Houston Goes Green
Cities across the country are going green. Businesses that value the triple bottom line are leading the charge. Green Business Challenges, like the Westchester Green Business Challenge in Westchester County, New York are becoming widespread and mainstream. Stamford Connecticut and Houston, Texas, as well as Charleston, South Carolina are also great examples of communities that value people, planet, profit and the benefits of going green.
Check out the Green Business Challenge Initiative on GreenTowns and join with other Green Business Challenge communities that are moving towards sustainability. If your community does not currently have a Green Business Challenge in the works and you would like to help get one started, please contact our GreenTowns Advisors and they will guide you!
Together, we will make a difference.
Daphne
Director, GreenTowns
Courtesy: http://www.njcleanenergy.com
One of the best ways to protect our natural resources is to conserve energy by living and working in energy-efficient buildings.
Home Energy Audits, also known as Home Energy Assessments, can be performed on any building and point out opportunities to save energy. Audits come in a variey of forms, including both “do-it-yourself” and professional audits.
Home Energy Audits typically include the following:
- A blower-door test which pinpoints critical drafts and air leaks. If leaks are found, measures must be taken to seal them.
- A duct test to assess air leaks within the ductwork system. Significant leaks must be sealed.
- Hot water-saving measures including low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators can be installed.
- Installation of energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs is suggested, where the use makes sense.
- Checking insulation in attics and providing additiona insulation where needed.
Check out this video and the GreenTowns Home Energy Audit Initiative.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW:
Check out the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick
Check out the U.S. Department of Energy, Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments
Check out the Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit e-book
Check out the ENERGY STAR for Homes Partner Locator
Do you have a question about energy? Ask a GreenTowns Energy Advisor.
One Block Off the Grid
Check out One Block Off the Grid and see how much it costs on average, to “go solar” in your neighborhood. The site also has information about how much you could save every month, and what you could save over time.
Questions about solar and if it is right for you? Visit our GreenTowns Energy page and get answers from our team of energy advisors.
Do you know a local green hero?
Share their story with the GreenTowns network.
How Green is Your Town?
Questions about sustainability?
Ask one of our GreenTowns Advisors:
by Daphne Dixon on February 3, 2012
in Building, Connections, Energy, Food, GreenTowns Categories, Land & Conservation, Lifestyle, Recycling, Transportation, Uncategorized, Water
What is that magical combination of elements that turns a community into a “green” and sustainable community? Well, like all things organic, it starts out with a seed, that nourished, over time, grows, blossoms, and reseeds. In communities, sustainability starts with people who have a real passion about making a difference. Naturally, people come to the green space with a variety of experience, knowledge and are drawn to different areas of interest. But when these people start groups, clubs and organizations that support their sustainability mission, the ideas spread, are shared with others and the community evolves. Water, food, recycling, energy, transportation, land and conservation, building, are all integral to creating a sustainable community.
Does your town have the building blocks in place?
Does your town have monthly Green Drinks, a USGBC chapter or a Master Gardner Program? Do you want to have a more sustainable community, but don’t know where to start?
Send me your question.
Together, we will make a difference.
Daphne
by Daphne Dixon on February 1, 2012
in Advisors, Building, Connections, Energy, Food, GreenTowns Categories, GreenTowns News, Initiative of the Week, Land & Conservation, Lifestyle, News, Recycling, Transportation, Uncategorized, Water
GreenTowns is a shared platform of 15,000 individual town networks, where communities around the country, can share their green projects and efforts, not only on a designated town page, but also within a network of 15,000 towns. Find your town now!
If green efforts are shared on one platform, so that we can learn from each other, share resources, and initiatives, then we can collectively, hasten sustainability efforts throughout the country.
Please share what you know about local green efforts.
Please invite your friends to join their community network and be a part of a national effort to make communities throughout America greener.
Have a general question or comment? Ask Daphne
Have a specific question for one of our advisors? Check out our category pages.
Energy Food Water Transportation Land & Conservation Building Lifestyle Recycling Connections
David Popoff GreenTowns Building Advisor
Across the country, there is a push to use re-useable bags. Throughout Europe and other parts of the world, this is standard practice because it saves on resources, reduces litter and saves money.
Many municipalities are adopting ordinances to improve the environment by banning the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags for purchased goods. In Connecticut, for example, the town of Westport adopted such an Ordinance and started to enforce it March 19th, 2009. Westport became the first municipality in Connecticut to adopt such an ordinance and has joined others such as San Francisco, Los Angeles County, Austin, and Seattle.
Darien, Connecticut along with many other municipalities acros the country, have proposed ordinances in the works. Many of these by-laws are started off by local grassroots organizations such as the Darien Choose To Reuse group.
Using re-useable bags is habit forming and very easy to do. Keep a stash of re-useable bags in the trunk of your car, hanging on a hook by your mudroom door or in the garage. Many local retailers are giving these bags away for free or for a low price of $1 to $2.
Re-useable bags also have many uses. Instead of buying expensive $30-$50 canvas bags, we use our re-useable bags for boating, going to the pool, road trips and ski trips holding anything from shoes, gloves to beach towels and kid’s toys.
If you would like to preview a documentary about the pitfalls of plastic bags check out “Bag It”.
Take action, by adding your community to the National Effort: No Plastic Bags!
David Popoff is a Connecticut license real estate agent in lower Fairfield County, CT. He has lived and worked in the area for over 30 years and now reside in Darien since 2004.
Green Affiliations
- Realtor GREEN designation by the National Association of Realtors.
- David Popoff is an accredited LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) Homes and USGBC member of the Connecticut chapter (CTGBC).
- Associate member and an accredited Certified Green Professional (CGP) of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the local chapter HBRA-Fairfield County, Ct.
Greenopia, the leading authority on green businesses, released its 2011 Green Retailer Guide today, found exclusively on GreenTowns. Just in time for the holidays, the guide gave top “4 star” ranking to Ikea, with Kohl’s and Best Buy also ranked very favorably. Make your holidays greener by choosing your gifts from companies who support sustainability efforts.
