A Little Bit of Green Goes a Long Way
By Tracy Eisnaugle
If one of your 2009 resolutions is to take a few steps toward reducing some of your living expenses while at the same time becoming more environmentally conscious, then I have a few simple ideas to help. Just over a year ago I resigned from a wonderful job to take some time and focus on myself and my family, the concept was good but it was definitely a financial awakening. My spending on day-to-day items and monthly transactions needed to be analyzed to live within our new budget. I started reviewing our monthly expenses and was slightly surprised at the cost of our general utility bills. Thus, I set out highly determined to conserve funds and at the same time lower our carbon footprint. I might be using the term “our” as I am including my husband, who at first was not an active participant, but after he saw the bills lowering he quickly jumped on the “green-saving” bandwagon. With some spare time to think clearly and to do some research I was able to take a few simple steps toward greening our home and our wallet.
The first utility bill that shocked me (literally) was our energy bill. Our home came with digital programmable thermostats, but we never took the time to program them, it took a whole five minutes to figure out the simple system. By adjusting the temperature settings to work with how we lived in our home we instantly reduced the length of time and amount of energy the system was using, only working when and where we needed it. Changing out all of our light bulbs to compact fluorescents was our largest energy saver, it cost a little money up front, but the results were remarkable. While bulk shopping at one of the local club stores we found a great price on the bulbs, and they were the new style with the swirly fluorescent tubes enclosed, they look just like normal bulbs. I must warn you they are fluorescent therefore, they take a few minutes to warm up and get to their maximum light potential. The water heater was my next victim, if you are fortunate enough to have a tankless unit then you have no worries, but we have the traditional large tank in the garage. I hired my neighbor, a licensed electrician to add a simple timer, a tank style water heater keeps gallons of water hot at all times, which is really unnecessary. He was able to program the timer to come on for only a few hours a day to heat water during the times we needed it for showers, the remaining twenty hours of the day it is off. We have a simple 75-gallon tank and even when the unit is off there is enough stored hot water available for random uses throughout the day.
My favorite investment which provides both water and electrical savings is our new (again the use of the word “our,” although my husband has never used them) incredible front load washer and dryer. Larger capacity, less water, energy efficient… I just cannot say enough. A front load washing machine actually uses less than half the amount of water then a top loading machine, has a larger capacity (since there is no agitator) and spins more water out of the clothing yielding less dry time and therefore, saving more electricity. They also use less soap resulting in a lowered amount of toxic chemicals emitted into the environment. Our green dream team, they have paid for themselves already.
When the water bill came I noticed not only were two people consuming way too much water, but we were also paying a ton for garbage removal. Being mindful of keeping faucets off while brushing our teeth and shorter showers was my first instinct, but it just wasn’t enough. The big savings came in two ways; first my new cherished front load washer and dryer and second the installation of rain barrels. Being home also allowed me to notice that my dear landscaper husband was also hand watering from the tap, multiple potted plants and different sections of our property. We have a reclaim irrigation system, but when we built our home I insisted on a jungle and he gave me one, which resulted in what I have been told are “special-needs plants.” After researching cisterns and looking for ways to collect natural water I found a wonderful woman on Laurel Street in Sarasota who makes rain barrels. I purchased my first rain barrel from her; being a designer it was quickly given a makeover to look and feel like a terracotta pot instead of its original use as a plastic pickle drum. Within a few minutes we had it completely installed; creating a fully functional 55-gallon tank actively collecting rain water directly from our home’s gutter downspout. We currently have two barrels, one on each side of our home, the second one I made myself it was a quick and easy successful project.
It’s time for a little trash talk, I was disgusted by the amount of garbage two people and a menagerie of pets could create. I was guilty of driving by the loaded cans on trash day and never thinking twice about the tonnage. But after being home and dragging those cans back into their hiding spot it was an eye-(nose)opening experience. We can recycle way more than we think; it just takes some label reading. When shopping look on the box to see if the package is recyclable if not select the brand that is. We also took the time to investigate composting, I know it sounds very farmer brown but it really works. We have a medium sized compost bin that we discreetly placed in a common area to share with our neighbors, at this time we have three families actively composting. The compost bin came with great instructions and a simple set of copies handed out to our curious neighbors sealed the deal. We are currently creating naturally fortified soil for use in our common areas and my future organic garden. With conscious recycling, and composting our garbage can count has decrease from three cans to just one.
Lastly, this is the easiest and least expensive way to have a big impact and make a fashion statement, reusable shopping bags. Why is it so hard for everyone to bring their own bags? Please, please, please invest in a few trendy shopping bags. I don’t want to be the person who gives you the evil stink eye when you request double plastic or paper at the local market, and don’t give me the animal waste use excuse because those bags are weak and holey. If you cannot find reusable bags that you like I have some fabulous bags leftover from a fund raiser and would be happy to sell them to you at a deep discount. The truth is those plastic bags take 1,000 years to break down in a landfill and they emit toxins into our soil and water.
Becoming a little greener at home was easier than I thought. After a little research and a few simple changes the savings were evident. If you have any questions about greening yourself of any of the products discussed above please feel free to contact me at www.tleisnaugle.com [1].
BIO
Tracy L. Eisnaugle has practiced interior design in Sarasota since 1997 and is currently self employed providing design consultation services in the area. She is a graduate from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and continues her education by attending annual conferences. Her past experience includes, Design Center Manager for Lee Wetherington Homes, high-end residential design and model merchandising. Tracy may be reached at 941.232.3358 or by e-mail at tleisnaugle@msn.com [2].
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