Did you know that many states are now offering incentives to residents for energy-efficient upgrades to their home? To determine what’s available in your state, one great resource is the online Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (http://www.dsireuse.org). This website continuously updates their listings, so check it often to see what programs and rebates you can benefit from.

From the DSIRE homepage, click on your state for a comprehensive list of state policies and incentives. For any particular rebate, it’s important to consider the available details. Click on the name of the rebate program to review the specific terms, deadlines, and application procedures to make sure that you can get the most money back for your conservation investments.

With all of the incentives out there, choosing the best energy-efficiency investment decisions and green product purchases can be a challenge. Making sure to follow the correct steps in obtaining your rebate can also be overwhelming. Your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant is the perfect local resource to help you make sense of your state incentives and determine the best path for you to follow on the road to energy efficiency. Your Eco-Consultant can also introduce you to Green Irene’s full line of green products, including products that qualify for local rebates! For instance, there is currently a rebate available in Arizona and Nevada that offsets much of the cost of the low-flow shower head that Green Irene offers. Contact your Eco-Consultant today, and take advantage of your local energy-efficiency incentives while they last!

We just joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group for the first time. We live in New York City and there is a bounty of organic products within 50 miles up the Hudson River Valley. We will get 24 weekly boxes of veggies and fruits (for pickup at the local community center each Monday after work). We’ll keep you posted, but here is some good information on what a CSA is.

Rosamaria Caballero
Green Irene

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer. In brief…

Advantages for farmers:

• Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
• Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
• Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
• Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown

It’s a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it. The government does not track CSAs, so there is no official count of how many CSAs there are in the U.S.. Non-profit LocalHarvest has the most comprehensive directory of CSA farms, with over 2,500 listed in their database. In 2008, 557 CSAs signed up with LocalHarvest, and in the first two months of 2009, an additional 300 CSAs joined the site.

To find a CSA near you, visit Local Harvest’s CSA search at http://www.localharvest.org/search-csa.jsp.

Want to get the most bang for your buck in going green? High profile projects like home solar panels may not actually be the best first step. Check out Minnesota Power’s energy conservation pyramid above, which can help in understanding the best choices to get the highest return on your investment.

As the pyramid shows, changes like reducing vampire power and switching to energy-efficient lighting can make a big impact for your home without the significant cost of more complex projects like replacing windows or installing a home wind turbine. This means smaller purchases like CFL bulbs to replace incandescents or power strips for electronics can be the best way to start conserving.

Even more importantly, the pyramid shows that the base for energy conservation is information. Understanding your energy usage, potential steps, and appropriate products and tools is fundamental to any other conservation measures you may take.

A Green Home Makeover from your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant is a perfect first step in determining your best path to energy conservation. Your Green Irene Eco-Consultant is your local green friend who can help in making sure you get the best possible return on your investments. They can also provide you with more information on Green Irene’s wide selection of products for energy conservation and more, making sure that you choose the right products for greening your home. Contact him or her today, and start building the foundation to your family’s energy efficiency.

Imagine a simple design change that could save between 3,650 and 7,300 gallons of fresh water every year in your household alone. That’s the average quantity of water that goes down your bathroom sink’s drain annually. A graywater system, in which waste water is filtered and then reused for the toilet, can save these gallons from being wasted.

Graywater bathroom fixtures are no longer hard to find, but they still tend to focus more on function than on form. There are adapter kits that can change a standard plumbing arrangement and connect the sink to the toilet, but these can be clunky affairs.

However, now there are options that combine style with green features. Integrated toilet and sink fixtures (like the unit pictured above from Spanish manufacturer Roca) are a nice streamlined effort, albeit at a steep price. An automatic cleaning system prevents bad odors and bacteria, while a specialized tap controls the water’s temperature and flow for maximum energy savings.

As these options come down in price and become more available, they’ll make it that much easier for consumers to  green their homes without having to settle for a product they find unappealing. As more green products enter the market, choice will give all consumers more incentive to go green.

Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes may have posed the original question, but it’s something we should all consider since we in the U.S. average 50 pounds of toilet tissue, paper napkins and paper towels per year! That’s seven trees worth! Worldwide, about 270,000 trees are used and discarded each day. Here are a few ways to reduce your paper footprint:

· Buy single-ply, unscented and lotion-free tissue products whenever possible.

· Avoid colored tissue. Buy dye-free (i.e. white) or unbleached paper products. These dyes and bleaches also can irritate your skin.

· Switch to cloth napkins. They are much more civilized, not to mention more effective. Use different colors or unique napkin rings for different members of the family and wash them when they’re soiled.

· Cut paper towel use with Green Irene’s Twist Sponge Cloth (3-pack for $4.50). They easily wipe kitchen and bath surfaces like a paper towel and absorb like a sponge. Better yet, they replace 17 full rolls of paper towels! You may also like our Twist Scrubber Sponge (2-pack for $5) and the Twist Dish Dumpling Scrubber ($4; featured in the February 2010 issue of Bon Appétit).

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

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.

“Going green” is a concept that can be applied to almost every area of your life, including how you select your home’s window treatments. Most people see window treatments as a way to decorate or have more privacy in their homes, but there are a few characteristics you can look for in blinds, shades or draperies that make them more eco-friendly.

The first of these characteristics is energy efficiency. This is not only good for the environment; it’s good for your wallet too. Energy efficient window treatments can help drastically reduce your energy bills by providing thermal protection. In the winter, certain window treatments can help provide insulation by preventing heat loss. Others can be effective in the summer by reducing heat gain. Your location and the type of material you select are both factors in a window treatment’s energy efficiency.

Checking the R-Value and Shading Coefficient ratings of the material is the best way to determine how energy efficient it is. The R-Value tells you the material’s effectiveness at preventing heat loss and the Shading Coefficient will tell you how much heat is coming through the window. So, if you live in a region where temperatures are colder for most of the year, you want to go with a material that has a high R-Value and low Shading Coefficient.

The next characteristic you want to look for in a “green” window treatment is whether or not the material is made from recyclable or renewable materials. Try and find products that are made from natural materials like cotton, hemp or silk and are not treated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals. The impact a treatment has on air quality is a factor in this as well. GREENGUARD certified products are well-regarded, as they have been tested for chemical emissions. The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute is a non profit organization whose mission is to improve public health and quality of life by improving indoor air quality.

Sustainable manufacturing is the final characteristic you should look for in an eco-friendly window treatment. This means selecting a product that is manufactured without the emission of greenhouse gases, generating waste, or using non-renewable or toxic materials. A product’s entire life cycle and its full impact on the environment and the surrounding community are considered in sustainable manufacturing. The goal is to be able to manufacture in a way which is so sustainable that it is able to continue far into the future.

There is no one treatment that encapsulates all of these characteristics and unless the product comes with some sort of certification statement, you may have to do some research into a product to find out just how eco-friendly your window treatment is. NYC area residents may want to consider Horizon Window Treatments. But regardless of your location, if you follow these guidelines you should be able to select a treatment that is best for you, your wallet and the environment.

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.

While we are all trying to stay comfortable in the cold, the furnace runs frequently in the winter, especially during cold snaps like we’ve experienced over the last few weeks. But what do you know about how your furnace operates, other than how to turn it up or down, and maybe how to change the filter once in awhile?

Don’t be indifferent to this large combustion appliance, or any other fuel-burning equipment in your home. These appliances, which burn oil, natural gas, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), wood or biofuels, produce carbon monoxide exhaust. Because our houses generally are built pretty tightly (even though it may not feel like it sometimes), it’s important to take some precautionary steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning while the house is closed up for the winter.

Here are some basic safety measures to prevent carbon monoxide exhaust from entering your home:

• Install carbon monoxide alarms on all levels of the home (you conveniently can order one online through Green Irene).
• Replace any carbon monoxide detectors that are more than five years old. The sensors in the detectors are accurate for only about five years.
• Don’t warm up your car in an attached garage.
• Don’t use the top of your furnace or water heater as a shelf. Keep it clear all around.
• Keep flammable and corrosive materials far away from heat sources.
• Don’t run bathroom exhaust fans for more than 10 minutes after your shower, and try to avoid running multiple fans at the same time. Depending on the venting system on your furnace or hot water heaters, running the bathroom or kitchen exhaust fan can cause negative pressure (backdraft) in the home. It also can suck all the hot air out of your house, too (hot air naturally wants to travel to cold and seek every opportunity to do so).
• Watch for soot build-up on or around the furnace or water heater.
• Be sure the chimney and flue pipes are clean, tight and free of corrosion and obstructions.
• Never use an unvented gas or kerosene heater in a living or work space.
• Know where underground fuel and electric lines are buried.
• Have all fossil fuel appliances tested annually for proper operation by a qualified service person.

Green Irene Item #: 40150
Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector and Alarm

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

2010 might be the perfect year to replace your old home appliances. A new government initiative, modeled after the popular “Cash for Clunkers” program, provides rebates to consumers who purchase energy-efficient appliances to replace their older energy-hogging models.

The program will be administered at the state level, so the details will be different depending on your location. To find out what your state is offering, Consumer Reports has created this interactive map:

You can also visit the Department of Energy’s directory for local programs (http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/70022.html) and select your state.

Rebates will only be available during the specific time period established by your state, so make sure to check out when your program begins and ends. Also keep in mind that the program has only one-tenth as much funding as Cash for Clunkers, so rebates could run out fast.

This is a great opportunity for consumers to save money both through the rebate and through energy conservation from the use of more efficient appliances. The older the appliance, the greater potential you have to save on your utility bills going forward. Do consider though, that for appliances that are less than five years old, it might not make sense to buy a replacement just for the rebate unless you plan to upgrade to a much higher efficiency model.

Also in effect through Dec. 31, 2010, is a federal tax credit for 30% of the cost of certain energy-efficient equipment items for your primary home (up to $1,500). Your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant can help you to make sense of these rebates and credits as part of a Green Home Makeover. Contact your local Eco-Consultant for more details, and start benefiting from energy conservation within your home.

Have you taken advantage of any green tax credits, rebates, or incentives? Let us know in the comments below!