The Deep Shades of Green – Vote with your wallet

Seems you can’t go anywhere with out people talking about being green. And the media seems to be feeding the “green washing of America.” Companies that promote themselves as green are “green sheen.” And there are plenty of websites, books and speakers who will tell you what they think green is. I’d like to talk about the deeper shades of green.

 

• Buying a detergent that is biodegradable is green
• Buying the detergent in a container that has been already recycled is dark green
• Recycling that container again is a deeper shade of green

 

• There is a roofing company that has a 50 year warranty on it, that’s sustainable or green
• That company’s energy comes from the methane produced by the cattle ranch in the area, that’s dark green
• If your roof installer takes off your old roof and has it ground up into small pieces to be reinvented as new roofing, that’s a deeper shade of green

 

• Buying and using a push mower in the yard, green
• Cancelling your gym membership and not driving across town to the gym because you are now getting plenty of fresh air and exercise, dark green

 Hybrid Cars are cool?

• What was wrong with your old car?
• Where is your old car now? Still running? Polluting?
• Is your hybrid deep green or just more energy efficeint?

 

• Buying clothes or books from a used store is green
• Taking old clothes and books to the used store is green
• Turning old clothes, like blue jeans into a comforter, turning your furnace down and cuddling with somebody you love while sharing a story book is a deeper shade of green.

 

• Replacing your appliances with Energy Star is green
• Giving your old working appliances to a charity is dark green
• Having non-working appliance turned into a useable objects is dark green.
• (I know people who take old water heaters and make grills and smokers out of them)

 

• Using biodegradable laundry soap is green
• Hang drying clothes saves electricity and UV light kills bacteria, dark green
• In areas where it’s possible using grey water is dark green (so to speak)

Granite Counter tops are sustainable, but

      Leaving a hole in the earth and shipping it ½ way around the world, ?

      Removing an old countertop and putting it into a land fill, ?

      Can granite off gas?

        IDEA!!! Ask your local installer if they have remnant granite. I know of a few people who got great deals on counter tops because they were flexable on the color. Or only do a few counters and still have the “granite look.”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Refinancing your home? Ask your lender about a Green Mortgage. In some cases you can save a portion of a percent or get a rebate by going green. You wouldn’t know unless you ask! http://activerain.com/action/channels/activerain/topics/green_mortgages

 

　

I purchased the house I live in approx 6 years ago. I asked a friend to build me a car port since I had plenty of land and no covered parking. He build me a car port for the price of materials and I bought clothes for him. I worked in a department store and got a discount and he would rather have a root canal without medication than shop. Dena where’s this story going?

A feral cat has moved into the rafters of my car port. It’s dry and the cats protected from predators and the weather. I no longer have a mouse problem and don’t have to put poisons out anymore. Also, I don’t have to run my car as long to remove frost, ice and warm the car up. I win, my friend wins, the car wins, the mouse looses out.

In this same house I decided that it would look nicer if I removed a window and replaced it with a door and removed a malfunctioning door and put in a window. My hope was that the house would look nicer and the ventilation would improve. Not only did this work out the way I wanted but the new door lets in much needed light and heats the tile in my kitchen. The kitchen is now the warmest place in the house and it doesn’t have heat!

The man who did the work for me did it for free, I gave him the door and window as well as extra bathroom fixtures someone gave to me. He has now put in a bathroom in his oversized garage and no long tracks across his wife’s clean floors. I wins, he wins, his wife wins and the floors are staying clean! 

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There are plenty of resources on “Green.” Make sure the “green” on the labels

of the things you buy are a deeper shade of green.

 

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eep Green People:

 

Ask Stephanie Edwards Musa  about her ideas on green building http://activerain.com/youragentsteph

JaneAnn is green down to her DNA http://activerain.com/janeanne

Deb Hurt is recycling homes http://activerain.com/debhurt

Mary Bigelow knows how a green mortgage can help http://activerain.com/mabigelow

Read Joan Whitebrook because she’s worth the read : http://activerain.com/nhbuyerrep

Read what Ecobrokers are saying : http://activerain.com/groups/ecobrokers

Visit with your neighbors and learn what’s going on where you live: www.greendrinks.org

 

Ask your agent if they are an Ecobroker or why not. Don’t let your agent ‘green wash’ their way to selling you a home.

Remember we “vote” with our wallets

Pueblo extends a warm welcome to Vestas and it’s employees

　

True Story Time

　

Examples of dark green or deeper shades of green