Hello to all our eco-friendly homeowners!
Now, I am NO expert. But I have read many articles and have come to the conclusion that this is where our world is heading. People have created eco-friendly cars, the next thing are homes! Check out below to see some of my favorite ideas!
1. Living Walls – a lot of homeowners are choosing living walls or green wall systems because it purifies the air, humidifies the air, AND reduces volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Studies also show that it promotes a happier and healthier family plus improves mental and physical health.
2. Natural Lighting – this is a major selling point for any buyer. The more natural light, the better! You can either invest in large energy-efficient windows (so the warmth doesn’t escape) or you can invest in a skylight to maximize that natural sunlight!
3. Mix and Match Materials – combining old and new materials is not only eco-friendly, but it gives your home some character! A lot of homeowners are now using reclaimed and re-purposed wood, which then keeps landfills empty PLUS has your home differentiate from all your neighbors!
4. Energy Efficient Appliances – there are energy-efficient options for practically every appliance out there! It will reduce your energy consumption, which then reduces your energy bill. People are willing to pay a bit more upfront to save themselves some money in the long run.
5. Gray water – this is the relatively clean waste water that comes from showers, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances. A major trend right now is to figure out a way to reuse your gray water. This water may have some traces of dirt but it is safe enough to use for outdoor irrigation! Builders can now install pipes that channel this water outside so you can use it!
6. Solar Energy – this trend has been around but it keeps growing. Investing in solar is definitely NOT cheap, but the financial and environmental benefits can be huge in the long run.
There is so much we can do for this beautiful planet – let’s keep it going!
Happy Tuesday everyone!
KK
KK,
Whenever I see the words ‘Gray water’, I think another misspelling by a tired writer. In my days of writing, ‘grey’ was the only acceptable spelling. However, both gray and grey are acceptable spelling these days. Carry on.
It’s sort of like defence vs defense (something the Chargers didn’t have much of in some years no matter how you spell it). The spellchecker built-in to this editor flagged ‘defence’ as a misspelling. However, both defence and defense are acceptable these days.
When ‘seperate’ becomes acceptable, I’m going to ask for a refund from my Catholic schools.
The “Green walls” are ironic, since I’ve long theorized that the reason beach towns rarely enjoy a morning fog is because so much of the rolling grasslands and wetlands I knew as a boy have been blacktopped. For the kid readers, we used to get fog a lot around here. The night and morning fogs ended by the early 1980’s, and are now a rarity.
Because there’s craploads of people here now, who weren’t there back then.
Sadly, today’s teens will never drive down the I5 and see nothing but tall, wild grass making massive patterns on the rolling hills that stretched to infinity. Because of this natural phenomena, driving the I5 was sometimes like driving through a massive church cathedral. The church is closed now.
If you want a taste of what it was like, rent “dances with wolves.” We were all Kevin Costner’s… in a Volkswagen.
If you want natural light but can’t do a skylight, consider a light tube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_tube
Daytrip, had to respond. I grew up OC coastal and my long walk to elementary school was through a big open park. Fog mornings with almost zero visibility for that walk were the best; you never knew if you were on the right track until you actually got there. Even better when the fog hung around until 1st recess for the best fog hide-and-seek games. The fog is mostly gone now. Pity.
elcarcosr,
I don’t bring it up to be obnoxious, just making a little bookmark for kids to have in the back of their heads what we’ve lost. I’m sure in 25 years, millenials will be telling the kids:
“I remember when I could flush my toilet all day if I wanted to! We didn’t have to pay a water truck to put water in our house’s tank every week. Nobody did home invasions carrying empty Sparkett’s 5 gallon water bottles. And Catalina Island used to be a resort! Not a desalinization plant! And San Marcos? It didn’t used to have beachfront property. Ask your dad if I’m lying!
Yeah. After the asteroid, and Yellowstone Park blowing up, and the tsunami’s, and the north koreans trying to invade, and then those two quakes. and the north koreans again, it was a LOT different around here–and BETTER! I’m not makin’ it up! Gimme another swig of your Arrowhead Springs, and I’ll tell ya some more!”
DT, the only thing missing from your post is the use of the word “whippersnapper”.
But thanks for the fog days reminder; truly a significant memory of great days as a kid.
My “living wall” would quickly become a “not so living wall” and only leave me with dead leaves and constant clean up. Ha!
“But thanks for the fog days reminder;”
I lived about 8 blocks from the beach when I was a little guy, so I would hear the distant fog horn on many nights, like a metronome. It was like it was saying, “it’s foggy, but you’re safe; there’s someone up, watching for you.”
Haven’t heard a fog horn in a loooong time.