Greeneroo

Many of the green initiatives are focused on owners rather than renters. Buying solar panels can make sense to add to your home, and energy star appliances ARE a great idea, but places come with refrigerators, water heaters, windows, washer/dryers etc when you rent. And in alot of apartments there isn’t much incentive to take the time and money to make these big green efficiency improvements. Landlords might get a little cranky if you start remodeling and replacing things, (sure!) but there is alot you can do.

You can ask! Yes, ask for a clothesline, or double paned windows or having broken single paned windows replaced with double paned. Maybe a patch of unused land can be converted to tomatoes and basil. Containers on the roof? Saving rain water in barrels? Who knows?  Go ahead and ask, be your own best advocate. And many rental agencies are responding. Green, saves them money too.
You may not have your own plot of land, but investigate to see if there are community gardens near you, or you can go to a you-pick garden, or try container gardening. There are option, be curious, explore.
In Palo Alto, here is what they do:

The Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC) has taken on that responsibility. The largest low-income housing organization in Palo Alto, PAHC has implemented many green practices and components throughout their complexes.

Georgina Mascarenhas, PAHC director of property management, said that most units have weatherstripping on doors and windows to save on heating and cooling costs, low-flow toilets to decrease water bills and drought-resistant landscaping. All laundry machines are EnergyStar-rated. PAHC is also looking into solar power and Mascarenhas said that the Alma Street location is ideal for harnessing energy from the sun’s rays.

PAHC also signed a new contract with Quick Light Recycling from Brisbane, which conducted recycling presentations, provided larger communal recycle bins and gave personal recycle bins to residents.

“I think (residents) do want to be green.” Mascarenhas said. “For the most part, it is all about education.”

Mascarenhas said the main green thing PAHC residents can do right now is recycle. She also said that PAHC provides a written conservation plan with suggestions on energy-saving methods, such as setting the thermostat to automatic mode.

“Nobody wanted to take time to sort through the recycling before,” she said. “But, now that it is more convenient, more residents are doing it.”

On Channel 15 — San Jose and Campbell @ 7pm every Monday.
Also Airing in Santa Cruz County … and more to come.
This show is focused on us! Yes.. IT’S ALL ABOUT ME>>>> BEING GREEN!
There are stories on everything from clean-tech to local farming and the topics that are close to us:

• Technology
• Art
• Green
• Sustainability
• MORE INFO at www.svtags.org

Everyone wants to be green, but what does it really mean? Newsweek recently ranked the top 500 companies on their “Greenness”, here is CONSUMER REPORTS review on that award.

The top five were

1. Hewlett-Packard
2. Dell
3. Johnson & Johnson
4. Intel
5. IBM

Significantly, four of the top five companies on the list were from the electronics/technology sector, that really makes me want to know more!  Of course, in any kind of contest, rankings can change wildly depending on WHAT you are ranking. In all this back patting, there is one true thing… we still have a long way to go, and many green improvements and processes to implement. Ponder this:

In studies that have considered a range of other factors, including recycling practices and management of greenhouse gases, the companies have fared inconsistently. The Greenpeace electronics guide lists Apple in ninth place and Sony in third. But Apple placed 133rd in the Newsweek listing. (Sony, as a non-American company, is not listed.)

Do you want YOUR COMPANY to be rated by Newsweek magazine in its Green Rankings of the country’s 500 largest companies?

You need to have a goal, commitment, buy-in from all levels and make a detailed plan. Oh sure, it sounds like fun, but it is a ton of work and may end up turning the way you do business today …. into a different direction for tomorrow!

Technology can be the PLACE TO MAKE A GREEN DIFFERENCE…..managing data centers for increased energy efficiency.

Thinking about GREEN Information Technology? Your initiatives could  include:

Day to Day

Data Center Hardware Efficiencies.

Recycling

Whether through virtualization, the data center service life extension program, or energy research labs  –You’ll have to get your employees to help you reach your goals.

FOR a more well-rounded view, please take a look at Consumer Reports discussion of the Newsweek Green Rankings!

CoHousing is an innovative approach to building community, providing better housing, and developing a focused green way to live. Cohousing residences look like any other, but there are community and group facilities and even group concepts that make it very different. The residents collaborate on decisions and work together to connect the community housing ethics to thier living space. It makes sense that they would have an innovative approach to sharing their mission …. visit Bay Area co-housing by bike! Great idea! 

Note:  They also have bus tours and visits to housing that is much futher away.

Tour de East Bay Cohousing, Saturday, July 31st 9:15-3:15
Pump up your tires and get ready to bike to 6 East Bay cohousing communities. We’ll be biking approximately 8-10 miles on a flat route at a leisurely pace with frequent stops. We’ll start at Berkeley Cohousing, ride on to Doyle Street in Emeryville, Mariposa Grove in North Oakland, Temescal Commons and Temescal Creek Cohousing in North Oakland and end at Swan’s in downtown Oakland where you can jump on BART or pedal home.
Karen Hester, founding member of Temescal Creek Cohousing, is your tour leader.
Cost is $35 with cold drink provided, $45 with chicken sandwich lunch from Bakesale Betty and cold drink provided. Limited to 20 participants.
To Register:
Use Paypal at http://www.hesternet.net/events.html and send me an email telling me if you need a veggie sandwich (otherwise you’ll be getting chicken!)
Please mail checks made out to:
Karen Hester
320 45th St, Oakland, CA 94609.
Please include your name, email, phone number and whether you’d like lunch provided. Also indicate whether you prefer veggie (egg salad) sandwich.

Of course you have heard this before. Small IS Beautiful! Maybe you are ready to try it out? Ditch the big house and all the stress and see if you could live in a “cute little place”!? I have got a great idea for you…. try it out in Sacramento, go on vacation too! Take a look at these easy to love cottages, built small with all the best ideas.

• Arden Acres Executive Suites and Cottages   916-648-1839
• 2421 Clay Street      Sacramento, CA 95815     United States    

Interested? Give Bernice a call, at Arden Acres book a one week vacation, starting at $250. You can live small and enjoy a greener viewpoint. The floorplans are shown on the site, and you can get a feel for the “neghborhood”.  The vactioners that come to stay, love this, the small footprint and all the people but also a sense of place.

This is exactly what architect Sarah Susanka tells us in her books, “The Not So Big House” and “The Not So Big Life“. Our scale of homes and our thinking that BIGGER somehow show success is out of whack. Small homes have a beautiful energy all their own. The small footprint helps build neighborhoods, encourages interaction and promotes getting together rather than isolation.

For another year, California is the most energy efficient state in the U.S. and Wyoming ranks dead last. A pity, I love the bleak windy cold and independent spirit that makes WY.

Hats off to good ol’ CA!!  To determine the rankings, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy look at a number of factors, including utility efficiency programs, building code policies, appliance standards, and transportation. If you want to see how other states ranked, check out the Green Inc. blog poston the study.

Much of the federal stimulus money dedicated to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is devoted to general construction, but a significant portion will benefit alternative energy initiatives. So far, here is how it breaks down:

$4 million to the Joint BioEnergy Institute (a partnership that includes the Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and several universities) for biofuels research

$6 million to purchase molecular foundry equipment that will be used in nanoscale research for photovoltaic energy production and carbon sequestration

$3 million to fund additional laboratory space used for battery research

$13 million for the U.S. DOE Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek (which includes Berkeley Lab as a partner) to conduct gene sequencing research to develop better biofuel feedstock plants

Additionally, the White House announced in spring 2009 that the Department of Energy’s Office of Science will devote $777 million during the next five years to the creation of 46 new Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs), including one at Berkeley. In October 2009, the Lab received $7 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for the development of advanced geothermal energy technologies.
“Green Energy” By Glen Martin, Winter 2009 California Magazine

Update: here is the link for a great green housing post, that I think you’d like: http://agreenliving.net/green-communities-on-the-rise/#comment-1996

CoHousing is growing, and they have come up with a great idea. Would you like to see CoHousing “in action” but don’t want to drive all over? There is now a bus tour, were you can go in a group and check out several of the amazing residential communities. Each one is different — this is not a “one size fits all” idea. The communities are based on common goals and philosophies and the base their goals on inclusion and integration. It is a fascinating concept and if you have ever lived in a “nameless and faceless” anonymous condo complex you would really enjoy this startling difference. Community, that is what it is all about.  This concept is expanding there are CoHousing communities all over, in Oakland, Portland, Davis, Grass Valley to name just a few areas.

So check out the web site on CoHousing and give Neil Planchon a call at 510-465-7241 (or email tours@cohousing.org) to learn more about the tour or visiting a local association.

There are many other ways to experience cohousing, besides the tours, there are homes available for rent and there is a 2010 National Cohousing Conference in Boulder, CO.  Check the site for more information.

These astonishing modular dinky buildings grabbed my attention right away. They are elegant and instant and their tiny footprint makes them a possibility for many areas. They have a solar option and designs have wood accents and moldings. This company is located in California  415.676.6648.