Save Energy and Sell Your Household Carbon Credits

We are excited that our customers can now not only save thousands on their electric, natural gas and heating oil bills, but can generate additional savings by verifying their savings by entering their utility bills and selling the resulting carbon credits thru a broker.  There is a big issue of verification of the bills, but a solution will emerge to solve it. It is the sign of things to come!

-Green Irene

US couple take lead on carbon trade by selling their first credit

A Pennsylvania couple has sold the world’s first carbon credit awarded for a reduction in personal carbon emissions. About 1,800 others have signed up to follow suit – underlining the US public’s readiness to press ahead on the issue.

The Wilsons began by getting rid of their son’s heated water bed, turning off power to computers and televisions when not in use, changing to energy-efficient light bulbs, hang-drying their laundry…

Then they signed up on the MyEmissionsExchange.com site to have their energy savings calculated. They found that they had already saved one ton of carbon, which earned them a carbon credit. The exchange sold the credit for $21.50 to Molten Metal Equipment Innovations of Ohio, taking a 20 per cent commission.

“Everybody wants to be environmentally friendly,” said Ms Wilson, 49, a water treatment plant operator. “It takes a trigger point to get people involved. For us it was the announcement of a 30 per cent increase in our electricity bill.”

MyEmissionsExchange.com (http://www.myemissionsexchange.com/Default.aspx) is hoping that other individuals will not only want to be paid for their energy savings but that companies will be keen to buy credits easily verified by comparing a family’s improving power bills.

MyEmissionsExchange began trying to help individuals to enter the carbon market in October 2009. The site, which verifies and sells personal carbon credits, is open to any individual household or business that wants to earn a personal carbon credit by demonstrating it has reduced its electric, natural gas, propane or fuel oil bill compared with the same month a year earlier.

EPA Home Energy Yardstick: How does your home compare?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed a great calculator that measures your home energy use against similar homes nationwide.

The calculator only takes a few minutes to complete, though you’ll need either 12 months of utility bills or an annual summary from your utility company on hand. Aside from electricity, you can also enter information for natural gas, fuel oil, propane, and kerosene.

After running the calculator, you’ll receive an estimate of your home’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and a “yardstick” rating that compares you to other households of similar size and composition. You’ll also be able to check out some recommendations for change that could improve your score, as well as an estimate of the potential energy savings these changes would provide. Your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant can help you save money and energy. See our 15 Reasons to get a Green Home Makeover. Please find a local Green Irene Eco-Consultant here.

Holiday Hostess Gifts

This is the time of year for open houses and holiday parties, and with those events come the obligatory hostess gifts. This year, think outside the box of chocolates and get creative with tokens of appreciation that are appropriate and eco-friendly.

Five Green Hostess Gifts:

Wine: Wine is a customary selection as a hostess gift, and usually is appreciated (and consumed). This year, ask your wine purveyor for a good local or organic selection. Fetzer is a commonly found, inexpensive vintner that follows environmentally-friendly practices.

Water Bottle: Get your hostess off the (water) bottle by giving him/her a reusable stainless steel water bottle. Green Irene has a variety of sizes (from 10-33 ounces) in vibrant colors, and even offers bottles with sport tops and with water filters. This gift will set the tone for a great green New Year.

Houseplant: Houseplants brighten a dreary winter day while helping to clear the air (which often needs to be done after get-togethers with family!). Plants help freshen up the house by increasing the amount of available oxygen and filtering a variety of pollutants.  

Tote Bags: Give the gift that keeps on giving! Green Irene’s reusable eco-tote is a terrific green alternative to disposable plastic shopping bags! Your friend will think of you every time s/he uses one of these colorful bags! Composed entirely of durable and lightweight ripstop nylon, this tote will carry up to 30 pounds and hold the equivalent of three disposable shopping bags.

Time: The gift of time is often the most appreciated. Offer a gift certificate for leaf raking or snow shoveling for a neighbor. Offer free babysitting for a new mother. Match your talents with the other person’s needs and you’ll have the perfect gift.

Ellen Hall
Eco Consultant
Green Irene
Greening Our World One Home and Small Business at a Time
http://www.GreenIrene.com/CincyDaytonEllen
513-932-7304

Greener Disposable Tableware

I try to limit my use of disposables as much as possible. Reusing something is, after all, the greenest option. But it’s not always practical. If I throw a kid’s birthday party with 20 guests, I need to clean up quickly and get on to the next activity. At the same time, I hate buying bags of plastic plates, knowing that they won’t biodegrade any time soon. In fact, they’ll probably still be around for thousands of years. On top of it all, they’re made from oil, a nonrenewable resource that requires intensive processing. Some plastic plates can technically be recycled, but most recycling facilities will ultimately reject and trash plastics that are greasy or oily. That makes for some pretty dim prospects for recycling plates that have come in contact with any food. All and all, while it’s really convenient, disposable tableware is basically an eco-nightmare all around.

So, I was intrigued when I found some “eco-friendly” alternatives to disposable plastics. But at the same time, I was skeptical. Could something that’s disposable ever really be eco-friendly? After digging deep into this question, I think the answer is a clear yes. In fact, I feel so good about these products that Green Irene is now offering a line of disposable tableware.

So what is this magic material? In a word, sugar – the source of many wonderful things. Green Irene’s plates, bowls, and cups are made from bagasse, a byproduct created during sugarcane processing. Before it was used for tableware, bagasse was burned as waste. Turning this waste product into something useful is much greener than cutting down forests to make paper plates. These products can be torn up and put in your indoor or outdoor composter. They can also be sent to a municipal compost facility, or recycled along with your paper products. Green Irene’s bagasse items can handle hot and cold foods, and they’re even safe for microwave use.

For more information about Green Irene’s disposable tableware, check out Ask Green Irene entry #1204. If you are not a member (which you are when you get a  Green Home Makeover or Green Office Makeover), your local eco-consultant can help you select and order Green Irene’s recommended eco-friendly plates, bowls, cups and utensils.

Rosamaria Caballero
The Original Green Irene Eco-Consultant
rosamaria.caballero@greenirene.com

Why you want stainless steel water bottles and not aluminum (as Sigg incident shows us) or plastic

Heavy Metal: Plastic vs. Metal Water Bottles

A friend of mine recently asked some good questions about water bottles:

Are the Green Irene water bottles all metal or do they have a plastic coating inside? And what is the benefit of metal? I know it will cut down on the production of plastic bottles, which helps the environment, but is there a health reason for using metal over plastic? Doesn’t metal have downfalls?

Many of you probably have similar questions, so I thought I’d share the information with you:

Stainless steel bottles are safe and the most environmentally-friendly option. Green Irene water bottles are made from 304-grade stainless steel – the best quality and considered food grade. Plus, they have been tested for lead.

The interior of our stainless steel bottles are not coated with epoxy resin or any other coating. Stainless steel does not need to be coated with any protective material as stainless steel is inert (meaning it doesn’t react or leach). Aluminum bottles (such as some Sigg bottles), where the water sits in the aluminum, must be coated for protection. Stainless steel is recyclable.

Why stay away from plastic?

* Plastic is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource that largely comes from non-domestic sources.
* Plastic is photo-degradable, not biodegradable, which means it takes 700+ years to degrade in a landfill.
* Plastic can leach harmful chemicals when heated (as in a microwave, dishwasher or hot car).
* Plastic #1 (as in store-bought water) is recyclable, but only about 20% are. That means 80 out of every 100 bottles are discarded.
* Plastic #7 (other) is the code assigned to any plastic that does not fit into the other six rather well-defined categories of material. It includes two main types, but probably the best known (or infamous) type of #7 plastic is polycarbonate, because of the controversy surrounding Bisphenol-A (BPA). Also, #7 is hard to recycle.
* Many reusable plastic bottles are too big for a lunch box.

To see Green Irene’s selection of water bottles, visit: www.GreenIrene.com/CincyDaytonEllen and click on the “Shop Green Irene” tab, then go to the “Recycling and Waste Reduction” product category. Bottles are available in a variety of colors (including an array of choices for the twistable sports cap),  and they can come with or without the Green Irene logo.

Ellen Hall
Green Irene Eco-Consultant
513-932-7304
ellen.cincydayton@greenirene.com
www.greenirene.com/CincyDaytonEllen

Back to School Product Spotlight

We’re happy to announce the addition of new products for the upcoming school year! These new items are in-stock and ready to ship.

	Waste-Free Lunch Kit Our waste-free lunch kit replaces your disposable food wrappings and baggies with an eco-friendly set of re-usable, non-leaching containers and bags. These products will save you money and teach your kids how to be green at the same time!
	Reusable Sandwich Wrap/Placemat Combo This reusable sandwich wrap is perfect for children’s lunches – it not only replaces almost 15 rolls of plastic wrap, but the recyclable lining used in its construction is safe, non-leaching and BPA-free!
	Reusable Snack Pouch This reusable snack pouch holds any type of snack, replaces thousands of plastic baggies, and is safe, non-leaching and BPA-Free. Stick it in a lunch bag or just in a pocket!

Rosamaria Caballero
The Original Green Irene Eco-Consultant

15 Great Reasons To Get a Green Home Makeover

15 Great Reasons To Get a Green Home Makeover from Your Local, Certified Green Irene Eco-Consultant

(1) Your Green Irene Eco-Consultant, supported by the resources of Green Irene LLC, is the LOCAL, knowledgeable green friend you have been waiting for. He or she has the tools and information necessary to move you and your family toward a healthier, greener life. Let them share their knowledge! Get a Green Home Makeover for $99 in about 90 minutes and save thousands!

Energy and Water Savings

(2) Save over $3,500 on your electric bill over the life of your first set of energy efficient bulbs by replacing your old light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs of every shape from candelabras to reflectors and even dimmables.

(3) Save $8,000 and 300,000 gallons of water over 7 years with a $133 Green Irene 2 bathroom water conservation kit.

(4) Save 9% on your electric bill by eliminating Phantom Power loss.

(5) Learn dozens of free and low cost ways to save energy, which you can implement immediately such as how to use your oven, dryer and fridge in the most efficient ways.

(6) Save 8% of the energy to heat your water and reduce your family’s carbon emissions by 1,000 lbs a year with a few simple changes to your hot water heater.

Indoor Air Quality, Toxic-Free Living and Water Purity

(7) Improve your Indoor Air Quality with (no cost) changes in behavior combined with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) cleaner and more effective furnace and a/c filters.

(8) Create a less toxic indoor environment for your children and pets. Learn to avoid Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and the benefits of non-toxic household cleaners like Green Irene’s vinegar-based line.

(9) Understand your household water filtering options from countertop-based 10-stage filtration to chlorine-removing shower filters to whole house reverse osmosis systems and banish bottled water from your home.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

(10) Learn how to turn your food and yard waste (which account for 25% of all landfill contents) into nutrient-rich, non-polluting fertilizer for your houseplants and garden.

(11) Save $1,000s and keep hundreds of pounds of toxic battery waste from your local landfill and groundwater by giving up one-use batteries forever.

(12) Eliminate 1,000s of soda cans and bottles by making your own sparkling water and soda for pennies per quart.

(13) Kick the paper towel habit saving both virgin forests and $100s a year.

Family Carbon Footprint Reduction

(14) Learn how to source “green power” from non-polluting, renewable resources, often from your current utility.

Ongoing Support on Your Path to a Greener, More Sustainable Life

(15) Unlimited support for three months from Green Irene’s member only database of green home solutions and our team of Green experts.

Learn more at the Green Irene website: http://www.greenirene.com/green-home-makeover.aspx

With almost 500 trained Green Irene Eco-Consultants in 46 states, one is likely to be near you:

http://www.greenirene.com/find-a-consultant.aspx

Composting Made Easy

You may know there are many reasons to compost: creating rich soil that needs less chemical-laced fertilizer, saving money on gardening supplies, reducing the amount of garbage that gets mummified in landfills, saving fuel from trips to the dump, the list keeps going. Composting could have a big impact on the amount of trash we generate. A third of all landfill waste across the United States comes from garden clippings and kitchen waste. Instead of being trashed, those items could be put to use to create healthy soil. Starting a compost can be an intimidating prospect, but just a few tips can get you started in no time. 

• First you need a bin to house your compost. Green Irene offers both indoor and outdoor composters. A well-managed compost should have no smell, so housing your compost indoors won’t be an issue. 

• Some people use worms in their compost, also known as vermicompost. Worms create very rich soil, and these composts don’t have to be turned since the worms do the work for you. But you can be very successful without worms as well, so if you’re not a fan of worms don’t worry. We’ll leave vermicomposting out of the discussion here.
   
• The biggest key to composting is knowing what and how much to put in. You’ll be adding two different types of material: “greens” and “browns.” Greens are nitrogen-rich scraps like fresh grass clippings, vegetables and fruits. Browns are carbon-rich materials like twigs, dried leaves, newspapers, and hay. In general, you want have slightly more brown material than green material, although composting is more of an art than a science. 
   
• Many things in your home can be composted. In addition to the thing listed above, you can compost:
  • Tea bags (remove the staples)
  • Coffee grinds (if you use a paper filter, you can compost that too)
  • Saw dust
  • Wood chips
  • Fur/hair
  • Corn husks
  • All yard waste
     
• While you can compost many things, some things should not go into your compost. The following items will eventually breakdown, but they will take a long time and their smell may attract bugs. They’re best avoided: 
  • Grease and oil
  • Dairy products
  • Meat and bones
  • Citrus peels from lemons, oranges, etc. 
     
• Your compost should be fairly moist, about as damp as a rung out sponge. If your compost is too dry, try sprinkling it with some water. Avoid making it too wet, however. Overly-wet composts can start to smell. 
   
• Things biodegrade much faster when they’re hot. If you have an outdoor compost, try locating it some place that gets a lot of sun. For cooler climates, try moving your compost indoors (or into the garage) during the winter months.

Save Money & Go Green During Your Home Remodel

During our first major home remodeling project, our elderly neighbor Joe would come over to see how things were going. Joe came of age during the Great Depression so occasionally he would stoop down, pick up a nail, and hand it to my husband, silently imploring, “waste not, want not” and reminding us of a time when resources were conserved and every nail was considered valuable.

Today we see giant dumpsters parked outside houses with ongoing remodeling projects, full of waste destined for the landfill. Construction contractors tell us it takes too much time to deconstruct a house piece by piece, salvaging some materials for reuse. Time is money, and the labor required to salvage materials is too expensive to be worth it. But is it really too expensive?

Beginning Phase IV of our current house remodeling effort, I decided to run some numbers on our small scale recycling and reuse effort. In a half a day, all the demolition was done and the 2x4s laid in two unruly piles in the remodel space. I set to work with my gloves, safety glasses, hammer and crowbar and restored to usable condition about 28 pieces of stud length lumber and a few shorter pieces. It took about 2 hours, working fairly leisurely, and you can listen to music or talk during the work. Deeply imbedded nails may be removed using a cat’s paw tool or else marked with a red crayon so the framing carpenter will see them and avoid cutting into them and dulling their saw blade or causing a dangerous kick back. For hard-to-remove and headless nails, like the one picture to the right, put the shaft of the nail tight in the claw and bend it sideways, moving the claw up the shaft as the nail comes out.

So what did I save for my 2 hours of labor? The cost of the studs and the cost of disposal are the two biggest things. I also saved a trip to the store, a trip to the dump, and hauling materials out of the house and back in. I did the right thing for the environment, keeping reusable materials out of the landfill and keeping a 28-stud tree standing in the forest.

At my local home improvement store, standard and better 2×4 studs (96 inches that still need to be cut down to stud length) are roughly $2 each with tax. Tipping fees at the dump are $100 a ton. So my 28 studs would cost about $56 dollars to buy new. The 28 studs and nails weighed about 250 lbs. so besides the trip to the transfer station I save about $12.50 in tipping fees.

In total, I saved over $68, paying me $34 per hour for my work cleaning up the studs. You could even afford to pay your teen or tween $10 an hour to do the work and still come out ahead. So next time you or your contractor think salvaging building materials isn’t worth it, think again.

Number of studs reclaimed: 28
Number of hours spent reclaiming studs: 2
Replacement cost of studs: $56
Tipping fees saved: $12.50
Total savings: $68.50
Hourly wage for reclamation work: $34+
Other savings: trip to store; trip to dump; trees left standing; landfill space; mill work
 

Judi Radloff, Kirkland, WA
Green Irene Eco-Consultant
www.GreenIrene.com/EastsideJudi
judi.eastside@greenirene.com 

Volunteer To Green Your Community

Two summers ago, Jack Johnson was performing in my city and asked the concert promoters and concert venue what they were doing to lessen the environmental footprint of the event.  To answer Jack’s question, the venue changed how they were pouring drinks and entered into an agreement with a local recycling facility to handle all recyclables from the venue.  They also created The Green Team. 

A couple of the suppliers at the venue agreed to sponsor The Green Team. The venue bought a bunch of safety vests (yes, the really visible and hideous yellow ones!) and grabbers.  They also bought a bunch of recycling cans and signs.  Then they went out looking for people to volunteer.

I’ve been a member of the Green Team for the past couple of years.  We get into the concerts free and we get a voucher for food at the concession stands. We go out with our grabbers and vests before the concert, during the breaks between bands and for a few minutes after the concert.  The idea is to educate attendees through our presence. We split up and make our way around the venue, being visible and friendly.  We also use our grabbers to rescue recyclables from the regular garbage bins.  Once the music starts, we take our seats and have fun watching the concert. 

I’ve gotten really good at the art of using the grabber.  I can scoop up a half-filled plastic cup, empty it and put it in the recycle bin in a second or two – all without touching anything. 

Now this may sound like a demeaning waste of time.  It’s not.  Every member of the team gets a number of high-fives or hugs during every concert.  We also have people asking us how they can be members of the Green Team.  One guy asked me if he could use the grabber just once – I had to take it back when all of his friends wanted to use it too.  Last summer, someone had to be escorted from the venue because he was a fake Green Team-er – complete with the vest and grabber. 

I’ve also noticed that we are finding fewer and fewer recyclables in the wrong bin. Other venues in the area are catching on – it’s a great public relations move. Once you consider the sponsorships, I’m pretty sure that the costs of our vests, grabbers, tickets and meals are more than covered.  It has made a number of the visiting artists very happy to be performing here.

Last night, I got to listen to Incubus (they were completely amazing), hang out with friends and took several hundred cups, bottles and cans out of landfills. 

This is an idea that can be taken to your community.  Ask local venues what they’re doing and share the story of the Green Team at Usana Amphitheater in Salt Lake City, Utah.   Maybe you can start your own Green Team, in partnership with the venue. 

Leslie Proctor, Salt Lake City, Utah
Green Consultant
http://www.greenirene.com/slcleslie
leslie.slc@greenirene.com 

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