It's Easy Being GREEN

Yesterday, St Patrick's Day, I had the opportunity to tour a "Green Home", and I was very inspired to bring more "green" into my daily life. The home that we toured featured many energy-saving systems and has been built with local materials, minimizing the footprint of the building process. Listing agent, Mia Hannah, told us that the annual energy bill for this home is $150.00! When you are in the Roswell area, take time to go over and tour Weatherford Place, the community of EcoCraft Homes near Historic Roswell.

The home is open to tour on Wednesdays from 1-5, Sundays, 1-4 or by appointment.



Here are a few simple changes we can make in our daily lives to promote our healthy planet.



1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.
2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.
3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.
4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.
5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.
6. Buy in season.
7. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. You'll find more on energy-efficient products and practices at Energy Star.
8. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it. Turn off energy strips and surge protectors when not in use (especially overnight).
9. Recycle your newspapers.
10. Car pool. Connect with other commuters at eRideShare.



My father worked for a utility company, and I can still remember him always reminding his four daughters to turn off lights, television sets, curling irons, etc., etc.

I tell people my family was energy conscious long before everybody else caught on!

I would love to hear from any of you who are making green changes in your home.

Linda