Friday, December 27, 2013

New Year's Resolution: Put Together A Sustainability Plan

Green Living is the Life for Me!

It's the time of year when people put together a New Year's Resolution...to lose weight, pay off credit cards or get a new job. This year I hope you might consider something GREEN... a sustainability plan.

For today's blog, I interviewed sustainability expert David Dean about what his sustainability plan looks like.  David selected the NC Museum of Art and the sculpture The Conversationalist as the backdrop to his interview because both represent a commitment to sustainability. The museum because of their sustainable environmental site management and the sculpture because of it's re-use of tires and railroad ties.





Entrance to NC Museum of Art


View of the pond and museum from east side
View of the pond and museum from the south east side
Signage explaining the pond's design for managing storm water

Close up of the pond's design and storm water flow plan

Finally, what should you include in you sustainability plan?

Start by writing your plan down. There is something about putting your ideas on paper that give them a greater chance to succeed. Sharing your plan with friends and loved ones increases it too. Finally, reviewing it weekly helps make your plan become part of your habits and routines.

Here is my plan for the year:




Personal Wellness

  • ·         Exercise daily
  • ·         Pray and give thanks for 10 things every day
  • ·         Eat more fruits and vegetables, less red meat
  • ·         Grow vegetables in our own garden
  • ·         Go to church weekly

Food

  • ·         Carry lunch or eat lunch at home three times a week (eat out less)
  • ·         Prioritize locally own restaurants when eating out
  • ·         Buy fruits and vegetables at local farmers market
  • ·         Bring re-useable shopping bags to grocery store
  • ·         Drink less soft drinks and more water

Transportation

  • ·         Bike or walk for in-town errands, especially taking things to the post office and Red Box
  • ·         Ride share or ride public transportation at least once a week
  • ·         Maintain our cars with regular oil changes, tune ups and proper tire pressure

Energy

  • ·         Replace all bulbs in and around the home with CFL and LED bulbs as our budget allows
  • ·         Chart energy and water usage each month
  • ·         Replace or clean furnace filters monthly
  • ·         Purchase carbon offset credits through NC GreenPower

Water

  • ·         Limit my showers to 3 minutes or less
  • ·         Encourage kids to limit showers to 5 minutes or less

Recycling

  • ·         Recycle all cans, bottles, cardboard boxes, junk mail and newspapers
  • ·         Recycle batteries and electronics

Clothing

  • ·         Shop at second hand thrift stores for “new clothes”
  • ·         Purchase cotton or organic fiber clothing

Personal Growth

  • ·         Blog weekly about Green Living
  • ·         Study and pass LEED AP certification
  • ·         Volunteer with USGBC-NC
  • ·         Read a book about sustainability a month


Remember this: Inch by inch, it's a cinch! Mile by mile it's a trial.  Make sure your goals are bite size pieces. Many of my goals are things I already do and I am just trying to do just a little more, like eating more home or local grown vegetables everyday.

Here are some additional sources for you:

http://www.greenlivingonline.com/

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/

Thanks for reading my blog.

Rick

apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (twitter)
 












Friday, December 20, 2013

Lighting more Efficiently

Green Living is the Life for Me!

Today, I am speaking with Art Clark from Home Depot about light bulbs and their differences.
 



Great chart explaining lifespan and energy savings

Old School Incandescent Bulbs


Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (aka CFLs)



LED Light Bulbs




Great display showing types of LED Light Bulbs




Soft White LED Bulb illuminating hand
Bright White LED Bulb illuminating hand

 
Daylight LED Bulb illuminating hand

More resources on LED light bulbs can we found at:

Energy Star Info on LED Bulbs

Cree Lighting


Phillips Lighting Wiki


So, what it boils down to, LED bulbs cost a little more and will last much longer. If you can't afford to replace all the bulbs in your home or office, consider doing one or a few at a time. If you have CFL bulbs that have burned out, please be sure to dispose of them properly as they contain mercury that can harm both you and the environment if the bulb is broken.

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Rick

apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (Twitter)


Saturday, December 14, 2013

World's Greenest McDonald's

Green Living is the Life for Me! I just love Sustainability!

So yesterday I had the opportunity to tour the world's greenest McDonald's. It's located in Cary, NC and it has only been open for less than 30 days.



Here's photos of some of the cool features:

Solar Tube Lighting

 
Solar Canopy by YesSolar

Recycling and Composting

Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Sinks with built in hand dryers

Special Instructions for hand dryers

Local source recycled brick
100% LED Lighting fixtures by Cree



This McDonald's is inspirational! My hope if you live anywhere near Cary, NC you will stop by and see it. It's located at 1830 Walnut Street near US 1 and Interstate 40. If you would like to schedule a group tour, check out their website at:

http://mcdonaldsadvantage.com/green-mcdonalds-store-tours-2/

Thanks for checking out my blog. Green Living is the Life for Me!

Rick
apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (Twitter)

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Carmichael Complex At NC State Sustainability Initiatives

Green Living is the Life For Me

Today I'm interviewing Jason Spivey, Associate Director of Facilities at Carmichael Complex at NC State University about their Sustainability initiatives. Some of their efforts include a sustainability task force, tankless water heaters and solar water heating for their two large pools.


Thanks for watching!

Rick

apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (Twitter)

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Green Driving, Saving Gas

Green Living is the Life For Me

Today I discuss some simple ways to save gas and reduce your carbon footprint when driving. Of course the easiest is not to drive at all. Have you considered ride share, riding the bus, walking or biking to wherever?  They are not always a great alternative, so here are a few tips.



Thanks for watching!

Rick
apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (Twitter)


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Green NC Today

Green Living is the Life For Me!

Today I had the pleasure of attending the Green NC conference in Raleigh put on by the US Green Building Council NC Chapter. I helped with social media and took some photos. You can find my posts by going to twitter and searching #GreenNC and photos are up now at:

http://imgur.com/a/J9XYl

One of my favorite speakers was Barbra Batshalom of the Sustainable Performance Institute in Boston. Her message was around the issue of climate change and how we need to be less "random acts of sustainability" and more intentional.

I will be sure to post a link to talk on a future blog. One of my favorite points was that we have become a check box / certification society when designing green buildings and basically it has created a situation where the tail is wagging the dog...


At the same conference, they were passing out a book called "Do Your Part: A Practical Guide to Everyday Green Living" by Terri Bennett. I be sure to give it a read and let you know what I think and maybe share some ideas as well.

Green Living is the Life for Me!

Rick
apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (Twitter)



Sunday, December 1, 2013

Re-Cycling Bingo

Green Living is the Life For Me! I just love Sustainability!

Today, I talk about a game I play when I am cycling called "Re-Cycling Bingo". I hope you will try it out for yourself.

Check out my youtube video at:




Green Living is the Life for Me!

Rick
apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (twitter)

Friday, November 29, 2013

Shop Local

Green Living is the Life for Me!

So as we all go through the onslaught of shopping / marketing madness called Thanksgiving and Christmas I wanted to point out a great, sustainable idea. Nothing new, but very important:

SHOP LOCAL

Yes, shopping local saves jobs, it promotes growth in our communities and uses less gas. Think how much gas it takes for a digital camera you bought on Amazon to reach your home...Where's does it ultimately come from before it gets shipped to you?  China > US > Regional warehouse / Amazon > USPS/FED EX / UPS > Your Home

Now think local.  Store > You

Special shout out to Triangle Explorer for posting great list of local items here in the Triangle area of NC. Check it out on his blog at:

http://triangleexplorer.com/2013/11/27/buy-local-triangle-holiday-gift-guide/#comment-2923

and local gifts for the Foodie

http://gadaboutfood.com/local-holiday-gift-guide-for-a-foodie-dad/


Remember, SHOP LOCAL, it promotes sustainability.

Green Living is the Life for Me!

Rick
apexgardner@gmail.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Saving Water in the Bathroom

Green Living is the Life for Me! I just love Sustainability!

So there are lots of little things you can be doing to save water and money in the bathroom. Here just a few:

1) Time your shower and see how long it takes...try taking a minute off that time...then another minute.  I've been able to get my actual shower time down to two minutes. Use an egg timer or your count down timer function on your watch.

2) When you are brushing your teeth or washing your hands, turn the water off while lathering or brushing. This saves water.

3) Consider a low flow toilet. Check your nearest Home Depot or home improvement store for more information.  Don't have money for a new toilet? Check to see if you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore in your area.

4) Capture the water when the shower is warming up and use it to "flush" the toilet or water your plants.

5) Don't flush the toilet unless there are solids...My kids are great at the "No Flushing" method of saving water. Bet they didn't even realize they were being sustainable, huh?

Do you have other ideas? Send my way.

Green Living is the Life for Me! I just love Sustainability!

Rick
apexgardner@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Green Living is the Life For Me!

Green Living is the Life for Me! I just love Sustainability!

Welcome to my blog. My goal is to lower my carbon footprint, talk about the latest trends & topics and help others be more sustainable and LIVE GREEN.

Here's my first video... Five tips for saving money and energy at home:



Thoughts? Questions? Ideas?

Email me at apexgardner@gmail.com

Green Living is the Life for Me! I just love Sustainability!

Rick 
apexgardner@gmail.com