Apartment Blog

If you’re like me you know the benefits of going green. We preach it all the time in our Apartments Going Green articles; it helps save the earth’s resources and the green in your wallet (money). But what are some unique reasons, perhaps some you didn’t think of before, for going green? Well, I turned to my favorite place for answers, Yahoo Answers and Google, to find some. They require some creative thinking, but I think you’ll like the reasons we’ve come up with…

1. It’s fun! You can totally make a game of recycling with a group of your friends or even a competition to see who the best is.
2. It’s empowering. Can you imagine the kind of high you’ll feel from helping the environment? You will have a since of pride that you are helping change the world for the better!
3. You’ll resemble your favorite celebrity! Many celebrities are taking the world by storm to try and get people more involved in environmentally friendly ways.
4. You’ll be viewed as stylish and trendy. The ‘hot’ thing right now is to ‘go green’. Many stores are printing t-shirts with phrases about going green, making recyclable bags with fun slogans, etc. You’ll be ‘in’ to your friends & family.
5. Green is a cool color that looks good on you! Many going green items are in fact green in color. When you think of going green, you think of Mother Nature, which is green. And, as we mentioned earlier, it helps save you some green in your wallet. This fabulous color will be all around you, and why not? You look good in green!!

Last year I wrote about the Bottled Water Debate and the stats about how consuming water from packaged water bottles was bad for the environment, you can read it here. When I was sitting on my plane from Miami to Atlanta, delayed from my glorious vacation in Key West, Florida, I stumbled on an article in the Delta Sky Magazine regarding American’s love affair with water bottles. It goes through the trends of Americans and their water bottle consumption.

We went from drinking from water fountains at schools, homes and parks to spending almost $6 billion in water bottles alone in 2007. It all started with beautiful green French water bottles that arrived to the United States in 1976. From there the trend materialized. Many more makers started entering the field and sleeker designs appeared; sales skyrocketed and our landfills have increased in size.

Though there was a ripple in water bottle sales in the mid 80s, sales didn’t actually take a decline until last year. I’m pleased to say that according to The Nielson Company, total U.S. sales (excluding Walmart) in bottled water from 2007 to 2008 dropped 3.6%.  This can be attributed to many things such as the economy; no one wants to spend money on bottled water when there is perfectly safe drinking water at home! The ‘going green’ movement is also another motivator. Americans have become much more concerned with the environment and the ‘carbon foot print’ we leave on it. In response, companies are coming out with ‘eco-shape’ bottles, reducing emissions in their manufacturing processes as well as with home purification systems.

Even with a drop in sales, water bottles will always have a presence in America.  According to Tom Lauria, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association, this leeway extends for emergencies like Hurricane Katrina and the need of joggers. Or, “You’re on an airplane. You can’t just go to the tap.” There is a time and place for everything and the key is always moderation! In places where tap is accessible, it should be used. And when it’s needed, bottled water is an option.

So for my flight back home, my bottled water is suitable. But when I return home to Norfolk, Virginia tap water it is!

Source: “Has Our Love Affair with Bottled Water Gone Tepid?”By Jennifer Vogel. http://www.deltaskymag.com/ May 2009

1. Think before you print.
2. Turn your computer off at night.
3. RECYCLE: Items including fax paper, ink cartridges, and junk mail are easily recycled.
4. Make it a habit to bring your own dishware for meals you eat at the office.
5. Turn off the coffee pot when not in use and de-lamp your vending machines; this can save you up to $100 each year.
6. Purchase office supplies and tradeshow giveaways made from recycled materials.
7. Carpool or take public transportation to work.
8. Change the thermostat…just a little. An adjustment of only one or two degrees can cut heating or cooling bills by 2-3%
9. Be sure to turn lights off at night, for the weekend, and any time you will be gone longer than 15 minutes.
10. Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned.

I just read this fantastic article called ‘Tips for an Energy-Efficient Apartment’ located at Healthgoods.com and let me just say ‘wow!’ There are some really great tips for making your apartment more energy efficient that I had never even heard of or considered. Especially given the time of year and the fact that the cooler temperatures are forcing us to change our habits, I think we could all use a little brush up so we aren’t overusing what we don’t need to and be able to save a little money. While most of it is out of our control given that we are living in an apartment and landlords/management companies are responsible for the building condition, heating systems and major appliances, there is still quite a bit we can do on our own!

Heating:

• Set your thermostat between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3-20 degrees Centigrade) during the day and 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C) before going to bed. Most people won’t be at risk of hypothermia if temperatures are less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you’re uncertain consult your doctor.
• Be sure and keep your radiators clean. Dirt and dust can block the heat output.
• Arrange furniture so they are not blocking vents, radiators or baseboard heaters as this hinders the amount of heat distributed. If you find you are unable to move something, then look into getting an air deflector. This device attaches over the vent and allows you to direct where the air is going.
• The most well known thing I’ve heard regarding windows is caulking to decrease the heat loss. But did you know that for greater savings, you could invest in insulated curtains?! Never even heard of them!
• An obvious solution would be to remember that you can dress warmer to eliminate turning up the heat. If you’re feeling chilly, put on a sweater or socks. You’ll save big $$ in the end!
• And if anyone is from Virginia you can attest that our temperatures go all over the place. One day it’ll be freezing and raining, the next will be sunny and in the 70’s. If this is true where you live, consider turning on the ceiling fan or using the window next time it’s a nice day.

Stay tuned. We’ll be posting Part II soon! What tips should you look out for?? How to be more energy efficient with your lighting!

We’ve posted a few articles previously about how to ‘go green’. It’s a major focus in today’s society. Everyone is concerned about the environment, me included. So slowly I’ve started making adjustments to my daily living. But recently I read an article called ‘The Cheapest way to Save the Earth’ by M.P. Dunleavey. This article talks about ways to conserve the earth by consuming less! That’s the way you save the earth and that’s the way you save your dough!!

She explains that our society tends to spend money in order to effectively better our efforts, such as ‘going green’. When I was recently shopping for baby clothes, I found myself reaching for the organic onesies feeling relieved that somehow I would be making a difference by purchasing them. While the notion is correct, these efforts-such as purchasing organic foods, clothing and other items-can help, but the point is to conserve our natural resources. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

The way this article put it into perspective for me was that everyone should know what their carbon footprint is. The definition can be found in a description on the National Geographic’s Web site:

“When you eat an egg, you’re not just eating an egg. You’re eating the gas the truck used to deliver that egg, the coal used to generate electricity for its refrigeration and the resources used to boil, poach or fry that yummy egg. And that’s your human footprint-how much of the world you use in your lifetime.”

So simply put, it’s better not to create the carbon in the first place. You can do that by thinking of what factors are involved from the moment something is produced to how you consume it and how much that costs the environment.

Three tips this article gives for reducing the amount of your carbon footprint initially are:

1. Reducing your use of fossil fuels. This can be done by making sure your transportation is as fuel-efficient as possible, such as tires being properly inflated, up to date on tune-ups and oil changes, etc. Another way is to drive the speed limit-so take it easy on that gas pedal! And of course the best way to save is by using public transportation whenever possible.

2. Unplug your electronic devises. This is a step I am constantly on top of at my house. Ever since I saw an episode on Oprah where she recommended this. Everyday, or whenever these items are not in use, unplug them. Such as your lights, kitchen devises, cell phone chargers, computers, etc. Power is constantly generated through the outlets when items are plugged in.

3. Control Temperature. Heating and cooling your home consumes a lot of energy, so why not be smart about it so you’ll save? Instead of going straight to the air conditioner when you’re feeling warm, why not open a window for some breeze. Or use a fan. A nifty little piece of advice Dunleavey wrote about is to use the ceiling fan in combination with your air conditioner. By increasing the air circulation, you can actually cool down your home a few degrees!! Good to know….

So while the effects to your wallet and the earth won’t be immediate, over time you’ll notice the difference. And your bank account and your environment will reap the benefits! I’ll leave you with just one more little tid-bit that Dunleavey wrote about, that I of course found interesting. Did you know if you ‘Green Bag’ your lunch instead of eating out, you could save tons of money and spare the environment millions of non-biodegradable packaging! I always bring my lunch, but that was purely to save on the expense of eating out. Now I know I’m also helping the environment! Another check on my ‘going green’ efforts!! Whoo hoo!!

I found this article online and it has changed the way I drink water. Bottles, Bottles, Everywhere by Ramon Cruz has opened my eyes to what damage can be done by simply drinking from the plastic water bottle on my desk. Like every health conscientious American, I make a effort to consume eight glasses of water a day. In doing this, I tend to drink a lot out of water bottles. But the harm that I’m doing to the environment could be comparable to the harm I would be doing to my own body if I didn’t consume that water. A person needs to drink water throughout the day in order for their body to work properly; your blood has to carry oxygen to your cells and needs water to do this. Water also helps you digest food and get ride of waste in your body. But by drinking water out of plastic bottles, I am overflowing our landfills and contributing to global warming. Sure recycling would help, but “less than 20 percent of the 28 billion single-serving water bottles that Americans buy each year are recycled.”[1] Therefore, most of those water bottles are resting in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.

And what for? “More than a quarter of all bottled water is just processed tap water, including Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani.1” Yet bottled water consumption is continually growing each year. So there needs to be a better plan of action to tackle this wide-spread damage! The article suggests several options. One being if you purchase bottled water make sure you recycle the container. I know this option isn’t the easiest for me because the community I live in does not collect recycling (which I plan on discussing with them in the near future). So the second suggestion is what I’m doing now. I drink tap water. I have a water filter at my home and at the office where I consume my water daily. And since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food & Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water, I’m drinking water that is just as safe as, if not safer than, bottled. I also drink out of a reusable container so I won’t be throwing away numerous plastic or Styrofoam cups a week–which also harms the environment. Be sure you don’t reuse single-use water bottles; doing so can expose you to bacterial build-up and carcinogens leached from the plastic.

The ‘Green Living’ bandwagon is continually getting new members and I encourage all of you to hop aboard and do your part in helping our environment!

[1] http://green.yahoo.com/blog/climate411/91/bottles-bottles-everywhere.html