Prudential Steamboat Realty

Sustainability  "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"

While we are all setting our personal goals for the New Year, a refreshing idea is to look at how we can live healthier and more sustainably. It can be overwhelming to learn how to green our lives, so here are some simple tips to make quick changes in your homes and/or offices. A little change can go a long way and you will even save some money in the process!

Green Your Home:

1. Insulate your hot water heater or replace with an on-demand unit.

2. Use programmable thermostats. Studies show that home value increases by about $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills.

3. When changing light bulbs, switch to compact fluorescent bulbs or LED lights. Changing 5 of the most frequently used bulbs can save you $100 per year on electric bills.

4. Unplug appliances, computers, and phone chargers when not in use.

5. Water Savings - Install low-flow showerheads, fixtures, low-flow or dual flush toilets. Dual flush toilets have been used around the world for years! Reduce your water bill by as much as $100 per year.

6. Interior Air Quality- use low or no VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) Paints.

7. Recycling - Make sure you are recycling all items that your local recycler will take.

8. Seal and insulate your home. Make sure your attics and crawl spaces have adequate insulation. Potential savings can be huge if you have a leaky home.

9. Replace old appliances with Energy Star equipment. Reduce your energy bill up to $50 per year per appliance.

10. Consider xeriscaping (landscaping with native plants that require minimal water usage) to conserve water.

Green Your Office:

1. Make sure everyone is recycling paper, bottles, plastics and cans. Signage on the recycling containers as to what can and cannot be recycled is a big help.

2. Evaluate lighting systems.  Compact fluorescent or LED lights throughout the office will save substantial amounts on your energy bill.

3. Use motion sensors for lighting the office, conference rooms and bathrooms. If you're not in there, there's no need to light it up!

4. Just like mom said, turn off the lights when you leave the room. Shut down your printers, faxes and computers when not in use.  They're a drain...

 5. Investigate green power options with your local utility provider. Many companies offset their carbon footprints by purchasing renewable energy credits. (REC's)

6. Ditch the bottled water habit. Americans throw out over 35 BILLION plastic water bottles every year. Offices are major offenders in this area. Invest in a water purifier.

7. Stock your office's kitchen with reusable ceramic dishes and mugs and try to run full dishwasher loads to maximize water usage.

8. Recycle toner cartridges, use recycled/recyclable office papers and other office products.

9. Use green cleaning products and remember indoor air quality is just as important at the office as it is at home. A healthy employee means more productivity.

10. Incentivize your employees to improve their environmental impact. Bike to work, increase uses in recycling and coming up with innovative ways to make a difference. 

One of my personal goals is to eliminate bottled water usage. Ditching bottled water keeps Mother Earth and your wallet green. In the U.S., 24% of bottled water comes from purified municipal water. Get yourself a Nalgene, a water filter and save hundreds each year! If that isn't enough for you, consider that the energy we waste purchasing bottled water is enough to power 190,000 homes. Finally, if you must buy bottled water, please make sure you recycle. Only 23% of the plastic bottles in the U.S. get recycled.

Putting just a few of these items in place can result in huge savings for you and reduce your impact on the environment for generations to come. Have fun with it!  For more information contact Angela Ashby, broker associate, today at 970-879-8100 or email her at angela@prudentialsteamboatrealty.com.