It’s Not About How Green You Are but How Green You Are Becoming

I often get asked if I do such and such very green thing.  Some of them I do many I don’t, yet.  In fact there are many ways I could be greener and each day I find new ways to be greener.  Compare how green you are with how green you were.  If you are satisfied with the improvements just keep taking one step at a time.  Each step you’ll find yourself enjoying the unexpected benefits of the change you’ve made and you might see some additional options you might pursue.  Becoming greener is about becoming more secure from a very uncertain world.

Rod

Winter clothes for your home.

The heating season is here. Even on the mild west coast, the evening chill in the air tells us that the season of sleeping with open windows is over, and it is time to pull the thick comforter out. But when you dig through the closet for your sweaters and wool socks, maybe think about what your home is going to wear this winter.

The simplest way to improve the efficiency of your home is to locate and block drafts. To find drafts, turn off your furnace and walk around your house with a smoldering incense stick. Some sources of drafts will be obvious (those old ill-fitting single-pane windows!), others will be surprising (light or switch sockets, the seam between the floor and the drywall, under your sink where the pipes go into the wall). And it isn’t just houses that have these hidden heat-sappers: condo and apartment owners are just as susceptible to drafty walls, especially at gaps in the drywall around pipes and sockets. 

The solutions are often surprisingly inexpensive: silicone caulking for seams, rubber or plastic gaskets for behind electrical outlet plates, weather-stripping for windows and a sweep for under your door. And the money you spend making your home more efficient may even be tax-deductable! Even if you run a high-efficiency furnace, the potential savings from these simple D.I.Y. projects can pay for your materials in a single monthly gas or electric bill. The best time to do it is now, before the heating season really kicks in, to maximize your savings. You and your home can both enjoy a cozy winter.

For more info:
Home Renovation Tax Credit (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/hrtc/)
The Federal Government Energy Efficiency info page: (http://oee.rncan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/home/index.cfm?attr=0)

Cheap-Good-Durable. There is a saying in marketing: choose any two.

It seems that our society is at a place where we increasingly choose only one: Cheap. We are swept in by the idea of 10 pairs of tube socks for $4.99, or a complete 5-piece dining room set for $149.99 (don’t pay until 2021!). Everyone loves a good deal, but how good does that deal look three weeks later when you have put your heel through all the socks, and the stack of matchbooks under the table leg still doesn’t help the wobble?

The point is that the Greenest product is usually the most durable one. Products built to last mean we don’t have to buy replacements, we don’t have to recycle or dispose of more materials, and we don’t have to lament “they don’t make them like they used to!” Of course, if you buy for durability, in the long run it usually means you save money. Notice how your grandparents owned the same kitchen appliances for your entire life, but you seem to be replacing your latest plastic gadget every year? Notice all the solid wood furniture in the antique store, and the complete lack of particle board? Notice how the tips of your 99-cent screwdrivers seem to wear dull and strip your screws before the job is done? Yes, a $5 screwdriver costs more initially, but it might last long enough for your grandkids to use. And the bonus is that it leaves the planet in better condition for your grandkids as well.

Idling gets you nowhere.

When you were a kid, your dad probably told you that you need to warm up the engine before you drive, or risk wearing your engine out prematurely, or that it was better to run your engine for a few minutes than to put it through the stress of re-starting. Some people still believe this. Not only does idling waste gas and produce unnecessary Greenhouse Gas emissions, it may actually be worse for you motor, and harder on your wallet!

Thirty years ago, most cars had carburetors; today we have electronic fuel injection. Thirty years ago engines were big and inefficient; today they are more compact and have an efficient overhead cam design. Even on the coldest winter days, a modern motor need no more than a few seconds to be warmed up and fully lubricated. Any more than that, you are just sitting there burning gas, and wearing you motor, while standing still. The fuel injectors don’t need to be flooded with fuel to start the motor like an old carburetor. Re-starting most modern engines requires less fuel than ten seconds of idling.

Some cities (including New Westminster!) have gone so far as to discourage useless and inefficient idling by passing “anti-idling bylaws”, encouraging all residents to save money, save fuel, and stop their motors. So next time you are stopped for more than 10 seconds, think about it, and shut off the motor, save yourself some Green!

For more info: www.idlefreebc.ca

Live greener everyday

Welcome to the live greener every day blog.  This blog is about sharing ideas that can help all of us liver greener every day.  Living green is about thinking through the actions you take and living for the future not for the moment. There are many ways to live green.  Please share your insights and ideas on how we can live green in Port Moody, Coquitlam and New Westminter.