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Well, Greening Oakland Homes is getting to the starting gate. A group of green-minded Oaklanders gathered last night and got organized for our first Green Fair, scheduled on March 6th. With such a profusion of energy-saving opportunities, it helps that volunteers are bringing their contracting, engineering, selling, marketing, financing, policy-making and even personal experiences to bear.
This Green Fair is focused on helping homeowners [Read more...] Today the State of California is putting finishing touches on a statewide green building code, effective next January. California plans to levy fees based on greenhouse emissions, rather than wait around to see what Uncle Sam’s doing to impact climate change. There’s been plenty of buzzing about homeowners and what’s expected of them. If we decrease our energy consumption, then families should expect tax breaks or dividend checks worth up to $1,000 – pretty sweet!
Even in climate-perfect Oakland, we get hit with winter’s chilly temps. There are a couple things you can do to winterize your home and save energy costs, starting with an old-fashioned treasure hunt for leaky places.
Yes, we suggest that you take a good look at every window and door. Then go ahead and investigate openings like mail chutes, electrical/gas service entrances, [Read more...] Lose weight? Exercise daily? Maybe. Yet there’s a new resolution coming into vogue as well. Some 53% of Americans are thinking more broadly and are planning to make a green New Year’s resolution! According to the just-released Tiller Green Survey, 34% have felt guilty about not being more green – with women at 41% versus men at 27%. And that’s not a bad thing, says Tiller’s James Marren: Women are clearly more focused than men on incorporating environmental responsibility [Read more...] If you’re a homeowner, then you can “go green” by relying on the experts. There’s no need to earn your masters degree in environmental engineering anymore. Through the Build It Green clearinghouse, we discovered 539 GreenPoint raters living the Bay Area. Some of these experts are certified to rate existing homes…which also comes in handy around here.
Here’s one local rater that caught our attention. This auditor works on [Read more...] Yes, you can get some money back when you make green-home improvements. We’re going to plow through all the possibilities from Uncle Sam, starting with this $1,500 tax credit. How does this credit work? If you buy and install certain energy-saving products in your existing home, then our feds will credit up to 30% or $1,500 (max) between now and December 31, 2010. You’ll need to complete this Form 5695, when you file your [Read more...] Remember that Smith and Hawken garden stuff (R.I.P.) we all loved during the boom? Well, Paul Hawken definitely knows how to tap into the zeitgeist, and his answer to “why conserve” is pretty telling: The future belongs to those who understand that doing more with less is compassionate, prosperous and enduring, and thus more intelligent, even competitive. With a basic conservation sensibility, we know that making green improvements at home just makes good [Read more...] For those last minute shoppers still needing gifts, how about thinking green? We’re all down to the wire, and running low on inspiration. The NRDC employees have come to the rescue, with gift ideas that are mostly affordable.
And here’s our pick of the litter: Up to $15 each – A Costa Rican rainforest tree donation, chili pepper seed ornament, or re-usable Envirosax shopping bag Well, there must be something we can do. Recently a neighbor complained to me about her water bill: My water bill was over $200 this month. When I have some down time I will start the greywater system we have tried to set up in our plumbing. We hope it works. If only we could make water climb hills…cheaply. Has anyone out there tried home-grown approaches to greywater systems? Are you re-using water [Read more...] Here’s one way to think about how much space you occupy on Mother Earth. You click through questions about your eating, shopping, living, commuting and traveling activities – and then discover the sad truth.
Greening Oak has a way to go. When I calculated my footprint, it took 47 acres of productive land. If everyone on Planet Earth behaved like me, [Read more...] |
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