you sick.
We will be covering chapter four of my book today. It talks about some actions that we can take to change some small stuff in our homes. We will be looking at what goes in your home, what you need to think about, what you need to look for, and what you need to choose.
Choices
Many of the choices you need to make are inside your home. They are the more decorative elements and the fixtures and fittings that you choose.
What the things in your house are made up of
The things in your house are made out of wood, metal, glass, paint, varnish, glue, and plastic. It can be hard to know which products are made the best, the most efficient, and the most earth and people-friendly. To find out, you can check on various websites online, especially the non-profits that set the standards on sustainable, eco-friendly products.
VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and toxins
You do not want to bring VOCs or toxins into your home if you don’t have to. If you don’t know they are there, however, you might bring them home by mistake.
Labels
There are now labels that go on building materials and other goods that we buy. Those labels are not yet as standardized as the food labels are, but some good strides are getting made, and there are also a lot of independently tested and verified third-party certifications that can go on those labels. Those certifications are a great short cut to knowing that your product has been tested and certified by someone unrelated to the company.
Flooring
There are hundreds of choices for flooring, and they all have their pros and cons. You only need to focus on what will work best for you, based on your personal preference, performance, fashion, and lifestyle. You can also take into account the manufacturing methods and the carbon footprint.
Types of flooring
Wooden floors: You can think of true hardwood flooring as furniture for your floor. When it comes to colors, remember that darker colors show the dirt a lot.
Bamboo floors: Bamboo is a grass that grows very fast. It can get harvested every seven years, making it a rapidly renewable resource. However, it takes lots of resources to transport the bamboo from Asia and manufacture it into products.
Cork floors: Cork is the bark of the cork tree. It is very resilient and the softest of all the hard surfaces, making it comfortable to walk on. It is a natural insect repellent, and it is mold and mildew resistant. Cork is a fairly rapidly-renewable resource because it can get harvested every nine years.
Stone and tile floors: Stone and tile are great choices for asthma and allergy sufferers because they are easy to clean and don’t hold dust and dirt. The issue with stone and tile floors is that they tend to get very cold in cold weather.
Local options for flooring
Try to find a local option to supply your flooring, if possible.
Decisions
There are many decisions for you to make when you choose materials to use in your home. Always start with whatever is the most important to you that fits into your budget. From there, consider the pros and cons of all the different options.
The three Rs
Remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle items whenever possible. By doing that, you will help keep the landfills from getting out of control.
Toilet paper
Forests get used to manufacture toilet paper. You can get away from using toilet paper made from big trees by using toilet paper made from recycled paper or non-tree toilet paper made from bamboo or hemp.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Curated collection for you
Paint, etc
Flooring
Green Guard
Environmental Working Group
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Thank you for joining me today for another chapter of my book, Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home.
Simplifying has been high on my list right now, and my book can help you make some simple choices for a better outcome!
With the help of my book, we will be covering another set of systems and features of your home to help you make the best of them, either as they are or if you plan to upgrade them.
In this episode, we will be covering Chapter Three: Energy Efficiencies. How Can You Be Comfortable and Get the Most for Your Energy Dollars? I know that is something we are all trying to do, so be sure to stay tuned for more!
Where do you start when you want to start greening your home?
You should start with whatever is affecting your comfort right now. If you are cold, some of the systems that come into play are the building envelope, the heating and ventilation system, the windows, the window coverings, and even the ceiling fan.
This chapter
This chapter is about the systems that make up your home and the resources to help you get the most out of those systems. I hope to open your eyes to a whole new way of thinking about your home.
Why direction matters in your rooms and with your home
The room that I work in is the furthest in the house from the heating and cool air from my air-conditioning unit. That means that I don’t get quite enough warmth in here in the colder months. So I sometimes need to get some additional warmth from a little heater. That shows me that there are some things that I also need to do to improve things in my home!
Windows
Windows are an important part of our homes. They give us views, warmth, and ventilation. If the sun is shining on your house, use it for heat and light wherever possible. That is where the direction that the front of your home faces, or its orientation, comes into play.
The rooms that face north
The rooms that face north will get the least amount of natural light. They will be colder and darker, so you need to keep the shades open to bring in as much natural light as possible.
Ensure that your north-facing rooms are very well sealed, have good lighting, and use light colors to decorate because they will reflect the light and make the darker areas in your home look lighter and brighter.
The east and west windows
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so those windows tend to get a glare. You can shade the windows with blinds or other window coverings to keep things cool in the summer. And a dense, dark floor will soak up some of the heat from the winter sun and release it back into your home to help keep it warm in the colder months.
Outside solar screen window covering
I found a solar screen window covering. It goes on the outside of the window to take the glare off of my east window. It works very well, and I can still see the beautiful view right through it!
South
The south side of your home will get the most sun at any time of the year, so you will need to shade as much as you can on the south side of your home in the summertime. Overhangs on your roof will be a solution if you are building or remodeling. Or you could use solar screens, awnings, trees, or trellises with plants growing on them to make some shade for an existing home.
Easy to maintain windows
It is a good idea to buy the best quality windows that your budget will allow. Easy to maintain has become very important, as well as durability. Be sure to use Energy Star windows when you are replacing or building. You can go to the Energy Star website for more information.
Bamboo screens
Tightly-woven bamboo screens, placed on the outside of your windows in the summer, can stop up to 75% of the sun's heat from reaching your windows.
Windows are important for natural light
Let the daylight in through as many of your windows, skylights, and sun tubes as possible. Daylight is the combination of sunlight, light diffused by the earth’s atmosphere, and light reflected from the ground or other surfaces. Remember that the higher the source of light, the deeper into the room it will go.
A tip
Windows that slide sideways or up and down do not usually seal as well as casement windows.
LED Lights
LED lights last for a long time, they do not cost a lot, and there are also many different colors to choose from. And LED lights have great dimming capabilities.
Heating
There are many choices that you can make for your heating system. Any improvement that you make to your heating will save you money. The most important thing is to ensure that you have good insulation and air sealing and your heating and cooling unit has been sized correctly for your home.
Air conditioning
You can use ceiling fans to keep your air-conditioning needs in check.
Thermostats
Great, programmable thermostats are available today. So, take advantage of them because they will save you both energy and money.
Appliances
Buy the most energy-efficient appliances that your budget will allow.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
EGH Window Treatments
Thermostats +
Energy Efficient Window Treatments
Home Depot Eco Options
I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Thank you for coming to learn about how you can take advantage of all that I have to share with you to make your home healthier, more comfortable, and safer.
This podcast series is about my book, Living Green Effortlessly- Simple Choices for a Better Home.
I wrote the book because I understand that making more educated and better choices about our homes can have a big impact on how we live in our homes. By making some simple changes and better choices, we can have far healthier and safer outcomes.
This series will incorporate my book, and it will cover the basics of all the systems and features of your home. We will also explain how to make the best of all the features. In each session of the series, we will cover another chapter in the book. We will read some excerpts from the book and the stories that go along with them.
Today, we will be covering Chapter Two: Your Comfort, Health, and Safety: Start Where You Live. Stay tuned for more!
Between you and the outdoors
Between you and the outdoors are the roof, the walls, the windows, the floors, and the doors. Those keep you safe, warm, and comfortable inside your house.
The roof and gutters handle the rain and snow and keep you dry. Inside the walls, under the roof, and in the basement ceiling, there is insulation. That acts as a sweater for your home. It keeps the wind out and the heated air inside during the winter. and it keeps the cooled air inside, in the summertime.
An envelope of protection
No matter what it has been made of, your house surrounds you with an envelope of protection from the elements. Even so, there are still places in that envelope where the outdoor elements can get in, and where the energy that you are paying for can get out. That costs you money, makes you uncomfortably cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer.
Sealing and insulating
Focus on sealing and insulating the envelope of your house.
Our homes are our everything
Since Covid, our homes have become our everything. They are where we work, play, cook, gather, relax, and work out. How our home structure supports all these activities is critical to our lives, especially when we are living so much harder in our homes.
Doing things differently
Now, after spending so much time at home, it would be the time to consider if you have changed the way you think about your home, or if there are any things about it you might want to change or do differently.
My aim
I aim to help you to find the things you can do to make your home more comfortable, healthier, and support you better.
A tight home
A tight home is an efficient home. Using quality building materials is necessary to prevent having moisture problems, components wearing out, or pollutants in the air.
Finding air leaks
It can be hard to find air leaks in your home. You could consider hiring a pro like a home energy assessor or auditor to help you find them, or you may want to go the DIY route to find the leaks and seal them yourself.
Materials
Your local hardware store will be very happy to assist you in finding the right materials for your particular application.
Insulation
Insulation works better when the air leaks get plugged. So look out for tiny holes in the insulation of the attic. If you find any, plug them up to help you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Air quality
A tight building envelope does not allow for any fresh air to enter the home unless you make it happen.
Good ventilation
Many health problems can get tied to breathing contaminated air. To protect your health, your home needs to have good ventilation. You can achieve that by either opening the windows or with the HVAC system.
Anti-allergy filters
Getting custom-made anti-allergy Green Screen air filters for your HVAC system is one way for you to start improving the air quality in your home. (The coupon code is greenhomecoach.) You can also add an air purifier and an advanced filtration system if you need to do so.
Bathrooms
Don’t forget to run the exhaust fans in your bathrooms whenever they get steamy. Or have an automated system put in place.
Plants
Plants also help to clean the air. NASA put together a list of about ten plants that work well for doing that.
Cleaning
Dust, which carries germs, is mainly comprised of dead skin cells, so you need to get it out of the house. Vacuuming works best, and the next best way is to use a damp microfiber cloth.
Cleaning products
You can refer to the Environmental Working Groups list for ranking non-toxic products that you can safely use to clean your home or to find other things that you may need.
You can also find recipes on the internet or in books to make DIY cleaning solutions.
Simplify, simplify, simplify is my motto. Remember that living a little better and a little greener is easier than you think.
Referral Links:
My website Green Home Coach
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
HVAC Energy Efficiency
Green Cleaning
Green Screen HVAC Filter - Coupon Code: greenhomecoach
Home Depot Eco Options
Air Purifying Plants, According to NASA
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I welcome you to the first unit of teaching based on my book, Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home.
I would like to talk to you about green homes and explain why they are the best homes of all. I'd also like to tell you how easy it is to green your home, and if you want to go all-in and create your own dream green home, we can talk about that too. Are you ready to learn more about green homes and how to have one? Then stay tuned!
This series will cover some of the highlights of my book. And it will help you to learn about what you may be able to do in your home.
Today, we will be covering Chapter One: What Is An Everyday Green Home?
Life happens in your home
Your home is your refuge, and it is also the place where life happens. Our homes have a secret life with all the complexity of modern life. We could unknowingly be living in, building, or remodeling a home that is not in our best interest. It may be something big, like old lead paint or mold, new paint, and cabinets that off-gas, or the small stuff, like the leaky toilet, drafty window, or the products you use to clean and sanitize.
Having a greener home does not have to be hard or require sacrifice. A green home is not all or nothing. It starts with making smart choices about products and materials as you live in, build, or remodel your home. Just making a different choice - an appliance, plumbing, a lighting fixture, or even paint - can set you on the course to a home that works better for you and yours.
With the help of my book, Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home, I will cover the basics of the systems and features of your home and explain how to make the best of them.
My primary goal in writing this book is to help you improve your comfort, health, and safety in your own home.
Choices
Our choices, in terms of location, design, materials, and heating and cooling methods, have a direct effect on our health, that of our family, and of the community in which we live.
We are all part of the natural system
Despite all the modern conveniences, we are all still part of the natural system that creates, sustains, and perpetuates this living earth. Now is the time for us to look at all the systems in our homes to see if they are truly serving our needs as well as the needs of the earth.
Going green
Going green is not only about energy. It's about living healthier lives and taking responsibility for all our actions.
Common sense
Having a green home is about common sense. You want your home to look and feel and perform well. You want to live in comfort and safety, breathe easier, and feel healthier by reducing pollutants, toxins through better airflow systems and quality material choices. You also want to feel comfortable with the temperature by providing a well-sealed and insulated shell with better heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.
Save time
Save time using materials, fixtures, and finishes that perform better, last longer, and require less maintenance.
Save money
You will save a lot of money on energy and maintenance costs.
A higher selling price for a green home
You will get a higher selling price for certified green homes. And as you gain more knowledge, you will start understanding the value of owning a green home more and more, so you can point out all the features to a potential buyer.
Our homes are a system of systems
Our homes are a system of systems. Understanding how all the systems work together, how they support and depend on each other, and how to care for them and maintain them is crucial to maintaining your health, comfort, and safety in your home.
Your home is a system
Your home is a system, and so changing one thing will impact others.
Home Energy Professionals
It's time to bring in a home energy professional when you want to do a remodel, do something that could impact the systems in your home, get an energy assessment, or have your home evaluated. They will help you understand the priorities and tell you what you can fix to give you the biggest bang for your buck.
You will find them through your local utility company.
How Well Does Your Home Perform?
Adding up all the utility bills will let you know how well your home is performing. Don't forget the water, sewer, and trash bills!
Cutting the waste and being efficient
Cutting the waste out of your home, and becoming more efficient with how you use resources and energy, will save you money and allow your resources to go a lot further.
Electricity
Use your electricity and everything else as wisely as you can. If you only use what you need and no more, you will make sure that there's enough to go around, and you won't be wasting a valuable resource.
Online energy tools
You can go to www.energystar.gov or Building Performance Institute for Homeowners to find out what you need to know and get some tools if you're not yet at the point where you need to bring a professional home energy assessor in to help you.
Referral Links:
Book: Living Green Effortlessly
Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home
Curated collection for you
A Bit of BS (Building Science) about your home
Energy Star Savings at Home
Building Performance Institute for Homeowners
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Green Home Podcast! This will be my last podcast for the year, and what a year it’s been! When we look back on this past year, my hope is that we are able to see the silver linings that were in amongst all the challenges that we faced in 2020.
I’m pulling another great episode from the archives for today’s show. It features my regular guest and co-host, Tony Pratte from The Sound Room, and this podcast will be all about green labels.
It’s easier than ever now to have a green household. However, many companies and labels provide misleading information. How do you know if your products are clean? One simple way is to see if it has a green label.
So, in this episode, Tony and I discuss what green labels are and why you should care...spoiler alert, the biggest reason you should care is for peace of mind! That is something we all need right now. We also discuss other labels and companies that provide certified clean and sustainable products and how you can integrate them into your home.
I know you’re really going to enjoy this show!
Green labels, explained
Green labels are labels that show third-party certification for a product, an entire assembly, and sometimes even an entire building. The relevance of the third-party is that they are a separate entity saying that the green label is what it’s saying it is.
Why we should care about green labels
If third-party certifications did not exist, every company could make any claim at all about a product, even if those claims were not true.
Greenwashing
“Greenwashing” is a term that was coined around ten years ago when everyone started coming out with all these new “green” products. The idea behind greenwashing is that claims were made about products that were not necessarily true, but the manufacturers were wanting to catch a ride on the popularity of all things “green”.
Many customers believe that what they read on labels is true, and therefore make purchases based on those claims.
The beauty of third-party certifications (“green labels”) is that those certifications actually back up the claims.
Regulations around claims
The FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, has regulations about what claims are allowed to be made.
In addition, the AMA (American Marketing Association) also has rules that prohibit marketers from making claims that are not true.
An industry issue
A lot of people, including those in the industry, do not understand what the terms mean, they don’t understand the value of those terms, and therefore, they do not know how to talk about them.
Instead, the terms are thrown around loosely without understanding the consequences that come behind that.
Meaningless words
There are a lot of words used in the food and personal care products categories. One word that is meaningless is “natural”.
The goal of green labels
The goal of green labels is to give the consumer confidence that what they are purchasing is what has been claimed for that product, material, or home.
A green label shows that research has already been performed by an independent party so the consumer doesn’t have to do their own research. This gives the consumer peace of mind.
Green labels for the home
Many of the products that I curate for you in the Everyday Green Home store have these green labels on them!
For products that I list that do not have a green label, be assured that I have taken them through the same vetting process that we use in the National Green Building Standard to ensure that those products meet the requirements of what we would use in a green home certification.
The reason why all products don’t go through a green certification process
The reason is similar to why not everyone goes through the organic certification process: it’s expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, many small family farms choose not to go through this process.
However, it’s an instant marketing flag and is often worth the effort.
Green and sustainable?
The following labels wrap around all the different characteristics we can find in homes: energy-efficiency, water-efficiency, resource-efficiency, toxin-free or lower toxins, and recycled materials.
Green home certification
Look for the Energy Star label when you are shopping, because Energy Star covers thousands of products, as well as complete home certification. You can be assured that you are getting a product that is at least 20% more energy-efficient than its standard non-certified product.
WaterSense is to water what Energy Star is to energy. My simple advice to people I’m working with towards green certification is to choose all WaterSense plumbing fixtures and toilets in your home or building and you’re done!
Many people think these products will be a lot more expensive than their non-certified counterparts, but that is not the case. In addition, you get that extra quality bump because you know somebody has taken the time to go through the process of certifying them.
Greenguard
Many people have not heard of Greenguard, but if you see this label you can be assured that the product has fewer toxins in it and it meets the California rules for air quality.
The Greenguard certification now applies to a variety of products. Who doesn't want to breathe easier?
The trend for airtight houses
New construction houses are becoming more airtight, and if we’re recirculating fresh air into it, we need to be very careful about what is inside our house because we’re locked up inside with it!
If you do more on the energy-efficiency side, with a little bit more thought it can also be better for the indoor air quality side.
Cradle to cradle certifications
This certification is different from the others because it is based on a book based on the same name. It’s an efficient way of using resources.
Other green labels
There are other green labels out there, and I urge you to pay attention and read labels. Green-labeled products are designed to make your life easier and better.
There are green-certified homes, too!
Food and personal care products are two more categories in which we’ll be seeing a lot more future certifications.
Links:
Green As You Go - Paint By Numbers
Green Living – Saving Ourselves
Green Your Holiday Gift Giving
Curated collection for you
Did you know if you go through EGH for your Amazon and Home Depot orders, you help EGH?
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
Today, Steve Hengsperger, the founder of Tersano, the company that created the iClean, is joining me as my guest for the show.
Steve started Tersano back in 2002, and they work with ozone technology for water treatment.
Ozone has been used for quite some time in water treatment systems on a large scale. Municipalities use it, bottled water manufacturers use it, and it is also in hot tubs and Olympic swimming pools. Tersano has taken that technology and miniaturized it so that it can purify your water at home for drinking.
In 2003-2004, the EPA, FDA, and USDA all came out with their statements about using ozone to sanitize produce and surfaces, so Tersano came up with a quick prototype for a home cleaning and sanitizing system.
Be sure to stay tuned today to find out all you need to know about the small cleaning device that Tersano created that uses ozone technology for cleaning and sanitizing your home. It is chemical-free, completely non-toxic, and works incredibly well!
People were more interested in their home cleaning system
At the first trade show that they took their appliances to, the retailers were more interested in their home cleaning system than their water purifying system.
A big thing happened in 2006
In 2006, a big thing happened in the company.
Three people died from E. coli on spinach.
Steve was at a food event in New York City, and Time Magazine came by. They asked some questions about their product and what it could do with fresh produce. They then took it and tested it at the University of Florida.
A Time Magazine Best Invention award
The product killed 99.9% of E. coli on spinach, so they got a Time Magazine Best Invention award that year.
Measuring the chemical levels in the air
A hygienist went to Steve’s home and measured the chemical levels in the air in the cupboard in which he kept his cleaning products. The results that came back were off the charts!
A small cleaning device
So, Tersano created a small cleaning device that is quite different from the way that most people are cleaning right now. It takes water and alters it, chemically, to create ozone. That water works well to clean and disinfect your home.
A paradigm shift
Selling his product through a retailer fifteen years ago was challenging. And it still is because it is a paradigm shift.
The beauty of the technology
The beauty of the technology, from a sustainability standpoint, is that it reverts the water and oxygen. The old system did it within about fifteen minutes, and their new system does it instantaneously. And it leaves no residue so that when you have finished, you do not need to worry about your children or your pets getting affected by any chemicals.
Selling around the world
In the last twelve years, their focus has been on selling the product on the commercial side, around the world.
How the technology in the iClean cleaning device works
There are two diamond electrodes inside the device, and as the water passes by them, they split some of the oxygen molecules. The extra oxygen atoms then re-combine and create O3, which is an oxidizer, like bleach or hydrogen peroxide.
A safe and natural process
It is a simple, safe, and completely natural process, and it can cause you no harm.
From a cleaning standpoint
From a cleaning standpoint, the extra oxygen atom attaches to dirt and breaks down the bonds, making it easier to wipe away.
From a kill standpoint
From a kill standpoint, it attaches to a bacteria, a virus, or a mold and either penetrates the cell wall or explodes it.
The iClean cleaning device
The iClean cleaning device replaces all your everyday cleaning products. You can use it to remove dirt, germs, and odors from your home. You can use it on floors, carpets, glass, stainless steel, and even the toilet. It will kill up to 99.99 percent of all germs, molds, viruses, and bacteria, so the cleaning and disinfecting happen all at once.
Using the iClean mini on plants
Cut flowers last four times as long when they are placed in the ozone solution rather than in water. And plants also survive better when they get watered with the ozone solution.
Produce
You can spray the surface of all your fresh produce with the ozone solution. It breaks down the pesticides, and it will prevent problems like E. coli and make the produce taste better and last considerably longer.
Links and resources:
Get the clean facts about COVID-19
iClean® mini - Use Code: greenhomecoach
DOWNLOAD: iClean® mini - Product Info Sheet
Tersano's Mission
How-To Guides
Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Green Home Podcast! It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost upon us again! With all that has happened this year, I feel that it is vital for us to focus on all the things for which we can feel grateful.
I have been keeping a list of all the things I’m thankful for, like my family, friends, and my precious husband! I’m also grateful for resources, my skills and experience, and for the plentiful abundance that I am so fortunate to have in my life.
Today, I am bringing back a podcast from earlier this year. It is with my guest co-host, Tony Pratte, from The Sound Room, and it’s about having a no-touch home. I feel that it is relevant right now in the middle of this crazy pandemic because we have all become so much more aware of the things we touch. Having many of the things in our homes automated helps a lot when it comes to cleaning, preventing cross-contamination, and the spreading of germs. It can also be fun, safer, energy-saving, and a lot more convenient. And there are many DIY options available.
Tony Pratte is very knowledgeable about no-touch technology. In this podcast, he talks about three of the things that are most important to implement in a no-touch home. Those include internet and wifi, which form the backbone of a smart home, and the easiest places to start when automating your home. Stay tuned for more!
Technology for the masses
The pandemic has forced people to understand what Tony and his company, The Sound Room, does. They are bringing technology to the masses.
The quality of the internet
Since the pandemic started, the quality of the internet in everybody’s house has become paramount because a good quality internet signal is what allows people to work from home.
Wireless world
Currently, we are progressing further and further along the route of wireless internet inside the house. Tony saw some statistics a while back that brought that to light for him. The statistics showed that sixty-five percent of people under a certain age will never plug into a hard-line internet connection.
Wireless internet coverage
Everything in a no-touch home starts with making sure that you have good wireless internet coverage in the house.
Do-it-yourself
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you will find all the products you need online. The main thing that you will need is a wireless router. The chances are that a good wireless router will provide enough internet coverage for a smaller house. If you have a bigger house you will need either a mesh system consisting of a router and access points or a wireless extender to make the wireless signal go further and reach all the rooms in the house.
Checking the strength of your internet signal
Once you have the wifi in your home up and running, the easiest thing to do is to take a smart device like a smartphone or an iPad, log onto your wireless wifi network, and walk around the house. By doing that, you will be able to check the strength of the signal in all the different areas of the house and verify that you have good internet coverage in all the rooms.
Different ways to make your home more of a smart home
Smart or connected homes are designed to simplify your life and make things easier so that you don’t have to touch anything as often. The three easiest things you can add to a smart home are thermostats, lighting, and sound.
Thermostats
You won’t have to touch your thermostat if it knows what to do. You can program smart thermostats, and many of them will also learn your patterns. Currently, there are many different wifi thermostats available. Tony’s company, The Sound Room, uses mostly Ecobee thermostats.
Do-it-yourself smart lighting systems
Several different kinds of do-it-yourself smart lighting systems are available. They have modules that plug into the wall, and you can then plug a lamp into the module and automate it. It can also be tied into voice-control.
Smart homes versus controlled or automated homes
A smart home has a feature in it, like the thermostat or lights, that has an app that you can put on your smart device and control it remotely. You may need to have different apps for all the things you want to control.
Controlled homes have a controller that operates all your different devices. The controller allows everything to work from the same app, and it lets you create scenes. Scenes allow you to select your preferred sequences with the devices in your home and bring them together to create an experience. So, for example, if you say “Good morning.” it might turn on the thermostat and some lights and disarm your security system.
Voice and app control
Voice control and app control make it a lot easier for people with limitations or disabilities to have more of a sense of independence and freedom.
Smart home and connected home technology
Smart home and connected home technology provide an extra layer of safety and peace of mind for the homeowner.
Sound
For do-it-yourself sound, Tony recommends Sonos. The Sonos app will guide you step-by-step through the installation.
Voice command module
The voice command module allows you to control the thermostat, the lighting, and the sound systems.
Creating a scene
Sonos, Nest, and Ecobee integrate with a bridge called Caseta, made by Lutron. Those are all available from Home Depot, and they will allow you to create scenes.
Links and resources:
Smart Home Products Curated by Marla
Hand Sanitizers Curated by Marla
From Smart Home to Connected
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Green Home Podcast! I am excited today to have Casey Grey as my guest!
Casey is the founder of The Conscious Builder. It is based in Ottawa and has a podcast and a YouTube Channel. Casey has been in the construction industry for over seventeen years, and he has had his business for a little longer than ten years.
Both Casey and his business have been growing and evolving. Casey has managed to carve out a great little niche in sustainable building that complies with the Canadian Passive House, Net Zero, and R-2000 certification standards, and his business continues to grow in that area. At The Conscious Builder, both their renovations and their custom homes comply with Canadian certification standards.
Casey is joining us today to share his story and talk about the building industry, climate change, advances in technology, and what you need to focus on when you are building or renovating a home.
Why Casey decided to become a builder
Growing up, Casey thought he would become an engineer because he loved to build things. He ended up getting into building instead because engineering was design-focused, and Casey was good at building and wanted to get involved as a hands-on person.
Improving the building industry
Casey is working to improve the building industry as a whole, and he wants to make sure that other people know how to build. He loves it that he got forced into that world with other people who he says are smarter and better than him, and he gets to learn from them.
Climate change can create some problems
From talking to other experts, Casey has learned that the unusual weather patterns that we are currently seeing are the extremes of climate change. Those extreme weather patterns can sometimes create problems which make it a lot more challenging for Casey to build homes.
3-D printed houses
Casey likes to follow technology, and there have been a lot of really cool things happening lately, like 3-D printed houses.
Renovations
People are often astonished to find out that you can certify a renovation as sustainable, green, and energy-efficient. It is not always easy to do those renovations, however, because many things cannot get figured out ahead of time.
Learning from doing renovations
Casey recommends that younger people who are getting into construction should find a small company that does major renovations. There is a different level of skill required for that, but they will learn way more from that than they would from building a new home.
Comfort
Casey builds and renovates for comfort. He points out that when you have a comfortable home, you will also have an efficient home.
Casey’s specialty
Casey’s specialty, for the most part, is making sure that people have airtight, well-insulated, comfortable homes with HVAC systems that work well. He explains that the most important part of a house is the part that you do not see hidden behind the drywall and the cladding.
Something important that people often overlook
When it comes to heating and cooling systems, most homes have systems that are too big. That leads to short-cycling, which means that your house will get up or down to temperature quicker than it needs to, and the furthest rooms in the house will never reach the correct temperature.
A properly sized system
A properly sized system will run for longer and save you energy because it will work efficiently throughout the whole house.
Online education about building science
A lot of education and some tools are available online if you would like to learn more about building science. Casey is working on a resource called The Conscious Builder Academy, so keep your eyes open for that.
Building a house
Casey explains that a lot more goes into building a house than most people think. To build your own home, you will need to understand how the whole system works, apart from simply following the prescribed building codes. And it will also be a good idea for you to hire an energy advisor.
An integrated design process
Casey believes that the best way to build a home is to use an integrated design process, and that would involve bringing all the contractors on board right from the start.
Links and resources:
The Conscious Builder
The Conscious Builder - YouTube Channel
Understanding Green Building Standards
Listen to me on Casey's Podcast!
Buy Stuff for Your Home - Curated by Marla
I am celebrating fall today! So many things we associate with fall, like the fall harvest, and fall food, focus around the idea of community, which in this time of the pandemic, has taken on a whole new meaning.
The source of food has become a hot topic lately, and people are trying new ways to meet their food requirements. I, for one, in my efforts to avoid the discomfort of going into grocery stores, have learned the joys of curbside pickups, supporting the smaller stores in our area, and going to farmer's markets to enjoy the bounty from our local farmers. That inspired me to pull this podcast with Chelsey Simpson from Urban Agrarian out of the archives and put it out into the world again! I know you are going to love it!
Chelsey is a local business owner in the Oklahoma City area. She is the co-owner of Urban Agrarian, a delightful non-traditional grocery store that primarily stocks locally-sourced products.
Chelsey tells us all about the stores she co-owns, she explains what it takes to find the very best locally-produced products, and we discuss the importance of buying local.
About Urban Agrarian
Chelsey explains that her grocery store is not a traditional one because almost everything they sell in it is sourced locally, from Oklahoma. They have recently expanded their line a little, however, to include some more nationally-sourced products because of the pandemic and due to customer demand.
Locally sourced
For most of the twelve years that the Urban Agrarian has existed, all their products have been almost 100% locally sourced, which is unusual.
Small grocery stores
Both of the Urban Agrarian stores are small. They are each only about a thousand square feet, so the size of the stores puts them in a slightly different situation from most other grocery stores. They are still traditional grocery stores, however, and a lot gets packed into them. You can go there to buy your milk, eggs, steaks, tortilla chips, snacks, and a whole lot more.
Source-verified
Chelsey does her best to curate. Beyond thinking about the store as being local, she also likes to talk and think about the store as being source-verified. That means that she knows virtually all of the people who make the products that they sell by their first names!
Creating a different experience
It takes a lot more work to do all the individual sourcing of the products, but Chelsey feels that it is worth it because it creates a very different experience for her customers.
Food hub
Urban Agrarian is not only a grocery store. It is a food hub. The term food hub describes that they are doing the curating, aggregating, and sourcing of their products in such a way that their customers can have healthy choices without having to have a vast range of products from which to choose.
Grass-fed beef from BF Farms
One of the products sold by the Urban Agrarian is grass-fed beef, supplied by Jane, Doug, and their daughter, from BF Farms in Oklahoma. Their whole family speaks very proudly about the excellent quality of the meat that they supply and the hundred-year heritage that the family has on their farm.
High mineral content
The land that Jane and Doug own in north-central Oklahoma has very high mineral content. And that has promoted excellent grass growth, which adds even more nutritional value to the beef and lamb that they sell.
A close partnership with BF Farms
Chelsey and her business partner were very closely connected with BF Farms when the Urban Agrarian stores were getting built. A dropped ceiling got put into one of the stores. It was made from some wood from an old barn on the farm.
The effect of the pandemic
For safety reasons during the pandemic, the Urban Agrarian stores were closed to walk-in customers because the stores are so small. To assist their customers, however, they made their products available through call-in orders.
Working in local food systems
Chelsey grew up on a farm, and she has been working in local food systems for about the last fifteen years. After seeing her family and their multi-generational farm struggling, she found herself drawn to that kind of work, even though she did not plan to go into it.
A great way to connect
For Chelsey, Urban Agrarian is a way to connect with how people are keeping their homes and their lives healthy and focused.
Buying local is important
There are many good reasons to buy local. Although local is not synonymous with organic, you are more likely to find chemical and pesticide-free organically grown produce if you buy local. Organically grown food is not only good for your health but also the health of the soil and the health of the people working on the land.
Urban Agrarian is not exclusively organic
Urban Agrarian does not exclusively sell organic groceries. They primarily sell source-verified, local groceries, and they are very pro supporting local farmers and farmer’s markets.
Complex answers
A lot of the answers about how things are grown and how animals get raised are quite complex. So consumers need to decide for themselves what their priorities are and what matters the most to them. Urban Agrarian makes that very easy!
Referrals/links:
Urban Agrarian
Know Where Your Food Comes From
Find a Farmers Market Near You, from PBS
I have pulled one of my favorite instructional podcasts out of the archives for today! It features my great gardening friend, Jackie Marie Beyer, of the Green Organic Garden Podcast, as my guest. I do not have a green thumb, and this show has helped me a lot with gardening!
Jackie started the Green Organic Garden Podcast in 2015. Her initial motivation was to give her husband, their head gardener at home, a platform for teaching people how to garden. He has a lot of gardening knowledge to share, and when Jackie started her podcast, she knew very little about gardening.
Jackie is now my resident expert for all things gardening! Over the last five years, she has done more than 300 interviews on the Green Organic Garden Podcast with some of the most incredible gardeners who have all shared their knowledge! And although Jackie works full-time as an elementary school teacher, she has found that she is spending more and more time in the garden each year.
In today’s episode, Jackie will be talking to us about some of the things that we can do for Mother Nature that will help people learn, and she will tell us about some of the easier vegetables to plant indoors. Be sure to stay tuned for more!
The Organic Oasis Guidebook
There are all different kinds of gardeners. Jackie and her husband wrote a book called The Organic Oasis Guidebook to help people grow vegetables because growing vegetables is a different learning curve from gardening.
Jackie’s husband’s goal
Jackie’s husband grew up on a cattle ranch. His current goal is to grow as much food as he possibly can to supplement the produce that they need. It involves intense gardening, and Jackie refers to his garden as his “mini-farm”.
Jackie explains why her podcast is so successful
One of the reasons why Jackie’s podcast is so successful is because of all of her amazing guests and their willingness to share their tips, their expertise, and their gardening secrets.
Authentic, garden math problems and challenges
Jackie is an elementary school teacher, and for the last two years, she has been posting videos online, with authentic, garden math problems and challenges for her students to solve.
Carrots
Carrots are easy to grow but hard for adults to plant because the seeds are so tiny. Carrot seeds fit very nicely into the hands of little kids, however.
Kids
Contrary to popular belief, Jackie knows that kids love eating freshly harvested fruits and vegetables!
Indoor gardening
Jackie’s favorite things to grow indoors are herbs in pots on her window sill. She loves to have basil plants growing indoors at all times.
Arugula
If you grow arugula indoors, you can start picking and eating the leaves when they are still tiny, and you will get lots of flavor out of them. The leaves will keep on growing until they eventually reach the size of a lettuce leaf.
Cherry tomatoes
You can grow cherry tomatoes indoors. Cherry tomato plants might be a bit too big for a window sill, but you can grow them in a pot on the floor next to a window. Then you can also put the plant outside on the patio in the summer.
Seeds, versus starter plants
Gardening is a bit like an experiment, and some seeds are easier to propagate than others. Growing vegetables from starter plants, if you can find them at a farmer’s market, will be faster than growing them from seeds.
Sprouts
Jackie likes to start growing her sprouts in December. You can buy a seed sprouter, or you can make one from a large mason jar covered with a piece of window screen fabric. Place a layer of organic radish, alfalfa, broccoli, or any other sprouting seeds on the bottom and soak them in two inches of water for twenty-four hours. Then, pour the water out and rinse the seeds in clear water every day until they have grown big enough to get eaten.
Bigger container gardening
It is possible to grow your herbs and vegetables in all kinds of different containers, and some people even like to plant their vegetables in specially designed cloth bags because they are easier to haul around.
Soil health
With container gardening, you have more say about the kind of soil that you use because you can decide from which source you want to take it.
Companion planting
Marigolds are good for planting with tomatoes because they put out a strong scent that repels the bugs that eat tomato plants and leaves. Nasturtiums are also good companion plants for planting next to vegetables in containers to repel bugs.
Container plants
Vegetables that grow above the ground are better for planting in containers. Root crops, however, usually do better growing in outdoor beds.
Referral Links and Products:
Green Organic Garden Podcast
Free Ebook on Organic Gardener Basics
Other Podcasts with Jackie: Organic Gardener and Grow Outside with Jackie
EGH Shop - Self Watering Planters
EGH Shop - Seed Sprouting Jar Kit
EGH Shop - Seed Sprouting Lids
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
Today, I am excited to introduce you to Autumn McMahon, the Manager of Marketing and Member Relations at Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (OEC).
Autumn has a relatively new podcast as part of her role at OEC. It launched in April this year, around the same time as the pandemic changed the world. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a good time for her to launch a podcast!
In today’s episode, Autumn shares how she has been using OEC's "The Current Buzz" podcast to meet her members where they are at and deliver a lot of useful content to them in a short amount of time. She also discusses what keeps her motivated and what she has learned from OEC's members. I am sure you will enjoy our conversation, so stay tuned for more!
Content is getting consumed at a much higher rate
Autumn's marketing content is getting consumed at a much higher rate right now than ever before. Because people are at home now, and they are in front of a screen more often.
Figuring out new routines
Many people used to listen to podcasts while they were commuting or while they were out getting some exercise. Things have changed due to the pandemic, however, so everyone has had to find their new normal and figure out new routines.
Shorter podcasts
Autumn has found that having shorter podcasts tends to play better for her listeners now than it has ever done in the past. So she tries to pack a lot of good content into a shorter length of time to meet the different demands that people have on their time.
Members
OEC is cooperative, so they do not have customers. They have members.
Members want green homes
At OEC, they have seen that the members are getting younger and more educated. They are consuming media differently, and they want to learn more about how to green their homes.
A higher level of detail
Having a podcast allows you to tell people more in a shorter amount of time and to dive deeper into the content. So Autumn has used her podcast, in addition to more traditional marketing streams and social media, to reach her audience with a higher level of detail.
Learning new things
Autumn feels that she has found her rhythm with the podcast. It feels like a conversation, and it has allowed her to chat with people about a vast range of different topics. It has also provided her with an opportunity to learn new things and fine-tune her skills.
Podcasting
In today’s world, you can share your opinion about anything. Podcasting is a great way to talk to people directly and tell them what you want them to know.
Making podcasts interesting
There is a wide variety of topics and many things you can do to make podcasts interesting. But the main thing is to remain true to yourself in whatever you do.
Guests
Autumn likes to use the feedback from the members to help choose the guests for her podcast.
A simple solution for cleaner air
I was a guest on Autumn’s podcast, and I explained that a simple solution for having better air quality in your home is to get the list of NASA plants that are good for cleaning out the air inside your house. It’s super simple, but it makes a big difference.
Thinking creatively
Thinking creatively about how to answer people’s questions before they have even asked them is a good quality for a podcast host to have.
Marketing
Autumn oversees the marketing team at OEC. They do some traditional marketing like magazines, their website, and social media marketing. They also have a branch that works with the commercial members of OEC and energy efficiency.
The true heart of service
The true heart of service is what motivates Autumn, and it underscores what truly makes her happy to be at OEC.
The goal
The goal of OEC is to be good stewards to their members and provide safe and reliable electricity while continuing to move forward with innovative energy solutions. They want to find ways to help people take better care of their homes, and save money while doing that.
The marketing goal
Their marketing goal is to educate the community and their membership about the heart that is OEC.
Volunteer work
Autumn’s volunteer work is always about kids. She currently serves as the President on the Mary Abbott Children’s House board, which is a non-profit that works with child victims of abuse.
Links and resources:
OEC - Oklahoma Electric Cooperative
OEC The Current Buzz Podcast
OEC Electric Vehicle Resource Hub
OEC Home Energy Audit Consultation Program
Energy-Saving Lighting on Everyday Green Home Shop
Solar Chargers and Lights on Everyday Green Home Shop
"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."
For the month of September, I have selected new and past guests on the podcast to showcase women who are making a difference.
Today, I’m bringing yet another show that I really loved out of the archives for you to enjoy. This podcast was recorded back in May of 2017 with Suzanne Shelton, the founder and owner of Shelton Group, which is one of the leading marketing communications agencies, exclusively focused in the energy and environmental arena. They are sustainability marketing experts!
In our conversation, we spoke about the work that Suzanne’s company does with market research and polls, and how it has given them a chance to gain an understanding of what people are thinking, their perceptions, and what they are doing in terms of energy and the environment. The pandemic has raised our awareness of the health, wellness, and safety issues that we have in our homes. This has become more and more important as we look to support the companies that reflect our values in what they are doing. It is still relevant, and it applies to our current situation. I hope you enjoy it!
The energy space
Suzanne started the company 25 years ago. About eleven years in, she realized that they needed to focus on being the best at something, rather than trying to be all things to all people. They had done a lot of work in the energy space, and looking at where it was heading they realized that there were going to be a lot more environmental problems. It was something they felt passionate about so they decided to focus exclusively on that arena.
Polling Americans
Today, Shelton Group is well known for polling Americans and Canadians, to understand their thoughts and perceptions, and what they are doing in terms of energy and the environment, and how that shapes their buying preferences.
Edgy campaigns
Shelton Group is well known for edgy creative campaigns to help people make informed decisions, and for their research work.
Mainstream
Talking sustainability used to be a niche. Now it has become mainstream. That means that the cost of green fixtures for homes has come down.
Top five
The top five of the thirty-six “nice to have” features that people want in their new homes save either energy or water.
Greener homes without breaking the bank
Shelton Group has figured out how to build beautiful homes that are greener and more energy-efficient, without breaking the bank.
Commercial construction
In commercial construction currently, you have to search to find contractors, developers, and architects who are not using sustainability principals.
Residential construction
There’s more of a challenge with sustainable practices within residential construction. Millennials entering the home buying market, however, are often more aware of things like indoor air quality issues and chemical content issues.
Basic expectations
When people don’t ask questions, it doesn’t mean they don’t care. Most people simply assume that their basic expectations in terms of sustainable practices are being met in the construction of new homes.
Asking the right questions
Homeowners sometimes don’t know the right questions to ask builders. They just want to know that their family will be happy, healthy, and safe.
Builders want to sell homes
Builders want to sell homes so they build what they believe will sell. There are studies that show that certified efficient and green homes sell faster, they sell for more money, and they retain their value better.
Effective marketing
To do effective communications, and effective marketing and advertising, you have to understand what people are thinking. The data that Shelton Group collects tells them that. They can even compare what people are thinking about today with what they were thinking eight years ago.
New questions
They ask new questions every year because new issues come up.
Results
The results of the studies fuel the development of Shelton Group's creative campaign work so that they can build the right campaigns and marketing materials to sell more products, build brands, and create social movements.
Most people believe that climate change is real
64% of Americans believe that climate change is happening and that it’s caused by man. And 51% of Americans are concerned and feel anxious about it, which means they want to do something about it. Only 6% understand that the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in this country is from the energy we generate to use to heat and cool our homes.
Making a positive impact on the environment
People need to understand that the best way that we can make a positive change to the environment is through our homes.
Links and resources:
Shelton Group
Market Research Reports
Buy Stuff for Your Home, Curated by Marla
Spotlight Companies to Support on EGH Podcast
This month, I am enjoying highlighting so many women who have made a difference! My guest for today is Donna Miller, the founder of Purse Power. Donna has made a difference in my life, and also in the lives of many other women!
Donna is a former Human Resources Executive who spent thirty years in Corporate America. A few years ago, she and her sisters came to the blinding realization that women make 80% of all the purchasing decisions. They understood that it meant that if women collectively choose to buy only from the companies that actively promote women, and they could create a funding stream for battered women’s shelters in the process, they could shatter glass ceilings and change women’s lives in a matter of quarters rather than decades.
That was how the idea for Purse Power was born.
Since then, they have started doing presentations about what they have been trying to create, and they have built a national platform of more than 750,000 women-owned and women-led businesses. And they have also created a Google Chrome extension with Carnegie Mellon, to find those businesses when you’re shopping online, and some phone apps to show you where the women-owned businesses are when you are physically near them.
I invited Donna to join me today to talk to us about Purse Power, to share what she’s been doing during the pandemic, and to discuss how women can come together to drive change very rapidly.
Point of sale
Purse Power is trying to give people who want to support women-owned businesses information at the point of sale to help them know who they want to be buying from.
Women align with greener choices
Women tend to align themselves with greener choices because of the health and wellness aspect, and those choices help women to feel empowered.
Driving change in the green and sustainability industry
In the green and sustainability industry, there is currently a lot of thought process that’s going in the direction of women driving change.
One out of four women
Donna points out that one out of every four women in America gets impacted by domestic violence, and they need help.
People are willing to help
If you would like to accomplish something, you need to let the people around you know what you are doing and what you need. You will be amazed at how connected people are and how much they will help.
The power of connection
Donna’s approach to building a network and building connections is to go at it from being helpful to the people you are trying to reach, and also to the people you want to partner with. Understanding who she is trying to get in touch with, and what they want and need, worked very well for Donna. And then she would find a way to bring them all together to share best practices and insights and build a sense of community.
Donna’s magic
Donna’s magic for making a difference in this world lies in figuring what your life is all about, planning backward from there, and being bold.
Insight
The thing that gave Donna insight into what she wanted to do was to use Stephen Covey’s idea of beginning with the end in mind.
Making a difference
She discovered that she wanted to make a difference for women, and she has been doing that ever since then.
Let’s Share the Journey
When the coronavirus pandemic started, Donna realized that many of the entrepreneurs in her network would be struggling. To understand the issues they were facing, to offer them support, and to share some resources, she created a webcast called Let’s Share the Journey, where some of the leading thinkers in the nation share their journeys and their ups and downs, and answer questions.
A hub
Donna has acted as a hub for connecting people, and that has worked very effectively in her journey.
Networking and reconnecting
Zoom has been a good platform for people to reconnect with their old connections in a new way.
Staying in contact
It is important to keep in contact with the people in your network consistently and build a relationship and rapport with them over time because you don’t want to connect with them only when you need something.
A great way to connect
Offering to help and asking people what they need is a great way to connect with them and to add value to your business.
Purse Power
There are currently 758,000 companies registered in Purse Power’s directory. You can use Purse Power to list your business, if you are a woman, and to find women-owned and women-led companies.
Links and resources:
Purse Power
Purse Power - Register Your Business
Let's Share the Journey - Coronavirus Resources
Donna’s LinkedIn
Everyday Green Home - Shop Products from Women Owned / Led Businesses
Welcome to the Everyday Green Home Podcast! Today, I’m happy to be sharing a very humorous podcast that I pulled out of the archives. My frequent co-host, Tony Pratte, and I recorded it in St. Louis, back in the spring of 2017.
In this show, Tony and I interview Angie Mendica, who works with Crescent Plumbing Supply in St. Louis. We met Angie through the Homebuilders Association in St. Louis, and Angie and I were also together in the Professional Women in Building Council.
Angie is very funny, and she is a delightful person to have around in any situation! She has been with Crescent Plumbing Supply for about a decade, and her role is to educate people about the benefits of their plumbing products. A big part of what she does is talking about toilets.
Today’s episode focuses on the quantity of water that we use in our homes. We discuss the importance of saving as much water as possible, and we talk about the benefits of having the right kind of plumbing fixtures and a good toilet. And Angie explains how we can have it all with long-lasting water-efficient plumbing fixtures designed to complement your home and look fantastic.
Why plumbing fixtures are so important
Water-efficient plumbing fixtures are important because they make it easy for us to use less water, and they help us to waste a lot less water. And having plumbing fixtures that don’t leak and work efficiently helps us with our water goals and saves us money.
A lot of water is used and wasted in America each year
According to the EPA, the average American family uses about 300 gallons of water a day. That adds up to an average of around 109 500 gallons of water per year. We also need to bear in mind that a typical home leaks between 200 and 20 000 gallons each year, and we are paying for it!
Crescent Plumbing Supply offers many different products and services
Crescent Plumbing Supply covers all aspects. Their residential side offers homeowners many different products and services, and they also have a large commercial side.
A timeless product that conserves water
Many homeowners go into Crescent Plumbing Supply looking for timeless, functional products, and they are delighted when they discover that those products also conserve water.
Kohler toilets
Water-efficient toilets and plumbing have come a long way since the early 1990s. Crescent Plumbing Supply are suppliers of the Kohler toilet. In 2011, Kohler came out with an efficient new water-saving flushing technology with a canister type of flushing mechanism that is very efficient.
The cleanliness aspect
Apart from their bulk removal aspect, Kohler toilets also have a cleanliness aspect that sets them apart from any other one on the market.
Dual flush toilets
Dual flush toilets typically have a half flush option for liquid waste and a full-flush option for solid waste. There have been several different generations of dual flush toilets. Things have progressed a lot since they first came out, and the ones that are available today work very efficiently even though they use very little water.
Kohler product suites
Kohler has product suites available where everything is coordinated and matching. That includes the faucets, the sink, the toilet, the showerhead, and even the recessed mirror, and they come in a variety of different styles.
A lot of engineering goes into creating an efficient toilet
Angie was impressed with one of the engineers at Kohler when she had the opportunity to go there for some training a few summers ago. His job was to engineer the best toilet on the market, and the trainees could flush the toilets he created and those created by engineers from other companies. The trainees were much more impressed with the toilets designed by the Kohler engineer than they were with those designed by their competitors.
Kohler signature stores
There are Kohler signature stores all over the country. There are designed for end-users and they are there to create a buyer’s experience and give people a first-hand example of what their options are.
Educating people about Kohler products
Kohler products constantly get updated, so you can rest assured that all their water-saving fixtures and fittings work extremely efficiently. And they often host educational events to keep homeowners and plumbers informed about their latest products.
A great reason to work with a company like Crescent Plumbing Supply
A great reason to work with a local company like Crescent Plumbing Supply (or a similar local plumbing supply company in your area) is that they understand the systems of plumbing, and they know how all the various parts impact the system as a whole. And they can help plumbers and homeowners to select the very best quality products that will solve all their problems and function efficiently for many years to come. Links and resources:
Referrals/Links:
Blog Referencing Podcast - Water Usage Relates to Energy Usage: How Much Water Are You Wasting?
Curated by Marla: Low Water-Use Plumbing Products
Crescent Plumbing Supply
WaterSense from US EPA
I’m excited to share today’s podcast with you! This show originally aired two years ago, back in 2018, and Sheridan Foster, the founder of the digital media company, Elemental Green, is my guest. We have a great conversation today about how Elemental Green makes it easy for you to make sustainable choices that are better for you, which will also enhance your living experience.
Going green is a constant learning curve. Sheridan and I are passionate about everything related to green homes, and we both love connecting people with information. We hope you will enjoy learning about greening your home, and discovering how it will improve your health and wellness, and make your life a lot more comfortable!
The founding vision for Elemental Green
Sheridan founded Elemental Green with the vision that every home can be a greener home. She created the company as a resource for homeowners, builders, and designers so that they can make every decision, for either a home-build or a renovation, more sustainably.
Elemental Green is a web-based resource
Elemental Green is a web-based resource with a presence on social media. The richest set of information is available on their website, Elemental Green. There, you can see the topics that they’re featuring in either products or educational articles. You can also search the website for a specific product.
The fundamental role of Elemental Green
The fundamental role of Elemental Green is to connect people who are looking for solutions, with real products that are currently available. They partner with various brands and bring their solutions forward to make people aware of them at the very time that they are looking for solutions.
An educational piece
A large part of Elemental Green is an educational piece that is there to assist people in understanding what green means.
An inspirational piece
There is also a beautiful, inspirational piece to Elemental Green, where they show people lovely homes and suggest that they incorporate some of the sustainable features in their homes.
Green is not only about energy
Green is not only about energy. It is also about all the different materials that you bring into your home. So, becoming aware of the chemicals in the products you use, and of how sustainably the things you buy are manufactured and sourced, is a big part of living green.
Going green saves people
Many people think that going green is only about saving the planet. Sheridan clarifies that by explaining that the planet is simply a place for all of us, as people, to live, so going green is just as important for the wellbeing of people.
Helping people understand that the benefits are real
Both Sheridan and I are working hard to help people understand that the benefits of greening are real, and it is also beneficial for their families and their communities.
A great solution to a frustrating problem
Elemental Green was born out of the frustration that Sheridan experienced when trying to make sustainable decisions for her home-build. Every decision involved hours of research to find a list of solutions for ways for her builder to make things greener.
An educational tool
Initially, Sheridan saw Elemental Green as a potential educational tool for homeowners, and she also saw it as something that architects and builders could use as a simple resource.
New materials
Elemental Green is helpful because it keeps up to date with all the new materials that are coming out every day.
Elemental Green makes it easy to find products
Elemental Green makes it very easy for you to find green products. It features articles about various green topics, and share links to hook people up with the products that are related to the topic.
Good choices made easy
Sheridan understands that if it’s hard to make good choices, you’re going to go with what you already know. So Elemental Green is there to make it easier for you to make good, sustainable choices.
A better option
Once you know that there’s a better option, there’s no reason not to use it. And you gain so much by having a green, sustainable home.
Sustainable products are good quality
A sustainable product is a quality product, and it will last for a long time, so even if it costs a little more than a conventional product, it’s worth it!
Links and resources:
Elemental Green
Affordable Green Homes Hub
Curated by Marla: Things You're Gonna Love for Your Home
Sheridan Foster Interviews Marla Esser Cloos
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
A few years ago, I met Steve Feldman, the Founder, and CEO of Renovation Angel, on a panel presentation at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Steve has had an interesting career path with an unusual twist, and in 2001, he stumbled into an incredible market that nobody else was doing at the time.
He is joining me on the podcast today to share the fascinating story behind Renovation Angel, and to talk about its process and achievements, his grand vision, and the positive way the project impacts the whole community.
Our conversation will give you something new to think about regarding ways to recycle and reuse things in the home.
Steve’s colorful background
Steve used to be a rock and roll DJ back in 1979. His first job was playing classic rock from eight in the evening until one in the morning, at a radio station in Westerly, Rhode Island. He stayed with the radio station for eighteen years, moving up from a DJ, to Program Director, to Sales Manager, and finally to Senior Marketing Manager for three stations, where he was selling radio advertising and doing the marketing side of the radio.
Doing fund-raising for recovery
Steve is also a recovered addict. He has been in recovery for thirty-two years now, and he shocked the radio industry in 1998 when he announced that he was leaving his respected position to do fund-raising for addiction recovery.
A thirty-million dollar loss
He started his fund-raising in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he managed to find a very wealthy donor who was worth one hundred million dollars. Then, in the 2001 stock market crash, his donor lost thirty million dollars, so she gave Steve his final check, and wished him good luck.
A great idea
The next-door neighbor of Steve’s wealthy donor was the queen of Iran, the wife of the Shah. And in her driveway was a sign, saying “Demolition in Progress”. Steve was curious, so he drove up to the mansion, only to find that there was nothing there apart from a huge pile of bricks. That sparked the idea for him to start earning money in a bad economy, rather than asking people to donate it to his cause.
An innovative way to earn money
He decided to make some money by getting kitchen fixtures and furniture donated out of mansions that were being demolished or renovated.
An article in the Greenwich Time newspaper
Steve shared his idea with a real estate agent who knew the editor of the Greenwich Time newspaper. The real estate agent then spoke to the editor, and so, in October of 2001, the Greenwich Time did an article about his idea.
Learning how to recycle kitchens
After the article came out, Steve got thirty-six phone calls, from architects, builders, designers, real estate agents, and even from hedge-fund managers. So he spent the next four years learning how to recycle kitchens, and how to sell them.
Growing the program
Steve’s program started to grow from word of mouth only because he did not have a website, or even a name for the program, at the time.
Running a full-time program
Then, in 2005, he decided to see what would happen if he ran his program on a full-time basis. So he obtained some seed money and started running the program with the name, Green Demolitions.
The darlings of Greenwich
The Green Demolitions team became the darlings of Greenwich, and within three years, they grew to have thirty-five employees and stores in Connecticut, the Catskills, and the Poconos.
The banking crisis
The enterprise grew, and they were recycling hundreds of kitchens. And then, the banking crisis happened in 2008. They were fortunate, however, in that the New York Times had done a full-page article on Green Demolitions in April of 2008, which allowed them to get some notoriety in New York City.
Changing and growing
Over the next four years, things changed. Steve transferred the entire operation to the name, Renovation Angel and, in 2012, he and his team moved into a 43,000 square foot store in Fairfield, New Jersey, and they expanded into nationwide recycling.
They got a lot of celebrity support, and the operation continued to grow from strength to strength.
Fantastic achievements
In fifteen years, they have recycled over 7000 kitchens, created over $25,000,000 worth of new recycling jobs, and they have written checks for $2.3 million to charities helping addiction recovery, youth at risk, and homelessness.
Links and resources:
Renovation Angel
The Luxury Bargain Hunter’s Club
Miele and Renovation Angel Create Exclusive Recycle & Rebate Trade Program to Promote Sustainability
Green Kitchen Accessories You'll Love From Everyday Green Home
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
The desire to create a green and healthy environment comes to everyone from a different place, and for many of us, it was something in our childhood that initially sparked our interest. My guest for today, Sara Ivey, spent much of her childhood playing outside, and gardening, composting, and recycling was the norm in her family home while she and her brother were growing up.
I invited Sara to join me on the podcast to talk about the Oklahoma Green Schools Program, to discuss the role she plays in the Department of Environmental Quality, and to explain the importance of helping our children understand where all their resources come from.
About Sara
Sara wears several different hats. In her first role, she is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Green Schools Program, which involves working with schools all across Oklahoma and helping them to go green in a way that best suits each school. In her other role, she is the Education Coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, and that meshes very well with the Oklahoma Green Schools Program. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality graciously allows Sara to work on the Oklahoma Green Schools Program under the umbrella of the Education Coordinator.
Recycling
When Sara was very young, her parents introduced her to gardening, composting, and recycling, even though recycling was not very cool, or common in the 1980s. Her parents used to drive their recycling to a drop-off point on Saturday mornings.
Water is a precious commodity
When Sara was in college, she became interested in environmental topics. She grew up in New Mexico, so she was always aware of how precious water is as a commodity, and so became very interested in water resources and started studying everything she could about the environment. That ultimately led her to where she is today.
A wasteful society
We live in a very wasteful society, and although living a green life seems very natural for some of us, it is still a relatively new way of living. Our grandparents did not live in that same way as we do now, so they generally have a much better grasp on how to use resources wisely.
School children need to understand where the resources come from
Every school kid is going to grow up to be a consumer, and one day, they will be making all the decisions. That’s why it is so important for them to understand where all the resources come from, as early on as possible, so that they can make the best decisions, and set themselves up in the best way possible.
About the Oklahoma Green Schools Program
The Oklahoma Green Schools Program got started by a group of interested parties with different areas of expertise. They were energy experts, architects, and people who knew a lot about water, and they wanted to help the schools that did not have the expertise to understand how to save resources, like water, energy, and landfill spaces.
Six steps to certification
They wanted the schools to be able to say that they got certified as green schools, so they created six steps to certification. And they also made flags to promote the program within the schools.
The Oklahoma Green Schools Program is not just for students
The Oklahoma Green Schools Program is not only there for the students. It is for the school as a whole. It is to empower both the students and the teachers in a way that they can make a difference.
The five investigations for Project Learning Tree
The Green Schools Program has five areas of investigation for schools in partnership with Project Learning Tree. They are:
- Energy
- Environmental quality
- School site
- Waste and recycling
- Water
Changing the lights can make a difference
It is interesting to discover how much energy gets saved by changing from using light bulbs to using LED lights.
Lights out lunches
After doing energy investigations, schools come up with all kinds of innovative ways to save energy. A novel idea was to have Lights Out Lunches once a week where only natural light was allowed in the cafeteria.
Form a Green Team and involve school staff stakeholders
When creating a Green Team, it is a good idea to get the maintenance workers and the administrators of the school building involved from the outset so that they will be willing to work along with the team to help make a difference.
Trash Audit
The Oklahoma Green Schools Program encourages the schools to do a trash audit, to sort the recyclable items from the waste, and to get to know exactly how much food is being wasted and thrown away.
There are many resources available for activities at home
The Oklahoma Green Schools Program was designed for use in almost any kind of educational scenario so that everyone can participate. And there are many different resources available on their website that can be used by homeschoolers, for activities at home.
Referral Links / Resources:
OK Green Schools
Project Learning Tree
Engage Your Students in Greening Their School
Checklist of Environmental Actions for Schools
i-Tree Design Tool
DEQ’s Environmental Education Program
NEED Curriculum Resources
Oklahoma Recycling Association
Join Us for Monthly Green Schools Webcast Opportunities
Sara’s emails: sara@okgreenschools.org
sara.ivey@deq.ok.gov
Life has changed in so many different ways for everyone as a result of the global pandemic, particularly in the area of schooling, which has become a big issue for most parents. So I invited Beth Brown and Keri Knutson to join me today to talk about some solutions.
Beth and Keri both have children in school, and they have been doing a lot of work to solve the current problems around schooling. They are with me today to share what they are learning and experiencing and to talk about the innovative ideas that they have come up with for educating children in the best way possible under the present circumstances.
About Beth
Beth is a creative person, and she has a background in interior design. She is currently involved in social media management, and she works from home as a virtual assistant.
This year, she has decided to home-school one of her children.
About Keri
Keri is a teacher by trade, and she has been working in different capacities in the field of education for the last seventeen years. For most of that time, she has been teaching children from kindergarten to second grade in public school. She has also taught preschool, and, for the past eight years, she has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO).
Keri has three kids at home, and right now, she is taking a break from public school teaching to work on her doctorate.
Conversations about schooling
Beth and Keri live in the same neighborhood. There have been several neighborhood meetings held there recently, to talk about the changes that are happening in the school district and the different ways that everyone is choosing to deal with the current situation.
Two main options for parents
Three months ago, most of the parents in the Deer Creek School District got two main options for schooling. The first is that the children can return to school in August. And if any incidences of COVID occur in the schools, they can return to doing distance learning for as long as necessary. The second option is for parents to keep their children at home, and go ahead with virtual schooling for the whole semester.
A third option
A third option was offered to the parents of children from the seventh grade upwards. That is for an academy, where children from the seventh to the twelfth grades can do a blended school option. That means that they can do certain things, like band and special science classes, on the school campus, and everything else can get done at home.
Things vary in different places around the country
Things are different, however, in different districts, and different areas around the country.
A split schedule
Schools in Beth and Keri’s area have now decided to opt for a split schedule based on state recommendations, to ensure that proper social distancing can take place if necessary. That means that if they reach an orange level, as determined by the Department of Health, they will create a split schedule so that only half of all the students are present in the school building at any given time.
The underlying issue
The underlying issue is that parents are trying to do what is best for their children, while also juggling their work and their lives at home. There is a lot to consider, and even more to be done, and it can all feel very frightening and overwhelming.
Beth’s decision
Beth has two children at home. Her daughter is thirteen, and, like most of the other kids of her age, she wants to go back to school full-time, so Beth is allowing her to do that.
Beth has decided, however, to keep her second-grader at home, and go a hundred percent virtual with his schooling. Although she does not relish the idea, she has chosen to embrace her role as a parent, to have a great attitude, and to make the best of a difficult situation.
Lots of options
There are lots of options, and ultimately it is up to the parents to weigh them all up and make the best decision for their children and themselves.
Bear in mind that things always go better with a positive attitude!
Links and resources:
Referrals:
When Coronavirus Pivots Education Plans: How to Set Up a Homeschooling Space Anywhere
Working and Learning from Home During the COVID-19 Outbreak
At-Home Learning Resources for the COVID-19 Outbreak
How to Turn Your Living Space into a Home Office, Home School, and More During Coronavirus
101 Free Resources for Home-Schooling During COVID Crisis
CuriosityStream/CNN - Use code "CNN" for 25% off annual plans.
Thousands of documentaries, all on-demand, all for less than $15/year!
Collection of Fun & Useful Websites for Your Classroom
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. A couple of years ago, my regular co-host, Tony Pratte, and I did a podcast about these three Rs. The idea behind this trio of actions is to extend the life of an item so that we don’t keep on having to manufacture new ones.
Well, there’s a fourth ‘R’ now, and that’s REFUSE, which gives us the power to refuse to act in any way that will add to the current global crisis.
This global pandemic has changed so much about our day-to-day living and almost everything that we used to think normal has changed in some way. In fact, Tony feels that the only thing right now that is normal is chaos! Join us in the conversation to learn how this is the perfect time to look at everything in a different light and to consider doing things in a new and better way.
Tony’s bio
Tony is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is responsible for building relationships between home builders and The Sound Room System designers to help create the ultimate home experience.
Tony has been working in the construction industry for more than eighteen years. During that time, he has been building relationships, and he has become a valued part of the construction team, assisting his builder clients with delivering their customers’ dreams. He is currently a member of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri, where he also served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2011. His specialties are builder development, industry networking, and interior design.
A disposable society
Although the manufacturing of products creates jobs and brings in revenue, one of the problems with wealthy economies is that the general mindset becomes one of a disposable society. And as a result, everything becomes disposable, and people feel that they need to keep on buying new things.
The fourth R
The fourth R stands for Refuse. You can flat-out refuse to buy or use things that you don’t need. This action is closely linked to Reduce, and the whole idea is for us to refuse to use single-use items, like straws, plastic bags, and disposable cups, any longer.
Latest and greatest mindset
Many of us have even adopted the “use it and throw it away” mindset for some big things, like TVs, for example, or computers or phones because technology is always changing, updating and getting cheaper. And some people think they must always have the latest and the greatest of everything available.
A practical example of reuse
If you buy a new TV, something needs to happen with the old one. It could get donated to someone who needs it, or you could sell it at a garage sale.
Broken items don’t get fixed
Today, most people don’t even think about having anything repaired. And the prevailing mindset of most companies, when it comes to old technology, is to no longer manufacture any replacement parts because it works out cheaper to buy a brand new item. So people often end up with their old equipment on their hands, and they don’t know what to do with them.
Recycling electronics
Once a week, a couple goes around to the electronics business where Tony works to collect old electronic equipment for recycling. They break it down, strip out any usable parts, and sell them on the internet as replacement parts.
Repairability
Repairability also plays into the three Rs because it conserves resources, and it extends the reusability of items.
Plastic
Plastic is everywhere! It is useful, and it changed our lives in the previous generation. Single-use plastic items, however, have also contributed to the “throw-away” mindset. So, the way we use plastic, and how we treat it has become a big concern for many of us.
Learn to refuse
We all need to refuse to buy things we don’t need. And we also need to refuse to use single-use items, like plastic straws and water bottles.
Remember, you can make a change by just saying “no”.
Links and resources:
The Sound Room
Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Bags from Everday Green Home
Single-Use Plastics 101
Electronics Donation and Recycling
Companies that pledge to be a force for good! That's exactly what B Corporations do. Gail Garey, founder of Impact 360 Strategies, shares what B Corporations are, and how her love of the outdoors and her corporate background set the stage for her work with B Corporations. Her mission is to guide and empower business professionals to accelerate environmentally friendly and socially responsible sustainable business practices that improve the bottom line and create positive social change. Gail provides some tips to assist people in taking the right action. She also shares valuable information about the things that we all can do in our busy lives to make a positive change in the world. Gail’s bio
Gail is the founder of Impact 360 Strategies. Her mission is to guide and empower business professionals to accelerate environmentally friendly and socially responsible sustainable business practices that improve the bottom line and create positive social change.
Gail’s background
Gail has worked primarily in the corporate world. She left her corporate career a few years ago to pursue a career more aligned with her passion.
Nature is Gail’s therapy
Nature is her therapy, so Gail has always loved being outdoors. She loves running, going hiking with her dogs, and skiing cross-country in the winter. And, even though it can be a challenge because north-west Colorado gets a lot of snow, she also loves working in her garden.
Gail was hosting a video series
Gail interviewed Marla some time back, for a video series that she was hosting called Let’s Save the Planet, Easy Everyday Tips to Empower Yourself, and to Protect the Environment Now. And, out of that video series has emerged a bi-monthly email that Gail now sends out regularly, containing tips about the kinds of changes that we all can make, as individuals, to make a difference, and to live a more environmentally conscious life.
Some great work is being done
Gail points out that there is a lot of great work getting done by both individuals and companies in the environmental space right now, in terms of fighting climate change, doing research, and taking various actions.
Launching a consulting business
Gail is excited to launch her consulting business, Impact 360 Strategies. Impact 360 is a consulting firm that is going to guide and empower business professionals to accelerate environmentally and socially responsible, sustainable business practices that will improve their bottom line and create positive social change.
A strong tie
Our health and wellness are closely tied to that of the community in which we live, and also the rest of the world. Any action that is taken by any of us adds up and ultimately helps to change how things are in the world. So any small change you make can ultimately result in a big difference for the environment.
Our health
The state of our health is tied intrinsically to the health of the planet. So it is in our best interest to be aware of how the choices we make influence our immediate environment, and the whole world.
You can choose
There are many programs available that allow us to get to know what all the different companies are doing. That gives lets us choose who we want to align ourselves with and where we want to spend our money.
The B Corporation Movement
B Corporations all have a B Corporation certification. The reason why Gail loves the B Corporation movement is that it is the way that we, as consumers, can get to know the difference between a good company and one that does good marketing.
Growing people’s awareness of B Corporations
Part of what Gail’s consulting firm focuses on is increasing the awareness of people about the B Corporation movement and working with purpose-driven companies that want to become certified as B Corporations.
What a B Corporation is
B Corporation is the certification of a company.
B Corporations are companies that marry profits with purpose. They are committed to working for environmental and social benefits, as well as making a profit.
A rigorous, independent, third-party verification process with the non-profit entity, B Lab ensures that those companies meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and transparency. The successful companies get a logo to inform people that they are, indeed, B Corporations.
Links and resources:
Gail’s Website
B Corporation - A New Kind of Business That Balances Purpose and Profit
B The Change - The Stories of People Using Business as a Force for Good
Everyday Green Home's Products From B Corp Companies
You can make a bigger difference than you think to the environment by making small changes to what’s on your plate.
We’re talking about food today, and we have Hannah Levbarg joining us to talk about how to green your plate. Hannah will be discussing the benefits of plant-based nutrition, and she will explain the effects of a plant-based diet on the environment.
About Hannah
Hannah is a realtor in Sante Fe, New Mexico, with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. In her spare time, she is a passionate amateur in plant-based nutrition, and how the way we eat affects the environment.
Hannah is originally from Austin, Texas, and she went to Oklahoma University. Most of her friends and family are still in Austin.
Health issues in Texas
In Texas, there’s a huge population of twenty to forty-year-olds being hospitalized for COVID, and many of them have issues with being overweight, diabetes, and early-stage heart disease.
Hannah’s passion for food
Hannah has a huge passion for food, and she’s been an avid cook for all her life. She’s always had a broad palate, and she particularly enjoys ethnic cuisines.
How Hannah became interested in food
Hannah was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2017. She was carrying too much weight at the time as a result of her job and her lifestyle, so she decided to get things under control by setting herself off on a course to maximize her health.
Packing more produce into her diet
Hannah made an effort to optimize her health. She started watching vegan cooking shows to get some inspiration for ways to pack more produce into her diet because she thought that would help. She had no intention of going vegan at the time, and she didn’t think she was a fit for that kind of lifestyle.
A rabbit hole of information
Hannah got taken down a rabbit hole of information that included a lot of medical data about diet, nutrition, and disease patterns.
Changing the way she was eating
Two years ago, Hannah realized that she had to change the way she was eating. When she discovered that there were correlations between diet and some of the biggest killers, like diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and heart disease, her husband also agreed to go along with a radically changed diet.
Since then, Hannah has been learning whatever she can about eating for optimum health.
A certificate in plant-based nutrition
This spring, Hannah got a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell. She chose to do that particular course because it counts as medical continuing education for medical professionals. So, although she’s not yet a nutritional expert, she is a pretty well-schooled amateur.
Environmental impacts
Hannah started learning a lot about environmental impacts shortly after she and her husband changed their diet to a plant-based one.
When the UN also released their 2018 report on climate change, it strongly implicated animal agriculture in many of the environmental problems that we are currently experiencing.
A big change in diet
Hannah thinks that it was probably a lot easier for her to change her diet than it would have been for most other people because she has been a life-long cook, and she knows how to handle all kinds of food.
Following a plant-based diet can be socially isolating
Hannah discovered that following a plant-based diet can be a bit socially isolating. Even so, she advises people who are interested in doing it to impact their health, to go all the way with it because in that way they are likely to see results very quickly, and that is very motivating.
It’s not so hard to do if you know how to cook
Hannah explains that making the change is not so hard to do. All you have to do if you’re used to roasting a chicken and a tray of vegetables, for example, is to take off the chicken, and rather have some puy lentils with the roast vegetables, and perhaps some nut cheese.
If you know how to cook, it’s not that hard to tweak things around and make sure that you’re getting all the things you need in your diet.
The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine
Hannah follows The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. They have exam room podcasts that you can check out on Facebook or YouTube, and they have been talking a lot about how easily the coronavirus can live in packaged cold meat. Although cooking destroys the virus, you will still be handling it beforehand.
Making a change for the better
Hannah points out that we don’t need to eat meat to be healthy, so this is an ideal opportunity for us to make the change to a plant-based diet. It will be healthier for everyone and a whole lot better for the environment.
Remember - a small change can make a big difference.
Links and Resources:
Hannah's Website
Hannah’s YouTube Channel
The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine
NutritionFacts.org
The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
Today, Tony Pratte, our regular co-host from The Sound Room, joins us once again on the show. In the Everyday Green Home Podcast, we talk about green homes, green living, and green communities. And we discuss how to make all of it work for you in your life, and why it all matters. We offer solutions, and we love to talk about the kind of choices that all of us can make, to make our homes, and ultimately the whole world, a better place.
The Living Standard
The Living Standard, which was recently released by the US Green Building Council, is all about people. It’s about a dialogue about green living and sustainability, and it is here to help people understand.
In today’s episode, we discuss how the Living Standard helps people to help themselves, each other, and the environment. And we talk about what we can do, as individuals, to make a difference.
The Living Standard is a toolkit
The Living Standard is a toolkit that has been designed to help us have a better conversation about what we can do to live a green and sustainable lifestyle.
Small things count
Tony explains that if you can make a small, incremental change in your life, you won’t have to worry about the big environmental problem. And if you can imagine a billion people making small changes, it makes a lot of sense because that ultimately adds up to a billion small changes that are happening all over the planet.
A big conversation
Talking about the environment is a big conversation to have, and there’s a lot that we need to understand. Unfortunately, a lot of people have problems when they talk about the environment because they become consumed with the big picture.
What we need to understand
We need to understand that everyone looks at things a little differently. And not everyone will always agree about certain things. However, not having everyone in agreement, will make no difference to the kinds of small changes that we can make, that are common sense.
There is always something you can do.
There is always something that you can do, to be part of the solution, and to change things for the better.
Sometimes we tend to become overwhelmed with everything we need to do to green our homes, but it does help to know that whatever we do on a small scale will ultimately also work on a bigger scale because, even if it’s a small thing, it will still move the needle.
The US Green Building Advocacy Committee
A few months ago, the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the US Green Building Council asked Tony to be on their advocacy committee.
Why the Living Standard was released
Tony explains that the Living Standard was released to move the environmental conversation away from jargonized, scientific, builder-speak towards a more common language that is easily understood by everyone.
A non-confrontational conversation
He points out that the conversation about the greening the environment, and sustainability, does not have to be a confrontational discussion. However, people tend to make it that way, mostly because it gets into politics.
The goal of this podcast
The goal of this podcast is to keep the politics out of the way, to have a real conversation.
How to have the right kind of conversation, and take it to even more people
We need to speak to more people who live outside of our community, and we need to use inclusive language and powerful images to help everyone to feel that they have the ability to take the necessary daily action towards creating a sustainable environment for all.
It’s all about a choice
It’s all about the choice you make. And you can choose to take a small, incremental step that will make a big impact later on.
The top three things you can do to make meaningful small changes in your home
- LED lightbulbs
- Green cleaning products
- Use recycled toilet paper
Links and resources:
Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home by Marla Esser Cloos
The Living Standard Campaign
The Standard Issue Report
The Sound Room
Energy Star
The Watersense
NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders) Sustainability and Green Building Toolkit
For the whole of July, we’re on a trend. So everything that we will be talking about on the podcast this month will be based on the theme of independence through personal choices.
Today, we’re talking about buying local, and we’re very excited to have Chelsey Simpson joining us as our guest on the show. Chelsey will be talking to us about the stores she co-owns, about what goes into sourcing the very best local produce, and about her motivation for doing what she does.
Urban Agrarian
Chelsey is a local business owner in the Oklahoma City area. She is the co-owner of Urban Agrarian, a fabulous, non-traditional grocery store that stocks primarily locally sourced items and products.
Locally sourced products
For most of the Urban Agrarian’s twelve-year history, just about a hundred percent of everything sold in its stores has been sourced locally, in Oklahoma. Due to the pandemic, however, Chelsey and her partner have more recently expanded its line to include some nationally sourced products.
The Urban Agrarian is a small grocery store
Both Urban Agrarian stores are small, with each of them measuring about a thousand feet. That puts them in a situation that’s a little different from most other grocery stores, which are usually a whole lot bigger. However, Chelsey explains that they are still a traditional grocery store in that you can go in there to buy your bread, milk, eggs, steaks, tortilla chips, snacks, as well as a whole lot more wholesome products.
A win-win situation
For many people, finding a grocery store that focuses on stocking the kinds of locally- sourced foods and items that they would prefer to have in their diets and their homes is truly a win-win situation.
Thinking beyond local
Chelsey explains that at the Urban Agrarian, they try to curate things, and think about everything beyond the simple notion of the store being local. They prefer to talk and think about it in terms of the store being source-verified. And they feel that they are in a position to do that because they know almost everyone who makes or grows the things that are stocked in their shop personally, by their first names.
Individual sourcing involves a lot of work
It takes a lot of work to source each item in the store individually, and it is not the way that most regular grocery stores work. Most of the grocery stores rely on national distributers to supply them in bulk with whatever they might need.
The Urban Agrarian is a food hub
The Urban Agrarian serves not only as a grocery store but also as a food hub. The term “food hub” describes that the Urban Agrarian is doing the aggregating and sourcing of their products, as well as curating products for their customers. That means that they go to the trouble of sourcing all the best quality local products, and then they bring them to one location for the convenience of their customers.
Grass-fed beef from BF Farms
One of the products carried by the Urban Agrarian is the grass-fed beef, supplied by Jane, Doug, and their family, from BF Farms in Oklahoma. They all speak very proudly of the hundred-year heritage that the family has on their farm, and about the great quality of the meat that they supply.
High mineral content
Jane and Doug have explained that the land they own in north-central Oklahoma has very high mineral content. And the high mineral content has promoted good grass growth, which adds even more nutritional value to the beef and lamb that they sell.
The Urban Agrarian is in close partnership with BF Farms
When the Urban Agrarian store was being built, Chelsey and her business partner partnered closely with BF Farms. Some wood from an old barn on the farm was used to create a dropped ceiling in the store.
The effect of the pandemic
For safety reasons, due to the pandemic, the Urban Agrarian stores are closed presently to walk-in customers because the size of each store is small. So their products are only available currently from call-in orders.
Placing a call-in order is very easy
It is easy to make a call-in order at the Urban Agrarian. And once you have ordered what you need, you can simply drive up and have your order delivered to you at the curb-side. It is very easy, and it’s also contact-free.
Links and resources:
Urban Agrarian
BF Farms
Find a Farmers Market Near You, from PBS
Know Where Your Food Comes From
Today, we’re very happy to be having a conversation with Suzanne Shelton, from the Shelton Group.
The Shelton Group is the country’s leading marketing communications firm, exclusively focused in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) space, and it exists to help companies gain a market advantage, as a result of what they are doing to create a world that is both sustainable, and socially just.
The Shelton Group achieves its aim through creating on-going insights gatherings to discuss the thinking and the expectations of the market, and the way people’s thoughts and expectations translate into the brands they prefer, and the products that they buy. Once have these insights have obtained, they are applied in the form of marketing communication strategies and communication platforms, which the company then amplifies out, over time, on behalf of their clients.
Suzanne founded the company twenty-nine years ago, and they have been focused on the ESG space for the last fifteen years.
The bias of the Shelton Group
Suzanne explains that the bias of the Shelton Group is that they believe in the power of organizations as well as the power of entrepreneurialism. And fundamentally, they trust in the strength and intensity of business and competition.
Suzanne thinks that she is also wired in the same way!
Solving problems in the world
Suzanne explains that businesses can be a force for good, provided that whatever they do also benefits the business, in terms of money, or profit.
There are many problems to be solved in the world, so the framework of the Shelton Group is that business can be utilized as a force for good, to help solve some of those problems. However, the only realistic way that any business can work as a force for good is if there is some monetary value in it for that business.
A pragmatic approach
Suzanne believes that businesses need to be able to explain pragmatically how they can read and measure their market advantage, and how they intend to execute against that.
An optimistic view
Suzanne is an optimist. She feels certain that we will weather the storm of the global pandemic, and come out on the other side, stronger and better than before.
She is also optimistic that businesses will indeed solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
The good news
Wall Street has lately been asking questions that they weren’t asking five years ago. And investors are asking questions on investor calls with Fortune 500 companies about diversion and inclusion policies, or greenhouse gas emissions. So if a company doesn’t have their environmental and their social acts together, they will not be able to answer those questions.
For Suzanne, now that Wall Street has started asking these questions, it feels like financials are finally a part of the environment, and also of the work-streams within our society. She feels that Corporate America is now motivated in a way that it has never been before.
The best thing that’s happened
In Suzanne’s view, the best thing that has happened in terms of moving everyone towards the creation of a sustainable future is that Wall Street has started asking some important questions that they were not asking before.
The ESG framework
The ESG framework is a framework through which rating agencies measure and rate the performance of companies based on a host of metrics under the environmental, social, and governance categories. Then, the scores get reported out to fund managers and investors on Wall Street.
Part of the ESG framework is that they have real metrics on many different social issues, including gender equity, racial equity, and even pay equity.
Where business needs to go to create meaningful solutions
Although what is happening in America right now is generally not good for business in the long run, Suzanne points out that there is no business case for global warming or societal unrest either.
Suzanne’s advice to business people is to embrace stakeholder capitals and a triple-bottom-line approach because that’s the best way for them to move forward, assist in making sense of the world, and help in creating peace within it.
That approach makes total sense to Suzanne, and she feels that, ultimately, it will be best for businesses, best for the world, and best for the planet, because they are all connected.
Links and resources:
Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a free 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
Shelton Group
Sustainalytics
Just Capital
Change the World- Fortune
Pearl Certification
For Curated Better and Green Products:
Shop Everyday Green Home
Today, we’re happy to have Christy Howell, from CRH Design + Build, joining us. Christy was on the show previously, about a year-and-a-half ago, when her business was going through a transition phase.
She is currently building a pilot home using the incredible ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) technology blocks, which she describes as being like large Lego blocks for adults. Building a home with this innovative new green technology has many benefits. In today’s episode, Christy will talk to us about the myriad advantages of building a house in this way.
What CRH Design + Build does
Christy has a bachelor’s degree in fine art, so CRH Design + Build does a large number of interior design projects.
Since 2004, she has been doing a significant amount of interior design assistance with new construction projects, remodels, staging, and other kinds of work that falls under a similar umbrella. Although most of the work she is doing is residential, there are also some commercial projects that she does.
Between 2018 and 2019, Christy felt that it was time for her to change, and start transitioning into a greener lifestyle. So she decided to incorporate some more structured, and healthier ways to build, and some greener oriented ideas, into her business.
Adapting to changing times
Since the start of the pandemic, Christy has been looking for ways to adapt the kinds of changes that we have all had to make, due to the pandemic, to what she was already trying to adjust her vision for her business into becoming.
Christy’s pilot project
Christy’s pilot project is a house that she is building for her parents. It has been built with ICF blocks, and she cannot wait to experience the wonderful cool factor that the house is going to be providing during the hot summer months of July and August.
When Christy discovered ICF building blocks, she fell in love with them immediately because of their resilience, which is mind-blowing from a wind factor, a tornado factor, and even a hurricane factor.
All the other aspects of ICF
The ICF build will contribute towards the green home certification Christy is seeking for the home. It helps Christy as it makes it easier for her to accommodate it in the various steps she needs to take in the green process of the build. The certification also reassures her that her customers are healthy because they’re sleeping in homes where there’s no need for them to worry about anything toxic or anything going wrong, other than the occasional things that will typically require regular maintenance in a home.
What ICF blocks consist of
Christy describes ICF blocks as large Lego blocks for adults. They are approximately four feet wide and sixteen inches tall. They are put together like a sandwich, with sides made of styrofoam about two inches thick, and concrete in between.
The many benefits of ICF technology
All the external walls of a house can get built from ICF blocks. The blocks insulate the walls to keep the house warm inside in the cooler weather and cool inside in warmer weather.
ICF blocks create a very well sealed home because they get stacked in a way that makes the building very strong and completely airtight.
To save money on construction costs, you don’t have to use ICF blocks to build the garage.
ICF blocks not only insulate the house so that it stays warm or keeps cool when necessary, but they also isolate it from any noise from outside. Christy explains that they do such a great job that you won’t even know when it’s raining outside, and at times, you might not even know when it’s thundering!
The quality of homes built from ICF blocks is impressive. The houses are resilient against strong winds, tornadoes, and even hurricanes.
Construction involves a lot of hard work
Constructing a house requires a lot of hard work. Christy assures us that it is possible to do it, however. She explains that as long as you have grit, you’ll do well. If you have tenacity, you’ll be great, and if you have the drive, you’re sure to be successful!
Links and resources:
Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a free 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
CRH Design + Build
Christy on Instagram
Christy on Facebook
Fox Blocks
For Project Recording and Planning: Rocketbook From Everyday Green Home:
Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook – Lined Eco-Friendly Notebook with 1 Pilot Frixion Pen & 1 Microfiber Cloth Included
We’re happy to have our regular guest, Tina Gleisner, from Home Tips for Women, joining us on the show today!
Tina is an expert in home maintenance, and how to get things done around the house, whether it’s DIY or calling in professional help.
In today’s episode of the Everyday Green Home Podcast, we will be talking about budgeting and planning for the bigger expenses for the maintenance, improvements, and replacements that are needed in the home.
Home maintenance with sustainability for green homes
Our homes are living and breathing things. And, even if we use only materials that will help us to live sustainably, our homes will still need some tender loving care to last for as long as possible.
Replacing the expensive things in the home
From time to time, we have to replace something in our home, like the roof, an air conditioner, or an entire HVAC system, that involves a major expense. The smaller things, like the air filters, are easily manageable but replacing a whole air conditioning system will cost more money than most people have sitting in the bank.
Budgeting for the major expenses
We need to plan and budget for those major expenses because they often tend to come up unexpectedly.
Budgeting for a new roof
Most roofs last for about ten years, unless you live near the water, with severe weather and salt air, which will cause the roof to deteriorate faster. So it would be a good idea to get a roofing company to come in and check your roof out after ten years, and then have them do it again another five years later. This will give you valuable feedback that you can use in your planning and budgeting process.
It pays to get a professional in once a year
It pays to have a professional come into your home once a year to tune up your HVAC system, your air conditioner, and your water heater because regular maintenance is sure to prolong the life of those things and save you money in the long run. Also, systems that are well maintained tend to retain their energy efficiency a lot better.
What to do if one of the major systems in your home breaks
If any of the major systems, or a big appliance in your home breaks, for example, the garbage disposal system or the air conditioner, your first line of defense is to find the manufacturer’s warranty, so that you can check to see if that appliance or system is still covered.
Tina strongly advises people to get an extended warranty for their refrigerators because many of the ice-makers tend to be error-prone and problematic.
Water heaters
It’s a good idea to buy the very best and most energy-efficient water heater that you can afford so that it will last for a long time.
HVAC Systems
Tina points out that it’s not that easy to buy a high-end HVAC system because they can be very pricey. So the best way to handle that is to obtain an energy-efficient HVAC system, and then maintain it to extend the life of the system for as long as possible.
How to budget for the long-term maintenance of your home
The rule of thumb, when budgeting for the long-term maintenance and replacement of the bigger things in your home, is that you should be saving an average of two to three percent of whatever the purchase price of your home would be currently.
Generally, if the house is brand new, you won’t need to spend money on any of those big-budget repairs and replacements right away, so in that case, you would only need to save one percent of the purchase price of the home, annually, for the first two to five years. After that, you could increase it to two percent, and by another percent after the next five years. In that way, by the time you get to fifteen years, you will be saving three, or even four percent of the current value of your home, annually. This is necessary because a lot of things will need to be replaced after twenty or twenty-five years.
Start your budget today
Remember that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. And the next best time is today! So if you haven’t yet started a budget, be sure to start one today!
Links and resources:
Tina’s Website
Home Budgets: Planning for the Unexpected
Budgeting to Replace/Upgrade Interior Home Components
Plan & Budget for Exterior Home Upgrades
8 Wood Rot Repairs Your Home Might Need
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
The Home Depot - Father's Day Savings
FREE 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home! Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link.
Over the last couple of months, due to the global pandemic, the entire structure is being re-analyzed, and people are starting to make changes based on what they’re finding.
Today, Tony Pratte, our regular co-host, joins us to talk about what we can do, incrementally, to green up our homes. This is an exciting topic because now that we are all spending more time at home, we’re beginning to notice the things in and around our homes that we would like to change, repair, or upgrade.
Incremental green
The concept of incremental green is that as you’re caring for, maintaining, and upgrading your home, you’re thinking about the next step you need to take to uplevel whatever you’re doing and make your home greener. In doing that, you will be providing an enhanced experience for everyone living in the home, by making it healthier, safer, or more comfortable.
So, for example, if it’s time to paint your house, instead of going straight for the paint you’d usually buy, first check to see that it’s a no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint. Or if you’re replacing a thermostat, instead of buying the cheapest one that you can find, invest in either an Ecobee or a Nest. Those are learning thermostats so they will cost you more money initially but they are sure to save you money (and frustration) in the long run, over the next ten years.
A free consultation
Greening your home incrementally is quite similar to doing a product swap as you maintain or upgrade your home.
If you would like to know what kinds of things are available for a product swap, you can go to the Green Home Coach website and schedule a free consult with Marla. She will spend twenty-minutes with you, and give you some awesome tips to help you to start thinking in the right way about what some of your product swaps could be, to best suit your particular situation. Marla would love to help you out!
The way Marla looks at things
The everyday kind of things that we all do in our homes include how we take care of our homes, and the cleaning products we prefer to use. Marla refers to this as the living part, and she breaks everything down into five different categories, for green and greener things.
Doing product swaps and incrementally greening your home in five different categories
There are many parts to a home, and lots of things inside every house, so breaking everything down into five different categories is a helpful way to avoid feeling overwhelmed when you’re thinking about all you need to do, to green your home.
The five different categories are:
- The place where your home sits on the land.
- All the materials and the different products that are brought into the house to make it a home.
- Energy
- Water
- Breathing
Everything that happens outside of your home fits category 1, like windows and natural light, trees for shade, rain barrels, and garden plants and flowers.
Category 2 could be as simple as using reused, recycled, bio-based or wood-based materials in your home, and sourcing your materials locally.
For category 3, make sure that any new appliance you buy has Energy Star, repair whatever you can, upgrade your lighting to LEDs, and buy the kind of plugs that you can turn on and off remotely.
For category 4, you need to do whatever you can to conserve water. Don’t leave the water running when you’re brushing your teeth, shaving, or doing the dishes.
Breathing, in category 5, is all about the indoor air quality in your home. This category is most closely tied to your health and wellness. A good place to start is with the air filters in your heating and cooling units.
Marla’s top three easy green steps
- Use LED lightbulbs
- Use only green cleaning products
- Use only recycled or non-tree toilet paper so that you don’t end up flushing a forest down the toilet.
Links and resources:
Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a free 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home.
We have Dave Miller, from Delta Electronics, joining us today to talk about bathroom ventilation and bath fans.
Ventilation is very important, yet it’s something that’s often overlooked.
About Delta
Delta Electronics came out of Taiwan and they have been going for almost fifty years. They are a very diverse firm, with a core philosophy of energy efficiency, good stewardship of the environment, and a green approach.
Diversity within Delta Electronics
What Dave enjoys about Delta is their diversity. And he loves what they’re able to bring to the party, intellectually, through Delta’s many different divisions.
Delta is the world’s largest brushless DC motor manufacturer. They are the largest manufacturer of power supplies on the planet, and they do EV charging stations for hybrid vehicles and plug-in cars. They also get into projectors as well as several other diverse and complementary categories, including bath fans.
Dave explains that at Delta, they are truly communal in the way that they approach solutions.
Delta started its Delta Breez division ten years ago.
About bathroom fans and ventilation
Dave points out that the ventilation is like the lungs of the house because it gets rid of all the odors, moisture, cooking smells, molds, and mildew. With everyone staying at home during the pandemic right now, there is a lot more potential for pollution, moisture, and toxins in our indoor environment.
Moisture is the enemy of your home, and most of the moisture in our homes comes from the bathroom. The moisture from the bathroom drifts out into other areas of the home, so the bathroom ventilation is particularly important. Bath fans are one of the key elements to having cleaner and better air to breathe in our homes.
How Delta entered the bath fan manufacturing business
At Delta, they truly utilize their brilliance as DC (direct current) motor manufacturers when it comes to building their very energy-efficient DC brushless motors.
Delta’s founder Bruce Cheng suggested that the company start manufacturing bathroom fans because they were already making the best DC motors on the market. At the time, DC motors were such a novelty in the bathroom fan business because they were more expensive. But with Delta’s engineering prowess and manufacturing capabilities, the company became the first in the industry to exclusively use only DC motors in its exhaust fans – setting a new standard for energy efficiency and reliability.
This became a game-changer for Delta because, with their DC motors, their bath fans use a whopping 75 percent less energy than a fan with an AC motor would.
Bath fans are the solution for the future
Talking about bath fans makes Dave wax evangelical because they represent the future for him, and he feels that we have to preach where we’re headed.
He explains that in the future, we’re going to have to learn to consume less and provide more. And bath fans from Delta are the solution because they can provide effective and essential ventilation for your home while saving lots of energy with their quiet, energy-efficient, long-lasting DC motors.
Low-sound motors
The DC motors that Delta provides have a long life, they’re very efficient, and they are also the quietest motors in the entire bathroom ventilation industry.
Dave points out that a loud fan is an ineffective fan because it never gets turned on!
Changing the air in the home
Dave tells us that a rule of thumb in any tight, efficiently sealed home is that one-third of all the air needs to be changed out every hour, on the hour. So that every three hours, all the air in the whole house has been changed out. And bath fans provide an effective, precise, and valuable way of doing that.
Providing the perfect solution
Delta looked into the commercial/ industrial side of their business and they applied what they found there to the residential side of the business. And now, Delta’s motors, with their long-lasting, energy-saving, and quiet DC technology, provide the perfect solution for reliable bathroom ventilation.
Delta’s commitment to being energy-efficient
Delta’s commitment to being energy-efficient while providing excellent solutions, coupled with the innovative way that they have combined all their in-house technology, has earned them the Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for five years in a row, and a Sustained Excellence award for three years in a row!
Links and resources:
Delta Breez Bath Fan Buying Guide
Delta Breez website
Delta Breez 100 CFM Integrity Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Edge-Lit Dimmable LED Light From Everyday Green Home
Available on Amazon and Home Depot!
We’re very excited to have Sharon Rowe, the creator, and founder of ECOBAGS™, and the author of The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don’t Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living,back on the show with us today!
For a long time, environmental movements have been telling everyone to work together. That has become more important at this time than ever before. Now is the time that we need to stand up to the things that aren’t true, that are harmful, and that do not benefit people. Sharon feels that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there needs to be more focus on infrastructure and job creation, and people need to move away from selfish behavior, towards selflessness.
Cooking at home
In Sharon’s family, they’re home-cooks. They have been practicing cooking for years, and they all love to do it! They are aware, however, that some people don’t have the income to buy any food right now, and that’s quite frightening.
Food distribution
There’s a lot of focus on new models for food distribution now, on a much smaller scale than before, because, as Sharon points out, you can be a lot more nimble when you’re tiny. The models involve various individuals within the local communities having to be innovative and to make use of social media to communicate both their offerings and their needs.
Sharon’s book, The Magic of Tiny Business
Tiny business is really about staying true to what you need, and not engaging with the things that are not essential.
Sharon loves tiny business! Because, for her, a tiny business is all about being nimble. Her book, The Magic of Tiny Business, is all about being nimble, which means doing only what is necessary, and nothing extra.
What tiny business is all about
Sharon explains that tiny business involves a shift and become nimble. And that all comes down to the very sensible and basic rule of simply spending less than you make, which sometimes means having to cut down on the number of unnecessary extras that you spend your money on each month.
Sharon points out that it’s not about deprivation. It’s about conservation.
Small business is all about being nimble and only doing what is necessary and nothing extra.
With what the world is going through right now, small business is all about keeping the cash flowing. That means getting as much as possible in, at the front end, and letting as little as possible go, from the back end, without shorting suppliers. Because we’re all part of the same ecosystem and it’s all about relationships.
Staying in business
Everyone wants to stay in business. And to do that right now, people need to work together and stay in communication with one another.
Business is all about problem-solving and maintaining your margins. And to maintain your margins, you have to know what they are.
It’s also very important to help others by meeting them where they are. And those who are not willing to play that way could risk losing their place in line.
When times get tough
When times get tough, you have to trim your sails. You could find yourself having to cut back on the number of people you employ to save your business. At first, it might seem like you’re pulling in too much, and you could even get some pushback from your employees, family, and friends, but by trimming your sails you can save the whole boat so that you can ultimately carry everybody over the water.
Making the right choice is part of the shift
Something positive to consider is that in times like these, tiny business allows you to choose who you want to play with, so you no longer have to play with anyone you don’t choose to anymore. And you also get to select the products which are made by the people you choose to play with.
Moving forward from this point
We need to be careful of snapping back to how things were before the pandemic. To avoid doing that, we will have to focus on structurally shifting the way things are run. There’s a lot that can be done on a local level.
Supporting local businesses rather than the big-box stores as much as possible is one example of how we can do that, and it’s also a great example of community.
Links and resources:
Buy The Book! The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don’t Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living by Sharon Rowe
Purchase ECOBAGS™ from Everyday Green Home
Previous Episode: ECOBAGS™ and The Magic of Tiny Business
JW Peters, the President of Solar Power of Oklahoma, joins us today to talk about solar power for homes. JW wants his company to have a strong voice within the community and within the state, to make sure that he is doing everything he can to promote solar.
JW and Marla both serve on the Board for the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council.
Currently, the US gets a lot of energy from burning fossil fuels. There is a finite amount of fossil fuel on earth so it will run out at some point. Solar, however, is a sustainable industry.
How JW got into solar
JW got into solar by accident.
His business partner, Kevin, was approached by an out-of-state company that was selling solar in Oklahoma. They were looking for someone to do their installations, so Kevin reached out to JW and asked if he was willing to team up with him to do that.
JW agreed, so they both took classes to learn about solar. They very quickly realized, however, that their jobs were not going to last much longer. By the time they figured that out, however, they had already learned how to install solar, properly, and efficiently, so they decided to step up their game and become the voice of reason for the solar industry in Oklahoma.
Neither JW nor Kevin had ever sold anything before, so they had to learn the best way to present all the information about solar to people. They aim to present all the facts so that individuals can make an educated decision about whether or not solar is right for them.
Solar is a viable industry in Oklahoma
The number of sun hours in a particular state will determine how well a solar industry will do in that state.
Oklahoma is the seventh-best state in the US for its number of sun hours. And yet the biggest problem that JW has encountered with his clients and customers is that most of them did not even realize that solar is available in Oklahoma. So they had no idea that it’s viable, and that it can save them money.
Utility rates continue to rise and most Americans are not even aware that their utility rates have gone up on average by 3.4%, year-over-year, over the last ten years.
Doing things a different way
JW tells his customers that with solar, they can do things differently. He explains to them that he can show them a better way, one that’s healthier for the environment and will save them money.
Storing solar energy
The energy from the sun has to be stored. In the early days of solar, about ten to fifteen years ago, very expensive batteries were used for storing solar energy. Those batteries were not particularly energy-efficient and they did not last very long.
Now, when you produce solar energy, you use only as much as you need and the rest gets fed back into the electric grid. This means that you will still be connected to a power utility but you will be feeding all the excess power that you produce back into the grid. You will gain credits for doing that and you can then access and use the power that you have stored whenever you need it, at night or when the sun isn’t shining.
That is known as net metering and it has been a game-changer in the solar industry because it means that solar systems no longer have to have batteries, and that reduces the cost significantly.
Solar is simple
Solar panels can be mounted onto the roof, they can be placed in a field, and they can even go into a back yard.
The solar panels produce DC power which is then inverted to AC power, which is what powers your home. That is done through a series of micro-converters which are usually situated at the back of the solar panels.
The solar power is then connected to the main electric panel of the house.
With a solar system, you will be able to produce about seventy to eighty-five percent of your annual electric consumption. And if you purchase a solar system in 2020, you will get a twenty-six percent federal tax credit.
In some states, you can even lease a solar system, rather than having to buy one.
Links and resources:
Solar Power of Oklahoma
SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association)
Solar Chargers and Lights from Everyday Green Home
Tony Pratte, our once-a-month guest co-host from The Sound Room, joins us today to talk about no-touch smart homes.
Tony has an extensive background in smart homes and automation. With the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s very helpful to have automated, no-touch systems in place in your home.
A wireless world
Currently, we are going further and further along the route of wireless internet inside the house. A couple of years ago, Tony saw some interesting statistics that showed that 65% of people under a certain age will never plug into a hard-line internet connection.
Tony explains that no matter what you do in the smart home world, everything starts with making sure that you have good wireless internet coverage in the house. For the do-it-yourselfer, the products that you will need are available online.
What you will need
With everybody at home right now, there could be four or five people, with each of them using multiple devices, all needing to be on the internet at the same time. So you need to ensure that the wifi signal in the house is strong enough and that there is even coverage that’s accessible throughout the house.
You will need a wireless router. A good wireless router will provide enough coverage for an average, smaller home. For a bigger home, however, you will need a wireless repeater, or a wireless access point of some kind, to extend the range of the wifi signal from the router throughout the house.
The easiest thing to do
For the homeowner, the easiest thing to do once the wifi in your home is up and running is to take a smart device like a smartphone or an iPad, log onto your wireless wifi network, and walk around the house. That way, you will be able to check the strength of the signal in all the different areas of the house and verify that you have internet coverage in every room.
Ways to make your home more of a smart home
With a smart home, or a connected home, you’re trying to simplify your life and make things easier, so you don’t have to touch things as often. The three easiest things that you can add to a smart home are thermostats, lighting, and sound.
If your thermostat knows what to do, you won’t have to touch it. There are a lot of different wifi thermostats available. Tony’s company mostly uses Ecobee thermostats. You can program smart thermostats, and many of them will learn your patterns as well.
There are several different kinds of do-it-yourself smart lighting systems available. These have modules that you plug into the wall, and then you can plug a lamp into the module and automate it. That way you will touch only your personal device and not the lamp itself. This can then be tied into voice-control.
Smart homes
Smart houses have features like thermostats, lights, or TVs that can be controlled remotely by an app on a smartphone, iPad, or some other device. There will also be some kind of controller in the house that all the remotely controlled devices and features talk to. The controller allows everything to be brought into the same app, and it allows you to create scenes. Scenes allow you to select your preferred sequences with the devices in your home, and bring them together to create an experience. For example, first turning on the coffee pot in the morning, then the music, and then the shower.
Voice and app control
Voice and app control make it easier for people with limitations or disabilities to have more independence and freedom.
Sound
Tony recommends Sonos for do-it-yourself sound.
The Sonos app will guide you through the installation, step-by-step.
Voice command module
The voice command module allows you to control the thermostat, the lighting, and the sound systems.
Sonos, Nest, and Ecobee integrate with a bridge, called Caseta, made by Lutron, available from Home Depot, which will allow you to create scenes.
Links and resources:
Ubiquiti
The Sound Room
Smart Home Products from Everyday Green Home
Hand Sanitizer from Everyday Green Home
We are very excited to have Tony Pratte, our regularly-scheduled guest host, joining us again for today’s podcast. In this episode, Tony will be talking to us about landscaping for energy efficiency.
Tony likes to keep his mind active, so he is currently one class away from finishing up a project management program at St. Louis University. And his business is still moving, even with the current situation with economies shutting down because of new construction in St. Louis being construed as an essential business.
Protecting yourself, and others coming into your home
To protect yourself, and anyone else who might need to come into your home during this unprecedented time, like a plumber or an electrician, you need to follow some strict hygiene procedures.
In Tony’s company, and with most other service providers, if an employee is sick, they have to stay home. Also, if someone at an employee’s household is sick, and that employee shows up at a construction site, the employee will not be allowed to enter the construction site.
Looking at the outside of your home
Since it is spring now, and we’re all spending so much more time at home, it’s a great time to start thinking about what you could be doing on the outside of your home. You could consider planting a garden and getting everything outside cleaned up, after the winter.
Using landscape to improve the performance of your home
We all appreciate the beauty of the plants on our property, but we often tend to forget about the benefits they could be providing for the home itself, which in turn would provide benefits to us, the homeowners.
The concept of landscaping for energy efficiency is nothing new. It can be used to control the flow of energy in and out of a house, to reduce the amount of unwanted energy flow, to reduce outdoor water use, and for storm-water management, just to mention a few ways.
Although people have been doing it for centuries, many individuals today still don’t realize that the landscape can be used to improve the performance of their homes.
The landscape can be used as protection for houses.
This can be done by planting a line of trees to the north of the building, to form a windbreak, or by planting tall, shady trees to shade the windows and to shade the roof from the direct sun, in the summer.
It’s important to remember that the sun is higher in the summer and lower in the winter. So planting deciduous trees for shade is a great green solution because they will let the sunlight in, in the winter, and create shade in the summer.
Marla reminds us that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, and the next best time is now. Trees can take a long time to reach their full height and provide good cover but they are truly well worth waiting for!
Deciduous trees
It’s best to plant deciduous trees fifteen to twenty feet from your home, to block out the higher summer sun, and let the warmth of the lower winter sun in, to warm up the home.
Green design
With green design, one of the first things that are discussed is the site itself, and the orientation of the house.
Planting for your specific region
You can reach out to botanical gardens in your area, for information about the right native plants to use for your specific region. These native plants have evolved to withstand the extreme temperatures of their region. They are sure to not only survive but also to thrive in your garden and around your home. They will require less water and they won’t need any chemical support, like pesticides or herbicides.
Become water-wise
Ensure that your automatic sprinkler system is set up to switch off in the rain. And that it is watering your lawn and garden, not the sidewalk or your driveway!
Or perhaps a drip-system could prove to be a better alternative for you than a sprinkler system. The drip-system is controlled, and it allows you to get the water onto the roots of the plants, rather than all over the leaves.
Harvesting rainwater
Rain barrels can be used to harvest the water coming off the roof.
Rain gardens help to percolate the rainwater back into the ground. They’re a great way to hold excess water in your yard. Many municipalities have now mandated rain gardens for new construction.
Links and resources:
Milorganite 0636 Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer
Romanesco Broccoli Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO - Untreated - Open Pollinated!
Chives Herb Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO - Untreated - Open Pollinated!
Vegetable Spaghetti Squash Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO -Untreated -Open Pollinated!
The University of Missouri’s Extension Programs for Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
US Department of Energy
Grow Native Missouri
It’s time to get growing! Jackie Marie Beyer, of the Green Organic Garden Podcast, joins us once again for today’s show. Jackie has been podcasting for a little over five years now and she runs a one-woman-show. At the time of this recording, she had single-handedly produced 311 episodes of her podcast, while also working full-time as a teacher.
Jackie had what she describes as a “brown thumb” when she started her podcast. She’s managed to turn that around over the last five years, however, and now she feels confident that she can grow a fair amount of food.
Today, Jackie will share some simple steps that you can take to create a supply of fresh, healthy, organic garden herbs and vegetables. She will explain which vegetables are easy to grow, and she will suggest some of the things you might want to put in your yard or landscape if you’re new to gardening.
Jackie’s book
Jackie and her husband, Mike, wrote a book called The Organic Oasis Guidebook, which explains how spending much of your time living outdoors is good for you, and good for Mother Nature too. Because what’s good for us is also good for where we live.
In the book, you will find a challenge for new vegetable gardeners.
There are many reasons to grow garden vegetables
Starting a vegetable garden at home will not only give you constant access to a supply of fresh, health-giving greens, it can also save you a lot of money as organic vegetables that are sold at local farmer’s markets are often quite pricey.
Backyard gardening, patio gardening, indoor gardening, and raising food of our own is currently becoming very appealing to more and more of us! So much so that online seed suppliers are battling to keep up with the demand.
Starting with a new garden
If Jackie had to start a new garden now, she would plant one small, deep bed, one larger deep bed, and some kind of fruit.
She would grow carrots, lettuce, and peas outside, planting them in the second week in April. The lettuce should come up quickly, but the carrots could take a little longer. Sugar snap peas grow vertically so they’re nice to plant if you have a smaller area to grow things in.
With lettuce, you have a choice. You can either harvest them whole or you can pick the leaves and they will keep growing. Jackie’s favorite lettuce to grow is black-seeded Simpson. As long as you keep picking them, they will keep on growing until they start to bolt.
She would also plant a cherry tomato plant in a pot.
Planting fruit
The great thing about planting certain fruit trees, like raspberry bushes, blueberry bushes, apple trees, peach, and plum trees, is that they will come back year after year. They might need to be cut back a bit, or pruned, but for the most part, they will keep producing more and more as they get older. And it doesn’t take too much effort to care for them.
Berries and cherry tomatoes are very easy to freeze as they don’t have to be cooked beforehand.
The easiest way
If it’s too much work for you to dig up a patch of your sod to make a vegetable garden, you can mark out an area, lay down some newspaper to cover the sod in that area and soak it with a lot of water. Then place some cardboard on top of the newspaper and cover it with compost, manure, or some very good soil. Within two weeks to a month, you will be able to plant right on top of the sod without having to dig it up. This can save you a lot of back-breaking work.
Talk to your neighbors
Most people are very willing to share their garden knowledge. So talk to your neighbors to find out what they’re growing, and when they plant things.
Companion planting
Planting a border of flowers and herbs around your garden is very pretty to look at, it smells fantastic, and it helps reduce the number of bad pests that would otherwise come into your garden and eat your vegetables.
Planting sunflowers around your vegetables is also a good idea because they attract ants, which eat aphids, so the aphids are more likely to stay away from your food plants.
Some good companion plants are marigolds and nasturtiums.
Remember to always have something blooming in your garden.
Build your soil by planting cover crops
Don’t have to let your bare soil sit for longer than twenty-four hours. You can plant cover crops in a small garden to build your soil if you only want to plant something in a couple of months but you want to dig the bed right now. The cover crop will put nutrients into the soil and you can remove it before it goes to seed, leaving you with a bed full of nutrient-rich soil.
Some good cover-crops are things like clover, buckwheat, sweet potatoes, and radishes.
If you don’t have anything else to plant in their place, you can allow your lettuces go to flower rather than pulling them out.
Links and Resources:
Everyday Green Home
The GREEN Organic Garden Podcast - Check Out Jackie’s FREE Organic Gardening Course!
The Organic Oasis Guidebook
FREE Organic Gardening Basics eBook!
Romanesco Broccoli Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO - Untreated - Open Pollinated!
Chives Herb Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO - Untreated - Open Pollinated!
Vegetable Spaghetti Squash Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO -Untreated -Open Pollinated!
Today, Tony Pratte, our regular monthly co-host from The Soundroom, joins us on the podcast.
Because the world has been turned upside down right now, and things are a little crazy for everyone, we’re going to be doing things a bit differently. For today’s podcast, Marla and Tony will be reversing roles, so Tony will be driving the show, and Marla will be the co-host.
Things are changing– some things a lot and others not so much
Tony’s regular daily routine, from 7 am to about 5 pm, has not changed all that much. He is in residential construction, a service which is deemed essential. So he is still going to job sites daily, even though the way that he shows up on site is a little different for now. For example, he is only dealing with one trade at a time, at the moment, although the foremen for the different trades all have to be present on-site, to co-ordinate everything that needs to be done. And Tony is now doing virtual electrical inspections, rather than physical ones. So, for the time being, the electrical superintendent films Tony going through the house, while the owners are sitting at home.
We’re all spending more time in our houses so it’s a great time for fixing things
We’re all spending a lot more time at home right now than we used to in the past. Our homes have become everything for us right now. And, as a result, we are all living a bit harder in our houses and certain issues are coming up, making this a very good time for fixing things up in our families, and also around the house.
All this family time is allowing us to return to the way we used to live, and helping us remember some of the long-forgotten domestic skills we used to do in our homes, like fixing things, cooking, and baking.
The resources that are out there for making home improvements
Currently, there are many different services available for having the items that you need for your home, or your home improvements, delivered to your door very quickly.
Marla’s influential role in green building
Many people don’t realize quite how influential Marla is in green building, and with women in the building industry. So Tony would like you, the listener, to fully understand how everything that Marla does has come about.
Marla talks about how it all started for her
Marla and Tony met back in 2006, at the Home Builders Association, in St. Louis. That was when Marla officially started in the green building industry.
A few years before that, Marla experienced something in her family that really cemented her pursuit of better things for better homes, and better things for her family as well. While Marla and her family were on a short cruise, her daughter developed an angry red rash all over her arms and legs. They took her to the doctor when they returned home, and he said that it looked like a topical reaction to something she had touched. Marla realized that it must have come from the sheets, so she began researching what had been used to clean the linen on the cruise ship. She eventually hunted down their MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) and discovered that they had been using a highly allergenic additive in their laundry detergent. As a result, the doctor recommended getting all the additives out of anything that would touch her daughter’s skin, going forward. That included laundry detergents, soaps, and body lotions.
It was very difficult to obtain those items without any added fragrance or dyes, fifteen years ago
The birth of the Green Home Coach
Between the experience with her daughter, and working for her friend’s energy efficiency company in the green building industry, Marla finally felt that she had come home. She realized that she could help people by sharing all the information that she was obtaining for herself and her friend’s business.
In 2010, Marla and her friend parted company in business (although they are still friends) and she started working on what eventually became the Green Home Coach.
The Green Home Coach has subsequently been very well received.
The biggest myth
The biggest myth that Marla wanted to dispel was that going green has to be hard, and it is expensive. The truth is that it’s not difficult at all and it does not need to cost you a fortune. And you really don’t have to do everything at once either.
Marla’s mission
The center of Marla’s mission, and her business, is to empower people to take action.
Everyday Green Homes
Everyday Green Home is there to serve the people who really want to know that they’re doing the very best they possibly can in their homes.
Marla has curated the Everyday Green Homes collection and she’s vetted all the Everyday Green Home products.
Marla’s three tools for having a better home
- Listen to this podcast.
- Read Marla’s book, Living Green Effortlessly, Simple Choices for a Better Home.
- Shop for the things that are better for your home at the Everyday Green Home online shop.
People who are in the home industries, or those who want more education can benefit from Marla’s training at What Makes A Green Home Green, which is a basic introduction to the different parts of green homes, and how they all work together to make a better home.
A big announcement
Sadly, the Green Gab podcast is coming to an end. In its place, there will be the Everyday Green Home Podcast. This name change is to align the podcast more closely with the other parts of the Green Home Coach and Everyday Green Home.
Links and resources:
Everyday Green Home
Green Home Coach - Podcast
Green Home Coach - Resources
Home Builders Association - St. Louis
There's so much happening in the world right now, as we find ourselves in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic. This led Marla to reach out to today's guest, Jackie Marie Beyer, of the Green Organic Garden Podcast, because there is always something we can do, and Jackie has some really helpful information to share with all of us today.
Jackie is Marla's resident expert about all things gardening. She lives in Northwest Montana, and she works as an elementary school teacher. Today she will be talking to us about some things that we can do for Mother Nature, and to help people learn.
Starting with the Green Organic Garden Podcast
Jackie started her podcast back in 2015, intending for her husband, who is their head gardener at home, to teach people how to garden. Apart from growing a few geraniums, Jackie used to know almost nothing about gardening at the time.
Now, she has reached her 311th interview on the Green Organic Garden Podcast. In the five years that the podcast has been running, Jackie has interviewed hundreds of the most incredible gardeners who have all shared their knowledge. And although she works full-time, Jackie has found that she is spending more and more time in the garden each year.
Growing vegetables is a separate learning curve from gardening
Some gardeners like to grow only flowers, and others prefer doing vegetables or landscapes.
Jackie's husband grew up on a cattle ranch. He now has a "mini-farm" going at their home and his goal is to grow as much organic food as possible to supplement their family's needs.
Becoming a more effective and efficient gardener
On the Green Organic Garden Podcast, Jackie interviews experts on all aspects of gardening. And they share their secrets to becoming a more productive, effective, and efficient gardener.
A teacher's life
Jackie has been considering what things will look like if nobody is allowed to go back to school on Monday, after Spring Break, so she’s been looking for new and exciting things to post online for her students.
Kids love gardening, and Jackie loves posting authentic garden-math problems and challenges for her students. She started doing it one winter, two years ago when her school was closed for a snowstorm, and she made some videos for her students about counting all the loose change that they could find in their homes.
Carrots are easy to grow but hard to plant
Carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, but they are hard to plant because the seeds are so tiny. Children's fingers are much smaller, however, so they can plant the seeds, and space them out, quite easily.
An innovative way to plant carrot seeds with the right spaces between them is to cut strips of newspaper and, using a paste made from flour and water, stick the carrot seeds onto the strips of newspaper, about an inch apart. Then simply plant the strips of newspaper and keep watering them. Then, wait for the carrots to start growing.
Growing things indoors
Jackie’s favorite things to grow indoors are herbs, in pots. And she loves to always have a basil plant growing on her windowsill, where it is easy to water it.
To grow herbs indoors, Jackie prefers to use an organic seed starter, like Espoma Organic Seed Starter Potting Mix. You can put some of it into a planting pot with some pebbles at the bottom for good drainage and some dirt. Put it in a sunny spot and be sure to water it every day.
Arugula is another good plant to grow indoors because the leaves are full of flavor and you can start eating them when they are still tiny. The arugula plant will continue growing until the leaves reach their full size, similar to lettuce leaves.
The herbs that Jackie loves to grow indoors
Jackie loves to grow basil, parsley, rosemary, arugula (her favorite), cilantro, and cherry tomatoes in pots indoors, on her patio, or her windowsill.
Is it better to start growing seeds or starter plants indoors?
If you can get hold of some starter plants at a farmer’s market, they will mature faster than seeds will. And some seeds will propagate faster than others.
Rosemary and lavender are a bit more difficult to grow, so it would be best to grow them from starter plants.
Sprouts
Jackie likes to start making sprouts in December. To do that, you can buy a sprouter and place some organic sprouting mix, or some radish, alfa-alfa, broccoli, or any other sprout seeds on the bottom, and soak them in two inches of water for twenty-four hours. Then, pour the water out and rinse the seeds in clear water every day until they have grown enough to be eaten.
Bigger container gardening
It is possible to grow herbs and vegetables in all sorts of containers, indoors or even on the patio.
Referral Links and Products:
https://www.amazon.com/Romanesco-Broccoli-Heirloom-Seeds-Pollinated/dp/B01JSH1MVQ/ref=everydaygr025-20
https://www.amazon.com/Chives-Herb-Heirloom-Seeds-Pollinated/dp/B01JT2J4BA/ref=everydaygr025-20
https://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Spaghetti-Squash-Heirloom-Seeds/dp/B01JZUNL2O/ref=everydaygr025-20
https://organicgardenerpodcast.com/
Free E-book on Organic Gardener Basics
The Organic Oasis Guide Book -
Espoma Organic Seed Starter Premium Potting Mix
Tina Gleisner, our regular guest from Home Tips For Women, joins us again today to talk about home maintenance. For the last seventeen years, Tina has been working in a variety of different ways within the arena of home maintenance, so she has become a treasure trove of knowledge.
Women are taking responsibility for maintaining their homes
In years gone by, many women used to think that home maintenance was a man's responsibility. Fortunately, it's no longer like that today.
Tina knows a lot about homes, how to maintain them, and how to take care of them. And she also knows how to relate all of this to women because she's aware of what they are capable of doing, and she understands the way that women get things done around the home.
Understanding how to maintain your home doesn't mean you have to do all the work yourself
When Tina started her handyman business, she found that there were lots of women who were too afraid to pick up the phone and call a contractor, even though they were having a serious problem. This is why it's very important, as a woman, to understand how to maintain your own home. And understanding how to maintain your home does not mean that you have to do all the work yourself.
Priorities
Your number one priority with home maintenance is to get the work done, whether you do it yourself, or you hire someone else to do it for you. This means that the degree to which you need to understand the problem is a lot less. This is why Tina focuses on the concepts, terminology, and the importance of doing certain things. And why she shares enough basic information to empower you to talk to contractors with confidence.
If a contractor refuses to listen to you or to accept that you know what you're talking about, you can take a picture to prove their ineptitude, and send it to the management of the company that they work for, along with the details of your complaint.
The top three reasons why outdoor maintenance is so important
- You need to protect your investment.
- You need to consider the safety aspect of the outside of your home, especially if you have children.
- When it's time to relax, you want to be able to do that without having to think about any of the things that still might need to be cleaned, repaired, or maintained.
Maintaining the outside of your home
- Safety:
You need to be safe when dealing with your outdoor maintenance activities. First, inspect the tools that you will be using, like ladders and gardening tools, to make sure that they are in good condition and ready to use. It's also a good idea to get your lawnmower check-up done before you need to use it, or you could end up having to wait two or three weeks until it's done.
You could consider pooling and sharing tools that are only used occasionally with your others in your neighborhood.
Remember to be very careful when using a high-pressure washer to clean your decks and other wooden surfaces. This is the kind of task where you could be better off with making use of the services of a professional.
Check the front and the back of the house to see that there is enough lighting, all the handrails are tight, and nothing is lying around any of the pathways and entrances that someone could trip over.
- Back yard:
If you're going to be grilling your meals outdoors, you will need enough seating and a comfortable place to cook, put plates down, and to do whatever you need to do to enjoy your experience.
Patios will need to be cleaned and decks might need to be stained and sealed. You could consider getting a professional to do it for you.
You might want to put some screens around some of your outdoor space if you're having a problem with bugs. Or you could use a natural insect repellant.
- Gardening:
To water your shrubs, you could run some drip-lines through the garden. You can even set up a timer so that the shrubs are watered automatically.
Planning ahead can result in fewer trips to the store and better results.
Remember to reward yourself when everything is done!
Links and resources:
Tina's website - www.hometipsforwomen.com
Our guest for today is Jessica Jacobs Thompson, and today's podcast is about the product that Jessica and her sister, Jana, produce and sell, called First Saturday Lime.
About First Saturday Lime
First Saturday Lime is a healthy alternative to pesticides. It is a once-a-month application, just like most other pest controls. It took years of research and testing to develop this product, which is 100% non-toxic and non-flammable, and it contains no health hazards at all. Jessica and Jana suggest that it should be applied on the first Saturday of each month and on that day, they go onto social media platforms and do all kinds of fun promotions.
How it all started
Jessica and her sisters grew up on a farm. Their mother was a professor and their father had a lime company, for farmers in the state of Oklahoma. After graduating, Jessica spent some time in the medical field. One day, soon after Jana had taken over their father's lime company, she and Jessica spoke about finding the formula for a safe alternative to pest control. With her background in health, Jessica understood the importance of using preventatives, so she soon convinced Jana to go into business with her to start producing this product.
What First Saturday Lime is
As the owner of a lime company, Jana deals with all different types of lime, and First Saturday Lime is a lime product. Most of the lime products that are usually available on the shelves are either hydrated lime or barn lime. When limestone is taken out of the ground and pulverized, it's known as barn lime and although it is safe to use, it is very weak and it contains a lot of impurities, so it cannot be used for pest control. Hydrated lime, on the other hand, is very strong and so it can be used as a sanitizer or for pest control. If you or your animals touch it, however, it will cause burns as it reacts with water.
Jessica and Jana have the formula to process hydrated lime so that it is no longer reactive to water. It then becomes just as safe to use as barn lime, and it is very effective for pest control.
Getting known
They tested the waters by initially making a thousand bags of their pest-control product and promoting it on Amazon. Once the bags sold out, they knew they had a viable product, so they decided to go ahead with their business. Now, they are in their second year in business.
Using the lime product in restaurants
The First Saturday Lime treatment is an external one, so it's used on the outside of the home or building. The treatment involves simply pouring a two-inch barrier of the product around the base of the exterior of the facility that's being treated. That creates an effective boundary against pests that lasts for a month. Then the barrier needs to be checked each month, to make sure it hasn't been blown or washed away.
How First Saturday Lime differs from other products that you see in the stores
First Saturday Lime does not react with water, even though it's a fine powder. So if it gets wet, it will dry and continue to be effective, as long as it does not blow away. It is pulverized because the finer it is crushed, the more effectively it works.
The best time to start treating with First Saturday Lime
Spring is the perfect time to start treating with First Saturday Lime. Remember that it is always much easier to perform prevention than to have to treat an infestation problem.
If you have pets, you can put some First Saturday Lime in a yard-spreader, on the lower setting, and you can treat your whole yard once a month. This will protect your outside area from ants, and your pets from fleas and ticks. This will also kill any larvae that may be lurking in the yard.
And if you keep chickens in your yard, First Saturday Lime will keep the mites and lice away, and it will destroy the bacteria and odors that go along with chickens.
Some other uses for First Saturday Lime
First Saturday Lime can also be used as a soil enhancer. It will amend the PH levels in the soil, raising them to a maximum PH level of 7.
It can also be used in water troughs or bird-baths to control algae and mosquito larvae build-up, and it will keep the water clear.
Links and resources:
Jessica's email - jthompson@firstsaturdaylime.com
Go to www.firstsaturdaylime.com and put in the COUPON CODE greenhomecoach to get your own First Saturday Lime to try.
There are also tons of tips on the website for using First Saturday Lime!
Purchase - First Saturday Lime (20lb)
Purchase - First Saturday Lime (5lb)
We have Gay Harris as our guest for today's podcast. Gay and her husband, Mickey, are the founders and owners of a company called Superior Air Quality, and they are the suppliers of Green Screen HVAC Filters.
How it all started
Mickey and Gay have been working together for years. A while back, when they were both working for a company that was doing some insulation work in Austin to create better airflow in attics, the original owner of Green Screen came and spoke to them about adding the Green Screen as one of the products on their tool belt. They decided to accept the offer, and from then on, the Green Screen business just grew and grew. Gay and Mickey became the sales managers for the business, and they ended up working for the company for nine years. Then, about three-and-a-half-years ago, the original owners asked Gay and Mickey to take over their business because they wanted to retire. Gay and Mickey have been committed to the Green Screen for more than twelve years now.
What the Green Screen is, and how it differs from other filters
The Green Screen is an air filter for your heating and cooling system. It goes into the air conditioning unit in place of either the regular, pleated air filters or any other kinds of filters that are available.
When Gay and Mickey started selling for the Green Screen company, they looked at all the independent studies that had been done on filters, to make sure that there was nothing better available out there. And because of the superior construction of the Green Screen, they did not manage to find anything better.
The Green Screen layers the dirt into the filter according to the size of the particles, so the air can still get through the filter. In the national test, the Green Screen collected about twice as much dirt as the allergen-feeding kind did. And it has thirty percent better airflow!
Face loading
With the pleated filters, all the dirt particles, small, medium, and large, end up on one surface. This is known as "face loading" by the industry. It means that more fabric is necessary for the filter to collect more dirt particles, and the more pleats there are, the more you have to pay for the filter. And once these filters start filling up with dirt, the airflow starts getting dammed up pretty quickly. So it becomes very expensive to replace these filters so often.
The problem with other filters
The residential filters that you can buy at the store either collect particles, because they have tighter woven fabric, or they let the air go through. And neither one is a good solution because if they let the air go through, they also let the dirt go through. And if they collect the small particles, they're not letting the air go through. So when Gay and Mickey found the Green Screen, they fell in love with it!
Getting off allergy medicine
Gay and Mickey were able to go off their allergy medicine because the Green Screen helps to remove even the microscopic dirt particles. Their average customers have noticed that there's about fifty percent less dust in their homes when they use the Green Screen.
The location of the filter
When you're buying or building a new house, you're never told that the location of the filter has a lot to do with how much, or how little dust is in the house. The filter that's closer to the ground will collect more of the heavy dust. And the higher you go, the less heavy dust will be collected.
The Green Screen filter works well for all the levels of dust, including the microscopic particles.
Where the filter should be located
It's best not to put the filters up in the attic. Although placing them there will keep the unit clean, up there, they won't keep all the dust away.
If you're building a custom home, it's best to locate the filters about the foot off the ground. That way, you will have way less dust in the house.
If you'd like your environment to have less dust, put your filters where they will catch the most dust. And although it's a bit more effort to change a lot of filters, it's a great idea to have one in every room in the house.
A simple tip to keep the dust away and the air in your house cleaner
Every evening, between dinner and bedtime, turn the thermostat fan from "auto" to "on". And if you're vacuuming and dusting, turn the thermostat fan on and leave it on for about twenty minutes after you've finished.
The number one maintenance issue in your whole house
Gay encourages you to always remember to change the filters in your heating and cooling system because it's the number one maintenance issue in your whole house, and it's also the only thing that's protecting your expensive air conditioning unit.
It is very simple to keep your air conditioning unit going much longer and healthier.
Links and Referral links:
Superior Air Quality's website - https://greenscreenairfilter.com/
Referral Links:
www.GreenScreenAirFilter.com - COUPON - GreenHomeCoach
https://greenhomecoach.com/book-living-green-effortlessly/
We are very happy to have Lindsey McCoy, of Plaine Products, with us today. Lindsey's story is not like that of most entrepreneurs. Her background is in non-profit management.
Plastic everywhere
Lindsey met and married her husband in the Bahamas, and when she moved there, she did environmental education work. She kept bumping into single-use plastics everywhere in the Bahamas because they don't have the same sort of infrastructure there as there is in the United States, which makes the trash 'disappear', so you see a lot of litter lying around all over, and also in the water. Lindsey started doing things to minimize plastic in her life. The one place she couldn't find a solution for was the shower. And all the little plastic bottles that go in there were making her crazy.
Moving back to the States and launching Plaine Products
Lindsey and her husband moved back to the United States. Lindsey then contacted her sister and asked her to help her do something about the hundreds of millions of plastic shampoo bottles that were going into landfills every year. Her sister agreed although neither of them had any idea of what they would be getting into. Two years later, they launched Plaine Products.
Lindsey's motivation
Lindsey got her idea because she realized that at some point, every piece of plastic we have ever used is still on this planet. And she wanted to do something about it. She also became an advocate for Green Beauty.
It just takes a little more time
It takes just a little more time to not automatically buy the products you've always bought. These are habits that we can all change relatively easily.
Some alternatives for the shower
Glass bottles are a little tricky in the shower, as they could break, and they are not kid-friendly.
There are solid bars of soap and shampoo available but these don't necessarily work well for everybody.
If nothing else is available, it's advisable to buy the biggest plastic bottles of shampoo that you can find because that will result in less plastic to get rid of in the end. And if you're in a city, there are often places where you can get your bottles refilled.
About Plaine Products
Plaine Products are toxin-free. They consist of natural ingredients and they are free of any chemicals that you can't pronounce. They are free of parabens, sulfates, and palm oil, and they're cruelty-free and vegan certified.
Think Dirty has rated the Plaine Products with a zero, which means they are completely safe to use.
Aloe is the main ingredient used in Plaine Products.
Plaine Products work very well!
The Plaine Products process
The process is very simple:
- Go to www.plaineproducts.com and choose the products that you want.
- Your products then get placed in a box made of recycled paper and sent to you.
- The first products that you buy will come with pumps. When you re-order a product, you will receive a refill bottle without a pump.
- Along with your refill bottles, you will also get a return label to put on the box with your empty bottles. You can then return these to Plaine Products for free, where they will be washed, refilled, and sent back out into the world.
The point of this process is that it is very simple, easy, and convenient for you.
Lindsey has seen the plastic problem up close
Lindsey had the opportunity to go on an all-women expedition, called eXXpedition, to research the amount of plastic in the oceans. The incredibly cool, around the world sailing voyage consists of thirty legs. It takes two years in total to complete, and ten women get the opportunity to sail each leg, along with the professional sailing crew and the mission leader.
Lindsey got to do the leg from Aruba to Panama, in December 2019.
The voyage involved doing research, counting pieces of litter, visiting the dump at Aruba to see what the infrastructure is like, skimming the surface of the ocean with a tool designed to pick up plastic from the water, and capturing water from a depth of 75 feet to check the amount of unseen micro-plastic particles in the water.
Lindsay liked that the leaders of the eXXpedition are talking about solution-based science. So they are trying to figure out what kinds of plastics are out there and how quickly they are breaking down so that we can know what kind of plastic to stop using. Ultimately, the only real way to keep plastic out of the ocean is to use way less of it and to use it responsibly.
A double-dose of nastiness
Unfortunately, plastic lasts forever so it does not dissolve back into the water. It just breaks into smaller and smaller particles. Toxic chemicals like to attach to these plastics, making them a double-dose of nastiness for the fish who eat them. And this moves all the way up the food chain.
Recycling
Recycling plastic can usually only be done once, unfortunately. And only nine or ten percent of all plastic is recycled.
Aluminum, however, can be recycled infinitely without any loss of quality.
Doing the best you can
At Plaine Products, they have a "progress, not perfection" mantra because you don't have to be perfect. We can all, however, do our best to be responsible when it comes to making choices. And we can all do whatever we can to minimize our footprint and to keep our planet clean and green.
Links and resources:
Lindsey's website - www.plaineproducts.com
Lindsey's email - lindsey@plaineproducts.com
Think Dirty - https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/
Green Beauty - https://greenbeauty.com/
eXXpedition - https://exxpedition.com/
Referral/affilliate links:
https://www.plaineproducts.com/ref/marla/ (Coupon Code for 20% off: greenhomecoach)
Or
www.greenhomecoach.com/plaineproducts (Coupon Code for 20% off: greenhomecoach)
You can also find Plaine Products at Marla's online green store at www.everydaygreenhome.com
Tina Gleisner is back with us today for her second interview in our series on home maintenance. In her first interview, Tina spoke to us about home maintenance in general. In today's podcast, she shares more of her deep knowledge about home maintenance, and she continues to empower women, in particular, to take good care of their homes.
The most important point
The most important point to remember about taking care of your home is that you are the chief home organizer. This means that you don't have to do everything yourself. Your number one priority is to see that all the important things get done.
Critical jobs
Certain very critical jobs need to be done in a home, that we just don't have the tools or the experience to do. So we shouldn't even attempt to do these things.
Spring maintenance
The focus of today's podcast is on spring maintenance because spring is a great time to do several things on the outside of your home. Many of these things will require the assistance of an expert.
Organizing your checklist
It's always best to start by inspecting things around your home. Then, make a list of all the things that need to be maintained or repaired. Planning what you're going to do, and who you're going to hire to come in and help you, can minimize the costs of your ongoing home maintenance and repairs in the long run.
Checking the roof
If you're not comfortable on a ladder, or if there's a chance that you could fall, it's best not to go up onto the roof yourself. To check your roof, you can stand back and take some photos of it with your phone. You can then go to your computer and blow the photos up to see all the details. If you save the photos, you can use them again the next year to see if anything on the roof has changed. For most new roofs, just doing some spot-checking every year, for the first ten years, without actually going up there, will be sufficient.
If you live on the coast, or in an area with harsh weather all the time, your roof will not last as long as it would in an inland area with mild weather.
There's an organization called National Women In Roofing, that will help you to better understand all the different classes of roof shingles, explain what your roofing insurance will and will not cover, and answer any questions that you might have.
If you need a new roof, it's never a good idea to put a second layer of roofing shingles on top of what you already have because there may be hidden damage to the plywood underneath the shingles.
Remember to ask questions!
A tip for recycling old roof shingles
Many communities have a Roof to Roads program where they recycle asphalt shingles to be used for the building of roads. So, if you're removing an old roof, look into recycling the old shingles.
Protecting the wood and checking for wood-rot
If you can catch a problem early, it could save you a lot of money and effort, going forward. So check the wood around your windows and doors, and any decking or other wooden trim around the house, for signs of wood-rot that might be starting. If you find anything, it can quite easily be sanded and painted to protect the wood and prevent any deterioration.
The two biggest problem areas
The two biggest problem areas for wood-rot are the window-sills if the water does not roll off them fast enough, and the vertical piece of wood that is directly under the exterior doors. The longer the problem remains, the more the repair is likely to cost.
Tina has an article on her website that goes into the different levels, and costs, of wood-rot on window frames. She also has a series on her website about all the different areas of wood-rot in a home.
Roof flashing
The flashing on the roof is usually made of thin material, like galvanized steel, and it is there to direct water away from the critical areas on the roof.
Spring home-maintenance
Doing outside home-maintenance in the springtime is important because you're going to start spending a lot more time outside at this time of the year.
Two main things need to be emphasized in the springtime.
- Finding and dealing with any damage that may have occurred during the winter.
- Looking out for the safety of your family while they are spending time outside. This includes checking the walkways, decks, hand-rails, and outside lighting.
Tina's spring check-list
Tina has a very useful checklist available on her website to give you lots of different ways to look for potential problems in your home.
Some things to look out for:
- Concrete is porous, and it sucks water up, so keep a look-out for any rising damp.
- Push gently on the wood around your doors and windows with your fingers to check for sponginess. That would indicate that there is some wood-rot going on there. If you find any wood-rot, you will quickly need to do something about it.
- Check to see if the weather-stripping around your windows and doors needs to be replaced.
- Check to see if any of the screens for your windows or doors are torn and need to be replaced.
- Check your garden hoses and check to see if the irrigation system is working properly.
- Make sure that your air condition system is working properly and that your fans are turning in the right direction.
Remember that a clean home is easier to maintain, and it helps everything to work more efficiently and last longer.
Links, Referral Links, and Products:
Tina's Website
Tina's Email
Use This to Replace Outdoor Hose Bibs! Aquor Frost-Free House Hydrant V2
Spring Home Maintenance Checklist
Top 20 Spring Home Maintenance Projects
National Women In Roofing
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
Shabby Chick and Everyday Green Home are partners
Everyday Green Home and Shabby Chick Cleaners have partnered up, and today, we have Shabby Chick, Amber Malcom, with us to spend a few minutes talking about some of the seventeen Shabby Chick products that are featured on Everyday Green Home. These cleaning products have all been designed to make cleaning your home green and simple.
About Amber
Amber Malcom is a natural lifestyle products enthusiast and entrepreneur. When she and her husband moved to a farmhouse, in 2014, to raise their three kids, they had a very hard time cleaning the house up properly on a tight budget.
Looking for a natural alternative
After a fruitless struggle with trying to find commercial cleaning products that worked effectively without being hazardous to their health, Amber started looking for natural alternatives. She spent countless hours researching, trying out different combinations of ingredients, and product testing. Finally, her hard work paid off.
A whole range of products
Shabby Chick now has a whole range of pleasant-smelling, grime-busting products available, that can safely be used around children. Amber is committed to excellence and she takes utmost care in creating the very best and most effective all-natural cleaning products.
About some of the Shabby Chick cleaning products
There are 17 Shabby Chick products featured on Everyday Green Home.
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The All-purpose cleaner is for non-streaking surfaces and for areas that can take soap, like your countertops.
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The Amazing Stainless Steel, Glass, and Appliance Cleaner is for streaking surfaces like glass, mirrors, and appliances. It will clean them up and make them pretty and shiny.
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There are room, air, and fabric fresheners, and also a poo spray called Stank Stopper.
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The Snake Oil Antiseptic Spray is a pure and healthy antibiotic product made of alcohol and six essential oils.
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The laundry detergent comes in a pouch with a handy tablespoon for measuring. (Two squirts equals a tablespoon.) The secret to success with the laundry detergent is that it has to go into the tub before the clothes go in.
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The dish soap is different. It smells of vinegar, however, if you can get over the smell, you'll become obsessed with its cleaning power.
Selling the natural cleaning products at local markets and craft shows
Amber began selling a few bottles of her natural all-purpose cleaner at the local craft markets and craft shows over weekends. The sales went well and Amber went back to doing research, trying out different combinations of ingredients.
Coming up with different products
The next product that Amber developed was Shabby Chick's Dangerously Effective Glass Cleaner. That was followed by Shabby Chick's laundry detergent, and then Shabby Chick's very effective, all-natural kid's insect repellent, Critter Glitter. And the list goes on and Amber keeps coming up with new products.
More and more demand
As time goes on, there is more and more demand for Shabby Chick's popular, natural cleaning products. Before, the products were sold only at local markets. That grew to fairs, then to trade shows all over Oklahoma and Texas, and now Shabby Chick's cleaning products are also available in retail stores in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.
Links and resources:
Shabby Chick can be found on www.shabbychickcleaners.com or www.everydaygreenhome.com
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.
If you take care of your home so that it will take care of you, you won't have to do as much to look after it. Everything you do to maintain your home will pay off in the long run and you won't end up having the big calamities and repairs that you would have to deal with if you did not care for your home properly.
The average home has about 75 different components in it that need to be tracked, so the thought of maintaining it can be a little overwhelming. And we do need to know how to take care of everything in the right way.
As you take care of your home, you will have a great opportunity to uplevel it.
Take a moment
It's worthwhile to take a moment to consider what you're going to use to repair, maintain, and replace your household components.
You need to hold onto your user manuals because they can make your routine maintenance much quicker and easier. If you have lost a user manual, you will be able to find it easily online, on the manufacturer's website.
Some tips to make things easier
In Marla's book, Living Green Effortlessly, Simple Choices For a Better Home, there is an entire chapter about maintenance. It has a great checklist and some seasonal information about how to segment your maintenance work to make things a whole lot easier.
You can also go to www.greenhomecoach.com and download the Ten Ways to Make Your Home Healthier and More Efficient and Durable.
Home/building owner training, documentation, and resources
Houses are getting smarter and they're getting more complicated to run. Most new houses come with a rudimentary owner's manual, so whether you're moving into a new or an existing home, you will get a lot of information. And as you live in the house and experience what it's like, you will start figuring out how to do things.
The trick is that if you don't operate the house properly, you're not going to get the great benefits of all the new technology that's been put into the house. Learning how to do this can be overwhelming, so having some kind of guide, or manual helps.
Logging in to your home on your phone
You can log directly into your house with your phone.
Tony has five different display houses that he can log into with his phone, and he can change each one of them. So, when buying an existing home, be sure to check that the previous home-owner has logged out of the existing network because it will tie into the controller, and they could end up controlling the wrong house!
There are some wonderful apps and technology available to help you to do these things automatically.
Figuring things out more easily
Ask the previous owner of your new home, or the real estate agent, to walk you through the house to show you where everything is and how everything functions. This could save you a lot of time and effort.
Training
It's not always possible to figure things out on your own. Training allows you to do things in the way they were intended, and get the full effect.
There's a lot that goes into building a green-certified home. And if you, as the owner, don't know how to use it properly, you could experience problems. This is why certain green-certified homes require you to get basic training to better understand the home, and to get the biggest benefits from it.
There are also tons of resources available.
Important things to be trained on
- Heating and cooling filters.
- The thermostat.
- Lighting controls.
- Fan controls. (And how to put them into reverse for the winter.)
- Water heater.
- Recycling practices.
- Any other household systems.
You will need to be instructed about most things, outside of the basics that go into a green-certified home.
Refrigerators
If you're not taught how to use a smart appliance properly, their features are useless. General Electric and Whirlpool are now building refrigerators with the software to integrate with Alexa. These refrigerators can let you know when you're running low on something, but you need to know how to operate them and set them up.
How to get, or create the necessary training
In today's homes, there's just so much to remember. And you're not going to remember everything just by walking through a home for a couple of hours. Here are some tips to help you:
* The realtor, builder, or owner could physically walk through the home with the person needing to be trained.
- When using HomeNav, the owner can be taken through the house with a tablet with HomeNav on it.
* You can put direct links onto the model page on HomeNav.
-
You can create a virtual manual by uploading short videos, plans, or custom documents, to HomeNav, for the necessary training components.
-
You can make videos, or take photos of the manuals with your phone, and store them online, in a Dropbox, to refer to them when needed. (Remember to store them in a meaningful location, where you can find them again, like a Dropbox.)
HomeNav is a free online software tool to be customized with an inventory of all the appliances, fixtures, and features in the home.
Going above and beyond and spinning problems into opportunities
Going above and beyond a customer's expectations is great for marketing. You can turn the requirements for a green home into a fantastic marketing tool!
Everyone needs training but they don't always get it. So by providing it, even in the form of a one-on-one transaction between homeowners, it will be appreciated, and it will elevate you to the next level.
Links and resources:
For Marla's book go to - https://greenhomecoach.com/book-living-green-effortlessly/
Go to www.greenhomecoach.com to download the Ten Ways to Make Your Home Healthier and More Efficient and Durable.
You can go to the Insinkerator site to find tips about garbage disposers - https://insinkerator.emerson.com/en-us
HomeNav - https://www.homenav.com/
We all want a home that looks good and performs well. Today, Steve Spratt, of Home Preservation Services joins us. He is an expert in homeowner operations and maintenance and he has a fantastic website, called Home Preservation Manual. In today's episode, Steve will be giving us lots of great information about owning and maintaining a home, and all the responsibilities that go along with that.
What motivates Steve
The home represents some very important things that often tend to go unnoticed by the owners. And many people seem to take their homes for granted, and they don't take very good care of them.
What a home represents
- Value. (It is a big investment.)
- A place of nurturing and re-energizing.
Steve helps people to maximize the value and the nurturing aspects of their homes by showing them how to take better care of their homes.
The service that Home Preservation Services provides
Home Preservation Services does four visits to the home each year, and they provide a checklist of preventative maintenance tasks for the homeowner. Everything is pre-scheduled and they are on call 24/7 for any breakdowns that may happen between visits.
The purpose of the Home Preservation Manual
The Home Preservation Manual is there to deliver the services provided by Home Preservation Services, to improve the value and the nurturing quality of the home.
Home Preservation Services is located in Silicon Valley and it manages 300 estates in that area. If you live outside of Silicon Valley, you can use the Home Preservation Manual philosophy, find your local resources, and achieve the same results.
What value means in your home
Your home is a stable investment that is not liquid. In financial terms, a liquid investment is more valuable than a non-liquid investment. So to maximize the value of your home, you have to keep it in the condition that it can be marketed quickly. This means that it always has to be kept in good shape.
The paybacks you'll get from maintaining your home well
- Your home will be more valuable.
- Your home will be more nurturing to you and your family.
Avoid becoming overwhelmed
There are so many parts to keeping your home in good shape that it's easy to become overwhelmed. By setting up efficient systems, and being organized, you can turn your nightmare into the American dream.
The Home Preservation Manual has some super-effective, easy-to-follow, well-tested checklists to help you organize your home maintenance. And the website has an entire section on recognizing and understanding the responsibilities of homeownership.
The key points of Steve's strategy for taking care of homes
- Keep a brand new home as close to brand new as possible.
- Know the condition your home needs to be in for its maximum value.
- Get your home in the shape it needs to be in for its maximum value.
- Always keep it in that condition.
- Set goals for your home.
Planning and budgeting for the upkeep and upgrading of your home
It costs way less to keep a home in tip-top condition than it does to repair and restore things.
Preventative maintenance is so valuable that it's even considered an income-producing act, as opposed to a cost. Preventative maintenance can also prevent disastrous things, like water-heaters bursting, from happening.
It's a good idea to set some money aside, in an investment account, for the ongoing costs of maintaining your home. The Home Maintenance Manual website has a formula, based on the square footage of the house, for working out how much money you will need to set aside.
Using the Home Maintenance Manual website most effectively
Steve recommends first visiting the My Home page on the website. There, you will learn about your home and how everything in it works. It has a checklist of all the things you need to do to familiarize yourself with your home.
Remember, if you own a home, you have the responsibility of taking good care of it. And taking regular care of it is much cheaper than waiting for things to break.
Be pro-active, not reactive!
Resources
HomeNav is a compendium of resources on Marla's website, www.greenhomecoach.com. It goes hand-in-hand with the information that Steve's product offers online.
Home Preservation Manual is all about why you need to do the things you need to do to maintain your home. It is full of information about how to do things and all other aspects of maintaining a home. They see themselves as Real Estate Asset Managers. https://www.homepreservationmanual.com/
Links:
For Marla's book go to - https://greenhomecoach.com/book-living-green-effortlessly/
Go to www.greenhomecoach.com to download the Ten Ways to Make Your Home Healthier and More Efficient and Durable.
Steve's email - sspratt@homepreservation.com
Steve's website - https://www.homepreservationmanual.com/
For Marla's book, Living Green Effortlessly, Simple Choices For A Better Home, go to www.livinggreenbook.com
For Five Myths of Green Homes, check out Marla's What Makes A Green Home Green Audio Program. It will help you find, and sell, the value of green homes, and features, in your clients' homes and projects. Go to www.greenhomecoach.com and click on the link for Five Myths of Green Homes. You can also connect with Marla on Facebook, at Green Home Coach, and let her know the green home myth you hear the most.
The following episodes will help you dive into several of the myths in Five Myths of Green Homes, and help you learn how to work with them:
- Dreaming Your Home - How to dream it, plan it, and pay for it.
- Do You Know Your Total Homeownership Cost?
- Green As You Go - Paint by numbers.
You can find all of these podcasts on www.greenhomecoach.com. Just click on the podcast link and search for the one you want.
You can learn even more about green homes and features by checking out Marla's What Makes A Green Home Green Audio Program. In easy-to-understand language, this program consists of audio trainings that are easy to consume on the go, and concise resource guides to ensure you absorb the information and reference it easily in your day-to-day activities. Your investment in this knowledge could unlock thousands of dollars more in business for you in your home projects. Learn more by going to www.greenhomecoach.com and clicking on Five Myths of Green Homes.
Marla's program, What Makes A Green Home Green, is an audio program in easy-to-understand language, easy-to-understand language, this program consists of audio trainings that are easy to consume on the go, and concise resource guides to ensure you absorb the information and reference it easily in your day-to-day activities. Your investment in this knowledge could unlock thousands of dollars more in business for you in your home projects. What Makes A Green Home Green will help you find and sell, the value of green homes and features in your clients' homes and projects. To learn more, go to www.greenhomecoach.com\homepro.
If you take care of your home so that it will take care of you, you won't have to do as much to look after it. Everything you do to maintain your home will pay off in the long run and you won't end up having the big calamities and repairs that you would have to deal with if you did not care for your home properly.
The average home has about 75 different components in it that need to be tracked, so the thought of maintaining it can be a little overwhelming. And we do need to know how to take care of everything in the right way.
As you take care of your home, you will have a great opportunity to up-level it.
Take a moment
It's worthwhile to take a moment to consider what you're going to use to repair, maintain, and replace your household components.
You need to hold onto your user manuals because they can make your routine maintenance much quicker and easier. If you have lost a user manual, you will be able to find it easily online, on the manufacturer's website.
Some tips to make things easier
In Marla's book, Living Green Effortlessly, Simple Choices For a Better Home, there is an entire chapter about maintenance. It has a great checklist and some seasonal information about how to segment your maintenance work to make things a whole lot easier.
You can also go to www.greenhomecoach.com and download the Ten Ways to Make Your Home Healthier and More Efficient and Durable.
Home/building owner training, documentation, and resources
Houses are getting smarter and they're getting more complicated to run. Most new houses come with a rudimentary owner's manual, so whether you're moving into a new or an existing home, you will get a lot of information. And as you live in the house and experience what it's like, you will start figuring out how to do things.
The trick is that if you don't operate the house properly, you're not going to get the great benefits of all the new technology that's been put into the house. Learning how to do this can be overwhelming, so having some kind of guide, or manual helps.
Logging in to your home on your phone
You can log directly into your house with your phone.
Tony has five different display houses that he can log into with his phone, and he can change each one of them. So, when buying an existing home, be sure to check that the previous home-owner has logged out of the existing network because it will tie into the controller, and they could end up controlling the wrong house!
There are some wonderful apps and technology available to help you to do these things automatically.
Figuring things out more easily
Ask the previous owner of your new home, or the real estate agent, to walk you through the house to show you where everything is and how everything functions. This could save you a lot of time and effort.
Training
It's not always possible to figure things out on your own. Training allows you to do things in the way they were intended, and get the full effect.
There's a lot that goes into building a green-certified home. And if you, as the owner, don't know how to use it properly, you could experience problems. This is why certain green-certified homes require you to get basic training to better understand the home, and to get the biggest benefits from it.
There are also tons of resources available.
Important things to be trained on
- Heating and cooling filters.
- The thermostat.
- Lighting controls.
- Fan controls. (And how to put them into reverse for the winter.)
- Water heater.
- Recycling practices.
- Any other household systems
You will need to be instructed about most things, outside of the basics that go into a green-certified home.
Refrigerators
If you're not taught how to use a smart appliance properly, their features are useless. General Electric and Whirlpool are now building refrigerators with the software to integrate with Alexa. These refrigerators can let you know when you're running low on something, but you need to know how to operate them and set them up.
How to get, or create the necessary training
In today's homes, there's just so much to remember. And you're not going to remember everything just by walking through a home for a couple of hours. Here are some tips to help you:
* The realtor, builder, or owner could physically walk through the home with the person needing to be trained.
- When using HomeNav, the owner can be taken through the house with a tablet with HomeNav on it.
* You can put direct links onto the model page on HomeNav.
-
You can create a virtual manual by uploading short videos, plans, or custom documents, to HomeNav, for the necessary training components.
-
You can make videos, or take photos of the manuals with your phone, and store them online, in a Dropbox, to refer to them when needed. (Remember to store them in a meaningful location, where you can find them again, like a Dropbox.)
HomeNav is a free online software tool to be customized with an inventory of all the appliances, fixtures, and features in the home.
Going above and beyond and spinning problems into opportunities
Going above and beyond a customer's expectations is great for marketing. You can turn the requirements for a green home into a fantastic marketing tool!
Everyone needs training but they don't always get it. So by providing it, even in the form of a one-on-one transaction between homeowners, it will be appreciated, and it will elevate you to the next level.
Links and resources:
For Marla's book go to - https://greenhomecoach.com/book-living-green-effortlessly/
Go to www.greenhomecoach.com to download the Ten Ways to Make Your Home Healthier and More Efficient and Durable.
You can go to the Insinkerator site to find tips about garbage disposals - https://insinkerator.emerson.com/en-us
HomeNav - https://www.homenav.com/
We have Tina Gleisner with us today, from Home Tips for Women. Home Tips for Women teaches women how to care for their homes and gain the confidence to maintain and effectively update their homes to become their dream home. Tina's content is different because she puts a lot of thought into organizing her information, to make it relatable.
Dealing with mold
It's astonishing how many people are dealing with mold in their homes, and in many cases, it's not being dealt with correctly.
When you buy a home in Florida, you need to get a mold inspection as well as the regular home inspection because so many houses have mold. This is a good idea for everyone because if mold is left unchecked for years, the whole house could even have to be gutted as a lot of mold hides inside the wall cavities.
Although most people are used to visible mold, a lot of invisible molds can also exist in a home. So if a house has been flooded, you typically have three to five days to get the house clean and dry to prevent the mold from forming.
The steps to take if you have water in your home (from flooding)
- Identify the source of the water and shut it off.
- Get as much water out of the house as possible.
- Dry the house out. (Remember that you only have three to five days to do this.)
Mold can give you headaches or make you sick.
Home Tips for Women and the home maintenance check-list
Tina has a unique, three-tiered approach to her home maintenance check-lists. She explains that many people think they have to do their home maintenance themselves. So she wants everyone to understand that, as a home-owner, their priority is to make sure that everything gets taken care of. And you don't have to do that personally.
- Inspect your home each season, inside and out, to find out what needs to be taken care of.
- Maintain the things that require maintenance. (Or have a handyman do it.)
- Update the things that require updating.
When you have little time available, inspect. When you have more time, maintain. And when you're ready to dive into something, update.
Motivating people
Over the years, Tina has been getting more and more creative about different ways to motivate people to do home maintenance. She has been coming up with different home-maintenance strategies to suit people's personalities and lifestyles.
She also suggests that you reward yourself after completing your home maintenance, to motivate yourself to keep doing it, going forward.
Home maintenance is a great sustainable practice because it makes things last. And preventative maintenance will reduce the number of repairs you will have to do, and it will save you money.
"Paint is not about pretty. Paint is about protecting the wood." - Tina
Water heaters
A decent water heater should last between eight and twelve years. The minerals in the water will eventually eat the water tank away, so you should empty the tank and clean it out once a year.
There is an anode-rod inside every water tank, designed to attract the minerals and get eaten away, rather than the water tank itself being eaten away by the minerals. The anode-rod needs to be replaced every four to six years to prolong the life of the water heater.
Great tips
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Put pockets on the inside of your cabinet doors so that you can keep your home maintenance check-list and the receipts for any home repairs or utility expenses at hand but out of the way.
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The number one way that water leaks are found is through the bills. So it is important to check your water bill for spikes, to show you that you're losing water somewhere in the house.
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Take ten or fifteen minutes each month to review all your bills, and check your home for changes. It could save you money in the long run.
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Take photos of the exterior of your house so that you can check each month for any changes.
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Have a list of everything that has to be checked each month, and pay a handyman to do the inspection and tell you what needs to be done.
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Change the batteries in your smoke detector whenever you turn the clocks back or forward.
Inspections that you can do
- Home inspection (When a home is bought or sold.)
- Mold inspection (Particularly if you live in a humid location.)
- Energy audit (To see how well the home is performing.)
Links and resources:
Tina's website - www.hometipsforwomen.com
Tina's email - tina@hometipsforwomen.com
To learn more about green homes, and how technology is a part of them go to www.greenhomecoach.com/homepro
For Marla's book, Living Green Effortlessly, go to https://greenhomecoach.com/book-living-green-effortlessly/
Matt Belcher works with Hibbs Homes and is well known in the green home world and as the author of Build Green and Save: Protecting the Earth and Your Bottom Line from NAHB Builderbooks. It was written for builders to incorporate green practices into building. Matt has been a long-standing champion of green home building, as well as a hero and mentor to Marla. “Rising tides raise all boats” – Matt.
Pat Dodd of Dawson-Dodd Heating and Cooling – we heat and cool the impossible
Dawson-Dodd will work installations many contractors will walk away from. Heating and cooling older homes and even homes which do not have ductwork is their specialty. They offer systems and installation which cool from the top down as well.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Living green, or sustainably, is about more than just saving on your electricity bill, and doing your bit to protect natural resources. It's about creating a safer and healthier lifestyle without having to compromise on style, quality, or budget.
Today, Tony Pratt joins Marla once again, to talk about green labels. They will be explaining what green labels are, what they mean, and how to use them.
What are green labels?
Green labels are there to show us that there has been third-party certification for a product, an assembly, or even an entire building. They are proof that something has been certified, and truly is what it claims to be. If the third-party was not there, anyone would be able to do or say whatever they wanted to, about any product.
Greenwashing
The term 'greenwashing' was coined about ten years ago. It's used when someone thinks, or hopes, rather than knows, that a product is green. It is actually nothing more than marketing hype, or the misdirection of consumers because, although something is being claimed to be good for the environment, in reality, that may or may not be so.
The FCC and greenwashing
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has put out rules about what you may say and claims that you may make, about a product. Also, there is a standard code of ethics for marketers, and the American Marketing Association has very specific rules that forbid marketers from making any unsubstantiated claims.
Using 'green' terms
Many people, even in the home-building industry, don't fully understand what green terms mean. Nor do they understand their value. And they often don't even know how to use the terms properly, so they tend to throw them around loosely, without understanding the consequences or the ramifications that are sure to follow. For example, a home that has Energy Star-certified, energy-efficient windows cannot be described as an energy-efficient home simply because it has an energy-efficient feature in it.
Certain terms have no real meaning to the FCC. Like the word 'natural', which is often used to describe food and personal care products.
There are some very specific rules for using the word 'organic' to describe products.
The goal of green labels is to be like the term 'organic' is, in the food industry, for products, materials, or even for entire homes. It is to give people something tangible, and reliable parameters, around that particular characteristic.
Why green labels?
Green labels are there to help us to better understand what we're buying or getting.
Having peace-of-mind around energy-efficiency
Many companies are doing things lately that are more sustainably-minded. It could be with the product itself, in the operations of the company, or both. So there are multiple levels on which we can choose to engage with companies that are doing things better.
The green labels give us all the necessary guidelines to make sure that we're doing something impactful, that will protect our families, ourselves, and our fellow human beings, without us having to do all the research.
There are a lot of boutique dry cleaners that have sustainable dry cleaning. They often use fuel-efficient, natural gas or electric vehicles.
Green labels for the home
A lot of the products that are being put out on Everyday Green Home- The Green Shop, have green labels on them. And for the products without the green labels, Marla has gone through the same vetting process that they used in the National Green Building standard, to ensure that those products meet the same requirements that they would have used in the Green Home certification.
Some smaller companies may not want to go through the certification process because it's costly and time-consuming.
Green labels for the home cover everything from energy-efficiency, to water-efficiency, to resource-efficiency, to toxin-free products, and recycled materials.
Taking small steps
You can green your entire home, taking one small step at a time. Some smart steps to take in that direction are:
- Energy Star - It covers 1000s of quality products, including complete home certification. Choose these products when you decide to upgrade or change anything electrical in your home.
- Water Sense - It covers much the same for water as Energy Star does for energy. Choose these products when it's time to upgrade or replace your washing machine, dishwasher, faucets, showerheads, or plumbing fixtures.
- Green Guard - This certification tells you that a product, usually for woodwork or cleaning, has fewer toxins in it, and it meets California's requirements for air quality.
- Start taking control of the quality of the air you're letting into the house.
- Cradle To Cradle is a new interesting, energy-saving concept, for both products and processes. The output from one process becomes the input for the next process. This is an efficient way to use resources.
How green labels apply in other parts of our life, and for homes
The US Green Building Council has LEED (Leadership, Energy, and Environmental Design). It is available for homes. There is also the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), as well as local and regional green building standards, like Green Build Texas, Green Build Washington, and Earthcraft Homes in the South-East.
And there are energy-efficient only certifications like Energy Star for homes and new homes, and Home Energy Ratings Score (HERS), which is a home energy ratings score index, or a scale of energy efficiency, which assesses the energy usage in a home and relates it to an existing home.
Sustainability is about more than just the products
Sustainability is about society and living standards. It's about how people are treated, and the wages they're being paid.
You're going to start seeing a lot more of these green labels. They are out there to make your life easier.
Links:
Energy Star - www.energystar.gov
The Environmental Working Group - https://www.ewg.org/
There's a lot of talk about energy efficiency when it comes to green homes. Currently, there are many innovations available to make energy efficiency easier, controlled, or managed. Today, we're going to be looking at ways to gain efficiency through innovation with energy control systems, smart appliances, and renewables.
Energy control systems
Thermostats can be part of an energy control system. Right now, there are controllable thermostats available that you can put in place yourself, to replace your current one. These are linked to the wifi in your house and you can control them from anywhere in the world, using your phone.
There are also more advanced systems available, where you can control everything else in your house as well. With that kind of system, you can set your house up with certain parameters that relate to the scenario that will best suit your lifestyle.
Aspects of energy control
Get-up mode can:
⦁ Turn on the lights.
⦁ Adjust your thermostat.
⦁ Automate your coffee pot.
⦁ Turn on your music or TV.
⦁ Open your automated blinds. (It's easy to set your system up so that you can benefit from some "daylight harvesting" by using sensors to turn the lights on when they are needed.)
Customizing your controls
The settings for get-up mode could work either on a timer, with sensors, or with both.
You can also control the lights in your home by selecting a customized profile to give you the amount of light that would best meet your needs. This will save you from having to use energy that you do not need.
Customizing your controls will make you happy
If you can turn something on and off, you can control it.
You can create a customized experience that will increase your happiness and your satisfaction with your home. You can control your music and TVs for your entertainment, and use these things only when you need them.
You can enjoy some psychological and emotional benefits while you are saving energy and money on the cost of your utilities. So, you can make your home your happy place!
Energy efficiency is not about having less
Energy efficiency does not have to be about having less. It can be about having what you want when you want it, (or need it) and not having it when you don't need it. So you're not wasting anything if you're being smart about how you're using things.
Saving energy can be very simple
An energy control system can be anything from a simple DIY system up to a very elaborate, very elegantly programmed system. There is something available for everybody, and every budget.
More and more innovative energy-saving technology is becoming available
The whole world is moving towards everything being controlled by apps.
A lot of new energy-saving technology is showing up at building-industry and consumer electronics trade shows.
A big benefit of energy control systems
Energy control systems are part of a bigger system that can control all kinds of things in your home. One of the big benefits of energy control systems is that they could help us to overcome what we may lack in our behavior, and control it through technology and automation.
You may not be able to control the people in the house, but you can control how they use the house.
Starting with the simple things
You can start with something simple like a programmable, or wifi-enabled thermostat. Or with a motion detector sensor on your light switch, which you can insert in your existing switch plate, to turn the lights on and off. You can also install a dimmer switch for your lights. This can then be tied into your overall energy control system, to control a bigger scenario-based system.
Bathrooms are a great place to add motion detector sensors to the light switches.
Most basic ceiling fans can be controlled with a smart switch.
Smart appliances and the internet of things
The theory behind the internet of things is quite fascinating. You need to think of your entire house as a living, breathing, technological ecosystem, where everything in it, like your refrigerator, your stove, even your car, is tied to the internet of things. These appliances can then communicate directly with the manufacturers and let them know if there are any problems. This can allow for hassle-free maintenance of your appliances and your belongings.
This has created issues for some people because of the data collected and the lack of privacy that goes with it.
Smart appliances
Smart appliances can communicate directly with the energy utility as to when energy rates are the lowest. They can then be scheduled to run during the times that the household is using the least amount of energy when the rates are lowest.
Smart refrigerators can be programmed to let you know when you're running out of things.
Smart appliances are wifi enabled and they allow you to get things ready automatically, from your phone.
Apart from saving energy, smart appliances could even extend to convenience and safety features in the house.
Different kinds of systems
There are different kinds of systems, both simple and advanced, for controlling your energy usage. There are:
⦁ Cloud-based systems
⦁ Programmed systems
With the advanced, higher-end systems, if you can write something down in a sentence, you can make the system do it.
The International Builders Show
At The International Builders Show, the vendors will be showing all the new and innovative products.
Tying renewables into an energy controlled system
Most people are familiar with renewable energy obtained from either solar panels (photovoltaics) or the wind. Wind-generated energy is typically found on a utility-scale, as in large farms and ranches, or places that have enough space to put up a lot of huge wind turbines.
Solar
Utilizing solar energy has become very popular lately, as it has become a lot more affordable and accessible.
The issue with solar energy has always been around its storage in the house. This used to require large banks of batteries. Recently, however, Tesla has been bringing out batteries that can store three days' worth of energy. Their goal is to create batteries that can store enough energy to last a whole week.
The reality of storing solar energy is that the excess energy gathered during the day usually gets fed back to the utility company, rather than being stored in batteries to be used at night. The rub is that, in certain states, the cost of the energy that's fed back into the grid is calculated at cost, and yet for the energy that is being used at night, the consumer is paying the retail price. That's just not fair, is it?
Innovations from Tesla
Tesla has announced that it has developed a new kind of roof tile that could be a game-changer. These roof tiles come in four different styles, to fit in with different styles of architecture, and because they are tiles, they could be acceptable in some places where solar panels are not.
These roof tiles are reported to be very durable, and they are supposed to last twice as long as a typical roof, but time will tell how long they last.
These solar roof tiles are packaged with a battery.
Tying a renewable energy system in with an energy control system
A renewable energy system can be tied in with an energy control system. This means that you can manage both where the energy is coming from, and where it's going to.
You can set the priorities on different systems and appliances in your home so that the power from your solar system will go first to your priority items. And with the more advanced systems, you can:
1) See exactly what you are producing from your renewables.
2) See exactly how much energy you are using, and for what.
There are also many other renewable energy sources available for heating, hot water heating, and many other uses. These will be covered in a later podcast.
Innovation is not going to stop. It just keeps coming! And it's always changing.
We have Kim Owens with us today. Kim is an energy auditor, so she goes to people's homes to give them an overview of ways to make their home more energy-efficient. Most of her suggestions are easy and economical to implement. And there are many benefits to creating an energy-efficient home.
The way Kim works
Typically, Kim contracts Precise Building Performance, the company that she works for, to create energy efficiency for her clients.
Precise Building Performance usually contracts with all the utility companies. because most people in the state of Oklahoma get their energy efficiency through their utility company.
Oklahoma is an energy state
Oklahoma is truly an energy state- and it's not all about drilling for it! Driving down the streets of Oklahoma, one can see oil pumps with all the wind turbines in the background. There are also solar farms, and people find it very interesting to see just how much the utilities in Oklahoma are into energy audits.
About energy audits
Many people don't know what energy audits are. Kim has a free newsletter to inform people about it because most Oklahoma utility companies offer free energy audits as a service to their members. Kim points out that the more energy-efficient you are, the more money you can save on your utility bill.
It's not just about saving energy
When we save energy, we don't only save money. There are always many benefits to practicing green sustainability.
- We save carbon emissions.
- We save lots of other greenhouse gas emissions.
- We improve our health in our homes, in our communities, and the world at large.
Kim's background and her focal points
Kim has a background in counseling and physiology. And she has a holistic wellness coaching business. Everything in our lives ultimately impacts our health in one way or another and there is always a causal relationship with everything, so Kim's focus is on mental health, physical health, and the ways that people's homes are affecting their health.
People often have the wrong impression of energy auditing
People tend to think that their windows, air conditioning, and all the other big stuff will have to be replaced. Yet, windows are usually the last things that are recommended because they are expensive and it could take up to twenty-five years to recoup your investment.
What a basic audit entails
- Kim starts from the outside and looks for things that are drawing heavily on your utility, like a pool, or a hot tub.
- She checks in the attic to see how much insulation is in there.
- She depressurizes the house with a vacuum tool to see how much air is being pulled in from the outside, through cracks and crevices. Then she checks the rooms for leaks.
- She checks the air conditioning unit. 55-6% of most utility bills is from the air conditioning unit
Kim likes to take the homeowner along with her as she checks their home so that she can educate them.
Ventilation
Sometimes it's necessary for a certain amount of pressure to come into a home. With new homes that are built to be very tight, there are ventilation strategies and equipment that allow for that. With existing homes, it is very challenging to make them completely tight.
Mold and mildew are not our friends. The exhaust fans in bathrooms take the humid air out so this helps prevent mold and mildew.
Remember to close the damper on your fireplace when you're not using it.
Why utility companies are paying people like Kim to do energy audits for their utility customers
There seems to be a misconception that energy companies are out to screw people because they charge for the utilities they provide. Yet, they authentically care about their members, and about being good stewards of the energy they're producing and supplying. And they want to do right by everybody, so if they can help people save money and create an energy-efficient home, they will.
For utility companies to help us be more efficient with our use of energy, it helps them too because it means they don't have to build as many facilities to handle peak-load production.
Power pools
Very simply put, there are power pools where all the utilities dump their power. Then the companies that want to distribute that power bid on it.
Some tips for creating a more energy-efficient home
- Place bits of cork all around the windows, on the inside of the house, where the window meets the wood trim.
- Place weather-stripping around the doors.
- Use LED lights.
- Don't run your pool pump all the time.
Links:
Kim's email - kimowenslive@gmail.com
Precise Building Performance - https://precisebp.com/
Today’s guest, Kellye Markowski, is a residential and commercial energy audit provider and project manager with Energy Smart Homes. Kellye works independently, which allows her to have an unbiased approach to finding out how to get a home to perform well.
Kellye’s enthusiasm for helping clients and homeowners optimize the comfortability of their space, along with reducing costs, is genuine and powerful. She not only carries out a meticulous energy audit for each and every home but always delivers more than the client’s money’s worth. While every homeowner wants what’s best for their home and family, people often don’t know where to start, and that’s where Kellye comes in.
Taking the Best Course of Action
There are always multiple solutions to every problem. Kellye’s job is to help clients better understand and weight out the pros and cons to each method. Kellye’s go-to strategy consists of helping people recognize the benefits of each solution and what would make it a good option for their individual circumstances. With this in mind, clients are able to accurately weigh out options by acknowledging which strategy best reflects their needs.
Reducing Energy Cost and Optimizing Comfort in your Home
Often times, homes and commercial buildings are built with only one thing in mind; stability. Stability and protection from outside elements don’t ensure comfortability or optimal energy preservation, which is why having an energy audit prior to further construction is so necessary. Kellye has encountered a plethora of homes with inadequate insulation, uncapped holes, electric furnaces with misplaced ducts, and so much more. Her ability to find and solve large-scale problems hidden right under the noses of homeowners is unmatched.
Kellye implements her expertise in a way that will help homeowners divert further discomfort. Without an energy audit, homeowners often result in dealing with unresolved and easily avoidable problems. Kellye finds ways to address issues relatively inexpensively and as seamlessly as possible.
Understanding Construction for Energy Conservation
People tend to gravitate towards the prettier, more glamorous aspects of a home – lighting, countertops, extravagant bathtubs. While the mechanics of a living space may be the least fun aspect of maintenance, it may easily be named the most important. No matter how pretty your home is, if you’re uncomfortable, you won’t be able to enjoy anything else. Homeowners typically aren’t well educated in how to tell if a house is built to perform well, which is why energy audits are important.
Kellye’s experience as a construction estimator and large loss handler with an insurance company has qualified her with the expertise needed to properly evaluate a living space. Along with this, she has extensively submerged herself not only in her own education but as an educator. After 18 years as an art teacher, she transitioned to use the skills she acquired in creative thinking to support her passion for conserving and energy efficiency.
Assumptions Home Owners Make when Buying
Just as people often assume products are sustainable, people often make the same assumptions when purchasing a home. After all, why would people build something defective? Well, the truth is that homes are often built simply for protection, and little thought of comfortability is applied to the building process.
Kellye’s comprehensive knowledge of building functionality is applied when auditing each and every home. She helps clients understand what is needed for their home in order to integrate the necessary elements to improve their level of satisfaction.
Approaching Clients with Attainable Solutions
Kellye is able to achieve her goal to optimize comfortability by communicating with clients in a way that is easy to understand. Kellye has found that the number one reason clients work with her is due to her comprehensive communication skills. She is very articulate and thorough when it comes to her evaluating and conversational methods.
There is an array of resources available to individuals looking to improve and optimize their homes. What Kellye has to offer promises stability, comfortability, and long-term satisfaction. The benefits of a home audit are endless and guarantee to bring great value to each and every client.
Links
AeroBarrier – breakthrough envelope sealing technology, offers a revolutionary air-sealing solution that solves the problem of homes that leak. Air leaks are a major factor in homes that may not be comfortable or perform well. AeroBarrier stops the leaks for improved comfort, health, and safety for the people living in the home.
The #1 reason people call Kellye is high utility bills and lack of comfort. When people see Kellye do an audit, they see the benefit of the audit before she even reviews the audit report with them. The report gives the actions that can be taken to address the issues found. And it is the actions that make the difference. The great reactions and ad hoc testimonials she receives attribute to her passion for her work and helping homeowners live better in their homes.
She knows how to use her tools and talents to discover the “smoking gun” and gets a charge out of being able to find the culprit and get it fixed. You can reach Kellye at Kellye@EnergySmartHomes.us.
Resources on today’s Home Detective for Home Performance
Nest Learning Thermostat
Energy Smart Homes, Kellye Markowski’s company
Home Performance with Energy Star, St. Louis
BPI, Building Performance Institute, for Homeowners
For more information about green homes and green living, check out www.GreenHomeCoach.com.
My guest on today's Green Gab is Rhonda Flint, a wellness advocate with Young Living Essential Oils. Essential oils have been an incredible tool for Rhonda and her family to have healthy bodies, and bring wellness into their home.
A new dimension with essential oils
Before discovering essential oils, Rhonda didn't realize that many of the things that she brought into her home were affecting her family's health, their cognitive abilities, and their endocrine systems. Since she replaced those things with essential oils and established some dietary changes, her children no longer frequent the doctor's office nearly as often as they used to.
Now, her goal is to help people to change their lifestyle and bring about healthier homes.
An incredible wellness tool
Essential oils are nothing new. People have been using them since biblical times. So, whether we ingest them, use them topically, or diffuse them, we're not introducing anything foreign to our bodies, and so our bodies know just what to do with them. Essential oils do an incredible job of boosting our immune systems and helping to fight off free radicals.
Essential oils are a potent tool
Herbs have their place as a tool for your wellness, but to utilize an herb, the plant has to be dead. Most essential oils, however, are extracted from the plants in the steam distillation process, while the plant is still alive. This means that essential oils capture the essence of the plant. So, when compared with herbs, the constituent rate of their anti-oxidant levels is much higher, making essential oils a more potent tool for wellness than herbs.
Essential oils as part of a lifestyle
Essential oils can be used every day, as part of your lifestyle. They help the endocrine system, the upper respiratory system, and the digestive system. You can use them for skin-care, as a deodorant, and as a nutritional supplement.
Healthy lifestyle changes
One of the biggest lifestyle-changes that Rhonda made was to remove all the unhealthy air-fresheners and perfumed candles from her home. We breathe these things into our lungs and we absorb them through our porous skin, so they affect every single organ in our body. Rhonda replaced the air-fresheners and candles with essential oil diffusers. She and her family have learned what it's like to breathe clean air again and many of the ailments they used to suffer from have disappeared.
The other change she made was to stop using drier sheets because they contain benzyl acetate and benzyl alcohol. To replace them she uses a drier ball with some essential oil on it. Drier balls reduce the drying time and they also remove the static from the clothes. If you don't have one, you can simply take a wash-cloth, put a couple of drops of essential oil on it, and place it in your drier.
Small steps towards creating a healthy environment
You don't have to change everything at once. It took Rhonda nine years of baby steps to do it. She started by replacing the air fresheners and candles in her home with diffusers. Then, two years later, when her daughter broke out in a rash on her face, she realized that the drier sheets were toxic, and she replaced them with drier balls and essential oils.
Cleaning up your laundry routine
Today, there are many more clean options available than there were twelve or thirteen years ago. Now, you can walk into any store and find several different kinds available. Many local manufacturers are also making products. Although these products don't always have all the certifications, you can look at the list of ingredients to feel assured that they are good. Or you find DIY recipes to make clean products at home to keep your laundry smelling rosy and fresh.
Easy DIY
Rhonda has tons of DIY recipes available for making your home cozy, clean, and sweet-smelling. Her favorite is the Outdoor Annoyance-Free Spray. It's great for preventing annoying flying insects from bombarding you when you're outdoors, especially in the evenings and around water. It doesn't coat your skin with any harmful ingredients.
An incredible product to replace several others
There are lots of green products available for cleaning your home. Young Living has an incredible cleaner, called Thieve's Household Cleaner, a blend of eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon, and cinnamon bark. It has a wonderfully clean and invigorating smell, and it can replace every other cleaning product in your home. It's very concentrated so it takes just one capful to make a 32oz spray-bottle full of household cleaner. This product is completely safe for anyone to use, even children.
Hidden dangers
When you see the word "fragrance" in a list of ingredients, know that within that word is an entire recipe of other ingredients that the manufacturer is not obliged to mention.
Cooking with essential oils
Young Living has a line of Vitality oils that you can ingest. The Young Living Cinnamon Vitality oil is great in apple pie and you can also boil the apple peels with a little essential oil to permeate the air with a delicious, warm smell. The peppermint oil is wonderful in tea.
Links and resources:
You can find Rhonda on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rhonda.r.flint
Email Rhonda at frugalrhonda@gmail.com
On today’s Green Gab, my guest is Kathy Curran. Kathy has been on an amazing journey to incrementally green her life, and now that the holidays are upon us, greening her gift-giving is her first order of business.
Sustainable Choices
It’s really important to understand where what you buy comes from. Most of us don’t need more stuff. Our homes are already packed to the gills with stuff we don’t need or use. So, as you buy gifts for others, it’s important to make sure that you understand where the products you are buying are coming from. If items have to travel a long way to reach you, that’s not sustainable. If the company you are buying from employs child labor, well, that’s not what you want to endorse. If the company that you are purchasing products from has a record of environmental violations, that’s also not a green choice. When it doubt, look for companies that have achieved B Corporation status. B stands for “benefit”. So they are companies that exist to benefit mankind, not just to solely turn a profit.
It’s not just what you buy, but who you are buying it from and where is it coming from that should play into our gift choices.
Local and Organic are Pretty Safe Choices
We have found some really unique gifts that allow us to make good environmental choices by shopping at local food purveyors. Staying regional with your purchases reduces the carbon footprint of your purchase. Many local food purveyors also have minimal packaging, and many of their products will be all-natural, organic, and made from sustainable crops. They also generally are not packed with the chemicals and preservatives that factory foods have.
Many green gift choices also support your local community and the business owners that serve your local community. Green gifts keep dollars working within your communities.
Give Experiences and not Stuff
We all have that person on our list who is impossible to shop for. They already have everything, don’t need anything, and yet, you still need to give them a gift. The best types of gifts for people like this is to focus on giving experiences, rather than stuff.
Some of our favorite experiences to give are:
- Local classes of workshops pertaining to a hobby - gardening, cooking, painting, writing, pottery, etc.
- Tickets to a favorite play or concert
- Yearly family passes to the State Parks in your state or a state nearby
- Memberships to a museum or local attraction
- Online memberships to heirloom seed clubs or other clubs that support hobbyists
- Gift certificates for Air BnB
- A tour of a local attraction that they’ve never been to
- Give apps like Story Corp to document family history and stories
Green Your Gift Wrapping
Gift wrap and all the packaging that goes into giving gifts is a huge source of waste. The more gifts you give, the more important it is for you to make greener choices with your gift wrap.
Some of our favorite ways to make gift wrapping greener are:
- Wrap in fabrics, not paper
- Use old maps, newspapers as gift wrap
- Buy recycled brown paper to as wrapping paper
- Save gift bags for re-use.
- Buy recycled wrapping paper.
- Recycle your wrapping paper.
- Use mason jars, buckets, clay pots or other items that go with a gift to “wrap” it.
Simplify, Don’t Accumulate
One of the biggest gifts we can leave our children is to simplify your life and unburden yourself of all the stuff. They won’t want most of it and it only creates more work and waste to deal with generations of the stuff that we have in our lives.
The next generation doesn’t want to drag Grandma’s china to their 6 apartments in 3 cities before they get married and settle into a tiny house! So, instead of leaving a ton of stuff, we thing it’s a great idea to identify one special heirloom piece - a teacup, painting, letter, etc. that you want to be meaningful to that child. Then write out the heritage of that item and why it was special to you or Grandma, or Uncle Bob, and give them the one thing they can cherish, along with the documentation of the sentimental value to your family. It’s much more likely to be cherished and displayed with care, than an 88 piece set of china that no one has room to store and will never get used.
Resources Mentioned:
Story Corp App
StoryWorth
White LED Lights
Colored LED Lights
Gifts for Friends
Unique Journal with Laser-cut cover
Food Wraps – for lunches and food storage
Tablecloth – made entirely of recycled bottles
Joy Essential Oil
Metal Straws
We live in exciting times. Nev Hyman has come up with a solution to both the global housing crisis and the current situation with plastic waste worldwide. He has set the stage for the global roll-out of his innovative method of creating building panels from all seven codes of recyclable plastics.
Nev Hyman, from Nev House, based on the Gold Coast of Australia, joins Marla today, to give us an international perspective on green ways of getting much-needed housing out into the world. Nev has been spending time in the United States, talking about his mission with Nev House and spreading the Nev House message.
Nev has been involved in the surfing industry for 45 years. He has never had a "real" job because he has only ever made surfboards and sponsored professional surfers around the world. He started two surfboard companies, Nev Future Shapes, and Bio Wire Surfboards. Bio Wire Surfboards was sold to the eleven-time world surfing champion, Kelly Slater, in 2015.
Nev's passion for surfing, and traveling the world, created within him an awareness of the environment. In 1992, he started noticing that there was a lot of plastic in the ocean. He wanted to do something about it and this is how Nev House was born. Nev made the world's largest surfboard and he surfed it at Huntington Beach with 64 people on it, twice in 2015. This earned him a Guinness world record!
Nev also won an event called Pitch at Palace, where he pitched to Prince Andrew in front of hundreds of people around the world in 2017. This has allowed him to meet and become pals with the royal family. This is because they love what Nev House is doing!
A few weeks back, Nev attended a Go Green summit in Knoxville, Tennessee. At the summit, there was a lot of interest in Nev House, and Nev found it very easy to talk to the people there about taking the waste out of the environment and turning it into houses.
Nev House provides low-cost homes, schools, and clinics, made from unsorted and unwashed recycled plastic. There are some major issues around the recycling of plastics that have to be dealt with before creating a safe, sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, low-maintenance solution. Nev House has come up with a process that allows them to take all seven codes of plastic and create from them lightweight building panels. Most of the plastic that is recycled currently is either code 1 or 2 because the higher numbers become very difficult to recycle.
A quantum shift
There's been a quantum shift recently with recycling around the world. Now is the time for people to put thought and energy into repurposing through re-design, and this is just what Nev House is doing. About seven years ago, China put out the Green Sword to stop the rest of the world from sending them contaminated plastic. BASF, one of the largest chemical companies on the planet, has started a fund called The Alliance Against Plastic Waste, where 30 of the largest plastic companies in the world pool together 1.4 billion dollars to help innovators to come up with solutions for re-purposing plastic by re-design.
Plastic production is not going to stop. A 40% increase in plastic production is predicted for the next five years. There is not going to be enough bio-degradable plastics to replace the fossil-fuel plastics that are already in the environment, so solutions have to be found for ways to use the plastics that have already been produced to create shelter because housing is the largest market on the planet.
"The demand for affordable, rapidly deployed, low-cost, hygienic homes is beyond anyone's comprehension. It's a multi-trillion-dollar industry."
The McKinsey Report, put out in 2014, was looking for the best solution to the affordable housing crisis that the planet is facing right now. The report stated that there are currently more than 250-million displaced people needing shelter.
"We're taking the seven codes of plastic and turning it into a modular design that can be built in a day, or two days. Category 5, or Hurricane 5 rated, earthquake resistant, flood-resistant homes that are culturally-correct in their design, to suit whatever culture the homes can be delivered to."
"Plastic is not evil. The improper disposal of plastic is."
"We can't live without plastic. If we didn't have plastic, we wouldn't have humanity the way it is now, good or bad."
How can you take co-mingled plastic and turn it into panels for housing?
A co-mingled mass of plastics cannot be recycled by normal recycling processes like extrusion, intrusion, injection molding, or roto-molding, all of which require pure polymer. Different plastics melt at different rates, so if you try to melt different plastics together, some of them will burn before the others begin to melt. At Nev House, they use a technique with molds and layers of different plastics with bioplastics on the surface, to create panels for housing. This is called "encapsulation".
"We're encapsulating everything that could potentially be nasty."
Nev has found a solution for the environment using proven technology which he can turnkey in six months. He can start taking the plastic waste out of local communities anywhere on the planet and make things happen fast! Cities have been offering to pay Nev good money to take care of their waste because they know that it would cost them a similar amount to take their waste to a landfill.
How can we all individually help?
Support companies like 4Ocean and POP. Nev House has set up a program called POP which is a plastic offset program that will allow multinational companies like Nestle and Coke to fund recycling plants.
Links:
Nev's website - www.nevhouse.com
4Ocean's website - https://4ocean.com/
To see the biggest surfboard in the world - www.nevhyman.com
How do you look at your stuff? There’s a lot of stuff that makes up your home. When you think about it, your home is a collection of a bunch of resources, materials, and systems. Or, in other words, a lot of stuff. How can you look at the stuff in your home in terms of the three R’s when you bring in more stuff?
The Three R’s and Your Stuff It can be a fun challenge to bring more stuff in your home following the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Reduce Anytime you can reduce the amount of material you use, you win. This not only simplifies your life, but also reduces the amount of materials and how much it costs to put those things together for your home. For instance, maybe instead of putting flooring down, you may just want to finish the concrete. The simpler you can make it, maybe even by using a system, that can work to your advantage.
Reuse There are secondhand stores everywhere, so this is pretty easy. Have you checked out Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores? They have so much stuff in there, and it changes all the time. It can be an adventure to search for used furniture and household goods for building materials. You might even be able to reuse components from homes that are being torn down, remodeled, or redecorated. How about taking an old door and turning it into a table or transforming a tabletop into a barn door?
Recycle This is probably the one R we see the most. A lot of us have curbside recycling bins, so we feel like we’re constantly feeding the system. And we’re giving those materials a new opportunity for a new life when they’re recycled. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough places demanding those recycled materials, and a lot of our recycling efforts are not coming to fruition. But you can make a difference when you put new stuff in your home that has recycled components, such as flooring and paper.
What Is the Stuff in Your Home? You’ll get all kinds of ideas on how to get the right stuff in your home in this podcast. Be sure to check back for new information regularly on how you can make your home greener by using the three R’s plus other ideas!
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Every parent has said to their children—multiple times, “Turn off the water.” We teach our children the importance of not wasting water, but it’s important for us adults to remember as well. And it’s about so much more than just turning off the faucet.
Water plays a bigger role in today’s modern world than it did in the past. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American family uses 300 gallons of water each day. And that only accounts for indoor water usage: drinking, cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene. That’s a staggering amount of water. To put it into perspective, imagine for a moment that you had to carry that much water to your home before you could use it. That would definitely make you think about the amount of water you’re using on a daily basis.
The Leaks That Are Upping Your Water Usage
Research shows that the typical home loses somewhere between 2,000 and up to 20,000 gallons of water each year because of leaks. That’s a lot of water!
Leaks can come from a number of sources, some of which you might not have considered. What about your toilet that doesn’t shut off? Or a tiny leak in your plumbing? It all adds up to a noticeable increase in water usage.
How can you tell if you have leaks in your home? Start by reviewing your water bill. If you see an unexpected rise, it’s probably be time to investigate. You might need help from a professional to inspect irrigation systems or pipes that you cannot easily access. Most leaks are not those that we see with the naked eye.
Water as Power We use water in and around our homes and offices, but we also use water as a power source. It takes a little more than one gallon of water to produce one watt-hour of electricity. That means a 150-watt incandescent light bulb requires 174 gallons of water to operate for just one hour. But most of us don’t run a light bulb for just one hour. And that water usage just racks up.
Reducing our water usage results in an energy savings. And the opposite is also true: Reducing our energy usage results in a water savings.
We don’t think about this correlation most of the time, mostly because even Energy Star appliances aren’t labeled with how much water is used to create the energy they use.
Easy Ways to Reduce Water Usage
You can take small steps to cut back on your water usage on a daily basis. Here are just a few:
• Take shorter showers: five minutes or less.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Switch to a low-flow showerhead.
• Use the half flush option on the toilet when available and appropriate.
• Turn off water faucets tightly (and fix them as needed) to avoid drips.
• Keep cold drinking water in the fridge so you don’t have to wait for it to cool at the tap.
• When washing dishes, use a sink of water to wash and then rinse them all together instead of individually.
• Water the garden only when plants really need it, and then just the roots and soil rather than spraying leaves and flowers.
• Use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers.
• Water outside in the early morning or late evening when water evaporates less.
On this episode of Green Gab, you’ll learn even more about water usage from Angie Mendica of Crescent Plumbing. And read the full chapter about water usage in my book, Living Green Effortlessly, to learn more about how you can use less water—and less energy.
Resources: Plumbing Fixture Recommendations
Watersense Plumbing Fixtures
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
All of us want to breathe well in our homes. Yet often, the indoor air quality or the indoor environment, may not be allowing us to breathe as well as we want. There are immediate actions all of us can take to breathe well in our homes. Years ago, I started switching to non-toxic, safer cleaners and now I even use a few homemade cleaners. Both your local stores and online outlets offer many safer, non-toxic cleaning products and natural cleaning recipes abound on the internet.
Next, you will want understand how leaky your home is, as leaks bring pollutants into our homes, as well as leaking the heated or cooled air. There is a lot you can do on your own, yet you may want to bring in a home professional, such as an energy auditor, to help locate the leaks and advise the best way to address them.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Is a new home on the horizon for you? Or would you like to improve the efficiency of your existing home? This time, we’re gabbing with Christy Howell of Align, who provides suggestions to build a green home that meets you where you are and provides sustainability for the future.
What Is Sustainability? At its core, sustainability means that it’s built to last. Anything can be sustainable, from your home to your lifestyle. If it lasts and continues to serve you, then it’s sustainable. To build a green home, you want it to work with you—and for you—instead of being a slave to it. You want to build it mindfully with intention in the choices you make.
Where to Start to Build a Green Home When you’re ready to build a green home, look first to your building envelope. That’s your foundation, walls, windows, doors, and roof. They make up the main elements of the building. There are lots of choices for sustainability in the building envelope. You can do a stick build, which is traditional framing with lumber. Or you can choose a modular approach. If cost is an issue, you could opt for partially green. Maybe go for sustainable components in the doors and windows. Pick the things that are most important to you.
Follow the Standard The National Green Building Standard lists up to six different categories to implement when you build a green home. They are 1. Energy efficiency 2. Water efficiency 3. Resource efficiency 4. Lot development 5. Operation and maintenance 6. Indoor environmental quality There are different levels of implementation and certification, and you can choose the one that fits best for you to build a green home. The four certification levels are bronze, silver, gold, and emerald, with emerald being the highest. While your goal may not be to obtain NGBS certification, their guides are definitely a good source of information for building.
What Makes a Home Green? Green is a catch-all phrase and can mean different things to different people. Perhaps the most meaningful component of green is that the home is safer, healthier, and more comfortable. Health and wellness come from how you build a green home. If you can bring in slightly better components to your home, or even just switch out cleaning solutions, you’re taking steps in the right direction. And that will make a world of difference in the long run.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Host: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Host of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
There is so much to talk about on the topic of lighting. Lighting in your home is of particular importance because there are so many choices. Today, we’ll be providing a few tips of things to think about when lighting your home.
#1 Tip for Lighting in Your Home: Choose LEDs When it comes to lighting in your home, my top tip is to choose LED lights whenever possible. If you have working old-style bulbs, throw them out and replace them with LED as soon as you can. While it might sound like a waste to throw out bulbs, the truth is that you’ll save energy and money. LEDs will pay for themselves in a few months. Not only are LED lights more energy efficient, they’re fun to use as lighting in your home. You can create ambiance, and there are just so many choices. Even at big-box retailers, you can find LEDs to replace just about any bulb in your home.
#2: Layer Your Lighting for Ambiance Where do you start when it comes to lighting in your home? Think about layering. I like overhead lighting for general light: chandeliers, ceiling lights, and hall fixtures. All of those can now be LEDs. If you’re having a challenge with chandelier bulbs being too bright, install a dimmer. Instant ambiance! Of course, make sure you’re using dimmable bulbs. Some dimmable bulbs get warmer colored as they’re dimmed and whiter when they’re bright. That’s the perfect choice for a room that pulls double duty since you can adjust the lighting easily. When putting lighting in your home for ambiance, consider cabinet lighting on your baseboards or above the cabinets. Or put lighting behind glass in your cabinets. And what about safety lighting? The possibilities are endless.
#3: Automate Lighting in Your Home Automation packages give you control over the lights in some or all of your home. You can have your lights come on at set times to wake you or welcome you home. And when you’re on vacation, lighting automation acts as a safety feature as well. Get creative!
Resources: LED Lightbulb
Dimmer
Safety Lighting
**Read more at The Green Home** **Coach** **Website!** **The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:**
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Today we’re gabbing with Kellye Markowski of Energy Smart Homes, an energy auditing and consulting company. She focuses on home comfort by helping homeowners reduce their energy consumption and costs. By working with a company like Energy Smart Homes, homeowners are able to improve the home’s energy efficiency, whether it is a new construction or remodel. And that puts more dollars in your wallet, not just today but for all of the years you own the home. That makes your home and life comfortable in more ways than one!
Don’t Assume Your Home Is Energy Efficient One of the biggest issues Kellye sees in her work is the assumption that the house was built with energy efficiency in mind. Sometimes, yes, but sometimes, no. That’s why the best time to look at an energy audit is before you start a build or even a remodel. But if you’re feeling a difference in temperature in different parts of your home, or your energy bills seem high, it might be a good time to look into the issue. Usually, if there are challenges with home comfort, one of the first areas to look is the thermal envelope. This is how a home stays warm in winter and cooler in summer, how air is exchanged through walls, floors, and ceilings. While some homes have issues with the thermal envelope, they can often be addressed inexpensively. The key is knowing that the problem is there. And, of course, it’s easier to rectify before a build or remodel instead of tackling it after the fact.
Home Comfort Includes Health and Safety During a home audit, not just home comfort is addressed. We spend a lot of time in our homes, and the audit also involves health and safety. It’s all about considering the holistic health of your home. Air quality in a home can contribute to many health issues, and a leaky house isn’t as safe as a tight home. The way the home was constructed can contribute to family members suffering from asthma and allergies. But their health might improve when air tightness and ventilation are addressed.
A Small Investment Can Have a Huge Payout While you do have to pay an energy auditor to come and inspect your home, most homeowners feel that the report they receive gives them a huge return on investment. The number one reason homeowners schedule an energy audit is because their bills are high and their home comfort is low. An energy audit is a day-long process that addresses various aspects of the home and provides homeowners with a number of options to increase their home comfort. Working with someone like Kellye results in suggestions that are attached to various price points and can result in numerous improvements. “Weatherization isn’t glamourous, but it can really make a difference in the comfort of your home.”
Subscribe on iTunes and get the show notes on The Green Gab Podcast. Get the gab with us as we share what we’ve done, as well as tips for greening up your home, your job, your family and your life! Get in on the gab for why green matters.
Resources: Energy Smart Homes
Shop Everyday Green Home
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Learning to drive a home and the systems in it require some basic training something like learning to drive a car.
We talk through some basic training on HVAC filters, thermostat operations/programming, lighting controls, appliance operation, water heater, fan controls, recycling practices/resources, app-controlled stuff and maintenance.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Wondering what to do with all of those holiday decorations all around your home? Lea Gallagher is a professional organizer and provides tips to get that holiday organizing handled. After all, there can be a lot of chaos around the holidays, with busyness, deadlines, and—let’s face it—wrapping paper everywhere. As you start off the new year, you can give yourself a gift now that will mean a lot next holiday season: organization!
Holiday Organizing Basics As you’re packing up all of your holiday decorations, it’s a great time to think about how you can organize it to find it better next year. The best time of year to evaluate your holiday décor is right after the holiday has ended.
As you’re putting things away, ask yourself first: Did I use these things this year? If you didn’t, will you use it next year. Likely not, so perhaps you can purge. Ask yourself these questions:
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Do I need it?
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Do I use it?
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Do I love it?
If you answer yes to two of those questions, keep it; if not, it might be time to find that item a new home.
The Benefits of Holiday Organizing One of the best benefits of taking some time this holiday season to get organized is that you’ll reduce your stress next year. Essentially, your past self is taking care of your future self by getting organized.
Another great benefit of holiday organizing is that you can reduce, reuse, and recycle. That’s at the heart of sustainability and huge in organizing. After all, if you reduce the amount of stuff you have, there’s less to maintain. There’s less guilt in throwing things away. And you save money and space by reusing what you have.
Subscribe on iTunes and get the show notes on The Green Gab Podcast. Get the gab with us as we share what we’ve done, as well as tips for greening up your home, your job, your family and your life! Get in on the gab for why green matters.
Resources Everyday Green Home
Untangle Organizing
Untangle Organizing on Facebook
Untangle Organizing on Instagram
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Host: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Host of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Today, we’re gabbing with Tony Pratte, the director of builder relations at the Sound Room.
We’re talking about how a connected home is a great way to control your energy use, be environmentally aware, and increase safety for homeowners.
These devices also make great gift options for others or yourself.
What Is a Connected Home? A connected home includes all of the different devices used in a home, all of which are connected via a hub or Wi-Fi. That may include a security system, door locks, thermostat, lighting, shades, and irrigation, just to name a few things. All of these components communicate with each other through their connection to a central control system, a processor.
A connected home differs slightly from a smart home. A smart home is technology enabled through a variety of apps. This is the first step, and a connected home is the next step. With a connected home, there’s one app that controls all of the home’s devices. Plus, they can all be voice enabled through systems such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, or Apple’s HomePod. Essentially, the smart home is what it is; the connected home is what it does.
Connected Homes Increase Safety While the younger generation may be more attuned to the idea of a connected home due to its cool factor, it can also create a safer environment for older individuals. For instance, if a senior wants to remain in their home and be independent, having a connected home increases not only convenience but safety. Lights can come on, motion can be tracked, and alerts can be sent. And with a voice-activated system, when an elderly person falls, they can speak to the system and tell it, ask for help. The same convenience and independence can be enjoyed by those with disabilities.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Today, we’re gabbing with Elizabeth Allen, a safe beauty advocate and toxin-free educator. She is passionate about educating women about safer alternatives for healthier personal care products.
The products we choose to use not only affect us. They affect the people around us, our community, and the world. During the holiday season, many of us give and get lotions and potions, so this is a perfect time to look instead to healthier personal care products.
Why Healthier Personal Care Products Matter
It’s important to remember that our skin is our biggest organ, and what we put on it is absorbed. Studies show that 60% up to 100% of what we put on our skin goes right into the bloodstream, with no filters. What you use in your daily routines matters to your overall health.
Europe has banned more than 1,300 harmful chemicals from everyday products. The United States Food and Drug Administration, on the other hand, has only banned 11. That means we need to be very diligent in what we purchase and use in and on our bodies. Unfortunately, our government isn’t always looking out for us.
Don’t Be Fooled by Greenwashing
Given the minimal regulations on packaging and ingredients in the US skincare industry, companies are likely to claim what will help the product sell—regardless of the truth behind it. The packaging may highlight “good ingredients” and not mention the harmful additives. In fact, they may even lure you in with pictures of flowers or natural surroundings. As a smart consumer with an eye on healthy ingredients, you need to review the ingredients yourself.
Ingredients to Avoid in Healthier Personal Care Products
How can you know which ingredients are good and which are bad? Elizabeth has a rule of thumb, and she consistently avoids three specifics products. They are:
Fragrance
Elizabeth refers to fragrance as the f-word for good reason. Did you know there can be up to 3,000 different chemicals hidden behind that fragrance? Companies don’t have to list them because they are protected as trade secrets. Unless the product specifically states that it uses essential oils, it’s a smart idea to avoid anything that’s blanketed as fragrance.
Phenoxyethanol
It is often suggested to avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce, and one of those is phenoxyethanol. This is a preservative that is commonly used in brands that are marketed as natural and safe. The truth is that it can cause allergic reactions, eczema, and hives. When ingested, it can lead to central nervous system damage, diarrhea, and vomiting. You’ll find it in many bubble bath brands targeted to kids.
Talc
Commonly used in cosmetics from baby powder and eyeshadow to feminine hygiene products, talc is a lung irritant and has been linked to organ system toxicity. There is even a concern that talc has been associated with cancer.
Start with Baby Steps
It can be very overwhelming to think that the products in your home might be causing you and your family harm. Your first response may be to trash everything in the house, but that can be costly. Instead, as you run out of a product and go to replace it, look for healthier personal care products. Scan the labels; avoid the big-bad ingredients; and seek to improve your health.
And as you look for holiday gift ideas, be sure to read the ingredients. These days, healthier options are available at every store. You don’t need to shop only at specific places to find great options. Read the labels at Walmart, Target, and the grocery store. If you shop online, look at those ingredients.
Take the first step to a happier, healthier you. You’ll be glad you did.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Today, we are gabbing with Kathy Curran, who works with us, and we are talking about the joy of greener gift giving during this season of giving.
Kathy was inspired by her adult daughter, who is focused on being green at home since starting her own family. At the holidays last year, her daughter asked for “no stuff,” but you have to open presents at the holidays, right? So Kathy started considering how to change the way they do the holidays and created an opportunity for greener gift giving.
Greener Gift Giving = Rethinking When considering how to reduce your impact when it comes to gifts, it really comes down to shifting your thinking. Many people are past the idea that stuff matters; instead, they want experiences. Some ideas of experiences include:
- Annual membership to the national parks or area museums.
- Season tickets to the local theatre.
- Gift certificate to AirBnB.
Keep Local If stuff is important to the people on your list, you can keep it local. When you shop locally, more money is kept local. On average, 48% of what you spend locally stays within the community, as compared to 14% of purchases as chain stores.
Local consignment and secondhand stores tick off two boxes: keeping money local and recycling goods.
Look to the Internet In a pinch for greener gift giving? Try an ebook or audio book. There’s no need for anything to be shipped, and you’re still providing a type of experience. And if you’re not sure what the gift receiver would prefer, a gift card allows them to choose the perfect book.
Make Greener Gift Giving at Home Everyone appreciates handmade gifts. Whether it’s your favorite cookie recipe or a hand-knitted sweater, something that is made with love is warmly received. Not personally talented? Gather favorite family recipes or record an older family member’s stories for the next generation. You’ll combine greener gift giving with legacy, and that’s always a perfect fit.
Resources White LED Lights
Colored LED Lights
Gifts for Friends Unique Journal with Laser-cut cover
Food Wraps – for lunches and food storage
Tablecloth – made entirely of recycled bottles
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:
Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Host of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Today, we are gabbing with Tyson Taussig with Lighting Inc. about LED lighting. LED stands for light-emitting diodes, and these LEDs were originally used for computers, cars, and other electronic components. It’s only been recently that LEDs have become commonly used for home and office lighting. And the benefits of switching to LED lighting are worth taking a look.
The Benefits of LED Lighting
Tyson explored a number of benefits of transitioning your home or business from incandescent to LEDs. Here are the highlights:
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LEDs Are Available in a Wide Selection Just a decade ago, you’d be hard pressed to find the kind of LED bulb you needed. Plus, they were expensive. Today, LEDs are available in even specialty bulbs, and they are priced as low as $5 per bulb.
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They’re Energy Efficient Because LEDs are so much smaller in comparison with other light sources, they put off much less heat. Since they are more energy efficient, LED bulbs don’t need to be changed as frequently. They can last 5–10 years, meaning not only are you no longer changing bulbs, but you’re not spending the money or putting old bulbs in landfills. That’s good for homeowners as well as facility and maintenance teams, and of course, for the environment as well.
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They Look Amazing When you switch to LEDs, you’ll notice a cleaner light source. Switching to LED lighting can make a big difference in your home’s décor.
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It’s Easy to Switch If you can change a light bulb, you can start switching to LED lighting. It’s just that simple.
When Should You Consider Switching to LED Lighting? Some people think that, if they are still using incandescent bulbs in their homes, they’ll just wait until they burn out to replace them. Since LEDs last up to five times longer than their counterparts, every time you turn on an older bulb, you’re actually wasting money.
Instead of waiting, you can realize significant savings by switching to LED lighting now. According to The Simple Dollar, over a 23-year period, the total cost of an incandescent bulb will be $201, versus $48 for CFL bulbs and $38 for LED lighting. If you change now, you’re essentially putting $163 back in your pocket over the next two decades.
Essential Oils for a Cozy Home
In addition to the health benefits associated with essential oils, they can help create a warm, cozy home. They can take the place of air fresheners, candles, and other canned scents. Just a drop of two of essential oils can be added to water in a diffuser, making it a cozy home and a healthy environment.
Plus, ailments disappear by getting rid of those artificial scents. That’s because we absorb all of the chemicals in them through our pores and by breathing them in. With essential oils, however, you continue to breathe clean air—while still enjoying lovely scents. And no chemicals.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Host of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Do you know what you’re bringing into your home and how those chemicals are affecting your health, cognitive ability, and endocrine system? Most of us don’t even think about it. But many of the products you use at home are doing your family a disservice.
Recently, there’s been a movement toward plant-based science and the medicinal nature of our foods and herbs, and it all ties into essential oils. Since the beginning of time, we’ve lived off the land. And essential oils are of the land. Whether we ingest them, use them topically, or diffuse them, we’re not putting anything foreign into our bodies. The body welcomes essential oils, which do an incredible job of boosting the immune system and helping to fight off free radicals. Truly, they are an incredible wellness tool.
What makes essential oils better than just using the native herb or plant? As Rhonda points out, herb must be dead and dried to be of use. Alternatively, essential oils are extracted from the plants in a steam distillation, while the plant is still alive. They are truly the essence of the plant. And that means the antioxidant level is much higher. It’s kind of like comparing canned green beans with fresh.
Essential oils are supplements. They can be used every day to help with the endocrine, upper-respiratory, and digestive systems.
Essential Oils for a Cozy Home
In addition to the health benefits associated with essential oils, they can help create a warm, cozy home. They can take the place of air fresheners, candles, and other canned scents. Just a drop of two of essential oils can be added to water in a diffuser, making it a cozy home and a healthy environment.
Plus, ailments disappear by getting rid of those artificial scents. That’s because we absorb all of the chemicals in them through our pores and by breathing them in. With essential oils, however, you continue to breathe clean air—while still enjoying lovely scents. And no chemicals.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Host of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Gabbing with Angela Moore, the facilities and sustainability coordinator for the Missouri Historical Society. She works to create more sustainable programs and facilitate more sustainable initiatives for the Historical Society. As Angela pointed out, it’s important to preserve history and culture, and to do that you have to preserve the earth so it’s here for many generations to come.
One of the Historical Society’s goals is to make history accessible to all. Pair that with their core value of being good stewards and advocates for sustainability, and it just makes sense to look to the past and the future. The Society’s focus permeates all of the areas under their umbrella, including the Missouri History Museum, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, and Library & Research Center. In fact, the new Soldiers Memorial Military Museum is expecting a LEED certification, so the Society is really putting into practice their goals and values.
Sustainability at Missouri Historical Society
During her time with the Society, Angela has effectively brought their sustainable actions to the forefront of the community, showcasing the impact those efforts are having.
The Missouri Historical Society also participates in the St. Louis Green Business Challenge and has been involved since its early days. In fact, in 2017, they won the St. Louis Green Business Challenge award, champion level. That win invigorated the Missouri Historical Society to do more and share more.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
“The whole idea of green can be done one choice at a time” which is basically what Marla’s book Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home, is about. Marla and Tony agree that it’s not just about radical “tree-hugger” kind of stuff but everyday simple choices. Tony wants folks to know that making simple changes can greatly affect the environment and the quality of life for decades to come.
“Green,” or “going green” is a catch-all term that has come to mean being more mindful and conscientious about things you can do to make better homes, better buildings, better lives and a better future. For some “going green” can be overwhelming as they are not sure what to do or where to start. Marla encourages people to use more of a “green as you go” approach, an incremental green course of action rather than trying to paint your whole life green all at once. Tony sees it as a step by step lifestyle change, somewhat like a “paint by number” project where one decision builds on another with lots of shades of green.
The fact is that a green home is simply a holistic approach to building and remodeling. Beginning with a basic set of values and priorities helps builds a template from which every project can then be approached. From painting one wall in a bathroom to replacing the facet in the kitchen or purchasing a new area rug for the hallway, if you know your priorities you can make better decisions. You can paint by numbers in as many shades of green as you desire, just start somewhere to invest in the future for yourself, your family, community and the world.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Theresa Garza joins us to gab about the HERO program, a way to help home and property owners make energy efficient home improvements and help finance them in a new way. The HERO program is launching in Missouri in 2017 and utilizes PACE financing. PACE, or Property Assessed Clean Energy is a way to finance energy efficiency upgrades or renewable energy installations. The HERO program helps homeowners and property owners get approved for PACE financing and connects them with qualified HERO contractors to perform the work. The HERO Program can be used for heating and cooling systems, roofing, energy-efficient doors and windows, and solar.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Millennials are paying close attention to the stories behind the brands, companies, manufacturers and builders they patronize. Before purchasing, consumers today are more apt to research a company’s values and how those values affect the way they conduct business. Millennials tend to choose products, brands and businesses that are involved in the betterment of struggling communities, global social justice issues and the environmental impact of production.
Marla recalls an article titled, “Millennial Women have Strong Purchasing Power. What Influences It?” that talks about the collective purchasing power of millennial women that is reaching a staggering 170 billion in size. The article states the brand story behind a product is extremely important as 41% of those surveyed claimed to know who founded the company and 47% claimed to know the story of origin behind their favorite brand. More importantly, 45% say a primary influencer for them is the brand’s sustainability practices. Today’s young purchasers know how to do their research and are not afraid to leave honest reviews. They also have the power of the internet behind them which can cause a bad review to go viral in a blink of an eye.
In today’s market, it’s vital to let the public know how a business benefits the community, how they help and protect the planet and what they are doing to relieve suffering in the world. Tony states that “marketing is not selling, it’s educating, it’s laying the foundation for choice and change,” that’s why letting the public know about a company’s green practices and commitment to sustainability must be highly publicized. One way companies are getting the word out is through a website called GreenBiz that publishes information on corporate sustainability. Large companies readily participate in these types of websites as they understand they must market to the demand for green sustainable homes and products.
Everyone can do something. Simple things you can do in your office is adding plastic, aluminum and paper recycling containers, purchasing energy star office equipment and using LED light bulbs. If you’re in the building trades you might think of providing for on-sight recycling of construction waste, as well as re-using and repurposing construction waste. In the home, a good place to start is by purchasing toilette paper made from recycled paper, installing control and automation technology that turn lights, heating and cooling systems on and off at certain times of the day. The important thing is to walk your own talk through everyday green choices and to follow the millennials lead by making purchases from green sustainable companies who care about humanity and the planet.
Now that’s walking the talk!
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
The stuff our homes are made of has changed as the world has become a smaller place. While houses used to be built from whatever was available, usually locally, materials now may come from anywhere and everywhere.
Using resources – materials and products – wisely is a key practice of green building and includes practices ranging from optimizing use of resources (such as wood for framing) to choosing durable materials that will stand the test of time and offer lower maintenance.
Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar: Subscribe via iTunes | Subscribe via RSS Feed | Facebook Page | Twitter Page | Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
— Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more.
Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University.
Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com
Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn
Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University
Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode.
Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn