Week Three:

        The Make My House Green crew wrapped up another great week of work and project organization.  The demolition was completed on schedule allowing plenty of time to clean up the site and recycle many of the extracted materials.  The individual material piles that lined the boulevard were effectively reused.  For instance, the cedar shingles were mulched, all pipes and other metal extracts were turned into Pacific Steel and many of the reusable materials have been stored for the upcoming construction phase.  All in all it was a great week despite several days of working late in inclement weather.  We did happen to capture the most perfect rainbow of all time.  Be sure to check out the picture we posted.  Several stacks of the lumber were taken to Johnson Brothers at the end of Expressway Boulevard where they will be mulched.  This site is continually open to the public and offers the free service of mulching all non-painted wood products.  more...

What is Green Building?

        Green building means constructing structures for people to live, play, worship and work in an environmentally friendly, low impact manner.  Green building provides for human needs while respecting the needs of plants and animals and of course other people.  The US Green Building Council, a private group, has developed a rating system (LEED) for green buildings.  At present this covers commercial construction only, but task forces are at work on a rating system for residential construction.  This rating system expresses a kind of consensus, though not the only one, about what it means to be green.  more...

16 WAYS TO GREEN YOUR HOME

Lower Your Utility Bills

1.   Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can be a huge energy saver. Replace some (or all) of your incandescent bulbs with fluorescents and enjoy reductions in heat production, energy use, and electric bills!

Savings: Changing five of the most frequently used light bulbs in your home can save you $100 per year on electric bills!

2.   Program Your Thermostat

When you are at home, keep the thermostat at 78°F or higher in the summer and 62°F or lower in the winter.  Programmable thermostats allow you to program the systems to reduce output when they are not needed (e.g., when no one is home during the day, or in the evening when everyone is sleeping).

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!  more...