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)
 

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)